A Quick Morning Ride

The humidity lowered and we had a quick 13 mile morning ride. Kids and grandkid here today so not much time for a report. But here's a recent picture of granddaughter Shail and I from the Pocono's.



Later in the day I had a brief errand that earned me another mile and I spent some time readjusting brakes and shifters on Annie's bike. She was not happy with the way it came back from the shop yesterday!

Also wanted to mention that I have now reached just over $3200 in funds raised for our upcoming Hazon ride. Annie has raised just over $1000, so we've done very well together. I am grateful to all our friends for their contributions and support. My total has earned me a number of "favors" that are offered for incentives. I think I've earned the socks, the shorts and the jersey. Only a couple of hundred dollars more and I think I reach the GPS! So, if anyone has been meaning to make a contribution to Hazon, the Jewish environmental education and advocacy organization, in support of its goals and/or our Labor Day two-day 160 mile ride, please feel free to click the link on the right sidebar.

Drinking The Air

The temperatures are expected to top out at around 98 degrees here today and the humidity is so high that you can just about drink the air (if it were cleaner!)which is expected to make the "heat-index" rise to between 103 and 105. I actually love the heat and don't have much of a problem cycling in it, but decided that caution was the better part of valor today and knew I would not attempt to get to Valley Forge and back or some such 50 mile journey. Too bad, my legs felt incredibly strong this morning, probably due to not having ridden yesterday. So I did, without trying or being conscious of it, ride at a higher cadence/mph. I only rode 21.8 miles out to Manayunk and a bit beyond. I took the tow-path all the way to its end at Nixon and River Road just for something different. Not a great idea. the Fuji handled it ok, but I felt like I was rattling the whole way, could only go about 8 mph and kept expecting a flat. When I reached River Road I turned up Shawmount and returned through Manayunk via the streets. Much better, although traffic in Manayunk was so bad that I did dip back onto the tow path for a few blocks.

Obviously, my bike is back from being tuned yesterday. I also had them add front and rear fenders and a rack on the back. So today I stopped at Zoom in Manayunk on the way back and purchased a nice single pannier for the rack. I like it. I can dispense with the handle bar bag that I've never loved, and have much more room for books, papers etc. allowing for more efficient use for work days. And I didn't find the extra weight a factor.

Swung by the barber for a haircut and the library to pick up a book on hold. Despite not being consciously affected by the heat, I did drink the entire Camelback that normally lasts me close to the 50 miles I travel on Wednesday's.

Between The Rain Drops

It is going to be one of those weeks: showers and thunder showers are predicted for much of the week amid the hot and humid weather. We were able to ride this morning and it was clear from the streets that it had rained heavily overnight and it began raining heavily again just as we pulled up to the house at the end of our ride. But in between we had a good loop or 13.2 miles. Annie rode strong, though she says she is still a little nervous on the bike after last weeks fall. Hopefully, we will get enough practice in that this will pass before our first big ride later this month - the Lancaster Covered Bridges Metric Century on Sunday August 19th. That, in turn, is our tune-up for the Labor Day Hazon ride. Early medical appointments will preclude tomorrow's ride (although I may be able to get out alone either very early or later in the day; we'll see.)And then Annie goes to New Jersey on Wednesday. So I am using the hiatus to bring her bike in for a tune-up. We need it before the big rides and she especially needs it after the fall. I'm hoping to bring both bikes in, get mine done first and pick it up tomorrow night so that I can ride on Wednesday and then pick hers up late Wednesday so it is ready for her on Thursday.

Getting Back The Rhythm

Annie and I were up and out by 6 A.M. which was actually slightly later than a regular weekday morning, but early enough for a Sunday. Unfortunately I have to work on this beautiful Sunday morning; weddings must go on. And anyway, Yoshi and Josi are here from California and Tamar is coming down with the baby, so it is going to be a busy family day after I finish the wedding. So we were up for an early ride and managed to do the loop twice for 20.8 miles despite the growing crowd of Sunday morning walkers and runners and bikers as we came around the second time and despite the Triathlon that was getting under way on the West River Drive. We missed it's beginning and were able to ride unencumbered in the road. The temperature was perfect and the humidity well down. The extra loop, I think, helped get Annie close to being back to the excellent rhythm she was riding in last Sunday before she went down. She is still a bit sore in the ribs and thumb, but looked much stronger today.

New Blogs To Share

An uncharacteristic Saturday night posting, though I did not ride today. I wanted to point your attention to a group of new blogs that I've added to the Favorite Blogs list on the sidebar. Each of these came to my attention from the list on the Purple Pig that I mentioned last time. By surfing through many of Alberto's favorites I came across these that I really enjoyed. First, of course, is The Purple Pig itself. Then I found Crazy Biker Chick, which I really enjoyed, Then came The story of a bike and a stubborn cyclist and The DrCodfish Chronicles all really enjoyable and well done blogs on different aspects of the pastime. Finally I just loved The Old Bag, a wonderful, witty blogger. All of these have been added to the sidebar and I invite you to check them out.

The best part of surfing the blogs is learning things you don't know. While I enjoyed all of these, it was reading The DrCodfish Chronicles that brought my attention to Randonneur-ing, or long-distance, non-competitive cycling. There is a national Randonneur Association as well as local ones and they sponsor a series of events called Brevets, unsupported long-distance rides of differing lengths. I am just learning from the various web pages what this is all about, but this may be a new and exciting direction for me to take in the future.If you're interested here's a final link for tonight: the Randonneur USA site.

Annie's Back

Slightly tentative and with some trouble using the left shifter with her still strained thumb, Annie was back on the bike this morning. It was good to have her out on the loop again. We had an uneventful ride of 13.1 miles.

Received a very nice comment on the July 29th Post "Our First BCP Connected Ride - A Blast" from Alberto, I believe from Spain, who authors The Purple Pig blog Check it out

Recovery Ride

Luckily I had a great massage scheduled for last night, so the effects of my 50 mile ride were quickly dispatched with. Yet, my legs felt rather tired this morning as I rode my loop alone again. It is also getting very warm out there. Managed the usual 13.4 miles without much else to report. The extra few tenths of a mile due to having to double back to the Chestnut St access ramp because the Locust Street access was blocked by a train.

An Auspicious August Opening

Annie is getting closer to being able to ride again; perhaps tomorrow. Too bad that she was home on a Wednesday since our kids are away on vacation and she didn't go to be with our granddaughter and yet we couldn't go for a ride together. That being the case, I left the house at 9 A.M. and didn't return until about 1:30, 50 miles later after a ride out to Valley Forge. I haven't done this ride in awhile so it felt really good and it was a perfect day for a ride. It is getting hotter, but so far the humidity is under control (watch out for tomorrow!)and I was home before the really intense heat of the day. I did, as usual on a 50 mile ride, fully drain my 70 oz. Camelback and stopped to buy water from a guy who sells it on the side of the road at Kelly drive. Though I was almost home, I needed it. I drained one .5 liter bottle and then another. This first picture is at Valley Forge, the view of the lovely shady tree I chose to rest beneath in the picnic area. The cyclist is not me.

The next photo is the view of my new yellow riding socks, just for fun, as I sat on a bench looking through the trees at the Schuylkill not far from home, but I needed another rest stop because my feet hurt from pedaling. This is a problem I'm trying to solve. I usually ride 25-30 miles without a problem, but then I get pain, probably nerve pain, in my toes. If I stop for 5 minutes it goes away, but comes back more and more quickly as I ride. Next stop 20 miles, then 15 then 5, etc. It is caused by the (mis)shape of my toes and I'm working with the podiatrist to see if it can be improved. It's not fun, but doesn't stand in my way.

