I think I collapsed one of my lungs today. I haven't felt a burning sensation like that in a long, long, while. You see I was riding to campus (SFU) today and there was this dude in front of me for a good bit of the way along my commute route. I was trying to catch him, because I figured it was my buddy Jules, who I know rides up all the time around this time in the day. So I kick it up a notch, along the Francis/Union bike path, but he was still a ways in front. When did Jules get so fast?

While I was lagging behind I was strategizing on the best way to make up the distance. For me the time to strike is simple... on the hill climb.

When we finally hit the climb up Burnaby Mountain to campus, it was now or never. There is nothing I love more than long climb. I own long climbs. So as soon as it starts to go vertical I get out of the saddle and crank. I rarely feel pain when climbing, its a strange condition.

I figure it won't be long till I catch him. Problem was he was motoring up the hill. I was making headway, but not fast enough. Usually, I always catch most by the last bus stop coming up from the Hastings side. Not this time. I knew Jules was fast, but either I am getting really fat and slow or Jules has eating something funky. While I am struggling to get air in my lungs I noticed that he kept looking back, toying with me. So its going to be like that, eh Jules?

I knew I had to give it some extra oomph to catch him, afterall I couldn't let my buddy win this one. So I dug down and really started cranking it. I wasn't going to leave anyting in the tank. At about three quarters of the way up I was close enough to get a good look at who I was chasing. It turned out it was not my friend. Damn, now it all makes sense.

But, I had come this far so I couldn't turn back now. There is something about investing all this energy in a chase and being so close that you can't just give up, once you find it was all for not. Its kind of like making an early break in a road race only to find out the guy you broke with is lazy and doesn't want to work. So you say "screw you" and go it alone. You know you will never win the race. Sooner or later the peleton will catch you and you will go from hero to zero in no time flat. The sensible option would be to back off and try to hitch a ride on the peleton arrive. But you didn't come this far to give up, after all momma didn't raise no sissy.

I knew I couldn't do it sitting, but I had been standing up for most the climb. Somehow I dug even deeper and found that there was something extra left in my legs. Its been a long time since I found that extra juice. I pulled my shit together and sprinted to the top. The last 20 feet I had to make up were by far the most painful. As I got closer I began to realized how big this guy's legs were, this was one hell of an undertaking.

By the time we crested I had just come up beside him. I was completely smashed. Normally, I would have given a "hello" but I couldn't talk for anything. Hell, I was doing my best just trying too keep myself breathing, so that I did not to die right then and there on the saddle - I always knew I would go on a bike- .

As we passed each other he didn't say anything either. We just passed a glance and then went our separate ways.

When my head cleared enough to regain some sort of presence of mind, I looked down to notice I had been drooling bad for god knows how long.

I had no idea this was going on... Yikes!