Monday, August 31

This morning’s ride: 52:00 or so Distance: 11.88-ish Miles Average: low 90’s

It was cold this morning. Jacket and gloves cold. My combination GPS/timer’s batteries ran out 10 miles into the ride. I don’t care. My kids are home.

This evening’s ride: 51:25 by my watch Distance: around 12 miles. Average: 90’s

I had a headwind all the way home. It was still cold when I rode home. I didn’t know it was going to be that cold, so I packed away my jacket. I didn’t care. My kids are home.

I noticed that my gracilis (the inner thigh muscle that’s been hurting so much these past few rides) hurts the most when I stop for a while. My friend Tanja (who knows about these things) thinks it might be caused by the difference in lengths between my legs. This could be fixed by adjusting the crankshafts, or getting a new leg. Both time-consuming, and expensive. I don’t care.

Did I mention my kids are back?

Sunday August 30

This morning’s ride: 1:20:44 Distance 18.39 miles Average: 90 RPM

I had a nice 2-hour ride mapped out. I had the time, traffic was light, the weather was good, and my legs felt fresh.

So why did I stop 40 minutes short?

My freaking gracilis. That damned muscle on the inside of my left thigh acts up whenever I ride more than an hour. You could set your watch to it. The last 10 minutes of the ride were agony.

My kids come home tomorrow night! Which means I will have one last day of riding to work. I didn’t do that nearly as much as I wanted to, but I still will manage to ride to work 10 out of a possible 20 days. Plus I did some additional riding–either in the morning, or the evening, or on days off–so I did spend a bit of time in the saddle. Considering all that went on this month outside of riding, which included buying a house, flying to Texas for a weekend, and burying my stepfather, that’s a good average.

Every weather forecast I’ve read says clear for tomorrow. Let’s keep a good thought.

And hopefully, to the doctor’s on Tuesday.

Wednesday, August 26

This morning’s ride: 52:10 Distance: 11.98 miles Average: 92 RPM

This evening’s ride: 54:01 Distance 12.02 miles Average: 89 RPM

Hello, and welcome to I Really Didn’t Need to Know That, an occasional feature of this blog that explores things you didn’t think you needed to know–because you didn’t.

Today’s topic: Spandex!

(applause)

It’s happened to all of us: You’re sitting on a park bench in some bucolic setting, perhaps enjoying an ice cream cone, or maybe a nectarine, when suddenly some dude on a bike rolls up and dismounts. And as he gets off you can’t help but notice that the shorts he’s wearing leave nothing to the imagination. You see everything, right up to and including what the guy had for dinner last night, and the rest of your idyll is ruined.

Well, welcome to the world of spandex! Wikipedia describes spandex thusly:*

Spandex—or elastane—is a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity. It is stronger and more durable than rubber, its major non-synthetic competitor. It is a polyurethane-polyurea copolymer that was invented in 1959 by DuPont chemist Joseph Shivers. When first introduced, it revolutionized many areas of the clothing industry.

It certainly revolutionized bicycling, while simultaneously repulsing many folks around them.

So why do cyclists wear spandex? Is it because they’re egotistical body subjects? No. They may very well be egotistical body subjects, and thus, wearing skintight clothing has added value, but that’s not why it’s worn. Is it because it’s some sort of health-nut gang-colors thing–separating the ‘real’ cyclists from the ‘wannabes’? Again, no. And it’s not because of the low drag-coefficiency either. Again, it’s a bonus that it’s slippery, but it’s not the primary purpose.

Some of you may have jumped ahead here, and think that the reason cyclists wear spandex is because it’s comfortable. Well, guess what? You’re wrong as well. You’re close, but still wrong.

Spandex is not the most comfortable thing you can wear while cycling. It is merely the least uncomfortable thing. This may sound like hairsplitting, but there is a difference.

First off, spandex shorts are seamless. Riding for any length of time with seams rubbing against your thighs will bring about a rash that would make any baby proud. No seams mean no rubbing means no rashes.

The second thing you may not know about cycling shorts is that they’re padded. In a very specific place, and in a very specific shape. It’s sort of like walking around with a bicycle seat glued to your butt. And it is right up against your butt. Bike shorts are not worn with underwear. Did you know that? Did you want to know that? Sorry.

So: is there a reason for folks to walk around wearing their spandex cycling shorts if they’re not actually cycling? In my opinion, the only reason to do this is if:

1. You’re going to be riding again in a very short while and there’s no place to change and/or:
2. You’re a really hot chick.

