Truer Words - A Journal

Rides #78 and 79: Time Trial and Birthday Loop

seth@macrobyte.net — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:31:43 GMT

Ride #78, A Solo Time Trial

Due mostly to Steve's and Penny's wedding on Saturday, I didn't manage to ride from Friday through Sunday. By Monday afternoon I was so full of energy I couldn't sit still, so I went out for a short one. I had time for a longer ride, but knew I shouldn't burn too much before the Tuesday night Birthday Loop ride.

Well, my enthusiasm got the better of me. Instead of riding long, I rode really hard. Like a time trial.

After exactly 22 miles my average speed was exactly 22 miles per hour! That's fast, at least for me. Unfortunately, I wasn't home yet. I had just crossed back over the Mystic River, ridden through downtown, and was turning onto River Road. I had one Gu with me, but hadn't eaten any and decided to continue home without eating it.

That was a mistake, because my speed sank like a stone over those last four miles. Still my fastest solo ride of the year, but not what I could have done if I had eaten the Gu at the halfway point as I had planned.

Stats: 26.19 miles (42.16 km) in 1h 13' 44" for an average speed of 21.31 mph (34.31 kph).

Ride #79, The Birthday Loop

Tuesday morning I had breakfast at Snoopy's with Rich, then worked from his place for a few hours (and had a small plate of pasta for lunch). On the way home I stopped at Mystic Cycle to pick up some more Gu and Power Gel, and get some chain cleaner: my bike is always a big mess after the PMC, and I wanted to clean it before the evening ride.

Corinne and Mom both sat out on the front steps and chatted with me while I cleaned the bike. Mom thought I was coating my chain with something when I was actually doing the opposite. This was all a little odd, though, as I've been washing my bike like that for years and nobody has ever, not even once, sat out there to watch me work.

Due to the chit-chat, it took me twice as long to wash the bike as it normally would. When Corinne mentioned it was 4:20, I rinsed the bike off and ran in to change my clothes. We had agreed to leave the shop at 5:00 sharp this week, so I had to leave the house by 4:40!

Well, I didn't get out until 4:45, and arrived a few minutes late. Didn't matter, because Rick (one of the partners, and the ride leader) wasn't ready yet. We left at 5:15, still earlier than last week.

We left with five (Rick, Matt, someone from Mystic Velo, the blustery older guy who's ridden with us three or four times but I still don't know his name, and myself), and rode through/around two other pace lines on River Road and Rte. 201 the way to Wintechog. Both times, we picked up a couple extra riders, but they only stayed with us for a few miles.

I was fine on Wintechog. Not fast, but I wasn't worried. Then on Rte. 2, heading to Cossaduck Hill, all the wind went out of my sails. Blustery-man set a devil's pace up the slight incline, and I stayed with them but knew I was working a lot harder than I should have.

On Cossaduck it was obvious that I was having some trouble. I wasn't last up the hill (but only barely), but I was slower than I was the last two weeks. I recovered a little on the rest of 201 (but Matt quit, so there were only four), but then Gilliver put the hurt on me again. We kept the pace down on 49 so I recovered a little again.

Wyassup Road starts with a very small, slight ascent (like 0.5% for 1/8th mile), which turns into a very slight descent and then dives into a fantastic free fall to the base of the first climb. Every week we do the same thing: Rick pulls up the baby climb, then rolls to the back to get on my wheel, even if he has to sneak in front of someone else. I told him I was feeling tired and wasn't sure I could do what he wanted.

Still, I stretched my calves and relaxed my shoulders a bit with a few rolls, to get ready. Just before we hit the dive I accelerated hard and shot past the guys in front of me (who never expect this). I hit the bottom of the hill at 51.5 mph, my fastest ever for this ride.

As I told Steve this year, I work almost as hard going down hills as I do going up. (Unfortunately, there's a limit to how fast I can pedal..) I was almost completely smoked, and it took me forever to get up that next hill. I had one of the guys in sight, still, but he was gone by the time I reached the top of the second hill. (Wyassup starts high, so it's down, up, down up, down.)

