"and that's the way it is"

Walter Cronkite had it right.

The year is over for me as far as biking goes. I did stop by the gym for a quick "ride". Enough of a ride to know that three different Lifecycles max out at 372 watts, even though I don't. I don't know where I max out, but in the grand scheme of things I guess it really isn't important.

I guess my hope is to ride more next year. A little over 6000 miles on the real bike is pretty pathetic by real cycling standards.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today.............0..............10.................10
Jan total.......98.....+........402....=..........500
Feb total.....385.....+.......220....=...........605
Mar total.....659.....+........41.....=...........700
April total...629.....+........57.....=...........676
May total.....642.....+........23.....=...........665
June total....804.....+.........0.....=...........804
July total....933.....+.........0.....=...........933
August total..732.....+........23.....=...........755
Sept total....338.....+.........0.....=...........338
Oct total.....632.....+.........0.....=...........632
Nov total.....352.....+........75.....=...........427
Dec total.....183.....+.......306.....=...........672
2008 total....6347....+......1157....=.........7531

2008
53 rides of 25-49 miles
34 rides of 50-74 miles
10 rides of 75-99 miles
12 rides of 100-199 miles
1 ride of 205 miles
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Twilight Zone?

You find yourself on an exercise bike in your local gym. You think everything is normal until you find that no matter how hard you work you can't seem to make progress. You originally rationalize the situation by saying to yourself "It's a pretend bike, I'm not supposed to go anywhere!". But the fact remains that no matter how hard you pedal, you just can't make the indicators move above a moderate output. Just then you notice it, a sign post up ahead. You have entered the Twilight Zone. No adjustment of your set is necessary.

Than again maybe an adjustment is just what it needs!

Tonight I revisited the Lifecycle in my gym. This time I picked out a different machine after my experience yesterday. Same results. Level 20 is the maximum level, 372 watts is the maximum output registered, regardless whether I'm pedaling at 80 cadence or 140. So much for technology.

I guess I'll have to just self analyze.

Hmm.... I think I worked hard today!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today.............0..............20.................20
Jan total.......98.....+........402....=..........500
Feb total.....385.....+.......220....=...........605
Mar total.....659.....+........41.....=...........700
April total...629.....+........57.....=...........676
May total.....642.....+........23.....=...........665
June total....804.....+.........0.....=...........804
July total....933.....+.........0.....=...........933
August total..732.....+........23.....=...........755
Sept total....338.....+.........0.....=...........338
Oct total.....632.....+.........0.....=...........632
Nov total.....352.....+........75.....=...........427
YTD...........6347....+......1147....=.........7521
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

beyond the normal

Okay, okay. So there are these guys sitting around in the product design room for Lifecycle and they are doing a bit of brainstorming.
Worker 1: "What should be the maximum readout for our new machine?"
Worker 2: "Oh, maybe 250 watts would be about right."
Worker 3: "I think I read that world class cyclists can generate something like 500 watts"
Worker 1: "Maybe so, but those folks are REAL cyclists. Real cyclists don't ride pretend bikes"
Worker 2: "Okay, that's probably true. Let's split the distance and make them top out at 372 watts"
All 3 workers smile at their brilliance and march off to their supervisor in quest of a raise.

Today I tried to find my maximum wattage. I soon found that the Lifecycle 9500 tops out on level 20. On level 20 with a 95 cadence I was generating 372 watts. If I pedaled faster I still maintained 372 watts. It would seem that the machine isn't designed to register higher than that. I'll look a bit more at the options next time I'm there. Can't hardly believe it stops at 372.... why not 300, 400, 500...or even 350?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today.............0..............18.................18
Jan total.......98.....+........402....=..........500
Feb total.....385.....+.......220....=...........605
Mar total.....659.....+........41.....=...........700
April total...629.....+........57.....=...........676
May total.....642.....+........23.....=...........665
June total....804.....+.........0.....=...........804
July total....933.....+.........0.....=...........933
August total..732.....+........23.....=...........755
Sept total....338.....+.........0.....=...........338
Oct total.....632.....+.........0.....=...........632
Nov total.....352.....+........75.....=...........427
YTD...........6347....+......1127....=.........7501
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

whatza watt?

