Huh? Mechanized Doping

There was a story a few days ago on CyclingNews.com about mechanized doping. It referred to a motor that could be hidden inside a bikes tubing and the claim was that it had been used in a professional bike race. I just shook my head and thought that this was the feverish imagination of someone disappointed that the biological passport seems to be cleaning up the sport - probably some soccer fan or F1 fanatic. Anyway, I still don't believe it, but here is proof that such a motor exists along with the accusation leveled directly at Fabian Cancellara that his spring classic wins were the result of nefarious means. Everyone always says that he has a big motor; I guess the question now is, does he also have a small motor?

Hint - A new bike

I don't want to say too much about my new mountain bike, but I am going to give you a hint at what it is going to be. Just a hint, though. Don't pester me about more details.
Rider Three

From Misc Bike Pics

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.

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

Oh to be 25 again.

Ahh. 25. Such a good time.

No, I'm not reminiscing about being 25 years old, although that was fun too. Instead, I'll share some thoughts about something I think more riders should tap into.

Back in the day, as in the day that I treated bikes like tools (cool tools!), when getting a flat on a group ride meant, more than likely, a solo ride, and I lived in Colorado where roads were covered in gravel, thorns, sand, etc., I trained exclusively on 28c tires. With steel beads. And Mr. Tuffy tire liners.

I hated getting flats. Plus, on chip sealed, cracked, mountain roads, they were simply a better tire. Those 28c Contis were cheap, handled really well and were fantastically more comfortable. Trust me on this, a couple of extra millimeters of tire width makes a huge difference.

Somewhere between then and now I changed my stand. Maybe it was getting older. Maybe it was riding less and finding myself struggling to keep up on certain climbs. Maybe it was convenience or the fact that I'm at a place in my life where buying an extra tire doesn't mean I can't make rent. Maybe all of these things. In any case, I've been riding 23c tires for years now and have been fine with it.

Until last weekend.

Ahead of that evil thing known as the Ronde van Palouse, I decided to slap on a set of 25c tires. In general, the slightly wider tires mean a bit more sidewall flex, which means fewer flat tires. A broader contact patch also means better handling and traction on dirt roads and washboard. In the race the tires were great. The bike was great. My body? Not so great. Let's put it nicely and say that my bike isn't what held me back.

As an aside, I think others in the race should have followed my equipment choice lead. The number of flats in the first gravel section were quite amazing.

OK, flash forward a couple of days and I was late (as usual) to get out for a ride, scrambling for daylight. So I tore off the weekend's race number and left for an hour of power. Climbing up the South Hill I was amazed at how good the bike felt. Comfortable. Stiff at the bottom bracket, yet vertically compliant! The marketing messages were all suddenly true!

In fact what happened is in my rush to get out the door, I hadn't switched the wheels on my bike. Which meant I was still running the fat rubber. And I'm not going back.

Seriously, you need to try this. Running 25c tires is entirely worth the non-penalty. Here's the math. The 25c tires I'm using (Continental GP4000) are a whopping ten grams heavier than their 23c counterparts. Ten grams. To put that into context, pick up six or seven paper clips. There's your ten grams.

But, you might argue, they're slower because of the added rolling resistance. No, actually they're not, at least not according to the pencil-pushers that examine stuff like this. This aligns with my own sense of things as well.

Handling? Again, just my opinion, but noticeably better when cornering, on dirt roads, etc.

Comfort? This to me is the biggest win. So, so much better, especially on chip seal where there's high-frequency vibration, and on the cracks and ruts that define a lot of the riding in our region.

Finally, flat resistance. I don't like flats, but based on what I see on most weekend rides I frequent, I might be alone in this. I can just about guarantee that you'll get fewer flats with a wider tire. Why? Because you can run slightly higher pressure while also getting the benefits of more comfort and better handling. Also, the tire's casing flexes a bit more, allowing the tire to deform around sharp stones and such, vs. being punctured by them. This is a good thing.

So, my advice is to give fatter rubber a try. You'll be just as fast, get fewer flats and will be more comfortable. Most riders I know run through at least a couple of sets of training tires a year. Next time, test something new.

The good news is there is better availability than ever for wider, high-performance tires. In fact Bontrager just came out with a new tire I'd like to try when the Contis I'm running now wear out. The gang at Two Wheel Transit will, I'm sure, be happy to tell you all about them.

New Bike - Madone 6.9

I have a new bike, sort of. I have been meaning to write a review of my old bike, which isn't that old, because it is a great bike. I don't know why I haven't, because it isn't as if Bike Polo is more compelling.

Two years ago, just as they were introduced, I got a very early Madone 6.9 frameset. I had recruited a new rider to the sport and promised to sell my frame at a reasonable price in order to lure them in. He was able to get an inexpensive grouppo and I had a handy excuse to get a new frame. Due to some luck, circumstances and a long-standing relationship with my local bike shop, Two Wheel Transit, who is a Trek dealer, I was able to get a Madone 6.9 when they were really cool. Here is my one sentence review - I loved it.

Trek did some new and some proprietary things on this bike. They changed the bottom bracket, they changed the head tube, and they added a no-cut seat mast. There are probably more things, but you will have to go elsewhere for the rest of the sales pitch. I will recount one conversation when I was considering this bike. I was talking to Rider 1 about the relative merits of the Trek vs. Cervelos and their engineering. Rider 1's comment was that Cervelo may have a really high percentage of engineers to sales people at their company, but the number of engineers at Trek is probably greater than the whole work force at Cervelo. In other words, don't sell short the ability of a big company to produce the goods. And in this case, they did.

This bike had the most solid bottom bracket I had ever ridden (my last bike was an aluminum Klein, which is maligned at times for being too harsh from stiffness) and it felt solid and comfortable. The bike was described as a great all-arounder, although some reviewers seem to say this as if it was a bad thing. Lacking the services of a full-time mechanic and a fleet of bikes and wheels, I have the crazy notion that it is a GOOD thing when your nice bike is a great all-arounder.

I read once that riders sense the flex in their wheels as a matter of confidence in descending. In other words, a rider may not "know" that they have a flexy wheel, but they will descend slower instinctively because that is what feels comfortable. I think the same thing is true with the whole bike set-up.

I was able to ride my 6.9 downhill faster than any bike I ever owned. I am not a daredevil descender, but I found that I was keeping up with even fast groups with confidence. I was not keeping up with the killer-racers-who-have-no-fear, but it felt great. I was also able to ride hands free as well on this bike as any I have owned. To me, this meant it was stable and had the right mix of characteristics to make a bike that handles well.

As for the stiffness and bottom bracket, up until this bike, I had measured how stiff a bike was by "how much flex" it had. I have had bikes with very little flex and one with a fair amount of flex. Keep in mind that I am a LARGE rider. I think Clydesdales are a bunch of underfed lightweights. I also, hopefully not to overstate things, produce a fair amount of power. I think I have to to move this carcass around, but in any case, I can put the wood to most frames. With the Madone, there was no flex, at all. It felt like the bottom bracket was attached to something solid. Frankly, I don't understand quite how they do this, but I was impressed.

