Coming down the home stretch ...

I can think of little to add to yesterday's post except to note that accuweather is calling for wind of up to 8 mph out of the east-northeast in the afternoon, and that is likely to slow me down, some. This may tempt me to start the third and fourth laps early, if the first and second laps go well enough to allow me to do so.

Beyond that, my only concern is that, if anyone decides to ride any part of the course with me, I might not handle it well. I've never ridden with other cyclers. Even on the "tour de parks" of last summer, I was almost always riding alone, with others on the tour well ahead or behind me. I'm not terribly steady on the bike, and I've got my seat set pretty high, so my center of gravity is on the high side, making me even more wobbly than I would be otherwise.

I've seen other cyclers riding side-by-side within the bike lane on the local streets, and I'm concerned that some friendly supportive soul might come up alongside me and freak me out.

There's one stretch of road that is of even more concern. Just west of the airport, on 25th Ave, about a quarter of a mile south of Evergreen, there's no bike lane. During rush hour, with cars -- and sometimes wide-bodied trucks -- going both north and south, I just get off the pavement. Going south, there's a pretty decent gravel pathway, which I can ride, but I do it at very slow speeds. Going north, if things look spooky, I intend to get off my bike and walk, because the incline drops off too steeply to the right for comfort. If I have cyclists behind me, I worry that we might get entangled if my maneuvers take them by surprise.

Otherwise, everything looks rosy, and I'm really looking forward to the ride. The extra day of rest (four days, when my maximum for the past few weeks has been three) makes me feel really restored and ready to go.

See you at the Pavilion around 4:15-4:30! And if I'm late, save me a cupcake!