Out of print?!?

A couple of weeks ago, Rider 3 presented our readers with a multi-part series of posts on cycling-related books that recently visited his night stand.

One book he didn't mention, but that I know he's read, is Tim Krabbe's, The Rider. I daresay this is my favorite book written about cycling. It's also the most literary book I've read about cycling.

I'm not sure whether The Rider is considered a novel or a novella. Either way, it's not long--you can read it in the time that say, a significant other might watch Love, Actually, or Rambo, depending on his or her's cinematic tendencies.

Anyway, today I heard some awful news. Evidently, the publisher and owner to the book's rights will cease publication. This is a shame.

The Rider is of course about cycling. It's an internal monologue of a Dutch rider, as he competes in a race he has spent significant time and effort preparing for. So while it's about riding and racing, generally, and in my estimation you'd need to be a rider or racer to truly relate to much of the book, really the themes and feelings (pros might say "sensations") it considers are broader than just cycling.

Plus, it has one of the all-time cool covers. And that's important, no?

While I'm a huge fan of the Kindle store and e-books in general, I appreciate owning The Rider in its physical form. It's really a beautiful little book.

So here's my recommendation. Pop over to your local bookseller, or log onto Amazon, and see if you can still buy a copy. It's worth the read and it's worth owning.

24 Hour Race

A few blog-worthy things have happened since my last post. I rode part of the 24 Hour Race, we had a Team Two Wheel Shop Ride and I rode the Mad Dash 8 Hour race. Two of these things also involved my new bike, a Gary Fisher Superfly. And despite all of this, I was not once accused of motorized doping. I guess I need to work on that.

So, without further ado (ado being a naturally occurring substance which I am too polite to discuss in this blog), here are some of these tales of these events in chronological order.

24 Hour Race

It was a cold and dark morning, with wind whipped clouds on the horizon . . . Not, actually, it wasn't. The 24 Hour Race, put on by the incomparable Wendy Bailey and Gino Liesicki (and lots of volunteers and helpers), is a mountain bike race held in Riverside State Park and which runs from noon Saturday until noon Sunday on Memorial Day weekend every year. This is the 11th year of the event, although I would have guessed it was 20 or more. This race can be done Solo, Single Speed Solo, or on teams of various sizes ranging from two to ten. This event has continued to grow and it attracts several hundred people who participate, volunteer and otherwise camp and hang out around the race course area starting on Friday before the race. All in all, it is a great event and any organizer who wants to understand how things should run should take the time to check out this event, from course set-up and marking (clear, obvious and safe), logistics and support (excellent) to food (all provided by Mark Starr and the David's Pizza Emergency Support Vehicle) This race is a lot of fun.

This is my second time participating, the first was in 2007. The same thing precipitated my involvement both times: Leadville 100. A subject for another time, but the point is that I am "training" for the Leadville 100 and it seemed in 2007 that riding/racing my mountain bike for many, many hours was a good idea. So, in 2007 I signed up for the solo division and rode from the start at noon until around 6 or 6.30 pm and then went home for the night and came back to ride two more laps in the morning prior to the Sunday noon cut-off. I had slightly more ambitious morning ride intentions, but it was my anniversary so breakfast with my wife of then 18 years seemed like a good idea.

So, this year when my Leadville 100 aspirations came up again, I thought a good long mountain bike race might be in order again. I recruited two stalwart souls to join me in our self-described "daylight division" and we once again set out with the pack at noon and rode until Wendy said we would have to have lights on in order to head back out. This year that meant stopping about 7.40 pm after 6 laps, or about 86 miles.

Lap 1 - This lap is the high-excitement-of-the-start lap, but also the lap with the g-damned Le Mans start, which means running "to" your bike the way car racers at Le Mans used to, except this involves an uphill out and back run. Now, I don't fault them for it, as it does a good job of separating the pack out so there isn't a crunch as people get out on the course, but damn it all, I ride a bike because I hate running, so starting out my bike race with my bike shoes and running 600 yards up and then down a hill is not my idea of entertainment. By the way, this is the only time I saw Stalwart Soul PK until after he had finished his 7th lap and we were all ready for a beer. The first lap is also the lap where everyone's adrenaline is pumping and the people on teams are laying tracks as fast as they can. It is hard when you are planning to do eight hours (and I can't imagine doing 24 hours) to just settle into your day-long pace and not get sucked into racing at their pace. This gets better as the day goes on because a couple of hours into the day I just didn't have what it would have taken to even try to keep up with some of the fast folks doing single laps at a time. Anyway, this lap went reasonably well and the results tell me that I was 2 min 45 sec behind PK and 1 min 20 sec behind PW, the other "Daylight Division" riders also training for Leadville. Since I lost this much time to them on the Le Mans start alone, this wasn't a bad beginning.

Lap 2 - This was the lap in which I had a flat. I have had a couple of pinch flats before and they tend to be quick deflation affairs. In this case, the air was slowly draining and I was able to make it back to the pit area before stopping. I did this because I had a spare tube and pump available and somehow it made sense to me. I lost more than 10 minutes on my comrades this lap, but not bad considering that I rode gingerly for the last part of the this lap and then changed my flat.

Lap 3 - The lap from hell. As I started up the hill that starts the 14.something mile course, I realized that I couldn't shift into the largest cog in the back (largest cog = smallest gear, does this make sense? Yes, but still). I attributed this to the banging through the prior lap's "rock garden" sections. By the way, I have had to switch to using the term "rock garden" exclusively as my wife objects to the term "baby heads" to describe the infant-noggin size rocks that inhabit portions of this trail. Anyway, new bike and cables that might still need adjusting, right, so I figured I would just drop down into the "granny gear" in the front (speaking of jargon, does anyone still use that term for the tiny chain-ring) and make due. While I rode this lap, however, I started feeling miserable. I was really dragging. I couldn't get up to speed on the flats, I was notably slower uphill and it all started to get to me mentally and physically. Also, my right knee started to get sore, which is not something that would normally bother me, even on a long, hard ride. About half way through the third lap I had mostly decided that I would just struggle through one more lap and call it day. I had started out with the goal of riding six laps (about 86 miles), but if four laps (57 miles) was all I could do, I needed to be realistic and re-think my fitness for Leadville.

The last section of this course has a fast downhill section and then flats, so I shifted into the smallest cog in back to take advantage of the speed and instead was greated with the chain dropping between the cog and the frame. Not good. Very kindly, Tom, the mechanic from Two Wheel Transit who had prep'd the bike for the race, told me that he would be racing that weekend and if I needed anything he told me where to look for him. Tom and his crew had cheered me on prior laps so I decided to stop by and was hoping that we was not out doing one of his incredibly fast laps and instead could help me get the bike shifting correctly.

Thankfully, Tom was sitting course-side and graciously offered to take a quick look at the bike. And, indeed, all it took was a quick look as he immediately noted that when I put the rear wheel back on after changing the flat, that I had done so without putting the part of the rear hub that fits into the drop-out on one side, so that it was sitting on the skewer on that side. This meant that it wouldn't shift correctly since the whole thing was pushed sideways. A few of you will have immediately tripped to the other issue. Yes, the rotor for the brake was also pushed sideways, so that it was firmly and solidly against the brake pad. Do you think this might have contributed to the feelings I was having on that lap? Yes, you are right. You are very perceptive. In fact, riding a 14+ mile lap with your brakes "on" is really a bad idea and it makes me ponder my relationship with reality. How could I have not noticed? How could I not have spun the wheel after it was back in the frame? I don't know the answer to either of these things, but I did a quick change on the tire and it was apparently at least 15 seconds too fast since I didn't check that.

