Happy to see a stranger

Great weather on Labor day here in Seattle.  I haven't ridden much since the P-100 two weeks ago, aside from a short slow ride in Bremerton to celebrate one of my bike friend's recovery from a heart attack.  So today I hopped on the bike for a spirited lap around Mercer Island.  This is an 18 mile ride, door to door, including a wonderful stretch of uninterrupted road around Mercer Island -- including some of the best switchbacks ever.

Shortly after getting on the island, about 3 miles in, I am behind a rider about my age and size.  I slow down just a bit, and follow him for a half mile until we get to a point where the route splits.  One fork goes up a hill and stays on the bike path, the other fork takes the road.  He takes the path, so I take the road.

I was cruising along pretty good, hitting 20 mph on the flats (was there a tailwind?) and burning off what glycogen had accumulated over the past couple of weeks.  Two miles later at the next fork, I took the bike path hill vs. the road, and crested at the northeast side of the island in good shape, although I had by this point burned nearly all the matches I had brought along.

The next hill to climb is longer, so I put it into a low gear and started spinning it out.  I look behind me and about a quarter mile back, there is the guy I dropped!  I didn't have energy left to sprint, so I just kept pedaling and watched as he got closer and closer.  Now, getting passed by someone who passed you isn't the worst thing -- after all, I HAD been pushing it at the first, so turnabout is fair play.

I'm resolved to getting reeled in, and as he gets closer, all of a sudden I see a flash of red.  The guy I'm thinking of was wearing green.  And sure enough, as I get passed, I realize with a sigh of relief that this isn't my guy -- this guy is in black with a red hydration pack!  I'm used to getting passed by better riders all the time, so this isn't just no big deal, it's great news.  The guy I dropped is dropped for good.

I wasn't so happy to see a stranger in a long time.

Epilogue:

After 8 more miles, I nearly reeled this guy in.  Caught up to him on the little steep hill on the east side of the island, just before the switchbacks.   Then he dropped me again.

Great ride, nearly a record, actually.  My matchbook is filling up again.  Next big ride should be my R-1 200k ride on Sept. 13.