Laptop Died, iPhone Sucks For Blogging But I Rode

Sniffless

And yes, that's 'sniffless' not 'sniffles.'  Bella made it while accompanying me on the ride with only two moments where she had to catch up.  Some of that was probably due to the fact that it was too cold for there to BE smells.

Freaking winter... in two more months I'll have the light and time after work to hammer out real, leg-burning, 2,000 ft total climb rides.  Now, I'm riding around the block.  I feel like I should be on a tricycle.

Still, beats a day without riding.

Dog Run

Took the dog around the block, off the leash, random sniffing galore and back in one piece.  Okay, two pieces, three if you count the bike.  Good to ride, even in the dark.

Circles

Spent some quality time picking mud and debris out of the cogs and bushings, then messed with the seat geometry trying for a little better balance.  Rode back and forth in the street and basically discovered that while I did indeed improve the feel of the bike, I can't ride a wheelie for love or money.  At least I still have my looks.

Not Entirely Soup

Trail is starting to dry up, only really foul in a couple of spots.  Can't wait to lead a pick-and-shovel crew to fix all the mayhem we've caused.  Still, better to have to put some time in with a shovel than not to ride until April.  20 klicks, mostly road, mostly hills and mostly really tired now.

Looped

Got home just a little before five, and it was still light.  Maybe there's hope.

Threw a quick hill-climb-and-loop in, maybe a hair over five miles and got it done in 20 minutes.  Knees are talking smack to me a little, but good to get a faster workout in.

Avatar was fantastic, and it didn't have a single bike in it.  Who would have thought?

Twofer Redux

Rode yesterday barefoot, and not very far in the cold.  I really like shoes.

Tonight was a half mile, at most, and windy... hope we don't get a storm, which probably means we will.  Ah, well, I haven't ridden while it was snowing yet.  Be good to get that out of the way.

Nobody Can Spell "Derailleur"

Spellcheck never found a variant it considered correct.  Sad.

Tore my hanger off today, managed to not break any spokes, and as usual, it happened in the middle of a flat, grassy field.  Amazing.  Mark got it all squared away at the bike shop and I'm back in business for tomorrow's ride, but I think I'll stay on pavement for a while.  Sick of cleaning the bike off and there's no rhythm, no flow and not much fun on the trails.  Still, not much fun beats no ride, hands down.

Lazy Sunday

Just took it around the block after helping some neighbors - cold, clear and beautiful outside, but there's a disturbing noise coming from the bike after the mudbath yesterday.  Looks like it's time for some puttering in the garage and then breaking things so I can help make the mortgage for the bike store owners.  As usual.

Saturday Is A Special Day

...it's the day we pull cactus spines out of my knee and have to go to the carwash to get the mud off the bikes.

Tammy and I did the Hidden Mesa loop thinking (hah) that it would be dry.  It was a total mudslide, complete with rocks, innocent bystanders and chunks of mystery stuff stuck in our bikes.  Sooooo much fun and so frustrating all at the same time - you couldn't get any rhythm going, you couldn't just spin and enjoy it, nothing but grinding away in the granny ring and watching for ice.

At least I got my first fall out of the way for the year and it wasn't a disaster.  I usually ride better after that.

And yes, my wife is cooler than yours because she kicks ass and takes names on a Saturday in the mud and looks ravishing while doing so.  I win.

Twofer.

Some friends had to borrow the truck last night, so I threw the bike in the bed, drove over and tossed him the keys, then rode home.  Any excuse to be on the bike is a good one.

Tonight Mike and I did almost 20 klicks in mud and ooze and snow.  You could feel the tires drop through the frozen surface of the mud and then wallow in the caramel center... grody, slick and fun.  Tipped past the freezing point on the way back and the yuck that was packed in and around the rear derailleur froze once I hit the road.  Had to flush it out with hot water and a squirt bottle.

So good to be out and running amok.  Can't wait for summer.

Threefer

I need to figure out how to post to this from my phone. 

Haven't fallen off the wagon yet, was just traveling and unable to update.  Monday night found me at a hotel in SLC, and impatiently waiting for the woman on the excercise bike to stop pedaling at 30 RPM (target heart rate: 4) so I could get my ride in.  After checking back a few times, and then vigorously wiping the bike down to get rid of the apathy, I made my first attempt at spinning.  Got 35 minutes in keeping my heart rate between 130 and 160.  Pretty good workout, even if it felt stupid to not be going anywhere. 

Yesterday was a repeat of the first attempt, sans the lady hogging the bike.  Went for 45 minutes last night and I'm feeling it today. 

Today I was just glad to be home and did a quick half-mile in the twilight and then called it good.  I greatly prefer a real bike over a pretend one.

Glad to be home.

Toes? We Don' Need No Steenking Toes.

Did the token it-still-counts-as-a-bike-ride ride around the block, but in flip-flops and shorts.  37 degrees, so it's totally a heat wave here. 

Next few days are going to be tricky with travel, but I figure that the gym will have an excercise bike.  I hate the things, but it's better than nothing, and this way I won't have to break into a bike shop just to get my fix.

