your daily bicycle log

holy balls

wowzers. what a green and pleasant land.

omg

gritstone!

You can see bits of Burbage/Stannage edge there too, which is supposedly some of the best climbing in England, although I am not qualified to say. There do seem to be an awful lot of UK mountaineers based in Sheffield though.

Stannage:

http://www.gr8trails.co.uk/Stannage%20Edge.jpg

Ugh. Homesick. And I miss summer.

One 'n'. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanage

9 miles around Richmond Park, 9 miles on the trainer.

4 hours, 64 miles from williamsburg to nyack and backs

Nice work Cutty. Wondering whether or not to go out tomorrow morning cos I feel like I've got a cold coming on. Weather looks horrible too - freezing cold plus heavy rain and I'm thinking I'm going to get fitter -or at least less feeble- just by staying in bed. Do you guys ride when you're feeling ropey or what?

(will probably go out anyhow, I just like riding my bike really)

Nick, I take every excuse not to ride in shitty weather! Yeah, if you're actually ill, don't ride. But tomorrow morning you'll know.

Cutty, you're the fucking man. Nice going.

I don't know if feeling like you might come down with a cold qualifies as 'actually ill' or not! In the days when I used to check my resting heart rate, I'd know when it was be a good idea to rest because it would be about 10bpm above what it should be or something like that. These days I don't bother with that stuff, it would just be too depressing. Any other indicators that tell you when to give it a miss?

When trying not to fall asleep is actually painful and your body has shut down from tiredness and you can't keep warm anymore? Hence my bike being parked in Williamsburg.

Sounds like a wise call to me! Get some ZZZZzzzzz's Laurel.

http://z.about.com/d/classicrock/1/7/8/ZZ_Top_Color_3_low_res.jpg

usually its best to rest with a cold. but sometimes i find a little aerobic can actually cure a cold for me!

wahhhhh
http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/6238/weathersl1.jpg

did my first ride non-commute since labor day, my usual "minimum" ride. 33 miles, 1500 ft of vert, 1.75 hours. with mule deer.

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/4803/deercreekgm4.jpg

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/2972/outnumberedsl0.jpg
topped out heading down:

less than 50mph is sorry effort but i tried for you guys

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/5443/topdescentej2.jpg

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/8563/maxspeedgw0.jpg

yaow. what a ride!

short trip to check out a flat i was thinking of renting. went flat-out to keep pace with traffic and not get skittled. return trip far more subdued due to finding bike path (cunningly hidden in middle of median strip). flat itself was somewhat disappointing.

less than 50mph is sorry effort but i tried for you guys

modest

short trip to check out a flat i was thinking of renting. went flat-out [...] flat itself was somewhat disappointing.

Luck you didn't get a flat though.

Lucky grr

modest?! i was trying to show off for youse all but coulndt hit 50 i tucked and evrything.

since i brot a camera for my little iltrmb travelogue, here's the exit to the canyon, a red rock wall about 300 ft vert very pretty in the sunsets. i need a closer shot to illustrate

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/3458/exitsmalljv2.jpg

i don't think i've ever come close to 49.8MPH. we don't share the same hills though!

2 hours on the fluid2

6x10 minutes-SLOW 60RPM cadence 53x12 ;) (better than going to the gym)
1x15 minutes 100RPM Z2

also that road is beautiful. i need that.

seasons when im not racing (wich is all of them now?) and can "do anything," i probly ride it 150 times a year. its the portal to lots of other climbing routes. 30 miles is the maintenance route, but your typical 45 to 65 mile training rides branch off of it. i do it so much i dont even notice the pretty very much

and yeah, the speed is ALL the hill. the fast stretch on the descent is the top where it is straight at 7% to 8%, the bottom is very twisty at 4%-6%.

when the power training mania for super slow cadence strength mashing came around like 10 years ago, you started to see guys going up the climb above in April in their 53-14 or 53-13 at like 45 rpm. srsly its mental. my patellas wld fly off.

Crazy! I think my top speed ever has been in the 30s, on a distance trip in high school! Beautiful road, Hunt.

Spitty rain and cold here, going to pick up my baby from Jon's house & pop around for noize brunch.

example of profiles of rides "behind" deer creek. the first "prong" is the turnaround of yesterdays ride.

http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/4295/deercreekhighdriverm8.jpg

that last descent is NICE, 25 minutes of effortlessly hauling ass and leaning the bike over into turns.

