Improvisation

Being a bike mechanic, it has been my motto for a long time that I can fix almost anything mechanical. Combine 15 years of cobbling bikes together and my years spent working on a ranch in western South Dakota, and I tend to have a fairly high accomplishment rate of making things work when they need to. No matter if the right equipment is at hand, or not.

This morning, Joe was kind enough to purchase supplies for making burgers at the bike shop. Unfortunately, someone was not nearly as kind to us when they stole our grill from behind the shop. Now I know it shouldn't have been left there in the first place, but it still aggravates me when you have to be so protected of everything you own, or are even in possession of, at all times, lest someone swoop in and absconds it. Frustrating.

But I digress... the point is, we didn't have a grill to cook the burgers on! While Dan was out deciding that replacing it was just too expensive, Joe and I came up with a plan to make-shift a grill.


It turns out we had an old mop bucket that made a great base. I threw some old brake rotors, a chain ring, and made a shelf of spokes (and a couple hacksaw blades) for the coals to rest on so there was air flowing all around them and they would be closer to the food for better cooking. We still had the coal grate from the old grill, and it made a perfect grate for the burgers. With the curvature, we could rest the lid to a garbage can (it had never been used) on top and they turned out to be some of the best burgers we have had.


Great day to be a bike mechanic!

Why I ride a bike: Reason #1

Finding the second shoe

No, it's not the number one reason I ride if I were to be ranking them in order of importance. I just figured I needed a place to put these reasons down as I think of them, to be reviewed later and possibly consolidated into a list to have on hand for answering that question that I am asked many times a year.

Ken and I were returning from breakfast on Sunday and I noticed a shoe alongside the road. Now this is not anything new. Somehow, and this is a very interesting subject that should be discussed and possibly even written into a thesis, there is almost always only 1 shoe along the road. How did it get there? And why is there only 1?

Too many questions to try to answer. The exciting thing about riding a bike, is that when there is a matching shoe to be found, it is much easier to do on a bicycle. Sure enough, roughly 1/4 mile farther (further?) down the road was the match to the other shoe. It still doesn't answer the how people lose shoes along a stretch of highway question, but there is satisfaction to matching the pair.

I'm in

I guess I am in for Trans Iowa V6. Last year my postcard disappeared in the mail. In the end, it was a good thing.

This year, it made it all the way to Iowa. I hope in the end it's a good thing.

Let the training begin (which means finding good eats farther and farther away from me, or maybe a golf course ).

Cyclocross Season

Having a Saturday off when working at a small bike shop is a treat. Having 60+ degree weather in November in MN is an amazing treat. Put them together, throw in free beer, hot dogs, and a bunch of bicycles. I could barely contain myself.


Joe and I rode up to the Velodrome in Blaine as a warm-up for his race. We were a little tardy so there was little time before he was off and pre-riding the course. I walked around a while and took some average photos. There weren't many really exciting places for great shots. I was hoping to capture something that I could use for our shop website since we are starting to have a little more presence at the track, and at cyclocross events. I almost tried climbing on the soccer goal to try to get rid of the fence.


I have heard it happens, but it rarely happens to me. To be in the right place at the right time. Looking for that one chance for a great photo, I try to take a fair amount in hopes of something turning out the way I want. Well when David decided to ride half a lap on a bike a little too small for him, it was a great opportunity for a photo. I had been taking some shots of him coming through the parking lot. I turned around after he started riding around the soccer field and ended up with exactly the kind of photo I was looking for...



Too bad I can't use it for our website. Plugging another bike shop on our website is probably not the most appropriate.

Biking Weekend

I was able again this year to partake in the Urban Assault Ride. Sponsored by New Belgium as "Beer, Bikes and Big Wheels", it is a "race" through Minneapolis to compete in some unusual events. Again, Ken and I were on the Schwinn Twin, and even made better time this year. I think we shaved 20 minutes off our time. Another 5 years competing at that same improvement and we have a chance to win.