Hello everyone, my name is Ryan and I'm a bike junkie.

The Glare Of The Hills

Snow.  Mud.  Wife.  Bikes.

Perfect day.

White After Labor Day

Mike wanted to get a joint ride in today, and as the days are (finally!) getting longer, we were able to get out after work and throw down six miles.  Trail was in surprisingly good shape, not much snow and the ground wasn't warm enough to turn to mud, so I actually stayed clean on a ride.  Amazing.

Good to be out under blue skies and feel sunlight, even if it was faint.  Can't wait for warm weather and long days to spin away.

*** Insert Witticism Here ***

Almost went to bed without whining about how cold it was.  Still 5 degrees, rode a little further tonight, face didn't just feel cold, it HURT by the time I got home.

Yes, yes, I know, my face may hurt but it's KILLING you.  Thank you, Mr Husted, for that joke.

Still, even mockery is not as bad as a day with no ride, and today was good.

No, No, They're Tears Of Joy, Really. Okay, Icicles Of Joy.

Not warm.  Not balmy.  Really not nice.  It's the kind of clear, biting cold that immediately makes you feel brittle.

So, one quick loop was plenty in the dark.  But at least no one could see the tears from the incredibly cold wind sticking to the side of my head and thus my manly reputation is safe for another day.  Way better than not riding.

Work, Couch, Ride

Got home and found that our incredibly generous friends were still trying to find a home for their old sofa... so took the cover and bike rack off the truck and went and got us a  new couch.  Which completely failed to fit down the stairs, and had to be trucked down the side of the hill, in the dark, in snow to discover that it didn't fit through the sliding glass door, either. 
Some swearing and creative rotations later, it made it into the basement.  Lot of help from our neighbor, who ran out of his house barefoot to help once he saw the couch.  Great guy.

And then, after finishing off the andouille sausage and peppers over rice (yay, Tammy!) I came upstairs, managed to get all the way to my skivvies and realized that I hadn't ridden today.  Back into clothes, coat, hat, on the bike and around the block.  Hardly an epic ride, but beats a day without riding.

I Am Cold And My Dog Is Invisible At Night

Rode maybe 500 yards at most, wearing street shoes, jeans and a down jacket.  Quite the stylish figure compared to my usual spandex-and-sweat attire.  Took the dog with me, as she was making the sad face as I was leaving the garage... and a black dog at night is not good.  Kinda hard to see where she is when I'm trying to go in any given direction, but it worked out fine, as she was always over sniffing the closest fence post and ignoring my instructions.

Cold, dark, clear and beautiful, pristine air.  A good ride regardless of time spent in the saddle.

Suprisingly Refreshing

Short ride today.  By that, I mean I rode in shorts.  And it's 31 degrees and windy. 

Rode a little more slowly, and only did 4.5 miles... more of an excuse to kind of zone out and think about things than a training ride or to hammer.  No great insights resulted, but at least it was bitterly cold. 

And still better than a day without riding.

Aww, Hail No.

13 miles, sun was out (initially, anyway) and had the trail to myself once I passed three other insane folks out running.  Slippery as yesterday, but still great to be out.  Rode over to the bike shop and hung out with Mark and KC for a bit, scoped out the parts I need to replace on the bike, then rode home

Did a mile or so no-hands, just for the sheer fun of it, which apparently triggered some sort of karma-related vengeance and it hailed on me the rest of the way home.

Still better than a day without riding.

Oh, My Frozen Hobo

The tracking app didn't lock on altitude and I'm thinking the distance it showed is fishy as well, but nonetheless, a ride took place.  Cold, uphill, loose snow, a flat, and being fat still didn't make it any less fun.  App said 14 miles and 800 calories, but I'm pretty sure it's calibrated for roadies on no-resistance tires and pavement.

Need to calibrate it for idiots in stretchy pants riding in snow over loose dirt and rocks at 6500 ft. 

One down, all the rest of them to go.

Onward To Pain And Glory. And Goatheads

While there is some risk involved with saying that I have a goal, and doing so publicly, I hope that this will help with keeping me motivated.  Best year I ever had biking was when I rode every day... right up until the part where I rode into a hole and chunked large portions of my body.  One sub-goal will be to avoid said holes, so hitting the real target of 365 days of riding should be possible.  Unpleasant for the next few months, but not fatally so.

I'll be posting every day as proof.

There's a 50-miler coming up in June, and that's just attainable enough to push me to get fit and fast.  Not sure Leadville will happen this year as a race, but we plan to camp at Turquoise Lake as often as we can to allow me time to get conditioning rides in.

Lotta 'me' in this so far - Tammy's training up for her triathalon (nailed four consecutive days of running 3+ miles this week) and she's choosing food based on her cravings, so we're eating really healthily.  Would be funny if I hit the best shape of my life on the wrong side of 40, but maybe that means I can drag out my riding into my 80's.  Who knows... I'm barely awake, and not trying for any sort of prose or wordsmithing.

Just want to ride.