Will it ever end?

 Cycling  2 Responses »
Dec 202010
 

I never have liked this time of year. The days are shorter, the weather colder, and it rains a lot. And this year is certainly no different. In fact, it may even be worse than most.

November started off with February like temperatures, and when the weather did finally return to more seasonal temperatures the rain started. And as of last Wednesday it has been relentless. I did manage to ride through the rain drops last Wednesday, but since that time the rain has prevented me from getting out on the road. (It even seems to be effecting internet access.)

I did a spin class on Saturday, with some other club members, which was OK. There was even another one scheduled for this morning, but it was at 6 AM, and that is WAY TOO early. (It seems some people still have to work for a living.) So today I’ll probably end up going to the gym, and riding the life cycle or Expresso machine. I might even end up doing the spin class at the gym, but…….

Any more I just don’t know about anything. Nothing seems to be a good substitute for the camaraderie out on the road, followed by coffee [or tea] afterwards.

All’s well that ends well

 Cycling  2 Responses »
Dec 112010
 

Well as it turns out, I got the new bike after all. It seems the owner(s) finally resolved enough of their legal issues to at least sell off their remaining inventory of show bikes, and I was fortunate enough to be offered one.

I even got a better deal than originally expected, as this bike included handle bars, stem and saddle (which the original deal did not), saving me an additional $200+. I did have to buy two water bottle cages, a new seat bag (for spare tube, CO2 cartridges and a tire iron), and a new mount for my Garmin GPS, but those were cheap in comparison.

And on top of that I should be able to get at least $500 for the race wheels that came with the bike, bringing my net cost down to under $2,500. I did buy a set of training wheels for about $200 as a replacement.

The only issues being, the bike is sold as is, i.e. no warranty or liability protection, but hey, what fun is life, if you can’t live it on the edge. :) Plus the color scheme wasn’t my first choice, but I am growing fonder of it by the hour, and it does color coordinate better with most of my riding apparel.

So I spent all day yesterday installing the miscellaneous stuff, and making the necessary adjustments for this mornings shake down cruise. Things were looking good, but as I’ve come to expect, nothing is ever perfect.

The fog this morning was intense, and the roads were extremely wet, so there was no way I was going to take my new bike out in that kind of weather. Instead I went to the gym, and waited for the sun to come out, after which I was able to get in about 11 miles, including a short hill and a few overpasses.

I didn’t get the amount of miles I was hoping for, but it was enough to get a feel for the bike, and make sure everything was working properly. And I have to say I was impressed. It was stiff, yet comfortable and handled the rough roads better than the Specialized.

I can’t wait for tomorrow’s ride.

Some days it’s just not worth getting out of bed

 Cycling, Life  4 Responses »
Nov 272010
 

After feeling so terrible during Thursday’s bike ride, I took Friday off, hoping to rejuvenate my body. Instead I went to Surf City Cyclery to buy a new set of tights and gloves, in an attempt to lighten up the load just a little, in anticipation of this mornings ride.

I knew it was going to be cold this morning, but I was not expecting it to be below 40°F, my self imposed cut off point for going on a bike ride (there isn’t enough clothing to keep you warm below that temperature), so when I woke up this morning to see 37°F on the wall thermometer, I was in total dismay. (And it’s not even sunrise yet, so it will get even colder.)

I know it’s a lot colder in other parts of the country (so I shouldn’t complain too much), but this is southern California, and this is only November. We don’t normally see these kind of temperatures until February, in the height of winter.

As if life isn’t depressing enough for me, why does the weather have to spoil one of the [very] few pleasures I look forward to. Maybe I’ll go for a ride a little later when it warms up some, or more likely I’ll just end up going to the gym and ride the lifecycle, that is if I can stop wallowing in my sorrow long enough to do that.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I could sure do with a little global warming about now!

Two hours later, I managed to stop wallowing in self pity long enough to get dressed, and still meet the group at the start of the Hammer Zone. It only warmed up a little, to 44°F, but as long as you stayed in the sun, and didn’t go down any steep hills, it was tolerable. And I feel a lot better about myself now, too.

2 pounds sure doesn’t sound like a lot, but….