I hosted a pre-race warm up with bloody marys. Mehgan and Pete were also racing, so they showed to get their game on. Joe stopped by to drop off a bike I had loaned him, all of which I did not account for in my supply purchasing I had done the day before. We were out of mix before we even left for the ride. Fortunately, I had enough fixins, and a quick stop at the grocer yielded a tolerable mix for the remainder of the ride.

We followed my planned route very closely, which means we put on 28 miles during the event. Add to that the to and from my house and we were very close to 40 miles for the day. My butt is still a little tender from the original saddles that still grace the bike. Next year, bike shorts.

Packed Sunday

I started out the day with a couple of nice laps down at Lebenon Hills. It's so funny riding with Ken. The classic, "I'm trying to stay ahead of you the best I can" vs. "I'm just trying to keep up with you" pretty much all the time. I have been riding the Surly 1X1 with a second-hand Manitou fork and IRD Dual Banger discs. It was riding well, but really started rocking when I let a few psi out of the tyres. After the first lap, I lowered my saddle because it just didn't feel right. Again, marked improvements. Just reminds me that the nicest of bikes can be made to ride like crap if not set up correctly. And also that a mediocre bike can ride just fine if it fits you and your riding well.

After a quick shower, I loaded up the trailer and Carrie and I went up to Como Park for a cousin picnic. I have a bunch of cousins in the metro area, so we decided that we needed to reconnect. Some of us had never seen each other before, and a lot of us had forgotten what others looked like and such. It was a great time. Cook'n out and getting to know family again. Something that gets lost in the fast charging lives of so many of us.

Unfortunately, I lost at bocce. (But what form!)

After the picnic, Carrie and I continued our quest at canning. We bought a box of tomatoes to save some freshness for the upcoming winter. Now, after several jars (why we still call it canning I can't figure out), we are approaching the end. Looking forward to nice pasta sauce come February.

What's in the Stand

I found this post that never made it to being published. I have to remember to keep this type of thing in mind whilst working. Just to show the interesting things we run into working at the bike shop.

Bike : Surly Steamroller

Repair : New handlebar

I don't know why this guy wanted to change his bars. I think the setup as I pulled it from the basement was just fine. Although, controlling this one up and down sidewalks after spending the day at the bar would be a little tricky for me. I was impressed by whomever took the time to rotate the cross top levers to make them more usable.

Bontrager Satellite handlebar. Dimension leather grips. Deore brake levers. If it weren't for all the white (a fad I hope fades as fast as the clean white color) this would be a great ride!

Full of photos

A number of things have transpired since my last post. Biggest and best of all being that I was able to ride a couple days of RAGBRAI this year. Usually, it is the same week as the MS TRAM that I have been providing support for, for a number of years. Being the week before, Ken and I crafted a plan for a small loop to include a couple days of the route.

I can't really describe what happened. People ask me how it was and I just have to say that it is in the top 5 experiences of my life. From the food, drink, people, dancing, riding, tom foolery, and carousing, it was an almost perfect combination of everything. What I can describe is yet another adventure that Ken took me on in order to get to the route. We parked in Knoxville and rode over to Indianola to pick up the official route. Ken had warned me that we might have to ride some or all gravel, and I am not one to shy away from some lack of pavement. Little did I know that the rain from the night before had turned our closed road into a quagmire. After deciding that the road couldn't be THAT closed, we had to push our bikes because our wheels wouldn't turn due to the mud packing in under our fenders (so much for thinking I had ample clearance).





As you can see, Ken was simply in his element. Having the time of his life.













This is the view from our first night campsite. This is the entrance to the dean's office. Nice view.
Here is the porch where we spent the second night. We had a little rain, but all-in-all, not too bad.

So, we rode for a couple days and then headed back to Knoxville via paved roads. Great time. Almost the best time I have ever had on a bike. Can't say enough good things for this ride.

