The alarm rang again this morning at 4 am. Again, I hit snooze (just once) then when it rang I climbed out of bed and got ready and was out the door on the bike by 4:45. There were two worrisome mechanical issues as I pushed off. I’ve got a slow rear tube leak and there is a noise in the front wheel hub. I maintained attentiveness to both of these throughout the ride.
The morning was dark and I barely recall large segments of the ride before joining the rest of the crew at the Rusty Bridge. I rode the B&A loop back to the trail then south to Jones Station Rd then down College Parkway until I determined that it was time to turn back. B&A from Jones Station has much less traffic at 5:30 than it does at 6:30. I was treated to a peach/salmon colored sunrise this morning. By the time our regular ride started, I had 14 miles on the odometer and it was light enough that lights were not necessary. The joy of riding the 5:45 ride during the next couple of months in daylight.
I checked again on the tire. It was holding. There were a couple of spots during the ride that the front hub started squealing pretty loud. I’ve got to get that wheel in to the shop.
It didn’t take long for the guys to demonstrate that they were ready to ride fast this morning. We were flying down the trail at 20+ mph in generally a tight paceline. Everyone but me opted for Askewton’s Hill. I simply remained on Old County Road trying not to get caught and pushing the pace as much as I could without completely exploding. I didn’t make it to the end of the trail before they caught and passed me. Some days are like that.
The pace was easier on the way back north, especially after Clint and I let the fast guys go. They had to wait for the coffee shop to open. We arrived just after it opened.
Let me tell you, I could get used to sitting in a coffee shop for a half hour or more every morning. I thoroughly enjoy that time.
Soon enough, we pried ourselves away from coffee and back to the rest of our days. I ended up with just under 30 miles on the morning.
The tire held up, but as I was later removing the front wheel to take it to the shop, the rear tire was getting soft. I checked it yesterday, even running it through a sink full of water but could find no leaks. If I were to guess, I think that the valve isn’t quite holding. I will have to replace that tube before I ride it again.
Bible Verses of the Day:
But if it was stolen, restitution shall be made to its owner. (Exodus 22:12 NRSV)
Then the apostles and the elders, with the consent of the whole church, decided to choose men from among their members and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leaders among the brothers, (Acts 15:22 NRSV)
Friday, Annapolis Bike To Work Day was canceled due to stormy weather and flooding. That was a disappointment to many in the Severna Park Peloton, but four of us made the best of it. We donned our rain gear and pedaled to Annapolis in heavy rain and very windy conditions. At least it was warm.
Three of the intrepid riders
Flooding in Annapolis
Back over the bridge in the rain
While in the coffee shop, we didn’t know that the temperature dropped 10 degrees. We were quite puzzled about how chilly the return trip was. Along the way back, Bob developed a rear flat. There is nothing quite like fixing a flat in the rain. It was good to get home and in a warm shower.
This morning, the alarm went off at 4 am. I hit the snooze button once (having not had a good night’s sleep) but then got up and was out the door before 5 am. I had planned to ride the Kona this morning, but encountered a rear flat, so it was back on the fixie. I rode north into Glen Burnie, getting in about 10 miles before hitting the Rusty Bridge and joining the 4 other riders for Mosey Monday. It was a slower, easy ride. None of the people riding the weekend 600k showed up … but then we didn’t expect them to. Maybe tomorrow for coffee.
It was 31 miles on the day. Total miles for May is really pretty low. I’m needing to get many more miles in this month. I’m considering at least 2 200k rides and a century next week and that should help some.
Bible Verses of the Day:
When individuals quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or fist so that the injured party, though not dead, is confined to bed, (Exodus 21:18 NRSV)
But when the disciples surrounded him, he got up and went into the city. The next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. (Acts 14:20 NRSV)
The fog lay thick, depositing dewy drops on the leaves, grass and streets. It looked as if it had rained. It wasn’t the white blanket of fog that quiets the world. It was a dreary Irish fog that was foreboding and dark. It was enough that only three souls made it to the Rusty Bridge. The others evidently were at home tending their smoky peat fires.
The ride began in that dark place. Wet from the fog, the road was unwilling to give up its secrets, contours hidden by the damp. Riding glasses quickly caught the droplets and peering through pebbly droplets made everything even harder to see. I wore too many clothes for the 63° temperature, but they were striped with bold reflective panels so that I served as a beacon in the darkness. This all conspired to slow my speed and I marveled at the amount of water rooster-tailing off the front wheel, only to be thrown back to dampen my shoes. Daylight emerged from the gloom with stealth, nothing but fading darkness to signal its arrival.
