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Weather is finally turning nice.  The plan was to get on the bike around one but after a bunch of phone calls it was closer to 2:30.  Got all ready and found the back tire flat.  Took the back wheel off and found a small hole in the tire.  Replaced the tube and realized that I hadn’t replaced a back wheel in years.  Within minutes my hands were covered in grease, my chain was in knots and my derailleur didn’t look right.  Scary.  I came in, washed my hands and looked at a couple YouTube videos to make sure I did it right.  I felt incredibly stupid but what can you do?  Here are the videos I used.

Once on the road it was cool and windy.  I just wanted an easy ride so I headed east.  The plan was to ride ten to fifteen miles.  It’s going to get nice from now on so just wanted to get some miles on. Rode through the country and ended up going through Penfield.

I saw a few hawk, large number of vultures and one fat groundhog.  Everywhere around me people were getting going, mowing lawns and outside work.  It felt like Spring. I took a video but nothing interesting.  I’ll post the good ones, I promise.

It will be sunshine and warmer temperatures for the next few days.  I’ll be on the bike.  It’s been far too long.

We had an incredibly mild winter and then Spring came and took a dump.  We had high winds, rain and then snow storms that were far worse than any during the Winter months.  Just a few days ago my backyard looked like this.

Temperatures were wildly erratic and low with high winds.  It looks like they are stabilizing now and I should be on the bike tomorrow and every day after that.  I need to get some serious miles in and melt some of this excess girth.

After I posted about the Chili Wiener I realized I forgot to mention a few things.

The chili I made was much hotter than I normally make.  The night before I tried a bowl and my teeth went numb and all I could say was, “Wowsa!”  The wife couldn’t eat more than a spoonful.  Now that I’ve had a few bowls I think it is my best.

I took the video using my new Sony AS200V action cam.  It is a nifty little camera that
allows ten hours or more of video.  The quality of the video is superb.  Much better than YouTube shows.  Best of all it has built-in anti-vibration so that the videos have a smoother feel.  It has tons of options and
does far more than I will ever need. I attached it to the bike via the K-Edge Go Big Camera Mount.  The camera mount is rock solid.  I haven’t tested it out but supposedly you get two and a half hours on a battery charge.  I bought two extra batteries with an extra charger.  When I got home, edited the video down to ten minutes or so I told the wife about it.  The conversation went like this:

Me: I finalized the video of my bike ride.  Do you want to see it?

Wife: It’s just you riding your bike. right?

Me: Yeah

Wife: Any deer or interesting wildlife?

Me: No

Wife: So it’s just you riding your bike?

Me: Yeah

Wife: Oh boy, put it on.

The wife being a non-cyclist was underwhelmed whereas I was excited.  It works just like it is supposed to.  The software that came with it overlays the speed, distance and other info on the screen.  Then I put it into Adobe Premiere Elements and added a title and edited it down to it’s final state.

Yesterday was the Chili Wiener Ride.

I got up to a bad weather forecast.  It said the roads were icy and it was cold.  Then I checked my email and there was one from Long Distance Cycling Cleveland group.  These guy ride all of the time in all kinds of weather.  They posted this, “The roads are not safe today. Let’s try it again tomorrow.” 

I put the chili and bike in the car and got dressed.  With my tights and insulated jersey the cold shouldn’t be a problem.  Icy roads were a concern but it didn’t look bad.  I would decide when I got there.

I dropped off my chili about a half-hour before the ride was to begin.  Not many people were there.  Most seemed to be put off by the weather reports.  I was sure I was going to ride as the roads didn’t look too bad and I was itching to try my new Sony AS200 ActionCam.

We had only four show to ride and one had a flat tire.  I gave her my extra tube but it was presta and her bike was setup for schrader so we had to wait as it was patched.

We got on the road and it was cold.  Luckily I had some nice insulated cycling gloves.  They made all the difference.  We decided to take a shorter route and stay on the MUP (Multi-User Path).  We went to Kipton and back.  Easy first ride with no one going too fast.  Too cold and too early in the season for that.  When we got to Kipton I found that they extended the path.  Unfortunately it is gravel.  I’m hoping they pave it before too long.

