100 miles and 3200kj

That was my weekend of riding.
Saturday met us with lower temps. I refuse to say it was cold, because it just wasn't. We had a smaller turnout than usual, likely because of the mid-40s temp at start time. I guess some folks will stay inside when it's 38 and overcast this winter...
Those of us who rolled out of bed and braved the horribly frigid temps had a perfectly lovely ride through Lower Richland, down into Eastover, out to the Cricket Store and back the normal way. The wind decided it wanted to meet us when we made the turn at the store though. It wasn't a brutal headwind by any stretch, but made the ride more interesting.
I ended up with 100km at an average of right at 30kmh and clicked off 2000kj. I must have been on the front a lot during the ride, because that number is about 200kj more than I've ever produced on that loop, including some of the hard rides out through there. Il Professore made it the entire ride without breaking any parts...HOORAY. He did, however, bring his Dean SS over for me to look at the stem. The faceplate wouldn't tighten down on the bars. The reason? FSA stuff sucks...that's the reason. The threading for all four screws had been tapped incorrectly. Amazing...!
Then we hacked at his shoe for 20 minutes to change a cleat. I love using large, powerful, high rpm power tools on expensive bike parts!
We are also starting a betting line on what part he'll break next...
Crankset - 7/1
Handlebars - 10/1
Front wheel - 14/1

Doogie, NID and I met this morning @ 9. It was a bone-chilling 44 degrees when I left la casa.
We went out through the Fort and meandered around in Lower Richland for about 2:15. Another perfect day of riding. Very little wind, very few cars, and a great loop. 65km and 1200kj for the day.
I came home and immediately went to work in the yard, getting a jump on the infernal leaves. I'll be doing leaves from now until after Christmas. The big trees in my yard are great in the summer, but are the bane of my existence come fall and winter.
Doogie and I stopped by Crusty's later in the day and he picked up some Reynolds wheels. Crusty's lady is moving in with him, so the house actually looks presentable. It was a bit cave-like before...kind of dark and dank...

All in all, it was a good weekend.

We'll be riding Thursday night, with lights, on the Fort if anyone is interested.

A bet...

The temp is supposed to be @ 45-ish at 9 a.m. tomorrow. How many do we think will show up for the group ride?

The over/under is set at 8. I think that may be a little high though...

Time to find the knee warmers and vest...

History lesson

General Paul Tibbets died today...

If you don't know who that is, you should have studied your American History a bit harder in school...

For those of you who don't know...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071101/ap_on_re_us/obit_tibbets

Damn it's getting dark early...

The H.O. came home from work at her normal time, so I jumped on the bike and did a loop around the Fort. I was out the door at 5:45 and on my way.

The sun was low in the sky, but still shining brightly! Man, was that short-lived! I was barely to the top of Hartsville Guard when it started to disappear behind the trees. I planned on doing a slow-ish loop, but chasing the daylight seemed de rigeur, so up the pace went.

I stopped at the top of the hill on Wildcat to make an adjustment to my new cleat and heard the telltale call of a coyote. That's right folks, Wile E. himself is evidently living with his peers out on the base. The call came from far away, but I wasn't going to hang around to see if any of his asshole buddies were going to return the call from my general vicinity. The pace went up yet again...

Once I turned onto Dixie, I clicked the new light on so that oncoming cars could see me. I can tell you, a good L.E.D. light is damn bright. As the light faded, I was really shocked by the output of the two tiny heads. I kept my newly accelerated pace on the ups and the downs. At the top of the penultimate climb, I saw a blinky ahead of me. So the pace went up again...

I stomped up the last climb and caught the rider just after Golden Arrow. As I approached, I noticed the guy's stroke was UGLY! Not that mine is a gift from the Madonna Di Ghisallo, but this guy wasn't even pedaling squares...more like octagons. As I went past, I could barely make out the shape of...wait for it...The Peanuthead. Riding in the Fort with a barely there blinky and no headlight...in the dark! I wasn't about to have him try to follow me, so the pace went up again...

I kept a hard, 38-40kph pace for the rest of the trip out of the Fort and it actually felt really good. Sometimes, going hard feels better than futzing around.

The Niterider MiNewt Dual X 2 light performed well. It's VERY small. The housings themselves are about the size of a walnut (and metal) and the battery is similar in size to a package of granola bars. The whole she-bang weighs less than a pound. Run time is 2 hours on high and 4 hours on low. I also will run for 8 hours on flash. Flash is a bit trippy though. It flashes as fast as a strobe light and the flash is high power. I turned it on in the middle of the neighborhood and almost had a seizure. The light system was great on the road...we'll see how she does in the woods.