We rode three abreast down the ribbon of trail, occasionally encountering a sole pedestrian lost in their own world. Even the walkers and runners mostly stayed indoors, and only a few were brave enough to venture out to greet the new morn.
Our conversations were engaging and the relaxed speed made it all so much easier. We often commented how beautiful a morning it was and how we were glad that we were not dissuaded by the gloom.
After the turn around to begin the return home, we were treated with wildlife sightings that made the morning even more spectacular. At one place where the trail crosses a road, a large doe blocked the trail as she stood for a moment looking dumbfounded at the array of lights signaling our arrival. She turned, and ran along our path for a time, until she found her well-traveled path into the tree line. As quick as she turned, she disappeared. Later, a large tom wild turkey stood sentinel in the driveway as if he were protecting the occupants, as large a bird as I’ve ever seen. His head followed our progress as if locked onto us with evil intent. Yet, he did not venture to abandon his post.
And before we knew it, the ride was over. The peace that descends on this kind of morning fades as we cross the threshold of our homes and the business of the day intrudes. To have missed this kind of morning would have left a hole … something that one is only aware of because of having the perfect morning for a ride. Those who missed it know not what they missed.
Bible Verses of the Day:
No hand shall touch them, but they shall be stoned or shot with arrows; whether animal or human being, they shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they may go up on the mountain.” (Exodus 19:13 NRSV)
“My brothers, you descendants of Abraham’s family, and others who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent. (Acts 13:26 NRSV)
When the alarm rang at 4:30 am, I had absolutely no desire to get up and ride. I did something highly unusual. I hit the snooze button.
Then, the countdown began. Nine minutes additional rest. Except the first few minutes were spent debating whether or not I should get up and ride anyway. I willed myself back to sleep. As I drifted off, the lingering question in my head was, “Why 9 minutes?”
Of course, the alarm rang before I was ready, but if I hit the snooze alarm again, it would make me later than usual. I got up, got ready, and was out the door just a little after 5 am.
It was very dark. I didn’t see the nearly full moon as I expected. There was a lot of pollen in the air. Temperatures were pleasant at about 58° F, just warm enough to go with bare arms and just cool enough to wonder if I made the right decision. I noted right away that I forgot my cycling glasses and its attached mirror. I missed the mirror the whole ride.
I rode the B&A loop, crossed Ritchie Hwy on a very mature yellow light and rode up the trail. I looped around to Jumper’s Hole Road via Earleigh Heights Extension, then rode back down the trail to the Rusty Bridge. I noted that the sunrise was not what I had hoped for this morning. There was the briefest period of pink in the sky, and when I looked again, all was grey. At the Rusty Bridge, I adjusted the barrel adjustment for the rear derailleur (shifting isn’t as smooth as I would like) and then noted that there was a very light mist in the air. It was lighter than fog, invisible even looking into the distance. Road surfaces seemed dry. As we rode along this morning, that mist gradually thickened. By the time we reached the end of Old County Road, I noticed a few drops of water collecting on the brim of my helmet, dripping occasionally onto my nose or onto my head. I had not expected this moisture.
The ride was enjoyable enough. There was good conversation, some bursts of speed, and no incidents to report. No incidents until near the end of the ride when suddenly there was a noise coming from my rear tire. It sounded like I ran over something that stuck to the tire. The noise disappeared. Everything seemed fine. Then, about 100 yards later, I noted that my rear tire was going flat. We all stopped and I changed the tube. A large hole was found in the tube, but no sharpie in the tire itself. Flat repaired and off we went in no time.
When I arrived home, I was almost as damp as I would have been had it been a light rain. But I had 26+ miles in the bank and the endorphins were flowing well. All was right with the world.
Bible Verses of the Day:
The next day Moses sat as judge for the people, while the people stood around him from morning until evening. (Exodus 18:13 NRSV)
But the word of God continued to advance and gain adherents. (Acts 12:24 NRSV)
I took a long weekend to travel to Iowa for Mother’s Day, visiting family there. I was off the bike those 4 days. That feels like forever.
