The first student replied, "The bicycle is carrying the sack of potatoes. I am glad that I do not have to carry them on my back!" The teacher praised the first student, "You are a smart boy! When you grow old, you will not walk hunched over like I do."
The second student replied, "I love to watch the trees and fields pass by as I roll down the path!" The teacher commended the second student, "Your eyes are open, and you see the world."
The third student replied, "When I ride my bicycle, I am content to chant nam myoho renge kyo." The teacher gave praise to the third student, "Your mind will roll with the ease of a newly trued wheel."
The fourth student replied, "Riding my bicycle, I live in harmony with all sentient beings." The teacher was pleased, and said to the fourth student, "You are riding on the golden path of non-harming."
The fifth student replied, "I ride my bicycle to ride my bicycle." The teacher sat at the feet of the fifth student and said, "I am your student!"
A few photos from the last Roaming Ride (and Storck demo tour stop). Just look at them geeks.
Thursday's Roaming Ride gave me a bit of a clue that my allergy problems are subsiding. During the ride I wasn't gasping for air, watching the rest of the bunch roll of down the road. Unlike the previous Thursday, when that's exactly what happened, I rolled along pretty comfortably, didn't come apart on the hills, and actually enjoyed being on a bike.
All but a couple of the group were on various Storck demo bikes. I was on an Absolutist 0.9, a frame that's apparently built more for crits than comfort. Nonetheless, it handled the local chip and seal well, with just a bit of chattering across rough surfaces. The SRAM Red gruppo (complete, other than Zero G brakes) was oh so nice.
Saturday I went to Dave's Ride, continued to feel better, didn't blow up on the hills, and decided that I'm getting back to normal. I confirmed that today, during 35 rainy miles where I was able to keep the pace and feel stronger as the ride went on. There's hope for me yet.
Friend Deadwood pointed out that this blog sucks because I'm not posting enough. I'm not riding enough, either, but that's neither here nor there.
Yesterday I did manage to ride the annual Tour de Lions with some folks from the JDRF team. The ride is a favorite of mine, not only because of the lack of traffic and great roads, but for the brownies at the finish. The folks in Grays Chapel put on a great ride.
Things are a bit rockier at the Giro, with plenty of crashes, including a header off a 200 foot cliff. Today the riders said enough is enough and stopped after entering Milan. Following a conversation with the race chief and an apology to the crowd, the group rode piano until the final few Ks, where they let it rip. Nothing like an extra rest day.
The Greensboro Velo Club and JDRF are teaming up for Hammering Happy Hill, a charity ride on June 27. Info and online registration here.
After wearing my Sidi road shoes for three years or so I've suddenly developed foot pain. Weird -- it's not related to the pedals I'm using (it started with my Speedplays and continued when I switched to Look Keos). After about 30 miles the small toes on my right foot start falling asleep. Cleat position doesn't affect it, nor does a change of insoles. Maybe it's a sign to change shoes. I've had good experiences with Specialized shoes, and checked out a pair of Bontragers the other day that looked pretty sweet. Then there are Shimanos and the new Mavics. Lots to choose from....
Want to try out a Storck bike? This week's Roaming Ride starts at Revolution Cycles on Spring Garden St. The Storck demo team will be on hand, and riders can try a Storck for an extended time. Details: Thursday 6 PM; 25-30 miles at a moderate pace.
Finally, if a mechanic tells you to use a Park glueless patch to repair a cut in a Hutchinson tubeless road tire, don't believe it. I patched my tire in just such a fashion, squirted a can of Fast Air into the tire, and watched in wonder as latex foam shot out of the ostensibly sealed cuts. Crap.... So, a new tire is on the way, and I plan to order the Hutchinson Rep Air kit, which is designed to seal cuts. Fast Air, though spendy, is pretty cool and easy to use, so I'll start carrying a can instead of one of the two tubes that sit in my seat bag.
Saturday, the sun was shining brighter than earlier than we expected. And the wind was howling. Which made our 36 mile loop to Level Cross, Red Cross and back slightly more challenging than expected.
I was looking forward to this evening's Farmers Market Ride. Really looking forward to it. Really. While working today, I kept thinking ahead to rolling out of the parking lot at 5:30, ready to hammer.
At 4:45, as I worked on troubleshooting a problem with a project, the possibility of making the ride seemed fainter.
At 5:00, it was fainter still.
And at 5:15, out of the question.
By 5:45, when I was still working, I ditched the idea of a long ride from the house and thought of alternatives.
At 6, work complete, I suggested to the Velo-Boy that he and I take a ride around the neighborhood on our mountain bikes. He was up for that, so we did.
Yes, I'm tremendously bummed about missing the Farmers Market slaughterfest, but there was a silver lining. The Velo-Boy and I rolled around Lindley Park. We cruised through the neighborhood, pedaled through the arboretum, and saw the sights. Not a bad ride at all, really.
Perfect weather last Saturday, right? Right! As long as you like wind!
That morning a few of us headed out for a ride from Shannon Hills. Our make-it-up-as-we-went route took us toward Caraway Mountain before abruptly turning toward a long, grinding upgrade. After a stop near Sophia we hit some rollers and would have merrily made our way back home had Stuart Larry David not started making noises about needing more miles and hills and all that. That just encouraged me to take a detour that led to more climbing.
Here's the route:
Did I mention the perfect weather? Well, it's going away. Rain and 40-ish temps are in store for later this week.
Damn, it was windy today. Forecast called for temps in the high 50s, with winds of 5-10 mph. Standing around in the parking lot, it seemed cooler than that, and a bit windier. We didn't get the real picture until our group of a dozen or so left Oka Hester Park and turned down Grandover Parkway. From that point on, it seemed like we spent most of the subsequent 33.5 miles grinding into the wind. A wind of ~17 mph, or so we heard when we finished the ride.
Other than that, it was a great day to be out. We followed a route that took us south of town, then toward Level Cross, Pleasant Garden, and back. We skipped the big ol' hill on Bishop Rd (normally, that's part of the route back to Hester) and rolled down Vandalia Rd. Just lots of rollers and a headwind.
39 windy miles today. The 60-ish temps took away some of the wind's bite, though.
Thanks to a moment of confusion on the ride organizer's part (yeah, sue me), we added a detour with a nice climb.
It's that time of year: Look ahead, plan, set goals. I'm leaving all that kind of loose at the moment. I'd like more saddle time than in past years, but I have no set mileage goal.
As for specific rides I'd like to do, that's also really loose. I'm planning on a return to the Burnsville Metric, the Killington, VT edition of the JDRF Ride for a Cure, and possibly, the Tour to Tanglewood. The last is very, very tentative at the moment.