Monthly Mileage

July has ended and I've accumulated 427.3 miles for the month and 3259.7 for the year. My original goal was to try to cycle 4,000 miles in 2007. I am on a pace to reach 5,000 miles, but much can happen between now and the end of December. My July mileage was over 100 miles less than my June mileage which I found surprising since I was on vacation for the whole month of July. However, my various trips and the loss of some of my long day-off rides made a big difference. July was still respectable.

This morning Annie was still too sore to ride. So I was out by myself again and went a bit faster around the loop, allowing me to start around again. There was not going to be enough time for a double loop, but I was able to stretch my morning ride to 16 miles and then used the bike this morning for some errands,accounting for the rest of the recorded distance.

Back In The City

And back to work today. It was a bit of a shock to the system to wake up at 4:45 A.M. again, but I did it and was on the road by 5:50 without Annie. Her soreness and stiffness from yesterday's tumble increased exponentially throughout last night and although she is feeling quite a bit better today she may not be back on her bike for a couple of days. So I rode the path alone. Then I took the bike to work and used it for a variety of errands during the day. My mileage at this point is 16.6 and I think I'm finished for the day, but if it turns out that I'm not I will adjust the mileage total in the sidebar.

Our First BCP Connected Ride - A Blast!

Annie and I left the house at 8:30 A.M. to meet up with a ride announced on the listserve of the Bicycle Club of Philadelphia. A Sunday brunch ride, 40 miles round-trip to Norristown. The plan was to have brunch in Norristown, check out the Farm Park there and return home. At 8:50 four of us left 22nd and Spring Garden Street in a light drizzle. Annie and I had had trepidations about being able to keep up with a group ride and even though I had e-mailed the organizer, Henry, to check out the anticipated speed and received a satisfactory reply, I was still a little nervous. But Henry and the other rider, Mark, were great fellows, great riding company and pretty much our speed, both literally and figuratively. We followed a lovely route through Fairmont Park but by the time we were near Merion it became clear that the rain was not going to stop and that the projected 40 mile ride would be too risky. We continued through Merion, into Narberth and ended up at a Mall in Wynnewood for brunch. Excellent food, I must say! After eating we headed home in the continuing rain, going back on more heavily trafficked roads, a good learning experience for Annie, ending up in Manayunk and picking up the Schuylkill path there for the duration. All in all 20 miles, but much more interesting then we usually do, more hills, more traffic and really nice companionship. It felt like a new stage to our riding lives and we both loved it. But we didn't feel we'd had enough when we separated from Henry and Mark at Lloyd Hall. We needed to get a few more miles in and ride a bit harder. so we decided to do another loop around the trail for good measure. not long after this decision Annie missed a cub cut getting from the road to the bike path and went down. she had a nice case of road rash on her knee and elbow, seemed to have strained her thumb and bruised her ribs. Trooper that she is, she got back on and we continued as though nothing had happened. We had a great ride except that after an entire morning of light rain, the thunder roared and the rains came down heavily. We were sopped through and having trouble seeing through it when we got back to Lloyd Hall, so we stopped and took shelter there for a few minutes. Sure enough, the rain passed and, lo and behold, the last mile of our journey was dry. in fact the sun slowly came out and was brightly shining by the time we arrived home. wouldn't you know it. But the fact that the weather cleared did allow me to immediately take the bikes outside to clean off the bikes, clean the brake pads off, lube the chains and get everything ready to ride again tomorrow. Our final mileage was 31 miles.

Home Sweet Fuji

Not much time to write before the Sabbath. Sorry about not getting the pictures mentioned in previous posts up yet. I'm working on figuring out the Treo.

We had an uneventful trip home and after unpacking and a quick lunch, Annie and I rode a double loop on the trail. Pure bliss! so nice to be back on the Fuji! My legs felt like power hammers after doing all the hills of the past week. Great ride. We are looking forward to a Philadelphia Bicycle Club ride on Sunday: 40 miles back and forth from Norristown with brunch in between.

Unbelievable rumors from the TdF today. Say it ain't so, Solar!

More soon.

Thursday - The Whole Lehigh Gorge Trail!

Our plan for this morning was to find the Glen Onoco access point in Jim Thorpe, PA and ride up to Rockport and back, but Annie awoke feeling like she needed a rest day. So off I went on my own. It took a bit of work to actually find the access road, but I did. It was about a 40 minute drive from where we are staying. I started off on my ride as the day cleared out the last clouds from overnight rainstorms. A beautiful day for a ride. And I rode to Rockport and kept going all the way to White Haven and back: 45.7 miles. I took a few last pictures with the Treo.

No bad news from the TdF so that’s good news.

Tomorrow we head home. We hope to ride the Fuji’s when we get home. It will be nice to ride the old Schuylkill path again! But it will be great to ride the Fuji again. Part of the difficulty of riding here, especially with the hills I did most of last week both with Alan and alone, was riding the Trek. It was definitely the right choice for the Lehigh Gorge Trail, but even there, its weight certainly added to the effort we were putting out and the fatigue we (especially Annie) were feeling. Beside that, I just don’t find it comfortable anymore, the set-up, the seat, etc. It will be very nice to get back on my regular ride.

WednesdayFrom Rockport to Tannery Road and Back

As planned, we drove to the Rockport access point and rode up hill to Tannery and then back down to Rockport. We covered a little less territory, 19.1 miles, but were much less tired. For Annie it was especially good. I got a few new pictures along the way with the new Treo. Hopefully I can figure out how to get them uploaded.

Soon after we returned home we heard that Michael Rasmussen had been sacked by Rabobank and the Yellow Jersey was out of the TdF! Unbelievable! What could happen next! Well, only that Cofidis team was also expelled from the Tour! There is almost nothing to say beside: How sad; how shameful; how demoralizing. Again. Believe it or not, I’m still a fan.

Tuesday:From Tannery Road to Rockport and Back

With our company gone and yesterday’s pouring rain passed, Annie and I struck out for a good ride along the Lehigh Gorge Trail. We drove to the Tannery access point, to which I’ve been riding these last few days but which would have been to steep for Annie to traverse and rode down the path to Rockport and a bit beyond. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful ride. The ride back to Tannery was definitely on an uphill grade. Perhaps a grade of 2%, 3% at the most but it made a difference and took a bite out of Annie. We managed 23 miles and were both pretty wasted from the work up hill. Tomorrow we’ll drive to Rockport, ride the uphill first and then back down, which should work out better.

Meanwhile, we returned to the house to hear the news that Alexander Vinokurov had been kicked out of the TdF along with the entire Astana team. How sad! How shameful! How demoralizing! I’m trying to maintain the attitude that the “system” is working and that as each cheat is exposed and punished the number of cheats will finally diminish and disappear. Wishful thinking? I don’t know, but the hold that the magic of the race and the super-human efforts of the (clean) riders still enthrall me and I will continue to follow the TdF as well as Pro-cycling in general. I’m still pulling for Levi and he is still in a position to win.

