Sunday Options: Waiting

waiting. the only bike-related photo worth sharing from the day, proved to inspire the day's post

We wait. Time passes. A minute, two, three, sometimes more. The earth turns and we see it in the sun above. Shadows shift below us. Leaves fall at our feet, acorns on our heads. Autos pass, their drivers envious that we can enjoy this morning outside. Mornings such as this are meant to be enjoyed. Other riders pass, nods and peace signs given in camaraderie.  When the signs are immediate, when we are involved in the action, we see time passing. In other instances the actions marking time are drawn slowly. The imperceptible escape of air from a tube punctured five miles back on the road, only becomes noticeable five miles further along. We stretch that time, hoping we can roll to the next regroup. When it works, if it works, no one needs to wait.

Waiting when on a bike, means time to talk and listen. Little moments of our lives are shared, incidents of slight consequence. Enquiries turn to jokes, and then to heckles. All the while we watch, and time passes. Stealthily, or not, we see it passing, we feel it. Sometimes we hear it. Always we experience it. We are in this together, and that is why we wait.

jammin' in Claremont Village on a Sunday morn - guitars and bottles

The Inland Empire Women Cyclists teamed up with the regular Sunday Coates ride today. It wasn't the competition-fueled ride these groups typically become when left to their own. It was a fun morning and a slightly longer route than normal. Waiting or rolling, I think everyone took something worthwhile from the time.