New togs, old gripes

To Old Upper Thomson Road, 26 km. I've a new helmet on my head. It (the helmet, not the head) is German-made and has a recommended retail price of $400. I've got a new jersey on my back. It's priceless, being intended only for participants of next week's Bike N Blade charity ride. The hardest part of a charity ride is not the ride, but the charity - fundraising. I exceeded the target comfortably, with the lowest and highest donations being $5 and $500 respectively. It seems at least one person raised less than a twentieth of the target, yet got the same sponsored goodies as the rest of us. That's turning the rich-poor divide on its head; those with riches gripe about those without. Ah well, the ride will restore equity. Those who put in more training will literally get ahead. And so I train, tearing around the circuit on my beloved knobbies. The joggers are all over the road again. One of them is in full battle order, sans helmet and rifle.