Arrived in Palm Springs. The weather has been crazy. Lots of wind and rain. Making me nervous for tomorrow's Tour de Palm Spring century ride. Crossing my fingers and hoping the weather holds out.
TGIF
Looking forward to the weekend. There's the Cyclo-cross World Championships streaming live tomorrow from Louisville, Kentucky, which was supposed to be on Sunday, but due to flooding they had to bump up race day for the elite racers. I'm also looking forward to putting in some nice easy mountain miles, hoping for warmer weather and sunshine at the least. Today I noticed a huge spike in my blog readership. I think my Old Caz race recap had something to do with it.
Poison
Ugh. I got food poisoning on Saturday evening. I'm not sure what did it to me, but it was definitely something I ate after my big ride. I spent the day watching the Cyclocross National Championships on Velonews.com, napping and watching bad movies. So much for my Sunday.
This is How I Roll
This is as close as I got to a bike on Friday. Still shaken up about Burry Stander's death. It's been on all over cycling news sites. Despite only being back at the office for a few days it felt like two weeks worth of work all crammed together. I'm so ready for the weekend. In the meantime I've been working on another GoPro edit. I hope to share it with everyone soon.
Homeward Bound
Flying home this afternoon. Looking forward to getting back on the bike.
Winter Wonderland
My legs are still sore from my run the other day. I'm itching to get back on my bike, but in the meantime I'm happy just relaxing and recovering. It started snowing here in Michigan, which is a nice excuse for staying indoors.
Crashtastic - Triathlon Fail
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcqIgCJNjto]
Busy
No time for a decent ride outdoors. Gotta crank through a set of intervals for the night. I did figure out an annoying creak in my drivetrain. Turned out to be a loose pedal! Luckily I caught it before it caused any damage.
Driving SUCKS!
This morning I had to drive my wife to work, then drove myself to work. What should have been a 30 minute commute ended up being nearly an hour of detours, traffic and more traffic. The sun was shining, and all I could think about was how amazing it would be to ride in this weather. Traffic in San Francisco can be really daunting depending on where you are. I'll always choose to ride over drive if I have the car available. Today was also the first day in a long time that I haven't been on a bike.
Soggy Commute
It only takes me 2o minutes or so to get ready for work. That's with a shower, make the bed, feed the dog, iron my clothes, style my hair, get my riding gear on, pack the dog in a bag, and off I go. However, on rainy days it takes almost as long to change my clothes, dry off, walk the dog a second time once I get to work. I have my routine down. I also have the right gear and options for rainy days like this. Given the choice of driving, taking the bus or riding to work I'll most definitely choose to ride no matter what the conditions are. All this is done after riding 30 or so miles. Call me crazy. Call me passionate.
Bike Magazine
Every month I look forward to getting my Bike subscription in the mail. I also subscribe to Bicycling, Peloton and Pro Cycling, but Bike stands out on its own as having a distinct voice and great photography. It's one of those magazines I've read throughout the years that has a nostalgic feel with every page. I only wish my print subscription translated to an iPad version, but I appreciate having something tangible and real to flip through.
Rising From Ashes
The trailer alone got me all inspired. Rising From Ashes from T.C. Johnstone on Vimeo.
Repair
I'm feeling a lot better than I did yesterday, a little sore and defeated, but on my way to a full recovery. I don't want to dwell on my physical condition, as I'm looking to turn the page on this humbling experience. I'm doing alright, and thanks to those concerned. My bike needs a little bit of work. I bent the front brake mounting post as well as my rear derailleur hanger. The hanger is an easy fix, but the brake post is beyond my skill. I went ahead and ordered a replacement caliper. My rear wheel got a little out of true, but that's an easy fix for me. Besides that my frame got chipped where the front brake swung around, however I can't tell if the brake mount cracked from the twist. It looks like it got compacted, but didn't crack.
Another Rest Day
Didn't get any riding in at all today. Not because I didn't feel like it, but because I got all dressed up for Halloween fun at work. It's Friday, and I'm looking forward to the weekend ahead. Lots of plans outside of cycling, so I only have the early mornings to get them in. On another note, my Open O-1.0 is nearly complete. Just waiting on one last part to be released and shipped to the shop. I'm waiting on a new SRAM X0 Type 2 rear dreailleur. I'm looking forward to how this performs. Having a quieted drivetrain while descending will be nice.
Still Feelin' Tired
Stress at work has put a damper on my riding. Even my morning/evening commutes have become a drag. I'm just waiting for this rainy weather to go away as well as the fog in my head to clear.
Rest Day For Real
Today's the first real rest day I've taken in a long time. I have weekly rest days where I'm supposed to stay away from the bike, but when you factor in my commute to and from work it cancels it out. I actually drove to work for the first time in months, which was kind of nice, but I'm definitely a lot faster on the bike by a long shot. I've got a big weekend of riding planned, so I want to make sure I'm well rested physically as well as mentally. Bikes have been on my mind a lot, to say the least, and sometimes I get burned out reading about bikes, especially with all the downer news about Lance Armstrong and the rest of the corrupt cycling community. It just bums me out, but I've got to stay positive and remember why I ride in the first place.
Desert Vacation
Drove down to Palm Springs for a little anniversary vacation with my wife. We took the long way down along highway 1 and through Big Sur. I have to say that the California Coast is the most beautiful I've seen so far.
I'm looking forward to relaxing by the pool while fixing my embarrassing cycling tans. However, we brought bikes, of course, and I love riding in the desert.
Must Rest
My legs are cooked after riding a hundred miles on Saturday. Thought I could squeeze in a recovery ride, but ended up cleaning my bike instead. I've been rolling with Boeshield's T-9 lube for the past 6 months on my mountain and road bikes, but noticed the huge build up of wax. Not cool. It took me forever to fully clean it off my drivetrain. I'm going back to Finish Line products until I find something better. Recommendations?
BRAIN DEAD
Work can suck it. That is all.
Place of Work
I work in the Presidio, sheltered by trees and fog. It's a short commute to and from work with not a lot of climbing. Our front porch balconies overlook the water and the tip of the Golden Gate Bridge. Down below I see a constant stream of cyclists doing their thing. I enjoy my commute. It's pretty straightforward with not a lot of traffic. I wish sometimes that it was a bit longer, but that's not hard to accommodate, just ride down to the ocean and long the cliffs.