your daily bicycle log

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

Rock on, Dan!!

Still about 20mph city, which is remarkable.

that route makes me think of running bay to breakers sooooo hungover. in the freezing rain.

Laurel, who's Dan? ;-)

so Hunt3r, do you know Heartbreak Hill section of Bay To Breakers? And you know how I complain about the hills in SF? That's because that's the hill I live on top of. If you look at mile 3 in the map above, you see "the wiggle" which is the easiest way to traverse that section.

Also miles 4-8.5 is essentially shares the second half route of B2B.

I remember the general contours of the area, i thot it was very cool. im glad denver is mostly flat tho.

misty/rainy/"soft" today = downtown bridges are appalling

showed up 2 hours late for work due to an alarm clock malfunction coupled with a flat (yay!). b3linda, however, was understanding and did a bang-up job getting me work. lucked into an 8-piece sweep (pickup at one office, distribute to many different offices, good way to rack up a lot of runs in a short period). no falls, but a few terrifying fishtails. now, more than ever, i want/dream about a bianchi roger (disc brakes and wider tires, ahhhhhh), but i guess the scwinn traveler i'm working on will have to do.

steve shasta u r fast. i had an emergency job the other day that went from the western limit of our delivery area to the northern limit, and i felt like a fast motherfucker getting it there in under 15 (averaged about 17 miles/hr, numerous traffic stops).

also, have recently been informed that some buddies are organizing an impromptu alleycat from Oak and Michigan Ave to Roosevelt and Michigan Ave. On the Friday after Thanksgiving, at around 6pm. Over half the race will be down the Magnificent Mile, which is o_O traffic on days of the year that are NOT the biggest shopping day of the year. On Friday, it'll be bedlam.

They will all be in the hospital when I will be in Minnesota, eating leftovers.

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

-- cutty, Sunday, November 18, 2007 6:54 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Link

i still do this, but work has made me realize more than anything that you are automatically SLOWER when you ride w/o a brake. like, there are times that i've felt like sprinting like a madman to make a light, but haven't because my stopping distance is longer, so i just slow down like a sucker.

ysi tektro caliper plz

has made me realize more than anything that you are automatically SLOWER when you ride w/o a brake.

yesssssss. i hate these guys who are gingerly counter pedaling in front of me on steep hills, outta my way fashion victim.

My bottom bracket is making ominous noises but I do not have the time to deal with it, and even if I did the weather is too gross to face cold hands in the rain.

sorry off topic, but gbx, ever done margy's hut? adj to aspen obv. i just booked in there for mid march.

we did new york mtn last year it was spec fookin tacular.

Work and back today, back being in torrential rain. Fun!

I've pretty much given up now :( - weather has been pretty atrocious this week but even ignoring that it's too cold, and even ignoring that I'm just far to knackered when I wake up.

alright, you can STOP FUCKING RAINING NOW.

Tom, yesterday morning was lovely! Sun shining, 11 degrees (celsius), perfect cycling weather! AND the weather forecast said it would be dry in the evening. The weather forecast lied, true, but that's not the point.

(not that I can talk, since I refuse to cycle whenever you can see your own breath cos I'm a complete pussy)

The weather forecast lied, true, but that's not the point.

Yeah I came out of the tube in the evening and thought "thank CHRIST I didn't cycle" :)

Looks pretty nice out there right now...

its 22 degrees F out, and im getting charged up to ride for an hour and a half. this is the day ive been given, this is the day ill ride. lets hope i don't break a collarbone on the ice.

AND the weather forecast said it would be dry in the evening. The weather forecast lied, true, but that's not the point.

Lying bastard weather forecasters. I finished work about 9.15pm and had to cycle home in the cold, dark, pouring rain, arriving home absolutely soaked to the skin just in time to see Croatia score their third goal. Not great.

sorry off topic, but gbx, ever done margy's hut? adj to aspen obv. i just booked in there for mid march.

we did new york mtn last year it was spec fookin tacular.