I was really glad, however, that Tom was there and had offered to help. Don't know when I would have noticed otherwise. Maybe when the brake ignited something?

Lap 4 & 5 - At this point in the race, things are less distinct in my memory. The good news is that nothing traumatic happened and the bad news is that also probably indicates that I needed to eat and/or drink more to keep the brain sugar levels up. My legs were definitely feeling the impact of my idiotic brake-pad fiasco from lap 3 and it really took these two laps to work them out so they felt good again. My right knee stopped aching and just went back to feeling normally tired above and below it. Interestingly, my 5th lap of the day was 15 seconds faster than my 2nd lap of the day. I had to slow down and baby the corners on my 2nd lap as the tire was getting low, but still that indicates that I was doing all right even five laps and more than 70 miles into the race.

Lap 6 - I came into the pit area after Lap 5 and saw PW. I was feeling pretty good for being 6 1/2 hours into a mountain bike ride and I finally felt like the crampy/stressed feeling from Lap 3 was finally gone, so I was planning to get in a 6th lap and call it day just as lights were required to be mounted on your bike to continue on the course. PW was getting a piece of pizza so I grabbed some sandwich I had brought and we agreed to ride the last lap "together". You would think that this word has an agreed-upon usage in the English language, but that would indicate that you don't know PW. "Together" in this instance meant that I should ride slowly when he wanted to go slow and that at the end of the lap when he felt sparky and got around a couple of riders, I should just hope to see him after the finish line. Oh well, you wouldn't have friendships that lasted 25 years if you didn't overlook this type of behavior, right? Maybe it's good there weren't blogs 25 years ago.

Post Lap 6 - I felt remarkably good after riding around Riverside State Park for nearly 8 hours. I knew I would be sore the next day, and I was, but I wasn't in the shot/knackered/wasted category. I was just in the good old-fashioned tired category. I was also very, very fortunate that my pal Mark was right next to my pit area and he had some cold beer, Papa's Pale Ale from the Coeur d'Alene Brewing Company (brewed in honor of the Centennial of Father's Day which was founded in Spokane (Proof of this claim and places to get Papa's Pale Ale on tap - just click). It is hard to remember a time when a beer tasted so good and it felt so good to sit down. So, I sat a bit, had another beer and then PK (who had snuck in a 7th lap - putting him at an amazing 90 miles in 8 1/2 hours)(also, did you know the correct term is "sneaked" and that "snuck" is not actually a word?), PW and I headed to the Steam Plant Grill to meet my family, PW's daughter and to have a burger, another beer and an end to a great day.

Last thoughts - Solo - When you get your race number for your bike in the solo category, you also get a small tag to hang on your seat that says "Solo". This is so team racers give you some respect as they bomb past you on their fresher legs. Since I was only ever intending to ride 7-8 hours and almost every other Solo was there for 24 hours, I felt bad every time someone passed me or I went through the tent and got kudos for being a solo. People who stick it out 24 Hours do deserve recognition, so I felt guilty taking any of it from them. I will ask Gino and Wendy for a "Daylight Division" sticker to go on my Solo badge next time.

Women - Any male who thinks they are superior to women by dint of their equipment, should come out to a race like this. I saw women flying around all parts of this course, uphill/downhill/technical/flat/volunteering, who outclassed me at every point. There were solo women, team women and women on co-ed teams all dishing it out better than a lot of men, so guys, let's put aside the junior high attitude that all men are somehow better athletes or more hard-asses than all women, cause it just ain't true.

Finish - It was a great day and it is a fun race. I saw a lot of friends and was reminded of why I like Spokane so much. Tom gets a shout-out for being the mechanic who saved my day and Mark Starr at the David's Pizza truck deserves special mention for his food and logistical support.

It made me tired just to type this up. That's why it took so long.
Rider 3

Zen and the art of bike maintenance

Back in the day, as in 10 or 20 years ago, I loved working on my bike. In fact to an extent I still do. There's something pleasing and satisfying about knowing a bike inside and out. I've always loved knowing that I can strip a bike down to its bare frame, and understand exactly how every piece of it functions.

So, thinking back to back in the day, I seem to recall a generally spotless bike. It was washed a few times per week, cables were typically fresh, and even before cartridge bearings, things ran well. I made sure they did.

Now, though, a couple of things are different. First, I have less time. It's sometimes hard to make time for bike riding (or helping Rider 3 with this blog) let alone bike maintenance. And the reality is equipment is so good now, that daily maintenance is more of a nice to have than a have to have.

Last week I changed my brake and gear cables. They were pathetically maintained, and really should have been replaced months ago. (As an aside to this I should note that I STARTED to change the cables. Then I got sidetracked with other things, like moving houses, and brought the bike to Two Wheel to have them finish the job.)

But in changing said cables I was exposed to something truly disgusting. Check out the picture below. Notice the chalky white substance. No, it's not excess adhesive from the bar tape. It's salt. I'm not joking when I say the salt was caked on in places at least a half centimeter thick.

So please, do yourself, and your bike a favor and don't follow my lead. Change your cables and tape a bit more often than once every six months. You and your bike will be happier for it.

Part 1 - Hey Bill! - Part 2 - Shop Ride

Bill - When you bring your ElliptiGO 8S, I am going to bring my H-Zontal to the Morning Ride.
Rider Three





Shop Ride

After you get over the shock or horror of the horizontal face-down bike (lift your face from the mirrors whenever you want!), you should check your calendars and mark down in red pen, "Thursday, June 3, 5.30 pm - Team Two Wheel Shop Ride". If your calendar is too small for all of that, you can just go with TTW SHOP RIDE, or even TTW RIDE, or SHOP RIDE, or . . . well, you get the idea.

The thing is, for our first ride in April, we had twice the number of people we had show up for the May ride. We would love to have a good group for a few reasons. First, Geoff and Bruce will probably buy us pizza again from David's and my buddy at David's wants to sell lots of pizza that night. Second, it is easier for me to hang at the back of the group and draft a lot, but (and here is the tricky part) I pretend to be watching after the group, which works better when there are more people. The fewer there are, the more I have to keep up and occasionally get in front. Third, it really is more fun when there are more of us.

Now, there was rampant speculation about why the numbers dropped from the first ride to the second ride. Sure, there was support for the idea that the weather the day of, and the day before, was crap, so it looked like it would rain on us the whole way, but I think there were other reasons. For instance, I know that Rider Two had a whole lot of garlic for lunch that day. But I most strongly suspect that it had something to do with the United Nations. I think that we will be easier to enslave with a One World Government if we are less physically active and can't ride away from the Black Helicopters at high speeds on our bikes, so they probably were using some kind of mind control device or brain implant to make us think that we shouldn't ride our bikes together for the Shop Ride. But here is what I do. I usually line my helmet with tin foil (don't get fooled and use aluminum foil) to stop the transmissions from getting to me. I also sleep in a pyramid that has three types of Icelandic cheese at each corner and a discarded satellite receiver that I put a mirror into to collect the rays and send them away. I have to confess that I'm not sure how the cheese stops the brain control, but I always have a handy snack during the night when I get hungry, so I've got that going for me.

