Dave’s Good Stuff

Ok, for all my friends who are getting tired of so much mindless cycling drivel, I’ll tell you a bit about our Sunday evening at the Bordello of Blood.

For years, I’ve been wanting to go to the Phantom’s Feaste, and I finally did it. It wasn’t planned, really. A friend of mine who works the faire mentioned it, sparking a long dormant desire. Later that week, Amanda and I drove out to the faire grounds and bought two tickets.

Sunday finally arrived and we met said friend at the grounds at 6 to pick up the tickets. We didn’t have long to wait before the theater began. As the sun went down, I was glad I decided to wear layers. It got a little chilly, but at least the sky was clear and the dirt dry. All 130 of us stood outside the gates while the story began to unfold. There were vampires and ghouls and vampire hunters, taking turns walking around and involving the crowd. It took a little to get into the story and relax, but once I did, it was a lot of fun.

Split into groups, our guides let us through the faire grounds. A stunningly lit blood fountain marked the beginning of the journey, before they led us down dark, torch-lit paths, past empty shops, and shops that weren’t so empty. Murderous barbers, ghoulish chefs and undead brides were some of the inhabitants, all of which were fully in character and eager to make the most of the night. Through the church and the barely lit cemetery, we made it to the feast hall and found our seats in the back row next to a very loud, and very funny caged vampire captive.

The story continued there, and we were fully immersed in what amounted to dinner theater with a horror bent. The acting wasn’t always top-notch, but it was fun, and the food was great. This will absolutely be a regular annual thing for us. Next year, however, I’ll get the tickets earlier and go for Halloween night. :)

After the ride to Siouxsan, Dennis and I made plans and preparations for the next day. We weren’t sure exactly what ride we’d take, but some friends of his were running the show and had assured him that they’d take my (lack of) experience and fitness into consideration. So, that night we worked on the bike I was to ride. It was in good shape, but the brakes needed some work. He had disc brakes installed, but the lines needed bleeding and the brakes some general tuning. It took a few times, but we did the best we could with what we had. After an hour, maybe two, we settled down for the evening and went to bed.

The next day, we woke early again and, with some coffee and breakfast in us, hit the road. Our first stop was a bike shop to rent a bike for Dennis. I was to ride his, and he would ride the rental. It was a while ago, but I have a smattering of memories of the shop. It was a smaller one, with, oh, maybe a few dozen bikes all told. Nice ones, if I remember right, but my idea of “nice” is a little different now than it was then.

We get the bike and make our way to the rendezvous point. It was, if I remember, slightly overcast, a touch windy and a bit on the cool side, but otherwise, very nice. We hang out waiting for the rest of the crew, hydrating and generally getting things ready. About half an hour later, all 8 or 10 of us are ready, and we take off again for the half-hour drive up to the trail head. Turns out, they’ve decided, to Dennis’ amazement and concern, to ride Gunsight Ridge. Note the trail difficulty behind that link. For the link-phoebic or lazy, it’s “Hard”. Apprehensive now, we follow them out to the trail head.

The trail head is basically a gravel parking lot right off HWY 35 that dumps right into the trees. We mount up, everything at the ready, and head out. The ride starts off very nice. Single track through lush forest, twisting and turning through the trees with some rolling (but small) hills for the first few miles. There is one point I recall, where the hill was just a little too steep, my abilities just a little too weak, and the pedals just wouldn’t cooperate. I remember getting frustrated that I couldn’t get back on the saddle once I stepped off, but I got to the top with a minimum of cursing, mounted up and was on my way again. This would be only the first of many walks, I’d come to find out.

The nice packed dirt surface eventually gave way to sand. Have you ever tried riding in sand? I’m not talking about the sprinkling of gravel you’ll find where gravel roads intersect paved. I’m talking about deep sand that can be formed by the wind. Sand that’s tough to walk through. Sand that gets in your shoes. It’s hard. It’s been established (I hope) that I’m not the accomplished biker at this point. I really don’t know what I’m doing. Sand is tortuous to me. At this point in my cycling, I still don’t like hills or wind, and sand is like going uphill into the wind on wobbly tires. It was horrendous! I can’t tell you if I ended up walking through it, b/c I honestly don’t remember, but if I didn’t, I don’t know how (or why).

