Thank goodness I have the non-traditional biker’s shape. When I rode around the streets of Bar Harbor on my road bike, I always laughed that in the shadows it always looked like a number 10 rolling down the street. I, of course, played the roll of the 0. I am fine with that. Sure, I struggle up some of the longer hills, but I will catch you on the way down. If I woke up and looked like our pal Mike Rasmusen (seen below), I certainly would have a sandwich or 4, and I would certainly put 3 lbs of bacon on it…

I see people crash and as long as they are ok, can’t help but laugh a bit when I see them. Today while reading Bicycle Retailer they had a link to a video of some bike crashes. I figured I would have to share. Also, turn the volume up as it is a bit soft and just like Bicycle Retailer pointed out, I like the guy yelling “GO STORMTROOPER!!!”

Well, it has been some time since my last post.  A lot of things have happened from the time of my last post.  Thanksgiving went down.  That was a good time.  There is nothing like eating and drinking all day.  Gotta be on my top 3 or 4 holiday.  I followed that by doing a whole lot of nothing for the next 5ish days.  Last night I took an hour or so and got both me and the little ladies’ bike ready.  Ready for what??  You’ve got it, ready for the trainers *shudders*.  Yep, I have gone and done it, got myself ready for indoor training..  I hate myself for saying and doing that.  I can’t stand it, but I live in New England.  This is something that needs to be done.

As much as I hate to do it, I managed to somehow convince myself to completely kill myself on the trainer this winter.  Last year I started doing the trainer stuff about midway through January and I feel that I was in the best early spring shape yet.  This year I have decided to start much earlier this year.  I have decided to completely bury myself from now until Christmas.  At that point, I will take the week rest time off during the holiday season and do some hiking and whatnot while traveling.  From then on, I will continue the trainer work outs until its time to head back outside.  I am even tinkering with the idea of getting a gym membership to lift weights.  I am not to sure about that though.  I might just get some dumbbells and throw them around a bunch.  It certainly would be cheaper.  Should be one good winter.  I sure know I can’t wait.

Well it is snowing and in my opinion, that sucks. I really don’t like the cold that much and I could probably do without it ever snowing. My feet are always cold, my hands are always cold, and I complain most of the winter. Good thing I live in New Hampshire eh? If the boss said we are moving somewhere that I can ride the bike 12 months of the year with minimal gear, I would have this office packed up in 15 minutes.

One good thing about the snow. I can’t rake up the rest of my leaves this year. Guess it will have to wait until spring. ohh well. Then again, I now have to trade the rake for the shovel. Damnit…

Not a good sign:

Wow, what a great weekend or riding some bikes.  I had a friend come down from the Bar Harbor Maine area and we went for a little ride, and that might be an understatement.

Saturday’s ride was scheduled as the long one.  At least that is what we decided when we woke up in the morning.  Weather was perfect at around 45-50 degrees with low wind.  Couldn’t have been a nicer day to get a long one in.  So out we went, him on his full suspension geared bike, me on my rigid single speed 29.  After about 20 minutes of single track warm up, we started to climb the closest ski hill we could find.  What a workout.  We followed that up with the Red Tail Trail which can be a handful on a single speed, especially with all the ice covered rocks.  We then went to the Cedar Creek area and did as many trails over there that we could fit in before darkness hit.  By the time we got back, we had been out and going for 6+ hours and 33+ miles.  Quite a day on a single speed if I say so.  Maybe it isn’t for some, but the longest ride on that bike for me has been 3 hours, and it didn’t have 2 serious climbs in it.

Day 2….let’s just head out and see how things go.  Sammy likes the downhill, so its back up Cranmore and down the Red Tail Trail again, so a TON more climbing.  The legs felt good so back over to more Cedar Creek goodness to almost mimic the ride we did the day before.  With Sammy having to drive to drive the 4+ hours back home, we called it quits.  When we looked at the clock it was another 4.5+ hours.  Unreal.  more than 10.5 hours on my single speed in 2 days.  There is nothing wrong with that…

For the past week, I have about 16 hours on the single speed.  If you include last Saturday and Sunday, that number would be over 22 hours.  I think that is a good week for the middle of November in New England.  Plus, for the weight loss competition I am in, I have managed to drop 10 pounds off in that week.  Sure I will put it all on during thanksgiving, but I’m down for now…

While doing some of my daily reads on the internet, I stumbled across an interesting video that is about Pro-mountain biker Tara Llanes.  For those of you who don’t know who she is, she is a pro biker for the Giant Mountain bike team that recently broke her back and became paralyzed from the waist down.  This video is a news story from a local channel in Denver where she is being rehabilitated.  For those that are squeamish, don’t worry, you don’t see the crash in the video.

Today is a scheduled rest day for the riding.  My legs have been beat up pretty good the last week with more then about 10 hours of single speeding since Saturday so I figured I would give them a little break before I ask a lot of them this weekend.  A friend of mine is coming down from the Bar Harbor area and we are looking to do some serious pedaling.  Hopefully 6+ hours one day and 2 or 3 the next.  Either way, should be a killer time and I am looking forward to it.  Well, I am looking forward to the riding, not the “unseasonal cold”, as the weather station calls it, that is expected to come this weekend.

Speaking of the cold coming, it has started to flurry a bunch today.  We are expected to see 1-2 inches of snow tonight, but I don’t see it happening.  For the past 3 days it has been in the 50’s.  I don’t think the ground is cold enough to hold the snow.  Either way, it seems winter is upon us and it is time for me to order up my Ktrak.   With all this snow, I might need one.

OK, I will never order one of those.

Seems as if the SSCXWC happened out in Portland OR this past weekend.  Seems like Barry Wicks (Kona) beat Adam Craig (Giant) at the line because Craig stopped for a beer hand off and couldn’t get clipped back into his pedals. 

That there is one sharp looking podium.  Seems like it was a fan packed event and if I need to travel next year at this time, Portland OR is on the top of my list.  Feel free to read the entire story over at Velonews.

I woke up and my worst commuting fear has come true.  It was raining.  I went about my morning like normal and it came to that critical time to get ready to leave.  I went ahead, suited up with all my gear and went out on the bike.  Of course, as soon as I started pedaling the heavens opened up and it was a downright downpour.  It was actually a nice ride in despite the rain.  I am really happy with all of my gear.  Everything that is water proof kept the water out.  Something that wasn’t waterproof?  My shoes and socks.

Even though I stayed dry during the ride, I still have a chill running through my bones.  I am not really looking forward to ride home for lunch.  I don’t know if I will or not yet.  Its still raining pretty hard as I write this and I am having a hard time wanting to put my gear back on and head back out there..  I think I might skip the ride and do some trainer work tonight.  Damn my weak mind not making me ride in the rain..

When using lights to ride your bike at night, make sure to charge them from time to time.  Tonight on my commute home, both of my lights went out.  Thank goodness not at the same time.  Luckily, when my lights die, they turn themselves off before they are completely dead.  With them doing that, after about 5 minutes, they can be turned back on at a wicked low beam for a minute or so until they shut off again.  This was my saving factor and is what helped me get out of the woods tonight.  What was the first thing I did when I got home?  Got both batteries on their charger.  I am not taking a chance again.

Tomorrow is supposed to be wet due to the large amounts of rain we should be getting tonight.  With any luck, it will pass.  If not, I get to try out some of my rain gear for the ride in.  For some odd reason, I am almost excited to see how it all keeps me dry, especially my Seal Line backpack.  I can only imagine how bad my day will be tomorrow if I get to work and all my “dry work clothes” are soaked because my bag didn’t do its job.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed.