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Tag Archives: bicycling
Thanks Oakley!
I quietly thanked Oakley this morning (producers of my favorite cycling sunglasses). Check this out…
While riding my bicycle in to work today, it was FREEZING. The wind was whipping around at about 18 mph and I think the temperature was trending at 50 degrees. I’m fairly certain the wind chill was somewhere around 45, and since I was dressed in a vest/wind breaker, it felt really cold! But it wasn’t the wind or the cold I was thanking Oakley for. The sunglasses tint the shining sun nicely and shield my eyeballs from the wind really well, but it was the small pack of gnats I rode through that made me think what a great product Oakley made for me.
Thank you Oakley!
This knotted up, buzzing in tight formation, community of gnats doing that thing gnats do, on the calm side of a tree, was a strange and curious thing to see. I guess they grouped there because they could, and by sheer volume made themselves known because they created this odd-looking dark shadow where no shadow could be. The sun was shining from the East (as it often does) and the wind was blowing from the Southwest at 17 to 20 mph. Naturally I am heading South (bother) against the wind. My feet are putting some very strong pressure on the pedals to move me forward at 18 mph against this wind, and up ahead is something I had never seen. It looked like that smoke monster from the television show “Lost” and I could not figure out what it was. Going around it to the left would put me halfway into the right lane of traffic – not acceptable – and going around to the right would have me curb jumping onto lawn which would certainly cause my own personal wreck – been there, done that – so I went right through it. And realized immediately what it was. They were up my nose, sticking to the sweat on my brow, attaching themselves to the little hairs on my arm…..they were gnats. And a whole group of ’em to boot!
Little, tiny, flying bugs, rotating around in the relative calm beside that big ol’ tree. I had no idea this could happen. And I bet nobody driving a car knows about this either!
Anyway, I quietly thanked Oakley this morning for making this most excellent model of sunglasses available to me. They made ’em, I bought ’em, thank you very much.
The end.
Clean your bike! I did….
Spring is in the air. Finally. If you are a cyclist there is a very large gap between the start of Winter when you quit riding and the beginning of Spring when you begin riding again.
It’s about two months early for Spring to show its colors out here….and in spite of the calendar, the grass is getting green, trees are budding, and folks are spending time outside. Pretty soon when it warms a bit more there will be clean cars, gardening services rushing from yard to yard, and outdoor fitness buffs will grudgingly show off their lumpy acquisitions of weight gain while they trudge along to some unknown song playing on their music player.
And if you’re me, your bicycle just got a bath. I haven’t been riding lately but noticed a layer of dust had settled on the paint, also saw I had not scrubbed the goo-cumulation from the last ride back in October, and could NOT tell by looking at the dark cluster of grease toward the back of the bike there were gears back there waiting to power the bike on down the road! So I gave CashFlow a bath.
Up she went onto the bike stand and my attention turned to the rear wheel. The cassette was detached and summarily reduced to the parts of its sum with spacers, gears, and the end cap were drowned inside a half coffee can full of Simple Green. The de-greasing had begun.
The bike then received a full wipe-down with a damp cloth. Chunks of road tar were addressed with a toothbrush dripping with more Simple Green and lot of TLC. Another wiping with the cloth and CashFlow was looking like her old self!
Now the wheels. I think you can clean just about anything if you take the time and apply yourself to the task at hand. Greasy spokes and road grime had given the bike an old beat-down look to it and the goal for today’s bath was to remove that layer of ugly and replace it with the look I am accustomed to….this was a Beast-to-Beauty transition, and it would make me a happy man to do the work. I used the toothbrush soaked in Simple Green to remove the layer of grease on each cog and spacer. Only when they looked all bright and shiny would I move on to the next one. And I made a promise this would not happen again! We’ll see how that goes.
After re-assembling the cassette with those shiny new looking cogs, the rear wheel looked great. Of course I cleaned up the front wheel and when they were both put back on the bike, CashFlow looked great. I am so proud of her!
CashFlow is clean now, and with Spring nearly here, I better figure out how to get my newly acquired weight into some cycling shorts and start working it off so CashFlow can be proud of me too.