Monday - A Total Rain-Out

Today the rains came and stayed…all day. We used the day off to go into Stroudsburg and visit the Verizon store. I am eligible for a phone upgrade and acquired a new Treo with a Windows platform PDA. Having web capability and being able to access my email allows me to forgo the trip to the Main Street Coffee Works for the rest of the trip. It is too difficult to actually manage the blog on the Treo. I can read it and read other blogs and web pages and keep up with the news, cycling and otherwise, but these posts will be posted ex post facto when I get home on Friday.

These Pocono's Are Real Mountains

I've never really thought of the Pocono's as mountains. The word only signified a region, a place we went for vacation. Certainly it is because they are mountains that people go there for vacation, but the full impact of that never really dawned on me. Well, I can tell you, this may not be the Alps or the Pyrenees, but these are real mountains and I've been climbing them all week. This weekend I did another ride with Alan: 24.5 miles down the Lehigh Gorge Trail and to and from the trail via the roads. We climbed over a thousand feet along the way. 25 of these kind of miles are a lot harder than twice around the Schuylkill loop, I can tell you. The kids are gone now and Annie and I will ride the rest of the week ourselves. Probably taking the car to the trail again and trying to stretch out our distance along the trail. Given the difficulty of my internet set-up, can't promise daily updates, but I'll do my best.

Finally With Annie On The Trail

Annie and I finally got to ride the trail together this morning. I rode into town and to the access point while Annie drove her bioke there and we then rode about 16 miles round trip. It was lovely until the end when i received a phone call about a death in my Congregation. A very venerable member for whose funeral on Sunday I will have to return to Philadelphia. I'll leave here in the morning and , hopefully, be back with enough time for a late day ride. So it goes.

A Late Day Ride

We awoke to the predicted rain this morning and no one felt like riding in the rain up here. So we hung around and did a few vacation-like things until lunch. After lunch the skies had cleared and the sun was making its way out. Alan (my son-in-law – pictured) and I decided to get in a late day ride. We set off with the general idea of finding the route we’d used yesterday from the Lehigh Gorge Trail, Our “short-cut” back to the trail again. We failed but found an exquisite route on very lightly trafficked country roads. I managed to stop and get these shots to try to give an idea of the beauty, but also the elevation. We rode 13 miles but so much of it was climbing that I was good and spent by the time we returned. Of course, I rode over 40 hilly miles yesterday, so perhaps I needed the easier day. I hope that the weather will be good in the morning and Annie and I can get to the trail…she will love it once we get there, but we’ll have to drive to the access point as 4 or 5 miles among these hills are going to be too much for her.

Today’s schedule allowed me to watch the TdF stage live rather than waiting for the “enhanced” coverage (replay) at night. I found it to be a pretty boring stage and since I’m writing this without Internet access I can’t even check for the names of the winners.

Back At Main Street Coffee Works

At which the connection is very tenuous, so I'm skipping the pictures and getting down to the details. I rode 15 miles this morning. Annie quit after 6. I finished the loop twice within the development and then continued into town, that is, White Haven. Four miles and plenty hilly but not as bad as the hills I did within the development. After breakfast, Alan and I went out. Back into town and then to the trailhead of the Lehigh Gorge Trail. We took the trail for about 15 miles and then turned around. The trail itself is pretty much flat and quite beautiful. I hope to get some pictures up before I'm done. the trip home we took a "short-cut." Probably not a good idea, but actually this time it worked out ok. We probably saved a mile or two and traveled less heavily trafficked roads. But the hills were killers! Alan's GPS says we managed 1400 feet in elevation along the ride. It was a great workout and gave me 42.8 miles for the day.

All along the way I was receiving updates on my cell phone via Twitter from David Bernstein of the Fredcast. So when I returned home I knew today's stage was almost over and I watched the end. Great stage and I still think Levi is very well positioned.

Hello From White Haven, PA

Well, we arrived yesterday without incident and after running around collecting groceries etc. we settled in for the next two weeks. We rode this morning within the development in which the house is located. My monthly mileage is likely going to go down, but it is deceptive, since these roads are all hills! I rode about 10 miles today, (Annie a little less) but we took some really big hills, pretty much like the hill in Manayunk on Umbria street, except when it was finished, after a refreshing flight down, we were going up again, a few more times! It is very good practice, no doubt. The area is quite nice. In order to get a little flat recovery we circumnavigated the lake a couple of times. Annie really liked this part of the ride.

We are only four miles from the trail head into Lehigh Valley Gorge State Park. We will ride the rail-trail in the park sometime this week and probably more than once. It is a 50 mile round trip journey but I think less challenging terrain. At least one such ride will be with Alan, our son-in-law. Alan, Tamar and Shail arrived this morning and we are already having a ball with the baby.

I am writing from the Main Street Coffee Works in White Haven where Wi-Fi is available for the price of a cup of coffee. Not sure if I'll bother to come down here everyday, but should be able to keep in reasonable touch.

Luckily the house also gets Versus and I was able to watch the TdF last night. Very interesting and somewhat surprising, so far. I expected the potential leaders to attack more yesterday, but they are obviously saving themselves for the Pyrenees.

Off To The Mountains

Both Annie and I, and the Peloton. Today's first real climbing day should shed some light on the eventual outcome of the TdF. Let's Go Levi!

Meanwhile we are finishing our packing and will soon be out the door to spend the next two weeks in the Pocono's. As mentioned earlier, Internet access is unknown at this time. I hope I will be able to share our rides in the country as they happen, but if not, I'll bring home some good pictures.

We rode a double loop this morning, 21.7 miles. West River Drive has been re-surfaced and was a dream to ride on. And I can't remember a Sunday morning when there were no events going on, so no crowds and no one setting up their tents etc.

Preparing For The Pocono's

Annie and I rode a double loop this morning, 21.1 miles. The rest of the day will be spent on last errands before we leave for our two weeks in the Pocono's.

We are probably going to take the Treks with us so that will be prepared to ride different kinds of surfaces, despite the fact that we will miss the Fuji's.

I will be using the bike again today for many of the errands, so today's official mileage will be added later.

I have signed up for the Fredcast's twitter updates of the TdF. Every couple of minutes I get a race update. I love it. Perhaps next week, if I'm on-line, I will comment on the various daily podcasts covering the TdF. I have subscribed to four or five and have definite opinions among them.

Finally, I have no certainty regarding how accessible the Internet will be for us these next two weeks. You may hear from me, you may not, or it may be intermittent.

An Exceptional Day For A Ride

The humidity broke and the temperature came down a bit and the weather was made for cycling today. Despite being on vacation I was up at 4:45 with Annie and we did our morning loop. Except that she returned home after one loop and I continued for two more. I would have done a fourth loop if I'd remembered to bring a power bar or something with me: I was starved! That came to 30.9 miles. But I had many errands to run around town and in this weather nothing was going to keep me off the bike. I rode with my messenger bag to a number of different stores collecting things we need to take with us for our time in the Poconos beginning next week. It's amazing what you can fit into one of these bags! And, of course, I forgot things at different stores along the way and had to go back and buy the things I'd forgotten on the first run. Nothing better for fighting what would normally be a very annoying situation than to make the run again on my bike. In the end, though I felt like I was on the bike all day, I only added about 10 miles to the total. But it was great fun. I discovered a Bike Store that I hadn't known existed on 4th Street. I guess I haven't been down that way in awhile, as the owners said they'd been there over a year. Nice little store called Bicycle Revolutions.


Meanwhile in today's stage five of the TdF Filippo Pozzato won the stage. But there's more!



