I rode 15 miles yesterday... First time back on a bike since my wreck on Wednesday. I took my hardtail mountain bike the length of the Blackstone River Bikeway. I was a little worried about my shoulder since it's still pretty sore, but it worked out o.k. After a few days of recovery, most of my muscles are back to normal, but there are definitely a few REAL sore ones right around the top of my shoulder. The area by the outboard end of my collarbone and my clavicle is tender. All this did not, however, stop me from riding a little bit, and it was good. I don't think I'll do anything off road for a few more days, but I'll be back soon.
Perhaps most importantly, I'll be back riding the SST to work on Monday...
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Thursday, October 26, 2006
A bad run...
Not a good week on the bike...
This past Saturday afternoon I rode out to Lincoln Woods for a quick spin. It's funny because I was too lazy to put my roofracks back on my car, but not so lazy that I wouldn't actually ride my bike the 5 miles to get out to the Woods. Anyway, the ride went well for awhile, but then I got a pinch flat and lost my momentum and motivation. It was also getting late in the afternoon. No problem, I though, I'll fix this tube up and head for home. I shot through the pedestrian tunnel and out on to old 146 and was riding down the hill towards North Providence. As I was cruising along, some kids drove past me in a car and beaned me right in the back of the head with an egg! Assholes... I was actually pretty lucky, I think, because the egg hit me on my helmet. There's a cool looking circular dent with egg shell embedded in it... but it also stinks like egg now. As does the shirt I was wearing, as does my bike. Anyway, I was sort of hoping they'd be stuck at the red light at the bottom of the hill so I could drag them out of the car and beat them senseless, or at least get a license plate number, but no such luck. I'm sure the karma police will catch up to those douchebags... so watch out for maroon Jeep Grand Cherokees when you're in Lincoln. Crazy, no?
And then yesterday I went back up to ride Lincoln Woods yet again, although this time travelling to and from by car. I rode for awhile, just like Saturday, but then IN THE EXACT SAME PLACE I FLATTED ON SATURDAY, I crashed off a drop. Now I haven't actually crashed my mountain bike in awhile, so I think this one was designed to make up for lost time with its sheer bone-crunching force. This might be the hardest mountain bike crash I've ever had. I hit a drop I've never actually done before and got too far foreward. The landing is less steep than the takeoff, so you really have to get the front wheel up. I failed to do this, bottomed the fork out, and got catapulted over the bars. It all happened so fast I'm not really sure of the sequence... but I felt the bike bottom out, I heard a loud bang, and then I was on the ground.
Ouch, I thought. Let's see. The bike is over there, check. Let's see if all my parts work. I can move my hands and feet, my legs appear normal except for the road rash on my right knee. Hmmm, my right shoulder is numb, better check the collar bone. Tap, tap, tap, nope, doesn't feel broken. Range of motion? Uh, sorta. Hurts to take a deep breath, but not sharp pain. Let's try standing up. I think I hit my head because my teeth feel funny... they're all there, but let's take a look at the helmet. Scratches and dirt, but no cracks or dents. Still smells like egg. Owee! Shoulder's no longer numb, now it just hurts. Recheck collar bone, seems o.k. Gotta get out of here.
Let's have a look at the bike... Hmmm, the bars don't line up with the wheel. Maybe that's what the banging noise was from... Wheels are still true, not flat, chain is off, seat is still there, brakes work, we're in business!
I straightened the bars, tightened the pinch bolt on the stem, reset the chain, and cautiously remounted. I rode the rest of the way down the hill, but boy did it hurt. Pushing on the bars? Not good. Nonetheless it feels like it's all muscular, not bones or anything else. I managed to struggle my way back to the car, riding mostly on trails. This was maybe not smart, but I made it. Also able to put the bike in the car, drive home, carry the bike upstairs, and take a shower. Painful, but I could do it. I considered going to the hospital, but eventually decided against it.
I'm still trying to decide about seeking medical attention because this morning I thought I might throw up when I woke. It feels a little better now, a little looser. Now I'm just pissed off because I couldn't ride in to work today, I won't be able to climb this evening, and I should probably take at least a few days off the mountain bike. Maybe I'll set up the indoor trainer early... The climbing thing especially bugs me because I've had two good days in a row (Sunday and Tuesday), sending some boulder problems I have never even been close to getting. Damn! Oh well, I'll rest, try to rehab, and hopefully be back on it soon. My goal is to be able to ride to work on Monday... and climb by Tuesday. But we'll see. I still don't know how screwed up I am.
