goodbye, old chamois... may we meet again someday.

32.6 miles

gear. true cyclists love gear. every cyclist i know has a more extensive bike-specific wardrobe than they do a casual wardrobe by a very large margin. jersey and shorts is all you need, right? oh, i forgot the arm warmers... and knee warmers, leg warmers, gloves for fall, winter, early spring, late spring and summer, hats, ear warmers, tights, gilets, jackets for late/early season and winter, rain jackets, helmets, shoes, shoe covers both aero and thermal, chamois cream and embro... the list can get quite serious... and expensive.

recently, i finally had to give in to reality and move on from my favorite pair of bibs. they've been my favorites for quite some time and have thousands of miles in them. they just fit fantastic and the chamois just worked well with my garbage. i sat there the other day looking them over inspecting the holes and the seams that have worn out. i pinched the chamois and noted how lifeless it was. this pair will be put out to stud. i received my new pair the other day and took them out for the initial skidmarking last night. the fabric is nice and stretchy. the cuffs are sharp and exact. the chamois is thick and resilient. they smell of new lycra.

a new pair of shoes was also purchased as a late-season present to myself. not as necessary as the bibs it was still long overdue. the last pair of shoes had lasted me a little longer than they ought to have. they retain that permanent stink of sweaty food that no soak in baking soda can conquer. i deserve new pair of shoes.

it's funny how new gear can invigorate riding. sometimes when things get a bit dull or regular tossing some new gear into the mix can be exciting. sure, it's the same road, but it's a new chamois! as i road along last night i'd occasionally look down to admire my new stuff going around and around. doesn't it look fantastic? don't i look fantastic? probably not, but i feel fantastic. i can't wait to scuff the toe of my new shoes on my tire at 5:31pm tonight.

snoodle.

51.9 miles

i originally wrote a post today that was a rant about charity rides... it came off as way too negative so i decided to scrap it. i will say this, however... it does bug me that charity rides seem to be the only reason people ride anymore. that, having been said, i'll move on. yesterday's ride was a good one. a friend and i set off in the hottest part of the day for a good stiff ride. i certainly felt it when i got home... and for the rest of the evening for that matter. i spend a lot of time on google maps looking for new routes or to rediscover old forgotten routes... this was one such ride. i'm glad i had found this a few days earlier while staring at the map. scenic, fresh, good rolling terrain... a perfect ride. within the last 3 miles of the ride it started to rain and the last 100' it really rained. a nice refreshing end to a long, hot ride. i can't wait for october.

shadows of bikes.

24.6 miles

while out on a ride yesterday a friend asked, "you must think about bikes all day long... do you ever get tired of it and want think of something else?" well, i don't know, to be honest. i told him while at work I think about all the crappy walmart bikes, rusty 30-year-old peugots that aren't worth fixing and everything else about cheap bikes that make me angry. after work i think about everything bike-related that makes me happy. there is a clear line that is drawn and i try to keep them separate. i think that's necessary. over the past few years i've gotten very soured on the industry but i love bikes to death so it's important to keep that bitterness compartmentalized. it has affected my relationship with bikes for sure, but right now, while i write this, i am taking a nice relaxing bath before work and all i can think about is the ride i'll take after work.

wave, dammit.

26.5 miles

the wave. i like the wave, and no, i'm not talking about the same wave you'd be unfortunate enough to be a part of at a baseball game, i'm talking about actually waving at someone... in this case, a complete stranger. motorcyclists do it. upon passing a motorcyclist headed in the opposite you cooly drop your left hand to the side and acknowledge the other rider. i haven't a clue where it started but i'm a big fan of it and i carry it over to my time on a bicycle. these days people are so buried in their cell phones, smart phones, tablets, pads, pods, laptops lattes, and uh... eyeliner, that there's little reason to smile at a stranger. let alone engage them in anyway. while riding i will wave at any other cyclist on the road, it's just good form. it's sad i need a reason to be friendly to another human being if even for something as small as "hey, you're also riding a bike, therefor we have something in common and i will wave at you." often people won't wave back or will only because i wave first... but it doesn't matter, i'll take it.

cheesecake.

33.8 miles

yesterday after a long day of working two jobs and then meeting up with a friend for a bit i returned home to find my worst nightmare possible... an almost entire cheesecake nestled comfortably in the refrigerator. "bah!" i said, as i slammed the door shut in disgust. cake would not be on the menu for this evening. i had beaten the first self-discipline trial, but it wouldn't last. around 1am i found myself sitting on the couch with the entire container in my lap watching crappy tv. i hated myself for giving in to the cake's allure and hated myself even more with each bite. no matter what, at this point i was riding the next day, rain or shine. despite the punishment for my indiscretions,  i had a good ride. i went in the complete opposite direction i normally go which was new and exciting. that cheesecake better not be in refrigerator when i get home.

a slight ghordo in your bike.

33.2  miles
well it was bound to happen, my bike has begun to make an unidentifiable noise. it very much detracts from the overall ride experience when every revolution of the rear wheel brings that odd noise... of course that tell-tale sound of a spoke shifting under tension is a dead give away. for the most part, i can forget about the noise and enjoy the road ahead... i just have to remember to fix that noise before my next ride...

freshiness.

34.4 miles

taking new riders out on the old regular rides is a nice thing... and doesn't happen often. the roads i've ridden so many times with every crack and pot hole memorized are completely fresh to the new rider. it's refreshing to see the old route through new eyes.

crank stripper.

34.5 mi.

usually my rides go off without a mechanical hitch so when somehing does happen it is quite the event. today, a friend and i set off and within minutes he was having issues. as we limped back to the shoppe it became obvious this wasn't going to be a simple adjustment. once in the stand i popped the cranks off to find the aluminum spline teeth had been stripped out due to a loose crank bolt. very unfortunate seeing as though these cranks maybe had 100 miles on them. "this doesn't mean our ride is cut short", he said. "no worries", i said. i tossed on another set of cranks and off we went having ourselves a wonderful ride.

back it up.

24.9 miles

i love running errands on a bike... though i usually don't, today i rode with my mp3 player. the ride out gives you some time to really, i mean really, analyze the lyrics to zepplin's "whole lotta love".

it'll also markedly improve your mood.

fat fit.

21.3 miles

you ride, you train, you get fit... you don't ride, you don't train, you get fat...

i'm currently working on the latter. for the past year riding has not been a priority or for much of the time even possible with the schedule i've worked. as a means of coping with stress i ate to forget... and i've paid the jiggly price. for the past month or so all of the riding i've been doing is in the woods, which is nice but it's obvious i have no endurance whatsoever anymore. today after short-stack of apple pancakes with raspberry puree i set out to get some miles into my legs and burn off that delightful side of bacon i was coerced into getting. it was good to again feel the manageable burn i was so used to at one point. i've got a long way to ride before i'm back in reasonable shape, but, i hate to sound cliché, it's like riding a bike, you never forget.