m i k e b r e v o o r t

[cruising down Apex, around a blind corner there’s guy standing in the middle of the trail. I make eye contact, slow and smile, he looks like he’s going to step to the side but instead throws his hand straight up traffic cop style]
Ranger Rick: STOP!
Me: Hi! How’s it going?
Ranger Rick: Didn’t you see me?
Me: Yeah I saw you. That’s why I said hi…
Ranger Rick: You didn’t stop!
Me: Sure I stopped, see? Hi.
Ranger Rick: [in an escalating tone] No you were going to ride by! [takes out a pen from his shirt pocket] this trail is out of control! Do you understand the trail yield “law”?!
Me: Absolutely, I hike her too. Cyclists yield to hikers,… [interrupted]
Ranger Rick: NO, cyclists stop for hikers
Me: Yeah, and horses too!
Ranger Rick: [clicking his mighty pen, reaching for his pad] You weren’t going to stop!
Chris: [who is behind me, now stopped] I stopped
Ranger Rick: I know you stopped, but he didn’t! He was just going to blow right by!
Chris: Oh, he was going to stop too, he’s been stopping all night
Ranger Rick: Well he didn’t stop this time! [looking at me] YOU slammed on your brakes right in front of me!
Chris: I stopped, what’s the problem?
Ranger Rick: I don’t have a problem with you. You can go! Go ahead! Go! I’m talking to him [pointing to me and him and me and him is a waving motion]. You can go!
Chris: What’s your problem?
Ranger Rick: What?! I’m not talking to you. This place is out of control. Of the 10 people that past me tonight only 1 stopped and he was the guy that crashed!
Me: I stopped. Well, I came around the corner, we made eye contact and I thought we were cool [interrupted]
Ranger Rick: You need to stop! [now clicking his pen violently]
Me: I did stop when I saw you. Look I’m sorry, I understand. This place is crazy. I’ll do better next time.
Ranger Rick: Look [chest now inflated more than ever]. I’m going to let you go with a warning [pen now back in it’s holster, actually his shirt pocket where a dozen other pens are]. If I see you out here again pulling that crap I’ll write you all a ticket
Me:Thank you sir. Have a great night [rolling away, WTF?]


In retrospect, I think he had a problem with my farmer’s tan…

We had a really big group last night for the Wednesday night ride at Apex. Too big to list out in fact. Jeanie’s brother John made his first appearance of the year and didn’t even crash hard… he did crash and bleed, but nothing to talk about. I felt pretty good and cleaned a bunch of the technical sections and switchbacks on the climbs. Good times.

Afterwards, I made a wrong turn out of Golden and ended up on 70 East so we just drove with it and went to Denver and hit 25 South. A little bit of a rendezvous, but it did lead us to a Taco Bell. Many years ago, after group rides around Newark, DE we’d always hit the Taco Bell on Kirkwood Highway which always let to some great stories. Great memories, bad service

Today I headed out on the road and did a set of hill repeats on Monarch. I wore the iPod for the first time this year and that made the workout fly by. This weekend Jeanie’s going on a “retreat” so I’ve got the kids mono y mono or mono y mono + mono. Hopefully the house will still be standing when she gets back…