So after coming back from Iowa, I had a day to go to work and catch up on things before heading off to TRAM for 5 days. Fortunately, everything was pulled together so it was just a matter of packing the van and driving off to Ortonville for the start.

TRAM, was the best ever. Weather was perfect. No huge bike problems. Was able to hang out with a number of people that I hadn't had in years past. It was just great. At one town, we were shopping in the local grocer and came upon the paper bag that is on the ground. It says, "99 cents + tax. Grab bag. No peeking. All sales final". Well, we couldn't pass that up, so we bought it, didn't open it, and sold it for 99 cents (no tax). Turns out it had a beer baster.


The problem with having a couple of super fantastic weeks in a row, is that the real world calls. So this past week has been me getting back into the swing of things. Luckily, I enjoy my work so that isn't much of a problem.

Trying a new sport

Last year during one of our rides, Ken and I thought it would be a fun idea to throw some clubs in the panniers and ride to play some golf. Last week, we again thought this would make for a fun day's events. I think we could make a new sport of it.

The bike/golf duathlon. We were thinking of a few names, I like the "Pedal and Putt Classic". We rode out to Stacy, MN where there is a nice little executive course so all we had to bring were a few clubs. I wish I had taken my 9 iron or sand wedge as well, but the 5 wood, 7 iron and putter were sufficient for most everything. It was the first time golfing for me this year and it certainly showed. We hacked our way around and if it weren't for prior commitments, may have gone around again. It is probably best we didn't.

Riding 40 miles and then playing 9 holes of golf will make you a little hungry. We stopped at a pub in Wyoming on the way back and had some great grub (Blu cheese salad dressing you had to cut with a knife!). A couple of beers with lunch and it was all I could do to get back on my bike. Fortunately, the wind was to our backs most of the way home, so it was not much of an effort returning home. Just that my legs felt like jelly almost all the way home.

So we are going to try to round up some more people who may be interested. Possibly pick a course a little closer to home so we don't scare anyone off with excessive mileage. A little marketing and then maybe a 2016 bid for the Olympics.

Welcome Weekend

I went for a much needed ride this morning.


I left the house around 5:30 to pick up Ken. We didn't have any particular ride in mind, and since I hadn't been out North/East of town for a while, we headed out to Marine for some coffee. We took the somewhat normal route out and each of us at separate times, mentioned how much we needed to get out and ride. After working on building a new front landing and steps, not taking any time during to go for any pleasure riding save one Sunday Slow Ride, it felt amazing to get out on the bike.

We stopped for coffee and a couple signature muffins and decided we shouldn't return the same way we came, so we started wondering our way home. We passed a girl on a nice old Centurion as we climbed the first hill out of the river valley. Over the top of hill, we came upon a gravel road that headed in the right direction. We hadn't ridden any gravel yet, and we both had gravel in our heads after eyeing one on the way out to Marine. So, we took it.

We ended up back on 170th about 100 yards from another route I had been talking about. Neither Ken or I have done a lot of cycling this year, so we weren't after an epic ride. So we followed our route out for a while. Coming up a hill and over some rail tracks, Ken veered right. A gravel road named for a former pet of his (coincidence, I think not). This turns out to be a great alternative to the "normal" routes we have established. We passed the same girl shortly after returning to the pavement.

After a quick water stop at the end of the Gateway Trail (and being accused of following the Centurion girl), we followed it most of the way into the cities.

Ended up with 72 miles. Actually a little further than I thought. Very much needed. I'll try not to let myself go so long between rides.

St Bonifactious?

I went out for my longest ride of the year this morning. Ken stopped by and we headed out a little after 6AM. For some reason, he decided to accept my idea of riding around Lake Minnetonka to hook up with the Loose Line Trail, of which I hadn't ridden before. The wind was a little stiff from the SSE, so it ended up giving us a headwind on our way home. Not the most intelligent idea, but turned out ok.

