Monday, September 24, 2007
On the road...
I spent the weekend on the road, in a car. My grandmother turned 90 recently so we gathered the tribe in New Jersey to celebrate. Here's the bike-ability report for Medford, NJ: Not very bikeable. There is a bike rack in front of the public library but I didn't see any others. I saw no cyclists and the roads made me feel uncomfortable even thinking about riding. Something about narrow shoulders and 50 mph speed limits...
Monday, September 17, 2007
i am in hell...
The cheating, lying Patriots beat San Diego (I believe it means "Whale's Vagina"... Anchorman, anyone?) 38-14 last night. That means I get to listen to my co-workers talk about what a great team "we" have, how deliberately and consistently violating the rules "doesn't make a difference," how "we're going all the way if everybody stays healthy." F that, I say. You people need to shut the hell up and get back in touch with, um, ethical behavior. I sure do hope the Eagles can win one tonight... that'll go a long way towards making me feel better.
It was 46 degrees for my ride in this morning. In the span of a week we've gone from hot, humid, sticky summer riding to brisk (i.e. COLD), eyes watering fall riding. Awesome!
It was 46 degrees for my ride in this morning. In the span of a week we've gone from hot, humid, sticky summer riding to brisk (i.e. COLD), eyes watering fall riding. Awesome!
Friday, September 14, 2007
TGIMFF
It has been a long week...
I only rode for fun once this week, and I hesitate to use the term "fun." This was Monday. There was a termite hatch Monday afternoon because the little bastards were everywhere. I couldn't find my sunglasses so I rode without. This is how I discovered the termites. They all tried to get in my eyes. They stuck themselves to my crotch and the sleeves of my shirt. They hit me in the chest. I may or may not have eaten a couple, but it was hard to tell since I was busy avoiding cars. Three near misses in a mile and a half to start the ride. Then the rain came. I originally intended to do a quick ride to Riverside, but when it started raining I decided that the odds were stacked against me. Too many bad omens. So, instead, I rode the hills in the neighborhood behind my house. Intervals for wusses, short but steep climbs. I think I was only on the bike for 45 minutes...
It'll be better today, I'm going to hit up Lincoln Woods.
Congratulations, by the way, to Mike and Anna on the birth of their son last Saturday...
I only rode for fun once this week, and I hesitate to use the term "fun." This was Monday. There was a termite hatch Monday afternoon because the little bastards were everywhere. I couldn't find my sunglasses so I rode without. This is how I discovered the termites. They all tried to get in my eyes. They stuck themselves to my crotch and the sleeves of my shirt. They hit me in the chest. I may or may not have eaten a couple, but it was hard to tell since I was busy avoiding cars. Three near misses in a mile and a half to start the ride. Then the rain came. I originally intended to do a quick ride to Riverside, but when it started raining I decided that the odds were stacked against me. Too many bad omens. So, instead, I rode the hills in the neighborhood behind my house. Intervals for wusses, short but steep climbs. I think I was only on the bike for 45 minutes...
It'll be better today, I'm going to hit up Lincoln Woods.
Congratulations, by the way, to Mike and Anna on the birth of their son last Saturday...
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
NEMBAfest
The plan was flawless, but I should have known better than to expect to ride well after a Sharks Come Cruisin' show. So that's where we start. Friday night Sharks Come Cruisin' played at Patrick's Pub up on Smith Street. The show was fantastic, as usual, despite a lame group of pirates. Pirates? Yup, there was a "Pirate-themed party" in the house. Apparently the buccaneers didn't realize that they were supposed to be drinking heavily and singing along. By singing along, of course, I mean yelling at the top of one's lungs. Anyway, I was not impressed by the pirates, except for the cute one we nicknamed Pirate Spice, so I felt compelled to redouble my efforts and "sing" louder. This continued well into the night, i.e. until the bar closed at 2. The ride home was interesting as well, but the important point here is that I remember it being 3:26 when I closed my eyes.
When I opened my eyes, my clock said 7:00. While I waited for the anvil to drop on my head, I quickly realized that there were two ways the day could go. I could stay in bed and sleep more, read: all day, or I could suck it up and go riding. Since there were five other people involved in the planned NEMBAfest adventure it really wasn't a choice, so I got up. Stumbling around, drunk over, or maybe hung ovunk, it took me 40 minutes to load my rig onto the car. I also brought tools and a bike for E to ride. I did not eat because there was no food in my house, but I did suck down a pint of water. Off we go, quick stop to "fuel up" at Dunkin' Donuts. An hour later I arrived at Wompatuck State Forest in Hingham.
Originally I had planned on getting up to Hingham early enough to check things out, register, and maybe jump on a 10 o'clock group ride. I chose 10 because I knew I'd probably be tired from the night before. The reality of the situation proved that I had woefully underestimated the amount of fun I'd have on Friday night. While I successfully navigated to Wompatuck by 9:30, I was in no way prepared to ride near other people at 10. It took until nearly 11 to get everybody together, bikes prepped, lids on, mentally pumped and jacked.
There were group rides firing off every half hour, so despite the fact that J and I missed the start of the 11 o'clock "Advanced Intermediate" ride we were able to catch up quickly. It took us one climb to demolish the group, despite the fact that I was sweating alcohol. We decided to ditch the group when the group leader couldn't make a rock garden section and proceeded to stand right in the middle of the trail, obstructing me and everybody else. I could have made it, I swear...