The other side of stiff is usually uncomfortable. A bike that is just stiff is also considered harsh or uncomfortable. I am not the kind of rider who has really had bikes that are "comfortable" or "uncomfortable". I tend to get on with riding them and figure that getting tired or uncomfortable is just one of those things that happens when you frequently ride a bike 3-4 hours. Maybe I have been on the wrong bikes, but after having steel, aluminum and carbon, I haven't been able to detect a big difference between those that "soak up the road" versus those that are harsh. I thinks it relates to the same "sense" that I have previously described between Mr. Millimeter (Rider 1) and me. Rider 1 knows to the millimeter what is "right" on his bike. I ride mine in whatever condition until I detect a large problem. I have been trying out new seats and that process is obvious, but which will be described in a later post. My sense of these things is akin to getting the attention of a labrador retriever; as a dog trainer once said to my brother, "it'll take a 2x4 to get through to that dog". Anyway, I find the bike comfortable, but don't look to me to describe in exquisite detail the vertical compliance.

So anyway, my Madone 6.9 was a great bike, hands down. Until about a month ago, when an attentive mechanic at Two Wheel noticed I had a crack in the frame. Long story, short: Trek says there was too much resin in the paint mix so the cracks were cosmetic, but they would warranty the frame. Okay by me, except the same week this happened, they introduced a NEW 6.9, which meant that my new 6.9 would be the newly obsolete 6.9. It is hard to complain about getting a brand new bike, but I have to admit it take a bit of the high out of the experience.

So, that means two things: one, I have a new 2009 Madone 6.9 and it is a great, great bike, and two, most people won't really care to read about it because we are all bike whores and only want to salivate over the latest and greatest. So, if you are looking at one of the 6.9's that are left across the country in Trek shops and in particular if your dealer is discounting them, I would strongly urge you to jump in. You will not be unhappy with this bike unless you don't think a solid performer that does everything well is the right bike for you. As Rider 1 says, this bike won't be holding you back. It is a pro-tour team bike and my guess is that any reader here won't have greater needs than those guys.

I can't help myself

We could talk about the Giro, or Tom Boonen's coke problem, or my lack of riding, or the perfect Spokane weather for riding, or the explosion of cycling information via Tweeter, or even about organized rides coming up, or races coming up, or my own lack of racing, or new equipment I am talking myself into needing, but instead, I find myself thinking about the ubiquitous Lance Armstrong again.

I had doubts about his ability to come back at age 37 and in a new environment including more testing and the passport control, but I am beginning to believe he is going to be an impact player in the Tour this year. First, he is not far off the pace in the Giro and is indeed getting stronger as the race progresses. Second, he definitely had to pace Levi up the climb yesterday, showing an eclipsing of form from one to the other. Third, Bernard Kohl seems to have proven that the passport program is as easily defeated as the prior systems, so that shouldn't be a stumbling block. Fourth, the serendipitous collapse of Astana will allow Bruyneel and Armstrong to reconstitute the team around LA's gi-normous marking potential and, showing that he could be the least lucky rider in the world, allowing them to dump Contador just a few weeks prior to the TdF, providing the all-for-Lance, Lance-for-him approach that they favor. I think this all ads up to LA on the podium. Yet to be seen if he can make it 8, but in January I scoffed at the notion. Today, I'm not so sure.

On the topic of LA, however, I have to ask: what is the deal with his bikes? Aren't they getting crazier and crazier? Does he need a new custom painted or custom decaled bike for each race? And if so, why not for each stage? Let's really get to it and starting having LA ride a different bike every day. In fact, why not individually decorate and have him ride every production Madone 6.9 in his size and then sell those as one-off custom bikes through Trek dealers? For an extra fee he could run off a few bikes on sizes up and down, just for people making enough of a donation to Livestrong, no?

Here is the latest "creation" in the world of art meets sport meets mega-conglomerate marketing (and we know it's working because we are talking about it - next up, what is the deal with Kate & Jon?):

From Misc Bike Pics

From Misc Bike Pics

And, of course, you have to have a matching helmet, right?

From Misc Bike Pics

Maybe next they could set up a poll and ask fans what graphics they would like to see on LA's next bike. Any suggestions?
Rider 3

PS - Happy 20th Anniversary to Rider 3 Wife!

Back!

I would like to report that I was on a 10-day bike trip, or even a 10-day vacation, or even a 10-day anything, but the truth is that the dog ate all my blog posts for the last ten days. Or chewed through the cord so I couldn't post?

Okay, maybe that's not the truth. One truth that does rear its ugly head is that life gets in the way of cycling. It turns out that the corrallary to this truth is that life gets in the way of cycling blogging also. So, between various family issues, work issues and whatnot, it was hard for any of us to find time to get to the blog. Rider 1 was traveling for family and work, and I, Rider 3, was buried but still here in lovely Spokane. Rider 2, aka Quicksilver, decided that Twitter was too wordy for him, so he hasn't been much help lately, although he is the only one with any cycling fitness (maybe there is a lesson there, I'm not sure).

On the two-wheel front, I did get a quick jaunt on my motorcycle to attend a meeting in Pasco. I realize that many fans of bicycling are such because it reduces or eliminates the use of combustion engines, but I like to think that motorcycles are dramatically more efficient combustion and therefore reasonable, but I also have to confess it feels like a form of cheating on my bicycle. Unlike the impact I would assume that cheating on your spouse has, cheating on my bike causes me to miss it all the more. As glided up some beautiful, curvy hills on my motorcycle, I couldn't help but think about how fun the hill would be to climb on my bike. I thought about how much I would enjoy the scenery, the roads, the new places if I had been there on my bike. On the other hand, covering 180 miles after an all day meeting and still getting home for a late dinner is just not possible on a bicycle, even for Quicksilver.

So, I am hoping to get on my bike later this week and getting back into the saddle, and, I am hoping to get the yoke back on and get to blogging. In the meantime, here is something to put on your calendars, the Trek Demo Factory tour is hitting Spokane on Thursday, May 28, 4 - 8 pm, and Friday, May 29, 12 - 4 pm. I understand that they will operate out of the Bowl and Pitcher area, but will confirm the logistics. What I do know is that they will have a whole slew of Gary Fisher mountain bikes, Trek mountain bikes and the range of Trek Madone road bikes. I have yet to blog up my own riding experience with the Trek Madone 6.9, but it can be boiled down to one word - AWESOME.

No matter what you ride, you should take the time to check out these bikes. Their engineers know their shiz and the bikes they are turning out ride so well that won't believe it if you are on anything a few years old or older.

