Another Endorphin Injection, Riding Through the Countryside

I went on a new route this evening and I took along my new toy: a GPS receiver. It is very cool and actually keeps track of almost every little turn I make as I ride along. It also keeps track of my heart rate and will soon follow my cadence. I was quickly putting the mount for it on the bicycle before we left and got it on backwards! So, the whole time I was riding, it probably thought I was riding backwards. It was a great ride, even though for about 1.5 miles we had to get off our bikes and walk, due to the fact we had ridden onto a road that was being repaved.

It is getting late as I write this. Need to get to bed so I can go to work tomorrow!!

Whale Sharking To Goodhue Thurston & Savona

A beautiful night: clear, dry, and cool (62 or 63 F) when I left from work about 5:50 PM. I wore a tee-shirt, jersey, jacket, and vest over my bib shorts. I opened up all the tops during the climbs. Curiously, they filled up with little gnat-like bugs. As I was riding, I thought "This is what it must be like for the whale shark cruising through the ocean with its mouth open filtering the plankton and krill into its mouth." Initially, I only opened my tops to my waist, so they bellowed a little and the tiny bugs collected on my tee shirt and inside the bellowing jacket, jersey, and vest. I took to unzipping the vest completely and narrowing the bellows of the jacket and jersey to keep from collecting so many bugs. Fortunately, they didn't seem to bite.

By the time I got back to my car, the temperature had dropped to 56 F, but zipping the tops all the way up was enough to keep me warm. My legs were producing enough heat to keep themselves warm, even my kneecaps. A beautiful Spring evening, perfect for riding.

After a little dinner, I am enjoying the endorphins and still feeling warm all over...

Another Blood Donation At The Tracks

The Weather Underground (the collective weather station group, not the political anarchists) said there was a 20% chance of rain at 8 PM tonight. That seemed like pretty good odds to me, so I left from work tonight on a cloudy cool (63 F) evening at about 6 PM again. I wanted to try and get three hill climbs in this time (Monday I only managed two). I probably left too late; I have a habit of doing that when I ride alone. There is no immediate time constraint, so as I walk to the locker room to change, I am likely to stop and talk to people I run into, which tonight added about 45 minutes to the time it took me to get from my office to the locker room. With tonight's finish, I will see if I cannot be a little more diligent about starting earlier.

I took my rain jacket with me, so as not to tempt fate, secretly hoping that by bringing it that would somehow keep it from raining. However, at the top of the third climb, it started to sprinkle. I put the jacket on at that point, but it continued to rain, though not so hard as to make it uncomfortable, but hard enough that the road started getting a layer of water on it. By the time I was nearly back to work, the tires were throwing a steady rooster tail up my back. It did not get too cold. My thermometer said 57 F when I pulled into the parking lot. It worked out to be about 36 miles and 2200 feet of vertical.

Pretty uneventful, except for those damn railroad tracks. As I was coming up to the ones I had fallen on earlier this year, I slowed considerably and adjusted my angle of attack to be perpendicular to the rails. I popped over the first rail, and was just about to do the same on the second and the tire slid down the rail laying the bike down and me along with it onto my right side. I skinned my knee and have a nice big raspberry on my hip, but it looks much worse than it feels. Riding the rest of the way home (in the rain no less) actually helped to keep it from getting stiff. We'll see how I feel in the morning... I managed not to crack my helmet this time, though I remember it hitting the ground with a nice bang.

Cool-Evening After-Work Climbing Loop

Couldn't find anyone interested in riding this evening, so I headed out by myself. Ran into a number of people on the way out, so didn't get started until 6 PM. It was overcast and cool (mid 60's when I started, 61 when I finished 1:43 later). The route was just over 28 miles with a vertical of about 1690 feet.

I started out going up the bucolic canyon I rode previously, but decided to turn down the hill and headed into Addison. There was a short stretch after Addison where I rode on a busy road, but then heading up Beeman Hollow I saw one car the whole way. I was hoping to get one more climb in, but the light was starting to fade, so I ended it pushing hard to make it worthwhile. Now I am tired, but a good kind of tired. Tomorrow is supposed to rain, so I am glad I got out tonight.

