your daily bicycle log

i would say if anything is sore other than legs, it is a bike fit issue

I was afraid of that. Highland keeps my legs built, my pedaling muscles are fine if a tiny bit fatigued. Will eventually have to solve the fit problem but not without about $900 and a new bike.

the messenger bag won't be helping especially if you are leant forward and it's pushing into your spine.

Unfortunately, the feeling of my Ulock digging into my thoracic vertebrae is a whole different kind of annoying.

if its a very sharp pinching sensation right between yr shoulders, its more like a chamois-time issue imo.

Yessss, that's more like it. Should I assume that "chamois-time" means "time spent in the saddle", or is there something else I'm missing?

yeah riding time. ive always suspected its from holding up yr head for so long while leaning forward. it is a position-related thing, but not necessarily a fit issue. i guess if yr body doesnt adapt, it officially becomes a fit issue. i dont think it does much damage, and it never has persisted ime- the next ride its gone.

my first long rides of the yr, more than 4 or so hours, im prone to this, and my road bike set up has been the precisely same for 12 years. im gettin pretty old tho.

Thanks, that sounds right. I def have the stiff neck from looking up. I'd like to spend less time leaning on my arms but it was stop-and-go yesterday due to crowding and road construction; I think I may have officially ridden at my slowest speed ever without falling over.

im gettin pretty old tho.

That's okay, we can't all be spring chickens like cutty.

ha, how old do you think i am?

Younger than me.

So I was in Paris this weekend and made half a dozen journeys on a Vélib. I'm sure most of you know what a Vélib is but just in case, it's the system they have where anyone can pick up a bike from a large number of bike stations around the city, pay a Euro and ride it to wherever you need to go, where there'll be another station for you to drop it off. The bikes are fantastically abundant, easy to use, cheap and massively popular - it felt like every second bike on the road was a Vélib at times.

http://www.notre-planete.info/actualites/images/transports/velib.jpg

The bikes are hugely heavy, deliberately styled in a way that means you wouldn't want to steal them (and if you do, you lose a €150 deposit - you have to have a credit card to use them). They have a 3 gear Nexus hub - the hardest gear can allow you a fairly comfortable 15 mph at best, but since they don't come with helmets I don't think it's a problem.

In a city like Paris, it makes huge sense to have a scheme like this - cyclists are so much more part of the fabric of the city, and there are excellent (for the most part) bike lanes (though I don't know if I want to go round some of the bigger roundabouts on a bike ever again). I wish we could have something similar in London, but practically, it's not going to happen. And the almost total lack of helmets feels worrying too.

There is a similar scheme is london but the coverage is poor and the bikes always seem to be vandalised.

xposted from the Chicago thread, but I thought maybe someone here might be intersted in this:

http://www.biketraffic.org/htmlmail/legislative_alert_5_6_08.html

We had a yellow bike thing here for about 6 months last year - you bought a key from the city, which unlocked any of the bikes...problem was they were decent bikes and got stolen the fuck out of.

didn't see that, dan!

from what i've heard, however, it's a reaction to the latest death (at Armitage and Kedzie). Cute 24 year old school teachers that are about to get married getting killed by guys who then don't get cited = bad publicity for the city, it seems?

thats cool.

did u see the story of the group ride in sydney that got jammed by some ahole motorist who got in front of the group and locked em up basically? it seems amazing someone would do that, but about 5 yrs ago some scumbag did that to the bus stop ride in boulder. the driver then got out of his truck, i thought this huge 6'4" track guy was gonna kill him. driver not cited as far as i know.

The Sydney palaver:

Sydney's cycling community was rattled when over 50 riders in a popular training group became victims of a hit-and-run crash on Thursday morning. The group included Australian Beijing Olympic Games hopeful Ben Kersten, former Olympian Michelle Ferris and Kate Nichols, one of the Australian Institute of Sport riders injured in the 2005 training accident that claimed the life of Amy Gillett.

Riders have expressed outrage at the actions of the erratic driver, which they described as being deliberate and premeditated. Nobody was seriously injured in the accident but the equipment damage bill is expected to run into the tens of thousands of dollars and has upset the run into Kersten's Olympic trials in two weeks time.

While travelling south – the opposite direction to the morning's city-bound traffic - on Southern Cross Drive, Mascot at 6:30 AM a grey sedan approached the bunch and demonstrated erratic behaviour as it passed. Once ahead of the group the sedan pulled in front of it and braked hard, forcing the group travelling at over 50 km/h to slam into the vehicle and one another.

"It was intentional, I have no doubt about it," said Matt Bazzano of the incident. Bazzano, a highly experienced cyclist is an executive with Shimano Australia and former winner of the Commonwealth Bank Cycle Classic. "The fact is that after he did it, he (the driver) then took off, which he shouldn't have done. But then I wonder what could have happened had he stopped...you don't know what someone may do."

The crash caused traffic behind to take evasive action as riders spilled across the road, including a semi-trailer which jack-knifed under braking forces. The prime mover's driver skilfully brought the vehicle under control to avoid slamming into the fallen riders.

