YIKES!

I just had the best/fastest bike ride ever. I was going to head out for an hour or so and do some intervals since I haven't been riding as much as I'd like, and could use to get in better shape. So I start down West River Road and I feel good, so I start to cruise. I figured I had a tailwind, because I was going a couple mph. faster than normal. I think I see a flash and I look up, the sky is dark to the north and it's getting windy. I ride faster, harder, determined to make it at least to the Ford bridge and back before I get drenched. I'm going faster, I go across the bridge, look to the north and east and see dark, dark sky. The kind of sky that will make you completely soaked in seconds. I ride faster across the bridge, now it's definitely a race against time. I see my friend Linsey from NOW bike club, who is running across the bridge in the other direction, say hi and keep going, faster, faster. I didn't know I could go this fast for this long. Where was this adrenaline during my time trials? I'm riding up East River Road now, heading back home, and I hear the tornado sirens going off. Haven't heard those in awhile, so it must be pretty serious, and the sky is now dark above me. I'm going fast, hard, in the big ring, but feeling very little effort, as if my legs are just going by themselves. I get to the little uphill by Summit Av. and finally feel some exertion and have to go back to the easy gear, but only because my lungs are burning, legs still feel fine. I go a few more blocks, now big droplets are falling and it's pretty dark and I don't have a light and I'm wearing my Bella kit, not exactly high visibility. A car turns left in front of me, I slow down to let him go, and the car behind him goes next and almost turns into me. I swerve, and the guy driving yells something out the window. I assume it was "I'm sorry." But I'm in too much of a hurry, and need to get home now, so I keep going. I get to the Lake St. bridge, and the rain starts coming harder. A runner goes by, looking unhappy. I'm really going all out now, around the corner, under the bridge, and the last half mile home. I look down, I'm going 20 mph. Still, seemingly no effort, just a strong desire to get home. I start to feel something pelting like hail, but not a lot. I worry about my car that's in the driveway. I go, go, go to beat the big rain, to beat the hail, to save my car. I pull into the alley and it really starts to rain just as I get into the garage. I look at my computer. avg. speed: 21.1

My best time trial speed ever.

Adrenaline is an amazing thing.

The winds that came right after I got home, as I was standing in the garage, actually scared me. I ran into the house, right to the basement. Luckily it passed quickly with a lot of rain but no damage. I did have rain coming down my chimney, though. That's a hard rain.