Check back in 10 days for more updates. Or tomorrow.
Rider 3

More Weekend Update

Yes, there are worthy topics to discuss on a cycling blog, like Tyler Hamilton, Theo Boss and L-B-L, but instead I like to focus on myself. So here is Sunday's recap. First, though, keep in mind that Saturday was the first day of "I feel good, nay great" that I have had this year.

Sunday - Due to family commitments, I needed to ride early and thankfully the weather cooperated, so I met Quicksilver a bit before 7.30 am to go ride the Four Mounds course featured in the Washington State Road Racing Championships. BTW, this event is hosted by Rocket Velo, who also supports the most active discussion board around here. Chapeau, Rocket Velo. That being said, I should also comment on their choice of course. Damn you, Rocket Velo!

You don't have to be prescient to see what is coming next. Even if "Four Mounds" doesn't mean anything to you, it should be clear that the use of a clever literary device like "foreshadowing" by reminding you of my great day on Saturday that I was not going to follow up with anything good on Sunday. Saturday was like Icarus cruising around and noticing how all the people on the ground looked like ants. Sunday was like Icarus cruising around and noticing how the wax was melting off his wings and that the ground was getting a lot closer very fast.

Spokane is blessed with a lot of great riding. We have flats, hills, almost car free roads for hundreds of miles, trails and lots of whatever a cyclist is looking for. We are like Portland except that we have less rain and our riding is better. We are like Austin but without all the cool music and our riding is better. We are like . . . you get the point. Anyway, one of the other things Spokane was blessed with years ago was the Olympic Team Road Cycling Trails in 1984 and 1988 and the course they used to test the legs of the very best amateur cyclists in the United States of America was the Four Mounds course.

The devilish part of Four Mounds are not the actual mounds themselves because, well, they are mounds. You can cruise up and down lots of mounds and not feel like an Iowa flatlander in Leadville. No, the devilish part is getting UP to the damn mounds. There are a few routes up to this area, but for a Spokane cyclist they translate something like this: Charles Road - awesome descent, what? you want me to climb that thing?; Coulee Hite Road - awesome descent, what? well at least it ain't Charles Road; and finally Four Mounds Road - not an awesome descent - it's too damn steep, what? why the hell would I decide to ride a bicycle up that beast?

Well, the reason I decided to ride up that beast is that when Rocket Velo started getting the word out about the race at the end of June, Rider 1 suggested that Team Two Wheel focus on it. So, in a fit of enthusiasm, I said something like "Sure, let's go ride it this weekend and talk about it." Actually, the full meaning and intent of my answer was something more like this, "Sure, let's go ride it this weekend and talk about whether it's a race that is suitable for us and let's completely ignore the fact that we are all three more in the power rider category than hill climber category and that this route has a very, very steep 1.5 mile climb about 5 miles before the finish line and, oh yeah, Rider 1 & 2 are power riders meaning that they are good all-arounders with good sprints and I personally am a power rider meaning I have no skills other than pushing my gargantuan carcass along flat roads, but sure, why not, let's go ride Four Mounds."

So that's what we did.

Or rather, that's what Quicksilver did. He rode the Four Mounds course. He also told me stories in a calm voice indicating that his breathing was even and relaxed. The whole time. Now it is possible that his breathing wasn't even and relaxed as we actually climbed the Four Mounds hill but I couldn't confirm that since I wasn't close enough to have heard him signaling me with an air horn, much less noticing his breath. Also, I was in a hypoxic state where the world was swimming around. I only took comfort in the fact that the movement around me indicated that I was still upright, since it is hard to balance a bike at that speed. I think it looked like I was practicing my track stands - a little forward and then a little back - but somehow I eventually track stood my way to the top.

From there we continued doing what we had been doing before. I was regretting agreeing to sully my memory of how good I felt on Saturday by punishing myself with every pedal turn and Quicksilver was rolling along in his conversational breathing mode, probably wondering why he had decided to ride Four Mounds with me instead of doing something with more aerobic benefit for him, like doing his laundry.

We did ride for about 3 hours, although my guess is that we only covered about 30 miles at the speed I was going. We eventually made it back to our meeting spot, where Quicksilver headed left towards his home and I continued straight, for about 900 feet, where I got off my bike and ate and drank everything I had left with me in hopes of making it the last three or four miles to my house. Remember Saturday when I came into the kitchen with a smile on my face? Gone. It was back to complaining and collapsing. And yes, I did kick the dog.

Weekend Update

I followed the wise words of Quicksilver this weekend: more riding, less blogging.

We had our first nice weekend of weather here in Spokane and I took full advantage. Here is quick update for those following along at home (or, more likely, at work):

Saturday - One of the cycling group mail lists I am on now (speaking of which, what a great advancement for cycling - remember when we all had to call each other or have an immutable plan?) posted a ride for noon, which was followed by a ride at 8 am and then finally a ride at 10.30 am. Obviously lots of conflicting schedules, but it was great to see three groups going out from two different locations on one e-mail list.

I was running late and joined the 10.30 am group en route. The plan was to ride to Cheney, follow the upcoming Tuesday night race course (Chapman Lake) and then head home; about 3 hours and 65 miles. As I met the group, I was surprised at its size, about 20+ strong. I accidentally ended up on the front with Quicksilver and I discovered to my great surprise that I felt good on my bike. I assumed it wouldn't last long, but it was nice to have a decent temperature and finally feel capable of turning the pedals in a semi-competent fashion.

We made our way up the the Cheney-Spokane road to head into Cheney to pick up the race course when most of group turned towards Spokane to make for a shorter ride. I think some of them needed to hem their skirts that afternoon, so we didn't want to interfere with that by riding bikes, of course. Down to about 8 riders we picked up the course a few miles later when one rider flatted. While we waited for the flat to get repaired half of our group also decided to take advantage of the unplanned stop right next to the Fish Lake trail head to head back to Spokane. Thus, it was down to Rider 1, Rider 2, yours truly and J.C. (not Jesus Christ, just to be clear).

As we rode along I realized something extraordinary; I still felt good. Actually, the longer we rode, the better I felt. I have had this happen in the past, but it is certainly the first time in 2009 it has happened and frankly, I don't think it happened once in 2008. I'll have to recount the 2007 and 2008 riding seasons sometime, but suffice it to say, after slogging along on lots of tough rides and lots of "don't worry about me I can make it back to town on my own" and "you go ahead on the hill, since I can't keep up and that old lady on the three-wheeler needs to get around me", I was pleasantly surprised to discover I was feeling good about pushing the pedals around at a reasonable cadence and power.

The ride around Chapman Lake and back into town wasn't remarkable for anything other than a decent temperature, some sunshine and that I was left sucking the hind tit for the majority of the ride. All three things happening for the first time around here this year.

The four of us made it back to H195 in good fashion. While the three of them headed up the Fish Ladder home, I made a turn the other direction and soft-pedaled home. I came into the kitchen with a smile on my face and my wife was unsure what was happening. So far, it has been mostly collapse and complaint after riding, so it was a nice change of pace. I didn't even kick the dog.