"I'm just glad nobody is dead," admitted Kersten, who was left with the imprint of a chain ring on his back. "I went flying through a group of about 20 people and 20 more hit me."

Kersten joined his fellow riders in saying the driver's actions were deliberate at a press conference called near the scene of the incident shortly after midday. "It's totally no accident, this guy is a psycho," he said.

The 'Coluzzi bunch', as the group is known in Sydney cycling circles (given its name as it forms at Bar Coluzzi in Darlinghurst), was travelling south on a slight downhill section of three-lane freeway, with a speed limit of 80kmh, just south of Sydney city. Bazzano said at that time of the morning, the main traffic flow is on the opposite side of the freeway going into the city, and in the south-bound lanes there are always ample overtaking opportunities. In fact, Bazzano questions whether the driver would have even needed to slow down at all to pass the group if he he'd used one of the two other lanes.

"At that time of morning, heading away from the city, there's always plenty of space to overtake," he said. "To be honest, there is so much space to get around us I don't think he (the driver) would have even needed to back off to get past."

"It could have been carnage," he added. "We've all seen our share of incidents but this was the worst."

Ben Kersten said he has noticed the attitude of Sydney drivers towards cyclists decline in recent years. The track star refused to make the matter political when asked if he had a message for New South Wales premier Morris Iemma, instead calling on motorists and cyclists to come together and find a way to share the roads safely.

"It's building, we've noticed for a long time, the road rage," he said. "This isn't personal, it's not a government attack, we are just out here because we want to find a solution."

Kersten, Kate and Kevin said even after the accident the group was abused by passing motorists, with one person shouting "go get a car you tight-arses."

While X-rays have cleared Kate of a feared broken wrist, she has suffered gravel rash on her arms and legs. The incident, which occurred on her first group ride since the accident in Germany two years ago that killed her teammate Amy Gillett, has also caused some of her old injuries to flare up again.

"I've had a long battle to return," she said. "It was actually my first bunch ride in a long time, so it's not good for my motivation."

While Kate said the latest accident wouldn't stop her return, father Kevin said he worries for his daughter. "I have cause for thought everyday," said Kevin, who was able to remember the driver's license plate. "This just heightens it."

"[I was] relieved to see she was sitting up on the road," added Kevin of his immediate reaction to the crash.

Kevin also thanked the actions of an off-duty Police officer, who took control of the scene immediately after the crash. He went on to describe the driver's actions as "dangerous, erratic, lack of care for others, premeditated".

Kevin described the driver as being in his 30s with dark hair. "We're keen to see what the outcome of the Police investigation is."

It's not yet known how much of an impact the crash will have on Kersten's Beijing Olympic Games sprint hopes, however it has served as a disruption to his trial preparations. The trial is slated to be held behind closed doors in Melbourne in a fortnight's time; however the cyclists can opt to apply for a postponement of the event.

"I'm a bit sore, I've just been to the chiropractor and things are starting to stiffen up a bit," he added. "But I'm by no means the worst of those injured in the bunch."

Kersten sustained an injury to his elbow in the crash. His bike also came off worse for wear, with broken shifters, buckled wheels and damage to the frame.

"I'm supposed to be preparing for the biggest trial of my life and instead I'm going to be chasing bike parts," he said. "Now today is lost, Friday, Saturday is lost and it's [the trial] only two weeks away."

Kersten isn't the only Australian sprinter to suffer a setback this week, with Shane Kelly dislocating his shoulder earlier in the week. It's not known if the dislocation has caused Kelly any ongoing issues.

Police are calling for anyone who may have witnessed the incident, which is believed to have involved grey EL model Ford Falcon sedan, to contact Botany Police on 8566 7566 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

So, I did my longest ride ever today! 46 miles in 3 hours and 3 minutes, modestly rolling terrain APART from noted Surrey landmark Box Hill at the halfway point, which I am really pleased to have climbed. I'll post a map and topographical chart soon.

This is just the outward journey, toporoute isn't letting me retrace my steps for some reason:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/biondino/boxhill100508.jpg

that sydney business is effed

8 miles before dinner last night, hoping to have time for a long ride this weekend

what happened to jon? bike accident according to facebook updates.

Jonathan C Williams
so a fat couple from queens caused me to break my wrist
Travis
wow what
Jonathan C Williams
they were blocking the bike path on the wburg bridge
and then the sow ran into the other lane without looking
Travis
that sucks
Jonathan C Williams
yep
vicodin and a cane
[10:18] fogindex: ouch.
[10:18] fogindex: one thing i learned is to try to be vocal and anticipate if you have any chance at all.
[10:18] wizardishungry: i yelled and she froze up
[10:18] fogindex: ah
[10:18] wizardishungry: best to yell sooner
[10:19] wizardishungry: dont need surgery
[10:19] fogindex: yeah, and slow down aruond peds.
[10:19] wizardishungry: so i'm ok i guess
[10:19] fogindex: good
[10:19] wizardishungry: yea
[10:19] fogindex: break or sprain?
[10:19] wizardishungry: i think nice days make people stupid
[10:19] wizardishungry: bad bad break
[10:19] wizardishungry: 6 week cast
[10:19] wizardishungry: ankle sprain
[10:27] fogindex:
へ　へ
の　の
　も
　へ
[10:30] wizardishungry: :)
[10:32] fogindex: how is $bike
[10:33] wizardishungry: fine

Felled by the funky chicken.

jon do you have brakes

several in his arm (rimshot!)

lovely bruises pictures on his flickr.