I still need to clean the chain, but I’ll do that before my first ride….which will happen soon!
Exciting News….finally!
Well here is an unexpected pleasant bit of news (for me); I had a really good ride!
As you may know from my previous entries, I have been struggling BIG TIME with my cycling. My mind remembers my previous fitness level and how capable I was at all sorts of things. Climbing, sprints, long distance…all of it…I was good once. And for a cyclist to suffer during a contest or training ride is expected. And I was pretty good at that too! Ride to the pain, then ride through it….made me a better rider, it did. But that was then. My NOW? My body rebels at the mere <i>thought</i> of going faster, harder, or longer. I suffer, but that’s about it.
Yes, the suffering has been great, and I still know how to get there, but the results have been pretty much the same. Every ride begins with me hoping for a shred of evidence of my past strength, but ends with me wondering when something good is going to happen. Every. Single. Day.
I saddle up and struggle to get comfortable. Then it is SNAFU….and nothing to report. Oh sure, there is an occasional glimpse of power like when I tuck into the TT position and TRY to go fast. But that always ends with my heart POUNDING like a drum during the High School fight song, sweat pouring down my face like someone dumped a bucket of water on my head, and my legs SCREAMING BLOODY MURDER to stop or at least slow down. Dutifully I wind it down and plod the rest of the way to work or home. Every day. And you know wut? It’s getting old!
Yesterday’s Ride
Which is why yesterday’s ride was so much a pleasure that I am pounding out this note. First, I took the sunrise photo….wait a second, that was a little later in the ride. First, I had a nice little warm up…..no wait, that was before I realized it was going to be a good day! The first thing I did was…wow, I’m writing myself into a corner. Back in a sec…..
Much time has passed. Cup of coffee in hand, a Saturday morning happening all around, and a clear mind. OK, here is how the ride happened; I started the day off at 5:30 am with a shower, got some breakfast and pondered the day. The weather has been trending hotter and hotter until yesterday when we actually busted a hundred degrees. So it’s been hot. I’ve also been having trouble with my weight. After 9 months of being off the bike, I gained 16 pounds. This is understandable (not acceptable, but I’m past that). So after being ON the bike for almost three months, I thought I might have some success to share. Alas, that is not the case, as I am down only 6 pounds (might be the beer, or my darn sweet tooth…don’t know for certain). Anyway, clocking the scale at 186, I am still carrying 10 lbs. too many. So I’m working on that too.
But I stopped after my morning cereal and thought, “today is going to be a good day”. And way back in the 80’s I learned from Jack and Gary Kinder, “If it is to be, it is up to me.” So what happens today is my fault. I can make it or break it. Today is my day. It’s up to me.
So I got in the closet and dressed for success. Instead of riding shorts, I put on my bibs. These provide excellent comfort and do not allow any chafing in the seat area. They also wick away moisture really well and just make for an all around better feeling outfit for a long ride. And today was going to be that 18 mile ride in to work and eighteen mile back home; with the return during the 100 degree sunny afternoon. Comfort would be important.
The day got going with some really good energy, a good vibe, and some hope for a good ride. I was a little late out the door so I decided to cut corners if I could. Having shed some demons by giving myself a little pep talk is a good thing to do anytime you can do it, and by golly I did it, so lets get this thing underway! I pushed off and here we go.
I ride back behind my old High School, note the darkness all around, and quietly thank the manufacturer for the light I bought a couple of years ago. I can see the street really well and I’m fairly certain drivers and anyone looking my way won’t miss the glowing orb coming toward them. I’m seriously lit up!
Then it is past the old bridge on Norris and I’m taking back roads all the way over to the bike trail at Watt Avenue and Fair Oaks Boulevard. In a zig zag pattern I’m crossing Marconi Avenue, then Arden Way, and then I’m across Fair Oaks Blvd. before dropping down onto the bike trail. And here is where I have a decision to make, do I continue on for the sake of getting the full 18 miles or do I take the shortcut through Sacramento State University and arrive to work on time. Since I started my ride ten minutes late, I take the shortcut. It cuts the ride by about 4 miles and will easily save a few minutes, so I’ll be okay on time.
