Binary

0's and 1's. Yes and No. Hot and Cold. Happy and Angry. Black and White. Stars and Hearts. There is no in between, no shades of gray.

Today I rode in the BKB kit for the first time and I felt born again hard. I ticked off 51 miles south and west like I was riding flats. Evidence at hand: the guy in the Saeco kit on the Specialized. As I came out of the Arb I saw him rounding the corner going up Seminole. I was spinning the hill dealing with the commuters when the power was turned on, I had to catch him. He had a couple hundred meters on me but by PD I had tone. I've been rarely using my drops but I took ahold and and pushed the 53x14 up as high as I could. It was into the wind and he had my draft. I pulled him down Seminole until Vromen where I turned and he went straight. As I came out at the top of Whalen I had 50 meters, by Cty M I had a few hundred meters. He had to pull his own weight without a draft. By Paoli I couldn't even see him so I stopped for water at the hand pump. After filling my bottles he was rounding the corner. The 85 degree temp was making me drink so I assumed he would need a water stop too. I rolled west toward Mt Horeb thinking that would be the last I's see of him. Wrong, he was still coming. I hit it hard again up Paoli and Speedway hills and he was gapped. That was the last I'd see of him until town. I kept attacking like he was chasing and by Pine Bluff I was dry again. I headed east on Mineral Point Road and pulled into the PDQ for H2O. I jumped back on the bike and got right back to work. I nodded to Trek West as I rolled by only to see a yellow light in time to sprint through. I kept the tempo relatively high cruising home. As I crossed West Washington on Regent I saw the Saeco rider come off the Brittingham Park trail. I rolled up behind him and asked "where'd I lose you?" As soon as he saw the BKB kit his eyes told the story of a killed dream. "Today was an easy ride. I turned at Fritz Road and headed back."

Easy day. Sure it was.

He pulled into his apartment drive way and said good night.

The pedals were easy to turn the rest of the way home. I was ready to hand springs when I saw the freebie from Paul in the dining room. A dull gray metal road frame sat next to the table. The only markings to give it an identity are a Trek/VW sticker on the top tube and a "99 cent" sticker as a head badge.

Yes, it is my size.