The sand eventually gives way to more packed dirt and then the highway again. We stop here for lunch and a break. Apparently, as we’ve been told, the hard part is coming. So… the sand… that was the easy part. Great. There were three or four of us here at this point. Three of us pull out Clif bars and other “health” snacks, and the fourth, John, pulls out… pizza! Supreme pizza, to be more specific. Here we are, eating oatmeal and drinking Gatorade. Nuts and grass, basically, and he’s packing Pizza and coke! I tell you what, once that came out, our Clif Bark Bars were history. That was the best pizza I think I’ve ever had, and I don’t much care for supreme!

After about 20 minutes, we head out again, across the highway and… into the biggest climb I’ve ever attempted, before or since. ~3,500ft of climb in 5 miles up difficult single track with rocks, roots and dozens of switchbacks. Honestly, it was way beyond my ability at the time (and probably now, for that matter). I’m up for climbing, but the switchbacks and obstructions were beyond me. I walked up most of it… almost the entire 5 miles. Even then, it was grueling.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, we got to the top. well, what ended up being the top for me, anyway. The trail went on, and the organizers took it to it’s peak at Gunsight Ridge. Myself and a few others stayed back and rested at a little access road before heading back down.

Down. Now that’s another story altogether… and it would have been fine, had it not been for the lack of a solid rear brake. Remember our working on it the night before? It turns out there was a worn part in the hydraulic mechanism, and nothing we could have done would have given that brake any real stopping power. I think Dennis feels bad about it, but honestly, there’s nothing he could have done. Besides… it makes for a great story! I only hope I can do it justice.

So, as it stood, I had a steep descent ahead of me, with only a front brake to help. We all knew this, and there were cautions and tips and advice given all around. So, getting a little chilly, myself and John of the Pizza start heading down. John, you see, is a former BMX competitor. I’m not sure if he was ever pro, but he was definitely comfortable with the speed. He also had good brakes. For me, every switchback was an exercise in hope and fear. With only that front brake, slowing down and turning, while going downhill, next to severe dropoffs, was, to say the least, harrowing. I did pretty good though, up until that one time when I didn’t.

I’ve mentioned before how much the brain seems to be able to process when times get tough. The idea that time slows down is really the only way to describe it.

I was coming around a switchback, turning left. My speed picked up a bit too much due to the slope and I compressed the only brake I had… the front. My front wheel locked up and I went flying. Endo’d right there and over the side of the path. Here’s where things really slowed down… as I’m flying through the air, I notice some plants… roots and grass, really, growing at the edge of the cliff. I’m going over them, as I’m thinking to myself

Those look like they might hold me. I hope those will hold me. If those don’t hold me, then those trees down thataway will stop me real sudden-like. That’ll hurt. How about this… I’ll just reach out here and grab those roots while I’m in the air above them, and hope, b/c that’s all I have to work with, that they hold. Now, if there’s a rock or something on the face of that cliff that I’m going to slam into when I’m done flipping over, well… I’ll just have to deal with that when the time comes, oh… here in about an eighth of a second…

Fortunately, those roots held, and I ended up hanging from them, right-side-up, while John stood slack jawed and amazed at what just happened. After I’d hauled myself back up to the path, shoulder aching but otherwise fine, he assured me that he thought I was a goner. I, on the other hand, was thinking extremely clearly, and feeling as alive as I’d ever felt. Who knows what would have happened had those roots not held. I might have been fine, or I might have had a compound fracture of my femur and a broken back. Who knows. The point is, I *was* fine, and I felt fantastic! After what I’d just experienced, the rest of the ride down the trail was relatively fast and furious, but otherwise uneventful. When I got to the highway, I let loose and got those knobby tires rolling as fast as I could back to the cars, just to let off some adrenaline. Back on the road, I was on my home turf.

After a while, maybe half an hour or more, the rest of the gang showed up, and we called it a day.

I don’t remember it being that painful of a ride. But, the human mind being what it is, I’m not sure I would. I do remember being outside in the mountains with my brother, and in spite of the level of difficulty, having a lot of fun.

For the next trip next Spring, our focus will be a little different. More training oriented with longer rides over less treacherous terrain. I’ll try to avoid the cliffs.