"While Italian heartthrob Filippo Pozzato earned a hard-fought sprint win in stage 5 of the Tour de France, Thursday's big news developed at the back of the pack, where pre-race favorite Alexandre Vinokourov lost 1:20 to his fellow GC contenders after crashing hard with 24km to go in the testing 182.2km run from Chablis to Autun."


Read the rest at VeloNews.com

Home, Humidity and Hushvod

My travel day went smoothly yesterday and I awoke ready for a spin on my Fuji this morning. But I wasn't in the mood to go out on the Schuylkill. So I decided to head up Walnut Street with the thought of hooking up with Lancaster Avenue and taking it up into Wynnewood or thereabouts. I took Walnut to its end at 69th Street but when I turned I suddenly felt less comfortable riding over to Lancaster for some reason; partly it was pretty hot and humid. So I turned back on Chestnut and headed back into town, slipping over to Pine at 19th and taking that down to Columbus Blvd, this time heading South over to Oregon Street, up to 22nd Street and home. A relatively short route of my own making, just to see more neighborhoods, and try to find a little more hilly ride than my usual morning ride. All told it was 18.5 miles, but it felt like enough. I still have a few errands to run this afternoon for which I can use the bike, so my daily total should creep up a bit.




I came home to learn that "Thor Hushovd (Crédit Agricole) won the fourth stage of the Tour de France on Wednesday, outkicking Robert Hunter (Barloworld) and Oscar Freire (Rabobank) in a mass dash to the line. Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara (CSC), winner of the prologue and Tuesday's second stage, retained the leader's yellow jersey..." (VeloNews.com)

Goodbye LA Ride

My last ride on the Jamis here in LA. Another beautiful morning for a ride. I continue to get out and back before the sun burns through the morning fog...perfect! I am crediting myself with 25 miles today, though I think I may have ridden further. I took the same route as yesterday and then doubled back along Balboa looking for the extension of the path that Shaul and I took the other day in order to find the Velodrome. Instead I took a turn that put me on a path taking me under Balboa and through the park ending up on the same loop I'd already taken around Woodley and down to Burbank and back around to Balboa. I didn't mind the extra loop and when I came back on Balboa I found a second path that did, indeed, take me through the other side of the park and around to the Encino Velodrome, pictured here.













I tried to get a shot of the closed track and this is the best I could do.


After getting my pictures I headed home for a good breakfast cooked by my son. The weather here is supposed to be relatively mild, so there is a chance that , now that both boys are here, we will take another ride this afternoon. If so, I will report.

Meanwhile, the 2nd stage of the TdF was won by Gert Steegmans, a Belgian from the Quick-Step team who beat out his own team leader, Tom Boonen. There are no changes in the overall standings and until we get to the later stages it will be impossible to gauge who the real big guns will be. But I guess the Tour is already helping to push the doping stories to the read. Even the NY Times had an interactive feature on the Tour on its front web page this morning Check It Out

Special From The TdF

Here are the hightlights of today's 1st stage of the tour, compliments of Velonews.com

Still in LA

Instead of being on an airplane this morning I rode the loop that I now call my own: along chandler to the busway, along the bike path to Woodley, around the golf course until it hooks back up with the bike path on Balboa, around to victory and then along the bike path back to the busway to Chandler and home. I was out before the sun burned through the morning fog; in fact home before it had. Given the heat wave that seems like a good idea.

Incredibly, Shaul does not have Versus on his TV so I've had to scrounge around the Internet to figure out what's going on at the Tour de France. I was not surprised by Cancellera's winning the prologue; I was surprised at how well Hincapie did and how poorly Leipheimer did. But there is an incredibly long way to go and I am still hoping for Levi.




THIS JUST IN: Robbie McEwan won today's stage while Concellara retains the Yellow Jersey. The big names are in the hunt: Vinokoura is about 30 seconds back and Levi about 40.

Hello From LA III

Back in LA after a hectic and somewhat stressful visit to Eugene. My plane returning yesterday was just enough late to wash out the possibility of an afternoon ride. I was drained, it was hot, and we had to get ready for a dinner appointment with Josi (my son's fiance)and her father. A pleasant time was had by all, by the way.

So I woke early and left Shuli sleeping and went for my ride. I'll claim 15 miles for the ride, although it is difficult to estimate, especially since I had to stop two or three times to answer calls from Annie back in Philadelphia. But it felt great to ride and I found a new wrinkle on the trail I've been riding. It took me on a lovely loop on Woodley (see photo,) around Balboa Park and the golf course there.

The only other news is that I've extended my stay and will not be flying out until Tuesday morning in order to get a day or so to spend with Yoshi who is returning from his assignment in Florida to LA on Sunday.

A Brief Break

I left Los Angeles yesterday morning for a brief stay in Eugene, Oregon to visit my sister and Mother. A pleasant visit in a beautiful place but the logistics of bringing or renting another bike were too much. So I am in this beautiful, bike friendly town without a bike. I return to L.A. tomorrow morning for a few more days of riding with Shaul before returning to Philadelphia.

Instead of riding I had time, especially airplane time, to read. I picked up Bill Strickland's new memoir called "Ten Points" on Monday. It is a wonderful book! Bill is the executive editor of Bicycling Magazine and this book interweaves his learning to race, learning to parent, and learning to live with the traumas of his childhood. It is very well written and if you're interested in learning something about bicycle racing from the inside this is a great read. But it is much more without being maudlin. I strongly recommend it and would certainly appreciate it if you order through this blog:


Hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable 4th of July!

Hello From LA II

I suppose it's always another beautiful day in LA, but today was certainly no exception. We were out of the house a lot earlier in the day, though not as early as when I'm home and working. We rode out around 9 AM and rode for about an hour and a half covering about 25 miles. We took the same route as yesterday but did not go into Balboa Park, but kept going on the bike path until it seemed to end. We then picked up a different bike path and kept going until we thought we'd gone far enough, though we hadn't reached the end and had no idea where it was taking us. But it did take us past the Encino Velodrome! Which was kind of exciting. We doubled back into the driveway and found the entrance to the velodrome which, of course, was closed. But we checked out the schedule of activities. Unfortunately there is nothing going on while I'm here, but I hope the boys will come see a race or something and let me know about it.

Most of this path we were on follows the route of the Metro and is between the Metro and the street, completely out of traffic. It is a great path, though not necessarily the most scenic, the views in the distance, like the one above are not bad at all.

At each Metro station there are bike racks and, more impressively, bike lockers as pictured below.













I felt much more comfortable on my rented bike today and had no trouble using the gears. It turns out I hadn't looked at it closely enough when I wrote yesterday. It is a Jamis Ventura. I'm still not sold on the drop bars for me, but I enjoyed them more today and could see becoming so.

Hello From Los Angeles

Not counting the one lost piece of luggage it was an uneventful flight and my son Shaul picked me up at the airport and after a quick lunch, a bit of relaxing and catching up, my future daughter-in-law (with my other son, Yoshi)Josi arrived with my bike, rented from Hollywood Pro Cycles look them up when you next need to rent a bike in LA. We took off for a ride to Balboa Park and around the Park for a few miles and then back home. A quick ride in really hot, unshaded weather. Without an odometer I can only guess, but I think it was about 14 miles.



So, here's Shuli on his Specialized



And a very pretty patch of trees through which we passed on the way home.





And a rare shot of me without my helmet.