Outside of that, take them off or cover them up. I knew a guy who wore his shorts to church, man. Not pretty. All I could think was “Dude, there’s kids around. Put that thing away.”

And in case you’re wondering: yes, I do have cycling shorts. Yes, they do have the added padding–a nearly half-inch thick swath of foam that hits me where the Good Lord splits me. I wear them every time I ride. Even to work (I bring my work clothes in one of my saddlebags, and change as soon as I get there. Yes, I put my undies on at work.) Actually, I’m thinking about buying another pair. Because nothing really describes the feeling you get when tugging on cold, wet, sweat-soaked spandex on for a nice ride home.

I could try, but that would be something you really, really didn’t need to know.

§§§§§§

*So it must be true.

Tuesday, August 25

This Morning’s ride: 47:00 Distance 10.44 miles Average: 89 RPM

When did it get dark at 5AM?

I know I haven’t been getting up that early recently. When I ride to work, I don’t need to rise that early, and I did take five days off for my stepfather’s funeral, but man! It was dark. I thought that perhaps I had bumped my clock ahead an hour setting my alarm. No such luck.

So I dragged my butt out of bed, and groped around for my riding stuff. It was cold again, too, meaning I had to wear my jacket and my gloves to ride. Grumble. And apparently when I changed my headlight’s batteries last time, I didn’t seal the case completely, so the light shorted out, meaning I had to ride in the dark. Grumble grumble. And then there was the cat. Jumped right in front of me just after I crested a hill. Just after I started gaining speed. Had to slam on the brakes, came out of my stirrups. Grumble grumble grumble. Just get going again when I come across a big truck dieseling in the middle of the road. No problem, I think, and hop onto the sidewalk–only to discover the trailer attached to the truck is blocking the sidewalk…

Get the picture? I rode anyhow. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that my stepfather’s dead, and my mother’s suddenly very forgetful, and there’s precious little I can do about either of them. And the days are getting shorter, as is my future. I’m closer to being like my mother than I am to being like my kids. Most days I feel gratitude for where I am and what I have. I know there will be many days like that to come. This isn’t one of those days.

Thursday, August 20

Getting caught up:

Tuesday, August 18 Time: 11:34 Distance 2.77 miles Average: 78 RPM

When I ride to work, the first thing I encounter is a hill. It’s not all that steep, but it’s a hill nonetheless, and my legs complain about climbing it every time. Usually, by the time I reach the top, they’ve stopped their grumbling, and I enjoy heading down the other side, cranking it up to 120 RPM or so, and flirting with 30MPH for a while. That didn’t happen on Tuesday. I couldn’t get much past 90. I was barely going 20. Ugh.

I had dead legs.

What could I do? I turned around, and went home, and drove to work instead. Some folks have suggested that I need to take time off to rest between rides. This was my first empirical evidence of that need.

Wednesday, August 19 Morning ride: 52:58 Distance 12.13 miles Average 88 RPM

Legs still weren’t feeling all that great, and this was reflected in my pace. Almost three minutes longer than the last time I took the trip.  The extra distance comes from a faulty memory–Once again, I didn’t remember if I had locked the door, so I went back and checked (I had). Previously I had stopped my timer when I did this, but this time I didn’t, because last time I ended up not restarting, so that accounted for a bit of the time, but it was still a below-average ride for me, and I expected the ride home to be the same.

Evening Ride: 49:35 Distance 11.96 miles Average 93 RPM

Wow. that’s one of my better times. I have no idea as to why I had it, either.  I’m not complaining, mind you–I’m just startled. I didn’t feel like I was going any faster than the morning trip. The only thing that might have skewed the numbers is if I didn’t have to stop for any of the lights on the way. There’s a few that are quite long. But I don’t remember whether or not I caught them all. Maybe I’m just getting better.

Thursday, August 20 First ride: 29:50 Distance 7.40 miles Average: 93 RPM

I rode out to meet my friend Mike for lunch. I chose a restaurant that was relatively close to his home that was also halfway along one of my 15-mile routes. It was relatively hilly, relatively car-free, and relatively enjoyable, except for the mile or so that I spent behind a garbage truck. Urgh.