We cruised out the Kenilworth Trail and hooked up with the North Corridor to take us to Victoria. We stopped for a small refueling and headed out to roads neither of us had ridden before. With the wind at our backs and the sun coming out, it was pure bliss. The roads are really nice and most of the time had a wide enough shoulder to ride side by side. We soon entered the town of St Bonifacious. This is a town we didn't even know existed (sorry to all the residents). It's a nice little town and I certainly won't hesitate to have a ride go through there again. We were a little early to enter the parade.

A little further north and we came upon the Luce Line Trail. We then turned into the wind and headed back. Being on the trail, we were sheltered quite nicely from the wind. For about 8 miles. It started to open up and unfortunately, the increasing wind and the fact we were hitting the 60 mile mark culminated in an unhappy rider (that would be me as I have never seen Ken unhappy while riding a bike). Fortunately, Ken has a fantastic sense of graciousness and helped me limp into Golden Valley to recharge at Chipotle.

Having food in my stomach was a much needed thing. But it then sat about midway in my gut, taunting me with the possibility of expelling it. Good thing that only lasted about 40 minutes or so. It's hard to say if it was about being home or I was just starting to feel good again, but while riding up Minnehaha, I really felt I could ride some more. After getting home and showering, I'm glad I called it quits.

The map is more or less accurate. There was a lot of cut and tack maneuvering around north Minneapolis that I'm sure I didn't get right, but it's pretty close.

Choices Choices

It's nearly summer here in MN and as we close a little early on Fridays, it means I don't have to ride a bike with lights. That opens the door to riding bikes I don't normally commute on. I am lucky enough to have a locker at work to store a pile of stuff, so I could get away with packing lightly. Just had to have room for the tool kit, pump, lock, shorts, gloves, long sleeve (summer still is chilly in the morning), camera, wallet, phone, keys, and leave enough room for my breakfast wrap from Nelson's (an end of the week treat).

As I went to the basement I was already trying to decided which bike to ride. I have a couple bikes in various states of disassemble (thanks to a stem recall), so I had it narrowed before I even made it to the bottom of the steps. It came down to a choice between a 15 year old Trek and a nearly 25 year old Schwinn. For all the newer bikes littering the hooks, it struck me that I would rule out all the new for the old. True, there really aren't any old parts on those rigs, but it still sticks with me that those are the frames I think of to ride.

I chose the Schwinn. As crappy as it may be in today's standards, that thing rides smooth as anything. And for a small 20 mile round trip, I would match it up against anything else I own (obviously.) It makes me feel that I am getting older, faster than I can keep up.

It just happened...

I participated a little differently than originally expected at the Trans Iowa bike race this past weekend. Unseen forces just happened to keep my entry postcard from arriving so I decided to volunteer to support a checkpoint during the race. We ended up being stationed at the final checkpoint which was open from 9PM through 2AM Saturday/Sunday. It made for a long day.

We drove down Friday in order to attend the pre race meeting Fri evening. After checking into the Hotel, we hopped on our bikes and made the quick jaunt into town. Got all the update at the meeting, and stopped by a local bar for a few beers and some dinner. We just happened to get the last two pitchers of Fat Tire Ale that the bar just happened to have on tap after a delivery error.

After a couple hours sleep, we were up and riding back to town to watch the start. Both Ken and I had some mixed feelings about feeling good about not having to ride, and really wanting to start. We showed up about 3 minutes before they took off, which was very nice to not have to stand around for long in the pre sun chill. Another quick ride to the hotel to clean up and change and we were off to checkpoint 1 in Washington. We took some back roads because "all you see on interstate, is interstate." Driving the small highways of Iowa sure made for some wishful dreaming about being on bikes.

When all the racers were through checkpoint 1, we wandered our way up to Traer where our checkpoint would be. We tried to take up some time getting there, taking back roads and even stopping for some cheese curds along the way. But we still showed up around 11AM. There were a few hours to kill. So we rode around town checking out the city wide garage sales that were happening, stopped at the grocery store for lunch supplies and had a very nice picnic. We also ended up taking a nap, and heading out for a little gravel ride. I decided the common factor is that when in Iowa with Ken, gravel riding will happen. We took a small loop which allowed me to ride my first IA b road, and we just happened to end up riding a small section of the actual race course. A wonderful descent into town and across an old bridge. Perfect.

