FMR
Friday Morning Ride. I had to do something since I missed the ThNR with Gordon as I was obligated to spend my evening on a work-related conference call to which two people from the other side (i.e. customer) did not join. I'm almost glad I didn't go but a bit disappointed at the same time.
Around 6pm I was finishing up another work-related call when the wind started picking up as it does when prefacing a monsoon storm. Sometimes all we get is the wind and a few drops of rain. Last night was a GOOD storm. Plenty of lightning followed by booming thunder. The rain actually was sustained for at least an hour here in downtown Phoenix. Our pool, currently under construction, is again filled with about 6" of water in the middle where it is deepest.
Gordon, being the only rider of the last two weeks for the ThNR got caught out it in. He mentioned the rain and the mud and having to rebuild his Salsa, again. I think this might be the third time; once after an all night rain at McDowell Mtn. Park, a month or so again at Dreamy Draw and again last night. That's the only reason I'm glad I didn't get out last night.
As it was, the trails were uber-tacky this morning. No mud, just a tightly packed surface and re-vamped lines due to the heavy rain. It was humid this morning, that's for sure, but no sun due to the cloud layer still lingering. Very few people were out as I saw them from various vantage points and I didn't come across anyone on the same trail as I. I had a plan for a loop but that all changed as I lost my glasses somewhere on the "bench loop". So I just ended up turning whichever way that looked good. All was ridable and climbable. A good morning on the bike.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
The Sickness
After a week at work where my co-worker was on vacation and unreachable, a considerable security issue arose and non-stop afterhour changes took place, I ended up getting sick. I started feeling it Thursday evening while talking on the phone during a production change. I had been talking quite a bit the past four days due to the aforementioned issues. Just a slight scratch. Then while out on Friday night for a few beers with some friends, I could no longer speak except for a raspy voice. Saturday morning saw me laid out on the couch immediately after getting out of bed. Nothing got done. I think I watched more TV that day that I had for the previous month. Then it came to me; I had not been riding in a week. The last time I went riding was on August 3rd when I took the Mary for some dirt. Bike commuting was out of the question after being woke up 4am on Monday morning due to a production issue. The resulting fallout left me no chance to ride to work or any before/after work riding. That's when I knew I was Sick.
The kind of Sick when you realize that riding in any form was what you needed to do, had to do. Not even a ride on the 3-speed to the store was happening for me. I didn't even stay off the bike for more than a couple of days when getting diagnosed with knee/hip/back problems that could actually stop me from riding. I finally quelled my riding pangs by waking up early on Wednesday morning (now day 10 of no riding) and although coughing and hurling large chunks of phlegm into the road, I was moving. 5 am and spinning pedals, my legs stiff and feeling awkward. No computer, no odometer, HRM or anything. I knew it was going to be slow but didn't want to know how slow. After about 10 miles or so, things loosened up a bit and though I didn't feel much like pushing it, I decided to ride a normal loop around Mummy Mountain. The sun was rising but there was still a nice cloud layer keeping things a bit cooler. My MP3 was on shuffle and every now and then I would pick up the pace a bit. I held back trying to climb fast or chase down riders in front of me and just rode. Arriving back home, I was glad I made the effort to roll out of bed still sluggish from the cold medicine and get back on the bike.
Perhaps the forced rest was what I needed to reset things to a more normal level. I had been putting in at least 200 miles a week between commuting, ThNR's (Thursday Night Rides) and mountain biking on telecommute days. The knee doesn't hurt today, a nagging saddle sore has disappeared and I really want to go for a long ride. Man, I love being Sick.
After a week at work where my co-worker was on vacation and unreachable, a considerable security issue arose and non-stop afterhour changes took place, I ended up getting sick. I started feeling it Thursday evening while talking on the phone during a production change. I had been talking quite a bit the past four days due to the aforementioned issues. Just a slight scratch. Then while out on Friday night for a few beers with some friends, I could no longer speak except for a raspy voice. Saturday morning saw me laid out on the couch immediately after getting out of bed. Nothing got done. I think I watched more TV that day that I had for the previous month. Then it came to me; I had not been riding in a week. The last time I went riding was on August 3rd when I took the Mary for some dirt. Bike commuting was out of the question after being woke up 4am on Monday morning due to a production issue. The resulting fallout left me no chance to ride to work or any before/after work riding. That's when I knew I was Sick.