Second ride: 35:50 Distance 7.66 Miles Average: 88 RPM

Wow. What a slowpoke. Even though I had a relatively healthy lunch (grilled chicken Caesar salad and lemonade), my body was much more interested in digesting than riding. I tried pushing it for a while, but then gave up and let myself ride at the pace it wanted. I find it interesting that my ‘easy’ pace this year is pretty much exactly the same speed as my ‘all out’ pace last year.

Slow growth is good growth.

Monday, August 17

This morning’s ride: 50:22 Distance 11.88 miles. Average: 95 RPM

This evening’s ride: 50:57 Distance 11.77 Average 94 RPM

The only riding I did this weekend was when I rode my son’s mountain bike from his office on the Air Force base back to his apartment, which was about two miles. He hadn’t ridden it since he competed in a triathlon four months earlier, and a combination of grit and high humidity had frozen his shifters–plus it’s a small bike (he’s about three inches shorter than me), and it was mid afternoon in west Texas, so it wasn’t the best ride I’ve ever had.

The ride into work this morning was sunny and cool, about 65 degrees. It was very pleasurable. The ride home was in the upper 80’s with 49% humidity–but was still a nice ride. I was feeling good both ways. I had hit a groove, both mentally and physically. I was cruising along at 20MPH, and rejoicing in the fact that I was physically strong enough to enjoy such a challenging ride on a beautiful trail on God’s green earth.

And that’s when the yellowjacket hit me in the eye.

Okay, it didn’t actually hit me in the eye, but that was only because I was wearing glasses. Which he hit hard. It made this sound:

POK.

And it hit right smack in my glasses. And I knew it was a yellowjacket, because it stuck there, right in the middle of my lens, still alive, albeit stunned, and pissed. Okay, the default attitude for yellowjackets is pissed, but a stunned yellowjacket is even more pissed.

Here’s something you may not know about me: I’m allergic to yellowjackets. The next time we have a drink, remind me to tell you my yellowjacket story. But not now.

So there I was, still pedalling, with an angry predatory insect going eye-to-eye-to-eye-to-eye-to-eye (they’ve got multifaceted eyes) with me, looking for something to sting. And it won’t get off my glasses. I take them off (still pedaling) and give them a shake, but the little bugger’s still there. And it’s then that I realize he’s stuck. The only way to get rid of him was to somehow brush him off. Which was a problem because

1. I’m allergic, and
2. I’m still pedaling

I can’t do the ol’ finger-flick, because that would require both hands,* and I’m not a no-hands rider (at least, not yet). So I start to brush the bug off using my leg–only, I  don’t want to do that in case he grabs on there and starts stinging. So I end up brushing him off using the edge of my handlebars–and even then, he bounced off my leg.

Potential crisis averted, I put my glasses back on and get back up to speed. It’s only then that I notice the large amount of insect splooge now on my glasses. A big ol’ smear, exactly like the ones on my car’s windsheild, and I realize that had I not been wearing glasses, that bug really would have hit me right in the eye. And as scary as that thought is, there’s another part of me that’s a bit pleased–I’m traveling fast enough to splatter bugs. And not just gnats–yellowjackets. The Terminators of the insect world.

I am Brian! Destroyer of nasties! None shall stop me!

That’s when the next yellowjacket hit me on the shoulder.

Showing you the exact location of the insect

This is your eye on bugs. Any questions?

*one hand holds the glasses, and the other hand does the flicking.

Thursday, August 13

Let’s catch up:

Saturday, the 8th: short undocumented rides in the morning <3 miles total. Spent the rest of the day cleaning shrubbery.

Sunday the 9th: short undocumented rides in the morning <1 mile total. Thunderstorms in the afternoon prevented me from doing any longer riding. I’ll ride in the rain, but I draw the line at lightning.

Monday the 10th: Thunderstorms continue in the morning. Weatherman calls for thunderstorms in the morning, and again in the evening. This would severely hamper my ability to ride to and from work–but maybe the storms will stop. I wait until the last moment for the skies to clear up. They didn’t. The minute I cancel my plans to ride to work, the skies clear. Who didn’t see that coming? I spent the day hoping that the storms would return in time for the commute home. They didn’t. Want to know when they returned? When I got ready to go out and ride that evening. Grrr.

Tuesday August 11 & Wednesday August 12: Four rides (to work and back from work), each one about 51:00, each one around 12 miles, each one around 94RPM. Very consistent, which means it’s time to push a little harder.

