Bring Your Lemonade Money

by Will Murray

It’s that time of year when you need to add one more thing to your cycling kit. On your spring rides, bring water bottles, a gel, a bar, your cell phone, a jacket or sleeves and maybe a skull cap in case the weather turns. And, just about now, bring your lemonade money.

Here in Colorado, we’ve had a wild, snowy, rainy, cold spring. No more. The arctic air seems to be staying where it belongs, and the outdoor cycling season is here. Apple blossoms are luring honeybees, the grass is showing a feral flush of green and the first meadowlarks have returned to sing their hearts out from the fence posts.

Another unassailable sign of warmer weather: lemonade vendors. This spring, the corner lemonade sales force is out in force. The warming days have sprouted more than bees and blossoms and bird song. It has also generated lemonade stands by the clump, like daffodils and crocus.

As spring eases into summer, you want to have a dollar bill or two handy in your jersey to patronize the local corner entrepreneurs selling lemonade. You are rolling back through the neighborhood at the end of your ride, and the gauntlets of tiny, young vendors are out there, hawking lemonade, cookies and brownies. You need a good bit of carbohydrates and a little protein within a half hour of the end of your workout to fuel your recovery. A cup of lemonade can be part of that recovery fuel. You can afford a few sugar calories, being at the end of your workout and beginning your recovery mode. You can certainly afford to stop to give those kids a bit of encouragement for their initiative.

Cycling season is here. Be ready for it. Apply sunscreen. Bring layers of clothing. Fill a couple of bike bottles. And don’t forget your lemonade money.