your daily bicycle log

I'm normally limited to a couple of 1-2 hour rides at the weekend (got to do my fair share of looking after the baby), but the forecast looked very rainy for this Sunday so I thought I'd stay in tomorrow and go for a longer one today. I set off early and there was was still a bit of ice and slush around. On three separate occasions I found the road I was on closed off by the police because of an accident so my route got a bit chaotic (and longer than I was planning). In the end I did 52 miles in 3 hours 3 mins (just over 17 mph), which I'm pretty pleased at, but I'm aching badly now.

My racing license has turned up now, so I'll probably enter a criterium within the next two or three weeks and find out just how off the pace I am.

Stupid 40 degree weather yesterday fooling me into not wearing a bib under my three quaterlengths.

5 hours, 83 miles, 3,047 kilojoules. me hungee.

Nicely done. Was it a nice ride too?

I'm feeling guilty that my mileage has really dropped this winter. I'm getting soft and lazy. I need to HTFU!

ride was nice albeit the weather. cold. frozen snot on my face.

im fat and lazy and unmotivated. its almost a desperate cry for help. *sips coffee, considers worth of riding in 20 deg fog outside*

Fog would be a pisser, at least it is relatively bright and occasionally sunny here with the cold. (snow later)

yay i did 30 miles.

man i have been SLACKIN lately. ruined uninterrupted 3 year streak of commuting every day in favor of the bus, mostly because i've been too lazy to get up an extra 20 minutes early

also because -18F is some bullshit~~

cycling gods forgive because to ride at minus 18-- do you study mental health at that school of yours?

not yet :-/

Good to know I'm not alone. Did 20 miles this morning though.

8 deg and 2 inches of fresh and light falling snow. Refreshing with hot latte in thermos bottle.

friend is doing the nz ironman in about a month and had a fundraiser at a discount sporting good store. scored a bunch of stuff: capo bib ($40), dimarchi jersey ($25), pearl izumi neon green jacket ($40).

it got me wondering: at what age do you start wearing the neon green jacket?

cuz i'm at that age apparently.

gross

optic yellow is not an age, its a state of mind.

HOWEVER, i do have a giordana optic yellow fullzip jersey/ultralight jacket thing that i bought in 1989. it was v. lightly used between 1989 and 1992. i don't know why i still have this thing in my closet.

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp

i found the peter white site useful while a i considered studs. fwiw i decided that for the amount that i will use studs, which im guessing is less than 10 days/year, with generally light mileage-- the cheap innovas were a good place to start. they've been fine. i've ridden on days and in conditions that otherwise id simply never even attempt to do. ive put maybe 75 miles on them, including quite a bit of asphalt. They have some apparent wear, but the studs still protrude 2mm or so above the tread.

if i were to need them for stretches of weeks at a time, i'd do nokians, but i've got no beef with the innovas yet beyond being extraordinarly tough to mount.

last night i realized that the crackling sound that the studs make when they're getting traction is now one of my favorite things, very reassuring. i hope not falsely reassuring

E suggested we cycle to a bar last night which is great because to date she has not been keen on cycling at night. I guess Pittsburgh is easier going, drivers may not be bike as bike aware as elsewhere but in general they are more relaxed, slower and more rule obeying.

my fucking ride today:

upper inner thigh flab:
http://images.chron.com/blogs/askacat/hatcat.JPG

the 25mph northerly wind:
http://images.chron.com/blogs/askacat/hatcat.JPG

straight up fat guys on scott addicts:
http://images.chron.com/blogs/askacat/hatcat.JPG

(w/ apologies to ilnfl)

went for first geared road ride in many, many moons on new bike.

tried to get feel of bike in city traffic, flats, climbs, rolling hills, sharp and long descents, around the track (did a mile around 80-85% max in 1:42).

total distance was probably 40-45 miles. felt really good. i have a lot of work to do but surprisingly wasn't as sluggish and crap as i was fearing. i'm a little chaffed/rashy (i <3 tmi) but heading to drug store to get some zinc oxide.

desitin is good if you've got from some shit down there, but you should maybe use some chamois cream as a preventative measure

Back on my bike for the first time in six months, following an op last year. Boy oh boy oh boy does it feel good. The commute is about 15 miles, and diametrically across London, but being up and out at 5.30 this morning was amazing. Very cold and clear, with a wonderful moon, silent streets.