My fastest ever is 38.4mph, but it was on a short hill with speed bumps! (next to Wimbledon tennis, geography/racquet sports fans)

Drunkenly rode to bottleshop a couple of kms away to buy sixpack, no shoes on mah look keos :/

river wolf tried that once. I don't think it ended well.

xpost: TS: Six pack of Coopers Green for £6 vs. 24 bottles Toohey's Extra Dry for £8.

^^^ genuine dilemma faced by be in Polish off license in Bristol last year.

TEDDIES, Mate!

I hate that shit. Worst fucking "edgy" advertising too.

I went with the Teddies. 24 bottles when you only need 4-6 was good times. They got confiscated at the festival for being made of glass, but we gave the security guard one and he let us down the rest in front of him. Good times.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/67/199081502_a6a0f703bc.jpg

Security Guard of the Year 2006.

I miss bottle shops hardcore.

i rode my track bike last night for the first time since i got the cinelli (i had to get new shoes for the time impact pedals on the fixie)--

and i must say riding brakeless has never felt so dangerous. i can't believe i did that for 4 years.

drunk?

i don't drink

stoned, yes

how is cycling high? is it fun?

depends on how you feel when you're high! i love the mental focusing of cycling high--but even more i love the post-ride vaporize session when my lungs are wide open

Bah, Got here on saturday, got my bike put it together. The setup was a little odd, I couldn't get the chain onto the big cogs from the big ring. Thought not too much of it is the rear cogs are very wide ranged. Set off on a ride along the lake whilst my GF was out teaching, did some experiments to get the saddle height right and then set off. On my firs serious push of the pedals I pulled the rear wheel askew. OK, so I tightened up the QR and it happened again. OK, try again. Set off do two circuits of the pedals and the chain snaps, I've never snapped a chain before in my life.

With hindsight, the chain was way too short, the tensioner was horizontal on the big rings and too far forward on the little ones. Very irritating, especially as the south side bike shop all seem to be closed on mondays. So I am heading up to Yojimbos via the metra and red line and hopefully I will be able to ride back via the lakeshore.

Shitty start! Good luck on your quest.

Better results today. Took the Metra and Redline up to division then walked with the bike to Yojimbo's. The guy is a gentleman and a gentle soul. Sold and fitted me a new chain and some other stuff, good conversation whilst he was doing it as well. The road up to North Avenue across to the lake and then all the way back down to 55th St. Overdressed for the mild weather It's great riding by the lake, although knobblies don't stick to damp concrete too well and there was a wind blowing up from the south to ride into all the way. However, lakeshore drive aside, it's lovely riding by the lake.

ED, DUDE, WTF

marcus is an odd duck, but ultimately an A+ bro. responsible for the Tour Da Chicago, which alone makes him rad.

yesterday- 77 degrees, but i cant ride :(

today, 7:30 at home: 46 degrees- i dress appropriately (no hat, lite gloves)

7:55 3 miles away: 35 degrees, 20 mph dead headwind from north!- im cold

8:45 downtown: 27 degrees, windy- i cant feel my face, ice cream headache, numb fingers

now-hot coffee. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Kind of epic ride last night (for me).

Got invited to this Islamic dinner at 7pm crosstown (let's say 12 mile trip). Meanwhile, at the office, boss is laying down work plans until 6:30pm. I'm thinking there's no way I can make it, I've never rode to this area but I quickly I check the SF bike route map and realize there's an outside chance if I just power down, but I also have to keep in mind I have to be in presentable condition upon arrival (and I'm in work clothes, nb: I don't really dress for work, just not cycling clothes).

So I end up hustling for the first half which is essentially my commute home... almost 5 miles of urban traffic with nothing notable save for some douchebag on a pursuit bike with flat bars (fuck you buddy) cuts me off and skid stops right in front of me.

so i get past my house and the next 4.5 miles in through the park to the beach. no stopping at all for cross traffic so it's here where i decide to make up time. hammering down, mostly downhill and windy all the way down to the beach passing a few cars (posted speed limit 30mph) along the way.

finally i hit the beach and it's a straight 3 mile route south along the sand/surf. just spinning the cranks through the night air, not the best street lighting, but a nice cool nocturnal breeze to make sure i don't show up too sweaty.

12 miles in 32 minutes. averaged 22mph despite some downtown traffic with stop lights. i am going to google map and altitude map it for posterity. felt like a champ.

WOO you are my champion

Okay i over estimated by a mile and a half:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2357/2050093985_b36dd4a0bc_o.jpg