First Week of September in D.C.

Like that, everyone is back in the city. Congress gears up and the tourists recede. I forgot so many people work here.

Spectacular weather means an explosion in fair weather commuters. They’re everywhere. Part of me is glad to see more people on bikes, and part of me feels annoyed by the overall congestion.

I head toward Hains Point via the Mall. Someone passes me, mashing her pedals, racing determinedly to the… oh right. The stop light. The red stoplight.

I turn onto Hains Point with my goal to wind down and relax from the day at an easy pace. The roadies whiz by. Three at a time. One here and there. A runner up. A double pace line.

That was not the wind down I hoped for and I point my front wheel home. I see Felkerino in the opposite lane, and decide to make a U-turn to say hey and join him for one more Hains Point lap.

We ride, talk, and chat about our days. The roadies still pass, but after a couple of miles they disappear into the background.

I soak in the low-hanging sun. It turns the sky and the Potomac River a peachy orange I don’t remember seeing before. I appreciate the low humidity as I increase my pace but don’t sweat up. I pedal with vigor into the headwind so I can ride alongside Felkerino. I extend one lap to two.

The first of week September in D.C. has been an awkward adjustment, but riding with Felkerino has made it so much better. Funny how a friendly face, and a good chat while riding bikes in perfect weather can do that.