Here's the whole system...(Powertap not included)...battery fits right under the stem!

Jonny5 aliiive...

Tragic

http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7276426

This loss of life is just staggering. I knew none of them and am far removed from my days at Carolina, but my heart is broken this morning. Children just shouldn't perish in this, or any other, manner.

The ones that got out were extremely lucky. The ones that didn't are in a far better place.

Godspeed...

A mixed weather bag

Yesterday, I rolled out of bed at 7:30 to start my morning routine in preparation for the group ride. I checked the temp...59 degrees...not great, but not all that cold either. Then I looked out the front window! It was foggy. I don't mean just foggy, but horror movie FOGGY. The house across the street is 50-60 feet away and it was nothing more than a ghostly shape in the mist.
This thinned the group immediately.
I showed at 5 'til 9 and New Guy Rob and I were the only ones there. We ended up with a total of 8. The group sort of meandered out towards Hopkins, then towards Eastover and back to the G-Mart. A nice paceline developed on Airbase and we all stayed in a group until the end. I jumped for the sprint from way too far out, in way too big of a gear. Doogie got me at the line.
Il Professore continued his streak of breaking parts shortly thereafter. Going down the concrete section of Old Garners Ferry, he hit a bump and the front bolt of his seat clamp sheared off. The nose of his saddle went straight up and turned out to be something of a divining rod for the rest of the ride. He stuck his bike in the biggest gear (50/11) and stood for the remainder of the ride. As he would swing the bike from side to side, the saddle would flop about, with the nose always pointing at his rear end.
It was a great ride with a great group. We ended with a touch over 50 miles in 2:45.
I got home a lazed about for the rest of the day. The house is almost too quiet when the H.O. and the kids are gone.
Doogie and I met this morning for a 2+ hour ride through the Fort and Hopkins. We had a great tailwind on a few sections and the sun was shining through the high clouds. When we turned onto Bluff, the head/crosswind started. It's always funny how the 130 pound guys climb like they have rockets up their asses, but they tend to turn into Remora when the wind gets stiff.
Doogie took advantage of my copious draft and diesel power at this point.
We cruised through campus and stopped at TVH's house for a short chat, and then contined on to pick up Mrs. Doogie's Touareg. She had a bit too much firewater last night and was forced to leave it in Shandon.
All in all, I had a good weekend of riding the new rig and got it a little dirty for the first time. Rest assured, it's clean now though...and it has a white saddle...

4 days off makes the legs stiff

Holy schnikeys! I must admit that I'm not at all fit right now and I'm very tired from my single parenting duties, but DAMN were my legs stiff tonight. I did a loop of the Fort and while it wasn't the slowest ever, it was close.
It was a good ride though. I needed to get out in the fresh air and get some blood moving around. And GD does the new bike ride GOOD!
Coming past the backside of the golf course, I looked up and there was a huge doe standing in the right lane. As I approached, she never moved. I swung to the other lane and rode past maybe 6 feet from her. She had zero fear of me on my bike. It was kind of cool. I looked back over my shoulder and she was watching me ride away. I guess the really have nothing to fear on the Fort, other than large caliber automatic weapons and Howitzer shells of course.
I left he Fort and rode up through Heathwood and across through Shandon, just taking it easy as darkness fell. As I crossed through OutJokin's parking lot, I noticed a huge rainbow out over Lower Richland. The news said it was raining out there. I felt a bit of a sprinkle on post, but nothing to get excited about.

The H.O. is taking the management trainees away for the weekend. There will be much riding and sleeping for yours truly while they are gone. I need some rest...

See you guys Saturday...

I found my new truck...screw a hybrid...

Day 4 of 4

Today is the last day of my 4 day, single-parenting stint. The H.O. will be home tonight at some point. I say at some point because when she is out of town, she somehow forgets how to dial a telephone or use email to contact her husband and/or check on the management trainees.
Honestly, it's really not all that hard to wrangle two kids. It's the other stuff that suffers. I haven't ridden since Sunday, sleep has become a luxury which it seems I cannot afford and the house looks like a troupe of baboons has been living here. Well, maybe just one, 2 year old baboon who refuses to take naps and has too many toys...
Oh, did I mention it's raining cats and dogs? Pretty much shoots any outside plans in the ass.

It's 4 p.m. now...and I can tell you that the boys will be in bed in right around three hours.

