Dawn Patrol
I felt the need to ride up to the Capitol today and as I came up the hill to the entrance, I watched a group of monks in their orange linens all walk out.
“Of course.”
I bombed back down Congress and headed home.
---
“How was your bike ride?”
“Glad you asked. I went up to the Capitol and just as I got to the entrance, a group of monks walked out.”
“How’d that make you feel?”
“Well… it made me feel.”
---
I think about the Dawn Patrol days.
When I got the Aethos, it was October. Starting to get cold in the mornings. I was still riding flat pedals.
Had a 20-mile out and back I would do before I had to go into BMW to sell cars.
One morning, I’m coming back home and I catch a glimpse of a cyclist about a quarter mile, maybe a half mile behind me.
I don’t wanna get caught so I pedal down trying to make it off the boulevard before I can get reeled in. Just tryna make it hard.
Over time I’d learn that I never stood a chance as David Vandersmash rolled up on me effortlessly not long after I had noticed him.
“Hey! You’re kinda quick. Saw you coming off the trail. Had to catch up with you, there’s never anyone over here this early in the morning. You live over here?”
“Yeah! You caught up to me way quicker than I anticipated! I do live over here. You?”
“Yeah, you been riding long?”
“I used to commute via bike. I’m a runner but I kinda missed riding bikes so.. here I am now.”
“Awesome well.. you know there’s a group of guys I ride with Tuesdays and Thursdays. Kind of winding down now that it’s getting colder but.. if you’re ever up for it. We leave out of Christ the King parking lot at 5:15. I’ll get your number, we can ride in together if you want.”
“Yeah that sounds cool actually.”
“Yeah when it warms back up, we’ll start up again. I’ll reach out to you!”
We exchanged info and I turned off into my neighborhood.
---
It was starting to get a little too cold to ride the bike. I went out one November morning, knew it was a little too cold to be out, but I convinced myself I’d warm up by the time I made it down to the trailhead.
Then I’d warm up by the time I made it to mile 8.
Then I was already just about halfway into the ride so I might as well keep going and finish it.
What do you mean you didn’t think about how you’d have to come back into the headwind?
Am I supposed to shiver this hard for this long?
Delta started a hot bath for me.
I had been chilled to the bone and remained cold for what felt like the rest of the week even after making extensive use of the sauna at the athletic club.
I parked the bike in the garage and returned to lacing my running shoes up through the winter.
---
The weather broke sometime in March after I had crashed my BMW. I remember looking at it parked in the garage one day knowing I was going to part ways with it. The bike sitting in the background reassuringly.
“I guess the bike will fill the gap.”
The M235i got traded in.
The bike got loaded into the back of the Lexus subsequently, I took it to the shop, and got some Look clipless pedals installed.
I got back home, clipped in and out on a ride throughout the neighborhood without any issues until I made it back to my driveway and floundered while waiting for the garage to open.
A week or two later, Vandersmash texts me.
“Riding tomorrow morning, you in?”
“Yep.”
“See you at 4:45.”
“Sounds good.”
I woke up the next morning, got my bike prepped and rolled out to meet David at the corner.
“I’ll lead the way, drop behind me.”
We mobbed down the boulevard and over the dam.
“We were supposed to meet two other guys but.. it seems they may have slept in. Ahh.. let’s see.. I’ll take you on one of my routes.”
We turned back over the dam and rode all throughout parts of town I’d never seen before nor do I ever think I would have sought to find had I never gotten the bike.
I had no idea I could get to here from there.
I never would have guessed this monster of a hill is tucked away behind this turn.
I remember as we turned down this one street I’d driven by hundreds of times, Vandersmash asked me what I did for work.
“I sell BMWs. What about you?”
“I’m a pastor.”
---
“How was your bike ride?”
“It was cool. You know.. David’s a Lutheran pastor. Thought that was pretty cool.”
“Huh yeah. That is.. kind of interesting that.. you just bought a Bible and a Quran and.. now—”
“Mhmmm…”
It wouldn’t have been so long ago that I’d finished reading The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind. I wanted to see the difference in the way the Old Testament was written compared to how the New Testament was.
My last and only memorable experience with the Bible prior was reading the Book of Revelation on night watch the night before I left BMT for tech school.
---
“Riding Thursday, you in?”
“Yep.”
“See you at 4:45.”
“Sounds good.”
---
I wake up and head to the corner to meet David. I see him coming down the boulevard and prepare to just hop behind him. This would become our natural rhythm. Always happy to pull us in, he’d get about 4 miles in before he made it to the corner where I’d be starting with cold legs.
I didn’t know where Christ the King church was the first morning we rode out to it.
I was not aware that it’d require us to climb River Mountain Road but I guess I should have known better.
“This is the fun part.”
“Ohhhhh.”
An 8-mile ride in for me, roughly 12 for David. Last mile? One of the longest climbs that side of the river.
We roll into the parking lot.