This morning as I took off shortly after 5 am, I felt like a young colt in the spring, full of energy and my legs just wanting to go. I was slightly unstable for about a mile as I reacquainted myself with the bike, but then was flying along in the absolutely beautiful morning. The ride started in the dark, and I was treated to a glorious sunrise. I rode east into the rising sun as much as possible just to watch the colors change. By the time I arrived at the Rusty Bridge, the color was gone and the sky was getting sufficiently bright that even lights were unnecessary to see the road. We still kept them on to increase our visibility.
We had about 9 riders out this morning, and we broke naturally into several groups. I found myself alone at the top of Old County Road, ahead of the others who skipped Askewton’s loop, and racing to not be caught by those who did the loop. I did reach the end of the trail before the Askewton Loop riders. That meant about 3-4 miles of anaerobic exercise, attempting to maintain about 20 mph. It felt pretty good to push that after so many days off the bike.
It was a more relaxed pace headed north on the trail, and we all regrouped at the coffee shop. Overall it was a quick morning, not the fastest this year, but still pretty quick.
It is decision time now. Do I start getting up earlier than 4:30 to get more miles in each morning? I’ve got to get miles in my legs.
Bible Verses of the Day:
But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” (Exodus 17:3 NRSV)
One of them named Agabus stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine over all the world; and this took place during the reign of Claudius. (Acts 11:28 NRSV)
Those of us planning to ride the Lap Of Lake Ontario in July are fully engaged in logistical planning. It has to do with making hotel reservations before, during, and after the ride. You would think that would be an easy thing. It’s not.
Complicating matters for us is the 7:00 pm start time of the ride. How far does one intend to ride before sleeping? Our group is not of one mind. I choose to sleep in the heat of the day. Others want to sleep as close to a regular sleeping schedule as possible. How far will we travel in that length of time? Hotel cancellation policies in the area we are traveling requires 48 hour notice. That means no multiple booking of hotels and choosing one based on ride speed. Hotels close to the start/finish line are not the most attractive and are far from other services. We have a block of rooms reserved, about a 30 minute drive from the finish. Logistics.
All of this was the continuous stream of discussion this morning. Apparently hotels are filling up and we need to make these reservations soon. I don’t think we talked about much else.
It was good to get out this morning. I skipped yesterday because I was simply exhausted. I had a couple of very late nights and very early mornings and was feeling quite sleep deprived.
This morning I decided to push the pace some down B&A Blvd behind my house and was able to set a personal best speed on one segment. The roughly 1.2 mile Strava segment took me 2:44, resulting in an average speed of 22.3 mph. This was in full darkness, so there was a bit of anxiety since I didn’t have my headlight on high beam and visibility was poor. It felt good.
Kamakazee bunnies were out. The birds were singing to the start of day. Four of us rode a fairly easy pace while some of the younger bucks decided to race. Some things really never change.
In the end, it was a pretty morning to ride. Temperatures were comfortable. I finished with 28 miles in the bank. That will have to do for the week. Circumstances say it will be Tuesday before I can ride the 5:45 ride again.
Bible Verses of the Day:
When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. (Exodus 16:14 NRSV)
“Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?” (Acts 11:3 NRSV)
Having become quite dissatisfied with a “trunk bag” attached to an aluminum seat post rack on my bike, I started looking for other options as I move toward an unsupported 1,000k ride in July. A friend recommended the Revelate Designs Pika Seat Bag, so I looked at it and decided to buy it.
Revelate Designs is a U.S. company that seems to take seriously the needs of long distance cyclists. As I browsed their products, I was amazed at the apparent quality of their items, but more than that. Their designs seemed to adhere to the “form follows function” standard. These are well-designed systems!
I decided to shop at bikebagshop.com because I purchased my Ortlieb bag from them and had excellent delivery service.
I ordered the red Pika Seat Bag.
When it arrived, I was in awe of this bag. It was light! Specs say 12.6 oz. The specs also say 6-12 liters of volume. I opened the bag, inserted my arm, and my arm completely disappeared into the bag. I knew I was in trouble. This bag might encourage me to take more than I really should on these randonneuring trips! Leading edge to open end of this bag is about 26 inches. The opening is about 8 inches in diameter. The “default” length is about 14 inches. (That’s inside measurement to the internal straps.) I can imagine playing a game called, “Will it fit?” with this bag. The brilliance of this bag is that you put what you need in the bag and then, roll up the excess bag and use the straps to keep everything tight. You only use as much bag as you need. Not a bit more.