Morning Rides are BEST!
This is why I ride a bike...Sunrise over the American River
The ride gets started up again and I am noticing I have some “legs” today. But the streets of downtown are waiting for me and I don’t really feel like going hard, so I continue on to work and arrive in the bike lock-up room at the designated time of 7:20. Here it is Friday and an 8 hour shift awaits.
The workday is over and here is the good part; time to ride! Like I’ve said before, “work is the thing I do between rides.”
Warm up with a ride through the streets of Old Sacramento. There’s Fannie Anne’s on the right, there’s the old candy shop, here comes the Train Depot. People are everywhere walking the planks out in front of the shops, I have only a few cars to contend with, and it’s on to the bike trail. Here comes Discovery Park, and just like that it is behind me. I decide to test my legs.
And here is where it gets REALLY good. I tuck in to the Time Trial position. Elbows are resting on the handlebars and my hands lightly hold the shifter cables out in front of the bike. My neck has been getting better and better at holding my head up to see the road streaming in front of me and the bike is in its highest gear selection. This is a hard test and you can get going around 28 to 32 mph…..and that is what I am going! Mile one comes and goes. My heart rate is hammering out a nice tempo, my mouth is agape and pulling in air for my lungs to process the coveted oxygen, and my legs are busy just doing their job of mashing the pedals toward the ground again and again; today with power!
Huh? What is happening?? My mind is REELING! Is this really going on? Like a finely tuned athlete, I am SCORCHING the bike path and seriously LOVING IT! This is very similar to some of the efforts I was able to do before Cancer came a calling on my prostate!!
Mile two is here and yes, I am spent. But I should be! Maybe I should not have gone so hard for so long, but I did….and here I am to talk about it. I survived the test! And my brain is now thinking (and worrying just a little) about how I’m going to get the rest of the way home. And instead of LISTENING TO THAT CRAP, I motored home, pushing it the entire way. My ride of 18 miles was completed in just less than the 70 minutes it has been taking me. Pre-surgery I was doing this regularly at 60 minutes, and I am very pleased with the results of this ride of 58 minutes!
The take-away here? Never, ever, stop trying. Strive to do something and then give yourself a chance to be the winner you are.
Today is your day….what are you going to do with it?
Believe it. Do it. Begin now.
HowzitGoin’ David?
First, I have a couple of anniversaries to note:
September 12, 2011 – Two Month Anniversary of my first bicycle ride (7/12) after a nine month medical leave
September 20, 2011 – Four Month Anniversary of the day my prostate was removed
And then, this is how things are going on the bike:
My comfort in the saddle is finally getting manageable and the amount of energy I have post-ride is a lot better than before. I can do longer rides without too much struggle and the 9 mile morning/evening commute is getting a little faster all the time. I can take the pain of a hard effort better this week than last, and the recovery time seems to be a little shorter too. All of that is really good news!
On the flip side; Man is it depressing how much fitness I still don’t have! If a glass of water is my level of fitness, and FULL is where I was nine months previous to July 12th; I was EMPTY. Up 16 pounds, soft jello-like muscles, and no cardio to speak of, I was just empty. Nothing to offer but a new reality to endure.
Currently, the fitness glass is either half-full or half-empty, depending how you see things, and filling slowly. I have lost 6 pounds and the cardio is on its way back. The soft jello-muscles are slowly transitioning their way into the hard-working pistons they were – way back in October, 2010. And, as an added plus, my resting heart rate is down around 58 bpm. Good news!
“Think of what you want most, then become it”. June is when I began thinking.
When Doc said I could begin walking, I walked. If you read this bLog while I was recovering you know I walked several times and each time was better than the time before. I remember the first time I couldn’t get down to the end of the street without having to turn around and practically RUNNING back home to get in to the bathroom! A week or two later, I was down the street and around the corner for a 3 mile walk. After that a 7 mile jaunt. When you dedicate your life to a thing, nothing is terribly difficult!
