My Dumbest Bike Ride
One of the artforms you learn growing up in West Texas is the art of exaggeration. The Texas Tall Tail is a staple of every child's experience (see what I am doin' here). You just never know if you are getting the whole story, an exaggerated spin of events, or if it is all made up entirely. Now that I have completely ruined my credibility, sit back and get ready for my almost unbelievable story, "The Dumbest Bike Ride of My Life."
If you were to look at me today, you wouldn't think I have an athletic bone in my body. Let's just say that years of traveling for work and a global pandemic have not been good to me. But there was a time in my life that I love working out, developed an appreciation for running, and enjoyed bike riding.
July 2, 2012 hanging out with our friends at a Jazz school of music in France
Home after a great European tour with the Blue Lake Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Rich Fanning. July 2012
It was the summer of 2012, and I was back in Lubbock from touring with Blue Lake Jazz Orchestra around Europe. I decided that I wanted to focus more energy on weight management and a lifestyle change on this tour. There was a stop in France that I will never forget. I was one of the largest people on this trip and had some issues getting my bags and other times to fit in a host stays car. The stairway was also very difficult to navigate due to my size. This story on the trip helped solidify that I would continue taking the steps before leaving to lose weight once I returned from the trip. And my life-changing story started in Lubbock, TX that summer - well, technically Wolfforth.
Some of my best friends from High School were already working on their weight goals when I returned home and said that I could join in walking/running/biking at our old Jr. High School stadium. I enjoyed every day.....well maybe not every day....we got together at their house and biked a short mile or so to the stadium, then proceeded to walk/jog and work out together.
At the time, my friends Justin and Lauren were praying for a child. They are high school sweethearts and had been married for quite some time at this point. On the other hand, you had me. I didn't get together with my high school sweetheart; in fact, the story that accompanied our breakup would be one for the cinema theater. I think Marvel covered the fight in their release of End Game. But I digress a bit too much. My friends helped me pray for a wife, the person that God had in store just for me that would help complete my team and be my forever travel buddy. Spoiler alert: God answered our prayers this summer!
A picture of the stadium on February 8th, 2021 where we would walk and workout together.
By the second or third week of working out, I got the brilliant idea that we could do a long bike ride in lieu of walking/running. Somehow, even with Lauren's skepticism (the reasonable one), I convinced them that this was a great idea. As we normally did, we met at their house and got ready for a long bike ride. I was the only one who had a multi-gear street bike and didn't have to work nearly as hard as my friends. Although my street bike is a 1980s John Deer antique bike so it still doesn’t function spectacularly.
The ride took us under an overpass and onto a two-lane country road. With no shoulder might I mind you.
Usually, Lauren is a very kind and gentle soul, but there is a way to push her over the edge, and I just found it! About a third of the way in the bike ride, I hear her yelling out, "Jeff, I'm gonna kill you." I knew I was in trouble. The anger and wrath that I heard and felt behind me is one that I will never forget. There was one point in the ride that I literally thought I had broken my friend forever. And poor Justin was stuck in the middle as a shield trying to provide his wife comfort. We eventually made it to our destination and surprisingly, I am still around to tell the tale. But one thing is for sure Lauren never let me live down this bike ride.
After Lauren's funeral (Feb 8th, 2021), I was reminiscing about this trip and story with my wife (Vanessa) and mother (Cheryl). Vanessa had heard bits of the story every time we visited our friends, but I never really gave too many details until this day. We started the route out Vanessa was ok with the ride; this doesn't look too bad, lovely wide side lanes. Little did she know that we were just starting. When I approached the overpass, Vanessa's anxiety rose a bit. My mother was exclaiming that this doesn’t seem like the best idea. When the trail merged into one lane, Vanessa got concerned and asked if this was the correct path. Several times Vanessa and my mother asked, are y'all still riding.....and my response was a simple yes. When we passed 1585, Vanessa asked if I am sure I knew where we were going. When we finally made it to the end of the ride, she said, "that was stupid". And just as Lauren never let me live this ride down, now my wife will understand just how stupid I can sometimes be. (Not that she already doesn’t know this fact after 7 years of marriage).
After hearing my mother and wife’s reaction to the bike trail I selected, I now understand just how stupid I was in choosing this particular route.
Lauren, I will miss you and will never forget how stupid this bike ride was!
Please note that any exaggeration of actual events is earnest and out of a heart to be true to my West Texas storytelling roots. But in my estimation, this is the way I currently remember this story.
Join us for the ride virtually by clicking on the video! Let me know in the comments if you would go on this ride IRL!