Monday Blues: Smoke's No Joke

David Harmon was commenting on the smoke from some flares drifting across the road during the final few kilometers of last Friday's stage at the Tour. Essentially he said the riders were at their maximum effort, their lungs "fully open" and that having to inhale all that smoke was no joke. You could see the riders moving as far to the other side of the road as possible, but still passing through the cloud of soot, and Harmon noted that the UCI officials should be made aware of the trouble, to which Sean Kelly responded "sure, we'll tell the UCI. The smoke's no joke."

Anyway, later that morning I was out for a nice peaceful ride along the SGRT when I couldn't help but notice those two jokers riding up on me from behind. Regrettably it was what they were riding that was the cause of my sudden apoplexy. Those little minibikes are, of course, notorious for the inordinate amount of black soot they belch out. The smoke's no joke quickly came to mind, and though these two were relatively exhaust free the din of their approach, pass and departure was enough to shatter whatever semblance of calm I possessed. 

The SGRT is a motor-free zone folks, but since there is never any enforcement south of the Santa Fe Dam, well, I guess you are only in the wrong if you get caught…

Blue: A color, a mood or emotion, a genre of music. Tune in each Monday for another installment of the Blues, with a cycling twist.