After the first post-surgery PSA blood test I was told I could ride, so I rode. And it hurted me….but I hung in there anyway. And I rode every day for as long as I could handle the pain. I think the first ride was about 12 miles. After my neck muscles allowed it, I was back on the bike for a little longer ride of 18 miles. After my butt stopped feeling like I had left the saddle inside it, I was out again for more. I don’t recall the progression now, but suffice it to say I rode EVERY chance I got. And while I was not working, it was so easy!
After one month of riding as often as I could, on August 15th, I was back to work. After three months off (two of which were all about healing, the final about getting strong), I was back on the job. Which is when the bike commute began anew.
To refresh your memory, the bicycle commute takes me along the top of a really flat and paved levee for 3 miles before dropping on to our local river-hugging bike trail. Fully paved, lined, and marked for runners/walkers/bicycles there are no cars or motorized vehicles of any kind on any part of this ride, and that goes for another 4 miles. Then, I pick up another levee on the other side of the river that winds over to the downtown area where I integrate on to an actual road for a half mile and find myself at work with 9 miles logged. It is a nice ride of 30 minutes and it doesn’t hurt all day like it did one month ago….which is really good news because I turn around and go back the same way after work, and do this every workday! I make the commute as difficult as I can handle by keeping constant pressure on the pedals, and about half-way thru going into Time Trial mode for a dose of true effort. The commute is anything but mundane and it helps make me strong again.
Work is the thing I do between rides.
Health Stuff
Just yesterday I went to Vampire House where they drew blood from my arm again. PSA test and hoping for zeroes. Results next week….wish me luck!
And OK boys and girls, this is the serious part. If you don’t want to know the details about what happens when a doctor removes a man’s prostate, read no further.
Seriously….if you don’t want to know, stop reading.
I’ll wait.
{insert music here. Use the theme from “Jeapordy”}
OK, if everyone is gone who should be/wants to be gone, and the rest of you are interested in the embarrassing details, here you go:
Peeing. This WAS a problem. And I did not think it would ever get back to normal. They did the surgery and left a catheter in to allow the urethra to heal. They cut and reattach this pipe during surgery. After ten days they removed the catheter and I was certain I would never control my pee again. Maybe I wouldn’t be able to…wow, there’s a thought. Or maybe I would be in that awkward 10% of folks who never get that control back. Wear diapers? Ugh, THERE’S a lifetime of embarrassment! What a bummer it is to even THINK like that! Fortunately I did not need to harbor those thoughts as it became less and less of a problem to control starting/stopping and when/where for the next session in front of the porcelin. Today I have about 99% of that control back and have little concern knowing it will completely heal the way it should. I’ll put a check in the box marked “Success” for that problem.
Erection. Nope. None to report. It is easy (and disappointing) to report this as the one malady I currently endure. This was/is a concern they prepare you for and they also seem to think it will work itself out over the first year or so. I guess the nerves – even though they were spared during surgery – take time to heal. I guess. Fantastically, my wife is very supportive and has no concern either way. And really truly, me too. I mean, I don’t NEED an erection, but it is still weird I don’t get them anymore. After a lifetime of success, failure is the new reality. So I’ll put a check in the box for “Hopeful”. Not a complete failure yet. They say it needs more time. And apparently, thanks to the surgery, I’ve got that. Thanks doc!
Update: New Wheels
This is the revision I promised to the 08/08/2011 post titled: NEW WHEELS
I bought some new wheels for my bicycle, CashFlow. The wheels came from a company named “Neuvation” located in San Luis Obisbo. The guy who runs it, John, has been doing so for quite some time and he is really good at what he does! And what he does is this, buy the parts and pieces overseas, assemble those parts/pieces into bicycle wheels, and make them available to any interested parties.
Recently, I was one of those “interested parties” because my previous, expensive, Bontrager XL rear wheel had been producing flats as frequently as I could finance the purchase of the next one. Some rides would see a single flat while other rides would see two or three. It got to be a real drag to pull over to the side of the trail and show off my repair skills while dripping sweat all over the pavement. So, with great trepidation, I dipped my toes into the pond where new wheels glisten in the horizon like so many oasis glimmering in the desert. The purchase of new wheels seemed so far away! Everywhere I looked the cost was right around $800 a set. For CHEAP wheels. Bottom-fishing stuff. The stuff you buy and wonder why. Discouraged, I wanted to give up, but wanted to stop fixing flats even more.
