I want one.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Oh no... I need one of those too.
Can't stop snooping on bike blogs. Found this, it's a 36er:
I want one.
I want one.
Near total fucked-ness
If you need further evidence that we're in a state of near total fucked-ness, here's something I found on the Bike Hugger Blog this morning.
This is almost as alarming as the amount of time I've been spending reading bicycle-related blogs as of late (see lengthy list at right). It would seem that a bike ride would be a perfect excuse to detach the iPhone/Brain umbilical chord for a couple hours, but I know that's not an option for hipsters or "businessy types" and I'm certain they'll sell a shit-ton of these things at $65 a pop. On a related note, I was berated by my wife for not answering my phone for at least 2 hours while she was out running errands last night, but in my defense, I forgot it was in the car and was enjoying a few hours of phone detachment. I'm rarely berated by said wife, but for the seemingly often occurrence of iPhone detachment I choose to "practice."
Speaking of practice, my cousin, who's like a sister I never had, sent me B.K.S. Iyengar's YOGA, The Path to Holistic Health yesterday. I'll be practicing this afternoon.
Yesterdays HTFU ride was glorious. No one else opted to HTFU out at Montgomery Bell so I had the place to myself. The snow has now melted as a result of rising temperatures and rain through the night and as a result, the pump-track is still totally unrideable and unworkable. Since I'm "peaking" for this weekends Double Header, which is more accurately described as a "Quadruple Header, as defined by me as doubling up on a Double Header, I won't be riding today or tomorrow. Incidentally my mother arrives tonight on the 10:30 from Denver, so my world will be upside down until Tuesday at 6am. Fortunately, she's amongst the sweetest women I know, means no harm, and usually arrives bearing gifts and a substantial liquor budget. Conveniently, my "season" ends on Sunday.
Merry Minimalistmas.
This is almost as alarming as the amount of time I've been spending reading bicycle-related blogs as of late (see lengthy list at right). It would seem that a bike ride would be a perfect excuse to detach the iPhone/Brain umbilical chord for a couple hours, but I know that's not an option for hipsters or "businessy types" and I'm certain they'll sell a shit-ton of these things at $65 a pop. On a related note, I was berated by my wife for not answering my phone for at least 2 hours while she was out running errands last night, but in my defense, I forgot it was in the car and was enjoying a few hours of phone detachment. I'm rarely berated by said wife, but for the seemingly often occurrence of iPhone detachment I choose to "practice."
Speaking of practice, my cousin, who's like a sister I never had, sent me B.K.S. Iyengar's YOGA, The Path to Holistic Health yesterday. I'll be practicing this afternoon.
Yesterdays HTFU ride was glorious. No one else opted to HTFU out at Montgomery Bell so I had the place to myself. The snow has now melted as a result of rising temperatures and rain through the night and as a result, the pump-track is still totally unrideable and unworkable. Since I'm "peaking" for this weekends Double Header, which is more accurately described as a "Quadruple Header, as defined by me as doubling up on a Double Header, I won't be riding today or tomorrow. Incidentally my mother arrives tonight on the 10:30 from Denver, so my world will be upside down until Tuesday at 6am. Fortunately, she's amongst the sweetest women I know, means no harm, and usually arrives bearing gifts and a substantial liquor budget. Conveniently, my "season" ends on Sunday.
Merry Minimalistmas.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
HTFU
Cold today, calling for freezing rain so I went for a ride. 1:30 at Montgomery Bell, there was snow on the ground and no one had ridden yet so I got first tracks. Been reading a lot of Velominati and now I'm obsessed with Hardening the Fuck Up. Like this:
Two races this weekend, doubling up both days, it'll be cold. Great opportunity to HTFU.
Two races this weekend, doubling up both days, it'll be cold. Great opportunity to HTFU.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Oh Atlanta, I hear you callin'...
Spent the weekend in Atlanta, hanging out with my friend Burle. I'd send you to him via link but he leaves no trace online. He's surly. You'd love him.
On the way down I stopped off at Raccoon Mountain outside Chattanooga. It was cool, extremely foggy and raining periodically. I went around counter-clockwise, like the race I did a few years ago. Actually enjoyed the ride even though I was soaked, the knee ached and the fog was so thick I had trouble seeing.
Sunday I got up and headed to the final race of the Georgia Cross series in Conyers. Atlanta is huge, we drove for over an hour and were still in Atlanta (with no traffic). Course was awesome, lots of elevation, lots of room to pass, slick corners, tough singletrack, soft sections, grass... I knew it would be good when I heard the Masters complain. The old guys hate a good course. Single speed race started, I worked up to 4th and sat in until we hit a 180 and a short climb. Everyone tried to ride and I had the sense to run. When I hopped back on, I was in front so I gassed it and got a quick gap. 3 laps later we were done, I won by only 10 or 15 seconds but rode alone the entire time.
