Ready, Set, Go

I could hear them breathing as they rolled to a stop behind me. I glanced over my shoulder. We were lined up at the red light, 1-2-3-4. My husband up front on his dark red Classic Comfort Cruiser, me bumping up to his rear tire, on my bright orange City Commuter, and them—one, two—bona fide racers. They were sporting aerodynamically designed helmets, bright cycling apparel and ergonomic clip in shoes. On their faces - pure determination. They weren’t out sightseeing.

I faced the light and smirked to myself. We got this, I mused. My husband didn’t even know they were there, so when the light turned green, he smoothly glided away, without a backward glance. I fell in behind him. About twenty seconds into this leg of our ride, I wondered how far back our competitors were. I glanced over my left shoulder, and they were right there—drafting me! The nerve. A moment later, as we entered the bike lane on the side of the highway, they geared up, and passed us both within three pedal strokes. They flew by us as if…well…as if we didn’t have throttles. How could they? They disappeared down the highway faster than invisible ink. I was dumfounded. But, it wasn’t really a fair competition because they had big, undulating muscles, while we had big, battery-laden bikes.

I stared after them in complete and utter awe. The equipment, could only take you so far!