 Cycling, General Health, Life  1 Response »
Nov 252010
 

2 pounds is the amount of added clothing I’ve needed the last couple of days due to temperatures being in the low 40′s when I go for my bike ride in the morning.

At least I hope that’s the reason I’ve been struggling on the bike so much this past week.

And today’s ride was just the pits. Not only was I the last one up the hill, but my time up the hill was the slowest in, I can’t remember how long.

Then on the way back, I couldn’t even keep up with the group, and ended up riding most of the way home alone.

I’m sure the 11.1 g/dL hemoglobin didn’t help either, but that hasn’t seemed to have had much of an effect lately. Up until this week, I actually thought I had been riding pretty good, so I have to attribute it to the weather.

Still I was demoralized, and I sure hope this isn’t a preview of what’s in store for us this winter. We didn’t have much of a summer this year, and I’d hate to think we’re not going to have a fall either. These kind of temperatures are usually reserved for mid winter. It could make for a very arduous winter riding season!

Pet Peeves

 Life  3 Responses »
Oct 232010
 

Since it’s raining today, I didn’t have much to do [I couldn't ride my bike], so I thought I’d complain about some of the little things that bug me. I know I’m not supposed to sweat the little things, which I don’t [for the most part], but these are so minuscule, I figure they don’t really count.

One of my biggest complaints are walnuts, or any kind of nuts, in chocolate chip cookies. Nuts have no business in chocolate chip cookies. Chocolate chip cookies are sweet. They’re a dessert, and nuts provide an unwanted texture, and flavor that takes away from that. Nuts don’t belong in chocolate chip cookies.

And come to think about it, nuts don’t belong in brownies either, but I don’t usually eat brownies (I don’t particularly like them), so I don’t really care. Still they don’t belong. They’re OK in Snickers, but that’s about it.

Another complaint is with people who buy [or rent] a convertible, and then drive around in it with the top down, and all the windows rolled up. Rolling up the windows takes away from the aesthetics and clean lines of the convertible. It’s just ridiculous! If you want a convertible, either ride with all the windows rolled down, when the top is down, or just leave the top up and use the damn air conditioning.

I personally don’t like convertibles for exactly the reason people do that. It’s too freakin’ windy, and it can get cold (depending on where you live), when you ride in one with the top and windows down. So what’s the point? It just bugs me.

Then there are those people at the gym, who after using equipment, fail to return the weights to their proper storage places. I’m not a very big guy, so removing a 45 lb plate so I can replace it with a 2.5, 5 or 10 lb plate, is not something I relish doing. Hey, I could drop that heavy weight on my toe or foot, and then how would you feel? What’s the big deal? You put the plates on, so take them off. It’s just common courtesy.

Oh, and I can’t forget the few people who find it necessary to do stretches, and/or other exercises right in front of some piece of equipment they’re not even using, when there’s plenty of open space elsewhere for them to do just that. I hate asking people if they’re using this equipment, when I know full well they’re not. IMO, that’s a stupid question.

Could you guess I went to the gym today?

Those are just 3, or 4 (depending on how you’re counting), pet peeves that immediately come to mind. They’re not something I get overly worked up about, but they do bug me some. Still, if those were my only problems, I would be a very happy camper.

Unfortunately that’s not the case. I’ve got tons of others, some of which I’ve blogged on before, i.e. alternative medicines/treatments, the US health care system, work, etc. but they have more to do with a perceived general overall stupidity of far too many (IMO) Americans displayed in their everyday business and private lives, so I won’t get into that today.

Mostly I was just upset because it was raining today, and I didn’t get to ride my bike. I just needed to vent. :)

Isn’t it ironic?

 Life  No Responses »
Oct 152010
 

I don’t get the Toyota (my commute car) washed for at least 3 months, because I always seem to leave before the car wash guy arrives at work. But yesterday he arrived early, well before my departure time. So I decided to have it washed. He was actually a welcomed sight, as the car was pretty dirty.

But guess what I discovered when I woke up this morning? That’s right! It rained, and is still raining. It’s not raining very hard, but none the less, it is raining.

It’s just a good thing I didn’t plan on riding this morning. I might have really been disappointed then.

Now I’m just wandering if anyone is going to show up at the coffee shop.

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