This past Saturday afternoon I rode out to Lincoln Woods for a quick spin. It's funny because I was too lazy to put my roofracks back on my car, but not so lazy that I wouldn't actually ride my bike the 5 miles to get out to the Woods. Anyway, the ride went well for awhile, but then I got a pinch flat and lost my momentum and motivation. It was also getting late in the afternoon. No problem, I though, I'll fix this tube up and head for home. I shot through the pedestrian tunnel and out on to old 146 and was riding down the hill towards North Providence. As I was cruising along, some kids drove past me in a car and beaned me right in the back of the head with an egg! Assholes... I was actually pretty lucky, I think, because the egg hit me on my helmet. There's a cool looking circular dent with egg shell embedded in it... but it also stinks like egg now. As does the shirt I was wearing, as does my bike. Anyway, I was sort of hoping they'd be stuck at the red light at the bottom of the hill so I could drag them out of the car and beat them senseless, or at least get a license plate number, but no such luck. I'm sure the karma police will catch up to those douchebags... so watch out for maroon Jeep Grand Cherokees when you're in Lincoln. Crazy, no?
And then yesterday I went back up to ride Lincoln Woods yet again, although this time travelling to and from by car. I rode for awhile, just like Saturday, but then IN THE EXACT SAME PLACE I FLATTED ON SATURDAY, I crashed off a drop. Now I haven't actually crashed my mountain bike in awhile, so I think this one was designed to make up for lost time with its sheer bone-crunching force. This might be the hardest mountain bike crash I've ever had. I hit a drop I've never actually done before and got too far foreward. The landing is less steep than the takeoff, so you really have to get the front wheel up. I failed to do this, bottomed the fork out, and got catapulted over the bars. It all happened so fast I'm not really sure of the sequence... but I felt the bike bottom out, I heard a loud bang, and then I was on the ground.
Ouch, I thought. Let's see. The bike is over there, check. Let's see if all my parts work. I can move my hands and feet, my legs appear normal except for the road rash on my right knee. Hmmm, my right shoulder is numb, better check the collar bone. Tap, tap, tap, nope, doesn't feel broken. Range of motion? Uh, sorta. Hurts to take a deep breath, but not sharp pain. Let's try standing up. I think I hit my head because my teeth feel funny... they're all there, but let's take a look at the helmet. Scratches and dirt, but no cracks or dents. Still smells like egg. Owee! Shoulder's no longer numb, now it just hurts. Recheck collar bone, seems o.k. Gotta get out of here.
Let's have a look at the bike... Hmmm, the bars don't line up with the wheel. Maybe that's what the banging noise was from... Wheels are still true, not flat, chain is off, seat is still there, brakes work, we're in business!
I straightened the bars, tightened the pinch bolt on the stem, reset the chain, and cautiously remounted. I rode the rest of the way down the hill, but boy did it hurt. Pushing on the bars? Not good. Nonetheless it feels like it's all muscular, not bones or anything else. I managed to struggle my way back to the car, riding mostly on trails. This was maybe not smart, but I made it. Also able to put the bike in the car, drive home, carry the bike upstairs, and take a shower. Painful, but I could do it. I considered going to the hospital, but eventually decided against it.
I'm still trying to decide about seeking medical attention because this morning I thought I might throw up when I woke. It feels a little better now, a little looser. Now I'm just pissed off because I couldn't ride in to work today, I won't be able to climb this evening, and I should probably take at least a few days off the mountain bike. Maybe I'll set up the indoor trainer early... The climbing thing especially bugs me because I've had two good days in a row (Sunday and Tuesday), sending some boulder problems I have never even been close to getting. Damn! Oh well, I'll rest, try to rehab, and hopefully be back on it soon. My goal is to be able to ride to work on Monday... and climb by Tuesday. But we'll see. I still don't know how screwed up I am.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
The streak is broken...
I drove my car to work today. Sorry. I'm not even sure when I last drove, but it only took one trip to remind myself of how much I hate it. I had to actually wait in line at red lights rather than ride right to the front. A woman with a sticker on her car ("My soul was removed to make room for all this sarcasm") cut me off, but at least she used her turn signal. I had to walk from the parking lot to the office, no door to door transit here. No wonder everyone is all bitter on the road, driving to work in your car sucks. Tomorrow I'll be back on the bike.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
This is rich...
