Bicycle Death March

"I like my cigar but I take it out once in a while."

Groucho Marks is alledged to have said this to a contestant's husband on You Bet Your Life, after she told Groucho she'd had 11 kids in 10 years.  I am begining to get the idea.

I rode 50 miles on Sunday.  Then 30 each day this week. Last night I went to the Bike Arlington Happy Hour at Capital City Brewing Company in Shirlington because, even though I was pooped, $2 pints are hard to pass up.

I got home in the dark last night at 8:30.  As I rode along the Dyke Marsh boardwalk on the Mount Vernon Trail I looked into the reeds. At the edge of the water, two eyes beamed back at me. Either that or I was hallucinating.

I had a nice tailwind this morning.  I needed it. I skipped Friday Coffee Club because I had a 9:30 meeting across town at the Federal Communications Commission. As it turns out, the meeting started late. I could have gone for an FCC double header.  (Which sounds pretty neat until I realize that @rcannon does this all the time.)

Speaking of double headers, I plan on riding both the 50 States Ride and the Backroads (Metric) Century this weekend.  Too bad I can't be like a baseball team and call in a reliever for the end of the ride.

Speaking of baseball, in 1967, I became a Red Sox fan.  That year Tony Conigliaro, the bestest young phenom evah was beaned on my birthday.  I was destined for despair for the rest of my life.  In 2004, I lost my mind watching the Sawx win it all for the first time since forevah.

Around that time the Montreal Expos left the great white north and decamped to DC and San Juan, ultimately becoming the Washington Nationals. My father drove us up to Montreal to see a ball game when I was a teenager. The Expos, led by Rusty Staub (Le Grand Orange), were hosting the Giants with Willie Mays.  Willie didn't play though. The game was held in Jarry Park which had only one tier and held fewer than 25,000. Ken Henderson of the Gi's hit a monster home run that bounced into a swimming pool in the park outside the ballpark. So I may be one of the few Nats fans who actually saw Les Expos back in the day.

Last night they clinched a playoff spot. It was the first time since 1933 that a Washington baseball team has made it to the post season.  It's not exactly up there with the Sawx 2004 comback against the hated Yankees, but it's pretty cool regardless.  Congratulations, Nats.

Getting back to cycling, by the time Sunday's ride is over, I should have about 330 miles in 8 days.

I will be dead. Like Groucho.