Goodhue Lake Route, One More Time

It was about ten degrees warmer today than yesterday. My riding buddy Bruce and I were ready to go out at about 2 PM this afternoon, but work kept us busy until around 4:30. The wind had picked up a little since earlier in the day, but it was a warm breeze tonight. I went out in shorts and long sleeves this evening.

We had considered a number of other rides, but the Goodhue Lake Loop is just such a nice ride, I decided to do it again tonight. I wasn't sure I had the legs to do it two days in a row, but I thought it would be a good challenge. The adrenalin from the warm sunny day saw me through.

The warm weather is supposed to last through the weekend, so I am going to try and get a long ride in. Ingrid returns from Japan tomorrow night. I am anxious to hear all the details of her trip. Erik has a nature fair that he is taking some of the Tanglewood Nature Center animals to. It almost sounds like they are going to go on rides and eat cotton candy... Cindy has been working in the garden and will take advantage of the warm weather to do some more, I'm sure. It should be a very pleasant weekend.

Another Installment of Endorphin-Soaked Bike Rides

Hearing about the weather in SLC, I wanted to be sure to get out in today's somewhat balmier weather in NY. It was 62 degrees F when I started, but riding up through the canyons in the area, with the sun going down, it quickly cooled to 55. I went alone tonight, since most people went at lunchtime or had other commitments. It was 33 miles, with a 1086 ft vertical. The major climb is a long slow ascent through a winding bucolic canyon. It felt like there was a headwind the whole time. It took me 1:55 minutes; not too bad for early in the season for me. I like to ride in this area, because there is not a lot of traffic. I think 5 cars passed me the whole time I was out.

I have begun to notice that I am much more inclined to post on my blog when I have ridden. I wonder if there is a correlation between the endorphins and posting...

Climbing Made the Cold Bearable, Barely

Tonight after work I went out for another ride, this time with my friend Robert, who has been on previous blogs. It was a little chillier this evening. The thermometer on my car was saying the outside temperature was between 52 and 54 degrees F at about 5:45 PM, when we were getting started. I looked at the thermometer on my bike about 1/2-way through the ride and it said 47 degrees. It was the most difficult on the descents. It is a nice hilly route, so the climbing helped me warm up. But, 47 degrees is a little too cold. Later this week it is supposed to be in the 60's, so I will head out again then.

My cyclometer isn't working yet this season, so I don't have any numbers. I think I may have some corrosion from over the winter. I will try to clean up the contacts and see if that fixes it.

Another Beatiful Day, Another Awesome Ride II

Yes, another beautiful day and another awesome ride. There were four of us this time and the temperature was in the mid 60's. We added another extension, so that we could savor the great weather even more. I had emerged from work with long sleeves, a jacket, and tights on my legs, but it was so warm that I removed my tights and jacket and really enjoyed the warmth of the sun. Mid-ride we were in the shadows of a crest, but the enthusiasm of the beginning of the season kept me warm enough.

A few of us intersperse sprint points throughout the ride: whenever we come to a town line or city limits sign, there will be a sprint to see who can reach it first. Tonight I took the first sprint, coming from behind and passing the other rider before the sign. On the return, the same person I passed leaped out again. I tried to catch his slipstream, but just didn't have the strength to reel him in. However, on the final climb up to work, I led the way up the hill, feeling strong enough to get out of the saddle for a good portion of the climb. (Nothing like what Bill has on store for himself, but a little strenuous nonetheless).

After the ride I went for pizza and beer with the other sprinter. For me two slices - anchovies on one and fresh tomatoes on the other, and a Sierra Nevada Porter to wash it down. Nice way to end another awesome ride. Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy and mid 50's. I won't be looking for an awesome ride then...

Another Beatiful Day, Another Awesome Ride

Another beautiful day; another awesome bike ride. It was in the high 50's here today. My friend Eric and I went out after work and did the same flat ride (with a small extension of climbing) that we did last Friday. I managed to negotiate the railroad tracks without incident this time.

Eric and I have been riding, running, and swimming together for almost ten years. There was a short hiatus when he spent two years in Taiwan. Eric was one of the people responsible for getting me into triathlons.

