So what was the tipping point for getting me off of low-carb eating? The Chicago L.A.T.E. Ride, an annual meeting of about 9000 crazy people at midnight in downtown Chicgo for a 25-mile bike ride through the city. Erica has done it once before, but this was my first time; it was sort of like Burning Man meets the Tour De France. Some people were there on normal bikes, others had full-on competition setups, still others had rolling artwork with lighting, decorations, and pets. The idea is that you start out from Buckingham Fountain shortly after midnight, and ride north through the city to Foster Avenue, then back south along the lakefront as the sun is coming up; you take a break at a half-way point in the ride, where food and refreshments (all high-carb, of course) are provided, and then again at the end of the ride. That didn't quite work out for us; we kept up a pretty hard pace, getting the ride done in about 2 hours and 45 minutes, including a 15-20 minute break, so we averaged about 10 miles per hour. Not bad for a couple who doesn't get much in the way of regular endurance exercise, but it meant that we didn't see the sun come up until we were settled in at Buckingham Fountain with our breakfast.
A very "interesting" event, overall. We'll definitely have to do it again, and this time, we'll have to spend a little more time decorating the bikes. ;-)