veloblog: bicycling in Greensboro, NC and the surrounding area

More blogging from (well, really, about) the snowy north

Yes, this is a spider. Maman, it is called. You can see if in front of the National Gallery of Canada, if you slowly cycle past.

This thing must be packed with more sensitive data than one at the DoD

"Our server was attacked."

It's the new "my dog ate my homework."

A week of non riding, so far

Steady rain and a new day gig in Winston-Salem means I haven't ridden since Sunday night. Nothing wrong with riding in the rain, of course, but I'm talking hard, steady, tornado-warning, streets underwater kind of rain. I rode in one of those rains a couple of years ago; no thanks.

The bad weather is supposed to move out by Friday, replaced by very good weather for the weekend. Saturday's ride is to Caraway Mountain and back. Then Sunday I'll go take a look at the USPRO road championships in Greenville, SC.

Death Valley

Not strictly cycling-related, but a little bit of a preview of what I'll see at Death Valley (link to my Ride page).

Death Valley By Philip Bloom
View in HD  Download 1080p HD Version  Visit Philip Bloom's ExposureRoom Videos Page

Oh, the wind and rain

Yesterday the VeloBoy needed a ride to Quaker Lake, where he was taking part in some training, so it wasn't going to be possible to get to the Tour de Lions in time for the start. Plan B involved dropping him at QL, riding to the start in Gray's Chapel, completing the 40 mile loop, and riding back -- after eating brownies, of course. John offered to come along.

We were on our bikes by 9 AM, which meant starting the official course about an hour and a half behind everyone else. No big deal; we cruised along at a relatively steady pace for the first 18 miles, passed the already-closed rest stop, and waved off the sag driver who wondered if we had gotten lost. Around the 20 or 25 mile mark the long (75 mile) route joined, and we started to pass some of the mid-pack riders from that route. Occasionally one would jump on our wheel, hang on for a bit, then drop off.

It's not like we were going particularly fast, but it was a windy day and the route features many hills. I could tell it was taking a toll.

Finally, we hit the home stretch -- about four miles on Hwy 22 south -- picked up another rider, and finished out the ride. We sat down, had a sandwich and brownie, and then headed back to Quaker Lake. The last eight miles were the only ones that didn't feature steady headwinds. Total mileage: ~58.

I skipped riding today so the VeloBoy and I could go fishing. We hooked up with our guide, VB's civics teacher, at a little after two and drove to a pond in Summerfield. We rigged our rods, surveyed the pond, and ran for cover as the skies opened up. So much for fishing.