As a pastor, there are days when it just doesn’t work to ride. This is one of them. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, a time of reflection and renewal.
In reality, this day is a fine day to ride, but I said that today just doesn’t work to ride. I was leading worship at 6:30 am and will again this evening at 7:30 pm. In between is a full day of ministry and visits and preparation and the like. There is no time for a ride today.
Month: 61.9 miles
2013: 478.1 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 20,251 miles
This has been a rough couple of weeks, but especially this last week. Immediately after the Super Bowl, my GI tract revolted and the resulting nastiness kept me off the bike all week. Getting on the bike was long overdue this morning. Add to that the fact that Dan is now back on the bike, taking it easy after his knee surgery. He put out an invitation last evening for anyone wanting to ride an easy pace. I couldn’t let him ride alone.
So, taking the option of staying in bed completely off the table, I set out this morning in 39° F and steady rain!
After this ride, I’ve resolved to find solutions to 2 glaring deficiencies.
- I must purchase rain pants or chaps. My wind resistant tights still absorbed water at an alarming rate, and by the time I stripped them off at the end of the ride, my legs were a bright red.
- I must determine how to keep my hands warm and dry. I left my wool glove liners home this morning, not thinking that I would be riding with gloves that were completely soaked. They may have helped some, but I need a more waterproof/resistant glove solution. My hands were painfully cold at the end and my fingers looked like red sausages. They worked as well as sausages too.
I thought I had the shoe situation solved: wool socks, winter boots, gaiters, tights over the gaiters. Half way through the ride, my little piggies were swimming. These boots have no drain holes and I was accumulating water somewhere. At least most of the time they stayed warm in the water that was collecting.
Before I left on the ride, I staged a towel on my front porch. Boots, tights socks, gloves, helmet, jacket, and a few other things all got stripped off before I entered the house.
The plastic bag on the head under the helmet worked well. At least my head was dry.
Oh, and the ride was good. Great conversation. Comfortable speed. It felt good to get back out there.
This Ride: 18.3 miles
Month: 43 miles
2013: 459.1 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 20,232 miles
As I pushed out of the house a little later than usual this morning, there were a few snowflakes in the air. By the time I reached the Rusty Bridge to join up with the other 5 riders, the bike was starting to leave faint tracks in the tiny bit of accumulation. The snow continued to fall heavier. Soon only Mike B and I were riding, and we continued to Annapolis for breakfast, stopping twice to clear glasses and headlights of snow. Annapolis streets were slippery and snow covered by the time we arrived.
Snow accumulated on the helmet on the way into Annapolis this morning.
We had good conversation at breakfast. Soon enough, Mike and I were on our way back. The snowfall was heavy. Streets were completely snow covered.
I had an amazing fall/crash. In the Navy parking lot the surface was snow covered and slippery. I could not see the crack with two different levels of surfaces butted next to each other extending in the direction of travel. I hit this uneven surface, slid, and the bike started sliding out from under me. I called out, “I’m going down!” and landed as gently as I could on my left hip and shoulder. Nothing was apparently broken and the bike was in fine shape. We pressed on. (The bruise is just now beginning to form.)
Winds were gusty going over the Naval Academy Bridge. Gusty winds and slippery surface was enough to keep our speed low.
We opted for the trail on the return. Hills were tough on the shoulders of the roadway. Standing up to pedal meant our rear wheels spun out, so the flatter the route the better.
Before it stopped snowing, I had to stop to remove accumulations of ice between my tires and the bike frame. It was getting hard to pedal.
Both Mike and I made it home without further incident. The bike is a mess.
This Ride: 24.7 miles
Month: 24.7 miles
2013: 440.8 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 20,213.7 miles
I watched the sun rise. I watched it set. In between I rode 132 miles solo, covering the distance in about 10 hours, 30 minutes. That’s the short version. The longer version is after the break.
Sunrise on the Tour de Del-Mar
A week ago, I missed a group 200k because of illness. I had an upper respiratory illness and stuffed sinuses. That ride wouldn’t have been pretty. I’m mostly well now, and I’ve yet to get a 200k in for January. Tomorrow’s forecast is looking the best I can hope for, so I’m taking the day off work and riding. This will be my 6th consecutive month on this R-12 attempt. This is really a last minute ride. I’m committed at work on Wednesday and Thursday. Weather forecast for those two last days of the month are not good. Who wants to ride in thunderstorms in January in Maryland? Not me!
I had 3 others who initially indicated an interest in riding with me. For one reason or another, they have all faded into the woodwork. So, I’m off tomorrow morning for a 7 am start on the Eastern Shore, doing a 212k ride. I had not unpacked my bike from last week, so I just made some clothing adjustments, added two more spare tubes, and will leave home around 6 am.
A solo ride in the winter takes some additional planning. My route also has long stretches without services, so I can’t pass anything up. I’ll have to ride this one smart. There could be fog in the morning too, so here are a few of the extra precautions I’m taking.
- I’ll be riding with two rear blinking lights. I have spare batteries for both. The one on the road side is a 1 watt flashing light. On the ditch side I have a 1/2 watt light.
