Sunday, October 25, 2009

Poker, Cemeteries, and Bikes



I was right not to think too much of Poker Guy's email.  He has a very nice girlfriend who I got to meet last night.  Don't feel bad for me.  Now I have two new friends to play poker and ride my bike with.

I won the Texas Hold 'Em tournament this time.  It was a ten dollar buy in and the prize was 50 dollars, so I won 40.  Maybe I should start looking for tournaments in casinos...

I bought a new bike this week.  I had a mountain bike but I was not able to keep up with the road bikes on my group rides.  I figured if I could spend 1100 dollars on a TV, I should invest that much on something that will improve my health and fitness level.  I had my eye on a racing bike that cost $899.  The guy at the bike shop said I did not need that one unless I was competing.  He pointed me towards what he called a fitness bike, which he said would be better for the tours that I take because it is more comfortable to ride and would be able to keep up when I ride with the group.  It has straight handlebars, slightly wider tires than a racing bike but still skinny,  is a lot lighter than a mountain bike or a hybrid, and only cost $450.  It is nice when you find someone honest who tries to sell you what you need instead of trying to get you to spend as much money as possible.     

I got to ride my new bike for the first time this afternoon.  I rode about 15 miles and had no trouble keeping up.  I went on a tour of Houston's cemeteries with Bayou City Outdoors.  The most famous grave was probably Howard Hughes', pictured above.  

Poker Guy and his girlfriend were there.  He is a very experienced rider who does the MS150 every year, which is a 150 mile 2 day ride from Houston to Austin that raises money to help people with Multiple Sclerosis.  He said my bike seems like a good one for riding around town.  He looked it over and told me the rear brakes are too tight, so I'll have them adjusted tomorrow morning.        

We went for pizza after and I've been invited to ride with them on Tuesday morning.  Now that I've bought the bike I need to put it to good use.          

2 comments:

John said...

There's just something great about looking at the world as it goes by while riding a bike.

Jen said...

@John: It's just not the same looking through a car or a bus window. I like to find bike trails when I'm traveling and am taking as many bike tours as I can at home.

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