The bike, something called a Ventura, worked out pretty well. It is the first time I've ridden with drop handles and so far I can't say I like them. I may get used to them, and I have to take into consideration that the bike wasn't really fitted for me, but I managed. Learning to use the click shifting on the break as opposed to the twist shift that I've always used also took some time. I'm doing OK, but I'm still not always sure exactly which gear I'm in. By the end of the week I imagine that I'll be pretty well accustomed to both, but that doesn't mean I will like it.

A Fine Final Day Of The Month

Actually grey and drizzling and never very nice weather wise, but we beat the rain this morning and got in our 13 miles and I was able to take my bike on work errands all day, including a trip to the hospital, a meeting with a graduating student, and more. That allowed me to end the riding month of June with another 31.5 miles bringing the monthly total to:540.2 and my year-to-date total over the 2500 mile mark. I think that's pretty darn good! I don't want to make any predictions because the winter weather could be much more severe this year than last, but at this rate I could top 5,000 miles as opposed to my original goal of 4,000 miles. We shall see.

Meanwhile, July's count will begin in Los Angeles. I fly there Sunday to visit my sons and I've already arranged to rent a bike. I hope to arrive early enough to get in a ride on Sunday. Why I am renting and not traveling with one of my bikes is easily explained: It's too much hassle. I will be in LA most of the week, but will also take a quick side trip to Eugene, Oregon to see family. A great riding town, I suspect, but I will be sansbike so next week's mileage (if I can even count it, not having a cycle computer on board the rental) will be down. But I will be on vacation for the three weeks after that and will likely make it up.

Nor can we forget that these next few weeks we will all be preoccupied with the Tour de France. In anticipation I pass along the Australian TV dedicated TDF Website. I find it to be one of the best for lay-out that I've seen.
Check it out.

Another Busy Day

Only time for our morning loop today. The rest of the day is fully booked and lacking any need for bike use around town. Tomorrow I've a few appointments, one in Manayunk, that will allow me to squeeze a few more miles into the monthly total.

New Route, No Camera, Over the 500 Mile Mark

Once again my rechargeable batteries didn't hold their charge long enough for me to get any pictures today. But I had a great ride. It is very warm here today; the real feel temperature is over 100. I took off in 80 degree temps and very high humidity knowing I would not try to ride 60 miles. In fact, I wanted to try a new route just to mix things up. So I headed east instead of west out of the house, down to Delaware Avenue or Christopher Columbus Blvd or whatever they're calling it these days and then headed North hoping to find my way to Pennypack Park in the Northeast and ride around the bike paths in the park. It took a little doing, but worked out fine. I rode Delaware to Richmond Street to Bridge Street to Aramingo to Harbison to Roosevelt Blvd and just past Pennypack circle saw an (unmarked) little path that looked like it might lead into the park, and it did. I loved riding around the park in the cool of the very tree-shaded path and worked my way to an exit on to Frankfort Street, which is probably how I should have approached it from the beginning. Frankfort was much easier to negotiate back than Roosevelt Blvd, but otherwise I followed the rest of the route in reverse. Thirty miles of mostly city riding with an interlude of park trails. More than enough for such a hot day. Sorry I have no pictures.

Today's 31.8 mile ride puts me over the 500 mile mark for a month for the first time! There are 2 more riding days left for me in the month but this is already a good-feeling achievement.

Since I have no pictures perhaps this video will interest you. I describes what might be the ultimate challenge of using a bicycle for utilitarian transportation.

view this

A Quick Ride And A Quick Post

My days are moving at a breakneck pace as I try to close down my responsibilities before a month's vacation. Therefore I've had little time to post and, today, no extra time to ride (no excuses to "commute" around town.) We rode out 13 miles and it almost feels like it never happened I've been so busy since. But tomorrow I'm off and hopefully will get in a nice ride and, since I'm planning on taking a different route, maybe some new pictures. Stay tuned.

The Humidity Returns

And along with it some drizzle during the morning. Annie and I managed to beat it as we rode our 13 miles, but since I took the bike to work in order to attend a number of meetings today, I felt a bit of it. Not bad, though. And I was not only able to get back and forth from my meeting more quickly than I would have otherwise (and a good thing too, as I was over-booked with appointments for the day) but also, after straight meetings and appointments from 7:30 AM until 2 PM I decided to just get out and ride a bit to clear my head. I rode back to the U Penn area, which is becoming my favorite hang-out now that I can reach it so easily by bike. I like the University area ambiance, I tend to run into fewer people I know, and there are a wide variety of places to stop and either browse, eat or have coffee. Today I stopped into Starbucks and had a coffee and read the newspaper. It was a good break before going back to work where I will be until 9 PM tonight. The extra riding brought me 18.7 miles for the day.

Ah When The Drives Are Traffic Free!

Today is the Philadelphia Triathlon, a mysterious sport to me except for the biking; I can hardly swim and hardly run, But be that as it may I admire those who can do all three. Two of my congregants, in fact, took part in this morning's amateur piece of the competition. But for Annie and I the import of the event was the fact that not only was West River Drive closed, but so was Kelly Drive on the east side of the river and the Falls Bridge in between. We were out early enough not to either interfere or be interfered by the events. There was plenty of activity and one spot on our first loop where we had to slow down as lots of competitors were crossing the roadway to sign-in, but for the most part we were able to travel hassle free twice around the loop on the roadway rather than the path and therefore able to ride faster and freer. We had a ball and considered going around once more to stretch out Annie's distance, but just as we came around the Museum for the second time the roadway was being cleared as the Pros were in the bike part of the race. We got to watch a few go by - very fast and on sharp looking machines. Things would only be getting worse, more crowded, as the amateurs finished their swim and took to their wheels. We got to watch them swimming in the Schuylkill. "They look like dolphins," said Annie; "only not as smart," said I. A good 20.7 miles before work.

I spent much of yesterday reading Floyd Landis' new book "Positively False." Call me naive, but i enjoyed the book, enjoyed learning the story of Floyd's odyssey from Lancaster Mennonite to world class cyclist, and in context could not help but feel convinced of his innocence and empathize with his critique of the UCI, WADA and the rest of the cycling and doping establishment. I'm not sure we'll ever know for sure, and the idea that a man's career and reputation have been permanently sullied without appropriate safeguards in place to insure an impartial decision is disquieting to say the least. Read the book by purchasing it through the Amazon link in the right side-bar of my blog.


Ever feel frustrated by the difficulty of finding a suitable place to lock your bike while doing errands in your town/city? Well I sure do and so does the blogger know as Black Men Don't Ride Bikes. He has written a nice post about his frustrating day trying to do errands and lock his bike. You may want to check it out

I Love Riding In The City

That's what it says on the new little sticker I've affixed to the bill of my helmet. And today was another wonderful day for tooling around. After our regular loop this morning I took the bike to work and following a morning of meetings and preparations for the weekend's services, I took off for Presbyterian hospital to visit one of our congregants. That's our on 39th and Market and after a quick stop at the bank I made it up there loving the hills, the wind and dodging the traffic (especially double parked vehicles in the bike lanes!) I headed over to Trophy bikes after that to buy a stronger long system (U Lock and cable) since I'm using the bike so much in town. I visited another congregant at a long term care facility, then rode to lunch and have returned to the office. I have one more stop to make this afternoon and so will add the day's mileage to the totals later today.

Need some inspiration after a hard week's work? Then you must watch this!

