2 outta 3 ain't bad...

Today's lunch ride ended up being dry! Admittedly, I was a little bummed- I've been enjoying the hard man/ nutjob reputation I've been building (further) in the office. The past 2 days were very rainy, cold and windy. Today was just cold and windy. I finished the ride with a nice hard sprint up the short hill that leads into our parking lot. It was kind of an afterthought, after struggling up the earlier hill toward the office into a crazy-strong headwind, but I was very pleased with the sensation of power getting to the rear tire. I felt strong. I liked it.

Heading out the door...

Standing in the warehouse freezing like a drowned rat...

Part of the power I felt in the sprint no doubt came from the frame, which is the same Scandium prototype I've been riding for more than a year. It's now my "rain bike"- with a blend of Ritchey WCS parts and SRAM Rival drivetrain. The frame is super stiff- lending to that stiffness is the fact the 60cm frame uses the chainstays of a 58cm, so they are super short and keep the rear end MEGA stiff. The frame is an absolute missile! Also lending to that stiffness is the Ritchey WCS Zeta wheels- which I have mentioned before. I love these wheels- sincerely. They are among the best wheels I've ever ridden that weren't built specifically for me. The low profile rim paired with the spoke pattern creates a super stiff wheel that just rails. In the insane winds I was in today and earlier this week, the low profile helped me keep the wheels under control and the bladed Sapim spokes sliced through the wind just fine. All in all, the wheels and frame create an awesome riding machine when stiffness is the order of the day... and chugging into some mean headwinds requires stiffness!

208lbs. That seems to be my current baseline... 208lbs. Now that I'm back on the bike regularly, it's time to start getting serious about my diet again. I've dropped nearly 10lbs since Christmas, but I'm still a few pounds away from that 195 goal and I know I can get there... since I was just there as recently as September. My wife, who is beginning to look HUGE these days, has been very encouraging and has continued to push me to ride and train. I'm enjoying the feeling of getting some power back- all things being relative, 'cause it ain't like I'm about to win le Tour. However... still kicking around the idea of buying the racing license online soon so I can race the Old Guy division of the local crit on 2/7... so we'll see.

I'm not hearing voices in my head yet (well, new ones), but we've gotten tons of the rain we so very desperately need here in SoCal over the past few days. I'm not sure if I've seen heavier rains here since moving to San Diego in 1986, but I know that my drive home tonight was the most challenging one I've had since '86! Wow... tons of standing water on the freeway and nobody sure how to drive in it. It was chaos. If it rains like this for much longer, I'm collecting lumber and animals...


Tim

I'm officially nuts...

FYI: Riding a fixed gear in the rain on rollers with alloy drums requires slightly more attention than riding on the road in dry weather... I'm just saying.

The rain broke long enough to allow the sun out to dry off the driveway, so with the Masidaughter distracted with a movie, I skipped off down the stairs in my cycling gear with my bike and rollers. About 15- 20 minutes later, the rain starts as a very slight drizzle. Since my legs actually felt great, I decided to press on in case the rain stopped. A few minutes further into the riding and the rain got harder and harder, making the aluminum drums a little slippery and giving my neighbors even more reason to call me a crackpot. One neighbor drove home and pulled in to her parking space while giving me the universal "what the hell is wrong with you" look. Directly across the street from my parking space is a small dentist's office. As I looked up past the dripping brim of my cycling cap, I could see what looked like the entire office staff staring out the window at "that crazy guy across the street on his bike in the rain!"

To add insult to injury, I ended up getting a flat rear tire- which is why I ultimately ended my ride after a little more than 30 minutes, because I had no intention of stopping. Apparently I didn't find all the shards of glass from the case of beer I dropped on the stairs last night as I was bringing in the groceries (I lost 4 brave soldiers in that episode). Riding a fixed gear, in the rain, on the rollers is bad enough... but adding a flat tire to the mix made giving up on the ride a little easier.

If the rain stops long enough later tonight, I'll try again. For now, I'll just settle for being the guy in the neighborhood who gets all the weird stares for being such a lunatic.

Tim

Words of advice;

Helpful cycling tip;

If you ever do/ don't want to truly freak out your neighbors, then do/ don't do this-

• Ride your fixed gear bike on your trainer in your driveway after 9:00PM in sub 50 degree weather in a steady rain until your body temperature elevates to the point that the moisture on you and in your cycling clothing begins to convert to steam and it looks like you are on fire without flames.

Works every time. I promise.

Got out on my Speciale Fixed this evening to ride my stationary trainer (because I've been too lazy to go buy a replacement belt for my rollers). When I went out, it was a cool 50 degrees and dry. After about 5 minutes though, the temp dropped and the rain started. Since I was already out and the rain was light, I just kept riding. The rain came and went in constant waves- usually light, but there were a few that were fairly heavy and I eventually decided to call it a night when the tire wouldn't stop slipping on the resistance unit. The fluid resistance unit always generates a lot of heat from the internal friction and the cooling "fins" are usually pretty hot. Due to the rain, the unit was "smoking" with steam when I got off the bike. Because my body temperature was good and high from the workout, the water on my body and in my clothing was converted to steam- at one point, the steam was so heavy that I couldn't see past my self very well. It was actually pretty cool. The curious/ frightened looks of passersby was pretty funny. I normally get odd looks when I train in the driveway, but tonight might have been the prize winner.

Awesome!

Tim