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I got out yesterday, around noon, to get some riding in. Because I didn’t make it out much last week, I extended my route out a bit. Instead of making a little loop at the far end of the route, I made a big loop. This really didn’t add as much mileage as I thought it would, but it did add three damn fine hills to conquer. I tell you what, the hills on Prairie Star Parkway, Woodland Drive, that little neighborhood detour up to Pine St., 83rd St, Johnson Dr and the Renner/I35 flyover, and finally on southbound Renner around K10 are fantastic. Nothing like what I’ll be facing next July, but they’ll do for now.

I used to hate hills. I used to hate wind. I approached every ride as trying to get to the destination, and anything that prevented me from doing so was *bad*. Anymore, I approach every ride as a workout. The more hills and wind, the better. Anything that makes me work harder to cover the same distance is a good thing, be that external like winds or hills, or self-imposed, like moving down to a smaller cassette ring or up to a larger chainring.

The only part of the ride I’d change is my computer. Right when I turned it on, I got a “Low Battery” warning, and it was dead within two miles. I don’t know what happened… I thought it was fully charged and didn’t bother to check it before I left. Computer or not, however, the workout was great!

There’s a post over at Fat Cyclist today about “alluring” bicycles. His call for links resulted in (as of right now) some fantastic referrals. As of right now, this is what I’ve picked out…

Vanilla Bicycles
Guru Bikes
Badger Cycles
Richard Sachs Cycles
Jonny Cycles
Pereira Cycles
Black Sheep Bikes
Jones Bikes
Columbine Cycle Works
Independent Fabrication
Vendetta Cycles
Calfee Design
Just spreading the love.

“You’re OK! You’re OK!”, said my brother as I tumbled down the side of a mountain in Oregon.

I’d gone up to Portland, Oregon in September of ‘05 for a long weekend. The idea was to hang out the first night, hit a good entry level mountain biking trail the next day, and a longer more advanced trail the day after that, and finally head home the following. It worked out… mostly like that. Read the rest of this entry »

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Check out the thread here… I put my $0.02 in as well. My brother commutes to work by bicycle in Portland, and so I have a vested interest in the police out there doing their job and doing it right.

I’d like to meet Steven Resnick. My favorite bit from him is

Yes there are bad drivers out there too, but the bicyclist are one more distraction that takes people’s minds off the road and not being able to pay attention to what’s actually going on in front of them. (quoted without permission)

Nevermind the fact that cyclists are PART of what’s going on in front of drivers. All the other distractions are, I guess, OK, b/c driving is a right and can be taken for granted. But nooo…. Not cyclists. That’s just too much. B/c he is driving a car, it’s apparent that this irresponsible miscreant believes that he doesn’t have to give the level of attention he demands of cyclists.

Crossing the street get off the bike and cross in a crosswalk, ride single file, if you see a stop sign, stop don’t run right through it and also get off your bike and cross the street with the crosswalk.

Ok, Steven, run-on sentence aside, you’re right. Drivers never pull rolling stops. Drivers never cut other drivers off. Drivers never fail to signal. Drivers are always attentive and respectful and responsible.

Heh.

It is a given that there are many cyclists on the road that do not either understand or abide by the laws that apply to them. There are many cyclists that come across as feeling above said laws. I’ve seen it time and time again, and I completely agree with Mr. Resnick on those points. Rare is the group ride that doesn’t have at least one or two people ignoring the cars around them by riding double and triple in traffic, taking comfort in the apparent safety of the group. I’ve seen many cyclists just blow through stop signs, and even stop lights w/o even slowing. That is a source of irritation just as rough and caustic as irresponsible drivers. I will never claim that cyclists always behave responsibly.

What I don’t agree with is the single-minded focus on the errors of cyclists with no attention paid to the countless infractions of drivers. Do drivers never pull rolling stops? Do drivers never cut other drivers off? Do drivers never fail to signal? Are drivers always attentive and respectful and responsible?