So, to recap Saturday - lots of riding, felt great. Saturday's recap blog - insulted women, christians, suckling sows and animal rights activists.

I wonder what Sunday's recap will hold?

Shop Ride

Our Shop Ride, originally scheduled for tomorrow, April 3, is now rescheduled for Friday, April 10. We will leave from Two Wheel Transit, 1405 W. First Avenue, Spokane, Washington at about 5.30 pm. The ride will be about 21 miles, we think, but honestly it's been a while since we measured this loop. It could be as short as 16 miles or as long as 23 miles, but we are reasonably sure it's about 21 miles. Anyway, we will leave from the shop and finish at the shop. We will ride through Brownes Addition to Government Way to Aubrey L. White Parkway to the Seven Mile Bridge, back through Riverside State Park, up Doomsday Hill, along Broadway to Monroe and then back to Two Wheel Transit.

It will be a no-drop ride, meaning that someone (Me) will tail along at the back making sure that we all keep going and hopefully make it back alive. There is no fee for this ride and only loose organization, meaning that it is up to YOU to have your own mechanically reasonable bike, spare tubes, pump/CO2, food, water and anything else you think you might need. This ride is NOT A RACE, but on the other end of the scale it also not intended for people who have never been on a bike before. You should be confident of your ability to ride the distance without difficulty, although a glacial pace up the hills will be tolerated by yours truly.

There is no fee for this ride, no sign-up sheet or anything beyond a general agreement that Team Two Wheel will show up (those of us in the country) and go for a ride and you are invited. There are no road marshals, no safety precautions and neither Team Two Wheel or Two Wheel Transit are taking responsibility for your safety or the blame for potholes, dogs, bad drivers or even other riders who might run into you. Hell, now that I think about it, we are not even taking responsibility for ourselves and we might be the ones to run into you. But probably not.

If you have other questions, leave us a comment. We hope to have a monthly Shop Ride, so show up for the first one if you want for there to be a second one.

In the future, we will be liveblogging the ride, twittering the ride, doing a podcast and a youtube video, as well as be LinkedIn, MySpacing, Facebooking and Plaxoing the ride. Until then, however, you will just have to live with getting on your damn bike and going for a ride. With us. On Friday, April 10 at 5.30 pm. Starting and ending at Two Wheel Transit, 1405 W. First Avenue in Downtown Spokane.

Dr. Spalm Answers a Question

Dr. Spalm - Rider Three mentioned a rider "proving his manhood" by charging off and that the group he started with dumped him. I always thought rides were basically a survival-of-the-fittest deal and that's the way it goes, but he sounded like someone should have waited. What's the deal? I don't think Quicksilver would have made the same comment.
Me Strong, You Weak.

Dear Mr. Strong/Weak - You are correct to notice this dichotomy that is often present in sports activities. I am paid to produce these responses on a per-word basis, but I am not compensated for reading the other drivel on this page, so I am not familiar with the specific situation, but here are my comments on this topic generally.

Whenever males congregate to engage in an activity, there is a process whereby the members of the group determine the pecking order between the participants. Sometimes this is an explicit process, for instance the challenge ladder for most racket sports or the Silver Back Gorilla killing weaker troop members to take their mates. Other times this is more subtle and less clearly delineated, whether in a group of migratory birds that have characteristics of both team and dominant behavior or among over-the-hill drinking buddies each sure that he is the one most attractive to the college-age server. In every instance, however, this is present to some degree.

In cycling, there are also delineations among different activities. For instance, mountain bikers have more of a start/stop approach to rides, so that the group congregates occasionally to discuss the ride or route. In part this is because communication forward and back is more difficult and a group tends to spread out to give each rider a view of the trail. The distance between stops will vary significantly depending on the skill and fitness level, degree of familiarity with the trails and whether one member brought along his cousin who bought a department store mountain bike the week before. But I digress.

For road riders, there appears to be a delineation between those who race with a number pinned on their jersey and those who only race without a number pinned on their jersey. Those who line up for sanctioned races tend to recognize the clear cut signs that they are in a "race", while they tend to think of other bike activities as "training" or "riding". Categorizing their time on the bike in such groups enables them to understand which times they should be competing directly with the other riders around them and which times they should not.

There are many riders, however, who have no interest in attending sanctioned races. There are many legitimate reasons for declining to participate in races and the vast majority of cyclists don't ever compete with a race number on their bike and jersey. The subset of the most interest, however, to those of us who study human behavior, are those who do not pin on a number and yet still "race" their group of riders. The benefit of this style of racing is that it most suits the individual's proclivity not only for the ride, but even within portions of a ride or even moment by moment. Said riders can travel along for miles and miles "not racing" and then as the group goes up or down a hill, this individual can instantly self-proclaim the time for a "non-race race", preferably by sprinting away from the group. The benefit of this non-race race is that in addition to the starting line being a mystery to all except the rider declaring it so, the finish line is equally arbitrary and can appear literally anywhere, although usually its appearance is foretold by another rider being in a position to pass the declaring non-racer.

The internal conversation would go something like this:

First 45 minutes - "I'm feeling good today, so I better sit in a protected spot out of the wind the way the professional team leaders do."

As climb approaches - "This ride has been too easy. I don't know why those guys in the front are complaining about the wind so much. I haven't noticed it back here."

At the base of the climb - "I think I'll show those guys who is the strongest today. I'm the best and everyone should know it. . . Here I go!"

90 seconds later - "Damn I'm good. LOOK AT ME!"

90 seconds later as another cyclist closes in - "Well, that's enough for today. I sure showed them! I guess I should slow down so I don't get too far out front."

This process can be repeated multiple times in one ride or there may be just one glory portion, it depends on the rider situation. This situation can also be replayed by different riders at different portions of the ride, so that many non-racing racers can enjoy the victories throughout an extended group ride. While this may muddy the establish of dominance among the competing group, there in no question in the internal dialogue of the non-racing racer.

So, Mr. Strong/Weak, there is clearly not a simple answer to your question, nor is Dr. Spalm capable of offering a simple statement when a longer and more convoluted one will do. So, please remember these basic rules of the group ride.

1 - Races, as defined by a commonly known start and finish line, are survival of the fittest gatherings. The first one across the finish line (regardless of the work done by or worth to humanity of the individual) is the one who wins.

2 - Smaller Group rides among friends are also survival of the fittest gatherings, but only to the extent that someone has to buy the pitcher of beer or round of espressos after the ride.

3 - Larger Group rides among riding acquaintances are also survival of the fittest gatherings, but only to the extent that you adhere to the mores of the particular group. Failure to adhere to such mores can mean that you are "accidentally" left out when news of the ride is going around.

4 - Group rides that are specifically called "No Drop" rides are not simply survival of the fittest rides as one or more members of the group will take responsibility to help out riders who are dropping behind or having difficulty.