And right about then, I remembered my friend over in Utah who last summer was sporting some new wheels from Neuvation. I emailed him asking about ride quality, wheel stiffness/response, and his overall impression. His reply? “Love them!”
So, to save you from the headache(s) I suffered while shopping for a new set of wheels, do this: visit the Neuvation site and buy yourself a set. Mine? I love them!
You will too.
Visit the website: http://www.neuvationcycling.com
This is an excerpt from a review about John’s R28 Aero’s:
“The economics behind Neuvation’s business model are simple enough: Product is sourced overseas and then sold directly to consumers. Neuvation’s brain trust has a single Social Security number: John Neugent’s. Neugent was the head of Sachs here in the U.S. and his skill set is unusually broad; the guy has done everything from CAD drawings to sales and marketing, but relationships being what they are, Neugent’s most important asset is his 25 years of experience sourcing product in Taiwan. And if you’ve ever heard anyone haggle with a Taiwanese businessman then you know that garage sales are for the faint of heart.
It’s true that his web design isn’t too exciting and the graphics on the wheels aren’t exactly sexy, but that’s really the point: You purchase Neuvation wheels not because they have the allure of a Victoria’s Secret model, but because anyone gainfully employed has the coin for a set.”
Read the full article at: http://www.belgiumkneewarmers.com/2008/05/neuvation-r28-aero4-wheels.html
My Ride with Zach
Bicycle Race!
Zach is the 18 year old son of a friend of mine. And he challenged me to a race. On bicycles. This entry is about that ride.
First of all, Zach is 18 years old. And he does NOT ride a bike very often. To say he HAS a bike would be stretching the truth a bit, as the bike he has is quite old, is best suited for trail riding, and does not fit him very well. For Zach to use this bike in a race would also be an adventure in curiosity, as perhaps his ability to survive an outing of more than 20 miles would be like watching a slow motion de-evolution of an otherwise capable boy. And I was correct. More about that in a minute.
How it began
This story began as many do, with a group of people talking about a thing, that leads to another thing, and someone challenges someone and BAM! just like that a race is born. It happened in Hawaii for the IronMan Triathlon some 33 years ago and it happened in Walnut Grove just last weekend while camping. And, like in Hawaii, I had nothing to do with the conversation.
Really, I was just sitting there.
So Zach was talking about youthful things and alluded to his sheer ability to survive about anything. Well, when a mouth gets to motoring, there seems to be no stopping it, and Zach was certainly getting chatty. And it seems the conversation got revved up like a big ol’ V8 engine when Zach dropped the pedal to the floor, let gasoline fill the chamber and NO2 got mixed in from the highly pressurized tank, and something came out of his mouth that sounded like “I could beat you in a bicyle race.”
I was like, “what? You talkin’ to me??”
A smile formed; first in my eyes, then on my lips. The gears began turning. We all knew how this would play out, but Zach had a learning moment coming to him….courtesy of me.
The Ride
Our “race” would begin at Bannister Park on Sunday, at 9:00 a.m. This was changed, and we began at Zach’s Place. And the race became a ride. And the challenge of the race went away. Now it would just be a brash 18 year old kid riding the bike trail with some old guy trying to get another fitness ride under his belt. So the ride took us down a couple of residential streets for a mile and a half, a mile on Fair Oaks Blvd, and we would attain Bannister Park then continue on to the American River Bike Trail (ARBT) proper. Following the ARBT for about 13 miles would take us up to Beals Point where we would have a breather and turn around for the ride home.
The entire ride logged in at 32.02 miles and it took 2:55. Our speed was a sizzling average of 10.9 mph and total climb was 1492′.
Learning Moment
The big learning moment for Zach may have come early in the ride, perhaps as early as 15 minutes into the ride. Now, these are his words……and when he was reporting them to his Dad, sister, and I…we were laughing so hard I may not have heard them correctly. So here you go, my version of what Zach said about the ride.
