Because
of our schedules, Robert and I did Thursday Worlds last night instead of our
usual Tuesday Worlds earlier this week. As of yesterday, Worlds moved
back from 6:00 to 5:30 P.M. due to the shorter days. I quickly changed into my kit and walked out
of my office right at 5:00. When I got
to my car, I realized that I had forgotten my cycling shoes!
My
mind raced. My first instinct was to go
home and ride from there, even though I wouldn’t have much daylight by the time
I got there. I called Robert, who had
been uncertain whether he would be able to get away from work in time for the
5:30 start. I expected him to say that
he wasn’t coming, which would have made me feel a little better about missing Worlds. However, he was already at Mt. Zion (Worlds
starting location). Gaaa! Obviously, it was too late to have him
bring my shoes to me. Maybe someone
had a spare pair of shoes I could borrow.
He started asking everyone in the parking lot. No dice.
When
I arrived at Mt. Zion, I got the idea to call our friend Chad Madan, who lives
only a few miles from there. He was out
of town, but he still was able to help.
He called his wife and coordinated with her to have his cycling shoes
ready for me to pick up. I drove to
their house as quickly as possible. I
had forgotten to ask Chad on the phone what type of clips he has. I figured he probably had Look Keo pedals,
the most common type among road cyclists, but there was a chance he used
SPD. When I picked up his shoes, I was
relieved to see that they had clips that would work with my Look Keo pedals.
I
only had a few minutes to get back to Mt. Zion before the 5:30 ride start. One thing I really appreciate about our group
rides is that they start on time. I had
left my bicycle at Robert’s car instead of taking the time to put it back
inside my car. (I have to take off the
front wheel to fit everything in my hatchback.)
I figured that I would have to pick up my bicycle, drive out to the fire
station about 10 miles from the start, and ride backwards on the course until I
met up with the group – not optimal, but the best I could do under the
circumstances. I got back to the parking
lot at 5:32. The group was still there!
I
guess that because not everyone had gotten the word about the earlier start,
the group was waiting for a few stragglers.
Within moments, I parked; put on my helmet, gloves, and Chad’s shoes;
and was ready to ride. I wasn’t even the
last one! I was so grateful for the
group’s patience. We pulled out about
5:35.
Chad’s
shoes worked just fine, and they didn’t even look too clownish despite being a
size or two too large for me. I had
brought my regular cycling socks, but I also had some thick socks that I had
been wearing all day with my work boots.
I just happened to be doing field work instead of desk work
yesterday. The thick socks made Chad’s
shoes almost fit. Besides, they allowed
me to channel my inner John Cozart.
John, one of my cycling buddies, has a trademark of wearing his dress
socks from work with his cycling shoes.
The argyles are the most stylin’.
Chad
is one of the strongest cyclists in Middle Georgia. His shoes must be magic because I was able to
hang with the group until the end last night.
Thank you so much, Chad!
Life’s the same I’m moving in stereo
Life’s the same except for my shoes
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