Thursday August 14: 42:45 Distance: 10 miles Average: 95 RPM I had something to do immediately after work today, so I couldn’t ride my bike into work. So I did 10 miles with my friend Scott. It’s great to ride with someone, and it’s validation for me to know that I’m keeping a good pace–good enough that a 30-something Ultimate Frisbee player gets a workout when he rides with me.

I was impressed by the various types of weather I encountered this week, as well. Sunny, windy, foggy, wet, dry–I pretty much hit it all. I discovered that riding in fog is not the same as riding in 100% humidity. I know they’re not the same, because I did them both this week. In 100% humidity, every breath is a gargle. In fog, you just can’t see. Especially if you’re wearing glasses. I discovered that the fog wasn’t nearly as thick as I had thought it was, because much of the fog had coated the lenses. Oops.

I almost didn’t ride at all this week. Tuesday morning I was this close to quitting. Not because of  some disheartening news, or equipment failure, or anything–just because I didn’t ride on Monday. It’s one of the ever-present dangers of being a reformed lazy person–I’m always afraid that I’m going to just quit. I almost did. It’s so easy to  do–miss a day, and then tell yourself you’ll start again tomorrow, only tomorrow never comes. One good thing came out of this, though–when I realized what I was thinking, I shot out of bed so fast I barely had time to get my leg on.

I spent more than a decade of my adult life completely baffled about people who got up and did things. I could not conceive how they did that. Get up early on a Saturday? What language are you speaking? If I wasn’t going to work or going out drinking, I wasn’t getting up. I spent an additional couple of decades getting up and doing only because there were people depending on me to do things–my wife and kids. I did the stuff, but I did it with resentments. Now, I do things because I want to. And sometimes I do things because I have to as well. But it’s so much better than it once was.

Friday, August 7

Morning Ride: 48:23 Distance 11.88 miles Average: 95 RPM

Evening Ride: 52:37 Distance 12.45 miles Average: 93 RPM

Yeah, I know it’s Saturday. Oops–now it’s Sunday. I was worn out Friday night, so I didn’t even update here. I’m worn out again, but I don’t have to gt up early tomorrow, so I’ll put the info in.

The ride in to work felt great. I’m riding into the sun both ways and I don’t have sunglasses so I tend to ride with my head down when I’m on the canal path. Not all the time–I glance up probably once every three or four seconds if there’s no one around. There’s only a few places where folks can get on the path, and I can see far enough ahead that I can tell what’s happening. With my head down,  I see the road rushing under my wheels,* which is, frankly, really cool. It’s a thrill to be moving as fast as I am, under my own power. It makes me want to go faster. Which is, as I see it, a good thing. If I can go faster, it makes my legs stronger. If my legs are stronger, I’ll climb Mt. Washington easier. It will never be easy, but I’m all for easier. And when I climb, I’ll be climbing slooooow. This year’s race will be next Saturday, but the Newton’s Revenge has already happened. The fastest rider made it to the top in just under 54 minutes. The fastest rider. This is what he looks like:

Anthony Colby, winner of the 2009 Newton's Revenge

Look at him. Look at his thighs. Those suckers could crack filberts. There’s less fat on his entire body than there was on the piece of chicken I had for dinner. He averaged 8.5 miles an hour up that mountain. The last-place dude took 2:51:26 to make it. Less than 3 MPH. I’ll be happy if I do it in that time. Seriously.

Do you have Google Earth? Cool.** Look at this. Turn on the 3-D terrain and get low. Look at how steep that sucker is. I’m scared shitless of that mountain. But I’m going to climb it. And when I do, I’ll look down at the road, and I’ll see snails whizzing by.

So I takes my joy where I finds it. And I found it under my wheels yesterday.

One time I glanced up and I saw a recumbent rider ahead of me. I could see that I was moving faster than he was. It took about a mile to catch up to him.  I’m not racing when I ride. I set a pace for myself, and do my best to keep it. So, when I got on his tail, I pulled out to get in front of him, but by this time, he had matched my pace. I considered pushing myself and passing him, but I didn’t. For one thing, I was going the pace I wanted to ride. Increasing it for the sole purpose of passing someone else seemed a bit juvenile. The other reason was we were coming up to a lock. Most of the locks have been converted into some sort of park and some of them require cyclists to cross roads. This was one of them. I didn’t want to pass the dude, and then have to slam on my brakes, so I let him lead. I even tried drafting for a while, but I get the feeling it’s not really effective when a regular bike is behind a recumbent. So, I followed him through the lock, and when we got to the road, he was making a right turn, off the canal path, and onto the road. So I pulled up next to him and waited for traffic.  He turned to me and smiled. “Thanks!” he said. “You made me go faster than I had planned!” He was panting.