Our time "working" was really great. It did make me think twice about riding next year. I need to make some serious decisions before entering later this year. I want to make sure I make the right choice. Anyway, watching the difference in rider's attitudes and how they interacted with others was extremely interesting. Most of the time people were not too happy pulling into the station, but as they ate a little and spent a little time off the bike, attitudes almost always reversed. It was hard to watch how much hurt some where experiencing, but then to see the change happen, or just how determined people were to continue on, perseverance at it's best. A special congrats needs to go out to Paul. You are amazing.

After we sent the last rider on his way, we cleaned up and pushed for home. I was so tired I failed in my duties to keep up my end of the conversation to help the driver. I don't think I ever slept for long, but I certainly nodded off a number of times. Sorry Ken. We pulled up to the house about 6:45AM. I was fortunate to not have anything to do but recover. I definitely want to keep that in mind for next year.

One Down

So the first of many projects is almost to an end. After way too much time, I completed the build on my cousin's Trek. I can't even remember where this frame came from, but I had her in mind immediately when I found it. It turned out pretty well (I am not completely happy with the tyres) and I think it will give her a good start at riding the roads of nearly rural MN. Hopefully she will let me put some bigger tyres on it to cushion the ride, but she has had a true road bike in mind, so sporting the 32's right away didn't seem quite appropriate. It was also tough not too don fenders and a rack right away. Have to remember this is not my bike.

Bike Specs:
Frame: Old steel Trek 80's ish
Wheels: Tiagra hubs, Bontrager Fairlane rims, DT spokes
Tyres: Bontrager Race Lite 700x25 (should be Panaracer Pesela 28, or 32's)
Brakes: Shimano DuraAce centerpulls (I had never seen these before, great fender clearance)
Crankset: Shimano 105
Derailleurs: Shimano 105 rr, Ultegra ft
Brifters: Shimano Ultegra
Handlebar: Modolo Custom (nice and flat on top)
Stem: Sakae riser
Saddle: Ritchey Pro Ti rails (gotta have a nice saddle)
Extras: Tressostar tape (over another wrapping of tape), not sure what pedals she'll choose yet.

Hope Springs Eternal

We are finally getting some decent weather here in the midwest. The last couple days have started cold but managed to at least warm up during the day. These are the days that really make me think about how much I miss summer. It's too bad mother nature uses dimmer switches. A nice quick transition would be much more tolerable.

I switched back to the Pake C'Mute for c'muting. I might have to change it up this year as when I start riding it, my miniscule 6 mile ride leaves a lot of saddle time to just be dreamt about. This is the bike I primarily rode last year including a couple of "longer" rides (>100). It seems to be a truck of a bike, taking time to build up steam but wants to keep rolling. I am not doing it justice with such short hops.

So I am readying the Cross Check for my daily rider. It will also receive a rack and some panniers but they will be able to detach without a wrench. The more aggressive riding position shouldn't be an issue on the shorter jaunts, and it will have a little more get up to keep up with the guys from the shop. Just have to decide if I keep it single or run it fixed.

Along with that, I have a bicycle to create for my cousin. It's a project I have been slacking on for too long. A nice old Trek road frame that should fit her great. I have managed to procure a Shimano 9 speed drive train, and along with a mix of vintage and new parts, should suit her well for the time she has to get out and ride. A stop to the bike shop today will be warranted so I can make sure the frame is in alignment.

Then if I can get my mom's frame painted, that will be able to be completed. At least I have the excuse that I can't finish the paint until we have some warmer weather. I tried painting in sub 60 temps a couple years ago and I think the paint stalls in the drying process and remains tacky for life. That is going to be a great set up when it is all finished.

