No Glory But Plenty of Good Times

The weekend was supposed to bring the good kind of pain and suffering on the gravel roads around Rochester at the Almanzo 100. I caroused with friends on the way home from work Friday night. I'd postponed what I regarded as necesary maintenance on my bike until the proverbial 11th hour. I stayed up way too late wrenching for a 5am wake up call to ride (pedal) to meet my ride (motorized) to Rochester. In short, I unwittingly(?) sabotaged myself. I called Meiser at 6:05am and said, "You guys leave without me." Back to bed. Enough said.

All things work out. April had bad information on some necessary work training she was planning on attending Saturday afternoon. She got a call mid-morning that she needed to be in right away. Babysitters were not lined up until the p.m. Daddy to the rescue. No race, no problem. I ended up racing after Sylvia on her tricycle while balancing a sleepy Willa in my arms. No competition. I won a better prize spending time with my girls than I would have nabbed in Rochester.

But I have to say it looks like the event was a hoot. Check out Snakebite's recap here. He has a link to the Almanzo site with results and photos. Meiser took 2nd. Hurl slid in at 9th. Snakebite was 24th. I missed a good chance to ride with some good friends. Congrats to all of you on finishing. The I (bike) MPLS dude did not fare so well. He was DNF'd before the race ever began due to automobile issues. Don't pity him too much -- he's quaffing fine sippables in Europe as you read this.

Since we had friends ready and willing to take the kids for a few hours Saturday afternoon, April and I did something we haven't had the chance to do in a VERY long time -- we went for a ride together. We pedaled over to our new neighborhood by way of the dirt trails around Cedar Lake. I showed her Hobo Camp (there was actually a hobo there grilling some links and drying some duds). We coasted through the cricket matches taking place in Bryn Mawr meadows. Then we pulled up to our new block and past the house we'll soon call home.

Yep, we're buying a house. It's official now. The inspection is done, the purchase agreement is finalized. We're moving out of S Mpls in July to Bryn Mawr -- a quiet neighborhood tucked just west of downtown along the Cedar Lake Greenway. It also borders the lakes and Theo Wirth Park. Great proximity to I-394 for all those motorized commutes I hope to never make. In all, it's not a bad urban spot for nature loving, pedal-inclined folks like the Flecks. I'll get some pictures of the new place up soon.

Trade-offs, you gotta love 'em. I bagged a fun race but ended up having a stellar weekend anyhow with family and friends. Whoa ... something just moved. Could I have felt a priority shift?!