I loaded the bag a little more than half full and attached it to my bike. There was the slightest amount of sway when I pushed the bike side to side, but it behaved almost as well as the rigid seatpost frame I had been using, and weighted pounds less. Within a few miles I no longer noticed the bag.
Accessing items in the bag isn’t quite as easy as the top loading trunk bag, but I pack all my items in labeled zip-lock bags and there wasn’t much trouble at all finding what I needed. As I shed clothing as the day warmed up, the bag got just a little longer, but again, compared to the top loading trunk bag a friend was using on the same ride, I liked the bag extending a bit back rather than up.
I’ll do a more complete review after I’ve ridden with this bag a while longer. I fully expect it to get rave reviews.
Note: There has been no promotional consideration for this First Look Review from any company mentioned here. Opinions are solely my own and are based on actual use/experience.
Although it was a very late night last night (I officiated at a wedding), I got up at 4:30 am and was out the door shortly after 5 am for the second day in a row. My primary goal for this ride was to “ride test” my new fork mount for my light.
Problem: When I use my front Ortlieb bag, as I will on long randonneuring rides, it is hard to get the headlight high enough to project the beam in a place where I can see and feel safe. The bag casts a shadow out about 10 feet or more in front of the bike. I want to eliminate that shadow, which either means not using the bag or moving the light.
Solution Attempt: I constructed a fork mount out of PVC plastic pipe fitting, cutting one “T” joint and attaching it to my fork with zip ties. I placed the fork mount on the left fork within reach as I lean forward.
Analysis: Lights are designed so that their beam is optimized at handlebar height. Mounting a headlight lower seems to diffuse the light pattern more. I used my helmet mounted light to give me a little more light in the critical distance ahead. The fork mounted light did a good job of lighting the roadway, and one possible advantage of the lower mounting is that irregular surfaces are a bit easier to spot. I’m still not completely convinced that this is where I want the mount or if I will look for another solution.
Cost: Under $2.
We had about 8 riders out this morning and we quickly broke into 3 or more ride groups. Several wanted a fast ride. Three of us took an easy spin. One of us couldn’t decide and lingered between the groups. It was a pretty morning. There had been some overnight rain and so the humidity was up, making it feel warmer than the actual temperature. Plenty of conversation happened about our upcoming 1,000k. This ride will be unsupported, meaning that we will have to either carry anything we think we will need or will have to buy it enroute. This complicates the planning. Our finish hotel choices are pretty narrow. Evidently there is a soccer tournament in Rochester the weekend of our ride finish. Most hotels are already booked.
The coffee stop at The Big Bean was good. I got in 25 miles this morning.
Bible Verses of the Day:
“In your steadfast love you led the people whom you redeemed; you guided them by your strength to your holy abode. (Exodus 15:13 NRSV)
So Peter invited them in and gave them lodging. The next day he got up and went with them, and some of the believers from Joppa accompanied him. (Acts 10:23 NRSV)
We are in the final month of the year long Malaria Campaign Cycling Challenge. April yielded a disappointing 547 miles. I fell more than 100 miles short of my goal for the month. I was brought down by a GI illness late in the month.
Here are the numbers:
April Miles = 547
Total Miles = 6,094
Funds donated and pledged = $7,303
Two things are moving me to increase my daily miles. This is the last month of the Malaria Campaign Mileage Challenge (I’m disappointed in the total miles thus far) and I’m just over 2 months away from my 1,000k ride around Lake Ontario. I need to get miles in these legs!
I got up 15 minutes earlier this morning and got out the door about 20 minutes earlier than usual and rode a longer route to the Rusty Bridge. It was darker than it has been for me recently, and it was once again nice to watch the sunrise from the saddle of a bike. The birds were quite loud this morning. Bunnies were out in force. Once the group was all together, we also encountered a deer. One of these days I won’t be surprised when we hit one of these animals. We’ve come close often. Distance on the day was an easy 27.5 miles.
We talked 400k (the ride was this past weekend) and the upcoming LOL (1,000 k). Hotels and planning for stops really is the challenging logistic right now. It is a 7:00 pm start. Mike B and I will ride a shorter 1st day so that we can sleep in the heat of the day. We will pass others as they sleep some once it grows dark again.
Bible Verses for the Day:
The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them. (Exodus 14:19 NRSV)
“He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive.” (Acts 9:41 NRSV)
Rev Rider 