Anyway, the point is: United Nations = evil. Or something. And also, come ride your bikes with us next Thursday, June 3, from Two Wheel Transit. 20 mile ride, pizza afterwards = not evil at all.

Ride of Silence - Guest Post

I missed the Ride of Silence by attending the first night of the Steam Plant Grill Wednesday Night Mountain Bike Series. We had a 60 second silence in honor of the Ride of Silence and the cyclists killed while riding. The post below was written by Jeanna Hofmeister, who did attend the Ride of Silence. Jeanna, for the three of you who don't know her, works for the Spokane Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau promoting our area as a destination for visitors, tourists and conventions. She and the great people she works with at the CVB know as much about our region as anyone can and work very hard to tell people how great a place this is to come visit, tour, recreate and spend. If you aren't in an industry touched directly by tourism, it may be easy to overlook, but visitors to our city and region play a huge roll in supporting our restaurants, attractions, hotels, concerts, plays and retail shops. They support literally thousands of jobs, which in turn support thousands of more jobs. Outside of her day job, however, Jeanna loves riding her bike. These are her thoughts on the Ride of Silence as originally posted with the Senior Cycling Blog in town - Cycling Spokane.


Ride of Silence
Everyday, cyclists are killed by drunk, aggressive and just plain inattentive drivers. They are too often texting, talking on their cell phones and in a hurry. It’s happening all across America, and it’s happened too many times here in my hometown of Spokane. Somewhere along the way, we Americans neglected to develop a “share the road” society, where all modes of transport are equal. Sure, we’ve passed laws… but the laws don’t seem like they’ve changed our behaviors much. This is not a rant, just an observation about reality. A reality I’d like to change.

Last night, I pedaled with 100 common-minded strangers through the streets of downtown Spokane on the first annual “Ride of Silence.” We gathered at the ghost bike… a monument of sorts to keep fresh in people’s minds the fatal crash between a bicycle and vehicle. (It’s not hard to imagine which one died in this tangle.) Not long or fast, the scant two-mile ride was an effort to make visible the fact that bike riders share the same roads, must abide by the same laws and have the same rights and responsibilities as the drivers of motorized vehicles.

At first, I was disappointed, seeing so few riders show up for such an important event. Then Spokane’s most avid bike activist, Barb Chamberlain, read this poem. Suddenly, 100 riders seemed pretty awesome.

The Ride of Silence...
Tonight we number many but ride as one
In honor of those not with us, friends, mothers, fathers, sisters, sons
With helmets on tight and heads down low,
We ride in silence, cautious and slow
The wheels start spinning in the lead pack
But tonight we ride and no one attacks
The dark sunglasses cover our tears
Remembering those we held so dear
Tonight's ride is to make others aware
The road is there for all to share
To those not with us or by our side,
May God be your partner on your final ride
- Mike Murgas

Wordlessly, we set out and for the next 20 minutes, rode through downtown… a silent peloton of flashing tail lights and hand signals and riders deep in thought. I know. You’re probably thinking “Really? How could a 20 minute bike ride have some major impact on you?” All I can say is that it did. I had a lump in my throat the whole ride, glancing frequently at my favorite riding partner/husband who had driven 92 miles to take the silent ride with me. And I wondered what I would do if he, or our daughters or our grandkids were killed while riding their bikes. The thought shatters me. Enough so that by next year’s 2nd annual Ride of Silence, I will make sure that most, if not all of my family is there to ride with me, even the littlest ones. And, I will do everything in my power to see that maybe a thousand or two thousand or more riders will show up and prove that we can all share the road.

We owe it to those who haven’t survived trying. And to those of us who have.
Jeanna Hofmeister

Bike Commuting Thoughts

In honor of Bike to Work Week, here are a few random thoughts from a commute home recently. I had most of these thoughts in a very short stretch of road as I climbed Indian Canyon Drive. This is a climb (I suppose it is only a climb one direction, but I only recall going down it once on a bike and I have gone up it closer to 100 times on a bike) from Government Way up to the Sunset Highway along the edge of the Indian Canyon Golf Course. It is a very pretty stretch of road if you don't mind going uphill.

About a third of the way up the hill last week I encountered what I believe was someone's Verizon bill, which had been very deliberately into squares that were approximately 3/4" x 3/4". I don't know why, but my guess is that someone was unhappy with the bill and wanted the satisfaction of tearing it up and throwing it out the window. I wish they hadn't. I was tempted to pick up enough pieces to figure out who it was and then call the litter police, but that didn't seem like a good use of time for the hour it would take, but I was amazed at what people think is a good idea. Being on a bike makes you much more aware of what the ground looks like.

Within a few hundred yards of this littering, I had some of the best and worst of car behavior with regard to cyclists. As I came up a steep bend, a car had the choice of going around me or waiting. As any of you commuter/riders know, 99% of the time drivers will zoom past without regard to whether that is safe or not. If they can't see oncoming traffic, they will just move over and if someone comes, they feel free to cut you off or run you off the road. In this instance, amazingly, the driver just waited behind me. I kept pedaling up the hill and around the blind corner and waived them around as soon as I could see. This was also about the time they could see, since they were closer to the center-line and the whole thing was very pleasant. My guess is that I delayed this driver for a maximum of 20-30 seconds, but it was probably closer to 15-20 seconds. Whether this caused the driver's total trip to be 30 seconds longer is very unlikely, but it is remarkable what people will do to avoid these few seconds of delay. In this case, I was not surprised to see a bike rack on the back of the Subaru that went around me. It takes one to respect one, maybe.

Not long after this experience, while I was onto a straight section of road, I had another encounter with a Subaru. In this case, the driver had a clear view of the road, but for some reason decided to either shift down a gear or speed up and cut next to and in front of me as fast and close as possible, as if I was a pylon on a stunt-driving course. I take most things in stride out cycling, having ridden enough miles to have encountered it all many times, but this was genuinely upsetting. I was being toyed with like an inanimate object and it is not a good feeling. It is hard to understand how you can have so little regard for a fellow human being. On "The Office" this past week, Ed Helms' character took Steve Carell's character to meet the husband of the wife with whom he was having an affair. They did it in their usual zany, wacky way, but the point was to not ignore the human behind the actions. I would like to introduce myself to the Subaru driver treating me like a pylon and suggest that he would be unhappy with any of the negative outcomes from his behavior. His few seconds of mirth would hardly be worth the tragedy or ticket or whatever might happen.

This experience made me think of a great police operation/sting. Have a "commuter" who was actually a police officer ride along any arterial or non-arterial with a police cruiser down the road. The biking officer could radio the cruiser all of the idiotic, unsafe, unnecessary, unreasonable, illegal and ticketable offenses. Even if most drivers just got pulled over for a discussion, I think most would have second thoughts the next time they went around a cyclist. Think we will see that in Spokane? No, I think not either. Our community may have some progressive ideas, but our police force doesn't appear to.

