Old Friends

June seems to be the month for reunions,

On Sunday I rode 60 miles on the Back Bay loop with Amber and we attacked the first stretch of the SART hard - or rather Amber pulled and I hung grimly on. About 10 miles from the beach we passed a small group containing a rider wearing a California Triple Crown jersey so I slowed to say hello and I found myself riding alongside Dave "Big Ring" Evans who I hadn't seen in at least five years.

Dave is a legend in SoCal long distance riding circles. He rode his 100th double-century (200 miles) way back in 2001 and was inducted into the Triple Crown hall of fame along with the late Dan Crain. Dave has been off the bike these past few years for various reasons but at 74 he's starting to ride again.

Amber and I slowed down to allow Dave's group to catch up because I really wanted to chat with him a bit. The group consisted of a Puerto Rican racer, his wife who had only been cycling two weeks - you'd never have guessed, and two young ladies - one called Teri and the other not. On the spur of the moment I asked Dave if Amber and I could join his group. Then, as we turned off the SART several more riders were waiting for us so we ended up riding in a group of 11 riders.

At a very gentle pace, and with a lot of conversation, we rode along Sunflower and then MacArthur to Bruegger's Bagels for a quick snack. I had never been to one before and it was very good. Dave and I started swapping good places to eat. I told him about the Champagne Bakery in Irvine and he told me about The Crema Cafe in Seal Beach. I'll be sure to go there soon and I hope Dave tries the bakery. I love swapping good eats.

We continued on until we reached the top end of the Back Bay where Dave and his Cerritos Cyclopaths (I think that's how the spell it) turned towards the ocean and Amber and I headed inland towards Irvine.

All in all, one of my best rides this year.

And now for my first ever cycling health tip - courtesy of Dave Evans.

If you find yourself having saddle-sores on every ride - even the very short ones - your backside may have acquired a colony of the kind of bacteria that love to invade microabrasions and cause boils. Kill them off by drawing a bath and adding 1/4 cup of bleach (such as Chlorox). Soak for 10-15 minutes. Do this before every ride for a month or so and the problem will go away.