Bikeshare Day 2

I promise I won't do this every day I ride a bike. But I rode to work today so it's day 2. It was uphill so I sweat a little more which is less favorable to sweating on the way home. But there's not much else to tell of my ride. This post is one for reminiscing.

Yesterday, I mentioned my turquoise helmet that is better suited for a twelve year old girl. My parents have tons of these cheap-o target helmets in their shed in blue, pink, silver, and more. It's a bit frivolous but it is nice to be like a free local bike rental shop when any friends or family come in town. And it's nice when one of us signs up for a helmet-less bike sharing system and wants to store one under their desk.

But I remembered that one of these helmets, this very turquoise one in fact, was once so much more than an extra collecting dust in the shed. It was once my armour on a great bike ride across Iowa, the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, actually. It was only a four day ride, when my parents and I joined the last half of the week in 2007, but it was still significant. I went looking for pictures of this helmet on Ragbrai and this is all I could find, apparently I was aware of how dumb it looked or I just took less pictures of myself then.

Nope, still took pictures of myself.

Avoiding pictures of the helmet?

I was such a dorky biker back then. I rode the whole way in sambas purchased in or around 1998 and soccer shorts. I also rode this trusty hybrid Bianchi that is now owned by my friend and co-worker Kate. She rode her first triathlon in it in September so it's still livin' the life. Maybe I wasn't a dork but just less of a poser. My dad however, has never been a dorky biker or a poser.

#1 Dad, #1 Biker

My Uncle Tony has always been cool as well.

Cool and Strong.

And a child at heart.

As the story goes, we rode a lot, we ate a lot, we slept in tents and we had fun.

Me and all the fifty year olds :)

They love their field of dreams references.

Betsy bikes so she can eat. And more..

Finish.

 

I was also a little chubs back then, despite all the biking. But still not afraid to hunch over handlebars in my sports bra. I have ditched the sambas and soccer shorts on my long bike rides but I'm bringing back a piece of history with the turquoise helmet from Ragbrai 2007.