Back in the day, Joe Piscopo used to portray Andy Rooney on Saturday Night Live, and always said, "You know what bothers me?" In that vein, I too will say, "You know what bothers me?" It bothers me how life gets in the way of biking. I want to ride more but instead I work more, do more tasks around the house, etc. It is my goal to finish the 2009 Assault on Mt. Mitchell next May, but the only way that'll happen is to get riding.
So, I am not ready because I have not been riding, but I am going to ride anyway, in the Leaf Tour, sponsored by the Greenville Spinners. It's 46 miles in the SC upstate between Tigerville and Table Rock. I want to do well, but at this point I'll be happy to finish.
Then, next month there is the Tour de Camden, a metric century (along with some shorter rides) that is part of Cup Week. I rode last year and averaged almost 18mph, and I'd like to do better.
For my training, I bought some new tires for my mountain bike, a dual-purpose tire; smooth tread in the middle for on-road, and lugs on the outer aspects of the tire for off-road. Put the tires on this past Sunday and while just test-riding in my neighborhood, hit a curb at about 2mph and went over the bars in slow-mo! It's like at the top of the flip I had time to think, "man, can we just get this over with?!" Once I hit the pavement, my next thought was, "okay, who saw that?" Took me a minute to get up and I really felt it the next day. The riding is great, but I'm getting too old for falling.
Thing is, I just want to ride more. Being on a bike is therapy for me, a time when I can forget about work and other life obligations that are weighing on me. It is ALWAYS worth the pain and expense to be able to ride.
Be careful, be blessed.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
8 October 2008
Yesterday on the phone, my brother reminded me that November would be here soon, as would the 2009 Tour de Camden. I have not been riding as much as I need to so decided to get on it. Tomorrow.
Well, today is tomorrow, if you follow my thinking, so I planned on trying to get a high-quality ride in today. However, the weather had other plans. Rather than getting 30 miles from home and having the bottom fall out on me, I left my road bike hanging and pulled down my mountain bike. This is a page I pulled from my brother's playbook. Hammer hard on a heavy bike for awhile, do some uphill sprints, and get a few miles in; then, when you pull out the ol' road bike, instead of 20+ pounds, it feels like 10 pounds!
Off I go, foreboding clouds above and lots of neighborhoods around me, I hammered away and knocked down over 25 miles. I am exhausted now, but a little more ready for TdC. Last year I averaged 17.77mph, I'd love to improve that this year.
Be careful, be blessed.
Well, today is tomorrow, if you follow my thinking, so I planned on trying to get a high-quality ride in today. However, the weather had other plans. Rather than getting 30 miles from home and having the bottom fall out on me, I left my road bike hanging and pulled down my mountain bike. This is a page I pulled from my brother's playbook. Hammer hard on a heavy bike for awhile, do some uphill sprints, and get a few miles in; then, when you pull out the ol' road bike, instead of 20+ pounds, it feels like 10 pounds!
Off I go, foreboding clouds above and lots of neighborhoods around me, I hammered away and knocked down over 25 miles. I am exhausted now, but a little more ready for TdC. Last year I averaged 17.77mph, I'd love to improve that this year.
Be careful, be blessed.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
7 October2008
It's been over two weeks since I've posted, guess that says alot about how much I have been riding- NONE! Acutally, I did ride last Monday, 12.42 miles with my pastor. Every time I would stand up to climb, or brake aggressively, the front wheel made some strange pinging noises. So, being the experienced roadie that I am, I took the wheel off and promptly carried it to my local bike shop, Harrell's Cycle World in Columbia, SC (highly recommended!), because I didn't have a clue. Paul builds a pretty good wheel, though, and I get it back today. Hopefully this afternoon will involve a spin.
When I dropped my wheel off, I bought one of those tools to check chain wear, because I am a big boy and I try to do a lot of climbing (getting ready for Assault on Mt. Mitchell, 2009). So, I am now buying a couple of chains when I pick my wheel up. It's always something, but the benefits of cycling far outweigh its costs.
Be careful, and be blessed.
When I dropped my wheel off, I bought one of those tools to check chain wear, because I am a big boy and I try to do a lot of climbing (getting ready for Assault on Mt. Mitchell, 2009). So, I am now buying a couple of chains when I pick my wheel up. It's always something, but the benefits of cycling far outweigh its costs.
Be careful, and be blessed.
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