This has never happened to me before:
On my ride in this morning I came to a stop in the left turn lane at the intersection of Doyle and N. Main. Nothing new, I always take the lane there. I was earlier than I usually am, so traffic was much lighter than I'm used to. The traffic signal at that intersection has a sensor in the road so it knows when to change. If I'm sitting there by myself, I don't trigger the sensor and the light never changes. For this reason it's actually helpful to have a car pull in behind me to set the thing off. The light will change and we all go merrily on our way.
Today, as I waited for the light, a woman in a blue-ish BMW pulled up behind me and stopped. After 10 seconds or so, I heard her engine revving, so I looked back to see what was happening. Revving engines usually don't mean happy things when I'm on my bike. She was in the process of backing up the hill to gain some clearance so she could then speed past me in the right lane. Hurry, lady! The light, of course, changed halfway through this maneuver, allowing her to rip on through the intersection as I turned left. She was easily doing 35 by the time she had exited the intersection. I can almost hear her saying "Goddammit! Get your friggin' bike out of the road, idiot!" I hope she feels better this morning, sitting at work knowing she got there .7 seconds faster. I feel great this morning, knowing that I got here under my own power, thankful that I got to see the sunrise, and glad to have shared the road with such a 'considerate' driver... after all, she could have sped past me without changing lanes.
On my ride in this morning I came to a stop in the left turn lane at the intersection of Doyle and N. Main. Nothing new, I always take the lane there. I was earlier than I usually am, so traffic was much lighter than I'm used to. The traffic signal at that intersection has a sensor in the road so it knows when to change. If I'm sitting there by myself, I don't trigger the sensor and the light never changes. For this reason it's actually helpful to have a car pull in behind me to set the thing off. The light will change and we all go merrily on our way.
Today, as I waited for the light, a woman in a blue-ish BMW pulled up behind me and stopped. After 10 seconds or so, I heard her engine revving, so I looked back to see what was happening. Revving engines usually don't mean happy things when I'm on my bike. She was in the process of backing up the hill to gain some clearance so she could then speed past me in the right lane. Hurry, lady! The light, of course, changed halfway through this maneuver, allowing her to rip on through the intersection as I turned left. She was easily doing 35 by the time she had exited the intersection. I can almost hear her saying "Goddammit! Get your friggin' bike out of the road, idiot!" I hope she feels better this morning, sitting at work knowing she got there .7 seconds faster. I feel great this morning, knowing that I got here under my own power, thankful that I got to see the sunrise, and glad to have shared the road with such a 'considerate' driver... after all, she could have sped past me without changing lanes.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Mmmm, fenders
It rained last night, a lot. CSO anyone? This morning "dawned" humid and warm, wet roads all around. Hooray for fenders! Fenders are a relatively recent addition to my commuter rig and they're the best. I always kinda knew that you got wetter from your tires than from the sky, but I didn't understand how true this was until now. I was perfectly dry when I got to work today. A couple weeks ago, shortly after the retrofit, I rode home in the rain and barely got wet at all. Cool beans.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Fall is even more here...
This morning was the first sub-50 degree morning ride of the season. Beautiful! I love the cool weather... allows me to ride at a normal pace without getting all nasty.
It occurs to me that I have been riding my bike to work for several months now and I haven't written anything about my routine. O.k., admittedly I haven't written much about anything for the last few months, but nevermind that. So here's how it works:
I aim to arrive at work at around 7:30 in the morning. This requires me to leave the house at around 7:15, roughly. I keep my bike, the SST (which I plan to rename "Sexual Intercourse: The bike" Dinosaur Comics), at the bottom of the stairs in my apartment so I don't have to deal with carrying it up and down the stairs every day. So, I wake up, eat, pack my bag, and hop on the bike. Newly installed fenders means I don't have to worry about wet roads...
The ride takes me on a route designed to be as flat as possible. It's all about preserving one's elevation as much as possible... and this also keeps me off of busy streets for about half the ride. There's no way around the left turn by the McDonald's at Doyle and North Main, though. Take the lane! This intersection presents an opportunity for a challenging downhill track stand. I'm pretty good on an uphill or level, but downhill is tough. Some mornings I have it, others, well, not so much. If I'm lucky the light is green when I get there.
