---
title: Grown Ups
categories:
- personal
content-tags:
- cycling
---

Alex rode to the loft, we both rode to the Loop to meet Curt, Heather, Ryan, and Will, and we set out west.  We took Clayton to Conway, and at Chesterfield Parkway the north county residents realized they were not, in fact, getting any closer to home.  Heather, Ryan, and Will headed back toward Ballas, where Ryan ended up even later home than he expected pausing for everyone else, while Will was limping a shredded tire to Heather's car.  Meanwhile, I waited for 20 minutes under a shade tree on Ladue and never did see anyone again, and Alex made it to Olive, wasn't sure how best to continue, and went back the way we came.  Good choice on his part, Ladue's hills were a miserable return trip in unseasonable heat.

Not a good story to convince neophytes they should take up the sport.  Besides the satisfaction of kicking the metabolism in gear, there was a good scene with a classic Americana family entering [MaggieMoo's][1] as I rebuckled my helmet after a water refill.  3-year-old being shuffled in by mom remarked "See?  He wears his helmet just like you have to.  Even grown-ups do."  My immediate thought: she called me a grown-up.  :-(

   [1]: http://www.maggiemoos.com/

**metrics:**
distance: 50ish miles