5 - Group rides that are not specifically called "No Drop", but which some people want to be "No Drop" will cause feelings of anger or hostility by those being dropped. And no, Rider 3, I am not specifically referring to you, so you and your pack of lawyers can call off the libel accusations before you even start.

6 - In all group rides, look for the strongest riders to not be the ones showboating off the front because they are confident in their strength and they don't need the Pretty Pony moment to prove it.

I trust that this answers your question, except to say, you are right, Quicksilver wouldn't make such a comment as Quicksilver is a man of few blogging words and would instead ride his bike.

Sincerely,
Dr. Spalm

If you have a question for Dr. Spalm, please leave it in the comment box or e-mail it to one of the members of Team Two Wheel. Not because of the volume of mail, but only because of the appropriateness for further commentary, some questions may not receive personal attention. Dr. Spalm is not available for private consultation, but will accept additional writing engagements at his traditional per-word compensation.

Competitive Cyclist

First off, yes, this is a Team Two Wheel blog, so we typically write about local stuff and when we talk about bike stores or cycling equipment, we tend towards our LBS (Local Bike Shop) Two Wheel Transit. I think, though, that Competitive Cyclist deserves a shout out for a few reasons.

Reason No. 1 - The CC website. The link is right there and you should feel free to take a look. Just promise to come back in an hour or two when you have satiated yourself. Whether you pick the road bike side or mountain bike side you will find something you want to buy or at least you want to dream about buying. The site is organized well, is multi-functional (which to me means you can access the information in lots of ways) and the descriptions of products are pitch perfect. I have spent hours fantasizing about products I need, particularly wheels, while looking at this website. Speaking of which, I have a two step plan to end up with the perfect set of wheels. I'll share it with you because that is the way I show I care about you, the faithful TTW reader.

Step One - Win Lottery.

Step Two - Read all the descriptions at Competitive Cyclist and Pick Wheels. Oh sure, sometimes I go back and forth on which pair. Do I need Lightweights or Reynolds for my climbing wheels? Do I need some Zipp 808's for time trials and ass-kicking Saturday shop rides? Should I pick some Campy's for my everyday wheels or some Bora's because no one else on this continent has them?

I don't know yet, but the interesting, detailed and "honest" assessments remind me of a cross between J. Peterman and BikeSnob. Great information, some real view point and lots of reasons to buy. BTW, the reason I put "honest" in quotes is that we have to be realistic. CC isn't a product test site; they sell this stuff. But I appreciate that the description really does tell a story and gives you insight into the product and your deep-seated need to buy.

Which leads to the Reason No. 2 - Their business model. Tell me whether this sounds like a good business plan. Charge full retail price at your website and depend on national sales of a product that needs regular local maintainence. What? You think that won't work? You are wrong. It does work, or least the emperical evidence either proves that it works or that CC is owned by a Trust Fund Baby. If you follow the link, you will see the coolest bike warehouse this side of QBP.

Personally, I am glad that there are dentists and AIG executives who still have enough money to buy souped-up Cervelos and Lightweight wheels to have put CC into a new building. Someone needs to live the dream to keep it alive in all of our souls. It's the antidote to Orwell's nightmares.

Reason No. 3 - "What's New" Under the "News" tab, there is sub-heading called "What's New". You would expect this to be some industry press releases and an 18-month old notice about the company picnic. Well you are WRONG! Instead it is written by an owner of CC and it includes fearless and straight-forward discussion of the bike industry, bike racing and whatever comes across this guy's mind. I may not agree with every opinion, but I love reading his opinion no matter what. Here are a couple of examples from the most current missive:

To all of the people out there who a throwing fits because our Shimano Dura Ace Di2 front derailleur and rear derailleur prices are "higher than MSRP!!!" it's because we're adding the cost of the transmitter cables, the battery, the battery mount, and the battery charger. We make that clear as day on our product pages, but we also realize that reading and/or paying attention to something for longer than 2 seconds is indeed an acquired skill.

Just to be clear, this means that this guy is calling his customers idiots. Hey, customers ARE idiots, but most of us don't have the cajones to just say it. Chapeau my CC friend, Chapeau.

Now, lest you think this is an unmitigated love fest, I have to tell you that I simply don't understand some things, like this section, also from the most recent entry:

Hincapie Jeans. Thanks to a friend-of-a-friend connection, I scored a free pair of these. I've always been a Levi's guy (more by default than by conscious choice), and the difference between Sears-sourced 505's and my Hincapies are like going from 105 to Dura Ace. The fit is totally different: Most notably, the distance from the waist to the crotch is measurably shorter (a pal told us this is how "designer" jeans are cut). And the denim isn't just denim. There's a small hint of stretch to them -- like there's lycra or something beyond just denim there. The stretch makes them more agreeable as you put them on, and if you have any physical oddities (be it mammoth quads, or just a beefy Italian rump like yours truly) there's none of the discomfort you get from new-and-intractable denim like you get from Levi's.

So, again, to clarify, this guy at other times talks about how much he loves the Belgian Classics and the hard-man aspects of cycling, but who is taking the time to tell us he loves spandex-enhanced designer jeans. Man, I've got nothing against a bit of well placed homo-eroticism, but this guy isn't blogging about his outfit for the Morrisey concert, he is selling high-end road bikes. After reading this, I don't want a pair of Hincapie jeans any more than I want a pair of Hincapie veins, but I gotta give the guy props.

So here is the shout-out to Competitive Cyclist. If you want some insight into the bike industry and some comments from a guy who lives cycling, check out "What's New". If you want a great description of a huge range of cycling gear from a website that absolutely puts every other bike gear website to shame, not to mention most websites in most industries, take a look at Competitive Cyclist when you've got some time and some cash to burn. And if you've got a better plan for getting the perfect set of wheels, let me know.
Rider 3

PB - If it occurs to you that someone who is in the same room as you are can do a better job fitting your bike than someone on a website, you might still consider doing business with your LBS.

Quicksilver Responds

As a group, we are finally getting on with riding bikes instead of blogging about bikes. That's good with me.

I see that Rider 3 mentions me in his posts about this weekend's rides. I also see that his motor gave out both days, but his keyboard keeps clacking along no matter what.

My guess is that Dr. Spalm's prescription would be, "Next week, more pedal pushing and less pencil pushing." I'm just saying.
QS

The Ride of the Damned - A Story in Two Parts, this being Part Two

This a tale of two rides, the first ride being in yesterday's post and the second ride being contained herewith. As I told you yesterday, they were the worst of rides and the worser of rides. Saturday's ride was started with hope and zest, the way a dewy marriage does, and ended in bitter recriminations and despair, the way . . . never mind.