If Today Had Only Been Yesterday

The weather this morning was cycling-perfect. Low humidity, cool temperatures but instead of being able to ride 30-60 miles I could only ride 13.3 miles and my cycling day is done. Too busy today to even take the bike to work and see if I could pick up a few more miles going from place to place. Just one of those days.

But zipping around the loop at a pretty good clip put me of a mind to remember that about this time last year I had not yet reached as far as the Falls Bridge. I don't think I'd made it as far as the US Grant statue yet. That would be a round trip mark of perhaps 8 miles. I probably hadn't even reached a round trip from the museum, a total of perhaps 4 miles. Now I'm finding a ride around the loop entirely unsatisfying as far as fitness and spirit go. If I can't ride twice around, which most days I can't, I really feel unsatisfied. Not unhappy, mind you; I still love my morning ride; just unsatisfied.

Rain Dampened Triple Loop

I thought the rain overnight had exhausted the storm and left the house at 8:15 AM for my long Wednesday ride. I was still considering whether to ride as usual to Valley Forge and beyond, but was also considering a new route that I downloaded from the Philadelphia Bike Club Ride Library for a change. That ride would have only been about 40 miles but would have given me a fresh perspective. It would have taken me south instead of north, to Fort Mifflin. However, when I got outside it was still threatening enough weather that I determined to ride the loop for starters and stay close to home. It just wasn't nice enough of a day to tempt me out on either long ride. In fact, by the time I reached the trail it was pouring, but I persevered. I ended up riding the loop three times. By the third time, after 20 miles of riding, the rain let up and quickly the day changed. First a few minutes of winds sweeping away the clouds and providing resistance; soon after a cool sunny day. I rode those last 12 miles in perfect weather! I considered starting out on a longer ride at that point, but the day was getting on and there were things to do. So I stopped for a haircut on the way home, came home and showered, cleaned the bike and lubed the chain and felt satisfied with my 32.5 miles.

My Car Is In The Shop: Hooray!

After our 13 mile loop this morning I put the Fuji on the bike rack and drove the car off for service and a state inspection. When I arrived at the dealership I took down the bike, stowed the rack back in the car, and took off for a lovely "commuter" ride from 49th and Chestnut back to work. The distance is about 4-5 miles give or take and it felt great riding through traffic again. Now I have the bike at work again and will probably use it for lunch etc. Living and working downtown doesn't allow me to pile up much mileage on these commutes, but I very much like the opportunity not to use the car for endless short trips. And, as I said yesterday, just getting on the bike, even for 10-15 minutes, is a great lift during the work day. I'll update the mileage count at the end of the day.

The World Looks Better By Bike

A warm summer-feeling day in Philly. Annie and I rode 13 miles this morning and then I took my bike to work. Didn't have much to do in terms of travel today, but took my lunch break up by the University. Annie (in her car, coming from a meeting in New Jersey) met me at EMS where we both bought some new socks and then had lunch together. Having the bike, making the ride up there by bike after a morning wrestling with work, just cleared my head and soul in a way that nothing else generally does. It is worth it to just ride the mile or two to get around town just for that feeling. Of course, the additional riding gave me 16.8 miles on the day which is also good.

Nice group of pictures about last week's Philly Race courtesy of the Bobke Strut. Take a look.

Also notice a new book on my Amazon shopper's guide to the right:

While I still haven't had time for a comprehensive review of these books (or the magazines that I continue to collect) this one is incomparable. A truly wonderful memoir of an artist turned messenger turned bicycle advocate. It really isn't about the bike, but about the issues that riding a bike inevitably raise for any thoughtful person. I loved the book.

Home From The Hills

This picture is only a taste of the extraordinary beauty of New Hampshire...and of the hills! Annie and I had only time for a morning ride today before taking off for the 5 hour drive back to New Jersey and Father's Day festivities. I rode the usual 13 or so miles, but Annie had to quit about half-way through. We were negotiating very steep hills with which she has had very little experience thus far. She did [pretty good and I good have done more but we ran out of time. Still, I felt that riding up the hills made the 13 miles mean more than they would have meant here in the city.

Here is a great article on Bike Commuting Check it out.

Off To New Hampshire

Another weekend gig - the last of the season. Taking the bikes with us and hoping for a nice Sunday morning ride before trying to get back down to New Jersey to catch the tail end of father's day festivities. Started out for our regular ride but meeting trains both coming and going increased our mileage to 14.5 miles this morning as the weather remains comfortably cool. Forecast calls for summer to return in earnest over the weekend.

Always nice to wake up to find a good cycling article in the mainstream media. This picture accompanied
this article in the NY Times this morning. Looks like a great ride!

Autumn Redoux?

Or should I saw winter? The wind chill was 50 degrees when we set out this morning. More than just chilly and a very premature reminder of what is bound to come again: winter. After all the months of riding in sub-freezing temperatures laden with layers, I'd just about put it all out of my mind riding each day this spring in my shorts and muscle jersey. Today I moved back to long sleeves, though still in shorts and it was fine. Fabulous, in fact. But it did bring back those nasty memories. We rode 13 miles and I felt like I could keep going easily. I haven't had the opportunity to really give myself a back-to-back long ride test yet, but I'm feeling pretty confidant about it for the Labor Day ride.

Another 60 Mile Ride

Cool and slightly overcast skies accompanied me on today's "Wednesday Ride." I rode up to the end of the Schuylkill path just past the end of Valley Forge Park. I had intended to go as far as the Perkioman park and rest and turn around. I figured that would give me just about 60 miles. But the Perkioman trail was not immediately accessible from the Schuylkill trail and looks like it won't be for a while; a bridge is out. There was a detour, but having ridden 24 miles at that point I wasn't anxious to find myself on a detour that might take more miles than I wanted and as there was a bench just at the detour point I decided to use it for my half-way stop. It wasn't exactly scenic looking out onto what looked to be highway 467, but I needed the break, ate my energy bars and just got off my feet for 15 minutes. Then I turned around and rode home. When I reached the end of the Schuylkill by the Locust street entrance that we use I had ridden 48 miles and knew I wouldn't get in 50 if I went straight home. So I turned around and did a last regular loop around the path adding enough mileage to not only go over 50 but over 60 again which is good training for our Hazon ride. Must admit I was beat when I go home, and very hungry.

Speaking of rides, Annie and I have registered for another ride, this one in August: The Covered Bridge Metric Century run by the Lancaster Bicycle Club. We're looking forward to it and trying to find some others to ride with us.

Here is a great story compliments of Alan Snell's Bike Stories (link in the sidebar):
YUMA RESIDENT BILL ANDERSON, 81, left Yuma Tuesday on a 2,000-mile trip around Arizona to raise money for the Crossroads Mission. PHOTO BY BENJAMIN HAGER/THE SUN
Read the story here.

Bike Tuesday

It seems that Tuesday's tend to be the day that I have meetings around the city and when the weather cooperates, I can take my bike to work and get around the city. I love it! This morning Annie and I rode our 13 miles and after riding to work I rode to a meeting on the other side of town; next I go across town for another obligation, then off to make a hospital visit and then back to work again. All in all I won't add that much mileage to the monthly chart; it's actually amazing how close all the points around the city that others might take a car or jump in a cab to reach. Still it will probably add up to 5 or six miles before I'm done, assuming I don't decide to take a longer ride before heading home tonight. I'll up date the mileage chart later.

Meanwhile here is a great video about why people ride bikes and bike culture generally. I've been saving it for a slow news day, so enjoy.