Same thing almost happened to me on the lakefront trail over the weekend :\

Quick brunch jaunt on Sat down to my old neighborhood, then followed it up with a (non bike-related) self-defense class for double the workout.

I think this Sun we might round up a few women and cruise Staten Island loop(s)...? Not my idea, I don't know why SI except that it's green and kind of country there.

Fuck. Shins hurt when you bang things into them hard.

Longest ride ever for the second weekend running! Cycled Putney to Windsor, 52.7 miles, 3 hours 25 minutes. Fun!

Here's the route (the light blue wiggly line), starting at the red marker,
then heading west to Richmond, Twickenham, Sunbury-on-Thames, Chertsey, Virginia Water, Woodside, Windsor, Staines, Hampton Hill then back up through Twickenham and Richmond home. No elevation to speak of except around Windsor Castle.

http://toporoute.com/cgi-bin/getSavedRoute.cgi?routeKey=GHPCMAYSRQYMSFD

Managed to subluxate my shoulder AGAIN when doing my stretches. Ow.

first ride since march. i cant help think this shouldnt hurt me, but this hurt me a bit.

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/4003/highgradelooppw8.jpg

im sposed to ride the triple bypass in less than two months (120 miles, about 10k feet of climbing). its a rec ride but if i dont start riding a bit, that could hurt worse.

Did the ~10 mile loop around ye olde local university today to burn off the rest of a hangover, and it was pretty nice - saw a bunch of pheasants, red-tail hawks, and magpies. About midway through is the grizzly bear research facility so I got to watch one massive bear summon another one from the tank of water so they could engage in a wrestling match on out in the field behind their cages.

Anyway, after falling over at a stop sign with one foot still locked in my pedal, my rear deraileur got kind of messed up and my chain was clicking. During the last 1/4 climb to my house my chain totally broke. It was not a good week for me.

Can I just pull out the broken link and let the deraileur tighten up a bit, or do I need to buy a new chain?

whee! from right around the 34 mile mark above.

http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/8711/speedo2vk4.jpg

how much do you weigh, sir?

~165 these days.

im all out of gear. my rear wheel was down to the threads, so i grabbed the only rear wheel available-- an antique spinergy mrs hunter used for triathlon. the rubber was all dried and split, but at least it was there.

what im gettin to is spinergy is fast on the downhill. i just kept praying the whole thing dint spray apart.

i am now very familiar with the downhill "pray to god" thing

first ride since march.

what's this about tho?

i finally put a brake back on after 2+ years. it's actually been on for over a week, but i didn't have any pads (bought it used) so it just sorta sat there. whenever people asked i just said i was practicing for a bit, before taking the plunge into having a break. cycling lolz :-/

wait, "brake," not break

Back-only vs front-only!

having a caliper with no pads is great gear non-sequitur.

first ride since march.

what's this about tho?

rec riding is not fitting my current work and family schedule ;_; getting in 100 mi/wk commuting is helpful tho

i am now very familiar with the downhill "pray to god" thing

straightup denial is easier on nerves. the canyon road where i did above is pictured way upthread; the problem with it is that its residential and has blind driveways. road is mobbed with cyclists in summer, so locals know (and hate that) we're there, but it would be easy to have a very bad thing happen at more than 40 mph when yr chest,knuckles and stem have become one.

back-only is for jerks and lesbians, laurel, a-doi. also it is hell of stupid on a fixed gear bicycle.

i am familiar with the pray to god thing, but mostly from skiing. tucking from the top of highlands at the end of the day = 60 mph and finding jesus.

today: did this (vvvv below) in 30 minutes even, in the middle of rush hour traffic. bonus points for v mild altercation with motorist who made a left turn in front of me while i was going like 20 mph. special thanks to Brakey the Brake. I almost endo'd, but did a badass front wheel stall instead (by accident/necessity). terminus: a bar stool :D

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1917870

Oh, I read "brake back on" as "back brake on" and yeah, it seemed odd. My bad.

Massive wind and rain today so I broke out the turbo trainer for the first time since 2007. To compare fitness levels, I did 30 minutes at pretty much my limit and when I compared my stats to the same ride before starting training for my ride to Paris, I managed to travel 7.3% further, all other variables remaining the same. Quite pleased with that.

did two 15 mile rides over the weekend. the first one felt like nothing but the second one kicked my ass, i think because it was the first really hot day and i forgot to bring water.

did around 200 miles this weekend, i didn't forget water

hunt3r how to i fixed chronic back pain???

also, i didn't ride on saturday or sunday, and i've now realized that my body actually needs several hours of aerobic exercise a day or else i get weird and twitchy