Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Fat Bike Forecast

Our fat bike correspondent Roger checked in with the fat biking conditions out at Folsom Lake.


"Conditions are mostly sunny with 100% chance of wood."

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Costco No

"I hate my new fat bike. It steers funny and I keep crashing when my foot hits the front wheel. Fat bikes suck."


Well, it might be because you spent 170 bucks on it, which is less than what a good pair of fat bike tires costs. Also, one of the meat butchers assembles the bikes at night. And he put your fork on backwards.

Monday, May 08, 2017

Crazy Train

Today I decided to put in some miles on the bike trail after work. I started at Hazel Avenue and rode west towards Sacramento.

Although I chanced it today, I generally don't ride solo past CSUS because that's where things get a little sketchy on the trail. The Guy West Bridge is sort of the Mason-Dixon line for crazy. Go past it at your own risk. Case in point:


Yes, that's a guy in an overcoat and top hat roller blading.

If you are bold enough to go under Highway 80, which I did, it gets even worse.


Who the hell knows what is lurking in there.

Shortly after crossing under the highway I saw a guy sharpening a huge knife against a concrete picnic table. I opted not to take his picture due to the crazy eyes, huge weapon and a generally stabby vibe he had, but I found a reasonable facsimile on the internet:


Mmmmm-hmmmm.

I put in 41 miles and survived. Truthfully, it was a little disappointing to only see a couple crazy people. I guess Mondays are tough on everyone.

Oh, and a weight update: 171.6 pounds this morning. I lost almost four pounds in a week. Nice.

Later.

Sunday, May 07, 2017

Easy

Easy like a Sunday morning.


A funny thing happened when I went out for my ride today: I felt great.


Normally by the end of the first week of Bike Month I would be flirting with 250 miles and feeling completely miserable. This year, due to my son's baseball commitments, my riding time has been limited to an every-other-day schedule.


The forced recovery has left me fresh for the next ride. Instead of dreading my ride today, I took off in a positive frame of mind and actually had FUN. Imagine that.


Even with my modest mileage total, I am right outside the top ten.


I figure I will keep much the same schedule this week and hope to stay fresh for the latter part of the month.

Later.


Friday, May 05, 2017

The Hard Way

Today my original plan was to take the road bike down to the bike trail and knock out an easy 40 miles. However, I really hate using a vehicle to drive somewhere to ride a bike. It seems counter-intuitive and wasteful when the only real goal right now is to rack up miles. I rode from home instead, doing a mixed surface ride on the mountain bike.


I still got my 40 miles, but instead of cruising on a road bike and gaining maybe 50 feet of total elevation on the pancake-flat bike trail, I rode the mountain bike and gained 3200 feet.


It's a much harder way to compete with the roadies at work.


It was a cool morning, which was nice considering the heat we had earlier this week.


I had a nice long nap after my ride. Not a bad way to spend a day off.

Later.

Wednesday, May 03, 2017

Sudden Impact

Today I rode home from work on the first hot day of the year. It's been a very mild spring with lots of rain, so the sudden jump to 94 degrees was shocking.



I rode pretty well for the first 25 miles, but the heat got to me in the last 12. Every hill became more and more difficult. The sweat was pouring off me as my body tried to adapt to the heat.

I rolled up the driveway very tired and glad it was over. The forecast is for lower temperatures later in the week, and I am fine with that.

Later.

Monday, May 01, 2017

El Mes de Mayo

It's May, which means it is time to start riding more. I only pledged 500 miles this year, which should be an attainable goal, even with my busy schedule.

Just for grins I hopped on the scale this morning and I weighed in at a robust 175.4 pounds. Yikes. My all-time record was 180 pounds back in the early '90s when I "retired" from racing and quickly gained 45 pounds. I never thought I would ever get anywhere near 180 again. Bike month couldn't have arrived at a better time.

Today I liberated the road bike that has been sitting on the stationary trainer for at least two years. I have to admit, it was pretty fun to get in the drops and go fast. It's been a long time.



The river still has an unbelievable flow going. So much water.



It's finally warm enough for the rattlers to come out.


I put in a modest 30 miles, but the ride was made tougher due to the high winds.

Unlike previous years, when I rode too much early and either burned out or got sick, I am going to start slow with the hopes of finishing strong.

Later.