You never have the wind with you — either it is against you or you’re having a good day.
Daniel Behrman, The Man Who Loved Bicycles
Ohio blows, and I mean that literally. It has been windy and cold until today. On Sunday at the start of my poker tournament it was snowing. Today it is in the 80’s with high winds. Only in Ohio can you get frostbite and heat stroke in the same week.
I was surfing the net and found this guy who takes photos of things disassembled. Here is one he did of a bicycle.
Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever. That surrender, even the smallest act of giving up, stays with me. So when I feel like quitting, I ask myself, which would I rather live with?
Lance Armstrong.
The last couple days we’ve had heavy rain and the temperatures have dropped. Currently it is 40F and windy. There are only two seasons in Ohio, Winter and Summer.
Yesterday I drove 257 miles to participate in a banjo workshop in Bedford, PA. I helped teach banjo and had a great time. Looking at the pictures I am still incredibly fat and have a long way to go.
A bicycle does get you there and more…. And there is always the thin edge of danger to keep you alert and comfortably apprehensive. Dogs become dogs again and snap at your raincoat; potholes become personal. And getting there is all the fun.
Bill Emerson, On Bicycling, Saturday Evening Post, 1967
Went for a nice ride yesterday. It was a beautiful day but time was not on my side. I was with my mother for her chemotherapy much of the day with supper afterwards. I decided to head out to one of the small towns near me. I rode out to River Corners. It is a crossroad with a few houses and not much else. I had read somewhere that there was a gold rush in the 1800’s and for a while it boomed.
Riding there was great. It was warm and the smells of Spring were everywhere. From the smell of turned dirt from the farms to Spring flowers. This is what I’ve been waiting for. The ride was perfect.
Unfortunately heading back from River Corners I was running out of time. I needed to be home by 6:15 to make my poker tournament. Then I got lost for a bit and added a mile or so to my ride. It was no big deal as I had the iPhone and was able to get back on track.
This is just the beginning.
Bicycling is a big part of the future. It has to be. There’s something wrong with a society that drives a car to workout in a gym.
Bill Nye the Science Guy
It’s amazing how simple things can change you. I’ve been trying to drink more water since I started this quest and it’s been hard. Then I found Fred. It’s a flask water bottle. The size and shape of the flask is perfect. Plus it’s a thicker heavier plastic. At the poker table I refill mine every half hour and have dramatically increased my water intake. Such a little thing can have such a big effect.
Thanks to my friend Kerry for turning me on to it.
Let a man find himself, in distinction from others, on top of two wheels with a chain — at least in a poor country like Russia — and his vanity begins to swell out like his tires.
Leon Trotsky
I was browsing the internet and came across my favorite cover of a bicycling magazine.
After your first day of cycling, one dream is inevitable. A memory of motion lingers in the muscles of your legs, and round and round they seem to go. You ride through Dreamland on wonderful dream bicycles that change and grow.
H.G. Wells, The Wheels of Chance
Yesterday was a beautiful day and I had a chance to get on the bike. My rides have been short and intermittent but fulfilling. Although I had limited time (as always) I got a nice eighteen mile ride in. For the first time there was no sluggishness in the legs, no aches and from the first turn of the wheel heaven. As dumb as it sounds I was one with the bike. I shifted unconsciously and rode and noticed so much nature around me. It was total joy,
I felt like I used to feel twenty-five years ago. I’m back.
A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.
Steve Martin
I haven’t been posting as I’ve been so busy. I spend a great deal of time with my mother. Her cancer is progressing slowly. I’ve been on the bicycle nearly every day if only for short rides. The weather has turned into perfection and longer rides will soon follow.
Now it is time for the summary.
Current weight is 256.7. That is a 7.1 pound loss from last month. It is not the 8.2 pounds that I wanted to lose but I am happy. I blame getting sick in the middle of the month and the horrid weather. That is the past. Here are the boring graphs for those interested.
Chubby For Life? 