Pro 1/2 race was stacked. I was in the top 10, lost a couple spots on the long sustained climbs (in my defense I had 3 hard laps in my legs already), picked up a few when three different guys went down three different times right in front of me, rode alone for the last 3 laps until a guy in a kilt passed me. Ended up 13th of 22, not a great finish but I knew I was using a lot of gas in the Single Speed race.
Next year, gears. I've decided. That's final. I'll start building it this spring so I've got a road bike this summer. Gears, if Big Bikes can do it, so can I. Just a couple of geared pussies. I'm psyched, actually, no more excuses.
Hit Raccoon Mountain again on the way home today. Dry, cold and sunny, rode it the other direction which was different.
Incidentally, I weighed myself when I got home (after a BBQ Buffet in Sewannee) and I'm pushing 195. Ah, holidays. Time for another beer.
On the way down I stopped off at Raccoon Mountain outside Chattanooga. It was cool, extremely foggy and raining periodically. I went around counter-clockwise, like the race I did a few years ago. Actually enjoyed the ride even though I was soaked, the knee ached and the fog was so thick I had trouble seeing.
Sunday I got up and headed to the final race of the Georgia Cross series in Conyers. Atlanta is huge, we drove for over an hour and were still in Atlanta (with no traffic). Course was awesome, lots of elevation, lots of room to pass, slick corners, tough singletrack, soft sections, grass... I knew it would be good when I heard the Masters complain. The old guys hate a good course. Single speed race started, I worked up to 4th and sat in until we hit a 180 and a short climb. Everyone tried to ride and I had the sense to run. When I hopped back on, I was in front so I gassed it and got a quick gap. 3 laps later we were done, I won by only 10 or 15 seconds but rode alone the entire time.
Pro 1/2 race was stacked. I was in the top 10, lost a couple spots on the long sustained climbs (in my defense I had 3 hard laps in my legs already), picked up a few when three different guys went down three different times right in front of me, rode alone for the last 3 laps until a guy in a kilt passed me. Ended up 13th of 22, not a great finish but I knew I was using a lot of gas in the Single Speed race.
Next year, gears. I've decided. That's final. I'll start building it this spring so I've got a road bike this summer. Gears, if Big Bikes can do it, so can I. Just a couple of geared pussies. I'm psyched, actually, no more excuses.
Hit Raccoon Mountain again on the way home today. Dry, cold and sunny, rode it the other direction which was different.
Incidentally, I weighed myself when I got home (after a BBQ Buffet in Sewannee) and I'm pushing 195. Ah, holidays. Time for another beer.
Friday, December 3, 2010
New(ish) Crap
Picked up a crappy 20" off of Craigs for $40 today. Got it home and realized I probably paid $20 too much, but such is life. Rode it around and around the pump track till my wife came home and pointed out that:
1. I hadn't taken my phone outside (again) and she'd been trying to call me.
2. I'd left her ATM card in the ATM when I made a deposit the day before (in my defense she was right there with me).
3. The check engine light was on in the car she's planning to drive to the east coast at 8am tomorrow.
I'm blessed to have a wife with the good sense to tell me about a check engine light and see it as a potential problem, not just an annoying, unexplained light thingy. I took it to the shop and they determined a sensor is going bad, so being the good husband that I am, I got them to turn the light off and told my wife it "should be fine." We're both blessed because someone turned her car in and it doesn't seem like they withdrew any $.
Discovered after riding the track a little that it definitely needs some tweaking. The rollers are too tall/too close together. This means I'll either plow them down or plow them over all together. I'll decide some other time. In the meantime I'm headed to my first Georgia Cross race on Sunday.
no pictures. sucker. I also discovered that the pump track takes an enormous amount of energy, especially when it's not flowing right and I'm on a crappy bike. crap.
1. I hadn't taken my phone outside (again) and she'd been trying to call me.
2. I'd left her ATM card in the ATM when I made a deposit the day before (in my defense she was right there with me).
3. The check engine light was on in the car she's planning to drive to the east coast at 8am tomorrow.
I'm blessed to have a wife with the good sense to tell me about a check engine light and see it as a potential problem, not just an annoying, unexplained light thingy. I took it to the shop and they determined a sensor is going bad, so being the good husband that I am, I got them to turn the light off and told my wife it "should be fine." We're both blessed because someone turned her car in and it doesn't seem like they withdrew any $.
Discovered after riding the track a little that it definitely needs some tweaking. The rollers are too tall/too close together. This means I'll either plow them down or plow them over all together. I'll decide some other time. In the meantime I'm headed to my first Georgia Cross race on Sunday.
no pictures. sucker. I also discovered that the pump track takes an enormous amount of energy, especially when it's not flowing right and I'm on a crappy bike. crap.
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