Doogie Hammer M.D. is in for the impending night rides. I've put out feelers to the guys at Summit and Cycle Center. Contacting Outjokin' is fruitless, as the employees there don't ride during the day, but I digress.
If you have interest, shoot me a comment or email. I'm thinking the trail rides will be Thursday nights, since that night seems more open for a lot of folks. All are welcome, but you will need lights and some sort of off-road bike. The rides won't be test-fests, but your heartrate will go up and stay there.

I'm riding tomorrow night if anyone is interested. Either a loop of the Fort on the roadie or a road out, trail back on the cross bike.

If not, see you guys Saturday...

Two short days

Saturday was met with a larger than usual group, likely because the weather was pleasant. We'll see where most of them are when it's 42 and overcast...
Anyway, I rode the new bike and for the 30 minutes that it was working perfectly, it was easily the best bike I've ever ridden. The ride is very muted, yet the frame seems extremely stiff and responsive. I've said it before, but the ride quality can be attributed to the giant, round tubes. I liked the Damocles, but this is just a better ride. The ride feels more solid and the fork is definitely stiffer than that straight leg affair on the Damo.
Anyway, about 1/2 way out of the Fort, my saddle slipped and the nose went up and I mean UP. It was a Selle Italia prostate exam. I made it to the gate, messed with it for a moment and just decided to ride home. There was no way that I could have ridden 3+ hours like that.
Upon retruning home, I went to Lowes and bought a ratching 13mm wrench to properly tighten the seat bolt.
This morning, the H.O. is leaving for Nashville, so I was up and on the bike early. Nothing clears your head like watching the sun rise from the saddle. 90 easy minutes later, I was back at the house. Nice way to start the morning, IMO. There's no better time to ride on Sunday either. There isn't a soul stirring at 7:30 on a Sunday in Columbia.
I'll be off the bike until Thursday as The Boss will be gone until Wednesday night. Single parenting...there's nothing like it.

My PT crapped on me this morning too. Time for new batteries in the hub methinks...!

Oh, and I saw PeanutHead riding yesterday...up Devine Street...in the middle of the lane...wearing his iPod...! I think I saw the Ghost of Charles Darwin drafting him. Not a bright bulb, that one...

Oh, part deux...
I want to get a night ride together for the winter. Maybe Wednesday nights (Tuesdays or Thursdays are fine too!) on the Fort, preferably in the woods. I've added an email address in my profile. shoot me ideas or comments about wanting to ride. Everyone is welcome. It won't be an aggro, testosterone-fest kind of ride. Just some good fun in the dark.

9 a.m. Saturday

Remember, the rides have moved back to 9 on Saturday mornings...

Done...

Last of season

Seven of us showed up for the TNCWC tonight. We sat for a while and then pretty much just rolled around. BLK took off and we gave a half-hearted chase for a while. I quit chasing after I followed Ladd into the top corner and the cross bike did a two-step under me. I even had the soft wheels and tires on tonight and the damn thing still wouldn't turn. I sat up and rode tempo for about 20 minutes and then just stopped. A new guy and his girlfriend came out, so I stopped to chat with them. Nice kids...USC students...she looked like she was about 14...I felt old.

The Ridley will be here Thursday...yippee! I bought a ceramic BB(waiting for it), a carbon front derailleur clamp(waiting) and I fixed the rear Mavic brake. I decided to given the bolt another go and snapped the head clean off. I put the Channel Locks on the nub and gave it a big effort and the damn thing broke loose and came right out. Thank goodness! I hated for that one bolt to, A)kick my ass and B)make a high $ set of brakes into paperweights. They're rare enough as a set, much less finding just the rear!

I also bought a new pair of shoes. Specialized Pro Road...! I've worn Diadora for so long and the new Diadoras fit differently, so I decided to try something new. I probably won't break them out until spring though. No reason to foul up new shoes in the winter.

No ride for me Thursday. The H.O. will be out of town, so I'm charged with heading up the management training program. When the trainees go to bed, I'll be building the new whip...
It will be road worthy and out on Saturday morning!!!

Saturday 9 a.m. @ the circle...

Another weekend passed...

Saturday, the turn out was very small. Half of our normal bunch is lounging on the beach in the USVI (yes, literally half...) and the remainder went to Greenville to race. The few who showed up were treated to a wonderful ride through Lower Richland, on a beautiful day. To say the loop chosen was a meanddering one would be a bit of an understatement. We ended up in Eastover and came back in the normal way. On Shop, Mandrus jumper across a fresh red light and attacked down to the sprint. That's called a "Poindexter" move and was the only way he was going to win it.
I ended up with 90km and some very tired legs. The Salsa is a touch harder to ride than a regular road bike. It's scandium and stiff and just kind of buzzes on rough pavement, which there is an abundance of around here. I sit up higher on the bars and my reach is shorter by 2cm. Needless to say, the back was a bit crunchy when I got home.
Doogie Hammer, MD and I went out this morning and did a short 90 spin out through the Fort into the NE and back through Forest Acres. We went EASY this morning...

