What Ever Will I Wear ?

That's the question that starts every ride for most every cyclist. Every one has a few key pieces that work well for them. Yesterday, it was 35f and sunny when I went for a road ride. Here's the run down on the kit of the day:

• Specialized BG Pro bib shorts. I love the chamois and fit in general. Fat guys should always wear bibs.
• Sporthill XC pants. If they made these padded, they would be the best cold weather biking pants ever.
• Craft long sleeve base layer top. Fits very snug, yet doesn't restrict movement.
  
• Sporthill Symmetry jacket. Wind blocking and just the right weight. Breathes very well.
• SmartWool medium ski sock. Cover to the knee without much pressure.
• Specialized BG Radiant gloves. Good to about 20f, lower if you use a chemical hand warmer in the zippered pocket on the back.
• Sugoi skull cap. I also bring along a hat/face mask for an extra measure of protection, especially when flying down hill for long periods.

That's what keeps me comfortable in these types of temps. Add a layer if it's gets too much colder, and shoes covers for under 20f, since I don't have a pair of Lake or Louis Garneau winter shoes. That's going to happen when they go on sale after the season.

It sure has been great riding this late in the year on clean roads and trails with relative un-bulky comfort. I have a feeling we aren't going to be putting the road bikes away for a while. Enjoy!

The Week That Wasn't

Last Sunday, I had planned a 40 mile ride. The weather has been great and I wanted to take advantage of the fact. Sunday morning, I lubed the chain on the Immortal Force, pumped up the tires, and loaded it in the van. Then, i went upstairs to change into my riding gear. Things soon went pear shaped. My stomach, which is usually cast iron, started doing back flips, followed by pain. Some chills and fever set in. No ride for me today, at least not this morning, I thought. Soon, retching and other nasty bodily functions ensued. I crawled back to bed and slept till 6:00 pm. I still felt like crap. At least the next day, I wasn't as bad, but it still comes and goes up to now. I tried a ride this afternoon, but my heart rate stayed elevated and I felt light headed. At least yesterday was OK, but I would really like to get in some more mile tomorrow while this great weather holds out......

Truck?!?

Was that a truck that hit me or life? After last Sunday's love fest with the gravel trail ride, I got into a little painting project. Plus, English, math, and interest inventories for school funding. More of that stuff tomorrow afternoon.

I was absolutely cooked after the ride with Doug and Jeff. It was fun, even though I just ground out the miles with little or no power. Without a lot of riding as of late, I really was prepared for it. And I paid for it for a couple of days after the fact. My bad.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, I spent painting the interior of my parent's house. 9 hours a day of up and down, floor to ceiling, was a lot of work. But it sure looked great when done.

Thursday, I spent the day at city hall testing. To my surprise, and the tester's, I scored very, very high in the English skills, and very high on the math. I'm encouraged for college after putting up some solid results in various tests. I'm not sure what tomorrow's session will involve, but I'm ready. With me going into the medical information field and L in the legal, I think we have the job market covered. I hope....

Gravel Trail Ride

This morning Doug, Jeff, and I met at the trail head off the Moccasin Mike Road heading out of Superior for a nice gravel trail ride. To get some miles in for winter biking. To start some training for winter racing. 33.489 mile later, I am cooked. I've got cramps in both inner thighs. My legs locked up in the shower. I feel weak. Boy, does it feel good!!!

Here's a link to the festivities.

I really enjoy riding with Doug and Jeff, and I think they enjoy dragging my slow, old, fat butt around. Gotta make 'em feel better about themselves. It would me.

Sense Of Direction

Well, it looks like the end of the line for me and the car biz. I won't be returning to the job I had before being laid off, so it's a new plan of action here at the ranch. I'm enrolling in school for the first time since high school graduation, thanks to some of that Obama stimulus plan money. I'm looking at getting into the medical insurance field, so I'm taking some courses on billing, coding, and such. Being that the health insurance industry is getting a revamp, it looks to be a good opportunity for me. L will be done with her legal studies about the time I get ramped up, so she can enter the work force while I learn. At least that's the plan.

I got out for a nice ride on the road bike yesterday. An hour and a half of nice tempo on the Munger Trail. I saw one other cyclist the whole time on a crisp 35 degree morning. A base layer and a long sleeve jersey, along with bib knicks were all I needed for perfect comfort. Oh, and a Sugoi skull cap and Specialized Radiant gloves, too. That reminds me, I need to get some more chemical had warmers before the really cold weather sets in. They sure are handy to have along if things change weather-wise.

I'm also thing about doing the North Shore Ultra this winter. Maybe the half, as Jeff and Doug plan on. That could be some serious motivation to get back training hard. Now that the game plan is in place for everything else, this could happen.

Race Across The Sky

L and I went to the movie "Race Across The Sky " last night at the Harbor theater. It's about this year's Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race in Leadville, Colorado. It's been a cult classic event since 1994, but now guys like Lance Armstrong are riding it and bring more wide spread notariaty to the race. This will probably make it harder to get in in the coming years, seeing that they limit it to @1400 entrants via a lottery system. Too bad for some, but at least being a "name" doesn't mean you will get in. 6 time champ David Wiens, a long time top mtb pro, didn't get i the first couple of years he tried. Only Tour De France winners are automatics.

The movie started with a panel discussion featuring Lance, Travis Brown, David Wiens, Chris Carmicheal, Matt Shriver, Ken Choulber (who organizes the event) and moderator Dave Towle. It did add a little back ground and gave Lance a chance to explain why he was doing the race and what it meant to him. He said he was more nervous at the start of Leadville than at the Tour De France.

The movie itself featured a lot of Lance, some human interest stories, fantastic camera work, and good narration by Bob Roll. With 14,000 feet of climbing, all of it from above 9000 feet of elevation, it's one epic challenge. The biggest challenge Lance faced was a flat tire with about 7 miles to go. He couldn't figure out how to fix it, being a tubeless and all, so he road it to the finish flat. Lucky it was on the back. He held off Wiens and won in record time. He said one of the reasons he rode so hard was to stay warm, as it was very cold. Many of the slower riders had to tough it out in rain and sleet. They were suffering, but all looked to really enjoy the pain. I felt bad for those that missed the first time cut, such as a guy who had 2 new knees and trained very hard, but just missed it. That would suck. One strange thing was Travis Brown's bike - a 26er with drop bars, ala John Tomac.

All and all, I really enjoyed the show, as did L. She just started to ride a bike again, and was fascinated with the movie. It showed the human side of bike racing from all types of riders.

A New Page

A couple of mile stones this weekend. First, L and I decided to get married. Not right now, but probably in a year or so down the line. I sold my spare road bike and used the proceeds to get her a nice ring. Nothing gaudy, just a small diamond in a classy setting. Funny how the economy has even hit the jewelry market. I purchased it at a fraction of what it would have cost a year and a half ago. Funny how things change. A few months ago, I vowed I would never tie the knot again. She said the same. The fact that neither of us is working full time right now has left us a lot of opportunity to get to know each other in a relatively short space of time. It's been great!

The second thing is she decided she wanted to go for a bike ride with me. She hasn't been on a bicycle since the 7th grade and wasn't sure about how she would do. So, she borrowed a bike from her friend and we headed down the Munger Trail out of Carlton this afternoon. We rode 6 miles with no problems. She seemed to really enjoy it and wants to go out again tomorrow. If this keeps up, we'll have to get her her own rig and some clothes. But first, lets see if she continues to enjoy it. More on that after a few more trips.