I had to work today, a day with 60 degree temps and no wind. I went in early so I could get off at noon. I had some maintenance I needed to catch up on but I made it to the riding area about 3. I was pumped and ready to tear up some trail. I had forgotten about the speeding ambulance that passed me on the lake road as I was giving my chain some oil. I could over hear the guys parked near me, they were talking about how fast the ambulance had gotten there. I asked if someone had wrecked. It was worse than that, a rider had a heart attack on the trail. He was in his early 60's, riding a 300cc Gas-Gas. For some reason the group had stopped on the trail. The guys bike didn't want to start, he kicked and kicked and it finally started. One of the group said he rode about 20 feet, stopped the bike, put his feet on the ground, stood up, then fell over dead. They tried their best but nothing helped. It sure took the fun out of my ride hearing about the death.
When you're riding alone all you have is time to think. All my problems seem small and trivial compared to what the family of that rider is going through tonight. I stopped at one of the clearings and called a few friends I had not talked to in a while. You never know when your on your last ride. It's like they say "Live every day like it's the last one you get."
