I’ve been down with a cold for a week and counting and missing lots of wonderful Seattle bike events. It started with the Aaron’s Bicycle Repair Memorial Day Cargo Bike Ride. Before reading the description I had no idea it’s flat (which I still need to see with my own eyes and wheels to believe) from the waterfront to West Seattle. I’m keeping their Pike Place Market to Lincoln Park route handy and intend to try it soon. It’s been fun taking the water taxi over, but considering the fact that I can’t read the schedule to save my life and that it doesn’t operate daily year-round, a bike-only route sounds great.

Yesterday we all missed watching the Ballard Crit. Two years ago I was too tired and pregnant and opted to nap while the rest of the family went. Last year we all went and had a great time. I talked about going this year, but ended up napping instead. I guess we’re due to attend again next year.

Today was the Tweed Ride which is too hip for the likes of me and the Port of Seattle Centennial Bike Ride which I thought sounded like a good ride for us, and probably the closest I’ll ever get to riding a century (not because it’s close to 100 miles–it’s only 14–but because it’s got a lot of the same letters in the title).

Instead I took the big kid to Touch-A-Truck at Magnuson Park, figuring the 5-mile ride wouldn’t be too rough. The ride was OK, but the Brica snack pod was unable to cling to the Bobike maxi through the multitude of bumps on the Burke-Gilman Trail by the University. The silver lining is that the lid of the plastic snack cup it came with stayed fastened. And the trail was filled with friendly sun-kissed Seattlites who hurriedly picked up my dropped pieces before I even had a chance to stop the bike. We’ll give it another try, probably with a lighter water bottle and attached somewhere else if we’re planning to encounter a lot of bumps. So not a total fail, but I was loath to give up precious basket space to carry it the rest of the day.

It was a wise move to take the bike to Magnuson–the place was jammed with cars looking for parking for Touch-A-Truck, the playground, and a gazillion soccer games. Of the three friends I ran into, two of them also came by bike. I had expected to see five other friends and can only assume they gave up looking for parking and headed back home.

We hit Metropolitan Market on the way home and crammed a bagful of groceries in with our other stuff. It’s nice not having one kid along for grocery trips–I was able to put my messenger bag in the front seat rather than wear it. I was eager to ride up Brooklyn and see how it felt with the new hub, but between my cold and not riding much for weeks, it wasn’t a fun hill. It seems it’ll still be a while before I can really appreciate my easier gearing. However, I didn’t have to walk at all and that is proof the new hub was worth it.

In upcoming bikey stuff I’ll most likely miss, Tuesday night is something called Heels on Wheels in Capitol Hill. Hopefully it’s a regular thing that I can make one day. And now, more napping…