Anyway, if you read yesterday's post with an eye for detail and attention, and did some extensive "Map-My-Ride-of-the-Damned" work, you would see that we rode about 50+ miles in something under 3 hours (I've stopped using a cycling computer or heart rate monitor, so I'm not sure). For me, this included some periods of hard work, a useless pseudo-time trail and breaking wind for most of the last hour (What, did Craig Hummer just write that last sentence?). Suffice it to say, it was a hard ride and I was feeling it in my legs the rest of Saturday. Nonetheless, I had made a plan to ride on Sunday, and since the time was adjusted so I could make it, I had an obligation to be there.

Sunday morning was wet. Wetter than had been forecast. While I had breakfast with the family, I couldn't help but notice the rain which didn't seem to be lessening as the morning wore on. As I drove in from the Spokane Valley, I called Rider 1 to see if he was having second thoughts. His answer was obvious and correct, any ride is better than no ride. He followed up with, "If it keeps raining, we'll just ride for a little while."

The four of us that actually showed up for the ride must have been the most optimistic people on this planet. I drove through 12 miles of rain storms to get to the meeting spot. M.K. checked the doppler and saw nothing but rain. Rider 2 showed up in shorts (not tights, no knee warmers, despite being 40° and raining) and a jersey with no rain coat. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, we all assumed that by some miracle or other divine intervention, the rain would stop and we would be glad to have gone for a ride.

It was not to be. As Rider 2 pointed out, it was one of those rare, rare days when you wished you hadn't gone for a ride.

Mostly out of pity for my spent legs and waning fortitude, we decided to head through downtown and get on the Centennial Trail. We decided to go "for a while" and see how we felt. I can tell you how I felt: cold, wet and miserable. But then it got worse. Seriously.

You've heard people say things like, "I couldn't have been any wetter," but it's usually hyperbole. In this case, it was literally and absolutely true. We could have jumped into a swimming pool with our bikes, swum around for 10-15 minutes just to be sure that everything absorbed as much water as possible, gotten out and gone for a ride and we would have been just as exactly and completely wet as we were after this ride.

Two Wheel Transit doesn't carry an inventory of winter riding shoes, but they ordered in a pair of Northwave Celsius GTX shoes for me. I love these shoes. They are great and do exactly what you would expect from a winter riding shoe in cold weather. I discovered today, however, that there is one downside to a shoe that provides this much protection and this much of an enclosure. If you are unfortunate enough to have a massive amount of water run down your legs, it will eventually fill up these shoes and their protective enclosure from cold air turns them into tiny traveling bathtubs for your feet. To their credit, when I removed the shoes I could see steam rising out them, so they did their work to the best of their ability, but they are winter shoes, not spd-compatible galoshes.

I can also tell you when the shoes hit their total water carrying capacity. At one point on the ride, Rider 1 made a joke about Rider 2 being the only one without fenders. He said, "One of these things is not like the other." He could have been talking about me instead. I was with three fitter, faster riders and it was crystal clear.

Our ride took us into the Spokane Valley towards Idaho. We decided to ride out for 45 minutes and then turn around. I took short or non-existent pulls and was looking for shelter whenever possible. As we made our way home along Upriver Drive, we were strung out somewhat in an echelon. The echelon was due to the wind and rain coming up from tires even with fenders. Despite the misery of three of us, Quicksilver was pulling at the front with dreams of Belgian riding dancing in his head. I was on the back end and closer to the curb trying to maintain just enough visibility to not be a danger to myself and I was trying to "just hang on for a few minutes more." That is the period of time where one part of your brain is saying, "nope, had enough" and the other part is saying, "just a little bit longer." If it weren't for the battle in my head, I would have had nothing else to think about except the pain and misery I was enduring. So I had that going for me.

I had hopes that if we made it back to Avista, we would slow down, so I was digging into my tiny coin purse of courage to keep on M.K's wheel. What I didn't see was that there were a number of long puddles in my line that the other three were staying either out of or in the shallow portion. As I hit the deeper portion of the puddle, it dropped my speed just enough that I was gapped and that was all she wrote. The rubber band had snapped. I had given all I had to give and my legs were naught but cold, tight impediments to my cycling. To add insult to injury, the increase in water spit across my shins, drained down my legs and filled up the bathtubs connected to my pedals.

Being with riders who believe in sticking together and getting the weakest guy home safely, they slowed down and limped me home. At one point we transitioned off the Centennial Trail into the University District. Knowing that I was holding everyone up, I picked up the pace the best I could and led the way. It was just then that I realized I was on my own personal Ride of the Damned. The only reason I was in front was because I was the weak link. They were soft pedaling behind me and chatting as I had a look of grim determination on my face. I was with the others, but completely alone. There was little dignity to be maintained, no redemption possible and the hope for salvation was found only in Rider 1's wise wife's affirmation upon our return, "Fortitudine Vincimus". By Endurance We Shall Conquer. Not today, but these days add up and eventually it all seems worthwhile. Eventually we shall rejoice in the memories and be thankful for the increased endurance when it appears to us.

Here endeth the stories of the Damned.
Rider 3

The Ride of the Damned - A Story in Two Parts

This a tale of two rides. They were the worst of rides and the worser of rides. Let me begin, as so many tales do, with an unreasonable hope that will ultimately be dashed against the shoals of despair and roads of asphalt.

For riders in the southern climates, this year's riding and racing season began around Thanksgiving. For those of us in Spokane, a Thanksgiving or New Year's Day ride is often possible but it is a triumph of spirit and will over the elements. And yes, I recognize that riders in Saskatoon think we are pansies since they don't start riding outdoors until the annual Saskatchewan Moose Husbandry Festival, which coincidentally coincides with our Fourth of July, and their season usually ends at the start of the Saskatchewan Ice Festival, which coincides with our August 1st. But this year in Spokane we have had a wretched and unending winter that has let loose hail, snow and cold rain day after day after godforsaken day.

So, when the promise of decent weather on a Saturday morning presented itself, it was a welcome relief and indication that we Spokanites might actually experience a change of season. As men of action, one of the members of Team Two Wheel took to electronic notification to our various friends, companions and fellow riders. We agreed to meet at The Scoop, an ice cream and coffee shop known to be friendly to cyclists, and roll away at noon. At the appointed hour it was a welcome sight to see 22 riders rolling up from literally every direction to take part. We had a range of riders, from some members of the GU cycling team to some members of the AARP cycling team. The weather was decent, in the mid-40's and it appeared that we picked a nice break in the intermittent rain.

There was brief discussion about a route, but no one was particularly committal. With a general sense of "Let's go" or "You lead the way", we headed out. There was minimal discussion of "about two hours" and "we can pick a spot where some people can head home and others can go longer". With a plucky sense of adventure suitable to a Gilbert and Sullivan production we followed Quicksilver off the South Hill, through Vinegar Flats and to the West Plains. Personally, I am never thrilled to heading up Thorpe Road, because it is not so steep as to be an actual hillclimb, but it too steep and too long to ignore. I gamely kept pace with the group, but was troubled to see that I was huffing and puffing mightily while my compatriots were talking pleasantly. We regrouped at the top, a welcome relief since I had exerted myself to stay with the front group, and moved on. The next bit along Spotted Road gave us a tail wind and we charged along 2 by 2 feeling good about being outside on our bikes in the nicest weather we had experienced yet this year. I noticed that our speed was high, but then again, so were our spirits.