One of my favorite subjects in both high school and college was physics. Horsepower, watts, joules,calories, etc are familiar terms to me. Watts always seemed to be a term more related to electrical power and horsepower related more to physical work, but now in the bike world it seems that everyone is measuring biking output with watts.

Today when on the artificial bike in the gym I toggled the readout to show watts. It would seem that I am comfortable with a 135 watt output. I was able to maintain that today for an hour very easily and could likely maintain that effort all day. It amounted to level 7 with a 95 cadence. My heart rate held about 120 bpm. (resting heart rate is ~50 this time of year)

Since it seems that I'm stuck on the artificial bike for awhile I will try to determine what my maximum wattage is. That's when we'll be able to quantify just exactly how dim this bulb is!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today.............0..............21.................21
Jan total.......98.....+........402....=..........500
Feb total.....385.....+.......220....=...........605
Mar total.....659.....+........41.....=...........700
April total...629.....+........57.....=...........676
May total.....642.....+........23.....=...........665
June total....804.....+.........0.....=...........804
July total....933.....+.........0.....=...........933
August total..732.....+........23.....=...........755
Sept total....338.....+.........0.....=...........338
Oct total.....632.....+.........0.....=...........632
Nov total.....352.....+........75.....=...........427
YTD...........6347....+......1109....=.........7483
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Christmas Eve delayed

On my way to a gathering that was to occur on Christmas Eve....... now rescheduled to this evening. Along the way I stopped at the gym and rode a few miles on the artificial bike. The main roads are pretty clear now, at least in the travel lanes. The shoulders and side roads are still ice covered. After the ice leaves there will be a generous covering of gravel, broken tire chains, and general debris. I don't see good road biking coming for quite some time. :-(





+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today.............0..............22.................22
Jan total.......98.....+........402....=..........500
Feb total.....385.....+.......220....=...........605
Mar total.....659.....+........41.....=...........700
April total...629.....+........57.....=...........676
May total.....642.....+........23.....=...........665
June total....804.....+.........0.....=...........804
July total....933.....+.........0.....=...........933
August total..732.....+........23.....=...........755
Sept total....338.....+.........0.....=...........338
Oct total.....632.....+.........0.....=...........632
Nov total.....352.....+........75.....=...........427
YTD...........6347....+......1088....=.........7462
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

slush, slop, and still no real bike!

The worst part of snow is when it melts. Yuck.

While waiting for it to disappear it was back to the artificial bike in the gym.
Had a few hours there today so I put it to good use.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today.............0..............42.................42
Jan total.......98.....+........402....=..........500
Feb total.....385.....+.......220....=...........605
Mar total.....659.....+........41.....=...........700
April total...629.....+........57.....=...........676
May total.....642.....+........23.....=...........665
June total....804.....+.........0.....=...........804
July total....933.....+.........0.....=...........933
August total..732.....+........23.....=...........755
Sept total....338.....+.........0.....=...........338
Oct total.....632.....+.........0.....=...........632
Nov total.....352.....+........75.....=...........427
YTD...........6347....+......1066....=.........7440
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Starting to melt

...at least in the west metro. Still too snowy for bikes. Perfect for indoor bikey gatherings though. A few of us were planning on riding bikes around Portland in Santa suits handing out dinner tickets to the needy then finishing up with a little holiday cheer. It ended up being to slick for bikes, but the holiday cheer was just fine!

I spent a few hours today in the Columbia Gorge in search of an icicle. Mission accomplished! The gorge is always just picture post card pretty, today was no exception.

No bike, just good wishes

I hope that all of you have a very nice Christmas. For those of other persuasions I hope your celebrations are full of joy as well!


No miles today....... just smiles!

It's beginning to look a lot like...............

Christmas............and also a lot like I won't be getting any more miles on my real bike before the end of the year! Pretty hard to bike through 20 inches of snow!


I've probably been driving 5 times the miles in the snow than I do in a normal week. I'm lucky enough to have the right equipment to negotiate the roads and I guess you'd call it a certain level of confidence. With all my driving around fetching people from airports, fixing mother's Christmas lights, shoveling relatives sidewalks, putting snow tires on niece's car, and bringing battery chargers to friends in need, I still have found the time to enjoy the beauty of it all. Be sure to look past the hassles of winter travel and enjoy the views!

