Meantime, there was the ride, now two days ago. A recurring theme, this getting around to reporting on a ride well after the fact. Just myself and Kevin, riding up through the park, still too cool for my lungs to work well (is 42 degrees cool or cold? It really doesn’t seem cold to me, but what I feel and how my breathing works seem to be at odds with each other). Unlike Kevin’s relatively-fast ride up on Tuesday, he stayed with me, staying near idle speed, probably too much time to think. I vaguely recall what that was like, back in the day.
Curiously, it felt like the “big storm” (which, as of Friday night, has yet to materialize) was moving in a bit early as we started the ride, although, by the end, the sun was coming out quite strongly.
The next four months would normally be something I’d be looking forward to, as the warmer weather helps my breathing and I start planning for France in July. Unfortunately, I’m facing a lot of additional challenges this year, some from the closing of our Los Altos location last September (which has created quite an inventory bulge in road bikes), and an increasing workload as it becomes difficult to find enough staff. Business is very strong right now, so we need more people than ever, but there simply isn’t enough of “us” (present employees, largely my family!) to go around, and the high cost of living isn’t attracting more to the area. Any thought of going to a 5 day workweek have gone out the window.
Think what I need is a really, really good bike ride!