“The first ten minutes go by and I’m hanging with Dave, thinking this is going to be easy. The next ten minutes I’m thinking this is getting hard! The first hour goes by and I can’t believe what I’ve gotten myself into. The next hour was like an out-of-body experience and I’m up there floating along watching this guy down there, struggling to keep up and wondering how he is going to make it. The next hour I was begging God to just take me!”
I may not have gotten this right….Zach, any help?
Anyway, Zach bit off more than he could chew and by throwing the gauntlet at my feet in front of all those people….well, there was just some part of me that wanted to really show him how difficult it can be to ride competitively and dare him to keep up! And another part of me that wanted him to enjoy the ride so he could challenge me another day. I think we attained both.
The lesson? That is easy….don’t open your mouth and have it write checks your body can’t cash.
Thanks for visiting!
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- checking out the dam
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- Stopping for some water and a little relaxation
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- just leaving the bike trail to go over the lake and check out the goo at Bicycles Plus in Folsom
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- Rainbow Bridge was the only way in and out of this side of Folsom for years.
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- Folsom bike shop. This is a mandatory stop if you want to drool over new bikes and gear
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- overlooking kayaks
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- The Bike Trail is a beautiful place for man and machine!
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- On our way up to Beals Point
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- Nimbus Dam Aquatic Center on a busy Sunday
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- We stopped to see if there were any fish available
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- Rafters putting in for a day on the river
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- This photo was captured near the end of the ride
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- Bannister Park was the entry and exit point we used to get on to the bike trail
Auburn, CA at Garmin Connect – Details
This is a map of today's ride to Auburn
And it was a great test of my new Neuvation wheels. NICE! They are stiff and quick to respond. Compared to the 5 year old Bontragers I have been riding these things are built to race!
The ride-specs are available for your review too. Check it at this link: Ride to Auburn – Ride Details.
I’ll probable have something to say about the ride but for now, I must rest.
New stuff
New ride:
I had the pleasure of taking another “ride of distance” today. This one measured 45 miles and took 3 hours from start to finish. I had a couple of 5 minute water/recovery stops and then cooled down with a nice spin for the final 4 miles. To top off this nice ride, the Garmin cycle computer tells me I burned 2703 calories. On Saturday my ride took 5 hours to cover 67 miles (had 2,600′ of climb) and the calorie burn is listed at 4041.
New Focus:
Build muscle. What I need to do now is convince my body that is the “new normal” and it better get cookin’ up the muscle recipe to build the necessary fibers to maintain my habit! Or ELSE! Just cuz I was off the bike for NINE MONTHS, does NOT mean I’m going to allow my body to get soft(er). But I am here to tell you, right now it hurts. I have been back on the bike for a little less than a month and it hurts. My whole body is in pain from head to toe. All the support systems are seriously stressed, and it hurts like crazy. All day. Of course you know that means I’ll be ignoring the pain, putting down more miles, more often. All to help the systems understand this is serious and you best come on-line with some expediency. That’s just the way it is in the Land of Dave. Comply or be crushed!
New mantra:
Ouch. (Say it slowly and repeat often for best effect.)
New favorite saying:
Rode hard, put away wet.
New goal:
Auburn, CA.
A Trip Down Memory Lane: My First Bicycle
The morning ritual around here is pretty easy. As I wake up and get moving, the second stop is the kitchen. Most of the time I clean up anything sitting on the counter from last nights dinner and get the coffee brewing so as to re-balance the caffeine/blood mixture coursing through my veins. Once the coffee is inside my belly, all is right with the world.
Our coffee machine was a very expensive item sitting on the shelf at StarBucks about ten years ago. It was a beautiful thing with a stainless steel carafe, an automatic timer, and a black shapely exterior. To say it has earned its keep in our kitchen would be a vast understatement as it has saved this household a LOT of money. As the maker of superior, rich, dark coffee every morning I would have paid more than the $100 asking price had I known how reliable it would be through the years. A very good buy!