That's what I've been doing as I ride the pretend bike at the gym!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today.............0..............22.................22
Jan total.......98.....+........402....=..........500
Feb total.....385.....+.......220....=...........605
Mar total.....659.....+........41.....=...........700
April total...629.....+........57.....=...........676
May total.....642.....+........23.....=...........665
June total....804.....+.........0.....=...........804
July total....933.....+.........0.....=...........933
August total..732.....+........23.....=...........755
Sept total....338.....+.........0.....=...........338
Oct total.....632.....+.........0.....=...........632
Nov total.....352.....+........75.....=...........427
YTD...........6347....+......1024....=.........7398
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

snow and ice still abound

I drove to San Francisco yesterday to pick up my stranded niece and didn't get back until early this morning. (that's what happens when planes, trains, and buses won't travel on snow) I had just a short window of time before I was going to the Portland Airport to pick up a friend. With all that I only had a short time for the pretend bike. I did manage to get 18 "miles" in.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today.............0..............18.................18
Jan total.......98.....+........402....=..........500
Feb total.....385.....+.......220....=...........605
Mar total.....659.....+........41.....=...........700
April total...629.....+........57.....=...........676
May total.....642.....+........23.....=...........665
June total....804.....+.........0.....=...........804
July total....933.....+.........0.....=...........933
August total..732.....+........23.....=...........755
Sept total....338.....+.........0.....=...........338
Oct total.....632.....+.........0.....=...........632
Nov total.....352.....+........75.....=...........427
YTD...........6347....+......1002....=.........7376
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Earning my way to heaven ;-)

I was at the gym today in the process of hammering out a good strong workout on the artificial bike as the snow was falling and predicted to fall even harder. As I was tuned in to the local TV station and their nonstop storm coverage they mentioned that the Elks Lodge was in dire need of drivers with vehicles that could handle the icy conditions to deliver holiday boxes to needy folks. I cut my "ride" short and called mom, who used to do meals on wheels and would know the streets better than I, and invited her to ride shotgun. My pickup has 4 wheel drive, 4 studded tires, and chains, cables, winches, etc in the back. No problem getting over the roads. We delivered a veritable treasure trove to a few homes. Most were appreciative.

Here's my mom's neighborhood when I brought her back home. There is about 6" of snow on the ground, with another 4-5 inches predicted before late tonight. Good thing I like snow!



+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today.............0..............19.................19
Jan total.......98.....+........402....=..........500
Feb total.....385.....+.......220....=...........605
Mar total.....659.....+........41.....=...........700
April total...629.....+........57.....=...........676
May total.....642.....+........23.....=...........665
June total....804.....+.........0.....=...........804
July total....933.....+.........0.....=...........933
August total..732.....+........23.....=...........755
Sept total....338.....+.........0.....=...........338
Oct total.....632.....+.........0.....=...........632
Nov total.....352.....+........75.....=...........427
YTD...........6347....+.......984....=.........7358
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

still snowin'

So I'm still riding pretend miles.


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today.............0..............26.................26
Jan total.......98.....+........402....=..........500
Feb total.....385.....+.......220....=...........605
Mar total.....659.....+........41.....=...........700
April total...629.....+........57.....=...........676
May total.....642.....+........23.....=...........665
June total....804.....+.........0.....=...........804
July total....933.....+.........0.....=...........933
August total..732.....+........23.....=...........755
Sept total....338.....+.........0.....=...........338
Oct total.....632.....+.........0.....=...........632
Nov total.....352.....+........75.....=...........427
YTD...........6347....+.......965....=.........7339
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts wandering to a warmer climate

It was 13 degrees at 10PM when I got home last night. The temperature has come up a bit this morning but it is now snowing very hard. My mind can't help but wander to riding bike through the desert!

Finished up the daylight hours in the gym on the artificial bike. Only had a half hour to devout to the "bike" so "sprinted" today.

level 9, race mode, 30 minutes
14 miles


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today.............0..............14.................14
Jan total.......98.....+........402....=..........500
Feb total.....385.....+.......220....=...........605
Mar total.....659.....+........41.....=...........700
April total...629.....+........57.....=...........676
May total.....642.....+........23.....=...........665
June total....804.....+.........0.....=...........804
July total....933.....+.........0.....=...........933
August total..732.....+........23.....=...........755
Sept total....338.....+.........0.....=...........338
Oct total.....632.....+.........0.....=...........632
Nov total.....352.....+........75.....=...........427
YTD...........6347....+.......939....=.........7313
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Gotta love that artificial bike!