“Wow. This should be good. This is one of the biggest groups we’ve had ever. You’ll be fine.. just stick with me if anything.”
David introduces me to a couple riders, 5:15 comes around and 26 of us set out to patrol the dawn.
---
“This route is gonna be fun! We’ve got shenanigans.”
I’m cruising along, taking in how different the city is so early in the morning. Enjoying the freedom of not having to worry about traffic, getting to talk to all these people who woke up egregiously early in the morning to go ride a bike.
Someone gets a flat.
“Again? Hope this ain’t like last week’s tire fiasco.”
I wasn’t there for last week’s tire fiasco but 10 or 12 minutes go by and judging by the air, this is like last week’s tire fiasco.
“Hey if y’all are good, we’re gonna break off so we can—”
“We got it!”
We all saddle back up.
Proceeding on.
“Okay hey.. the shenanigans are coming up, let’s tighten up and then we gotta hammer it, stay off the shoulder, you will get a flat. Watch the cracks.”
This seems simple enough. We tighten up. I’m in the middle of the bunch focusing on riding in a peloton for the first time and I look up.
I laugh to myself.
We’re pointed towards the on-ramp for the highway.
“We’re off at the next exit! Hammer it!”
We merge onto the highway and sprint to the exit. I’m laughing the entire time at how psychedelic and unruly this all is. We make it to the off-ramp and coast down all laughing.
“I swear it’s not like this all the time.. sometimes however there are shenanigans.”
“No this is fine, I’ll be here every week.”
“Ahhh perfect.”
“FLAT!”
We all convene and wait a bit while a flat gets repaired. Last week’s fiasco.
“Did you ride the shoulder?”
Mumbles.
“Hey Bakkar, I gotta keep moving so I can make it into work. Rolling?”
“Yeah I’ll roll with you.”
---
“How was your bike ride?”
“Honestly.. I will wake up for that every day of the week. We rode on the highway. It was silly. Exhilarating.”
“What?”
“Here’s a picture actually.”
“With the pastor?”
“Yeah. Haha.”
---
Every Monday and Wednesday evening...
“Riding tomorrow?”
“Yep.”
“See you at 4:45.”
“Sounds good.”
Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, 16 extra miles and one extra climb.
Shenanigans come and go. Flats abound.
---
I’m getting stronger and more confident.
I go out alone one morning.
Early into the ride, some dogs chase me.
After escaping the dogs and getting settled back in, an armadillo runs under my back wheel. Bike gets a little unsettled but I’m fine.
I set up for my last climb and as I crest the top, another dog chases me.
“Getting weeeeird.”
I cruise along and completely overrun a descending right-hander.
I manage to keep the bike up as I run into the grass but there isn’t really any use once the front tire dips into a hole and I find myself sailing through the air.
There’s a telephone pole.
“Well I’m glad that’s not in my path.”
I look down as I pass over an earthed boulder.
“How lucky am I that I’m actually gonna clear that—”
I clear it.
“Alright just pop back up as soon as you hit the ground and you’ll probably be fine.”
I hit the ground. Slide a bit.
“FUCK.”
I pop back up.
The adrenaline is pumping.
“Fucking idiot. Okay let’s get back home.”
I walk 50 feet or so back up the hill gathering my belongings as I make my way back to the bike.
I pick it up.
“Goddamn it.”
The wheel is bent, tire's flat, no way I’m riding home.
I call Delta.
“Honestly.. I’m sorry I have to do this but I crashed and I’m okay mostly but you gotta come get me.”
It’s 5:45 in the morning.
She loads the girls in the X3 and makes her way to me.
“Honestly.. I am sorry but.. yeah. I’m sorry.”
“Are you okay?”
“Like yeah.. I am but I’m sorry.”
“Daddy are you okay?”
“Totally.. had a little crash but yeah I’m sorry.”
The pain starts to set in.
I get home. Call my manager.
“Hey.. I crashed my bike, I’ll need the day.”
---
I show up the next day to work bandaged and in pain.
I try to take an up.
“Honestly.. this is stupid, I’m not selling cars like this.”
---
“You gotta give it like a week or two.”
“Fine. I know exactly what went wrong, but I’ll wait on it.”
The two weeks go by.
Back to Dawn Patrol.
---
Tuesdays and Thursdays — Dawn Patrol.
Every other day?
I have a perfect little 34-mile route with 1,700 feet of elevation when I wanna ride the bike.
“How many miles didja do this morning?”
“50.”
“How many miles didja do this morning?”
“Just 30 but all climbing.”
“You were off yesterday, how many miles didja do?”
“75.”
“In a perfect world, all you would do is ride that bike huh?”
“In a perfect world Rob yes.”
Not a day went by where Rob wouldn’t ask how many miles I’d accomplished before work.
“You didn’t ride this morning huh?”
“How’d you know?”
“I can just tell.. you’re different.”
“You know too much Rob.”
“Nah.. I know the bike. Used to travel all over with my son when he raced BMX. I know you.. I know the bike.”