Day 4 – Just another day in paradise

We wake up and the sun is shining. Again. I realize I take this completely for granted.Ryan and Sarah have things to do in the morning, including picking up the nanny’s boyfriend. They have brought their 2 year old son along for the trip and had the foresight to also bring the nanny (who I will call Ginger) so they can ride together. Ginger is 22 years old and ridiculously good looking. Today her equally good looking boyfriend, who I will call Biff, is flying in to join us. Or rather her.

After yesterday’s bonk-o-rama I am not keen on doing anything too spunky and convince Ben we should ride over to Fair Wheel bikes for a little shopping. Fair Wheel may not be the biggest bikeshop in Tucson, but it is one of the most respected. I am very excited to go back, having been there last year to rent a bike for PAC Tour.I am looking to get a new pair of shorts, preferably bibs, with a matching jersey. The whole kit and kabootle so to speak. As we park our bikes I anxiously ask the folks behind the counter to direct me to the ladies’ section. I am directed here.And no, I’m not being selective in this shot. This is the entire ladies section. Not being much of a poker player, my expression communicates my displeasure quite clearly. The guy behind the counter is apologetic, and explains that it’s difficult to shelf women’s gear because it doesn’t sell. The girl behind the counter rolls her eyes. I approach her privately for one of those “what the fuck” conversations and she explains she doesn’t do the buying. I suggest perhaps she should, and that the reason the women’s gear isn’t selling is because it looks like ass. Barbie’s ass, to be specific.

Ben buys a jersey. I buy some androgynous gels and Clif bars that are unicorn free. But the visit is far from a wash – I take the opportunity to visit the loo, which I remember from last time because of the cool cycling posters lining the grungy hall and staircase through the inner sanctum of the shop.The front retail area of a bike shop is really the lipstick, where the latest and most popular merchandise is shelved for those hungry for the next big thing. The back, if you are lucky enough to be granted access, is where you will see the heart and soul of it – the history, the local scene and the real personality of the shop.

Back at the ranch, we meet up with Ryan and Sarah and decide to head west for a loop through Gates Pass to Mountain Park. Ryan has bought a new computer and is assembling it under the careful scrutiny of The Boy.Once we get rolling it’s a great ride, with no mechanicals whatsoever, through a beautiful park full of cacti right out of a roadrunner cartoon. The route we take is flat-ish with some fun rollers, the kind of riding I feel like I could do all day.After our ride, we hot tub, have dinner, then hot tub some more.Just another hard day in Arizona.