18 posts tagged “bicycling”
Fuck work. I went for a bicycle ride. It's 70 and sunny outside. On days like this, it's a crime against nature to go into the office. Had a delicious, cleansing, and emotionally satisfying ride. NOW I'm ready for the world to dump on me.
Guys (and you know who you are), when you're done using a public restroom, please please PLEASE for the love of Mike remember to flush. It's really disgusting when I walk into the bathroom at Chipotle and there's not a clean bowl. Did your mother raise you in the woods? Have you no manners? Flush, wash your hands, then be on your way. It's not that hard.
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Yesterday was my dad's yartzeit (14 years now) and I feel like shit that I forgot. I basically remembered, but kept forgetting to get the memorial candle. Wife said she had one somewhere I could light this evening, but when I got home (after 10 pm) there was no candle in the kitchen.
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The weather's finally changing here, and summer is upon us. No more days of 40 degrees, then 70 then next day, followed by 40 and rain for a few days, with another teaser to 70. Now it's 60 to 70 all the way around. I celebrated by dragging out the bicycle for a frantic ride Friday night, then again Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon. I'm going to try for 1,000 miles this year. Conservatively, that means I have 25 weeks of riding left this season, or 40 miles per week. I think that's doable, and it would be a boost over last year's mileage. I'd also like to do a Century. My local riding club has one in the Fall, and I'm hoping to be in sufficient shape to attempt it. Maybe going public with my goals will help spur me on.
The weather was beautiful yesterday. Temps hit 55, after a month with highs in the single-digits, and boy was I ready to do something. Anything. Had to work all day, but around 5 pm I went out for a bicycle ride. First time I've ridden outside since November, and it was fucking glorious to be back in the saddle. Don't get me wrong, it was a short ride (about 10 miles) and my ass is SO sore today from the seat, but just to be out there on my slick little road machine was a tremendous feeling of being alive. Had that whole endorphin rush going afterwards, too. Can't wait until it's warm enough to do this on a regular basis.
Great bicycling around here. Miles of well-paved trails, lots of hills. Having grown up in pancake land, I'm in awe of hills. Any time I can ride a bicycle (or motorcycle, really) across hills or mountains I'm there. Flat is boring. These were pretty and challenging.
I rode a few miles down this road and back. It winds around Big Arbor Vitae Lake. The timing was also perfect -- leaves were magnificent, weather was cool but not cold. No rain.
One would think that buying milk, juice and beer at the grocery store at 10:30 pm on a Monday night would be a relatively quick and efficient process. One would think the store would be empty, checkout lines would be short, and the trip would be fast and easy. One would be wrong. I was 8th of 10 in line this evening. Cashier was wearing the dreaded TRAINEE badge, with mentor standing over her shoulder patiently explaining that those little green peppers were habaneros, not jalapenos. It was going to be a looooong nighht.
In better news, I did my first group ride Saturday. I woke up at what for me is the crack of dawn on a Saturday, stretched out, had a bowl of cereal, then met the local riders club for a 9 am ride. There were about a dozen of us, mostly older (and slower) ladies and gentlemen who seemed to want to ride all the way up to the next state. I didn't have that much time, so three of us turned around early, stopped for a quick bagel, then went home. After all was said and done I did 32 miles (not a shabby ride at all) and made some new friends.
Sunday I had a serious Need for Speed (with apologies to Tom Cruise). Stopped by my local bike shop for some quick saddle adjustments, then went and pounded out 10 miles across the roads as fast as I could go. I set a new land speed record in the process -- almost 1.5 mph faster than my usual average pace! In 90 degree heat, with plenty of sun and humidity thrown in for good measure. Not ideal riding weather at all, and I almost didn't make it back. It took a huge effort of will and energy not to give up and walk the last mile or so home, but I did it. I've now put 170 miles on the bike in the last three weeks. Sometimes I TOTALLY rock.
Somehow on one of my long rides I accidentally pressed the wrong combination of buttons on my cycle computer and changed the language to Italian. Now all I need is that Pinarello and I'm all set.
