Another Branch to Our Family So Says 23andMe!

The thought of having my DNA analyzed for a more precise understanding of what sort of mutt I am has been mildly intriguing to me. I considered doing it a while ago but I was told that the results are quite vague and to not expect any sort of real definition that can point one in a specific direction to see where their ancestors came from, so I took a pass.

But now I'm not so sure it's all that useless.

A family member recently sent his DNA off to 23andMe to see what he could find. He found a lot! I won't go into detail but what I can say is that there's another branch to our family on my father's side that none of us knew existed. It's quite cool and the photos I've seen leave little doubt that there's a connection. I hope to be able to be more specific in the near future but now is not yet the time.

My go-to road bike is a 2006 Serotta Legend Ti with 48,000 miles (77,000 km), and it continues to serve my needs well. We've been through a lot together. I'm on my 2nd set of wheels, I've worn out numerous rear clusters, chainrings, and chains and I've upgraded the cranks to add a power meter, plus I've swapped out the saddle a few times. But one thing I hadn't replaced until a few days ago are the pedals. I was going into this season with some very worn pedals and I started worrying about coming unclipped due to wear. Adrian at Flanders Bros in Minneapolis was happy to get me fixed up with something more dependable for the next 48,000 miles. I've also got some new shoes on order to replace my Sidi shoes that Adrian estimates are from the early 2000s. They too have served me well. It will be nice to have my feet more firmly anchored to my bike.

I recently got a text from Rachel asking "Will you help me find a new bike? I'm thinking $250 budget". I got back on the phone with Adrian to see if he could help us out—and he could but it was going to cost considerably more than her budget allowed. I met Rachel in Bloomington where she'd had a meeting with a prospective UMR student at my former high school, Bloomington Jefferson. We drove together to see Adrian at Flanders Bros. He was expecting us and had the bike setting out for her to take a test ride. It was love at first sight! No kidding. He had to swap out the stem for a better fit to accommodate her longer torso but he had us on our way in time to beat most of the rush-hour traffic.

We parted ways at her car and I took her bike home and set it up inside. She posted a photo of it on Facebook and I commented that I was "giving it the VIB treatment". She's excited to have her new ride and I'm excited for her. Tammy was even mentioning how she'd like to start riding her bike to the health club once the weather warms. It looks like I'll have one more bike to service but I don't mind because that's what retirement is for.

The Paper Kites have been around for several years already but their music is new to my ears and I'm loving them, especially this song...


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