The kind of Sick when you realize that riding in any form was what you needed to do, had to do. Not even a ride on the 3-speed to the store was happening for me. I didn't even stay off the bike for more than a couple of days when getting diagnosed with knee/hip/back problems that could actually stop me from riding. I finally quelled my riding pangs by waking up early on Wednesday morning (now day 10 of no riding) and although coughing and hurling large chunks of phlegm into the road, I was moving. 5 am and spinning pedals, my legs stiff and feeling awkward. No computer, no odometer, HRM or anything. I knew it was going to be slow but didn't want to know how slow. After about 10 miles or so, things loosened up a bit and though I didn't feel much like pushing it, I decided to ride a normal loop around Mummy Mountain. The sun was rising but there was still a nice cloud layer keeping things a bit cooler. My MP3 was on shuffle and every now and then I would pick up the pace a bit. I held back trying to climb fast or chase down riders in front of me and just rode. Arriving back home, I was glad I made the effort to roll out of bed still sluggish from the cold medicine and get back on the bike.
Perhaps the forced rest was what I needed to reset things to a more normal level. I had been putting in at least 200 miles a week between commuting, ThNR's (Thursday Night Rides) and mountain biking on telecommute days. The knee doesn't hurt today, a nagging saddle sore has disappeared and I really want to go for a long ride. Man, I love being Sick.
Friday, July 25, 2008
ThNR -- Now with more Spouse!
Gordon had an idea to ride tandems with our spouses. Julie couldn't quite get comfortable on the mtn tandem that Gordon offered to let us ride so we opted to ride our 3-speeds instead. Some beer and margaritas were had at various bistro locations. It was a nice ride.
Gordon had an idea to ride tandems with our spouses. Julie couldn't quite get comfortable on the mtn tandem that Gordon offered to let us ride so we opted to ride our 3-speeds instead. Some beer and margaritas were had at various bistro locations. It was a nice ride.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
This past weekend saw me heading north to Winslow, AZ. Not much riding but good times had with brother and father.
Definitely need to head north sometime this summer (perhaps between Clint's Well and Payson) for some dirt road touring. There has to be a route from some point A to some point B. Some photos were taken.
Winslow has a pretty cool train park. Odd how the interior of a Santa Fe train caboose has the the same look as a WWII era B-17 bomber.
I highly recommend La Posada (right next to the track) and Rosa's (no web site, but the goods when it comes to Italian--northeast from la posada). Good food and good vibes at both places. I should also mention Mojo's just off I-10. Good java and scones. Don't forget to wander around and see the "Standing on the Corner" monument. Saturday night had the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders doing a photo shoot. I neglected to bring a camera to dinner that night.
Definitely need to head north sometime this summer (perhaps between Clint's Well and Payson) for some dirt road touring. There has to be a route from some point A to some point B. Some photos were taken.
Winslow has a pretty cool train park. Odd how the interior of a Santa Fe train caboose has the the same look as a WWII era B-17 bomber.
I highly recommend La Posada (right next to the track) and Rosa's (no web site, but the goods when it comes to Italian--northeast from la posada). Good food and good vibes at both places. I should also mention Mojo's just off I-10. Good java and scones. Don't forget to wander around and see the "Standing on the Corner" monument. Saturday night had the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders doing a photo shoot. I neglected to bring a camera to dinner that night.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
3 XC's and 1 CX
Our Thursday Night Ride started out like most others; A lot of hemming, hawing, insulting, obfuscating, changing, rerouting and finally agreeing (usually after meeting up somewhere).
