Guest Essay: Lorenz Worden on the Daily Grind Ride (Comments: 0)

On 19 July 2008, a gang of bicycle riders went from the Daily Grind in Albany to the Daily Grind in Troy. This is their story.

Eighteen riders joined in the annual coffee shop ride sponsored by the Daily Grind Cafés. Our riders were Joe, Soze, Andrew (on a bicycle that actually had brakes), Dennis, Perry, Jennifer, Laura, aero-bar Lisa, Aaron, Gavin, Randy (on a recently reborn and pristine Atlantis), Lacey, and Amy. The locals were joined by a family who came all the way from Minnesota to participate in the ride – Tom as tandem captain, Soren as stoker, August as tail gunner in a Burley, and Mandy as escort.

Throughout the trip, our Metroland cover star was swamped by autograph seekers and adoring fans.

Gavin and Andrew sped us done the hill for our first meet up at the boat launch. We then had a pleasant cruise on a somewhat crowded bike path to sunny Watervliet for a photo op at the I-787 underpass. Led at a blistering pace by Amy, we headed through town, stopping near the arsenal where Soze, Gavin, and Andrew held an impromptu tech workshop on tire repair. After a short hop over the Green Island Bridge, we were welcomed with free coffees by the hospitable staff at the Troy Daily Grind.

While sitting in the sidewalk patio enjoying our brunch, the second wave arrived – Lacey, Randy, and the Minnesotans. Jim Clark, a long-time fixture on the local bike scene who recently returned from a year in Brooklyn, stopped in on his way from the Troy Farmers Market. We were also joined by Doug who seemed to have forgotten his bicycle.

At this point, some riders headed back to Albany (or wherever) and another group followed Amy and Dennis to the Farmers Market where we met up with the TBR crew led by birth parent and filmmaker Andrew. After stocking up, we headed back to Albany. Somewhat later Dennis (complaining about the weight of the two dozen cabbages he bought) and Laura (who stated that she had two bottles of wine) were found by the side of the road but under the attentive care of Wobbly-Wheel-Woodin. After a quick recovery, they zipped up Lark St.

We are all indebted to Lee, Rick, and the staff of the Daily Grinds for an enjoyable day.

– Lorenz Worden

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