I Got to Ride

It was the first ride on the mtb today. I haven't really ridden it since we knocked off the roof of the car. It's dogtracking. I'm thinking that the frame is bent. It doesn't matter because it was a great ride today. I've decided I can't ride the Schwinn until I get a taller stem. After I rode it this week, my shoulders were killing me!

I Picked a Bad Year to Race Bikes

Between working and raising our son, there is no time for this biking funny business. Well, there is going to have to be time pretty soon because Papa is going to strip his gears....

Hmmm....

It's been quite awhile. I think I've been on a bike twice in the last 6 months. There is a lot going on with the baby and the job stuff. I'm going to start posting regularly now. One of the reasons I am going to post regularly is because we have a faster connection. I'll keep you updated and I'll put some baby pictures on here too.

Coming in Third

I think I rode once last week. I tell myself that I'll ride in the morning, but it doesn't happen. When you ask yourself, "Would I rather sleep or eat?", cycling really doesn't have a chance. This is my first full week of work, and we don't have a system in place yet that works. That's ok. I'm no stranger to sleep deprivation.

Hiatus

I've taken a break from cycling but I have an excuse, not a good one, but I have an excuse. My wife and I had a baby! He was born healthy and happy on Oct. 18. Mama had some difficulties so she was in the hospital for some time preceding the birth. I was able to take leave from work. I haven't worked since Sept. 27th. That is a nice little benefit. The day before my birthday (Oct. 11) I found out that my job is being eliminated. I'm told that taking my leave and the job elimination are coincidental. I'm working until the end of Aug. and I get 3 months severance so I can't complain. I'll try to keep updating the blog plus I've added a blog for the baby.

Nice Ride

I took a short ride tonight.  I have some stuff to do around the house plus I didn't realize that I would be racing daylight.  For the first time, I mixed up some homemade power gel.  I'm not a super-mega-racer.  I don't even know what GU is.  I just know that if I bike more than an hour, I need to eat, and I've tried Clif Shots and they worked for me.  Fast Guy said that he had a recipe for some homemade stuff.  He wasn't around when I wanted to make it so I looked on the internet, and found something that looked like it might work.  I wanted something liquid.  It's just easier to deal with.  I tried it for the first time tonight and it worked well.  Intsy asked, "How was it," and she said I made a face when I answered.  I really didn't think it tasted that bad.  It's palatable.  The consistency and color are better than a chocolate Clif Shot.

 

I decided to try to stay in one gear tonight.  Partly to see what it would be like to ride a singlespeed and partly because my derailleur needs to be adjusted.  That was a mistake.  I remembered why I don't do that. It wrenches my back.  Part of it was cool, though. It made me go faster some areas.  It wasn't more dangerous.  It was just singletrack where I usually lose speed and don't push hard enough to go faster.

 

On Friday I was fast but today I only had glimpses of the speed.  It was all in the way I handled the bike.  I was off the seat and sometimes my weight was forward or back.  I leaned the bike instead of leaning with the bike.  I'll have to work on that some more!  It was a blast!  I think a handled the bike better than usual on Friday because I was not fatigued.  I actually had some energy.

Sweet Ride

I did get to ride with my sister in law and her man.  I took the Schwinn.  She wasn't too happy about it.  In the past couple of years, she has returned to the world of the bicycle.  It was great to see.  She was worried about being able to bike, but the adage holds true. You never forget.  Her man bought her a Trek hybrid, and it's a nice bike.  Her only complaint is that she doesn't coast as far as his.  I really don't know why.  He has a rigid, steel mtb.  The tires are fatter.  They must have more rolling resistance.  I'm assume the tires are inflated to similar pressures.  Her wheels have a larger diameter than his, so I would guess that there would be less resistance from the bearings.  The wheels would turn slower and the bearings would turn slower.  I would think the resistance from the bearings would be negligible.  I'm just trying to find a reason for less coasting.  Maybe the larger diameter wheels actually have more rolling resistance because there is a larger contact area with the road.  I also think aerodynamics are comparable.  He is probably less aerodynamic due to his height.  Who knows?  For the first time, I just thought that maybe the bearing cones are too tight.  That might be it.  I suppose the design and quality of the freewheel plays a large part in how efficiently the bike coasts.

 

Friday was my first ride with the guys in quite awhile.  All four of us rode at Crystal Ridge after work.  I was thrilled with the ride!  I'm usually number 3 or 4 and sloppy from fatigue and causing myself Frank-ccidents, but I fueled myself before the ride, and I rode strong.  I thought my legs were going to ball up into a knot, but they survived!  Fast Guy added a little altitude to the ride, but I made it!  We did three laps, and I enjoyed it thoroughly!  I had excellent speed on the straightaways.  I did ok on the climbs.  I'd like to climb better, but I know that will be a long process so I am satisfied with my current progress.  My singletrack skills performance was good based on my standards.  Fast Guy complemented me.  He said that I was pretty quiet (no Frank-ccidents).  Tight singletrack gives me fits.  I'm 6'8" and 220 pounds, and taking hairpin turns drives me crazy.  I'm learning where to put my weight to get around the corners faster.  I lean my chest over the inside handlebar and the bike turns a lot quicker.  I also had more energy, and I was able to stand up more often.  I like to stand up, but I usually don't have the energy to recover from it.  I know it's less efficient to stand, but when I lose momentum in the singletrack, I like to stand up to generate some power.  It was a phenomenal ride.  I can't wait to get out to do it some more!