Not the Four Horsemmen...

but "G's!"
G's rollin!

Rolling with the big dogs,
I learned slang, and saw sights.
We came together in a natural way at PastaWorks, by accident as

Sandwich Shoppers found Bergmanns by the baguettes.

Keegan stood front and center with Noah in the middle of the sidewalk in their new Waste Management outfits, while Jake, Deyshaun and Marquel scooped hummus from a plastic cup. I said hello to babies in carriages who looked at me eye to eye with a wide wondering stare.

Hawthorne Boulevard is a show on sunny days.

After a long period of preparation, we rolled out carefully like a ship out of it's slip. We put teenage blockers at the front, Maya in the middle then me then Jake. Pedestrians, musicians, cars and potholes rushed up in such a cacophonous spirit, I didn't think we would make a draft.

Yet with two new Junior candidates on the ride, and a return effort from a lost member of The Lore, new captains showed their resiliency.

Maya rode plenty strong all day.

Keegan and Dey Shaun did the lions share of the work pulling me, while we used Noah up. He cracked only late on the way home.
Maya and Marquel just tend to their own momentum individually.

Pulling me made the pace low for Marquel's single speed and the 3 hours Jake already put in on Skyline.
Pulling me made the pace so slow, Maya could always sprint.
Pulling me made a race out of our passing of the 1997 Olympic Gold Medalist of Jogging.

Over the years, I have never understood why more adults don't attend these kids rides.
They are wonderful. They are silly. Even slow, with intermittent bouts of sheer intensity, they tire everyone out.

We stood in the sun amidst a crowd, ran slippery slopes in Laurelhurst, then bareled down stark.
After coffee at Crank, it was coffee at River City, then more sun on Grand in front of Nicholas's.

Over pizza and veggy mezzas youth writing for "yes, I can write" plied their new trade.
All sorts of journals were on display. Writing skills were also beginning to show more muscle as the paragraphs poured out.

Lined out pushing back up Pine, we were a site to see on the road.

You can see our team being something different next year.
Possibly a smaller team with even more alacrity.

Wouldn't that be a hoot?!