Redemption

Scott and I hit the trail this afternoon and rode up to Wiehle Road in Reston which made for a 12.1 mile round trip. It was fantastic. The weather wasn't too oppressive and the breeze was steady but not hindering. I struggled up the Reston Town Center overpass, but it didn't wipe me out. In fact, as I coasted down, I told Scott that I wanted to keep going until Wiehle. The trail is so pretty east of Town Center. There's a pedestrian bridge I'd never seen and the supports of the American Dream Way bridge are quite picturesque. All in all, it was an enjoyable ride with a couple of surprises.

Surprise the first: I dinged my bell as I prepared to pass a guy walking on the trail. He nearly jumped out of his skin and yelled at me for "nearly scaring [him] to death". I replied that I was trying to warn him that I was passing. He said that I shouldn't do that. Scott hollered that the signs all along the trail state that you must warn before passing. And with that, we'd passed the grumpy curmudgeon and shook our heads at his idiocy. We passed him again on the way home and I made sure to holler loudly when I rang my bell to pass. Maybe he'd had enough polite (and impolite) cyclists go around to teach him that warning was a good idea. Whatevs.

Surprise the second: I fell off the trail. We'd crossed Crestview on the way home and pedaled about halfway up the hill when I needed a quick breather. After recovering, I hopped back onto my bike, which literally consists of hopping because I cannot touch the ground when I'm on the seat. Unfortunately, I was facing uphill which makes it even harder for me to hop up and the handlebars shifted slightly and C.C. and I fell over into a thick stand of, thankfully, very soft bushes. Scott panicked, of course, and raced back to rescue me, but I was laughing and dusting dirt off my knees. I need to be more careful or Scott's going to cover me in bubblewrap.