Also, having been converted by my brother over Christmas, I've now got a fixed wheel, which is silent as the grave as well. The cycling was just a delight.

Through Marylebone and across Hyde Park was the best bit. Shouldn't have started fannying around with my bag strap at the lights in the middle lane of the Hammersmith gyratory though - two things happened simultaneously - the bag dropped a foot lower than it had been and the lights went green.

Wobbly wobbly. Toot toot.

Feel like a million bucks though, it's great to be back on a bike again.

Rush hour commute home might not be such a gas I'm thinking.

rush hour is the best!

congrats!

That sounds nice. This morning was a combo 1/4 inch ice with hard frozen granular and black ice. Everywhere, like riding on a snow cone. Got lots of o_O at the light rail- I cut the ride short for fear of traffic.

today i left work early to partake in the 60 degree weather. 3 hours, 55 miles.

putting out some large numbers for february in my intervals.

my back is KILLING me

a couple days of hauling 35lb loads (books + computer) has given me an incapacitating spasm....seriously distracting

Diclofenac but you probably already know that.

pharm isn't until next year!

when i had that load, it was dual ortlieb backrollers, no backache.

YEAH WELL

I need to photograph the baskets on my surly so you can all laugh

der, sorry. hope you get some relief. xpost.

ha, hey if you want i'll invest this is our nations medical infrastructure:

http://www.niagaracycle.com/images/sbsimages/140540.jpg

its been used one time, and will take one laptop and a text or two off your back. no aggro ridin tho, its a two hook nonlocking attachment system.

http://www.niagaracycle.com/images/sbsimages/140540.jpg

yes, its rly that dorky looking.

seems like baskets would work great for carrying, but might be a problem in the racks (our racks were always xxxtra full).

thank you, hunt3r! but i think i'll be okay: the lol hueg loads were really just this week (i usually never bring my computer along). besides now i have an incentive to go to yoga and meet yoga ladies

rush hour is the best!

congrats!

― i like to fart and i am crazy (gbx), Wednesday, 11 February 2009 13:27 (Yesterday)

Thanks, iltfaiac. Although I have to say I don't really share your views about rush hour, preferring empty roads to congested ones any day, that's generally speaking, specifically in this case, I'm still getting used to my fixed wheel, and being back on a bike again and an unfamiliar route, and I have to say that going back last night was arduous in the extreme.

I was being tentative, which is never the best to be as a cyclist, and also I got massively fvcked over by the one-way system in Marylebone. In truth I must have been being really dumb, because I kept on going round in circles. Pentonville Road was a bit of a botch as well - kept on having to stop and start again on uphill starts.

Once I was past Angel it was ok, apart from my legs wouldn't go round. Then I had to cycle back to my girlfriend's and I died on my arse. Absolutely nothing in the tank. When I got there I just started stuffing food into my mouth with both hands, like Roland in Grange Hill ('Why are you so fat, Woland?') - Genoa Cake, chocolate, some fruit smoothie and old bolognese sauce was my menu, and then I crashed out on the bed and fell fast asleep.

It's ages since I've spent that long in the saddle and boy did I suffer.

Got up this morning (just about) thinking I probably shouldn't cycle in today, but got on regardless and had a lovely cycle in, same as yesterday, cold, empty streets and a really smooth ride all the way to work. Wonderful.

With any luck this evening won't be so bad, having done it once.

Thanks, iltfaiac.

lol

but srsly, rush hour might be an adrenaline rush, but calling it the best is a little.. uhh.. RONG

the best is an empty road with some friends, not a car in sight.

when it's like a video game it's great, but it's rarely like a videogame because the people driving the cars are people.

i mean, of course yr right, but in the scope of my usual cycling activities and decisions (commuting, bike path v. roads), i tend to prefer the stimulation of traffic. plus i actually really do enjoy it. but yeah, given the choice, i'd take a country road or singletrack pretty much anyday

and, to be quite honest: i've never really done any long road rides that haven't been in the city! so my experience has been limited to a) MTBing in Montana (outrageous) and b) messing/commuting in Chicago and MPLS.

btw just bought The Rider, and am looking forward to reading it post-midterms

oxford is a relatively safe place to cycle because there are so many of us, but it's also very cramped. if it doesn't go well i get home with a very sandy vagina. i think i'm probably taking it a little too personally.

the rider looks cool (and short).

the cover is great imo