Met up with cDub near home and headed north to PMP. Encountered "that guy" that has a squeaky horn and many accouterments adorning his bike. A few words were exchanged, an invitation extended and an invitation denied.
cDub and I met with the Russian and Coach for a couple of pre-ride beers and we headed out to ride some trail. cDub rode his Lemond cyclocross bike so some trails were off limits. After making our way to the east end of the preserve, we saw the storm coming in from the northeast.
We started pedaling only to be accosted by a downpour and a wet ride to the ramadas at the Dreamy Draw parking lot. Lighting was close so we chilled a bit and enjoyed the weather. The rain and lightning continued even after an half-hour had passed so we decided to go our separate ways.
Coach headed back up the hill and Yuri, Chris and I headed south into downtown. The rain had not yet abated so we continued on getting soaked. After splitting with Yuri at Maryland, Chris and I stayed south on 3rd where I flatted just a couple of miles from home. The water level in the Willo neighborhood was up to my hubs on the 29'er.
All in all, an enjoyable night out getting rained on. Most of us from Arizona don't mind getting wet like that since it rains so little and Thursday night was no different, for me at least.
Some pics:
Our Thursday Night Ride started out like most others; A lot of hemming, hawing, insulting, obfuscating, changing, rerouting and finally agreeing (usually after meeting up somewhere).
Met up with cDub near home and headed north to PMP. Encountered "that guy" that has a squeaky horn and many accouterments adorning his bike. A few words were exchanged, an invitation extended and an invitation denied.
cDub and I met with the Russian and Coach for a couple of pre-ride beers and we headed out to ride some trail. cDub rode his Lemond cyclocross bike so some trails were off limits. After making our way to the east end of the preserve, we saw the storm coming in from the northeast.
We started pedaling only to be accosted by a downpour and a wet ride to the ramadas at the Dreamy Draw parking lot. Lighting was close so we chilled a bit and enjoyed the weather. The rain and lightning continued even after an half-hour had passed so we decided to go our separate ways.
Coach headed back up the hill and Yuri, Chris and I headed south into downtown. The rain had not yet abated so we continued on getting soaked. After splitting with Yuri at Maryland, Chris and I stayed south on 3rd where I flatted just a couple of miles from home. The water level in the Willo neighborhood was up to my hubs on the 29'er.
All in all, an enjoyable night out getting rained on. Most of us from Arizona don't mind getting wet like that since it rains so little and Thursday night was no different, for me at least.
Some pics:
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
I telecommuted today so I was able to get out for an early morning ride and enjoy it instead of the same bike commute. Most of it consisted of my typical route which involves heading north on 3rd Avenue to Maryland to the AZ Canal to 17th Street then north again, across SR-51 and then up the path at Dreamy Draw. I was decided against riding the dirt on the fixie this morning so I opted to ride through the neighborhood to the 40th Street parking lot. On the way I encountered a fairly large group ride and a bull snake. Quite a few were at the parking area getting ready for a hike, a run or a ride. Made it back to the house in a reverse fashion for a total of 27 miles in 1:48.
I had wanted to continue on through Paradise Valley for a loop but as I neared 40th Street, time was looking slim as I needed to be home by 8am for an early conference call. Maybe next time. Maybe I'll change it up and take the AZ Canal east to the Greenbelt and loop through Tempe. I'll probably need to get up around 4am to complete it within four hours (including any flats, mechanicals, etc).
I'm hoping to get in a good ride over the holiday. Mountain bike ride up north again? Century around the Valley? Standard mountain ride at PMP? We shall see.
I had wanted to continue on through Paradise Valley for a loop but as I neared 40th Street, time was looking slim as I needed to be home by 8am for an early conference call. Maybe next time. Maybe I'll change it up and take the AZ Canal east to the Greenbelt and loop through Tempe. I'll probably need to get up around 4am to complete it within four hours (including any flats, mechanicals, etc).
I'm hoping to get in a good ride over the holiday. Mountain bike ride up north again? Century around the Valley? Standard mountain ride at PMP? We shall see.
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