After those are done, I have another bike for yet another cousin in the queue. An old Gary Fisher that will be "hybridized" (spellchecker was just fine with this word) for a nice 'round town'r. I can't decide what type of setup will be good for that one. I would love to Albatross it, but I don't think he is going to go for that. I might just do it anyway, and see what happens. Worse case, he doesn't like it and I have another Albatross in my inventory. Always look on the bright side...of life (whistle appropriately).

Spring Arrives

I didn't pay much attention to the weather last night, and was a little surprised with the snow that was on the ground when I awoke. We have had a few very nice days recently, so it always is a disappointment when the snow returns. It always does in March. I have been wanting to ride my regular commuter so I didn't let the weather change my mind, I loaded up and went to work. I ride right through Como Park on one of my routes, it keeps me away from traffic and I can take a breather on a bench if I need to.

Not that it was a lot of snow, but when you are set in spring mode, it is a bit disheartening.

That being said, with the weather warming up, the thoughts are turning to longer bike rides, overnight camping rides, dusting off the other bikes, and promising again to not wait so long before cleaning the winter bike. So long studded tyres, we'll need you soon enough. I appreciate your grip, but wow! those Panaracers ride loads better. Not to mention the 35's are way more comfy than my skinny 28's.

Right State of Mind

We made some national news last night with our "spring" weather. I knew it was going to be some rough going for the ride home, and I almost put on my pogies. Should have listened to my gut.

I rode to work yesterday in a light rain. It quickly turned to sleet as I continued north. I thought of my goggles still in their case, sitting on my dresser of bike clothing. But I had extra layers with me, it shouldn't be a problem. If anything, I could wear my safety glasses home. Throughout the day, the rain turned to snow, then back to rain, and then to mix it up, a little more snow. Temps kept falling from 2C, to around -12C when we left the shop.

Studded tyres are the best! There have only been a few times during the winter I have needed them and last night was one. No one went down, but it was close making the turn to the bank to drop off the night deposit. The wind was quite impressive and nearly blew me over coming around the corner. A bonus was being able to ride with the wind on the way back to the road that leads home. I was able to cruise for about 1/2 mile with no work at all.

One small stop to make Dan gloves from some extra socks and we trudged our way home. For all the wind, blowing snow, and partially frostbit fingers, I had a great time. Turning into the wind again, about 3/4 of the way home, I had difficulty because I was laughing and the wind and snow were making my teeth hurt. I couldn't help think of Trans Iowa. It is a great bench mark as nothing since has been able to compare to the beating we took. I know there are days when my mind is not in the right place, and the wind beats me down into a grumpy mood. I remember actually being angry at the wind for causing me such misery. I am hoping that I am growing out of those times and I can have fun, with snow or whatnot blowing in my face at 30mph, struggling to keep my laughing to a minimum to save my teeth.

NAHBS

I was able to attend the North America Handmade Bicycle Show this past weekend in Indianapolis. Ken, his brother Paul, and I drove down Friday. We were barely into WI when Paul asked me, "What kind of bikes do you own?". It was almost Madison before we exhausted the rideable inventories for all of us. Unfortunately, I was working through a cold over the weekend, so I battled fatigue almost the whole time. I know I couldn't concentrate completely but still had an amazing time looking through all the great bikes and amazing craftsmanship.

Turns out, I took just shy of 200 photos. Most of which only interest me and goofy bike people. My favorite, was taken in the hall right next to the exhibit hall. It was completely empty with the exception of the photo area at the far end. Not wanting to intrude, I stood at the entry, about 75 feet away and took this. You can't keep cyclists off their bikes! One of my favorite things about this photo is it turned out almost exactly the way I wanted. Shooting a fairly inexpensive digital camera, my shutter lag time has been hard to get used to. I don't think the silhouette could be any more perfect from my vantage point.