Following well known roads, albiet with a few more noticable lumps of hills, we made our way to Cheney. There was still enough zest in the group to have some members sprinting for the City limit sign. At this point, though, there were the first rumblings about when to "turn back" or just what route. In a spirit of comraderie, some suggested we all stick together and a suitable turn off would be forthcoming. It was a few miles later that the first signs of fatigue started to be noticeable. Along the roller strewn Salnave Road, the group broke up for the first time. I was in the rear and was glad to no longer be holding on to the faster bunch. I knew the quickest route back, but the reality is that by turning left, instead of right, in Cheney, we were adding many miles to the route no matter what.

Somewhat to my surprise, I found the front group waiting for us on Clear Lake Road. We pulled up to the group and put a foot down for members to deal with various nutritional and natural functions. To my further surprise, Rider 1 posited that "some" of us, meaning me and whoever was foolhardy enough to go with me, should ride down Clear Lake Road while Rider 1 and 2 offered suggestions to the GU cycling team members on team time trial techniques and they tried to chase us down. My immediate response to this was something similar to "What if I don't want to be your f___ing rabbit? Okay, that was actually my exact response.

Nonetheless, always endeavoring to be a companionable individual, I agreed and invited some of the group to go with me. Keep in mind the following important facts when we consider the next thing that happened: there were 22 of us total; Rider 1 and 2 had volunteered to work with 3 members of the GU team, which basic math would indicate left me and 16 others who were available to ride up the road; and that just prior to this proposal, I was part of the "second" group, aka, the ones who didn't have the legs to stick with the first group. Therefore, it is completely logical that only one person was willing to come with me. Thankfully for me, he was a strong rider. We took 30-60 seconds pulls and worked well together right up until the time I was ready to blow chunks and collapse beside the road. Nonetheless, we upheld our honor and made it to the intersection with Medical Lake Road ahead of everyone else. So, honor fulfilled, legs completely depleted. No problem except the 20 miles to get home.

At this point, the group agreed to make its way to Medical Lake, where the hearty souls looking for a longer ride would go one way and the rest of us would head home. Rider 1 and 2 took the "hearty souls" option. I took the "head home" option.

As one exits Medical Lake, you go down a small hill and head into an exposed area, which today, had a reasonable head wind. One member of the group, who shall remain nameless, decided that after sitting in the group the whole day, this was the time to prove his manhood and he went full gas down the hill and charging into the plains. Decision time for most of the group; dig deep and grab a wheel or let go. I drifted back to find a suitable wheel, held on a for a bit and saw our group of 12-14 strung out over a distance. Instead of being a "group", we were suddenly clumps of 2-3 with small gaps between. I looked back and saw someone trailing off quickly and realized that I hadn't seen a couple of riders I was sure were in the "head home" group. I assumed that the group would see the wisdom of finishing the ride together and would wait up the road a bit, so I dropped off the back to pick up one rider and wait for the other two.

After soft pedalling with one rider for a few minutes, I realized that I was mistaken about the other two being behind or that they had gone another direction. So the two of us picked up the pace so the rest of our group wouldn't have to wait too long. I shouldn't have worried about the rest of the group, since, as it turns out, they certainly weren't worried about us.

As a result, my companion and I never saw the group again and we turned into our own small Ride of the Damned. It turns out, though, that my companion was Damned not just by the wind and softening legs, but also by the Man with the Hammer. The Man with the Hammer is a French phrase for "bonking", not to be confused with the French pastime "boinking". For the one reader hereof who may not be familiar with the term "bonking" (Hi Mom!), it technically means that you have depleted your muscle glycogen. Non-technically it means the tank is empty. You feel as if you can't turn the pedals and sitting by the road is the only reasonable alternative.

With a promise that the ride was "mostly downhill", I promised this rider that if we could make it to my house I would give him transportation to his home, which effectively cut about ten miles out of his return journey. He motored on to the best of his ability, but it was diminishing ability. Having been in that spot I was as sympathetic as I could be, but there is no other way to do it but just pedal along as well as you can. We had the misfortune of adding a rain to the final 20 minutes of our ride, but salvation finally came for the Damned in the form of escape from the elements, a warm home, some food and drink, and motor transportation home.

It reminds me of another ride, from Hope to Despair, but that is a story for another day.
Rider Three

Part Two, Sunday's Ride of the Damned, tomorrow.

Pedals 2 People

Pedals 2 People, or "P2P" to those in the know, is a Spokane non-profit. Their mission statement says it all, "Our mission is to use the bicycle as a tool to empower people and build healthier communities."

Last year they focused on sending bikes to an African village. This year they are focusing on projects closer to home. To raise money for their projects they have two things coming up.

Second, but involving more beer and bike racing is a fundraiser at the Steam Plant Grill.

From Misc Bike Pics

First, potentially involving beer but definitely involving fun and fundraising, is the P2P Garage Sale. Here is their message:

Hey P2P supporters!

We're having our annual garage sale Saturday April 4th, from 9am -12pm. Come by for some super deals on bikes, parts, and even a dorm fridge. Last year's sale was a huge success, and we're hoping to have another great sale this year. All proceeds benefit P2P programs.

The address is 4218 S Garfield, and the garage is located in the alley behind the house. Please park on the street and not in the alley.

As always, we couldn't exist without your support--Thanks!

Liza
p.s. Please forward this email to your friends :)

--
liza mattana, spokane, wa

http://www.pedals2people.org

So, what more do you need? A great cause and some great deals. Go check it out and build up an inventory of the pieces you need for your next project.

Until April 4, we locals can rejoice in the promise of the temperature reaching 50° for the first time in 2009. As Freddy says, "Now get on your bikes and ride!" Or as Quicksilver would say, "Less blogging. More riding."

Magic Socks

In addition to reading Cycle Sport on the toilet, we cyclists share other traits as well. This one, however, I may only share with baseball and poker players.

I have a pair of socks about which I am now superstitious. Most people who know me will agree that I am usually the kind of person who shuns things that don't have a rational or scientific basis; things like superstitions, ghosts and enlargement pills. Sure, we would like to discover these things work, but instead you just get stuck with a monthly bill on your credit card.

So anyway, last night I was finally getting on the trainer (did I mention that Spokane's contribution to global climate change has been to suck up snow and cold temperatures the way the Yankees suck up free agents?). I grabbed the top jersey from a stack and was pulling it on as I headed to the basement and a DVD of Floyd Landis winning or not winning the Tour. As I pulled on the jersey I realized it was one that features a crazed Bozo the clown face. This is jersey that I used to pull out on days when I was feeling good. It was too aggressive and a tad obnoxious to wear for a friendly coffee shop ride, so it had to be reserved for those days when I felt like riding at the front, taking monster pulls and living up to the sentiment of the shirt. I had one cycling buddy who recognized this and took to warning the others in the group when I showed up with the crazy clown on my chest.

