The next several days were spent moving Nick and Janie into their very cool new house and making sure Rusty was being mistreated by the nurses (three times I had to tell them he really wanted an enema!). And of course keeping Z fed and getting ****ed by the service station that had my van. $29 to change a fuse that I happen to know was good. Don't get me started. Anyway, it was during this time that I learned an easy way to drop Z. Since he has no body fat he has to eat every 4 hours or he gets weak as a kitten. Since I was his meal ticket at that point I had control of when we ate. Remember that saying about old age and trickery defeating youth and talent? Of course I then scheduled all rides to start about 3 hours after his last meal. I think to this day he thinks I was hanging with him due to strength and skill. Yuk yuk. Unfortunately for me this is when I seemed to hurt my neck. It was fine until the morning Z and I rode our bikes thru Colorado College campus. It was one of those pains that feels like somebody shoving a hot screwdriver into your neck when you move a certain way.

EYRIE HAVING FUN, YET?

On Sunday Nick, Z and I headed back up to Rampart Reservoir to take a break from all the house moving stuff we had been doing. The day was perfect. Just for fun I told Z he couldn't ride with us unless he agreed to pick a gear at the beginning of the ride and stay in it until the end. This time we're all on singlespeeds and I'm gonna stomp the poor kid I think to myself. I mean the problem with most 18-year-old kids is that they talk a bunch of poo that they can't back up.

WHAT'S RED AND FUZZY AND LOOKS LIKE IT MIGHT DIE?

Monday we went to a place near town called Palmer Park. It was here that I made another stupid decision. I had so much fun yesterday on the single so why not ride it again? Here's why. The park was hilly and technical; usually just the kind of poo I love. Every time we went up a climb my heart rate would notch up another 30 beats or so. No problem except there was no recovery if I was to keep up with Nick and Z (why did I let him eat?). After about 5 good hills, those little spots that had been dancing so cutely in front of my eyes merged into one big dark spot. I think that if I hadn't been in so much pain I would've passed out. Speaking of pain, remember I said that white-hot pain in my neck was only when I moved a certain way? That certain way just happened to be every time I stood up to pedal and yanked on the bars or every time I pushed myself off the back of the seat. Palmer park was steep enough that you were either standing on the climbs or way off the seat on the descents. What a shame that Rusty wasn't with us that day because I do believe he would have been proud of my whining.

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