April 2010

triple paradise loop – the first two times around felt exactly like every double I’ve done.  the last one, did not.  my spin got sloppy, and I could barely keep my head up.  nothing short of painful, but I’m glad I put myself up to the challenge, and actually met it.  90mi, start to end – 3 fresh tire marks down camino alto/corte madera ave 6 turns after chapman.  look for the slew of skids in the same section of road, it’s where I’ve marked my territory.  haaaaaa!

I learned a lot about my bike (and myself, of course) doing this ride.  roughly 5 hours on the saddle has given me ample time to think about bar positions, wheel configurations, and just sitting technique.  on the track bike, there’s a lot more leg movement, thus, more rubbing.  chaomis cream is definitely enroute from pro bike kit (along with a gore oxygen jacket, gore waterproof shoe covers, and short sleeve base layers).  I mentioned bar positions too – obviously this is more subjective, but knowing where to hold the bars is a big part of your comfort.  I think I just about dialed the bar/stem angle, length, and width of each which has definitely helped me to go harder for longer.

and then there’s the wheel debate.  I’d also toss this into the subjective category for a couple reasons.  some people like box clinchers, other prefer carbon.  I have yet to ride on my reynolds rims, but I have a feeling they’ll dampen much better than the 32h full aluminum wheelsets I currently have on the caad9 and track.  maybe having it on the track bike will lead to a much more comfortable ride.

I think I’m going to get a burrito now.

double paradise – 210 miles on the track bike, in 3 days.  and the weather couldn’t have been nicer.  lots and lots of people out today, the route back home was clogged with tourists.

all these miles made me realize what a properly setup bike really means: comfort, speed, stability.  another big thanks to freewheel bike shop, even though they built the bike months ago, I’m now starting to truly appreciate this bike after spending so many miles and hours on it over the last 3 days.  280 miles on it this week alone, and I hope the number continues to grow.

I should check on my macaroni and cheese…

double paradise – ben came out today, brought the heat on his yamaguchi track.  it was still kind of in track mode – track drops, 50t chainring.  he had epic amounts of torque ALL day, he’s getting uber vicious on the track bike.  we demolished the loop.  well, he did, more so than I.  when he got in front of me, he was just a jet…BOOOOOOOOOOM.  I was just gritting my teeth spinning to death to keep up.

man oh man, ben.  thanks for coming out today to kick my ass.  it was good seeing your bike, too.

double paradise – as I headed out today, there was a low-laying, fast-moving fog.  it burned off when I got into sausalito, but sadly, the wind did not.  there was a constant 15-20mph crosswind that drained me.

then I got a call from travis at freewheel hayes.  another phone call reminding me that they had my black thomson masterpiece setback seatpost, for the road bike.  it’s been there for a couple weeks now, I’ve been delaying the pickup because in a couple more weeks, I’ll be bringing by both my bikes for 2.0 status.  reynolds strike’s all around!  anyway, after completing the ride, I swung by the shop to pick it up.  unfortunately, when they opened up the package it was a zero setback masterpiece, and not the setback I had requested.  I LOL’d, but what can you do – they tore up the special order form.  I’ll be reordering it when the bikes go 2.0, so no worries.

uncle sam, where’s my tax refund…?  come onnnnnnnnnnnn MONEY!

double paradise – today, I came to the realization that clear rain jackets actually do keep you dry, no matter how weird they look.  I left this morning after watching the radar for an hour.  at the time, it was lightly drizzling, and the radar read it as just a quick passing.  well, by time I got into sausalito, it was raining.  a road biker that was riding in the same direction pulled off, and threw on his clear rain jacket, and lightweight waterproof knickers.  they went over his shorts and knee warmers.  I need some of that for sure…

needless to say, I kept riding.  as I was climbing camino alto, the rain started to lighten up to a light drizzle.  the ground was saturated though, which made the descent a bit hairy.  the second time around, there were breaks of sun, but even more crosswind.  no more rain at least.

pure torture.

I got a late start today, but I was glad I did because the bridge was closed until 10am.  presidio 10 was going on, apparently the bridge was closed on both sides until 10am.  luckily, I only had to wait for 15 minutes or so.  the was a huge line of cyclists waiting to get onto the bridge, and I had a short conversation with a huge built guy on a road bike (didn’t get his name, but I wish I did).  he called me over, wanted to see the cannondale track.  we briefly talked about gearing, and going to the velodrome.  apparently, he runs 48×15 or 14, depending on the race.  he told me to come out for a beginner session.  super nice guy.

I finally was able to cross, and begin my ride.  thank goodness I didn’t bring extra clothes, it was warm, sunny, and cloudless the entire time.  the first paradise loop I did felt all sloppy for some odd reason.  my spin was all wack and I had no momentum.  but the second time around, something kicked, and I felt golden.  tons of cyclist on the second loop, not surprising, since it was sunday.

hey zain, come out next sunday.

and banaynees.  my phone died mid-ride, so here’s a photo of my recovery shake.  5.5 cups worth.

rode a double paradise on the track bike today.  spotted a guy on a older fuji track, brifters and all, climbing out of sausalito.  I think single-speed fixed gear bikes are getting popular as cross-training bikes, which is good to see.  actually, I think they’ve always been, but I’m just starting to notice.  either way, I’m seeing more of them out.

as a side note, it MUST be tourist season or something because every time I come back to sf on the bridge, it’s caked with super tourists.  standing in the middle of the path, camera to the sky.  yea, the bridge IS fascinating, now please move when I yell “EXCUSE ME!”.