Lower on the hill, I had another experience that makes me ponder human behavior. A Harley motorcycle was coming down the hill going to fast for the archaic technology or the driver's ability or both, but he crossed the center-line and then scrapped a foot peg or platform trying to correct to get back. It scared me to have a hulking piece of idiocy coming at me, but I'll bet it scared the motorcycle driver worse. I hope he will consider that it was embarrassing and maybe scary with a cyclist in the other lane, but it would have been a funeral if it had been a pick-up truck or school bus.

On a lighter note, a couple of years ago I had a set-up at work where I could take a week or so of clothing to work and then I was daily hauling back and forth just my "work" for the day in a messenger bag. It was convenient and it enabled me to ride a lighter bike. This year I am hauling panniers on a heavy bike but carrying the day's clothes back and forth. I haven't decided which is better.

Last thought. It is really a treat to ride my bike to work and home. Last week I had one day where I was working later than I wanted and it was stressing me a bit to know that it was going to take longer to get home than it would if I had had my car. Thankfully, as soon as I hit the street to ride home that feeling melted away. Instead of taking a "training" ride home, I just went directly home. It took a very few minutes longer to get there and it is a mind-cleansing way to travel.

If you bike to work, you know what I mean. If you don't, you should give it a try - despite the occasional idiots out there "sharing" the road.
Commuter Three

One Bike Fits All

I have had a series of conversations with a family member about getting a new bike. The points of this conversation included selling a bike already in the stable; selecting a new frame including material and style; wheelset type including rim brake or disk brake; handlebar style; and numerous other issues. This discussion includes whether an existing bike can be modified to fit the perceived needs of the new bike or whether the concept requires a new bike. If it is a new bike, is there a model on the market that meets the needs or can be easily modified to work or does it involve starting with a frame and building up everything component by component.

For most of this conversation, the underlying idea of my family member is that it is possible to put together one bike that will fill all of his needs. He calls the bike a "Monster Cross" bike, which is probably a mountain bike frame, but could be a steel cross frame, it will run on 29" mountain bike wheels that will fit a mountain bike style tire, but probably a slick tire, and probably have disc brake. It will also have drop bars. It will not have a suspension fork. This bike will then have the ability to cover any trail that a XC mountain bike could cover, but with the added advantage of more hand positions and less weight than a mountain bike with a suspension fork. This bike could also be used for any dirt road, dirt trail, paved trail or road use.

Part of this idea is correct. By building up a strong frame and wheels it can stand up to most anything except big "hucks" or "drops". By having slicks it will also roll reasonably well on any paved surface, but will excel on any dirt or gravel surface where a traditional road bike with narrow tires will dare not dwell.

I appreciate the one-item-fits-all-needs concept. I like the utility and sensibility of having one tool for all the purposes. That is why I drive a station wagon. I like the utility of the extra space, but without the size or hassle of a bigger SUV or 4-door truck. My station wagon doesn't do everything, but it does most things well. It doesn't, however, do any one thing "great". And ultimately, that is why I see bikes differently and therefore I have a hard time with the one-bike-works-everywhere idea.

Maybe that is because I go on lots of group rides. I know that I couldn't keep up with road guys on a bike with mountain bike tires. I know that I couldn't keep up with mountain bike guys (or even follow them over some of the baby-heads and technical stuff) on a narrow-tired, drop bar bike. And I certainly couldn't keep up on a race course with a significant disadvantage in the weight of my bike and rolling resistance (not to say that younger, stronger riders don't do exactly that, but I'm just sayin' . . . ). So, for me, it makes sense to have a bike for each of these things that I like to do.

I don't, by the way, have a bike for every type of riding; I don't have a "downhill" mountain bike because I don't like that style of riding; I don't have a track bike because we don't have a velodrome around here (although that is an excellent idea); I don't have a time trail bike because I can't justify the money for one (although maybe some day). I do, however, have a road bike that I can race; a 29" mountain bike that I can XC race/ride; an old, left-over mountain bike that I fitted with a rear rack and panniers that is great for family trail riding and picnics, not to mention commuting to work; and I have a bad-weather/rainy day/cross-capable/commuter-capable road bike made up from a cast-off frame and left-over parts. Sure, that is more than the average guy, but I don't want my surgeon using a Black-and-Decker for my operation or to use my ball-peen hammer when I need a sledge-hammer. The tool should fit the need. I like versatile tools and I eschew single use items if anything else will work (an aside - for instance, why does anyone buy a hot dog cooker when a pan will work?).

So, is a Monster Cross bike a good idea? Sure, if you have a need for one, but I think I'll keep my quiver full of options for now. Besides, I really like bikes.

Nothing is unfortunate.

Followers of some eastern religions, or at least fans of The Matrix, often postulate on the grand design of life. For some, there is comfort in a realization that nothing happens without a reason.

Sitting in a meeting on Tuesday that was doomed (destined?) to run late, I came to the stark realization that lining up for the infamous Corsa Brutale race--arguably the toughest course of our Tuesday Night series--wasn't going to happen. This didn't put me in the best of moods, but then again in my reality things like this happen.

In any case, arriving home just seconds before others were about to start their race, my wife asked whether I was planning to go ride on my own. A good idea.

A really good idea.

I wasn't supposed to race tonight. No, I was supposed to experience an almost perfect evening on the mountain bike trails that start at the end of my road. I was supposed to spend time on a ribbon of singletrack, surrounded by balsam flowers in full bloom, with the fading sunlight gently filtering through the pine trees. I was supposed to find my flow on the bike, to work hard on my own, and to enjoy the biggest of the little things in life.

I had really looked forward to the race. But missing it might have been one of the best things that happened to me today.

Nothing is unfortunate.

Bike to Work Week

Bike to Work Week is coming up rapidly. It is May 16 - 20 this year and here is the schedule:

2010 Bike To Work Week Schedule

• May 16 – Education Fair at River Park Square. Bike corral on Main Avenue. Commute Challenge begins.
• May 17 – Pancake Breakfast in Riverfront Park, 7-9am; Music by Liz Rognes. Commuters attending the Kickoff Event will get to RIDE THE EDGE with the freshest and newest coffee from Spokane's own Roast House coffee.
• May 19 – Walk & Roll to School Day: participating Spokane Public Schools
• Various days that week – Energizer Stations: locations countywide TBD will be announced on the Web site
• May 21 – Wrap-up Party at Steam Plant Grill, 4:30-6:30pm. Registered participants only--must RSVP.
• June 12 – Four-week Commute Challenge ends. Make sure you've logged your biking!
• June 30 (date/location still being confirmed) – Conclusion of four-week Commute Challenge; picnic and results announced.

For more information, and TO REGISTER, go to the website: www.biketoworkspokane.org.

Because of the attention on it and because the weather is ever so slowly turning nicer, I have been wanting to get riding to work again. I have to admit that I did very little bike commuting last year. I have a whole slew of excuses, and while it might amuse me to elaborate on them, I will just say that this year I am ready to ride to work a lot more. Today my wife and sons all had early commitments and we all gone before 7 am. I thought it would be the perfect morning to get my gear ready and ride to work for the first time this year. Let's just say that there is a reason that the experts suggest a dry run on a non-work day.