It is my opinion, with only a sketchy understanding of the laws as they apply to responsibility, that the greater responsibility lies with the owner of the larger weapon. In a fight betwixt cyclist/motorcyclist/pedestrian and motorist, the motorist will almost always win hands down. Therefore, the motorist has a greater responsibility to pay attention and yield when necessary. Am I saying that “bi-ambulatory” travelers have no responsibility? No. Am I saying that “bi-ambulatory” travelers can just go about their way, all willy nilly hi-dee-ho? No. I’m saying that motorists, as much as they admonish cyclists for not paying attention and taking little to no responsibility for their actions, need to be “strong enough to point that high-powered perception” right back at themselves and recognize that historical trends aside, we all share the road, and we all have to take responsibility for it.

Dennis makes a good point. Will equal weight be given to the driver of a H2 vs. the driver of a Volkswagon Golf in an accident between the two? I would think so. But, rhetorically speaking, if not, then Mr. Resnick follows a Might Makes Right creed, and there is no more to say here. He is a lost cause. If so, then he needs to carefully examine his reasons for singling out cyclists with such vehemence. If it comes down to the safety of the cyclist, then he’s going about it in a very odd way, and could advocate for cycling safety much more successfully by blaming cyclists a bit less, and raising safety awareness for all a bit more. Relax. Don’t be so angry, and people tend to listen more.

What if the cyclist that died had been your son? Your daughter? Your wife, brother or sister? Would you still hold that they were, by default, at fault and let the driver off w/o so much as a $15 citation?

If I’m inattentive or irresponsible on the road (assuming no automobile involvement), I get a damaged bike, some road rash, maybe a broken bone, and a financial hit of a few hundred dollars. If a car is inattentive or irresponsible on the road, costs are in the thousands, and more importantly, people die. Regardless of consequential differences, relative weight and speed do not change anyone’s responsibility to be safe and conscientious users of the roads.

All that said, my condolences to the families of both Brett Jarolimek and Tracey Sparling.

Some things stick with you. Good or bad, they become part of you, and no matter how much you might care one way or the other, they aren’t going anywhere.

When I’m riding, I remember things. I remember the cars that have shown me respect, and I remember the cars that haven’t. I remember well organized rides, and rides that lacked something. I remember the grueling hills, the long flats, the wind and rain, and moments that make me wish for bike mounted guided missiles, and moments that have filled me with such joy and life that I had to laugh out loud.

Two things I should have written about a long time ago finally find their way to my site… Read the rest of this entry »

I have only one hard and fast rule for Halloween (actually, the entire month of October). It’s not my rule actually. It’s Stu’s rule that I’ve adopted as my own. If a movie is to be watched during the month of October, it damn well better be a horror/thriller movie. Scary is best, but oddly discomforting will work as well. Laughable is fine as well, so long as it’s lampooning the horror genre.

So far this month, I’ve seen… Read the rest of this entry »

I went to bed last night to thunder and lightening. Never a bad thing. However, I woke up to steady and solid rain. Not always a good thing. Especially on those days that I’d really like to get out and ride. Checking the weather, it looks like it’ll be raining on and off all day. While there’s still a chance it’ll clear up, I’m not holding my breath. I might have to figure out how to use the Edge on the rollers. Stationary training doesn’t really take advantage of the GPS portion of it, but it does have a standalone mode for those moments one doesn’t have satellite connectivity, so perhaps it won’t be a total washout. Read the rest of this entry »

Kansas is not flat. At least not the route I’ll be taking when I start cycling to work. It’s very pretty though. There are only a couple places, and not very large places at that, where the traffic is likely to be heavy. Aside from that, it’s through quiet middle and upper-middle class rolling neighborhoods. I’ll have to watch for the inattentive driver pulling out of driveways on their way to work, and possibly the rogue basketball bouncing into the street from kids playing against their driveway hoops. There is one roundabout that tends to confuse things a bit, especially given the prevalent attitude that I am, by virtue of being on a bicycle, not a legitimate vehicle. Other than that, it shouldn’t be too bad, and I’m looking very much forward to it!

On my Torelli, it took me just over 30 minutes to get here. Traffic really didn’t have an impact on me one way or the other, so I expect about the same with the Kona (I’ve decided to equip it with hybrid tires and better wheels, rather than deal with the downtube shifters of my Giant). But with the Kona’s triple cranks, it’ll be a bit easier.

So, in a few weeks when I have the funds to get the Kona equipped, it’s off into the hostile world of rush hour traffic for me. Wish me luck!