Like I said: the ride to work felt great.

§§§§§§

*Yes, I know it’s a Jackson Browne lyric. Shut up.

Don’t have Google Earth? Get it. I like the flight simulator. It’s a blast.

Wednesday, August 5

This afternoon’s ride: 54:45 Distance 12.14 miles Averge: 90 RPM

This morning’s ride: Arrrrrgh! Distance 11.86 miles Average: 96 RPM

The frustration word is because I didn’t start my timer when I started my ride. I left the house, and less than a block away, I had the nagging feeling that I neglected to lock the door when I left. Having just been robbed, I turned around and went back to check. Sure enough, the door was unlocked. My key was in one of my saddlebags (along with the clothes I would wear during the day–it’s really not appropriate to walk around in sweaty bike shorts at the office), so I got off the bike, got the key, locked the door, and got back on.

And I also stopped the timer.

C’mon! I know I said I wouldn’t, but I was starting over–literally from my door. I reset it–I just didn’t start it again. Not fair. Especially because I was crankin’ on the way to work. I was spending extended periods over 20 mph on the paved parts of the trip, and more than 15 mph on the trail (lest you think I work in the backwoods: 8 of the 12 miles I ride to work are on the Erie Canal towpath. The path is paved for five of those miles, and the last three are a loose cinder trail). It’s interesting to note that going 15 MPH on non-paved trail feels faster than going 20 on a road. So–I was really looking forward to finding out how fast I was riding. Imagine my frustration when I noticed at about the 8 mile point that I wasn’t keeping track. I can guess that it was a little less than 50 minutes, but I have no empirical evidence. The only reason I know the distance is because it’s the same path I took on Monday.

The ride back was a bit disappointing.

Memo to folks on the canal path: There’s other folks using the path besides you. I don’t care how cute the girl you’re riding with, guy on bike–if there’s someone coming the other way, get out of the left lane. And excuse me, strolling ladies? If you can’t walk and talk at the same time, don’t choose not walking. Or, if you do–try standing off to the side of the path, instead of right smack in the middle of it. Hey, twentysomethings walking your golden labs! When the guy on the bike behind you says “on your left” as he approaches, it means you and your dog both need to move to the right. Stretching a leash along the path at mid-tire height really doesn’t give me many choices.

Tomorrow, I’ll be closing on my house, so I’ll need to take my car. I’m debating whether or not I’ll ride in the morning. I’m thinking I might use the rest. If I ride, I’ll blog, so that’s how you’ll know.

‘Cuz I know you worry so.

Monday August 3

This Morning’s ride: 52:31 Distance: 11.86 miles Average: 93 RPM

11.86 miles? That’s all it is from my house to work? Hmm. Seemed longer last year.

This Evening’s ride: 50:20 Distance 12.11 Miles Average:94 RPM

It may seem strange that the ride to work is a quarter-mile longer than the ride from work, and yet it takes less time. Well. most of the difference in distance is due to my turning right onto Field Street on the way home. Field Street is a relatively lightly-used street that intersects a major thoroughfare near the top of a small hill near my house. The major thoroughfare is a chewed up road with lots of traffic; Field Street has much less traffic and was just repaved last year, so it’s smooooth. Who can resist smooth, especially when it’s spelled with four ‘o’s and is italicized?

The ride really did seem longer last year. Longer, harder, and slower. Slower even than earlier this summer. I just spent a few minutes looking for the post I made when I rode to work back in May, but couldn’t find it. I did, however find a post where I complained about not being able to ride faster than 12 MPH. Today’s ride I averaged 14 MPH round-trip. And this was with intestines that I was certain would cause a reprise of the dreaded post-taco ride incident.

I could be flippant here and write that perhaps that was the reason I was riding so fast, but it’s not true. I’m stronger and faster than I was even two months ago. I’m thinking it might be time to do some more serious riding.

AIDS Rochester has a fundraising ride in September. I’d need $300 in donations, plus a $15 registration fee to ride it. There’s different distances that can be ridden, from 5 miles up to 100. I could easily ride the 5 or 20 mile ride. I’m thinking about the 40 or 50 miler, though.  I keep complaining about not riding with folks. This might be the perfect opportunity.

I’m not deciding anything right now, but perhaps it’s time to do something like this.