June rides and every bike has a story

Sunday, June 3: Rode in the rain around Marblehead. Washed my bike and fried my bottom bracket.
Thursday June 7: Spin class at the JCC
Friday, June 8: 48.6 miles with Chris Finn. Rode out to Gloucester, did Atlantic Road twice. Longest ride of 2012. Rode the steel Allez. Cramped in Salem
Saturday, June 9: Spin-a-thon at Energy Within. 45 minute class featuring a long climb. This was a fundraiser for the Sue de Vries Cancer Foundation.
Sunday, June 10: Rode to Aveen's horseback riding lesson at Pine Tree Equestrian Center. 23.6 miles to Hale Street and back.
Monday, June 11: Rode 15.4 miles around Marblehead.
Tuesday, June 12: Rode 29 miles to Manchester on the Allez. Trek in the shop with bottom bracket issues.
Thursday, June 14: Spin class with Margie. She simulates Mt. Washington climb and we all suffer.
Friday, June 15: Rode 20 miles around Marblehead before work.
Saturday, June 16: 28.4 miles. Rode to Manchester on the Steel frame Chromly lugged Allez. Scored second best time on Forster Road, 1:31.
Sunday, June 17: Father's Day ride, 19.6 miles. Late start getting out. Rode at low intensity. Saw Scott K. coming off the Neck. Bought lime green tires for the Trek.
June 18: Off day
June 19: Happy Birthday ma. 30.6 miles to Manchester. Climbed Forster Road backwards and forwards. Stopped off at Marblehead Cycle.

Every bike has a story.

I stopped off at Marblehead Cycle and found Chris packing up an orange Serrota. He put a piece of plastic on the end of the fork, then slipped a sleeve of cardboard around it. He put styrofoam around all the tubes and put plastic cups on the axle of the back wheel. He was being extremely careful. I noticed a black saddlebag hanging from the seat.

Every bike has a story, as cliche as it sounds, and this frame has its.

It belonged to John Vale, a Swampscott man in his 60s and a good customer of Chris's. When the season rolled around, John did not bring in his bike for service. Later, he learned from a family member that he had taken a ride in March, came home, took a nap and did not wake up. I think it's how a lot of cyclists envision the end of their life; it happened to Cyclopath Dave Benua two years ago, but having had a mother who died in her sleep, I think it would be nice to be able to say 'good-bye' before you go. Of course, you never really know when the road is going to end. We never got a chance to say 'good-bye' to mom. Today would have been her 85th birthday.

While Mr. Vale may not live on, his bike will. Chris was boxing it up to ship to California where it will be ridden by his son. Sue's bike also got a new life: the one she rode in the PMC with the pink saddle given to her by Bruce K. is presently being ridden by her sister, Julie. Maybe that's the real question about the hereafter most cyclists face. Who is going to ride my bike when I've gone to the big climb in the sky?