I really like the new Ultegra SL pedals. They are very secure, yet my knee doesn't hurt. I feel much more connected to the bike than with the Quattros.
My new search is for another set of brakes for the new bike. The Mavics have a frozen bolt on the rear calipers, thus, it has been rendered useless. I guess I'll use the Cane Creeks until I find something else...

Last crit Tuesday night. 6:15pm!! I'll be out, but won't be racing. The cross bike doesn't like to be thrown into turns at high speed...

Speaking of high speed, Petacchi won Paris-Tours today with an average speed of 46kmh. That's 28.5mph to you and me. Five and a half hours at 28.5mph!!!??? Nah, those guys aren't on dope...

Solo

I guess the Thursday night rides have dried up. I showed at the gate last night and was alone. I planned for this contingency and brought the mp3 player. I popped in the tunes and did a slow loop of the Fort by myself.
I'm riding the Salsa until the new Helium gets here and I noticed a few things last night. I'm very crunched up on that bike and it's really flipping stiff. The difference between it and the old Ridley was amazing. It just proved the point to me that the old Ridley had been broken for quite a while. When I stood to climb last night, the bike actually went forward instead of feeling like it had a migrating bottom bracket shell. The front end was much stiffer as well. Of course, a 500 gram cyclocross fork with a steel steerer is likely to be stiffer than an all carbon, 300 gram fork...
I had an enjoyable ride though...

I changed to some new style Ultegra pedals too. First time out on them will be Saturday morning. They'll wither be better or they'll cripple me. I really like the Crank Brothers pedals, but just don't feel terribly secure when making a big sprint effort. I always fear popping out, so I don't go as hard as I can...
We'll see...! The new Shimano pedals may make my knee swell like a grapefruit...

I've ordered all of the parts needed for the new frame...well, not needed, but wanted...! I got new cables and housing (actually needed), new cages and a ceramic BB. I figure, if I'm going all out on this bike, why not the ceramic BB?

If you want ceramic stuff, check out www.superflycycles.com ! You won't beat their prices or service. Sign up for the newsletter/club thingy too. Free shipping and 10% off...

You gotta love the warranty...

The Damocles gave up the ghost over the weekend. I noticed it had some cracking under the BB/chainstay junction and those cracks had begun to migrate. On Sunday, I stood to cross the railroad tracks on Beltline and the combo of the two dealt the deathblow. There are now cracks on the tops of the chainstays as well...

Needless to say, the frameset has been torn down and is going out today for warranty replacement. I'm a bit melacholy right now. I really liked the bike, but I am receiving an upgrade for a replacement frameset.

A small amount of $ changed hands and I am now the proud owner of a Ridley Helium...

The next two weeks is going to be a long time...! At least I didn't have to wait 8 weeks like Joel! Hell, I took pictures of the cracked frame and it was enough to warranty it...

The crosser is set up for the road. The last time I was forced to use a cross bike for a primary roadie, Corbett and I ate shit out on Congress...

Weekend Update

Saturday actually brought a larger group than expected. The sky was dark, the clouds were low and it looked pretty threatening when I rolled out of bed at 6:45. We did get rained on in the Fort, but it was for about 15 minutes and just enough to spot your glasses and get your bike dirty.

We did a different ride that included a couple of roads that I've seen, but never actually ridden. It ended up being a very modified Double Elon loop, out to Zeigler and then back in on Cabin Creek, the normal way. The pace was downright tolerable. No one went for any of the sprints and no one attacked. It was nice to actually just turn the pedals over @ 32-35 kmh and not be forced to cough up a lung during the ride. I ended up with 90 km and didn't feel terrible when I got home.
Doogie Hammer,M.D. and I went out this morning and rolled around the flats this morning at a blistering 30 kmh pace. It was a good 60 km ride in 2 hours that helped me spin some crap out of my legs.
I'm waiting on word from Ridley about my frame warranty. It seems the old Damocles has developed some cracks under the BB where the shell meets the chainstays. I'm torn whether or not to upgrade to the Helium or just get another Damocles. The only thing that turns me off about the Helium is the integrated seatmast...! I guess I need to find out how much adjustability there is once it's cut down. I'll jump off that bridge when I come to it...
I won't be out Tuesday for the TNCWC. I'm going to the beach for a couple of days with the H.O. and the management trainees.