The sub freezing temperatures are still with us, the ice and snow make it treacherous to ride. Even if I had studded bike tires I'd be afraid that one of those cars would slide into me so I was on the artificial bike at the gym again. All in all, it's not too bad to be pedaling away watching TV and looking at all the ice and snow outside.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today.............0..............23.................23
Jan total.......98.....+........402....=..........500
Feb total.....385.....+.......220....=...........605
Mar total.....659.....+........41.....=...........700
April total...629.....+........57.....=...........676
May total.....642.....+........23.....=...........665
June total....804.....+.........0.....=...........804
July total....933.....+.........0.....=...........933
August total..732.....+........23.....=...........755
Sept total....338.....+.........0.....=...........338
Oct total.....632.....+.........0.....=...........632
Nov total.....352.....+........75.....=...........427
YTD...........6347....+.......925....=.........7299
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It's beginning to look a lot like....................

Well, for those not in NW Oregon just let me tell you that the predicted snow and cold did indeed arrive. It's 23 degrees as I type this, predicted to go into the low teens tonight, and not expected to go above freezing until late this coming week.
Most of the metro area is covered with at least an inch of snow, up to 4", and all of the area is covered with a healthy layer of ice.

No road biking today! I went to the gym and stayed warm while riding 30 pretend miles.


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today.............0..............30.................30
Jan total.......98.....+........402....=..........500
Feb total.....385.....+.......220....=...........605
Mar total.....659.....+........41.....=...........700
April total...629.....+........57.....=...........676
May total.....642.....+........23.....=...........665
June total....804.....+.........0.....=...........804
July total....933.....+.........0.....=...........933
August total..732.....+........23.....=...........755
Sept total....338.....+.........0.....=...........338
Oct total.....632.....+.........0.....=...........632
Nov total.....352.....+........75.....=...........427
YTD...........6347....+.......892....=.........7276
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Warm, dry, and CSI

My biking buddy Erinn and I are trying our best to get out and ride tomorrow but we are met with this for a weather prediction:


(click on photo for full size version)

It looks like the weather will be far from ideal. Let me rephrase that... It looks like it may not be safe to be out on bikes tomorrow. I guess we'll just have to see if the forecast is correct.

In the meantime I went to the gym tonight and took an easy spin on the artificial bike.

Difficulty: Level 7, race mode
Time: One CSI on TV ;-)
"Distance": 21 miles

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today.............0..............21.................21
Jan total.......98.....+........402....=..........500
Feb total.....385.....+.......220....=...........605
Mar total.....659.....+........41.....=...........700
April total...629.....+........57.....=...........676
May total.....642.....+........23.....=...........665
June total....804.....+.........0.....=...........804
July total....933.....+.........0.....=...........933
August total..732.....+........23.....=...........755
Sept total....338.....+.........0.....=...........338
Oct total.....632.....+.........0.....=...........632
Nov total.....352.....+........75.....=...........427
YTD...........6347....+.......862....=.........7246
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A short ride

But a good workout for sure. My best riding buddy Erinn and I rode from Troutdale to the Vista House and back today. It was only a twenty mile ride but with the brisk wind and climbing (and Erinn setting the pace!) it was a good workout. With the talk of snow coming and the grey skies I dressed warmly....too warmly. The temperature was 45 when we left Troutdale, we saw 51 on the return so it was really quite warm for December.

We rode for 1.25 hours to get to Vista House, it only took 35 minutes to get back, and we even stopped at an overlook to watch the Sandy River roll by for a bit. We had limited time today, Erinn had work to do this afternoon and I have plans to go shopping with my sister.(!!!!)
Though it was a short ride it was still good to be out on the bikes. Depending on if we get the predicted snow this weekend there should be a chance to get more miles over the next few days.

I'll have to start carrying my camera on the bike. I notice, and was reminded today, that I haven't been putting many pictures on the blog lately. I'll make a better effort in the future.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today............20...............0.................20
Jan total.......98.....+........402....=..........500
Feb total.....385.....+.......220....=...........605
Mar total.....659.....+........41.....=...........700
April total...629.....+........57.....=...........676
May total.....642.....+........23.....=...........665
June total....804.....+.........0.....=...........804
July total....933.....+.........0.....=...........933
August total..732.....+........23.....=...........755
Sept total....338.....+.........0.....=...........338
Oct total.....632.....+.........0.....=...........632
Nov total.....352.....+........75.....=...........427
YTD...........6347....+.......841....=.........7225
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

WooWho!

