A True Karl Moment (as told by John Linger)
Tim, Felicia, John and I are once again beginning our training for the MS150 from Houston to Austin in April. John has been having serious hip issues and, even though he has registered, he wasn't sure he will be able to ride. We had our first training ride on Saturday and the planned route was 28 miles (ride 14 miles out, eat breakfast at a Mexican restaurant, and ride 14 miles back.)
We left the parking and had ridden approximately one mile when John told me his hip was bothering him and he didn’t believe he would be able to handle the route. So, he decided to turn around, return to the truck, and act as our SAG driver for the ride. He followed the pack (approximately 15 of us) all the way to the restaurant and, while we were eating breakfast, Tim, Felicia and I decided we were going to ride only 20 miles. (Tim and Felicia haven’t ridden since last May and I haven’t ridden since October.)
We finished breakfast, went outside to get on our bikes, and Felicia announced that she is quitting – 14 miles is enough for her – and she doesn’t want to be tired the rest of the day. Tim and I look at each other and agree to complete the 20 miles. We mount our bikes and, as we are pulling out of the parking lot, John announces, instead of following us, he and Felicia are going to drive down the road to the Exxon gas station. He estimates that will be the distance of our 20-mile ride.
Tim is riding faster than I and he arrives at the gas station first. As he arrives at the gas station, John and Felicia are waiting outside the truck. As Tim approaches, he looks down at his computer and says, “I’ve gone 19.8 miles. I’m just going to ride up and back until I reach 20 miles.”
About a minute later, I am now approaching the gas station. I see John and Felicia waiting outside the truck and notice that Tim has ridden past them. I look down at my computer and it registers 19.8. As I pass the truck, I say, “I’ve ridden 19.8 miles. I want to ride 20….I’m going to keep going. Please pick me up in a minute.”
Of course, I didn’t know Tim had just said the same thing. John shared this little tidbit with me last night at dinner and laughed about the Karl Moment he and Felicia shared.