Bike Culture and Critical Mass - Daryl Hannah Love Life

a great video

More Race-Day Reflections

Yesterday's race is worth another few thoughts:

The atmosphere around the course in the early morning was electric. Not so much because people here are necessarily so "into" bicycle racing, but because the race put a very public focus on what people here are very "into" and that is cycling itself. You could just feel the number of folks who came out to ride and to ride proudly and safely. It gave me just an inkling of what it is going to be like on BikePhilly day in September when 40 miles of streets are going to be closed to traffic.

The atmosphere later in the day was genuinely festive. I couldn't get up to Manayunk, where I expect the most festive part of the crowd could be found, but around the part of the course I could see,Lemon Hill and the Parkway (both pictured below taken from the Daily News video; sorry for the unclarity) people were just enjoying the day. I must say that I didn't find the vendors to be up to the occasion. I saw one souvenir Jersey but it was too expensive; and I thought of buying a Bike Club of Philadelphia jersey, but they only had long sleeve jerseys with them. Huh?

The last photo is J.J. Haedo crossing the finish line. He has impressed me since he came to the fore in the Tour of California and could be a great star of the future. It is a thrill to have seen him.

























Oh yeah: Annie and I rode in a refreshing drizzle for 13 miles this morning, both of us feeling stronger and stronger each day. I've met my minimum donations for the Hazon ride and she is very close. Thank you all! But anyone who is so moved is still invited to support this worthy cause.

Race Day!

Annie and I took our normal Sunday morning ride of 25.4 miles, glimpsing all the just awakening activity on the Parkway ahead of today's race. There were tons of cyclists on the road and with both Kelly Drive and the West River Drive closed, it was a dream ride. On top of that I felt better than I ever have! It seems like the last couple of mornings of sluggish legs and then yesterday's day off really made a difference. It was like I'd moved up to a new level. I was flying and feeling no strain. It was wonderful. We could see the teams getting ready and all the vendors setting up. The course is outlined below.




After going home for breakfast and back to work for morning services followed by a short meeting, I was freed up to return to the Parkway to watch some of the race. Checked in at the Bike Club of Philadelphia tent and enjoyed watching for as long as I could. Unfortunately I couldn't stay for the finish because I had a graduation to go to.

My Legs Come Partly Back: But I Have An Excuse

My legs came back this morning and we rode a fast 13 miles feeling great.But I did still have some trouble keeping up to Annie's pace. Then, on the way back down the West Side Drive, I realized I had either a slow leak or just had lost too much air in my rear tire. I was able to ride on it, but I slowed down appreciably. I pumped it up at home and will take it out this afternoon to see if it's holding; otherwise I'll change it before we ride on Sunday. Looking forward to watching the race on Sunday!

The Inquirer actually had a story on the race on page 8 of the sports section...a human interest story about local rider Stephan Kincaid





Meanwhile here are a couple of things to keep you entertained.

Thanks to Bicycle Designs blog for alerting us to this cool design:



And a "test" that's sweeping the bike blogosphere: ARE YOU A BIKE DOOSH? (My answers in BOLD?

Posted by Smithers


Doosh. It’s my new favorite word.

So let us see if you qualify for the specific category of bike doosh.

1) Do you race:No
a – road
b – cross
c – mtb
d – track

2) Do you have an “A” bike and a “B” bike?
a – no, just one bike
b – yesyes
c – both “A” bike and “B” bikes are carbon
d – with Campy Record

3) Do you use a cycling computer?
a – no
b – yes yes
c – Power Tap
d – Power Tap on your track bike

4) Do you carry a mobile phone with you when you ride?
a – no
b – yes yes
c – Smartphone
d – iPhone

5) Do you:No
a – match cycling socks to shoes
b – match shoes to jersey
c – match jersey to helmet
d – have multiple matching outfits, shoes and helmets

6) Is your handlebar tape:
a – black Yes
b – white
c – some other color
d – installed fresh each month

7) Do you:of my own making
a – follow a training plan
b – keep a training log
c – an online training log
d – and pay someone to review it

8) VO2 Max Test
a – never had one and never will
b – once
c – more than once
d – every year

9) Campy versus Shimano
a – who cares who does care
b – Shimano
c – Campy
d – SRAM

10) Helmet and sunglasses I buy on sale
a – you buy whatever from the team sponsor
b – Lazer and Tifosi
c – Bell and Rudy Project
d – Giro and Oakley

11) Do you:NA
a – ride your bike to the race
b – carpool with pals
c – drive alone in your Audi A6 sedan with the bike in the trunk
d – refuse to let Smithers use your lug nut tool at Sogn Valley last year (score 5 bonus dick head points!)

12) Triathlon
a – no thanks don't even think about it
b – once, never again
c – sometimes
d – live for them

13) On the training ride you:NA
a – are in there for a while but eventually get dropped
b – are in the group the whole ride feeling good
c – sit in and wait for the end of the hard stuff and then go to the front and ride hard
d – skip it because it is not hard enough for you

14) On the training ride you talk about:not exactly applicable, but I do talk bike stuff whenever I can and I'm becoming a bore
a – art, music, politics
b – girls/boys
c – the latest pro bike race on Vs.
d – last weeks training ride

15) The purpose of the training ride is to:
a – work on your weakness
b – develop fitness I'd like to think so
c – put the hurt on everyone else
d – show off your new bike

16) The racing season is:
a – too long
b – too short
c – not enough of the races you like to do
d – full of stupid races that you think suck even though you have never promoted a race This sounds right

17) Relationship
a – In one, it’s great We bike together
b – looking and hoping
c – just broke up, they didn’t understand your desire to train and race
d – no time, you have to train and race

18) When on a date you talk about:I'm married
a – your date
b – yourself
c – the latest pro bike race on Vs.
d – Campy versus Shimano

19) Your significant other comes to a race:NA
a – you drop out early to spend more time with them
b – try to make yourself look totally pro by being at the front
c – ignore them
d – castigate them for not handing up the correct bottle on the correct lap (score 5 more bonus dick head points!)

20) Following the race you:NA
a – leave the bike in the garage and spend time with the family
b – help make dinner and talk about the race
c – sort out all your bike crap until past midnight
d – go for a recovery ride

Bonus Question
21) Are you:
Smithers? If so subtract all points and score yourself an automatic total of zero. The ability to recognize bike dooshery eliminates any possibility of personal dooshness.

For every “a” score o points, for every “b” score 1 points, for every “c” score 5 points, for every “d’ score 10 points.

0 points: You are so totally not a bike doosh, you are the coolest MF that every walked the surface of the planet
1 – 20 points: You are not a bike doosh.
21 – 100 points: You mean well, there is hope, resist the temptation to join the dooshocracy
101 – 150 points: You are kind of a bike doosh, try harder el-doosh.
151 – 200 points: You are a total bike doosh, get a life bike doosh.

I only scored about 4 points.I'm definitely not a Bike Doosh. Is that good or bad?

Annie Drops Me

My legs still feel sluggish. Better than yesterday, and better at the end of today's ride than at the beginning. But the cumulative exhaustion that hits me this time of year, weeks before I go on vacation, have apparently caught up with me. Annie was tough to keep up with this morning, and the last mile or so, I just couldn't. She didn't notice and just plain dropped me. What can I say?

