An easy, flat ride, sounded good to Jim who has been fighting a cold. Sounded good to me having pushed too hard on Tuesday and suffered enough I didn't get back on the bike until today.

Did too much walking on Friday and paid for that with another aching throbbing session in the middle of the night waiting for the ibuprofen to kick in and the ice to go to work.

Foot felt pretty good this morning though and I headed to Southway despite the cold wind and the snowy aspect to the sky.

Bill Arnold was already there sporting new shoes. He's trying to find a solution to numb feet. New shoes might be the solution but I know I had to break my last pair in while riding the old pair.

The plan was to ride toward Steptoe Canyon but Jim and Bill and I decicded we didn't like the west wind. While we debated, snow flakes began to flicker about. Undeterred, we headed south to 10 mile.

Pleasant enough ride with some sunshine and a nice tailwind most of the way back.

I did 26 miles and the foot did fine. However, off the bike it is still not good. I keep expecting a big improvement and I keep finding myself back with the cane.

We'll see tomorrow how mch litter I can pickup. Probably not much.

The first Easy Does it Ride was a success.

Corrie and I where there at the Corps parking lot ready for a crowd. The weather was not the best for the Easy Does it sort of rider though. I had told several biker wanna be’s about my ride and there seemed to be a lot of interest but we had only one new rider show up, besides Corrie, Bill Arnold and myself.

Our new rider heard about the ride last weekend at the St. Patty's run. Keith Kopischke heard about the run as I was encouraging his wife Mary to join us. Keith is not a runner but he has been riding a recumbent for years along the levy, while Mary runs. Keith was fine with our plan to ride to Asotin and back. I had my newly developed TRC ride leaders' tip sheet,(Which will soon appear along with links to a couple of other rider-leader tip pages on the coordinator page membership forms, and my new bike safety book mark along with the TRC sign in sheet. I was ready.

I handed Keith a membership form and had him sign in, followed my TRC ride leaders list of items to cover and off we went.

I have found that these easy does it rides do bring in new people, often they only show up for one or two rides but it is worthwhile to have this option.

I struggle with offering the easy does it rides in the summer when we’re off on rides out of town, but I think our idea of offering the rides early in the season and having someone committed to leading a group of new riders is important to bringing in new riders.

The ride to Asotin is not a hard ride and you do have to be slow and careful for all the walkers but it still offers a chance to talk with your fellow riders. Come to find out Keith and Mary did one of the Bike and Barge tours in Holland last April.

Boy did my ears perk up!! Their tour was two weeks starting in Amsterdam and ending in Amsterdam at the height of the tulip season. They had a cabin on the barge that they slept in and each day the barge would drop off the group to bike three different routes, with tours, museums stops, lunches etc. all planned for the group of 20 of so riders. He had great stories to tell about the different riders, tulip festivals and rides, food stops, bike friendly Holland where everyone rides, kids, workers, pregnant ladies, ladies in dresses and …. High heels!… no spandex, no clips, no helmets, lanes and stop lights… for bikers etc, etc, etc. WoW, sign me up!

Unfortunately we came to the Asotin cut off and he had to be to a lunch date so Keith had to say good-by. I did invite him to come to one of our board meetings to tell his story and show off a CD he has of pictures of his tour. Keep your eyes out for an invite to one of our board meetings!

Corrie, Bill and I continued on our Easy does it ride up Asotin Creek and back with Bill heading home and Corrie and I having a well appreciated lunch at Taco Time. Our first Easy Does it ride was a success, low turn out but still fun was had by all. We’ll hope for more riders in April.

It's Just Like Riding a Bike . . .

. . . you never forget.

Oh, that's right. I am riding a bike. After three weeks of enforced idleness, I squeezed a still swollen left foot into a loosely laced cycling shoe (how about them sibilants?), drove to Swallows Nest and swung my leg over the pilot and headed for Asotin.

I can put my weight on that foot. I can get around without a cane. But I still gimp about. I cannot lift my weight to press up onto my toes. When I stand to pump, I feel a distinct weakness.

Otherwise, spinning along is pretty much normal. Yes, I feel that foot, but I feel it all the time.

I thought about pushing to 20 miles, but a dark sky in the southwest and good sense told me not to ask for too much the first time out. I settled for 10.

A couple of hours of icing made the foot feel pretty good this afternoon. No lingering after effects of the ride. I'm sure I'm in rehab now with no real danger of doing additional damage.

So, while the miles will be easy, slow, and short, I'm back. It did feel a bit strange at first but it's just like riding a bike . . .

For the ride of it. Corrie