So off we went on our own, following the red arrows. Seemed like a good idea at the time, but I have to admit I was a little nervous about committing to 22 miles in 95 degree heat with no food and a raging hangover. Onward we rode, J battling through minor mechanical issues and me fighting my caloric deficit and dehydration. And then there was the issue of water... about half way through the ride, right when I was getting worried about how empty my camelback was, we discovered a water source in the campground area. This absolutely saved me because I was already starting to get the chills from being overheated. Supply replenished, I was again able to drink heavily. Water, not booze... Onward we rode.
I ran out of water for the second time when we were close enough to the finish to hear the announcer-guy setting up the contests for the afternoon. Huffy toss anyone? The only way out was through, so we kept riding. I was on the verge of serious problems as I was thoroughly chilled, despite the heat. I was still sweating, but I knew bad things were happening to me. The announcers voice was ahead of us until the trail bent and we realized that we were riding around the field instead of towards it. The only way out is through! My front tire washed out in a swoopy section and I nearly ate a tree. The voice is closer! And then, success! The heat crushed us as we emerged from the forest back into the festival field. I rode directly to the water tent and was restored.
The rest of the afternoon was spent chilling out and attempting to gather my wits. We watched the aforementioned Huffy Toss contest (which J entered and won...), watching Mike Steidley throw down some amazing trials skill, and talking to the girl in the Larabar tent. Mmmmm, Larabars. Actually, I had never eaten one before, but the girl in the tent was beautiful and fun to talk to so I felt compelled to chat for awhile and try out each flavor. Should have gotten her number... lesson learned, I'll do better next time. Did I mention I was hung over and dehydrated? After some more lounging around in the shade, we disbanded and headed for home.
Wompatuck is a cool place to ride. It's big and confusing, but all the major trail intersections are numbered so it's fairly easy to figure out where you are. There are also lots of fire roads and bail-out points if you, say, run out of water. It took a little over an hour to get there, so it's not the most convenient place for those of us in the PVD, but it would definitely be worth getting a group together and heading back.
When I opened my eyes, my clock said 7:00. While I waited for the anvil to drop on my head, I quickly realized that there were two ways the day could go. I could stay in bed and sleep more, read: all day, or I could suck it up and go riding. Since there were five other people involved in the planned NEMBAfest adventure it really wasn't a choice, so I got up. Stumbling around, drunk over, or maybe hung ovunk, it took me 40 minutes to load my rig onto the car. I also brought tools and a bike for E to ride. I did not eat because there was no food in my house, but I did suck down a pint of water. Off we go, quick stop to "fuel up" at Dunkin' Donuts. An hour later I arrived at Wompatuck State Forest in Hingham.
Originally I had planned on getting up to Hingham early enough to check things out, register, and maybe jump on a 10 o'clock group ride. I chose 10 because I knew I'd probably be tired from the night before. The reality of the situation proved that I had woefully underestimated the amount of fun I'd have on Friday night. While I successfully navigated to Wompatuck by 9:30, I was in no way prepared to ride near other people at 10. It took until nearly 11 to get everybody together, bikes prepped, lids on, mentally pumped and jacked.
There were group rides firing off every half hour, so despite the fact that J and I missed the start of the 11 o'clock "Advanced Intermediate" ride we were able to catch up quickly. It took us one climb to demolish the group, despite the fact that I was sweating alcohol. We decided to ditch the group when the group leader couldn't make a rock garden section and proceeded to stand right in the middle of the trail, obstructing me and everybody else. I could have made it, I swear...
So off we went on our own, following the red arrows. Seemed like a good idea at the time, but I have to admit I was a little nervous about committing to 22 miles in 95 degree heat with no food and a raging hangover. Onward we rode, J battling through minor mechanical issues and me fighting my caloric deficit and dehydration. And then there was the issue of water... about half way through the ride, right when I was getting worried about how empty my camelback was, we discovered a water source in the campground area. This absolutely saved me because I was already starting to get the chills from being overheated. Supply replenished, I was again able to drink heavily. Water, not booze... Onward we rode.
I ran out of water for the second time when we were close enough to the finish to hear the announcer-guy setting up the contests for the afternoon. Huffy toss anyone? The only way out was through, so we kept riding. I was on the verge of serious problems as I was thoroughly chilled, despite the heat. I was still sweating, but I knew bad things were happening to me. The announcers voice was ahead of us until the trail bent and we realized that we were riding around the field instead of towards it. The only way out is through! My front tire washed out in a swoopy section and I nearly ate a tree. The voice is closer! And then, success! The heat crushed us as we emerged from the forest back into the festival field. I rode directly to the water tent and was restored.
The rest of the afternoon was spent chilling out and attempting to gather my wits. We watched the aforementioned Huffy Toss contest (which J entered and won...), watching Mike Steidley throw down some amazing trials skill, and talking to the girl in the Larabar tent. Mmmmm, Larabars. Actually, I had never eaten one before, but the girl in the tent was beautiful and fun to talk to so I felt compelled to chat for awhile and try out each flavor. Should have gotten her number... lesson learned, I'll do better next time. Did I mention I was hung over and dehydrated? After some more lounging around in the shade, we disbanded and headed for home.
Wompatuck is a cool place to ride. It's big and confusing, but all the major trail intersections are numbered so it's fairly easy to figure out where you are. There are also lots of fire roads and bail-out points if you, say, run out of water. It took a little over an hour to get there, so it's not the most convenient place for those of us in the PVD, but it would definitely be worth getting a group together and heading back.
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