Learning About One's Self

Today was a difficult, interesting and ultimately satisfying ride. Being Wednesday it is usually my day for a long ride. Yesterday was a long busy day at work and I was exhausted. I also didn't eat all that well. So I did not leave the house this morning until 9 AM and as soon as I was on the road I knew I didn't have the miles in my legs. It was frustrating since I'd ridden over 60 miles last Wednesday. But just getting up the trail to the museum felt almost as difficult as it used to feel a year ago when I was just starting out. I knew I wouldn't make it to Valley Forge. I didn't know if I'd make a single loop around the trail! Sure, it was a bit windy, but what I was feeling went far beyond the wind. I kept going until I reached almost to the Falls bridge, figuring I'd go around and be happy with a single loop. too bad, too, as it is a gorgeous day. Temperature in the 60's and no humidity. When I got to just before the bridge the road was blocked. They are removing some trees from the side of the path. One had to go into the street and up around the obstruction. I just didn't feel like dealing with it. I took this picture and felt justified in turning around.



I went back down the drive all the way to the Locust entrance. I was feeling a little stronger but the strength in my legs just wasn't kicking in the way it sometime does when I start out tired and work through it. But I couldn't get myself to go home either. The weather was so nice, I was enjoying listening to my various podcasts, I wanted to stop into Zoom in Manayunk because I was having a little problem keeping my speedometer staying on the bar; so I turned back from the beginning and went out along the west side of the drive, crossed the bridge the other way and continued to Manayunk. Took care of fixing the speedometer and turned toward home. Made a much needed fueling stop at the Manayunk Diner. But even after eating I didn't feel much stronger. Then, about half-way home the fuel seemed to kick in. My pace picked up a bit, the feeling of struggling abated; I felt the usual enjoyment of the ride and decided to take another spin around the loop. All in all I managed to put on a tough 32.9 miles, feeling way better at the end then at the beginning. On the last leg of the trip I did feel like I needed another break; my feet were hurting a bit which is pretty typical after 20-25 miles, so I decided to really enjoy the park I'm always just riding through. I found a nice bench along the river and rested for 10-15 minutes.This is what I was looking at:




The thing that helped keep me going, just as I thought I'd really bonked for the day, was a glimpse of team CSC riding by! I saw this group of riders all wearing CSC kit riding along the Ben Franklin Parkway out onto Kelly Drive and I'm thinking, "I wonder who those guys are riding as a group on a Wednesday morning? And why are they all in CSC kit? And then it dawned on me: this is the week of the big pro tour bike race in Philly and those guys were for real. I tried to get a picture put it all happened too fast. Later on I also saw what appeared to be the T-Mobile team out for a practice ride. I got a few shots but they don't show anything, so in lieu of my photos here are a few official photos of both squads. It should be an exciting weekend in the city for those of us who even know that the race is happening.




Finally, in case you haven't noticed I've added a new book to the Amazon connections on the right side column. It is Floyd Landis's new book: "Positively False." It is available for pre-order and will be out at the end of the month. Of course, I haven't read it and really can't recommend it, but I'm planning to read it and if you're interested feel free to order through my link.

Just Another Beautiful Day

We had a much less exciting ride today, thankfully. The weather was perfect and we rode the loop quickly and pleasantly side by side talking most of the way. Nothing else to report except that I will be taking the bike out to ride to another meeting this afternoon, so perhaps I'll have something else to report. And, of course, I'll update the mileage chart accordingly.

A Bit Of A Scare...A Few New Favorites

Not a great day for cycling today, but not bad enough to desist. I rode alone in the mist and occasional drizzle wearing my new rain gear for the first time. Either because of the pretty steady headwind or just a bad legs day, I was moving rather sluggishly - perhaps providentially. As I came around the last part of the loop, in front of the museum, just past the Rocky statue on Kelly drive North of Fairmont there was a head-on auto collision that sent one of the cars skidding across the bike path directly in front of me. I might have been 50 feet away. Obviously had I just been going by I'd have been the only one seriously hurt (neither driver, thank God, was.) I was actually only nervous about the careening debris coming off the cars, fenders and the like, but I had plenty of time to stop, going just around the car onto the grass. I was the first person at the scene and determined that the driver was shaken but ok and called it into 911. I left a few minutes later when police and such had taken over. I should feel more shaken than I do. I continued my ride and finished with the usual 13.3. After some deliberation, given the weather, I've decided not to use the bike this morning to get to my meeting. Too bad.

I have added the first new blogs to my favorites list on the right in awhile. My ramblings around the web have found me enjoying more and more cycling blogs, but I feel these three are really worth following. They are Fat Cyclist; Bobke Strut; and Up In Alaska. Check them out.

PS: I took the bike to my meeting. Loved riding up over the South Street Bridge. One thing I've noticed is how unaware we are generally of the geography we inhabit. Who would have thought that Spruce Street is a hill. Climbing up one side from the East and then down the back to 43rd Street, returning with the climb up from the West and down back across the bridge. Wonderful. Added another 4.8 miles for the month which brings my cumulative for the year over 2000 miles! Halfway to my 4000 mile/year goal and three weeks ahead of schedule.

Some Good PR...Harry and Another Flat For Annie

First off, it was with great joy that I opened my Sunday Times on Saturday and saw a positive article in their Sport Magazine called "Play" about the upcoming Tour De'France. Check out Play Magazine Enjoy!

Then we headed out this morning for a long Sunday ride. Going around the first loop we saw our friend Harry going the other way. Haven't seen him on the road for awhile so that was fun. However, only minutes later as we began the second time around the loop Annie's back tire flatted again, just like last Sunday. Since we were on the Kelly Drive side of the loop and therefore were accessible by car we decided that I should ride home and come back with the car. We actually tried to pump it up without changing it first, but then it popped again, so whatever is inside the tire is still there and will have to be dealt with later today when I come home from Sunday service, a meeting and a funeral, before the monthly book group and dinner with friends. Busy day. If the weather holds I'll make up the miles tomorrow as I have a breakfast meeting in commutable distance, but further away than just the morning ride.

A Good Start To June: A Ride And A Commute

June has gotten off to a fine start. Another beautiful day and Annie and I rode our 13.3 miles this morning. then I took the bike to work, figuring I'd figure out a reason why when I arrived there. (Remember, I only live two blocks from work, so if I commute it is only when I have to go somewhere else from work.)After a busy morning I decided I did have some place to go: trophy bikes, the bike shop on Walnut at 32nd Street. Yesterday I stopped at bike therapy to buy some CO2 cartridges to replace the ones we'd use fixing last week's flat. But Bike Therapy only carries un-threaded cartridges (who knew?) I thought for sure that Trophy bikes would have what I needed so I rode up there, enjoying dodging traffic along Spruce to 22nd and up Walnut. Lo and behold, they to only had un-threaded cartridges in stock (though at least they carry the, apparently very old fashioned, threaded kind.) So I traveled onward up walnut to 38th Street to EMS where I found five packages of threaded cartridges and bought them all to save myself future aggravation. (Not that I wasn't loving going from place to place by bike.) However, as it turned out, their computerized cash register system was down. so I waited around for awhile, determined to wait as long as necessary to not go home empty handed. finally, with the machines still out, they decided they could do cash only sales and luckily I had the cash. they gave me 20% off for waiting around. No complaints.

I took off down Chestnut street heading home and decided to cut down the ramp on the Chestnut street bridge to the bike path and promptly take it once around just for fun. That brought me home feeling warm and satisfied while putting 28 miles on for the first day of the month.