Let's Face It - I Don't Fit In Anywhere

I have come to terms with not getting a single speed bike for city riding and commuting... BUT I WANT ONE! Yeah, this whole adventure isn't about bike commuting to work. Hey, it could be worse. A mid-life crisis usually involves expensive cars, buying clothes from "Len," (because that is the place where middle-aged men buy 20-something clothes) and thinking about young women. Notice how I said "thinking about." My wife copy-edits all these posts. I don't have any of that. I have a unique problem with my mid-life.  I want to recapture

Tragedy and Epiphany

Cycling was going well. I rode 4 times in one week. I found a nice rhythm.  Hard to do with work, travel, kid's softball and meetings.  Last week the weather forecast was spectacular, and I was planning on getting in 100 miles.  An ambitious plan, but a plan none the less.  The dog Parker wasn't feeling well so I took him to the vet. We took him in a few days before but the vet couldn't find anything. This time she found a growth in his lung.  All cycling stopped.  We spent the week going from vet to specialist to try to find a solution.  There isn't one.  He is a good dog, and I will miss him terribly.  We don't know how long he has.  We are doing everything we can to make his last bit of time full of delicious treats and couch naps.  When the time comes we will have a vet visit the house to help him pass in the comfort of his home.  Until then someone has to be with him most of the time.  We are taking turns working from home.  

Before Parker got sick, I only had Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and every other weekend to squeeze in an hour or 2 on the bike.  Not a whole lot of time for a guy to change his life.  The question is, how does one ride under these conditions?  I don't know.  I do know I have a desire to get on my bike.  I do know I'm catching myself thinking about the time I have free, and wondering if I could get in a quick 20 .  I do know I don't care if it's raining.  Or if its windy, or I only have an hour of light left.  Something has changed.  The thing I have realized is that through this tragedy, I have gotten closer to the thing I have been wanting.  The desire to be active.  Normally I would give up at the first sign of inconvenience.  This whole cycling debacle has been a comedy of errors.  You would have thought I would have gotten the "f**k-its" after a while.  I think because I set a goal and involved my friends by writing on this blog, it has done for me what I have not been able to do for myself.  It has gotten me from the couch to the really uncomfortable seat that lately has made my junk numb.  If anybody has any thoughts on that, let me know. 

The moral of this story is... I don't know what the moral of the story is.  I do know that now that I have less time available, I am anxious to get out and be active.  Besides, the way my life is, the more I ride, the more stupid shit I do, the more stories I have to tell. 


 

Bike Culture... A Culture of Change?

It is a good week for riding.  Even though I postponed the idea of riding to work, because equipment and accoutrement makes it an extravagant proposition, I remain committed to riding.  The riding-to-work guy is a subculture to an existing biking culture.  His creed is preparation for any eventuality.  He's like the iPhone guy everyone knows.  You know, the guy who for every conversation says, "I have an app for that." The question came up of what to do when it rains.  Rain gear, right?  That, I discovered includes shoes, or neoprene booties for my shoes.  Are you kidding me!?  Let's look at the necessary items for a regular bike to work guy:

• Fenders
• Rack
• Panniers (waterproof)
• Waterproof booties
• Rain coat
• Rain pants

These items are necessary unless you work at Jimmy Johns, in which case a good rain is your only opportunity to shower that week.

All this for a 6 mile commute.  I don't want to ride to work to accomplish a noble goal like lower emissions. Or be thrifty and save money on parking.  I want to ride to work to ingrain a sense of the bike culture in my thought process.  Not the bike commuting, or the quit-bathing-and-get-tattoos subcultures.  I need a completely different thought process.  For me, cycling is an exercise event.  Like going to the gym.  The problem with going to the gym is that I never go to the gym.  I'm not sure I know where one is.  The point is, I ride because I need to exercise.  I have to figure out how to fit exercise into my life as a husband, father, dog owner, traveling salesman and couch potato.  It doesn't work.  I guess what I'm looking for is to have an active life. Live an active lifestyle rather than try a regimented program of pain and suffering. I want to enjoy my time on the bike. So far I haven't enjoyed this project at all.

Antibiotics and Preperation H

Bless me father for I have sinned. It's been 2 weeks since my last post. After the frozen tundra ride, my cold developed into so much more. I didn't wait for it to go away on its own. I went to the doc and got some antibiotics and cough meds. I also developed a nice case of the big H. With the meds, half of my problems went away real quickly. The one that requires ointment has lingered. This sucks! Seriously. I just want to ride my bike.

Despite the obstacles (pun intended) I've managed to get on the bike 3 times this week. I have been staying off the roads because the potholes and general disrepair of the pavement is jarring for both my new friends and the bike. Props to the socialist utopia for having so many bike paths. I'm able to ride in relative comfort and safety. I hope to get in one more this weekend. I just hope my ass lets me.

I'm not Iron Man

Today is the 40th-something Minnesota Ironman bike ride. It's a ride through a suburban / rural area south of the metro. I'm sure back when these crazies started this thing, it was an entirely rural ride. So this is part of my project to be on my bike this year. Also my now ex-friend Joe Eykyn, wants to get some folks together for the fun of doing the Ironman.

It's May 1st. In most of the country that means sunny days, blooming flowers and mild temps. In Minnesota it just means the snow has melted. It's still cold, cloudy and windy. The crazies that dreamed up this ride are the same nuts that cut holes in the ice on lakes and jump in. So as I said, it's May 1st and temp at ride time is 34 degrees. The wind is blowing steady at 21 mph, with gusts to 35 mph. The wind chill is 20 something. Oh yeah, it is sneeting. Sneet is that unidentifiable hard round white beanbag sized ice ball. It's not sneeting a lot, but enough to have the unpleasant sensation of being stung in the face by wind whipped sneet. Our goal today is for a 30 mile ride. This is the option that allows families and middle aged overweight guys to buy a shirt so they can say they road the Ironman. Very quickly into the first head wind, a new course is set. Joe and I opt for the granny 17 mile ride. The other more intrepid members of the team remained determined.

My feet hurt so badly. They are so cold I can't take it. Cyclists around me have expensive and unattractive cold weather gear. The goofiest items are neoprene foot covers. I bet their feet are not frozen. I'm beginning to understand why they wear that stuff. I have on a soft shell, jeans and tennis shoes. Joe's a real nut. He's wearing shorts. I'm getting colder by the minute. "Joe, My feet are frozen. I'm riding to the warning house. I'll see you later." Warm as promised. With hot coffee too. I still have 10 miles to ride. I don't want to leave. After 45 minutes of sitting eating muffins and drinking coffee, it's time to leave. I ride like hell to get to the car, and warmth. A man's got to know his limitations. I have found mine.