Nonetheless, I persevered and was finally ready to leave my house about 15 minutes after I normally get to work. Oh well, thankfully my position as a highly paid blogger gives me some flexibility in my schedule.

The ride was uneventful in the grander sense, but it was very eventful in the look-at-the-world-around-you way. I ride some of the same roads that most of my bike riding covers, but today I was on a much heavier bike with two loaded panniers, containing a briefcase full of things that I mostly would have left at the office if I had thought about riding my bike to work, and my clothes. The bike I was riding is virtually a museum-piece mountain bike that tips the scales about 40 lbs before loading the bags. It is reasonable to say that I rode slower today than I did on Sunday heading up to join the group ride. And that is one of the things that is fun about the riding my bike to work.

The trip from my back door to standing in my office was exactly 25 minutes. When I drive, this same trip is closer to 15 minutes. If I rode my racing bike and beat cheeks, it would be in the 18-20 minute range, so the time penalty is minimal. The nice thing about it is the slower pace enables me to look around and see much more than when I take the same route on a faster vehicle, whether motored or not. I ride my motorcycle to work lots of days so I am used to being exposed to the weather, but dropping my speed that much completely changes the experience.

I picked a cool, but dry, day to start my bike commuting, but once I get in the swing of things, it is easier to expand the idea of day that works for cycling. I am not a hard-core, every day commuter, but there are years when I ride enough to feel like I can legitimately stake a claim to the title and today was a reminder of why.

One equipment note. I have commuted to work on race bikes with a messenger bag or a backpack on my back; I have commuted on my mountain bike the same way; I have modified a steel frame bike to include cyclocross tires, fenders and lights for early/late season rides that works great for commuting; and today I took my 20 year old mountain bike on which I had added a rack and panniers. The point? If you have two wheels, you can make it work. Don't let the "right" equipment or a dedicated ride hold you back from slinging a leg over the frame and getting yourself to work.

Lastly, the best thing about riding to work? For me, it is riding home. It causes me to be more mindful of when I need to leave work and I try to take a longer, harder loop home. Getting home with a bit of a cycling work-out already done is the best way to sit down to dinner. I'm looking forward to it already.
Rider Three

Weekend Ride Report

I rode my bike this weekend. That makes it different than last weekend. I already told my wife all about the rides and probably most of the people who care very much were actually ON the rides, but I still want to share a couple of highlights from my rides this weekend.

Saturday - Mountain bike ride. Bad weather, great ride.

To elaborate, I met Rider One, Jake B. and Jon H. for a two hour plus mountain bike ride that crossed the south hill bluff, crossed Hatch and H-195, went up a trail that I did not know existed past White Road and then was aborted, for me and Rider One, so that we missed the Fish Lake and back up the South Hill portion of the ride. This was my first semi-serious mountain bike ride of the year and the guys I was following, and I was most certainly following them the whole time, are serious riders. Jake is strong like an ox and handles a mountain bike like it is an extension of himself. Rider One is so fluid on a mountain bike it makes me want to stop riding them altogether because I have never for one moment been that graceful on one. I don't have much experience riding with JH and there were precious few moments when I had enough oxygen pick-up to be very discerning about his riding; I just know he was in front of me on a single-speed and I was working all my gears hard to keep him in my sights.

With Jake leading on a route that he and Jon have done many times, they lead me down a few things that I had never ridden on the bluff, including one section that was as steep and twisty as anything I have ridden. I did chicken out on one long, very straight, very steep trail section, choosing instead to run my bike down. In hindsight this was a bit silly since the corkscrew was more technical and really all I had to do was ride my rear brake down the hill, but the fully exposed length gave me pause.

I should also disclose that I am 1-for-1 on my mountain bike ride to bike crash ratio. I managed to plant my pedal firmly and solidly against a rock causing the bike to come to a full, 100% immediate stop. Guess what happened next? Yes, good guess. A body in motion will continue in motion until acted upon by outside forces and all. In this case that force was gravity that brought me in contact with the ground a few feet in front of my bike. Fun stuff. And also fun was the fact that less than 100 yards from my fall was a section of trail that was literally the 12" along a rock bluff with a 15-30' drop. Have you ever had a fall shake your confidence on a bike? Me too.

All in all, though, it makes me want to ride my mountain bike more and soon. I will also let you in on a little secret. I am hoping to be riding a new mountain bike soon. I won't tell you what, but I will give you a hint: 21" Gary Fisher Superfly. And no, I don't deserve it, but I still hope it works out.

Sunday - Road Ride. Decent weather, awesome ride.

To elaborate, I joined Rider One and six other MR riders for a windy three-hour ride. We left the Rocket on 14th, rode up the Fish Lake Trail (both sections), along Salnave to Clear Lake, then Medical Lake, Four Corners and home along Westbow and Thorpe. To put it in terms that the eight of us who were there will recognize better: Head wind, head wind, head wind, cross wind, head wind, cross wind, head wind, head wind, cross wind, head wind, OMG a glorious tail wind!, cross wind, tail wind, cross wind, tail wind, tail wind, tail wind, tail wind, tail wind, fish ladder home. I personally skipped the fish ladder for a more direct route home, but the rest of the description is accurate.

The head wind wasn't too bad on the Fish Lake trail because it is a bit protected. We rode in a double pace line with everyone taking pulls and riding a moderate pace. The Salnave section was tough. It was very, very windy, but after we crossed I-90 and turned right towards Clear Lake we were suddenly very happy with that wind that we had been cursing in the prior miles. The trip back was fast and it felt great. At one point Rider One and I were in front of the double paceline talking about those glorious moments when riding feels tiring but great, hard but wonderful, and the speed seems to be leaping out of your legs. Sure it was the tailwind, but it was great. We may have gotten a bit silly along Westbow (okay, sure I may have contributed to it), but it is rare that a group of riders in our age group gets to wind it up that fast and spin out our biggest gears and have it feel that good. A fun day.

Sunday - Mountain bike ride. Decent weather, great ride.

Hey, wait a minute. Didn't you just describe an exhausting three hour ride from Sunday? Why yes, I did. After I got home I told my wife that my road ride was one of those days where the ride lasted just exactly the distance I had the strength to ride. Another three miles and I would have been dropped by the group so hard and fast you would think we had been going uphill. In other words, I was completely, totally, 100% spent.

Just a few minutes after describing this to my wife, my 12-year old asked me if I would go on a mountain bike ride with him. I am truly fortunate to have two great kids and I don't have enough chances to ride with them, so on a very, very rare weekend when I didn't have work or chores demanding my time, I didn't feel right turning him down, so I changed my clothes and headed out on my mountain bike for another ride. We had a fun ride (at a pace more suitable to my condition than following Jake) and one particularly note-worthy moment. My son had ridden up the long climb from our house towards the Highlands without stopping, which is a sometimes yes, sometimes not thing. A while later, we had a 100-200 meter pitch that was fairly steep. As we approached it, I said, "just ride up what you can", hoping to encourage him to give it a shot but also "knowing" that it was a bit too long and steep for him to make it. It was one of the few times I was in front that day so I started up the hill pondering where I should stop to help out my son. I decided to ride to the top, stop and walk back to push his bike or offer some encouragement. As I slowed at the top I looked over my shoulder and to my surprise, he was right on my tail. He had cleared the length of it and I needed to keep moving to not block his way. Now, I love my son regardless of whether he rides a bike or how he goes about it, but it was one of those moments that forces you to pause and reconsider what you think your kids are capable of doing. They keep growing, changing and amazing me.

