It was a great relief to get back on the bike this morning for my first Tuesday/Thursday ride in just over two weeks. That’s a LONG time off the bike for me! And a bit of a shock to the system, going from 100 degrees in Africa to 36 or so this morning. Yet somehow it all felt good, much better than expected.

Erik, Kevin, Kevin & Marcus, and fortunately nobody seemed to really want to go fast except… younger Kevin. Even though he didn’t get in the miles he should have while I was gone, he was still game for a good pace, or so it seemed. Less than half-way up he started to have a reaction to a change in his epilepsy meds, causing him some vision issues. This is apparently common with Carbatrol; there is a limit, different for different people, that the body can handle before causing some involuntary eye movement. We didn’t get too far on Skyline before it was obvious he’d have to turn back, heading down Kings while the rest rode on. Too bad; it was likely a beautiful view on West Old LaHonda!

The effect on Kevin’s eyes was fortunately temporary (this has happened before), but it did force a pretty slow descent on Kings. Slow and… well, a lot of work. It’s hard to go slow downhill! You’re really got to stay on the brakes the entire way, which means a lot pressure on the hands. It is so much easier going fast.

Don’t worry about Kevin. On the ride home from work, holding onto his wheel was almost impossible. Half-way up Jefferson it became hopeless and I watched him ride away. Yeah, I think he’s fine.