Week 79

Positive post Sunday, August 19, 2018- Week 79. 

Every week for the past several years I have gotten up early on Saturday morning, put on my cycling kit and helmet, filled my water bottles, checked my brakes and tire pressure, and “rolled” off to what we affectionately call the “bagel ride”.  The bagel ride is far more than just a bicycle ride, it’s a longstanding tradition that has turned into deep and meaningful friendships.  The current crew includes myself, James Reed “Reeder”, Joe Martinez, Byron Pettibone, Joe Sousa, Brian Zander, with occasional guest appearances from Brian Zimmerman, Ryan Stinson, Matt DeDoes and even Stan Logan.  We usually meet at Reeder’s house, Cyclery USA or Stell coffee shop at 7 or 7:30am depending on the weather.  The bagel ride has various routes ranging from 30 miles to 60+ miles. It always includes stopping at East Coast Bagel, the “Bagel Shop” in the Canyon Crest Towne Center in Riverside where we get bagels and coffee, or in Brian Zander’s case, an expresso in a cup that looks like it came from a kid’s play tea set.  That’s only if Kevin wakes up and gets there in time to run the expresso machine.

Over the years, we have had many bonding experiences, including visiting with HVAC and his dog and solving the world’s problems at the bagel shop, riding by “Butt rock” on the bike path in Riverside, dodging cars, crashing our bikes, and then there is the infamous “fixing a flat tire” experience.  I could go on and on and I’m sure the guys will chime in here with examples of many more fun and entertaining experiences they recall from our bagel rides.

Many of my cycling friends and Redlands Bicycle Classic colleagues have heard me say that it’s not just what you do “on the bike” that’s important but what you do “off the bike”.  I coined this phrase in reference to professional cyclists and how what they do outside of the actual racing on their bikes is what really defines who they are and their integrity and character.  However, this also applies to the guys on the bagel ride.  Although I thoroughly enjoy the great time we have joking around with each other on our rides, what I value most is the friendships we have formed outside of riding.  These guys have become far more than ridding buddies, they have become some of my closest friends and for that, I am grateful.

The “Bagel Ride” is far more than just a bicycle ride!