Alas! Last Friday’s Atlanta trip was not meant to be. We were scheduled to roll out of Primavera at 5:00. Around 4:00, tornado sirens started going off. Of course, this is no big deal in Birmingham, where a storm seems to blow through at least once a week; however, at approximately 4:45, tree branches & golf-ball-sized hail began to fly through the air. We sought cover inside the coffee shop, while some of the neighboring stores made a run for the basement. Within a matter of seconds, the entire world outside our windows had gone completely white.

Much to our delight, the chaos died down in a matter of minutes. Our parking lot looked as if someone had grabbed a couple of trees & thrashed them on the asphalt. The weather appearing to be under control, though, we piled into our cars, still planning on a little throwdown action. Fifteen minutes in, rain started beating down once again & we were sadly forced to admit that even if the storm blew over, the resulting traffic & ticking clock would be insurmountable obstacles.

We hope the Bikes to Rwanda Throwdown was a success on all levels! And, as always, more scheming is afoot among the Primaverans to point us back in the direction of Octane …