And yes, for those of you following along at home, this jersey has not seen a lot of action lately. Let's just say the last time this jersey was seen in the local peloton Tyler Hamilton was better known for falling on his collarbones than failing on his drug tests, but I digress.

The crazy clown jersey was obvious. I put it on when I was feeling strong and feeling like proving it. As a result, it wasn't a separate force, it was just a reflection of how I felt. This is unlike my pair of magic socks.

Much like a young Harry Potter, my magic socks didn't start out powerful. They developed and grew. They also snuck up on me. I don't know how long it took, but over a period of a couple of seasons, I realized after a ride where I felt great or had raced well that I was peeling off one particular pair of socks. The socks themselves aren't much to look at, but they were a single pair I got in the swag bag from a ride, so they stuck out more than a plain white pair would (or plain black if you are Lance).

After I noticed this, I started to pay a bit more attention and to my amazement, every time I wore this pair of socks I had a great ride, one that was seemingly above my fitness or training level. And here is where the problem lay. Once I realized it, I wasn't sure how to treat the power of these socks. Should I slack off on my training and just depend on the power of the socks? Should I only pull the socks out when I really, really wanted to have a good race? Was the power of the socks finite, so that I may have wasted many "great" rides when I was just out dorking around? Like a quantum particle, did the act of observation change the socks?

I don't know about you, but for me, this is an exponentially greater number of questions than my socks normally create.

After pondering the power of the socks, for a few rides, when I was getting ready and I wasn't feeling great, I would decide to use the socks like a performance enhancer. I would use them like a testosterone patch for my soles, so that I had new-found power at my disposal. To my amazement, they continued to perform. I was flabbergasted that these socks seemed to have the power to turn a bad day into a good day. And at that point, I reached paralysis. I couldn't let the socks down. I couldn't bring myself to have a bad ride with the socks, as if I owed the socks more than that. I could no longer just wear them like every other pair of socks in the drawer. These socks had brought me much good fortune and had never let me down. And if that is the case, how could I bear the burden of continuing this unbroken string of success with the socks? I couldn't. And to this day, I still can't. The socks now sit in the drawer, power level uncertain, but with the weight of expectation making them so heavy that I can't bear to lift them out of the drawer.

Thus, this is a cautionary tale. Be careful of the power you find in your cycling apparel. For while it may be better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all, it is just not the same with a pair of magic socks. It is better to have won and lost, than to have the burden to never let them down.
Rider 3

Monday Miscellaneous

The title of this post is "Monday Miscellaneous", but that is because "Monday Bitching about the Weather and the Time Change" seemed a bit too on the nose. Let me begin by reminding our gentle readers that it is March 9. March is a transitional month; one in which we see the last of winter fading away and the beginnings of spring. We should see some early flowers, hear the birds chirping in the mornings and begin to sense the deep primal satisfaction of the growing season returning. Instead, snow is falling, we have an artic blast on its way to our region and so far today the only deep primal feeling I had was to throw my alarm clock through the window.

A couple of weeks ago, Bill Bender, a Spokane cycling spiritual leader, told me that the "Morning Ride" (a ride group known for daily 5.45 am suffer-fests) had never failed to end its winter hiatus later than the first day of March. Having tagged along to this testament to testosterone at times, I usually hear about the rides and know that a few hearty souls show up with lights and tights to get through a few rides while the weather and the sunrise take their time getting together to make it more enjoyable. This year, however, every weekday of March has started with temperatures ranging from 15-25 degrees and almost all of them with snow or rain. The last two days we have been greeted by snow on the ground and the forecasted lows for the next two days are being discussed in the 5 - 15 degree range. Our average temperature this time of year is a low of 30 and a high of 50. This makes it not unreasonable that I am extremely frickin' fed up with the weather.

I am ready for at least one bike ride that doesn't involve seven layers of clothing and the possibility of frostbite. The last few weekends, at the same time I am making plans for bike rides I have simultaneously been thinking that it is too cold to take my kids cross-country skiing. Is this a sane position? Doesn't this make cycling an obsession, or an illness, rather than a recreational activity? The answer is NO! It makes the damn weather the problem, NOT ME! It's time for the weather to shape up and get over with this endless, absurd cold and misery to make way for Spring.

And, today, to add insult to potential frostbite injury, we are feeling the full effects of setting the clocks back an hour. Is this really a rational thing for a civilized society? I try to never feel the full brunt of self-awareness, but I recognize that I am not a morning person and that the thickness that I feel behind my eyeballs is causing me to be slightly grumpy. Today, however, that thickness is not being felt as a direct result of imprudent personal decisions (like deciding that tomorrow is recycling day so I might as well go ahead and empty the tequila bottle). Instead, it is being felt from the impact of staying up to my normal "body" time and still being forced to get up to the "clock" time.

Seriously, can anyone explain to me how moving the clock is improving the quality of my life or my energy consumption? I understand the idea that in the days when we used leftover pig fat for making candles and it was our only source of light that maybe it made sense for us to collectively move our schedule to accommodate the hours the sun was in the sky. But is there any indication that we are collectively using less electricity, gas or pig fat today as result of daylight savings time? I'm thinking that farmers in the fields are more impacted by when the sun is up than by the time on the clock and I'm thinking that I am not sleeping through too many daytime hours no matter what. If there was a personal or societal positive impact by this change on our clocks, then fine. But right now all I am getting from it is a feeling of not enough sleep and being fed up with the frickn', stupid, everlasting, cold weather and lack of sun which is keeping me from riding my bike.
Rider 3

Friday Update

It has been a busy week around the Team Two Wheel house this week. Rider 1 took care of a lot of team business, Rider 2 finally graced us with another post and Rider 3 showed off his fancy non-cycling erudition with a banking related post. Don't worry, Rider 3 is now on probation as a result. We are supposed to be about cycling 24/7. There is no point in letting the world around us interfere with our cycling-centric outlook.

Cycling in Spokane has been dismal this week, with more rain/snow/sleet and cold temperatures in the weekend forecast. Combine that with the daylight savings time change this weekend and not only did Punxsutawney Phil predict six more weeks of winter, it could be that long before the Morning Ride finally gets going.

Last in this tiny tidbit of posting, we are glad to inform you of something you couldn't care less about, which is that our US Cycling "Club" was approved this week, so we will be bonded, stamped, gold-sealed and completely official by the time the TTW jerseys arrive and we suit up for our first race. With that in mind, I think I will skip work for the rest of afternoon and go ride in the remaining bit of clear, cold sunlight before it starts raining or snowing again.