To sum it up: Weekend Riding - variable weather and multiple reminders of why I like riding bikes so much.

Shallow thoughts

What have I become?

When I moved to Spokane--and this was more than a decade ago--my outlook on riding and bike equipment was a far cry from where I am today.

This difference, highlighted mostly by being pragmatic to a fault, was likely rooted in spending so many years around bike racers that could ride faster than most of us could imagine. My reality was that I had seen more races lost by using fancy equipment than races won because of it. I had heard riders complain incessantly about shorts, saddles, shoes and handlebars--generally the limiting factors to being comfortable on a bike. Yes, pro riders had preferences when it came to Shimano vs. Campy, but really, no one really gave a rip as long as the mechanic did a good job tuning their bikes.

Alas, things have changed. Maybe it's Rider 3's fault. I'll say it--he loves nice gear. And this is a good thing. Or maybe it's my own journey towards chamois-snifferdom. I appreciate nice gear too.

I think the turning point for me was my birthday two years ago. My wife bought me a Rapha jersey, complete with pink accents and contrasting armwarmers. Rapha--it of the clearly articulated branding, a drool-worthy tagline (glory through suffering) and outrageous prices. It was a perfect gift in some ways. In a million years I wouldn't have spent this kind of ching on so much bling, even if it is understated bling.

But holy crap, I love the jersey. It's one of the best fabricated pieces of clothing I own, riding clothing or otherwise.

So, in this spirit, today I've dropped in a few images of stuff I'd love to have in my garage. Do I need these? Not in most cases. Do I think they'd be fun to have? Undoubtedly. Go ahead and mock. I may in fact have become "that guy," but frankly don't really mind.

New Wheels

This blog covers a wide variety of topics, ranging from bicycling to cycling and everything in between. Sure, sometimes we get off topic a bit, but it all relates to cycling in some way, at least in my Joycean stream of consciousness way. One thing we don't do, however, is serve as a direct advertisement for our primary sponsor Two Wheel Transit. We don't pitch the specials of the day or go too over the top. Our readers know that we look to Two Wheel for all of our two wheel needs and we are glad to talk about the stuff we ride and race, but no one wants to tune in for a straight-off commercial endorsement. Instead, you would rather hear about Dr. Spalm's latest advice, right? Speaking of which, Dr. Spalm was forced to leave the country under a dispute over his immigration status and his purported marriage to an American citizen, but we hope he will be back at the typewriter soon. So, what is the point to this overly long introductory paragraph? The point is that we don't shill for Two Wheel, but that doesn't mean that they don't deserve their props and today they deserve props.

Last week I busted a spoke out of a Campy Neutron wheel. I have had the wheel for a number of years, first as my primary wheelset, then as a back-up set, and for the last few years as the primary wheelset on my rainy season-commuter bike. In other words, I got lots of life out of the wheelset, but I was surprised that the busted spoke revealed a wheel so torqued that it couldn't be brought back into round. Willy did, in fact, replace the spoke and get it round again, but it was at such a high tension that he thought the wheel was toast, which was born out while it was still in the wheel stand. The spoke popped at high velocity before it came out of the truing stand and the rim is now destined for the rubbish bin.

No problem, though, right? I have other wheels. So, I decided I would put my Bontrager hoops on that bike and suit up my Trek with my racing Zipps for a bit while I decided what to do. Great idea except that the Bontrager rear wheel had a warranty replaceable crack in the rim. Hmm. Now I was down two rear wheels in two days and running low on options.

Up until now, Two Wheel was just doing their normal amount of good service. They were trying to get me on the road quickly again and then they took care of the warranty issue promptly. The superior service kicked in when I decided, with my wife's kind insistence (or acquiescence - is there a difference?), that I get a set of heavier-duty wheels that would be suitable for this bike and serve as a relatively bomb-proof set for things like Ronde Von Palouse.

At that point, the world became confusing. Not only are there lots and lots of factory-made options, there is an even larger group of choices for a set of hand-made wheels. Then it isn't just picking a set of wheels, but picking a rim, hub, number of spokes, etc. It turns out that I just wasn't equipped to make the call on this decision without a lot of input. I needed the advice and input of every person who happened to walk by while I was in Two Wheel Transit, I needed hours of internet research, I needed multiple e-mails and conversations with Rider One, and then I needed more conversations with the guys at Two Wheel. Dave and Willy both offered opinions and input on multiple choices and options. And finally, today, Geoff, Willy and Dave tracked down more answers and more options.

I will share a smidgen of what I explored. I was interested in or looked dozens of options, but the narrowed field included Mavic Open rims or wheels, Hed Kermesses, DT Swiss wheels (in part because I had focused on their hubs), a collection of Velocity rims narrowed down to Aerohead/Aerohead OC or Synergy/Synergy OC, and Bontrager Classic wheels. I was sorely tempted by the handmade wheels using Velocity rims, DT Swiss hubs and made by Willy, but I decided that the lower price point and excellent warranty of the Bontrager Classic wheels made the most sense. These aren't wheels that are going to set any pulses racing, but they should be stiff, sturdy and abuse-resistant. I should get many miles out them problem-free and they are backed by a great warranty if I do have problems.

The thing, though, that stands out for me is the way that the guys at Two Wheel patiently answered all my questions and repeatedly offered their years of experience in giving their opinions (including years of making wheels, not to mention repairing them). If all purchases took this much time and resulted in this little exchange of cash, they wouldn't be in good shape, which ultimately is the test of their customer service approach. They knew this wasn't a transaction they were going to make much money on, but you could never tell that from their patience and detail in helping me make this decision. I genuinely appreciated their assistance and am looking forward to the new wheel and I appreciate knowing that whatever comes along, Two Wheel Transit is going to do whatever they can to help out and keep me on the road. It's a good feeling.

Thanks to Geoff and Tomas and particularly to Dave and Willy.

Mind the Gap

As much money as I earn as the primary blogger of Team Two Wheel and in my post as Ambassador to Two Wheel Transit, I have decided to continue working in my "regular" job. Think of it like the janitorial engineer who wins the Powerball-Mega-Sweepstakes-Winathon and still decides to show up for his regular job of scraping up gum, emptying trash cans and cleaning up the urine where guys misfire. I'm kind of like that guy.

Why should you care? You shouldn't. But the last couple of weeks and until the end of the month, I have extra gum, trash and urine to deal with, so it has and will limit my attention to this beloved blog. Rumor has it that Rider One might contribute and we might vote as a team (we are a democracy; we tried being an oligarchy and I really wanted to set up a theocracy, but in the end we agreed to be a democracy) to make Rider Two do something other than show up in those videos wearing an outhouse on his head. Just because those two ride bikes fast and strong doesn't mean they shouldn't pull part of the load here, right?

Anyway, I digress. Again.

