This happened last fall, when I was still living in San Francisco, but working in Alameda. I had just left work and was riding to the ferry, which I take to SF. The road to the ferry terminal is a 1-mile stretch of crappy, potholed pavement, and that time of day there’s always a vicious headwind coming off the bay, so it’s a grueling little ride without a chance to really warm up. I often see cyclists training out here, since there are long, flat, straight sections that are good for riding tempo. I was just riding my bike home, like I do everyday, minding my own business; this time I was on the touring bike. I was headed directly into the wind, crouched as low as possible in the drops, head down, when I started to notice a higher-than-usual concentration of bicycles around me. Many of them were on hybrids and mountain bikes, which I thought was unusual; generally I only saw the aforementioned roadies and the occasional triathlete. I passed a whole bunch of these average looking bicycle riders, many of whom wore matching jerseys for some reason. Eventually I cruised into the parking lot at the ferry terminal, where I saw a whole bunch of balloons and people wearing the same matching shirts, and a big banner that said “Team in Training”. As I rode into the parking lot, they all turned around and started cheering and clapping! For me! Thinking quickly, I held up my arms in the time-honored victory salute and grinned like a madman, exulting in my having accomplished whatever it is they thought I did.

Their smiles and cheers turned to confusion as I continued past them and got on the ferry.

Whoops.

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