We had a great time hanging out with folk from Hiawatha Cycles and closely tied with Curt Goodrich Bicycles. (CONGRATULATIONS!!) If only we would have stayed a little longer to have a top shelf drink. It was nice that the bar in our hotel seemed a hot spot for bike folk. We enjoyed a lot of people watching there and then just a short elevator ride before crashing hard.

Seeing all the amazing work done, it sure stokes the fire to get some custom stuff going. I sure hope I make the time to do some projects this summer. Nothing like immersing yourself in something you're passionate about for 36 hours to prod you into action. I'm already looking forward to going again next year.

Cars suck

My wife was in another accident last week. We hadn't yet fixed the car from the fender bender she was in last fall, and now our car is totaled. The most fortunate thing is that no one was hurt. The unfortunate thing is that we have to buy a new car. This was a less than pleasant experience for us 2 years ago. We bought a car that we thought we would have for many, many years. We didn't even make it to many. That was barely even years.

I am looking forward to my Blacksmith Guild meeting this evening. We are holding it at a machine shop that restores antique bicycles. They are supposed to have several high wheelers restored and it should be most interesting. I hope to attain some good pics.

I just wish I could make it work to replace the car with another bicycle. It just would make those trips to Des Moines a lot longer than they already are.

LDT III

We had a very successful third Lour de Toren yesterday. After a slightly rocky start of pushing the start time back and a slight issue of the starting point address, 4 of us met up at Brewberry Coffee for the pre-ride meeting.

Stage 1: I'm not sure how we ended up with the plan, but the first stage was a gruelling slog up to the Groveland Tap. There was some debate if it was over 5 blocks or not, but clearly it was enough for our already weary bodies. We recharged with some oatmeal stout and cheese curds. While there, Dan, Gabe and Michael met up with us. Now seven strong and able to create a more effective pace line, we pounded out into the quickly evaporating afternoon.

Stage 2: It was nice to ease into what would be longer stages toward the end of the tour. This stage found us bounding our way across St Clair all the way to Snelling. A harrowing right, and the technical section of the "race" was upon us. Having to deal with Snelling Ave traffic is never fun. Fortunately, there was only a breakaway of two, and the peloton rolled comfortably to Gobe's. A much needed rest with Summit EPA was much appreciated after that stage.

Stage 3: Now it started to get hard. The calculations were made, and we figured we could squeeze in Costellos into the route. Down Randolph we flew. There was pandemonium amongst the riders as Joe took an alternate route that the rest of the peloton didn't realize was an option. As we wound our way around Edgecumbe and then Lexington toward Selby, we had our first mechanical of any LDT. It was extremely lucky that the weather cooperated with us, with 30 degrees and barely any wind, it didn't make us suffer waiting for the downed rider. The hard fast rule of the No Drop ride didn't bring us down too much. And with a second flat, we limped down Selby to the third stop. Amazing how people will perk up with Bells Two Hearted. Autumn and Alex met up with us here. Unfortunately, the two flats took their toll on Michael and he had to drop out. He also thought he knew what the next stage was about.

Stage 4: Save the best for last. All good downhills must come to an end. And the end it was. We left Dan and Gabe to ride in their own pool playing group. Essentially, stage 4 was an uphill time trial. Everyone set off at a pace that I didn't think we could keep. If it hadn't been for that light at Lexington, I'm sure I would have been dropped well off the back. Things strung out pretty far for a while, but as riders approached the top, we grouped together again. Being a school night, we lost a couple near their house on our way to the Longfellow Grille. 10.1 miles at the end of our ride. I don't know if that mileage can be exactly accurate as we only had one computer, but I would say that's close enough. Unfortunately, some businesses close a little early on Sunday night. We happened to end at one of them.

So, it wasn't a great stage 4 ending. Marty decided, he had had enough, and with the real need for some food, we ended up at Pizza Luce. The last bit of drama coming from a lost key and the need to cut a lock in order to get home. And even though we are not supposed to have support, we technically were finished with the ride. So the cable cutters my wife brought us were allowed. Though we could have used the key we later found wrapped around the chainstay of Joe's bike.

