Just when you think!

Yesterday was the first ride since the Sisters to Sisters Loop. I was feeling great. Wanted to get out and warm the legs up. After all I was a "Road Monster". Look out boys and girls here comes the bad boy of the Cascades. I was going out for a short 53 mile ride. Hummm short.
The day was bright sun. Wind from the Northwest, lots of wind. I was going to be on the flats for most of this ride. Exposed farm land, not much tree cover or break from the wind. This wind, the Northwest wind, is always difficult on the routes I take. In Winter and Fall the winds are from the South and are kind. South winds always blow me home. Make me feel faster than I really am. Today are the winds of Summer, Northwest winds in your face. Grind you down, work you hard winds. Wishing I was a lot shorter than my 6'5" frame. The winds that make you strong if you work hard. I was feeling tough and strong. I had just climbed the Cascade Mountains. I was going to hammer all the way through these winds. The endless winds in my face for 35 miles on the flats. No breaks. I just kept the peddle down and pushed on. On to the only break I knew was coming. Cloverdale Road. A climb of about a mile and 3/4. Sheltered from most of the wind. As I got to Cloverdale Road I looked around to see if there was any other riders near by. I have been caught from behind on this road once before. I hate being passed!!!! No one in sight. I took the turn to Cloverdale and was setting my pace at the bottom of the first climb. BOOM a guy passes me from no where!! I was just surprised. I mean I had look every where. This guy passed me easy. I was tired, true. I was on 45 hard miles at this point. This guy was messing with me. Now I put the hammer down on this first hill. Big ring standing up and I gained on the other rider fast. He saw me gaining and I saw him slowing. I knew I was going to put him to my rear easy on the climb. He knew it to. I looked down at my heart rate monitor and I was pegged at my max. Still, I saw that by pacing I was going to set this guy strait fast. Then I noticed as he slowed in front of me one of his bar ends was different from the other. The left bar was like a time trial bar and the right was a normal curled down road bar. Odd that was. Then I saw this rider was only using one arm, his right arm. The side that was a normal road bar style. He was having trouble pushing up hill because he only had one arm! I mean one arm!!! No arm on the left to the shoulder!!! I was passed by a one armed rider!!! Of course I was going to catch him going up hill. I had both arms to push the bike with. I can't even imagine riding with one arm gone to the shoulder. Who was this guy?? In no time at all a left hand turn comes. Before the first bump of this climb is over. He take a left hand turn. Better to leave the field of battle a winner. Or just a guy messen around. Hummmm.
So I was passed by a one armed rider. Just when I was think how good I was. How strong I was. How bad I was. The Universe sends in the one arm rider to put me in my place again. Thanks one arm rider. Thanks Jim Henry