JRA

It was a fine afternoon–spotty clouds, perfect temperature and blessedly windless.  I was deep into what in retrospect was a rather pedestrian workout, but which seemed at the time to be of utmost importance.

It was an archetypal JRA moment.  Had my fork broken or wheel tacoed suddenly, I could have claimed to the warranty department that I was Just Riding Along, and WHAM!  But no, my bike remained intact until….WHAM.  What the HELL was that?!

And AGAIN!  Wow, this is crazy, and what is that buzzing.  Oh, crap, the little bugger is caught in my jersey, and it’s only a matter of time before he stings me again–I’d better do something, and soon.  24mph seems slow, but when there’s an angry, stinging insect stuck between your jersey and your skin, it seems fast and difficult to slow down from.

Calmness overtook me and I was able to grasp the offending insect, preventing its further explorations of my upper body. It unleashed a final sting before succumbing to my death grip.  Whew!  You just never know what you’re going to encounter out there.