Best Lour de Toren ever!

Clear headed

I was riding to work Friday morning and had a moment of clarity. It wasn't any grand awakening or anything like that, but It was sit up and take notice for me. The sun was shining, it was cold, but very nice. There are a lot of things that go through my head while riding. Lots of times, I get a certain song stuck in there and I play the game of singing it until I can't remember any more of the lyrics. Sometimes I am stuck on one song for days.

Anyway, a number of random things were dancing through my head and suddenly it was an e-mail message. It had confused me a little bit but, riding through the park, I realized exactly what it meant. There was absolutely no correlation with anything that I was currently experiencing, but obviously my mind was working on making sense of that message. It just took a little sorting out. Just another great reason to ride your bike.

I felt like crap this morning. I drove to work. I felt even worse for doing so. I can't remember the last time I voluntarily drove to work when there was no other factor involved. I'm pretty sure that riding would have been better for me. I still felt like crap all day. At least I would have cleared a few things up in my head.

Done and Done

Well, the shelving went great. As always when dealing with an old house, we ran into a number of small details that made the "simple" project a little less simple. We wired a light into our attic stairwell that serves as our linen closet and trying to cut holes in rock lathe and plaster ceilings is not my idea of fun. But, being finished with it, I don't know why we didn't do this years ago. The shelving is exactly what we needed to kick off our year of projects around the house. I think we need to add a few smaller things to the list as rewiring the entire basement is a lofty goal.

Looking at the calendar, the month of Feb. is filling up fast. Between bike rides, Super Bowl, birthday celebrations, broomball, and more bike stuff, I don't have a single weekend free. No complaints here. I'm hoping it makes the end of winter fly by. I'm really starting to look forward to losing the studded tyres. And more importantly, being able to ride without the half-hour of clothing prep.

Project Day

We have decided to try our hand at getting some long overdue projects done around the house. Last year, we made good progress on our guest bedroom by getting some trim refinished. Lessons are always learned in doing these projects that you have never done before. Mostly, we bit off more than we could finish in a timely fashion. So we have made a list (my wife loves lists) of projects that hopefully we can do in a weekend or what have you.

So this weekend is the linen closet shelving, maybe a little electrical in some outlets and lighting. Just enough to keep us busy, and be able to finish by tomorrow afternoon so we have that feeling of accomplishment. As Carrie says, "it feels so good to see that checked off the list".

The biggest issue we have is being distracted from our tasks. Carrie had breakfast this morning with a friend to arrange Super Bowl partying and some other stuff that needed to be done. I get distracted trying to learn something new about this stupid machine. The Pond Hockey Championships are this weekend. I'd like to see some of that. We recently started cross country skiing, wouldn't mind doing a little of that. And my broomball point shot needs some serious work. Hopefully we can figure out how to do a few of those other things along with crossing some off the list.

We'll see if that happens Sunday evening.

Brand New Year

Something about the new year that always gives me a sense of renewal. It's as if I can almost start over with so many things. I have never been good with the whole resolution thing, but I still find that urge to better myself, or change something about my life that has not been quite to my liking.

So, I have a small list of things to accomplish this year. Not a large list, too many times you hear the whole I'm going to lose 75 pounds or I'm going to get a new job, or some huge almost impossible goals. Set the bar low, therefore disappointment is minimized. No, it's about setting attainable goals. Just like with any project, if it is too large, you become lost and have a difficult time tackling it. Break it down into small, easier tasks, and suddenly, you're finished. Nothing could be simpler.

I started a winter project of fixing up my folding bike. I don't plan on using it much, but there have been a few times I think it would have come in handy. If I rip it completely apart and start from scratch, I know I will be bogged down about what exactly to do with it, and it will stay disassembled for way too long. So I am going to do it in small stages to see if that will make things go easier.

Not brand new, but brand new for the year.