Tag Archives: cycling

I always say don’t make plans, make options.
Jennifer Aniston

It’s been a week since I posted.  I’m a little surprised about it.  I had a bad cold for a week and then it got cold and rained every day.  It was forty degrees Fahrenheit with hard rains.  The fields around me were flooded and it was nasty.  I got on the bike for a couple short cold rides but nothing significant.  I decided that today would be the first real ride.  I was excited and I was ready.

I got up and it was warm outside with a lot of wind, but no rain.  Fantastic.  I could handle a little wind.  Notice in the pic on the right that there are gusts of wind at 24mph.  Ok, not a problem.

I went to the MUP in Oberlin and started riding.  The wind was tough but doable when a mile in I hit a pothole and got a flat tire.  Damn, I tried to fix it and it didn’t hold so I went back to my car and decided to take the bike to Swerve Bike Shop in Oberlin.  They are always nice to me.

On the way back to the car I saw one of the round buildings, The Oberlin Gas Lighting Company Gasholder Building.  Since I was there I decided to take a picture of it with my bike.  You get a picture of the bike, the building and my finger.

Then I went to Swerve where they fixed my tire, sold me an additional tube and adjusted my gears.

I got back in my car and was tempted to call it a day.  The wind had picked up.  The gusts had gone up to 44mph.  I headed home.

When I approached Pittsfield I decided that I needed to ride, to hell with the wind.  I parked at the park in Pittsfield and decided to head into the wind toward Camden.  The wind was brutal.  It was like riding through molasses.

After a couple miles the wind shifted and started coming from the south.  I had to tilt the bike into the wind to stay upright.  One nice thing I noticed was that everyone was giving me plenty of room on this 55 mile per hour road.

I reached Camden and had enough.  The wind was kicking my ass so I turned around.  Just as I did I saw a Turkey Vulture eyeing me.  I figured he knew more than I did. The ride back was so much easier.

Before I left the battery in my bike computer died so I used the cyclemeter app on my iPhone to keep track of things.  This was a bit frustrating because I had no live display.

When I got back I found I only rode 6.31 miles.  That was pathetic.  It will get better.  Combine it with the flat tire ride I put in 9 miles for the day.  What can I say?

Greedy eaters dig their graves with their teeth.
French Proverb

Weight 279  Calories ?

Took my daughter out to eat at Texas Roadhouse.  It is so easy to keep track of calories with My Fitness Pal.

Thoughts on the future.

I used to be a cyclist.  I used to be in shape.  I will be both again.

One of my big goals this year will be to get back into cycling big time.  The plan is, once the weather breaks, to ride to small towns all around me.  I’ve never traveled much (sounds strange since I was a UPS driver).  There are many many small towns within fifty miles that I’ve never been to.  Once I get some miles on my legs I’d like to get on the road by six or seven and head to one.   Twenty-five miles should around an hour and a half.  Get to the small town, take some photos, eat a small breakfast and head home.

I used to be really into photography when I was young and I can combine cycling with that.

Eventually this site will no longer be a weight loss blog but a cycling blog.  That is the idea and the dream.