Ride Report 8/14

about 30 miles on the Trek in about 3 hours

Happily, the rear tire on the Trek is still inflated, so I head out for the ride I planned to take the day before. As I head north from the American River bike path, I pass a cat lying in the middle of the path. It meows at me as I pass it and I can see that it is injured. When I turn around to better assess him, the cat limps off into the brush. I call several people for possible help, but end up trying to call animal control. The phone switching system is down, and there is nothing I can do for the cat at the moment, so I continue on my ride.

I concentrate on keeping my cadence (pedal RPM) between 80-100 per minute, but pedaling feels most comfortable right around 80 RPM. Above 85 RPM, I feel like I'm pedaling too fast. I shift into my largest chainring (the "big boy" gears), which helps a little. I average 18mph on the path.

At the turnaround point, I call animal control again and describe where the cat is. They call back just after I start back and ask if I can meet the officer. I bike as fast as I can for the next four miles (16-17mph in a gusty headwind) and make it to where I saw the cat last. I had tilted the saddle up a bit to help keep me seated on the back, but my lower left back starts screaming in protest during my four-mile sprint. By the time I get there, the officer is either at the wrong location or he's given up and left. I call animal control back three more times, but the system is down. While I am on the phone, I was balanced on my left foot and my right foot was still clipped in. When I try to turn around, I overbalance and fall onto my right knee. The knee I skinned on Tuesday.

I call animal control again, get through and leave as detailed a description as I can on the cat's location. Then, streaming blood, sunburned, tired, I wheel my way home for a shower and a nap.