The machine, known in our house as “The Maker”, has a clock on it too. But that clock gets used mostly as a timer instead of a clock because it doesn’t stay plugged in. Do you know about phantom energy? Leaving something with a clock inside plugged in uses energy you must pay the Electric Company dearly for its use. Wasteful. Anyway, for those of us who are challenged by the count of time a clock provides a morning race occurs with every brewing of the grounds. Here is how it goes: when The Maker is plugged into the wall, the 60 count begins, and my frantic grab is for the Brita water pitcher. A stream of H2o magically funnels into the top of the water reservoir at a very high flow rate. That complete, it is over to the freezer to apprehend the container which keeps the coffee in a constant state of ready. Rip its’ top off, then a quick swipe into the silverware drawer where I will grab a tablespoon to measure out the scientifically perfect amount of coffee into the metal-screened filter. Then, I am back at The Maker scooping 8 kinda-sorta heaping spoonfuls in. A push of the ON button and the race is over. If the clock still reads 12:01, I am Winner, and still Champion of the kitchen! Otherwise, I hang my head and await further instructions.
This morning as I celebrated the first victory of the morning, I was watching the clock tick off the number 12:07, kinda spaced for a minute or five, and there it was, the memory of my first bike.
I think I was 8 years old. At that time I stood about four foot something, just like all the other kids in the neighborhood growing up. In my family I was right plum stuck in the middle of five children. YES, Mom and Dad were super busy! And NO, we are not Catholic. Anyway, with two older siblings and two younger, it was a great childhood for a kid named Dave. My family went like this: boy, girl, ME, girl, boy. My older brother is 3 years older, and my older sister 2. The younger sister is two years my junior, and the youngest is 10 years less than me, so he wasn’t there for My First Bike.
And getting back to the story, my first bike wasn’t even mine; it was my older sisters! She had just received it from Dad and Mom for her birthday (I’m guessing) and it was sitting in its usual parking space on the front porch. We lived in this great house (only when I got older did I realize the house wasn’t all that big until Dad put his carpenter’s apron on and learned how to construct a house after he came home from work each day) on almost an acre of lawn in a neighborhood zoned for residential/farm. The houses were (still are) spaced nicely apart and all had big trees. Some of our neighbors had horses, pigs, sheep, and chickens….lots of chickens…..so there was always something to do, some adventure to have, or just a fun place to get older! And the front porch was the place for anything important. As a kid growing up McClellan wanting to keep track of your stuff, you left it where you could see it. That place was the front porch. Until Dad came home, then everything went in back.
So my older sister left her new bike on the front porch. And her watchful eyes maintained a very liberal “safety zone” around it. She would magically appear, as if out of thin air, if you were too close. And so it went.
And I told you I was like, 4 foot sumthin’ right? That bike was super tall and I don’t recall if my head even made it to the handlebars! As I am standing there on the front porch – this is just before my eyes rolled back in my head and a demon possession occurred – just outside the “safety zone”, taking in all the colors the shiny blue paint was reflecting into my eyes, and I really don’t remember how I came to get on the bike and go for a ride. But I remember riding that bike down the street with my sister running after me. I was laughing maniacally with my head spinning around trying to see which side she would attack from next, and I was veering from side of the road to side of the road, and all the neighbors were probably wondering when I would fall.
I didn’t fall that day. That would be much later.
My first bike. And it wasn’t even mine!
Good times.
65 Miles
what a ride!
Yesterday, I finally got a ride of significant distance.
More inna minnit….
OK, I’m back. Posted that little bit via Windows Phone 7. Nice feature!
The ride of “significant distance” was a 65 mile slow ride to hell and back. By that I mean – it hurt. And I am dead serious. I think the ride lasted about 15 miles too long and I knew it because I was plodding along at about 16 mph instead of my “new” usual speed of 18 mph.
Oh, and my Garmin 305 is sporadically functioning, and this is most likely due to its lack of use over the last 9 months. So there’s that.
Anyway, back to the ride. It got started nicely with some really nice weather. A little cool at 62 degrees and a bit breezy as well. But hey, I was going for ride, was dressed, the chain was lubed, and off I went. Mark the time at 9:00 am.
At 9:10 I was logging mile #5 and off the street working in his garage is a friend of mine. Detour #1. I pulled over and we talked for about 20 minutes.
9:30, I excused myself and took off down the road. The American River Bike Trail was the next destination ……………….
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