Dave’s Good Stuff

In the 7-8 months I’ve been getting to and from work by bike, I’ve tried three methods of getting my work clothes to work, clean and ready to wear.

Method, The First: Involved packing the next day’s clothes each night (or frantically in the morning) in the panniers and carrying them with me every day. This worked out well for the most part.

Pros:

• I got a full 5 commuting days in every week.
• I drove *very* rarely, which meant my gas savings were high.

Cons:

• It was tiresome having to pack every day, and had to remember everything I needed to pack every day.
• I didn’t have my car with me at work, and there were times I needed it.

Summary: This method is completely workable, but the impetus to try other things came from having to pack every day, and not having my car at work. There are times when I need to go somewhere, and getting out on the bike in the middle of the day just isn’t an option for me where I work.

Method, The Second: I tried driving a week’s worth of clothes into work Sunday night, and then exchanging them for another weeks worth of clothes the following Sunday. It did not work out so well.

Pros:

• I got a full 5 commuting days in every week.
• I only have to pack once a week, and if I forget something, I have the rest of the week to remember it.
• I have my car with me at work during the week.

Cons:

• I was driving a full extra trip to work every weekend, and making time was clearly not going to be easy or worthwhile.
• I had to have two full weeks worth of clothes, which on the surface doesn’t seem unreasonable, but managing the logistics of laundry and transport left my stingy self unsatisfied.
• If I need my car while at home, I didn’t have it.

Summary: This method could conceivably work, but for me, the deal breakers were the extra trip, as well as managing the logistics of clothes.

Method, The Third: For the last month or so, I’ve opted to drive a weeks worth of clothes in on the first work day of the week, leave the car at work, and drive everything back on the last.

Pros:

• I only have to pack once a week, and if I forget something, I have the rest of the week to remember it.
• I have my car with me at work during the week.

Cons:

• I only technically get 4 days of commuting in.
• If I need my car while at home, I don’t have it.

Summary: So far, this method is a winner. I have my car with me if I need it. I only have to pack once. The one day less of commuting can be easily offset by longer routes. Finally, the GF has a car at home if we need to drive during the evenings. That’s important, and if you don’t have access to other transportation, be it personal car, or mass transit, this method may not work out so well.

It’s been quite some time since I slid through fog to get to work… almost 6 months, in fact.

As a nice follow-up to the rain yesterday, the fog provided me with a nicely muffled ride in. Plus, I was on the Torelli, so I was doubly happy.

I’m looking at getting a digital camera. Instead of the Portland, which would be an additional to things I already own, a digital camera would be brand new. I really wish I’d had it out in Colorado, so it makes sense that it be my reward to myself for finishing the Triple. Aside from the reward idea, there are lots of reasons, not the least of which is to punctuate these trite posts with equally trite images. But I want it for other reasons as well, having nothing to do with riding. No, having nothing to do with pr0n, either. That’s what the dedicated video camera is for, silly.

I’ve always been of the mind that if you’re going to get something, don’t settle, but get what you want. I’ve just started looking around, so I haven’t really even narrowed the field down yet, but I’m sure I will soon.

It was raining fairly hard and steady the whole way in this morning. In fact, it’s been raining fairly hard and steady since around 8 last night. We noticed it while playing pool, and it just hasn’t let up.

I, of course, love riding in the rain. Sure, it means more maintenance on the bike (extra lubing and whatnot), but the joy that is a ride in the cool rain, especially after so many tortuously hot days is indescribable. So I won’t bother trying to describe it. That would be silly.

I took the Kona in, because it has fenders, and it’s proven itself in the rain. I’ve been told that the Campy Record Triple bottom bracket that I had installed on the Torelli has sealed bearings and is OK to ride in the rain, but I just don’t trust it. It was hella expensive, and I’d rather just ride safe than sorry with it.

When I first contemplated the Kona last night, I had a moment of regret. I’ve been spoiled with the Torelli, but the truth is (and this happens every time I switch out) once I get on the Kona, it’s like putting on an old pair of sneakers. Sure, they’re a little worn, but they’re so comfortable and easy to wear that it’s easy to forget how long it’s been since they were last trod in.

The GF asked me a couple of days ago how I can go between the two bikes so easily. I didn’t think about it much at the time, but the ride this morning brought it back. The answer is actually very simple. I’ve had the Kona for 15 years now, and have ridden it for most of that. I’ve had the Torelli for 2 and a half years, and have ridden it a *lot* in that time. Both bikes are extremely familiar to me, and both have styles that, though different, I enjoy. The old pair of sneakers might not be for anything but mowing the lawn and doing yard work anymore, but they do the job and do it wonderfully without complaint, and quite comfortably. The new pair is nicer looking and tends to allow me to run faster, but it’s best to keep them out of the grime. Both pairs slide on and instantly feel like they belong.