See you guys next Saturday. I'll be doing a loop of the Fort Thursday night if anyone wants to join me...

No ride for me tonight

I'm going to the Carolina game. I'll be sitting here...

...away from all of the unwashed masses...

I'll tell the ESPN guys you all said 'Hello'...

Saturday is 9 a.m. this week...

The End is Nigh

Darkness is creeping up on us and the time change, although it's been moved back by our all-knowing gub'ment, is coming.
Last night, the TNCWC went off @ 6:30 for the last time off the season. We did 40 minutes plus 2 and rolled home in the dark.
The race started mellow enough and we basically rolled around for the first 10 minutes. The headwind up the front was BRUTAL. I looked at my PT graph from last night and could see everytime we went up the front and short chute. How did I know...? Well, let's just say I normally don't need to turn 500 watts on the front stretch...!
Anyway, @ 15 minutes in, JayC attacked and took Der Kaiser with him. No one did anything and the gap was immediate. At the end of the backstretch, BCR came out of the group like he shot out of a fucking cannon and bridged to the leaders.
We started working well together and actually began to pull it back. We were about 150 off the break when OLD FART Jeff let a huge gap open and shattered the chase. The kicker is the fact that he started yelling for us to chase and ride harder. If you can yell and scream after you leave a giant gap, then you probably had enough to hold the wheel in front of you. He yelled for about 10 minutes...from the very back of the group. I made the effort to drift back and try to take him out the back. I let a huge gap go and forced him to chase. It was worth getting gapped and sitting out a lap. If the old fart yells again next week, I'm going to embarass him in front of everyone. I wasn't the only one who was perturbed about it either...ther was much grumbling, even from those who rarely show any emotion on rides.
Anyway, we started working again and closing the gap, but some folks just don't understand 'through and over'. The line would get shot to hell in the corners or people would hit the front and take long, suicidal pulls. People, if you take a short, hard pull, then come over, it's actually easier...
The gap was coming down with two to go, but the break was too strong. BCR showed JayC what a clean set off wheels looked like in the sprint and won yet again.
I felt better than I have in a long time, but still have lingering shit in the lungs and head.

Next week, the TNCWC goes off @ 6:15. It's the first of the last 2, so be there...

Holy Shit Funny!

Weekend Update

It's Mr. Bettini to you people...

That's right, The Cricket won the Worlds, again...! He's a bad MF.

Okay, now onto my pre-nap update.

Saturday met a smaller group than we've had lately, but it was chilly (64...). We did the tried and true Eastover loop, but went down Ridge and up Harmon this time. The ride stayed together and relatively slow all the way to 378. Once we hit Chaingang, the speed increased. Gradually at first though...

We had a nice, conservative 40-42kmh paceline working, everyone was doing their part, and then it happened. I pulled through, Dr. LP pulled through and Der Kaiser hit the front. He drilled it like he was looking for oil. We went from 42kmh to 55kmh in about 100 meters. Did I mention that Dr. LP and I were still hung out in the left line? Thankfully, Mrs. Der Kaiser let us in just before the pace went to 60kmh. RW kept it @ 60, LP pulled through at 60 and led out the sprint. I hit the 12 and think I actually went backwards. Der Kaiser got me at the line by half-a-wheel. Note to self...stay in the 13!

Anyway, the pace stayed high down to the Cricket Store, on Bluff and all the way to the GMart.

Trez sat up and looked like hammered shit, so I sat up with him in an effort to rally him on to the store. After two long pulls into the headwind at 40kmh, he was gone again.

I TT'd to the store, trying to keep my wattage @ 285-300. I did it, but it stung a bit. I should have said F him and stayed in the group. Doogie/Ballpeen was driving the pace and it evidently was hurting some folks. Get yours now you little shit. Next spring, when your ass is stuck at the hospital, working 18 hour days, I'll be riding!

After the re-group, we rode piano back up Horrell Hill, through the Fort and home. I ended up with 100km and was ti-red when I hit the door.

This morning, I did a SLOW loop of the Fort by myself. The H.O. and the management trainees are gone for the day, so I got in some much needed bike maintenance. The cross bike hadn't been cleaned since coming back from the beach...sorry! The Ridley's drivetrain was looking kind of crusty, so it got a scrub.

Now, I'm going to crawl into bed, turn on the NASCAR race in HD and sleep through it...

Edit: Il Professore had a bad weekend. Saturday, he got hit by a full Gatorade bottle thrown from a passing car. Sunday, he stood up on a climb and sheared the axle of his Look Keo pedal. He crashed pretty heavily, but nothing is broken...other than the pedal that is...