Cyclists, I suppose like every group, hobby, sport, avocation or oligarchy, has its own lingo and catch phrases. I read one last night, reading, as I often do, anything related to cycling as I drift off to sleep (then wake up, get off the couch, throw away the beer bottles strewn about the floor and then go to bed), which reminded me of my ride yesterday and today. That phrase, as you may have guessed, is "Mind the gap".

This is not actually anything you hear said very often, because having someone say it to you is a) a bit insulting usually and b) something screaming in your head if you have any pack sense. For the uninitiated, this phrase is used when a pack is rolling along and a "gap" begins to open from one rider or part of the group to the next rider or part of a group. Yesterday I saw a gap open just as I was rolling along mostly in a 2x2 line because two guys were having a conversation and their attention drifted for a moment. That kind of gap is usually "minded" quickly because when the guys notice the gap opening one or the other will bear down and catch up, not wanting to split the pack.

The difficult situation is in a race when the gap opens, not because of a moment of inattention, but because a rider is at his limit and can't keep up anymore. The hesitancy is always to figure out which is going on, because racers don't want to waste the energy of going around, in the wind, and closing the gap if the person in front will step on it and close the gap for you. The downside to waiting, and it is more of a danger the faster the gap opens or the windier it is, is that the gap will open up enough that you can't catch back up to the group in front.

In big races this is known as "making the selection", since some riders will keep up and will be in the hunt for the podium places later, while others will drop off and will have to wait to fight another day. In a group ride this process is much more fluid, friendly and less fraught with consequences. Today, for instance, I managed to make up a 10 minute gap on a group ride just because the pack up front slowed down dramatically. How did I end up with a 10 minute gap? A flat, a wheel change, waiting for someone else? No. Frankly, is it any of your business? Did I mention that I am an "Ambassador" and not a racer?

Anyway, when you are riding, Mind the Gap.

Also, I wanted the Spokane cycling community to know that Dee has not given up riding, as we have all suspected for so many months and maybe years.

Complete Streets

Frozen Flatlands will have to wait until tomorrow, but the Spokane City Council discussion of Complete Streets won't.

Here is Bike to Work Barb's explanation: http://biketoworkbarb.blogspot.com/2010/04/why-should-spokane-settle-for.html.

Here is Cycling Spokane's comment from Dean Speare: http://cyclingspokane.blogspot.com/2010/04/complete-streets-advisory-vote-tonight.html.

And here is mine - Get to the City Council tonight if you can and show your support for Complete Streets that take into account bikes, pedestrians, mass transit AND cars, instead of considering "just" cars!

My step-dad has long said that we have plenty of traffic engineers at the City of Spokane, what we need is a pedestrian engineer. We are making progress on that thought process, but the law needs to change with it.

Shop Ride Review

Despite the looming bad weather, 19 hearty souls appeared for the 2010's first Shop Ride from Two Wheel Transit. We really should credit the ride with 20, but I will get to that in a moment.

As previously reported, the first shop ride of the year was set for 5.30 pm on April 1. Let me repeat a couple of important points there: "5.30", "pm", "April", "1". Even though it is in the past, it is still important for our story.

So, as I said, there were 19 (or possibly 20) people who showed up for the shop ride. All three members of Team Two Wheel were in attendance, one of the owners of Two Wheel (Geoff), a couple of GU cycling team members (one of them 2nd in last week's Bellingham race - didn't catch K.C.'s finish), a couple of Baddlands riders and that left the majority as guys (sorry, no ladies on this trip - they may have been more mindful of the bad weather) who like to ride.

It was a good and compatible group, but I think that there were really two stand-out heroes of the day. The first shall be known as "D". D did a couple of triathlons last year with a 12-mile bike portion. He is interested in improving his cycling speed and fitness and thought that a group ride would be a good way to do that. He is relatively new to town and also wanted to meet some more riders and learn a bit about the routes around here. I think that part all went well, but a combination of a prior work-out that day, a rubbing brake pad that wasn't detected and fixed until late in the ride, and a more vigorous pace and distance than he was used to and D found himself struggling whenever the route headed upwards.

Now, every cyclist knows what this feels like. There really is a special kind of misery that goes with that sinking feeling as your legs and lungs refuse to cooperate as a group of riders seems to effortlessly ride away up a hill (I expect to have that feeling this weekend at Frozen Flatlands at Williams Lake!), but I also think that it takes a special reservoir of courage to keep with it and keep trying no matter how fruitless it appears. And that, my friends, is exactly what D did. No whining, no complaining; just kept riding the best he could and giving it what he had. He kept a good attitude and finished the ride.

His reward was pizza waiting for us at Two Wheel Transit. The benefit to having Geoff along, besides his pace setting and breaking wind, wait, I mean, anyway, at the end of the ride Geoff had arranged to have some pizzas delivered to the shop so that everyone who wanted was welcome to come in and have a bit of refreshment and hang around for a few minutes. It was a nice way to end a cool, but not wet, first shop ride of the year.

Now, about our mysterious 20th rider. This rider is a well-known, well-liked, fit and fast cyclist. He has a respected profession and, in fact, I recently saw him in Spokane Coeur d'Alene Living Magazine in a "Best of" story. In light of the cycling and community stature of this individual, I don't want to embarrass him, so I will simply refer to him as Dr. SJ. So, why, you ask, does Dr. SJ get to be a counted/not-counted member of the ride and how, you ask further, does that make him a hero of the ride? Well, my friends, Dr. SJ showed up for the shop ride on April 1st, at 5.30. Unfortunately for both him and us, it was 5.30 AM and not PM.

We should let that sink in for a moment.

For those of you around Spokane, you know that it was dang cold at 5.30 am yesterday. You also know that it was dang dark at 5.30 am yesterday. You also know that not one other sane person was on the street, much less on a bicycle, at 5.30 am yesterday. Nonetheless, Dr. SJ heeded the call for a ride and showed up at what he thought was the correct time. I'm not sure how he thought pizza fit in for the 6.30-7.00 am finish time, but you can't let little inconsistencies get in the way of a man's desire to ride his bike in a group.

So, to a ride hero who kept riding when he felt like stopping, and to a ride hero who went riding when no one else was looking, we salute you and thank everyone who showed up for the ride.

We will be having shop rides on the first Thursday of the month for the next several months, so put it on your calendar for Thursday, May 6 at 5.30 PM (please note the correct half of the day!).

See you at Frozen Flatlands this weekend!

Today is the Day

Today is the Shop Ride. Meet us at Two Wheel Transit, 1405 W. First. We will plan to leave at 5.30 pm, ride about 20 miles (as described below) and enjoy some cycling.

It's April Fool's Day, but no foolin', just a group ride. Come join us.

Shop Ride on Thursday, April 1

The first shop ride of the year is this coming Thursday, April 1. We will meet at Two Wheel Transit and leave at (about) 5.30 pm.

This is a casual pace, no-drop ride. There is no sign-up, no fee, no waiver and no responsibility. As in, neither Team Two Wheel nor Two Wheel Transit are responsible for accidents, injuries, death or maiming, but we will help with flat tires. It is an open road ride. It is not a race and it is not a ride for someone who has never been on a bike, but for people who would enjoy taking a group ride and are capable of getting around the course on their own power.