- I’ve got an extra headlight battery with me. I should be good for a flashing headlight for the whole trip with one battery, but colder temperatures degrade the battery’s longevity. The spare battery will power me if I’m still riding after dark.
- I’ll be running my Garmin off of an external battery. The internal battery will not power guidance for more than about 10-11 hours. I don’t want to be left wanting as I ride into darkness at the end of the ride.
- As an added precaution, I’m putting a hand warmer in the front bag with my batteries. It is supposed to be relatively warm tomorrow, but I don’t want to take any chances. Besides, it will be a good test for a possible cold February ride. I’ve heard stories about batteries giving up the ghost early in the winter.
- I have a change of dry clothing with me, including socks. Wet gloves or garments do a poor job of keeping one warm even if it is over 40 degrees. Two different pair of gloves plus wool glove liners will do me well.
- My temperature range should be 36 – 51 degrees, which is quite variable. I’ve got clothing choices for that entire range and will be fine if the thermometer gets stuck.
- Four spare tubes and a repair kit and a pack of tire boots and duct tape should take care of most repairs of tires. CO2 has been left out of the mix after Mike’s winter disaster. It won’t be nearly as cold as it was when his tube froze, but I’m not taking chances. Old school is fine.
- I’ve got enough calories on the bike to supplement what I can pick up along the way.
- I have a printed cue sheet plus the route on the Garmin. It helps that I also know the route since I’m the route owner.
- Finally, I have Mike on speed dial. He has the cue sheet and has agreed to be emergency back up.
So, I’m as ready as I can be. The bike is on the brand new bike rack on the brand new car. I have a pile of stuff in the Living Room and my note pad has the list of things I need to do in the morning before I depart.
I’ll see you on the flip side.
I’ve not been riding this week due to an upper respiratory illness. That is really unfortunate, because that meant that my planned January 200k ride did not happen on Monday. Now I’ve got to squeeze a ride in within this last week of January, or lose the progress I’ve made toward my second R-12. That is simply going to be difficult. Stay tuned to see how I make out.
Last Friday, with temperatures hovering around freezing, Mike B had a slow leak in a tube. He worked diligently to replace the tube quickly and then pulled out a CO2 canister to inflate the tube. He nearly handled the discharge of the CO2 canister with bare hands. I stopped him before he did. Those canisters super-cool when discharged and could freeze to the operator’s hands. He was grateful for the advice.
After inflating the tube, there was a bit of the tire that was not properly seated. The tire was deflated, then re-seated, and the tube re-inflated with another CO2 canister. Except that the tire didn’t inflate. A pump was pulled out, and inflation still did not happen. We pulled out the tube, and this is what we found.
The cold CO2 flash froze and shattered the tube on either side of the valve. It looks like I’ll be putting away the CO2 until warmer weather appears. In the cold, I’ll stick with my pump.
On Tuesday, I rode past an LA Fitness center and I felt sad (and a little smug, I must say). There were a half dozen people climbing steps to nowhere, walking to the sounds plugged into their ears, and had their eyes glued to the screen in front of them, turned to some channel full of advertisements telling them that they needed something different than what they had. The room was brightly lit. They had their backs to the window.
I, on the other hand, was on a bike outside, with the intent of riding for an hour and a half with a friend, engaged in conversation. Yes, it was raining. Yes, it was 41° F. Yes it was dark.
I was riding to the place where we would meet up. The hamsters on the wheel drove to the gym, paid membership fees that will amount to far more than I pay for my bike and supplies, and have to drive back home.
That just doesn’t work for me.
Same level of light, same songs, same talking heads, same commercials, same temperature, same machine …. You get the idea.
I thought about this again this morning, as I took a little longer route to the Rusty Bridge. I thought about this again this morning as I rode in the darkness with three other hardy souls who cannot imagine themselves anywhere else at 5:45 am on a dark and cold morning. I thought about this again as I climbed off the bike at the front door of my home.
Three years of riding most mornings is way more often that I ever was able to go to a gym.
More power to them! That just doesn’t work for me.
This Morning’s Ride: 22.5 miles
Month: 252 miles
2013: 252 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 20,024.9 miles
The cumulative odometer clicked over 20,000 miles (since January 1, 2010) this morning. Almost everything during the ride conspired to make this difficult. For instance:
- Traffic was unusually heavy as I moved toward the Rusty Bridge. I caught the one traffic light poorly.
- There is a bunny that is missing a few tail hairs. His attempt to dislodge me from the bike without actually getting run over was a failure.
- A walker and a bike rider, both in the middle of the trail without lights or reflectors, separately were missed by inches when they were seen at the last moment.
- A cold, steady rain began falling just as I reached the Rusty Bridge. It was 40° F.
- Do you know how dark it is in the pre-dawn raining morning? Even on the brightest setting, a headlight doesn’t illuminate much. Potholes were filled with water making their depth unknown. Headlights of oncoming cars make every drop of moisture on the eye wear sparkle and shine so that I was completely blinded.