No idea what I did, though. It took me about 20 minutes of fucking around with it to change it back to English. Did 20 miles today, though!
The Tourist Trap Town we had lunch in was Nisswa. Their sign doesn't lie. Food, art, bicycle store, ice cream, really good chocolate shop.
More photos and stories coming later.
As seen on TV. Or, at least in the window of one of the shops at Nisswa Square:
Answer: 42 miles.
Question: How far did you ride along the Paul Bunyan trail Saturday?
I rock! Rode from Brainerd to a little north of Nisswa (also known as Tourist Trap Town) and back. On the way out I just flew down the trail, effortlessly making great time. The trail is in great condition -- about six feet wide, beautiful smooth asphalt all the way. Mostly flat, with a few small hills. Stopped at Nisswa for lunch (see picture below). A cute little town whose major industry is Tourism. The highlight was dessert at the Chocolate Ox. An entire shop devoted to the various heavenly delights that can be made with chocolate. Had the world's largest peanut butter cup, then, floating on a sugar high, was all set to do the ride home.
As I set off, it struck me why the ride out had been so smooth and easy. Tail wind. Now a headwind. Going back against the wind was much tougher than I thought, hindered by digestion and general tiredness. About the 30 mile mark I got my second wind. I was worn out, but somehow got another burst of energy. I was doing 16.5 mph uphill and against the wind yet felt strong and invincible. This is my longest ride to date, and I'm totally stoked about doing it. The really impressive part -- wife did the same ride, but on a POC bike that I swear is made of cast iron.
Today I'm paying for the impressive feat of sportsmanship. My knees hurt like hell. Shoulders are sore. I ache in places I didn't know I had. Today was a slow, tired, Ibuprofen-laced day. My ass was dragging, despite all the caffeine I could shove in it. By the end of the day I was so sick of Rockstar Energy drinks I could scream. Even the sugar-free one tasted sickly sweet after a while. It needs Vodka.
By mutual agreement, we did non-bicycle activities today. Drove up to Bemidji to scope out places for tomorrow's ride and just play tourist. Stopped at Billy Bones Raceway to do some go cart racing. I never had any fun toys growing up, so now as an adult I over compensate and really grove on go carts and alpine slides. I have basically zero experience with go carts, but that didn't stop me from going right to the more aggressive of the two tracks (yes, I'm just a little bit competitive). I've followed motorcycle racing for years -- I know all about finding the racing line around a track, keeping up midcorner speed, and getting just the right amount of wheel spin. Piece of cake, right?
Turns out they're not quite that easy. There's a fair amount of practical knowledge one needs to ride these things quickly. Knowledge I distinctly lack. Having a cart that fits also helps -- my knees were practically hitting the steering wheel. Bottom line: I got lapped by a 16-year-old girl. Very embarrassing. Had a blast anyway. Looking forward to riding through the hilly section of the trail between Hackensack and Walker tomorrow.
Heading out tomorrow morning for a few days in Brainerd, MN. Wife and I are going to do some bicycling along the Paul Bunyan Trail, which is 80 miles of paved bicycle path. We're staying at a cheap hotel, and will probably do a couple of day trips along one or two segments of the trail. The forecast calls for 90 degrees and sunny, not my ideal biking weather, but we'll see how I feel. I'll try to take some pics and post something when I get back. I also have some fireworks pics from July 4th that I've been meaning to post, but they need a little cleanup and my trial version of Photoshop Express expired last month.
Heading out tomorrow morning to Brainerd, MN, for some vacation-type activities. Going to do some bicycling along parts of the Paul Bunyan trail, which covers over 80 miles of paved bike paths. We'll do a couple of day trips along various segments, maybe 20 or 30 miles at a time, depending on weather and how I feel. The forecast calls for 90 degrees and sun -- way too hot for my tastes. I'll try to take some pics and post some reports when I get home. I also have some fireworks pics I took on July 4th that I still intend to post, but I have to get Photoshop or Photoshop Elements first. My trial version expired last month.
