The bike shop that I work at part time, American Cycle and Fitness, posted a new section on their website called Sweet Rides. It hasn’t been fully developed yet, but the plan is to have customers and employees alike submit their rides and a little story about why they are wonderful.
I’m proud to say that my Fisher/Xtracycle is the first to be featured! Check it out, Sweet Rides
Winter is a strange time for cyclists. For many that live in the Northern climate it is a time to get a trainer stand and some new batteries for the TV remote. Bring the bike inside and set aside some time to ride indoors alone or while watching a training DVD. For others it is a time to earn the badge of honor we give ourself by braving the unpredictable weather patterns of winter. Read the rest of this entry »
After my son was born in May of 2008 I decided to commit to my bicycle as my primary transportation. I’m glad I made that choice. Read the rest of this entry »
One of my favorite things about bicycles is that for many of the trips the average person takes, a bike could replace the car. The most common locations for people to go are to work, restaurants/bars and grocery shopping. For those that have the will to brave the elements, the car commute to work can be done on a bike. Restaurants and bars tend to be done by car even by bikers because of limited bike facilities, but it can be done. But the big one. One where people say “I could never get rid of my car” for, cargo hauling and grocery shopping. You can’t unload a shopping cart into a pannier bag. Some make do with a cumbersome stripped down child trailer.
Enter the long tail cargo bike. Read the rest of this entry »
For over 60 years car manufacturers have been using planned obsolescence (the intentional need for replacement after a predetermined length of time) in their product design. That’s not to say things haven’t improved, they have… at least marginally. Read the rest of this entry »
I have now filed a complaint with the FCC regarding my previous post about the Deminski and Doyle show on WCSX Detroit. Read the rest of this entry »
This morning I heard that on August 6, 2009 the radio show Deminski and Doyle on WCSX 94.7 in Detroit aired an outrageous and hate filled segment regard cyclists and the burden they place on drivers. You can listen to the segment here.
I implore you to write to theboss@wcsx.com and share you feelings about this and the cursory half-hearted attempt at clearing the air.
Below is my letter: Read the rest of this entry »
I realize this post is way late. Been a hectic week at home and haven’t had the chanc to sit an write since the WAM300 ended.
Sunday was a much better day than Saturday. Still sore from my previous knee troubles, I adjusted my saddle position back slighly and started off a little later than I had planned to. I rode mostly with another Team Alex member, Jeremy. Shortly after the first rest stop, a sprinkling of rain began under some dark clouds. We pulled off so I could put my phone into a bag and don my jacket. My knees were still hurting, but the pain wasn’t getting any worse so I battle on, pushing our pace faster and faster. Early on, we were consistently above 20mph when I was pulling and 18-20mph when he took his turns. The rain came and went very unpredicatbly, when it was gone the sun would be baking hot, when it came it was bitter cold. 20 miles into the day the winds shifted and blew harder, unfortunately it was either a heavy headwind or a perpendicular crosswind and little else. The wind and rain smatterings kept on until the lunch rest stop near mile 45. At lunch, the sun shined brightly and the curbside was lined with wet shoes, insoles, socks, and jackets. I laid my gear out as well hoping for a dry ride after lunch.
During the lunch break, myself and the man behind the @TeamLivingWater Twitter name were interviewed by Make-A-Wish (@MakeAWishMI) as part of the WAM300 documentation on our experience with using Social Media before an during the ride. Check the video out here: http://tinyurl.com/md3de4
Bummer when we left the lunch break I had somehow lost my HeadSweats skull cap and ended up losing my ridig partner when I went looking for it. I thought he had left without me, so I rode hard trying to catch him. Out of steam from the powering through the windy hills 15 miles later I saw him ride past me, skipping the rest stop I was at (whoops!).
The next chunk was rather uneventful, not much for scenary, few riders in sight, lots of singing to myself. When I was at the second to last rest stop and was preparing to saddle back up, I heard a SAG van ask another volunteer if there was anyone needing a ride. I mounted my bike, clipped in and started to get rained on. I rode the stones throw over to the SAG van and asked for a ride, I didn’t feel like riding in the rain and my knees were hurting pretty fiercely by that point. They drove me up to the final rest stop where a group of Team Alex people were congregating to finish the ride together. I opted for a massage on my legs and knees so they left without me.
Back on the bike, I rode full tilt to try and catch them. Hitting top speeds of 28mph in some the flat areas (which is pretty good, especially for going solo and after 70 miles of riding already). I did pass a crash that happened on the very thought provoking Silent Mile. The Silent Mile is 2 miles from the finish where all riders are asked to observe a mile of silent riding as they pass markings of stars, pictures, notes and Teddy Bears of Wish Kids that have passed on but were touched by this wonderful organization. (The crash was a domino of three riders when remounting their bikes after stopping by one of the stars. There were about 15 riders in the group, so I kept riding). I caught the Tram Alex group just as they hit the one mile to go mark and regrouped again. My wife was on her way up to the finish, so I called to see if she was there yet. Unfortunately, the freeway was closed and she was stuck about 45 minutes away. At first I planned to wait for her but I was ready to be done and she OK’d me finishing before she arrived.