When I first arrived at Corning, I was looking for a group to run with. I started running with the group including Eric and others. They were also triathlon training, so they were swimming and biking as well. They said, "Hey Karl, you should come swimming with us." or " Hey Karl, you should come biking with us. I have a bike you can borrow." Growing up near the ocean, I cannot remember not being able to swim, so I thought, "Sure, I am a strong swimmer. I'll be there." I was unpleasantly surprised to learn that swimming laps in a pool is much different from negotiating waves in the ocean.

It was early Spring that first year I was training with the group, when they were planning to go up to Albany for a sprint triathlon. I wasn't ready to commit to competing, because I lacked confidence. However, one by one, each of the training partners backed out, due to injuries, other commitments, ..., until Eric was the only one left. He was lamenting to me about having to go up to Albany all by himself or back out. I decided that I would go and compete in the masters class (usually, more competitive than the open class, but what the heck; It was in Albany, nobody would know me there!).

It was a great trip; the bike leg of that trip is really what got me hooked on biking. I had been training on a older heavy steel bike (compliments of Eric), but for the race a friend had loaned me a real road bike. I came out of the water and started the bike leg, which began with a small climb out of the lake's basin, when it felt like the bike was shooting out from under me. It was a tremendous feeling. Later in the race, when I was cooking along, I saw a group of riders up ahead of me passing each other in something that looked like drafting (not allowed in triathlons). I blew by them and none of them could stay in contact. Another thing that made me want to get a bike like that. A few months later, while visiting Bill and Carolyn, I visited Mike's shop, at the time thinking I would just get advice on what to look for in buying a bike, when I ended up shipping a beautiful aluminum Specialized Allez back home. I have been loving it (the bike and biking itself) ever since.

First Ride: Blood on the Tracks

It was 61 degrees F today. My friend Eric and I went out near the end of the day on one of our training rides from work. It is a flat ~16 mile ride that we usually take out and back. It is on a back road with not too much traffic. It has rained a few times this Spring, so most of the roads are clear, except for the shoulders. It rained yesterday, but the heavy fog we got this morning is a sure indication that it will be a clear sunny day.

This was our first time riding outside this year. It felt great to be cruising down the road with my good friend. We were catching up on things and chatting away when we came to a railroad crossing. The road rises up to the rail bed, then drops back down on the other side. The tracks are at an angle, so it is always prudent to be careful crossing over them. I was under the impression, with the warm sunny day, that it wasn't going to be a problem, but there was a thin film of mud on the train tracks that caused my front wheel to slide out along the steel rail. It happened so quickly that I didn't really have a chance to tighten up or prepare for the impact, so I just kind fell on my hip, rolled over my shoulder, then flipped over and slid about 15 feet or so. I think I was going about 15-18 MPH, full of enthusiasm for being out riding. I cracked my helmet and tore a small hole in my jacket, and, other than a couple of road rashes, was otherwise unscathed. After a few minutes, to make sure everything was okay, we got back on our bikes and finished the rest of the ride.

I didn't feel anything until the end of the ride when the salt from a little sweat made the raspberries on my hip and shoulder sting a little. I should have paid a little more attention to the tracks; I did on the return. It could have been worse, I suppose. I am not phased by it, and can't wait to get out riding again. I'll go shopping for a new helmet tomorrow.

Coming from the Chapel of Love

It has been quite a while since I last posted. I have been enjoying everyone's posts, so I thought I should muster up something for everyone. Recently, my Uncle Mark sent me some old pictures and I am posting one that I cannot remember seeing previously. It is my mother and father emerging from their wedding chapel with the bridesmaid Kathy (my mother's best friend) and best-man, my Uncle Robert (he is obscured a little, so it is hard to tell it's him, but I know it is).

It was September 1959 in New Jersey. They both look happy.

Like my father, my best man was my younger brother. Cindy's "person of honor" was her father. I just finished looking through a pile of photographs from our wedding; Cindy and I are not what one thinks of as photogenic. However, here is a photo from the ring portion of the ceremony. It was December 1989 in New York. We are both smiling at the trouble I was having sliding the ring onto her finger.

Interestingly, we were married about 30 years after my parents. This year will be our 20th anniversary! Time flies when you are having fun.