As I perused the bike stuff at REI today I note that SlimeLite tubes are now available with 48mm stems. That makes my day! I bought a pair of them and will install them in my Bontragger RaceLite wheels tonight! If they work any where as good as the set I have in my Xero wheels (with Gatorskin tires) I'll be a happy camper.

5 flats in 60 miles last Saturday was 5 flats too many!

BTW, still haven't heard back from ORBike on what percentage of the registration for The Worst Day of the Year Ride goes to the charity "Community Cycling Center". Their silence doesn't bode well for them.

Checking the calendar and checking the facts

I was looking over the upcoming bike events trying to plan my rides. I note that on Feb 15th OrBike is again putting on the Worst Day of the Year Ride. I've had some poor experiences with OrBike events in the past. One of the major problems for me is that their rides are billed as "benefit" rides for a charity but in at least one instance the amount of funds passed along to the charity were an embarrassment.

The ride registration fee is $35 with the event T-shirt being an additional charge. Hardly the least expensive ride. I don't mind that so much as long as the organizers are passing along a sizable donation to a charity I support. I've sent an email to OrBike asking for information on how much of each registration they pass along, or how much total donation they expect to make to the charity. (Community Cycling Center)

With all the charitable organization calls/bell ringing/mailings this time of year I'd remind you all to check into the operation before sending money. How much of my dollar goes to the charity, and how much goes to the cost of fund raising activities is important to me. I hope it is to you too.

Bike fix it day

After the weekend's multi flat experience I finally gave in. My Xerolite wheels have Continental Gatorskin tires and SlimeLite tubes. I never have had a flat with that combination. My Bontragger Racelite wheels have a deeper rim and since Slimelite tubes only come in short valve stems they don't work on these wheels well. My floor pump is just barely able to get a grip, my road pump can't attach at all. I've been running air only tubes without too much trouble....until Saturday when I had five flats, 6 in the last 6 weeks. Today I put Slimelight tubes in the existing Kevlar tires. I stopped by my local bike shop to get some stem extensions so I could add air if needed from my road pump. I'll let you know how it works out.

I cleaned the bike and lubed the chain. I recently bought an Adamo ISM Gel Race Saddle and had planned to put it on as well, but ran out of time for such things.
I'd really like to get another seat post and get it set up so I could swap seats quickly by just changing seat posts with a quick release tightener. Not really an issue on normal rides of 100 miles or less, but might be just the ticket on the 200+ mile one day STP, and especially something like Furnace Creek 508. Give the old tush a different contact point might mid way through a long ride could be a good thing.

No miles today..... no rain, mostly sunny, no wind, no excuses.... just lazy I guess.

Beautiful day, sort of........

It was a gorgeous day for December. Heck, it was a gorgeous day for any season! The sky was cloudless, wind was almost imperceptible, and after a 28 degree start it warmed into the low 50's. Not much to complain about.........except for the FIVE flat tires I got!!!!!!

Cecil Anne just happened to capture the essence of my day with her camera.



Cecil Anne is a pretty speedy rider and ends up with a lot of time to take pictures. See the rest of her photos of this trip HERE.

I just don't get flat tires. With perhaps 6000-8000 mile per year I "might get" one flat. I got one in October when I was riding on the Cows and Capes Permanent with John Henry and Joanne. Today I got 5 more while riding the Three Prairies Permanent with John Henry and Joanne. I'm not sure if the problems are related to riding permanents or with the company I ride with but I've got to change! ;-)

Today I was joining 8 Randonneurs as they finished their quest for an "R-12" which is the completion of a sanctioned 200k ride in each of 12 consecutive months. We started from Newberg this morning at 7:30AM on our way to Dallas for our first leg. I was still in the city limits of Newberg when I got my first flat. Since the Randonneurs where on a schedule with a lot depending on completion I waved them on and proceeded to repair the flat then pedal like heck trying to catch up with them.
I made it to Dundee (2 miles) and had another. This time it looked like it might have been a pinch flat. I repaired it then pedaled away again.

