VeRy InTeReStInG.....NOT!

I looked at the Calendar this Sunday. After I had abandoned yet another opportunity to go ride, and checked the date and it was no lie, the 12 hours of Vortex is 2 weeks away.

I feel outta shape, even though last weekend I had a stellar ride at the Ididaride, I still feel out of shape.

So that pretty much summed up what needed to be done. I need some saddle time. I need time to just go out and ride, day in and day out. I have no coach, and no real training program, I just try and get as much time on the bike as I can, and ride hard when I want too and go easy when I want too, I am the epitome of a 'perceived effort' type of rider.

I got everything set, grabbed all I needed and packed the bike into the work truck. I always dissect my commuting. I drive to work, leave the truck, then ride home, then ride back the next day, and then rinse and repeat till I get tired.

Well, I let my class go early, mainly so I could ride home in the sunlight. Was not too psyched about an evening ride. As I am riding home, I first stop at the auto store, then I stop at Natural Food store, and then I try to stop at the park and hang, but I didn't like the "scene", so I kept rolling.

One down side to using your phone as your music player is that a incoming text completely interrupts your listening experience. So I get a text, I have to stop, then roll 5 feet and get another, then roll 1/4 mile and get another. And I cant just ignore it, cause until I clear it, I cant continue the tunes. So I stop for my last time and look down and low and behold what do I find, a gold ring! Could possibly be diamonds in it, at the very least its cubic zirconium.

I pocket it, keep rolling, to get a flat not even 1/4 mile later. I tell myself, no big deal, this is party of cycling. I walk a little ways off the bridge I was on, pull out my tube to repair it, to discover that its a 29er tube and not a tube small enough to fit in this tiny road tire I got on my cross bike.

SO, I sit for a minute, stewing in my own lack of forethought. I formulate a plan to walk to ace hardware about 2 miles away. Grab a patch kit, and then ride home.

I walk, I make it, I patch the tire, I pump it up, I get rolling. Get 5 more miles down the road, when I have a Nascarish experience and the tire explodes.

SUCKS....

I start walking. I hate to get picked up, so at this point I have resolved to walk the remaining 6 miles home. Just so happens a Tech that I trained recently lived nearby and called and came and picked me up and spared me the walk. Embarrassing to say the least, but not so Embarrassing that I didn't publish it to the entire world wide web.

Get home and immediately rip the tires off the bike, I get Kailan and Gabriel involved, their in the garage with me, helping me wrench the bike, it was actually a very touching and bonding moment to all be working on the bike together.

I get my Armadillo's on the bike, I get it all pumped up, adjust the brakes, and lace it with lights for the 5am roll out to ride to work.

This morning I get up and ride my ride to work, and really enjoyed myself. It was so nice to just be out there pedaling. It sure felt like a long trip this morning but I also spent the whole time in deep thought.

My deep thoughts were centered around how lazy people are for coasting. How inefficient my pedal stroke feels on this geared freewheel contraption and How I wish I had a Fixed Road bike for commuting.

Needless to say, I spent the rest of the day pondering my options.

I dont want to take apart my cross, cause its good to have a geared cross in your quiver. Now that I got two wheelsets for it, I can easily take it out for road riding, or throw my fatties on there and do a dirty tour, or go ride the indian, or go single tracking. Its basically the perfect all around back up do anything machine.

So the only other option would be to buy a fixed gear bike or buy a single speed road bike and make it fixed. I am looking carefully at those options. Since I am a member of a team that has Grassroots sponsorship from specialized I could certainly get a good deal on a complete build, and tax money is just around the corner.

BUT, I have a strict, I will not own more than three bike rule. Decisions, decisions.

On top of this obsessinng on a fixed gear road bike, I got Operation Fixed Mamasita on the Horizon and then Initial "New sponsorship to be yet announced Frame bike coming for my pre GDR build complete with a special I am planning to climb 250,000 feet gear ratio" bike.

Just another sign that Spring is right around the corner folks as the creation drive in me is going overdrive. Seriously I cant stop thinking about this crap. I need help, a sedative, something.

Awful.

Anyhow.

Enjoy,
Laters,
LOS