We were fortunate enough to be invited along on a family trip to Cape Cod in early July. The free lodging aside, we were excited about reconnecting with family, relaxing on the beach, and celebrating our 11-year wedding anniversary.
The in-laws rented the perfect house situated 1.25 miles away from the Bay and 3.50 miles away from the Atlantic. As an added bonus, the Cape Cod Rail Trail was accessible a half mile from the house.
I convinced Hubby to borrow my stepfather’s bike and join me for a ride on the flat, paved trail. He hadn’t been on a bike since he supported me during the Hartford Marathon in 2006 but he was willing to indulge me.
We set off from Orleans, heading towards Wellfleet. The ride itself was smooth and mostly uneventful, save for some saddle sores developing on Hubby’s posterior. The racing saddle he was trying to sit on, coupled with the thin foam chamois in his cycling shorts did not lend themselves to a cushy ride.
He was in quite a bit of pain at the end of the 20-mile ride, and seemed anxious to get off the bike. So anxious, in fact, that he attempted a ‘running dismount’ wherein the rider slows to a gentle coast, swings one leg over the bike and then in one deft motion, unclips the other foot and begins to run with the bike.
Having been trained to be a bicycle cop, Hubby was confident that he could still manage such a maneuver, even after almost 8 years of NOT being a bicycle cop. You can predict where this is headed…graceful, he was not. But dang it, it was funny as hell.
Other than his pride, his thigh and his thumb, he survived intact. He soothed his wounds with a few of these, and politely informed me that I would be riding alone the following day.
