I don’t like tattoos. The only tattoo I would get would be a bold Leviticus 19;28 on my arm. Each to their own I suppose. I’ve seen a bunch of cycling tattoos on the net and will be posting them on Tuesdays.
Author Archives: leastbest
First Ride of the Year
Took the bike out for the first ride of the year. It was around 60ºF and a little breezy but beautiful. No real goal of this ride but to get out there and ride. Heading east I saw lots of wildlife and heard lots of birds. I surprised a flock of wild turkeys at one point. Most of the ponds are still ice-covered and there are a few mounds of snow around but it will all be gone soon. The fields are all brown with just a hint of light green in places.
The legs protested a bit on the few hills but I still rode a respectable 15.7 miles in an hour and eleven minutes.
The Garmin worked well but I think I’m going to change a couple of the data fields. I don’t really need to know the grade or the temperature. I think I’ll get rid of those and add maximum speed.
Been a good first day.
Tomorrow The Season Begins
Spent the morning working on the old house and it is finally getting near done. New flooring, drywall and paint make a huge difference. Carpeting should be installed in week or so and then we are done until Summer when we paint the outside.
In the meantime there are still piles of snow everywhere but Spring is in the air. I’ve missed the first two rides of the Silver Wheels Cycling Club due to the house, The Chili Weiner Ride and the Pi Ride. With the house done there is no excuse not to be on the bike. Tomorrow the high is 65°F and once I’m on the bike I’ll try to do it as often as possible.
It says it will be 47ºF today but as of right now it is 39ºF and feels much colder. I’ll ride tomorrow and as many days as I can after that. From the looks of it there is no rain in the forecast, that is good.
Forgot to mention. I took the Garmin in my car as a test. I took it out to Chatham where I had a poker tournament. It said that the elevation there was 450 higher than my house. That would explain the Ride to Chatham post.
Got My Garmin
Just two days after ordering my Garmin 500 from Bike Nashbar it came via UPS and then the USPS. I’m surprised it came so fast as it said that with free shipping it would take 7-10 days. They used SurePost to save money. SurePost ships via UPS and UPS delivers to the local post office who delivers it to the address. Interesting partnership. As a retired UPS guy it would have been nice for me to drop off my stuff at the post office.
I played around a bit to configure the data screens. So far I’m impressed. It found the GPS signal in the house quite easily and seems easy to use. Putting it on the bike is a snap as all it takes is putting the bands around the bar and hooking them to the bike mount. Took less than a minute.
If all goes well this year I may get a Heart Rate Monitor and cadence sensor as the Garmin picks these up. Hopefully I will be able to get on the bike tomorrow for a quick ride. I’ll be hanging drywall all day today.
Garmin 500
Twenty-Fifteen is my year to get serious about cycling (and all of my other interests). Last year I used my iPhone 5s to record my rides and it worked well until the phone up and died
on my longest ride of the year. I lost the data and I was far from home with no phone.
I’ve been thinking of getting a Garmin for a while but couldn’t decide which model. I didn’t need turn by turn and the price difference between the 500 and the 510 seemed excessive so I ordered the Garmin 500 from Bike Nashbar. With a coupon code it was only $153.35 with free shipping. It should be here in a week. If I can get any riding in I’ll log it with my iPhone and upload to Strava, DailyMile and all the others.
I think this is going to be a great year.
A New Season Begins
I’m back after a long hiatus.
This has been a brutal winter. Up until a few days ago it has hovered at -7°F. Yesterday was the first day in a long time that it was over 40ºF. It will be over forty for the near future and the roads are now dry. I can begin cycling today or tomorrow. There is a lot of snow on ground but Spring is here. Here is how my backyard looked yesterday.
Although I haven’t been cycling or writing I have been extremely busy. I have a second house that has been empty for a number of years. I finally found someone to help me get it in shape for a rental and we’ve been working like fools to get it ready. We’ve been putting in drywall, laying flooring and painting. New counter-tops and cabinets, the works. I should mention that the house was built in the 1860s. It has been a brutal job and for the first time since I’ve retired I am feeling my age. I told my buddy that this is rough as I’m nearly sixty (I’m 58). He looked at me and said, “You are only sixty?” I need better friends. Here is what it looks like in the living room and dining room.
It’s getting done. There is still some tile to be laid, some carpeting and miscellaneous stuff but we are almost there. Once the carpeting is done my renter can move in. Then in May or so I can work on the outside of the house and do some painting. After this job that should be easy.
I will by cycling soon and this blog will become an active cycling blog again. I will be back posting my trip to boulder and a few other things. After this horrible winter I am excited to see Spring and all that it offers.
Merry Christmas
Still not up to par but I want to wish all my friends and family the best for the holidays and the New Year.
Stand By
Been down for the count the past few days. Fever, nausea and coughing jags that rattle the bones. Those are just the pleasant symptoms that I want to share. Trying to finish up Christmas duties has been tough but most has been accomplished. I’ll be back on the ball in no time.
Boulder Colorado, Part One
WARNING: Very little cycling content. There will be some later but not much.
Before I tell my tale of my trip to Boulder I need to remind everyone of my odd relationship with travel. For anyone who doesn’t know me, I was raised by and agoraphobic. Because of this my perception of distance is skewed. Up until now (and I’m 58) I have never traveled west of Michigan. This was about to change.
Prologue:
Couple years ago I went to one of Patrick Costello’s banjo retreats in Maryland. It was a wonderful trip full of great music and new-found friends. One of them is one of the brightest guys I’ve ever met and a fine photographer. He’s in the blue jacket here.
I’ve lost weight since then.
He still has some work to do on the banjo but he’s a great guy. He lives in Jamestown, Colorado, just outside Boulder. They had a terrible flood fifteen months ago. Here is from their Flood Fact Sheet.
Our town experienced a traumatic flood event beginning on September 11, 2013 and lasting for three days.
During this event we not only lost 20% of the homes in town, 50% of the roads (5,030 feet), both bridges,
our water plant, but we also lost the patriarch of our community, Joe Howlett.
You can read more about it here.
The mountain town of Jamestown, CO is devastated by the massive floods to hit 14 counties in CO.
I stayed in touch with Steve after the flood and things are slowly normalizing.
Another banjo player I met was my buddy, Jim. We hit it off right away and over time we’ve become better friends. He’s another bright guy and a middling chess player.
I visited Jim a while back and we traveled to Maryland to see Patrick Costello and recently went to a banjo fun day together in Pennsylvania. It’s always a good time with plenty of chess and music.
Recently Jim has been going through a lot of transitions and decided to move from West Virginia to Colorado. We’ve spoken on the phone about it for hours and when he made the decision asked me to drive out there with him. I immediately said yes but then regretted it as my mother’s voice came into my head. I ignored the voice and prepared for the drive. Right before the trip I made a decision that I wouldn’t allow any negative thoughts. I would trust my two friends to make my stay as enjoyable as possible.
The day of the trip arrived.
Tomorrow Day 2
Chubby For Life? 