So today, it was the old pair of sneakers in the rain and the puddles, and they reveled in it, happy as hell to be needed.

Most notable sight of the morning: Indian Creek is running so high the trail that runs along it is flooded in at least one, and probably many many places. I might try to take it tonight on the Kona, just to see what it’s like…

After the slide yesterday across the asphalt, I wasn’t sure what to expect today. How sore would I be? A little? A lot? At all?

Here’s the scoop… My fingers that were torn up a bit are tender, but typing isn’t that bad. My shoulder and back are tender where they slid across the pavement. My hip is still swollen and tender, as well as being stiff after inactivity of any length of time.

Oddly enough, my neck is a little sore. I can only imagine that I grimaced quite dramatically as I fell and slid, using muscles that I rarely use.

I really do wish I had a video of it. From the front so you could see my face.

I took the Indian Creek trail from 101st and Lamar to Pflumm today. The impetus being that I like riding the trail. It’s very curvy, which is perfect since I generally find long straightaways pretty boring. It’s also made of fairly smooth asphalt which, when wet, is very slick.

I bring that up because it rained today, which, of course, made the trail surface wet, and thus very slick.

I knew this, so I took it pretty easy. I was still going at a good clip, pushing 18-22mph through a lot of it, slowing down for tighter curves, and speeding up for areas with more visibility. Don’t worry, I made sure to look ahead and leave plenty of room for oncoming traffic. Unlike, for instance, the choad-head riding a hybrid that looked up as I approached and, already on the wrong side of the path, went to the farthest edge of the wrong side of the path, looking at me, mouth agape, like some toothless baboon as I rode by him, myself also on the wrong side of the path b/c he gave me no choice. Aside from him, traffic on the trails today was law-abiding, polite and sparse.

I was somewhere between Antioch and Quivira when I passed a runner. A younger fellow with blond hair and rugged good looks, he hugged the correct (right) side of the path as he ran. I passed him on a short straightaway when *WHAM*! my wheels went hard left out from under me and I hit the ground hard with my shoulder and hip. I must have slid for a good 15-20 feet before coming to a halt. My hands were dripping blood, and both my right shoulder and hip were smarting something proper from the impact and subsequent dragging.

I knelt there apace, taking mental stock of the situation, and trying to locate the sources of the most pain. The runner came up asking if I was ok. “Slick path! You weren’t even turning!” he exclaimed. “I know!” I said, laughing. Like I said, the pain wasn’t too bad. Sure, a couple of my finger tips were shredded, and my hip and shoulder felt like they were being held just a little bit too close to an open flame, but I could flex everything and I didn’t hit my head. All in all, all the damage to my body was cosmetic.

The Torelli appeared to be OK as well. Some mud and leaves had found their way into the inner workings of the rear derailleur, but not even the handlebar tape had been scraped up. All the damage appeared to have been suffered by yours truly. Score!

I told the friendly runner that I was fine, and that if I turned out not to be, I had a couple phones on me, and he went on his way. As did I, slowly at first while I put the shifters through their paces and watched both wheels for warping. Everything was fine and I picked up the pace a bit. My first spill since college, and the bike survived completely intact!

Somewhere around Quivira, the pain started really setting in. My hip started to stiffen up a bit, and my fingers really started to protest braking and shifting. Not one to bow out on so small an account, I kept at it and made my way home.

Don’t expect any pictures of my rashes. I’m not the kind to post that manner of thing. It’s not that bad, anyway. You can find a lot worse out there if you’re of the mind, you sick bastards.

You know, I registered for this a while back, and completely forgot about it amidst the Triple Bypass hoopla.

So the Cider Mill Century is this weekend. Registration starts at 06:00 in the morning, and the ride begins at 07:00 at, appropriately enough, the Louisburg Cider Mill 3 miles west of US69 and K68.

I hope to see some friendly faces out there, as I’m going solo on this one.

So there I was, about a mile from the Trek store on my way for the fitting, and ready to place an order for the Trek Portland when I had a voice in my head yell “No!! Don’t buy the bike!!”

It was so loud and compelling that I actually pulled over and stopped the bike at a curb in a residential neighborhood.

I was confused.

I even called the GF, but she couldn’t offer any advice one way or the other. This was my decision.

I’ve been drooling over this bike for a few months now. I’d decided, I thought with certainty and commitment that it would be my reward for finishing the Triple Bypass. I’d test ridden it. I’d spent countless minutes pouring over the minutia of it’s components, staring at pictures of it. I love the look. I love the components. I love pretty much everything about it.

As much as I wanted to give in, something inside me was very insistent that I not indulge this desire.

I have bikes. I have bikes enough that there’s no weather (*safe* weather, that is) that I can’t ride in. Do I really need another? Do I really need another that costs that much?

So I turned around and went home, where I called the Trek store and told them I couldn’t make it.