The finish line for the WAM300 is incredible. Dubbed the “Hero’s Hurrah” it consists of the hundreds of riders, their families, wish families and wish kids, as well as local observers all cheering you in. Live music, a stage from Radio Disney (which I’m sure te kids love but I could go without), free cotton candy and dinner catered by Caraba’s. Best of all is the “Wish Barn” named because it is a barn at the Chelsea Fairgrounds converted into sections and stages where many of the Wish Kids whose wishes were granted by our ride were at to give the riders medals and hugs for our efforts. The place reeked of cyclist sweat but everyone was smiling. It’s hard to describe the look of appreciation from the Wish Families. They just seem stunned that so many people would go through so much effort in order to help their child. It’s a good feeling to know that I helped. One that I plan to feel over and over as the years go by and I attnd future WAM events.
Ride stats:
Time 4:52:50, avg 16.1mph, max 34.4mph, distance 78.92 mi, climbing 2,585ft, max grade 11% (probably biggest hill I have ever done)
Today started well. Very sore but the pain got less and less frustrating as the miles went by. Was very suprised to see a unicycle at the first rest stop.
Something bit me near mile 20 and the medic at the rest stop 6 miles later put some weird green goo on it that made the literal pain in the neck go away. This was shortly after I made the pride crushing mistake of being unable to unclip my right pedal and falling over into the ever soft gravel.
Best part of the day? Mile 28. In the Amish country. A family had set up a booth and were selling fresh donuts for 75 cents by the roadside. We stopped and all tipped them graciously for the best donuts any of have ever had. We kept hollaring “DONUTS!!!” to other riders as they came by and probably 20-30 others joined us for a donut break.
At the mile 32 rest stop we saw some black clouds rolling in and made the fruitless decision to beat the rain by going harder. We got caught by mile 37 when the rain poured fiercely on us. We kept going strong with myself pulling the paceline and pressing harder and faster but the line of trees gave way to a cornfield where heavy crosswinds threatened our safety, blowing us into the traffic lane. We quickly took shelter and called our team van for some support.
After warming up while waiting for the storm to pass we got out and headed for the bikes. My wet jersey and the cold wind sucked out all the warmth I had just gained and as my hands shivered when I reached for my bike I made the decision to take a break and drive in to the lunch rest area at mile 52.
While there, I was unable to achieve significant warmth and after a discussion with a route medic I called it a day.
My meager stats today: 2:17:09 time, 37.18 mi, 16.2mph avg, 34.9mph max
The awards ceremony this evening was awe inspiring and will have it’s own post tomorrow night.
The first leg of the journey down this beautiful state was wonderful! I think one of the best parts about riding a bike is the very different perspective one has about the scenary around oneself. A huge cornfield sitting just below the foggy morning mist that the sun is slowly piercing… wow. A field of evergreen trees along a long upward climb brings a chuckle of “Christmas in July” and the drive to keep going forward.
Some of the 4,000+ feet of climbing today was just relelentless hills. At least one +9% grade and several +6% grade climbs made for a very demanding and challanging ride. I made sure ro keep well hydrated and fueled, but you can’t eat your way to the top of climbs like that.
I had one near wipe out and I snaked my way between a pock-marked and pot-holed section of road. My rear tire skidded side ways, luckily in the direction I was making my correction to and at the end of a string of holes. My thougts, however, are with whomever it was laying in wait for an ambulance near mile 20. All I have heard was that the fog made someone’s glasses near useless and there was a touch of wheels. I hope you are doing OK, whoever you are.
The volunteers at this event are incredible. Every rest stop had lots of laughter and well laid out snacks and drinks. The mechanics at each stop were very efficient and got problems solved quickly.
Mechanical Issues:
Mile 2-25: Phantom Shifting in highest 4 gear in rear. Front brake came out of alignment and rubbed a bit, too.
Mile 40: Dropped my chain when I went to take another pull for some teamates. Roadside repair and then proper repair at next stop.
Miles 50-100: Out of gears. I believe I was spinning 38×27 and still kept tapping my rear shifter hoping there was one lower gear to go several times.
As we left the rest stop near mile 68, my teammate Ben and I saw storm clouds brewing and decided to get on the road as soon as possible in hopes of beating the rain. After a crushing series of hills, we split up (read: I couldn’t hold on anymore) and pressed onward. Then there was a right turn that led directly into the path of the aproachong storm. A few little sprinkles and “I think that was a raindrop”-’s later and Osiris and the Gods of the Nile gathered up a big storm and sent large drops of rain of even larger quantity. Manu riders hopped in the nearest SAG wagon but I decided to hammer onward through the rain. A few 30mph+ downhills left a stinging in my arms as the rain pelted me without my rain gear on. I eventually caught up to Ben, who was standing under a tree waiting for the storm to pass. As I charged onward, I came across several other riders who had the same idea as I did for dealing with the rain: singing in it!
Tommorows ride is supposed to be longer but flatter. I like flat. I can do flat. I’m off to get some more rest and recovery.
Stats:
Riding Time: 6h 19min 18sec
Climbing: 4,143 ft
Avg Speed: 16.1mph
Max Speed: 37.8mph
Distance: 101.32 miles
Fun: Lots!