It's my BIRTHDAY

Yesterday, I entered middle age. I am now 40. I am also no longer a "Fred," (a bike rider who buys way more bike than they need or a racer wanna-be entranced with the latest and greatest bike stuff) but a "MAMIL," a Middle-Aged Man in Lycra.

You should now pause to breathe deeply and ponder the difference and the Earth-shaking consequences.



The birthday was fun and was accompanied by several distinct highlights.

1) I took the day off. In fact, I bugged out an hour and a half early the day before.

2) I still did Father-type things, taking my oldest to school to wrap up some scheduling difficulties. So I'm still feeling like I'm an asset to my family. I'm thankful that they humor me so.

3) We all went to the water park. There was splashing, sliding, and screaming (water park necessities). My 11 year old and 13 year old daughters can seriously scream. I heard this blood-curdling (is there any other type?) scream from one of the slides and wondered what who could utter such noises only to see Emily ejected out of the black tube. She was trying to be loud but it sounded like someone falling off of a cliff.

4) Water Park frolic was followed by late afternoon McDonald's, meaning no cooking or dishes for anyone. And they got me a "Share the Road Y'all" Texas license plate for a gift. Perfect for the guy who's driving and wishes he was on his bike.

5) I went to the weekly Wednesday nighter and raced my bicycle. Why? Well someone has to come in last. I lasted about a lap and a half of a 5 lap race (or was it 6?). I dunno. By the time they finished I was in a stretcher with an IV of Shiner. OK, not really. I went out and did some intervals trying to catch B racers going over the center line.

6) I came home to the above "Over the Hill" themed cake. The bike, interestingly enough has no down tube or gears. But it does have a headlight, and a little mirror. So it's obviously a commuter bike. Maybe an oversized folding bike. And the mirror is to make sure you can keep your hair looking good under your helmet.

Fun times for the old man.