We will leave Two Wheel and head down Riverside Avenue, around to Riverside State Park, the Seven Mile Bridge and then back. If the road is open, we will ride the other side of the river and come back into town across the Sandifur Bridge and up into Browne's Addition.

Total mileage will be around 20 miles and the pace will be moderate, but no-drop. This is not a training ride for serious racers, but it should be a good recovery ride for racers and a reasonable pace ride for recreational riders.

I am anticipating primarily lycra-clad cyclists, but I wanted John Speare, Dean of local cycle blogging, to know that we will welcome his woolen knickers and newly appreciated platform pedals if he joins us. As for BiketoWork Barb, we don't know if the route will change next time, but show up and talk us into one or the other. The pace is described above and I think it would fit into your pre-Frozen Flatlands decrease in intensity and speed to rest and be ready.

Any other questions? No?

Good, then come ride with us.

Suffering

Picture credit: Siroti - Pez Cycling

Take a look at Micheal Rogers at San Remo last weekend. Now go back and really, really look at Mick Rogers. Look at the dirt on his face, the lines and crags and suffering on his face. Look at his legs. Look at his posture. But mostly, go back and look at his face again (If you click on the picture, you can see a larger version).

If you have ever raced your bicycle you can probably empathize with that look. If you are reading this blog post you probably haven't ever been paid to ride your bike and you probably haven't raced up the Cipressa or Poggio, but that doesn't mean you can't understand the look on Mick Rogers face and at least get a glimpse of what it feels like.

Keep in mind that if Mick Rogers stopped by any of the local races, say anywhere in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, British Columbia or Alberta, he would toy with every single racer who showed up and then sprint away whenever he felt like it. It is not unfair to say that he is other-worldly when it comes to the gap between us mere mortals and the professionals. And yet, here in his work place he is attempting to ride away from the entire professional peleton to snatch glory in San Remo. Unfortunately, you can tell from the look on his face that it was not going to happen (and it didn't happen).

He may be suffering under team orders, or to "test his legs" or just to take his chances, but no matter the reason or the result, that dude is suffering.

One last thing that jumps out at me about that picture. When the pro's are fully kitted out, they look "cool" sort-of, but they are primarily traveling billboards. The contrast of the yellow advertisement covering his body and bike is a stark contrast to the look on his face and his suffering. It's like putting a clown costume on someone right before you torture them.

What a strange and horrible way to make a living.

Don't you wish you could?

Jersey Bin

I got an e-mail this week from "Jersey Bin", which advertises itself as "the waterproof cycling pouch." Jersey Bin is having a sweepstakes in which they are giving away jersey bins. Aside from it being an illegal sweepstakes (you have to order something to enter - a no-no in almost every state I think), the whole concept of the Jersey Bin makes me scratch my head a bit. First, here is a picture of a jersey bin, just so we all know what we are talking about.


So, it is a clear or frosted (your choice) plastic, resealable pouch in which to hold objects and protect them from moisture and sweat. Okay, good idea. They sell them in pairs, either $6 for two small or $8 for two large. So, not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things and there are things, like cell phones and paper maps, as pictured here, that it is important to keep from getting wet. But there is still something troubling about this. Can't quite put my finger on it yet.

Maybe checking the testimonials from Jersey Bin will help. Here is one on their website right now: "I've been riding thousands of miles per year without a cell phone for fear of wrecking my expensive smartphone. The Jersey Bin is the perfect size for holding phone, house key and cash, fitting neatly in a jersey pocket. The price made ordering the pouch a no-brainer. I'll never have to pay a $15 collect call charge after flatting 50 miles from home again."

So, it appears that we have an entrepreneurially-minded guy who has solved a problem for his customers. I guess everything is good. Here is a customer who rides thousands of miles on his bike, but apparently doesn't have the ability to change a flat, and apparently didn't have any way of carrying his expensive smartphone with him, forcing him to make a $15 collect call to his spouse or S.O. to come get him 50 miles from home. Wow. And to think that it only took the creation of Jersey Bin to come to this guy's rescue so NOW when he is riding 50 miles from home and he gets a flat tire he can whip out his Jersey Bin-protected expensive smartphone and call his spouse or S.O. to get in the car and come get him. Maybe with the time and money he saves from not having to walk to a phone and make a $15 collect call, they will have time to swing by the bike shop on the way home and spend their savings on having a mechanic change their flat tire.

If I were Glenn Beck, I would have a tear in my eye right now. I would also have a chalk board, but that is another matter. The issue right now is the tear in my eye. Here is one reason that I might have a tear in my eye, a tear of joy. That it is the American way for entrepreneurs to solve problems with the invention of new products and it is also the American way for people to trade their hard-earned cash for these new inventions to make their lives better. It's a beautiful thing and all that is right about our God-blessed American way.

Here is another reason I might have a tear in my eye though, a tear of frustration. That this testimonial cyclist represents everything that is wrong with America today. Here is a guy who knowingly gets on a bike regularly and rides "thousands" of miles and doesn't have the sense to carry a spare tube or a flat repair kit. His solution for a flat is to call for a ride home, no matter where he is or how inconvenient that might be for his S.O. In America, we used to have this thing called "self reliance." I think that is how the pioneers managed to subdue this continent. I don't think they wrote home to Mother England to complain about the inconveniences and ask for a ride home. No, they made their rims out of wood and went on riding their bikes. They used possum spit and bear fur to plug the holes in their tires and went to the iron smithy to forge their frames. This is the spirit that America was built on!

If you are going to go on a ride, then you should have the ability to deal with the normal, predictable result of doing so. Does this guy call home for a banana and gatorade when he gets hungry or thirsty? Does he call home for a jacket when it starts to rain, even though it was cloudy and the forecast was for 90% chance of precipitation? Probably, but should he? No. These are normal and predictable needs on a bike ride and the credo of the bike rider should be such that he or she is ready to take care of him or herself. I strongly suggest that this particular rider confine himself to the trainer.

But really, here is the reason I am having a hard time with both this ill-prepared cyclist and the Jersey Bin. Because for less than the price of one single Jersey Bin, I can buy a box of 30 replacements. AND THEY ARE CALLED ZIPLOC BAGS!


If you are old enough to buy one and smart enough to use an "expensive smartphone", shouldn't you also have enough sense to recognize there are other solutions to carrying your smartphone?! And hey, even if you don't get the technology behind a ziploc bag when it is "just" a ziploc bag and not yet turned into a Jersey Bin, can't you get out your Bike Nashbar catalog and see those things call "bags" that some cyclists buy to carry things with them. They come in all shapes and sizes, so that you can carry a few essentials like your smartphone AND a spare tube!

I think I am going to cry.

Jens Voigt

Jens Voigt is a hard man. I don't know what else to say about the guy. He embodies so much of what is great and tough about racing bikes. So, if you are reading this, it means either you understand that or you aspire to that or both. So how do you become a bit more like Jens in your own cycling life. There isn't a 12 Step program; there isn't a list of 10 things; there is just one thing. Luckily for you, I was able to find two videos that embody this one thing.

Behold, learn, enjoy.



Can Jens condense this 40 seconds into 5 seconds? Yes, Jens can do any damn thing he wants.