I got a new Sony Actioncam and took video of the ride.  Here it is:

After the ride we had an assortment of chili’s and hot dogs.  Everyone settled in and games popped out.  Of course I pulled out my chess set and won a few games.  All and all it was a very nice way to spend a good part of a Saturday.

Tomorrow is officially the start of the cycling season for me.  The Silver Wheels Cycling Club is putting on a ride with good food after.

I spent the afternoon creating some great chili.  Normally I don’t make it that hot but I decided to go for it.  This one is so hot that my small test bowl made my teeth numb.  It is going to be even better tomorrow.

Supposed to be a high of forty with snow.  That is better than the last time I rode with them two years ago.   Then it was 30°F.  You can read about that ride HERE.

I won’t be going far but I will be on the bike.  This week is supposed to warm up considerably so I should be able to get on the bike a lot.

I have a lot to talk about and now that the season is starting I will be on here a lot.  I’m excited.

Here are a few pictures from the last Chili Wiener ride I was on.

Spring is almost here and I’m excited for the season.  All of the things that were in my way in the past are gone.

Starting on March 1 I will be on the bike every day that reasonable to ride.  Essentially any day above freezing with clear roads.  That should be most days.

The bike is ready and so am I.

It is bitter cold outside with snow finally covering the ground.  Upon waking I found that another musical hero is gone, David Bowie. From high school on Bowie’s music was always there, always changing.  Lou Reeds death was a blow, this is much worse.

When I first started walking I was bored and listened to audiobooks either from the library or from LibraVox recordings.  It was nice to read Sherlock Holmes or to reread Vonnegut.  But then I tried something radical.  I just walked.  I didn’t read or listen to music.

After a couple walks I started noticing a lot more and walking stopped being a chore.  I took my time and saw, heard and listened.  I walked out past my development and at this slower pace I saw even more than when I cycled.

I began to notice nature more.  Before just noticed the roadkill but now I saw all kinds of animals and birds.  I know absolutely nothing about birds but found there was a lot of diversity.  I ordered a monocular and it changed everything.

The Roxant Grip Scope is a high quality monocular.  It’s small enough to carry easily and easy to use.  For the money I can’t imagine a better value.  The focus ring gives just enough resistance.  Whatever I focus on is crisp.

I see a bird that I don’t know and I can quickly focus in.  I’m beginning to see all of the fuss that my birding friends have been talking about.

Lately it’s been cold and I’ve found out that I don’t like the cold.  I worked outside in the weather for thirty-seven years and it never bothered me.  I’m not sure if I’ve lost my acclimation in my four years of retirement or if I’m just getting old.  Doesn’t matter.  I want to get my steps in and I don’t like the cold.

The best solution was to join a gym.  The Splash Zone in Oberlin is only ten minutes away and perfect for my needs.  They have an indoor pool and a nice weight room with stationary bicycles and treadmills.  I find treadmills a bit boring but they are much better than walking around my development in freezing temperatures.

First time I went I walked around the outside of the fieldhouse on the track.

Eight times around is a mile and it is interesting watching so many people playing basketball and other games.  One game they were playing looked like tennis but was being played with paddles and plastic wiffle balls.

Part of the reason that I choose treadmills over walking around the fieldhouse is I’m incredibly social.  I know a lot of people and as I walked I saw people from The Silver Wheels Cycling Club and had to talk to them.  Then they invited me to play the game.  I found it was called Pickleball.  It’s a big deal among older people as it slower on a smaller court.  I played and had a blast.  The ball doesn’t bounce like you’d expect (from playing racquetball.  Plus you have to hit it harder.  It takes a little while to get used to it but once you do it’s a blast.

I walked a few miles in the fieldhouse and then moved to the treadmill to finish my walk.  I expect it to take a few weeks to get in the habit of going but as I do I plan to enhance my experience by using the pool and the weights.

When cycling season becomes a reality I plan to continue the walking and the gym.  As I approach the last third of my life I’m making permanent changes.