Maybe after thinking about it more, I’ll jump over, but for now, I’m on the fence.

I woke up this morning at about 4:20. I’m not sure what woke me up, but I had a feeling that if I didn’t get up, I wouldn’t. Having gone to bed last night at 9:30 or so, getting up that early really wasn’t a big deal. So I got up, checked my phone (which serves as my alarm clock) and it was dead. Plugged into the charger, and yet dead and not charging. Very odd. I plugged it into another wall socket, and it started charging just fine.

Very strange.

Getting up that early gave me plenty of time to putz around and switch everything I needed over to the Kona. Why the Kona, and not the Torelli, you are certainly asking?

Rain. Glorious, cooling rain.

Those of you that pay any attention here at all know that I love riding in the rain. Given the heat we’ve had the last week or so, the rain this morning was even more fantastic than normal. I got out at around 5:50 or so and thoroughly enjoyed myself, taking it easy and enjoying the ride. I saw no other bike commuters, but was a little surprised at the number of cars that were pulling out of driveways as I passed. More today, 30 minutes earlier than my norm, than I recall ever seeing before. It was kinda weird.

Another benefit of the rain is when I got to work, though I was soaking wet, it felt cleaner than had it been 80-85°F out and humid. It was easy to dry off and just go, rather than spend 15 minutes cooling down. I miss the cooler weather, but I know that right around the corner from that is the colder weather.

Since this is the first time I’ve ridden the Kona in weeks, I paid a bit of attention to the effort I was putting forth. It felt a little sluggish, but then I realized that I’d been keeping it in the big ring the whole time. Not once did I feel like I needed to downshift into the middle, much less the small ring. All this riding is definitely paying off.

Riding the Kona has another, somewhat unexpected affect. I feel more like a bike commuter on it than I do my Torelli. Sure, the *only* difference is the bike beneath my butt, but for some reason, taking it feels more “commuty” than taking the Torelli. Riding the one bike vs. the other puts me in a completely different state of mind. On the Torelli, I’m taking corners hard, pushing myself and trying to best previous times. On the Kona, I’m more relaxed, upright and (at least these days) taking my time.

Because someone requested it, and because I originally intended to put them out here but forgot… so, here you go!

• Average HR: 158
• Average RPM: 74
• Average Speed: 14.6
• Elevation Gain: 12,920ft (questionable)
• Max HR: 187
• Max Speed: 46.7
• Mileage: 120.2
• Reported Calories: 7,500
• Total Time: 08:14:34
• Weight: 175

On Sunday, and then again yesterday, I went out and rode the Indian Creek trails. I’ve become far more comfortable on the streets lately, and didn’t want the hassle of dealing with the tight corridor when extra traffic (other cyclists, pedestrians) is involved. But, the GF wants to get more riding in, having been inspired by the TPB, and wants to start easy, which is to say, with hills numbering very very few.

I’d ridden the Indian Creek Trails years ago before I picked up the Torelli, and only remember one little hill that gave me trouble. Bear in mind, that was back in my days of “Granny Gear is for Wussies” thinking. Now, I’ll hit Granny Gear without a second thought if it’s necessary or appropriate. I’m still trying to get the GF to appreciate it’s benefits. Once she truly does, she’ll find that the ICT system offers very little resistance by way of elevation gain.

Both rides were very hot. At least while I was on the streets getting to and from the trail. Once on the trail, the temperature cooled down dramatically. Between the creek and the trees, it almost felt cool. The construction at 103rd and Metcalf is a bit of a pain, but it’s not a huge deal. The work done at Antioch is phenomenal.

I made a couple wrong turns while I was getting to know the path again, but it’s easy enough to find one’s way again.

One of the things I really liked about riding in the mountains was the winding roads. While the trails don’t offer much in the way of blistering downhill runs, they are very winding, and are a lot of fun for that. I think the GF will find them very agreeable.

I wondered how I’d feel about riding once the TPB was over. I wondered if I’d have the motivation to keep going as hard as I’ve been. I wondered if I’d want to ride at all. The rides I’ve been on since I’ve been back have been some of the most enjoyable rides I’ve been on, even including the TPB. The pressure is off. I’m not turning the cranks with any goal in mind. I’m just turning the cranks to turn the cranks, and it’s fantastic! Even as hot as it’s been this week, putting 30 miles in at a time in the heat of the day has been thoroughly enjoyable.

I’ll tell you something else with regards to the heat. Riding at 12,000ft is a lot easier than riding in Kansas heat and humidity.

I absolutely intend to ride the TPB again next year. As does my brother, as does one of our hosts, and the GF even has aspirations for it. At some point, I’ll need to ramp up the training again my brother and I are going to beat our time of 8 hours and 14 minutes. For now though, I’m going to throw myself headlong into riding for the sake of riding.

Maybe I’ll see Warren T out on the trails sometime…