I just completed part of a 100 mile ride called the "Border Surf & Citrus 100" on South Padre Island, Texas. This is a beautiful place with white sand beaches on the Gulf of Mexico. There was plenty of sunshine, blue water, and bikini clad Canadians on spring break. This was a fun ride for me and my Kansas friends, and they recommend it highly to everyone. Unfortunately for me, it may have caused a serious rust problem on my new Eddy Merckx bike. I had just received the Eddy MX model, with the Columbus steel MAX tubing. My friend at Bike-N-Bobs in Dover, had special ordered it, direct from Mr. Merckx's shop overseas and had given me 10% off the $2600 price. This century ride was to be the "Baptism" of my new bike, and in a way it was.
I had been riding in a pack with several local Texans and doing real well, for someone who hadn't ridden all winter. My rusting problem started, when the pack and I began to cross the 4 mile long Causeway bridge. It was about the 75 mile mark, when I crested the top of the bay bridge, and was going down it at a little over 30 mph, when I suddenly developed a strange craving for the free chocolate Power Bar that the tour organizers had put in my registration packet. Strange, because I'd rather eat my spare tube with green slime in it, than an over aged chocolate Power Bar. Apple Cinnamon Bars are quite good, but for some reason when I opened my packet, I got chocolate, while the other 750 riders got yummy Apple Cinnamon. Fate huh?
I reached around and got the ancient bar out of the rear pocket of my Team WheelSucker jersey and struggled to unwrap it. As I pulled and tugged on the "Child and Idiot Proof" wrapper, I began to wobble just a little too near the guard rail. By sticking an unopened end of the bar in my mouth and ripping the other end with my free hand, I managed to free the wrapper from the death grip it had on the chocolate bar and exposed about all of the Power Bar. Suddenly out of nowhere came about 113 starving, swooping, squawking Brown Speckled Long Billed Pelicans. After the first one dove straight in at the Power Bar, and nipped off about an inch, the feeding frenzy was on!
Texas Trip
Last Updated @ 7:43 PM on 6/30/96
By Don TRUE - Copyright © 1994 - All Rights Reserved