That’s right, I enjoyed the ride … every moment of it. I rode with Clint and we chatted. Our conversation turned to participation in some very long upcoming rides. He is encouraging me to ride the Super Randonneur Series and to qualify for a 1200k (745 miles). There is something attractive about all that.
But mostly, I thought about all those miles I’ve ridden in the past 3 years. It has been, as they say, quite a ride.
This Morning’s Ride: 22.6 miles
Month: 229.5 miles
2013: 229.5 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 20,002.4 miles
(Next Milestone: 24,901.55 miles, distance around the earth at the equator)
I’m amazed at how my definition of a “perfect day for a ride” has changed over these past 3 years.
Three years ago, this morning would have been a day to stay inside.
This morning, when I saw the conditions, I determined it to be a perfect day to ride. It was.
The temperature was 49° F, with heavy overcast, fog, was that some drizzle, and wet roads. It was dark. When are you going to have these conditions in Maryland in January? It seems that no one else thought it was the perfect day for a ride. I was alone at the Rusty Bridge and set off at 5:45 for what I believed would be a nice solo ride.
Since I was the only one out for this “group ride”, I changed it up just a little. I chose to ride into Round Bay and climb Askewton on my fixie. As I traveled up Old County Road, I encountered all sorts of flashing lights. The road was closed while utility workers changed out a pole. The police officer turned me around and I made my way back to the trail at the end of Old County Road. Lost in my thoughts, I simply pedaled and rode into the darkness. I had hoped Dan would be out on his steps and we could chat a bit. He wasn’t there. Near the very end of the trail, I saw a bike light, and as we met, I called out my name, and Chip responded! We linked up so that now I had a partner and we traversed our way back home.
I was still feeling strong and wanted a few miles more, so after sending my wife off to work, I climbed back on the bike and did a couple of 3 mile loops near my home to end the day with 30 miles. I could have gone many, many more this morning, but decided that I needed to use the time for my other obligations today. There have been a few days recently that I’ve felt like I could have just continued riding for hundreds of more miles. A fantasy is to get on the bike and see how long I go before I decide to stop for some rest.
It wasn’t until I got home and logged my ride that I realized that my next ride will probably be the one to put me over 20,000 miles. It will only take 20.3 miles to do it. Then, the next big mileage milestone will happen less than 5,000 miles later, as I complete the distance around the earth.
Chip has got me thinking about training and qualifying to ride a 1200k. As we talked about it this morning, it is possible I could accomplish that next year. This year, with a planned vacation in April, I think I’d be hard-pressed to qualify. Qualifying requires an SR-Series, a 200k, 300k, 400k, and 600k. The 600k is the one that would jam me up. I also would need a lot more base miles. Anyway, it is something to consider.
This Morning’s Ride: 30.1 miles
Month: 206.8 miles
2013: 206.8 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 19,979.7 miles
People who ride with me know that I often ride with my head down (looking at the road in front of my tire). I could pass a lot of interesting things and not notice them. What’s that about? I don’t know for sure. Some of it is that I’m often riding with others who are so much stronger than I am and I’m working to keep up. Some of it is to relieve the pressure on my neck. Some of it is likely habit.
I noticed at the end of today’s ride, that I was a lot more alert than noticed more things. Granted, they were BIG things, but they were noticed none-the-less.
We had 4 who rode to breakfast. I rode with Mike B to his work near the airport and then returned home. Along the way, the more unusual things included:
- An emu. Maybe it is not so unusual to see the emu because it is on a piece of fenced property next to the airport, but come on … who expects to see an emu while riding a bike in Maryland? It is fun every time.
- I decided that I would add some extra miles and ride to Elkridge. I was undecided about whether or not I would try the steep hill on the fixie, but as I approached the turn near the off-airport parking lots, I saw a lot of police activity. I waved at the officer putting out flares, and kept going. A vehicle had slammed into a pole that had a transformer attached and the sparking from the transformer started a brush fire. Smoke was pouring out from the fire. As I continued, I noted that there were flares completely blocking the road ahead. I turned around, encountered an officer, and asked if I would be able to get back through this area later. He said I wasn’t even supposed to have passed the other “roadblock”. We had a nice, brief, civil conversation, and I abandoned my plan to visit Elkridge.
- On the trail at the southern end of the airport, I encountered two officers on ATVs (I loved the goggles). This is the first time I saw this type of patrol around the airport.
- As I approached the place where the trail crosses Dorsey Road, I smelled cordite. Some firearm had been discharged in the area. I observed a police vehicle leaving the airplane observation park, but noticed no other activity.
Beyond these events, it was a pretty typical ride. I took it easy. I enjoyed the day. I could have kept going for a very long time. It just felt good … except for my toes. It took half an hour in the house before the floor stopped feeling weird. That experiment in terms of socks, shoes, and toe warmers didn’t yield results I’d like to repeat.
This Morning’s Ride: 55.2 miles
Month: 176.7 miles
2013: 176.7 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 19,946.6 miles (Nearly ready to complete my second 10 thousand mile mark!)
Rev Rider 