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.

dashbored.

about 2 weeks ago the battery icon flashed on the dashboard of my car. the manual said it means the battery is not being charged because either the belts are worn out or the alternator has met its demise. i popped the hood and sure enough the belt had been reduced to strands.  $20 and one new belt later the battery is still not charging. the local auto parts store said a new alternator will be about $90. "i'll wait", i said and pedaled off.

it's somewhere in there.

there was a time when riding a bike was for fun only. then you get a little bit older and it becomes transportation. you get a car and the bike becomes recreation again. somewhere along the line you merge the two and going somewhere even if the weather isn't all that great becomes enjoyable. your hands may be raw and the bitter wind cuts through your hoodie because you misjudged the weather but you're still enjoying yourself. it is important to enjoy the stuff you do.

murkiness.

there are always those times during the winter when the only action your bike sees is a trainer. it's horrifically boring but it's better than nothing. while pedaling and staring at a motionless concrete floor i constantly think how i take asphalt in nicer weather for granted. so many missed days on the bike that i wish i could get back and then i promise myself that this year will be different and i'll ride every chance i get. it never happens that way, though. sure, i'll ride some but it's never quite as good as i remember or as good as i had hoped it would be. sometimes i think my time has passed on the bike but i still dream of riding often and it is good.

sunswarm.

today was a long day at work. demanding customers, difficult bikes, my mind cluttered and stressed. i couldn't wait for the day to end. when it finally did i set of for the store for a few essentials, but the ride didn't help to clear my head. i stuffed my bags with dinner and headed home stopping only once to admire a swarm of mosquitos and incidentally, the setting sun.

stop looking at me.

unfortunately my commute has gotten much shorter to what it has been for the past year. it's going to get hard to get any miles at all for quite a while. i guess much of my riding will be doing errands. and speaking of errands, i'm always painfully self-aware when entering a building wearing a helmet, bicycle or motorcycle. while in motion on a vehicle a helmet is perfectly normal. while standing in line with an extension cord, a case of seltzer and some light bulbs you will draw funny looks. fortunately within minutes i had left the store and was enjoying myself while toting my cargo home.

handsome.

sometimes life gets in the way of what matters to you. this past year life certainly stood between me and what makes me happy. it's very easy to put blinders on and follow the only path that seems necessary and everything else just sort of falls by the wayside. although my life revolves around bicycles i had become very sour towards my own bicycling. it took almost 9 months for me to get back in the saddle. when i did, though my cardio had certainly suffered, it felt like i had never taken a break. the sound of the freewheel. the motion of pedaling. the feel of the bike rolling over tarmac. it was all that i loved about the bike and it loved me back.

i hope this year i can take off the blinders and look around at all of the things i've been missing.

chewiness.

sunny. 53˚. perfect riding weather. started out a little cold but soon warmed up to a perfect temperature. warmish in the sun and coldish in the shade. ah... i'll enjoy this for a few weeks before it just starts getting cold.

they finally finished paving the chewiest part of my ride to work. for the past few months it's been a minefield of pot holes and cracks, broken glass and gravel. last week they came through with the machine that eats off the top layer of asphalt and leaves grooved pavement in its wake... which makes for a nice ride on a cannondale. it would appear that last night they finished [for the most part] paving everything over and it's buttery smooth now. except for a few drains that have yet to be finished it has become one of the more pleasant sections of my ride... so far as pavement quality is concerned.

good ride.

muggish.

today was the first ride home from work that i got caught out in the dark. i did pack a blinky light and a neon-green vest so i wasn't too worried about it. despite the mugginess it definitely reminded me that winter is coming. a good 6 months out of the year where pretty much all of the riding i'll get to do will be in complete darkness. it's not all bad, though, it just makes me appreciate the daylight in the spring and summer that much more.

plus, on my way home i found a visibility vest tossed off on the side of the road. it was a large so it clearly won't fit me, but it occurred to me it would be perfect for motorcycle use... since i ride as late into the year as i can. a few months ago me and a buddy headed out to providence and on the way back he said, "man, at night you disappear... and i mean completely disappear". that certainly was an eye-opener so this vest will work well over my leathers. score.