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Monday, May 13

Eight Mile Radius

I met Jesse the Dude almost twenty years ago.  Recently, when he invited me to his 37th birthday bike ramble about town, I was intrigued.  Normally, he celebrates his birthday doing something LARGE and intimidating, so a ride from drinking hole to drinking hole in Charlotte seemed like it was in my wheelhouse.

With the coming storms, I offered up my house/porch as a starting point... we could always watch the rains and jet when possible, drinking all the Coors that was left in my cooler... that Zac had actually bought last week at PMBAR.

So The Dude, Zac and Moosa all showed up at me casa around 3:00... something?  The plan was much larger than just starting at my house, but the weather forecast was glum.  Then the rain came and shit on our heads.  Hard.  We sat and talked.

The Dude was looking at all the number plates on the porch walls and found the one from when we met all those years ago, the Pro-Lyte 24 Hour Challenge.  He was around 18 years old and had zero support in the pits.  Myself, I was just getting into the sport that I was apparently decent at (staying awake, riding a bike for 24 hours, and causing self-bodily harm).  My "people" helped him out with what will always be a memorable race experience, the race being halted less than a third of the way in in for lightning and 2" of rain in just in hour.  What followed was... a whole 'nother story.

We were trying to figure out what year it was, this mounted on the wall behind me the whole time:

Derp.

Anyhoo, we sat on the porch, crushed some shitty beers, and waited out the storm... until I realized it was a "real storm."

So much rain (like almost 2" in an hour) that my neighbor's yard does this:

Which makes my backyard do this:

Which makes my side yard do this:

So, I mighta left the party to "deal" with all that for a bit.  I need go keep my HVAC unit from floating away.

Anyhoo, the lightning subsided and we suited up and headed south to the Waldhorn German pubbery.

That's the birthday Dude BTW.  Honestly, it takes a lot of rain to get this part of the greenway flooded.  Something around 10-12 feet above normal.  Fuck.

Onwards to Waldhorn, where beer comes in liters and with strange, nonstop pretzel breads.

Oof.

Anyhoo, we did what damage was needed and then headed back north'ish.

I warned everyone how slick the new greenway was coming down off South Blvd, what with the strange green fluff grass stuff sprayed all over to insta-grass everything.  I'd gone out for 24 greenway "training miles" that morning scoping it out, so I was totally aware.  Despite my knowing better, I totally went sideways and down anyways.

So, that happened.

And then Punta Cana for foods, and that's where I called it a night.  I tried ghosting out, but my bike was locked in a pile, and the rain was pouring at that point, but I was just a few miles from home.  The party was getting larger and headed way north... and for some adult reason, I'd been up since some silly hour doing something way earlier.

Good times, erosion, beer, late night guilt Cuban sammich (with fries), Sunday "we will rebuild" moments, and a week and a half to go before TSE with another very possible celebration weekend coming up...

I wonder... ummmm... how to do this better?

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