-- Hunt3r, Wednesday, 21 November 2007 00:39 (Yesterday) Link

i haven't, sadly, but i'm v v jealous that you're going to be there in march. CORN-TASTIC.

last years mid march trip came 1 day after a big dump; if it hadn't, we would have had to walk a bit of the trip in and out. as such i'm a little apprehensive about the trail at lower elevations. this trip is a week later than last years.

maybe i'll start a "i love to do some other shit off season" thread.

oh, and yesterdays ride was great--25 degrees, but i rode the cx bike out on a road ride, but left the ritchey speedmaxes on there. about 8 miles out, i saw some singletrack along the side of the road and remembered that there was a trail system there, although not open to non highlands ranch people. couldn't resist, poached it. rode in there for 45 minutes, perfectly buffed winding and hilly singletrack, some dry packed snow in the shade, with great views of the mountains and a couple of shallow water crossings with still running water. a perfect cx ride. not a single person there.

^^^ JEALOUS

last years mid march trip came 1 day after a big dump; if it hadn't, we would have had to walk a bit of the trip in and out. as such i'm a little apprehensive about the trail at lower elevations. this trip is a week later than last years.

maybe i'll start a "i love to do some other shit off season" thread.

-- Hunt3r, Friday, November 23, 2007 9:26 AM (26 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

well, when i lived in aspen it seemed like early april/late march produced biblical dumps, usually after the lifts had closed. so you might get lucky.

no biking yesterday, contemplating taking out my dad's tank-like trek 830 MTB from the late 80s just for shits

I was in Denver 4 years ago when it snowed 3 feet in 48 hours in March (and the US invaded Iraq). Happy days (although no cycling was involved, only trudging through puddles and drifts in unsuitable footwear).

i was on the last plane that got out of denver that day (7:30 flight). had we not got out, we would have been there for 3 days as the highway in and out of the airport was blocked as well. happy days indeed.

That's a cold headwind out there! Brrrsh.

most excellent ride today.

took out dad's classy old MTB (Trek 850) and putzed around the back forty. gravel road down to the river, railroad bed along the shore, old and overgrown trail uphill, bush-whacking through the woods (awesome!), gravel road out to the main road, 100 yards of pavement, into the next-door gravel pit for extra-awesome feats of derring-do down piles of gravel and along 4-wheeler paths, back through the woods to the house.

totally sweet, and enhanced by doing it on a 20 or so year old tank-like mtb and in jeans, a sweater, work gloves, and decaying adidas gazelles. accompanied by parent's 100+ pound 10-month old puppy, who, unlike my old dog, did not feel compelled to stick his face in the spokes.

think i'll head out again, but with camera this time.

what kind of dog is that?!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1016/1286957573_5cd602da7c.jpg?v=0

the big kind

this is him at 6 months!

Evans, there is a giant wolf at my house! He weighs 130 lbs and has floppy pointed ears and a white muzzle and the biggest head I have ever seen on a dog.

snot rocket saturday

same nyack trip as last week but colder. 62 miles in 4 hours. nice hill intervals on the return. i've got the chill in my bones and need a hot shower!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2176/2058452230_45c448c399.jpg?v=0
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2058/2058452586_fc7c19ca9b.jpg?v=0
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2251/2057699247_c3aa321f03.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2311/2058486036_10c79de4d3.jpg?v=0
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2306/2057699541_7248be2652.jpg?v=0

hee hee

hai guise: http://velog.com/

it's no "your daily bicycle log"

More trainer work. God I hate it.

its not that bad! were you watching tv?

rode 1.5 hours on cx. mix of road, single track with some packed snow, and dirt road. the dirt road was washboardy and high speed downhill for about 4 miles, which made my assfat hurt. i need to lose assfat. anyway, it was about 38 deg, sunny and perfect.

neon and wool rollneck- a man to bridge yesterday and today. but im not sure which is which.

Maybe I am pushing too hard - I reckon I'm at 95% of capacity basically the whole time. But really I get so BORED, even if I am watching telly, yeah.

95% capacity? do you have an HRM?

i mean, i'm not doubting your perceived exertion, but 95% is like a sprint!

3 hours today at prospect park HQ--

did more of those 60RPM intervals in Z3 (8x4 minutes) and i am truly feeling it in my legs right now. i'm going to try not to do ANYTHING today or tomorrow but consume protein, smoke weed, and play video games (newly unemployed)