The weather gurus were right!

There were stars shining at 5AM, low clouds by 7AM, freezing rain by 8:30AM. It'll be the artificial bike in the gym later today. I was looking at my totals, I guess it's just the time of year that the warm and dry (and TV!) of the gym win out over actual road miles. :-( That will change soon enough. Next weekend is my birthday ride, this year 53 miles. Two weeks later I make the trip to the Seattle area for Chilly Hilly. That might be chilly, it's sure to be HILLY! In between I will be in Central Oregon for a 4 day conference. I'm going to bring my bike and try to get in a little "high elevation training".

Yesterday I picked up a spare set of wheels for my bike. I put a new 12-27 9spd cassette on the rear hub this morning. Already got a set of Kevlar tires on them. That is one more step done in the preparation of Race Across Oregon. Since we are required to have our own support vehicle I'm going to have those spare wheels follow along. If I get a flat or break a spoke just swap a wheel and pedal on, have the support crew take the time to do the repairs. I currently have a triple chainring in front, 53/43/30, and 12-25 rear cassette. The 12-27 will give me the option of swapping in a lower gear ratio for the long climbs we will see on RAO.(does "Bakeoven Road" sound scary enough to you?)

Other news on the RAO front? My team is putting the final details on the registration plan. There is some talk about trying to obtain a corporate sponsor.
If you are a civic minded corporation looking to raise awareness by the public of your efforts, give me a shout. We four old coots will do you proud!

Evening Update:

I read in the print version of The Oregonian today that a young woman was "right hooked" by a Tri-Met bus while walking with the "walk signal" in a marked crosswalk.
Here's the article:
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TriMet bus injures woman walking dog near Lloyd Center
Posted by The Oregonian January 25, 2008 20:25PM

A woman remained hospitalized tonight after being struck by a TriMet bus while walking her dog near Lloyd Center in Portland.

The incident happened just after 4 p.m. at Northeast 21st Avenue and Multnomah Street. Witnesses told police that the bus, driven by 42-year-old Tracey Hughes, was turning north from Multnomah when it struck 65-year-old Patricia Smith in the crosswalk.

Smith was taken to Legacy Emanuel Hospital & Health Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

The bus had a green light when it was turning, and the pedestrian was crossing with the walk signal, the Portland Police Bureau reported. Investigators believe the driver lost sight of the pedestrian and continued her turn while the pedestrian was still in the intersection.

Neither speed nor impairment was a factor in the collision, police said.

-- Kimberly A.C. Wilson;
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What interests me about this (beyond the obvious concern for the pedestrian) is what will become of the Tri-Met driver. In previous posts I've asked the rhetorical question when discussing the Jarolimek/Sparling/Doyle right hooks, "what would happen if that cyclist were a pedestrian in a crosswalk?" I'll be following this to find out that answer. Yes, when I find out I'll post it here.

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...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles YTD
Today...........0................21
YTD.............98.....+........289....=.........386

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