On to North Main, watch out for the buses. Rear engine vehicles, like RIPTA buses, are scary because it's hard to hear them coming and they occupy a lot of road width. Traffic in general depends on the exact time I'm riding. It's amazing how ten minutes earlier or later can make a huge difference in the number of cars on the road.
Sketchy intersection and merge onto Water St., then up onto Smith Hill. I like riding my bike past the RIDOT building, as though I'm showing them that there is, in fact, another way...
A left towards the Foundry, sometimes sketchy, sometimes not, again depending on the traffic. And we're here! I keep my bike in my cubicle because it's more convenient and I like my coworkers seeing a bike at the office. Maybe it'll make them think about riding. Or maybe not. Anyway, I start unpacking and begin my day before I change into work clothes. A few minutes of cool-down keeps me from feeling nasty all day.
Work, work, work.
At the end of the day, I change back into my grubby commuting clothes and hit the road. The ride home is uphill, so I'm grateful to have a lighter bag (lunch has been eaten, water consumed or dumped on plants). Ride home is a reverse of the route in and I do my best for zero-dabs. Once again, some days my balance is on, some days not so much...
And that's it. Door to door it doesn't really take any longer to ride, and it makes my day.
I saw only one other bicyclist this morning. Over the past couple of weeks I've been seeing at least a couple other cyclists, but I'd expect that to end as the weather gets colder. Too bad, but to each their own, I guess. I almost never see other riders on the way home.
It occurs to me that I have been riding my bike to work for several months now and I haven't written anything about my routine. O.k., admittedly I haven't written much about anything for the last few months, but nevermind that. So here's how it works:
I aim to arrive at work at around 7:30 in the morning. This requires me to leave the house at around 7:15, roughly. I keep my bike, the SST (which I plan to rename "Sexual Intercourse: The bike" Dinosaur Comics), at the bottom of the stairs in my apartment so I don't have to deal with carrying it up and down the stairs every day. So, I wake up, eat, pack my bag, and hop on the bike. Newly installed fenders means I don't have to worry about wet roads...
The ride takes me on a route designed to be as flat as possible. It's all about preserving one's elevation as much as possible... and this also keeps me off of busy streets for about half the ride. There's no way around the left turn by the McDonald's at Doyle and North Main, though. Take the lane! This intersection presents an opportunity for a challenging downhill track stand. I'm pretty good on an uphill or level, but downhill is tough. Some mornings I have it, others, well, not so much. If I'm lucky the light is green when I get there.
On to North Main, watch out for the buses. Rear engine vehicles, like RIPTA buses, are scary because it's hard to hear them coming and they occupy a lot of road width. Traffic in general depends on the exact time I'm riding. It's amazing how ten minutes earlier or later can make a huge difference in the number of cars on the road.
Sketchy intersection and merge onto Water St., then up onto Smith Hill. I like riding my bike past the RIDOT building, as though I'm showing them that there is, in fact, another way...
A left towards the Foundry, sometimes sketchy, sometimes not, again depending on the traffic. And we're here! I keep my bike in my cubicle because it's more convenient and I like my coworkers seeing a bike at the office. Maybe it'll make them think about riding. Or maybe not. Anyway, I start unpacking and begin my day before I change into work clothes. A few minutes of cool-down keeps me from feeling nasty all day.
Work, work, work.
At the end of the day, I change back into my grubby commuting clothes and hit the road. The ride home is uphill, so I'm grateful to have a lighter bag (lunch has been eaten, water consumed or dumped on plants). Ride home is a reverse of the route in and I do my best for zero-dabs. Once again, some days my balance is on, some days not so much...
And that's it. Door to door it doesn't really take any longer to ride, and it makes my day.
I saw only one other bicyclist this morning. Over the past couple of weeks I've been seeing at least a couple other cyclists, but I'd expect that to end as the weather gets colder. Too bad, but to each their own, I guess. I almost never see other riders on the way home.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Fall is here
Fall arrived last night. O.k., the autumnal equinox was almost two weeks ago, but nothing felt different until 3:30 this morning. I wasn't on my bike at 3:30 a.m., but I was at 7:30. I point to the brisk northwest wind and the steely gray clouds as evidence of the new season. Beautiful weather for riding to work.
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