Almost became a Ghostrider today on my first ride to work this spring. I was about to cross some tracks and had to swerve to miss a car coming fast from behind, consequently my back wheel went into that opening between the RR track and the pavement. I had slowed enough to get the bike under control and it was fortunate it was not the front wheel or I might have had a case of road rash.
When I ride my Ipod is on and often listen to inspiring music. I happened to be listening to Willie and Johnny doing "Ghostriders..."
The song was written about sixty years ago and about a cowboy who has a vision of red-eyed, steel-hooved cattle thundering across the sky, being chased by the ghosts of damned cowboys. He is warned that if he does not change his ways he will be doomed to join them, forever "trying to catch the Devil's herd across these endless skies." According to Wiki the song's story seems to have a marked resemblance to the northern European mythic Odin’s Wild Hunt illustrated here juxtaposed with a recumbent rider.
These first 10 miles were good and I am happy not to be riding in the sky chasing the devil's herd or cleaning dirt from a scrape.
Update: I dropped the bike off today at the bike shop as it did not ride well last night going home. I have a broken spoke and a bent derailleur it seems and I cannot ride it for a week while it gets repaired. Maybe I need a back up bike.
