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I left Andrea outside holding two bicycles, one of them attached to a trailer containing Elizabeth, who’d been chattering away in there for the hour as we rode our way downtown along the Augusta Canal Tow Path. We’d parked our car at Steven’s Creek Elementary and ridden along Steven’s Creek Road. That stretch was very cold and we worried we’d have to turn back before we’d ridden very far along the Canal Trail, but once we got down by the river with either the shelter of the trees or the bright sun, depending on the section, we all warmed right up. Of course Elizabeth had it the best, as she was in a nice wind-proof enclosure — she even managed to nap a bit! I got to try out maybe half a mile of the Augusta Canal Trail, aka the Pump Station trail, depending on who you ask, and it has me very excited about getting the chance to try these mountain bikes on a longer trail! But this day isn’t about long or fast rides, it’s a beautiful day out with my family, so I’ll save it for another day.

I was wearing biking tights, a blue vest, and several layers of yellow jerseys to help keep out the cold. I refrained from looking in the mirror to verify this, but my helmet head must have been ferocious. I began to understand why a lot of cyclists wear a light cap or do-rag under their helmets. As I stood there talking with the hostess about where we could sit, I heard one of the kitchen staff burst in to laughter.

A few minutes later, when we’d parked our bikes and trailer on the other side of a glass paneled garage door from our table, had sat down and were choosing which of the many draft beers we’d use to wash down our pizza, I told Andrea about the kitchen staff laughing at me.

“Why did they laugh at you?”

I pause, then look down at my attire. If you walk through a store or restaurant in Augusta wearing biking tights and a bright yellow top, I can pretty much guarantee every person in the place will at least look at you, and most will stare, but it didn’t bother me.

“I didn’t stop to ask,” I replied.

We spent an hour or so eating our pizza, entertaining Elizabeth, and sipping our beers before we loaded back up for the return trip back out to Evans.

Pulling Elizabeth in the trailer up the hill in the parking lot of Savannah Rapids Pavilion, I had the brilliant, hare-brained idea that I could pull Elizabeth up Brasstown Bald for the Tour de Georgia this year! She’d probably love it: there are crowds lining both sides of the road, waiting for the race to come through, and it would give me both a great workout and plenty of encouragement! I’ll have to be in great shape to make it because it’s a brute of a hill. I pushed the jog stroller up it last year and I’m pretty sure I’d have had to walk my road bike for part of it.

As we finished our ride in the warm afternoon sun, I realized how lucky we are to be able to go on a family bike ride in early January.