I was working hard trying to close the distance, probably some of the hardest sustained riding I've ever done. With a combination of riding hard and taking a more direct route I was able to catch back up near Dallas. (hey, I'm no Rando, I'm not bound by those rules!)

Being back in the pack was short lived. Within 5 miles of rejoining them I flatted again. John Henry stopped and loaned me a tube (for I had used mine already today) After making sure I had things under control he continued on. Before he was out of sight while inflating the tube the valve core failed. I pulled the tube out, patched one of my old tubes and inflated again.

I again began the process of playing catch up, though playing is hardly the word for it!
I had made my way another 15 miles or so when the now all too familiar sound was heard again. Yup, another flat. At this point I knew I'd never catch the group again today. I repaired the flat and pedaled back into Newberg. I stopped by the local bike shop and bought replacement tubes.

I didn't need to complete an R-12, but really wanted a century. I made sure the light worked and started off on my own route to pick up the miles. I rode a loop down to Hopewell via mostly the Lafayette-Salem Hwy and back up via the roads just west of that.

My flats were over for the day and I was able to ride that loop without issue.
I got back into Newberg at 5PM with my century goal achieved.

I got cleaned up and waited for my Randonneur friends to finish.
They began showing back up around 6PM. All had big smiles having completed their R-12. Congratulations to Vincent, John K, John Henry and Joanne, Cecil, Lynn, Bill, and Sal on a job well done! Bill's smile was a bit tempered as he walked his bike the last few blocks....... because he had a flat tire!

Even with the issues it was a good day to be out on a bike!

Cecil has a good rendition of how the real riders of the day progressed, including a few photos, and a great commentary on narrow minded locals on her blog, check it out.

You can get a recounting of the ride through Lynne's eyes here

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today...........107...............0................107
Jan total.......98.....+........402....=..........500
Feb total.....385.....+.......220....=...........605
Mar total.....659.....+........41.....=...........700
April total...629.....+........57.....=...........676
May total.....642.....+........23.....=...........665
June total....804.....+.........0.....=...........804
July total....933.....+.........0.....=...........933
August total..732.....+........23.....=...........755
Sept total....338.....+.........0.....=...........338
Oct total.....632.....+.........0.....=...........632
Nov total.....352.....+........75.....=...........427
YTD...........6327....+.......841....=.........7205
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

marginally bikey

Beautiful 'm cloud free day but I didn't ride. I'm on the edge of getting a cold and thought it might be best to not be breathing in the below freezing air in large quantities. My bike buddy and I have been unable to connect all week. :-(

Tonight I am bringing Siberian Husky's Furnace Creek 508 DVD to a social bike group's holiday party. It will be the first "public presentation" of it. Siberian Husky reminds me to "be gentle" with him. ;-) As if he need worry!

Tomorrow the risk of aggravating a cold gets shoved to the wayside as I join a group of Randonneurs on their little 125 miles ride!

not winter......yet

The weather gurus are saying it's supposed to be getting colder in the next few days. None of my riding buddies could join me today but I decided I'd better get riding while the riding was still good.

I got in a late morning ride that amounted to 56 miles.

There is hope to get a few more rides in during the next few days, but if the weather people are right I might have to bundle up a bit!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today............56...............0.................56
Jan total.......98.....+........402....=..........500
Feb total.....385.....+.......220....=...........605
Mar total.....659.....+........41.....=...........700
April total...629.....+........57.....=...........676
May total.....642.....+........23.....=...........665
June total....804.....+.........0.....=...........804
July total....933.....+.........0.....=...........933
August total..732.....+........23.....=...........755
Sept total....338.....+.........0.....=...........338
YTD...........6220....+.......841....=.........7098
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

surprised

I witnessed a private armored car company truck squeeze around a vehicle by driving with one set of wheels on a bike lane and the other up over the curb and in the grass.
I thought this is not the way I'd want my employees to be representing MY company, as well as the issue of driving on a bike lane. I noted the number on the back of the truck saying more or less "if you don't like the way I'm driving call this number" which I did, and found it to be no longer valid. I visited the website for the company and sent an email with my concerns. I didn't expect it to go any farther than that.

I was surprised today when the company called me back for clarification of the details. Even if it goes no farther, I was glad to hear that they at least read my email.