They waited for me at the end, before we crossed over Rte. 2 back onto 201. I'd recovered again, somewhat, and stayed with the other three. At the top of 201 I joked that this is the part where Rick loves to "race it," so I caught his wheel as he picked up speed. I yelled, "come on baby, go!" and he did. 30. 31. 32 mph, on relatively flat road. 33, 34. He signaled with his elbow and pulled off, and I kept the same pace... and shelled him!

He was only a hundred feet back when we turned onto Wolf's Neck. I *think* this is where the Mystic Velo rider pulled off, but maybe that wasn't until after Town Farm's steep climb. Can't quite remember.

Once we were back on River Road I told Rick that I was heading home after Oral School. I'd felt the telltale signs of cramping in my abductors, so let them ride ahead. Sure enough, I had to stop on Oral School Road to let the cramps pass: I couldn't even move my left leg for a minute.

So, in the end I left out one of the climbs, but still did over 50 miles and managed this year's best pace ~and~ my fastest descent. No complaints!

Oh, and two other things:

At least half of this ride was on soaking-wet, just-rained-on roads, but we never saw a drop of rain. In fact, most of the time the sky was blue and sunny!
I've cramped up more this year than ever before. I'd love to know what's causing it. Rick suggested I need more salt, but I can't find anybody local that carries salt tablets!

Stats: 54.27 miles (87.37 km) in 2h 45' 2" for an average speed of 19.73 mph (31.76 kph).

Oh, and here are the ride stats for

6/17: 18.46 mph
6/24: 18.59 mph
7/1: 18.48 mph (I forgot to have lunch that day!)
7/8: 18.56 mph
7/15: 18.86 mph
7/22: 18.94 mph
7/29: 19.33 mph
8/5: 18.9 mph (PMC was just before)
8/12: 19.73 mph!

Maybe next week we'll finally finish at 20 mph.

PMC Day 0: The Huckleberries Ride Again

seth@macrobyte.net — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 02:50:25 GMT

Friday, August 1, 2008

This ride was epic.

There were fifteen of us, as shown in the picture below:

15 at the Start

From left to right: Scott, Joel, Jon, Tom, Mark, Dave, Tim, Not Sure, Ellen, Me, Steve, Mike, Mark, Not Sure, and Steve.

Could someone fill me in on the "Not Sures" please?

Did I forget to mention that I was riding with Lilliputians? They may be tiny, but they make up for it with numbers!

Click the image for higher resolution. (This is Mark Stockwell's photo, used with permission.)

Not pictured...

PMC 2008: Day -1, "Holy Screwed Up Feet, Batman!"

seth@macrobyte.net — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:17:27 GMT

Thursday, July 31, 2008

“Day -1” is the travel day from home in Mystic, CT to our hotel on the MA/NY line in West Stockbridge, MA. This day is normally quite uneventful, if slightly stressful. I sleep poorly the night before (mostly due to excitement), work in the morning instead of packing, hear a little (deserved) fussing from Corinne because I haven't yet packed, then finally pack everything into the car and leave.

Things were a little different this year. I slept well, and only worked for less than an hour in the morning, while Corinne was at a doctor's appointment (checkup), and manage to pack most of my clothes before she returned. I checked my Gmail account to see if any new software donations had come in, and found that someone had donated 1,000 licenses of his app!

After Corinne returned and we finished the packing, I started loading up the minivan which we borrowed from my Dad for the trip. My bike was the last item to go in, and I was prepping it in the garage. Dad was holding Lauren, and kept "peeking" her out around the garage door so I could say "boo!" and make her giggle a little. The last time he did it, I jumped at her to get a bigger reaction... and my left foot landed squarely on an old screw on the garage floor... !

Ride #69: Push It!

seth@macrobyte.net — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:11:32 GMT

My plan was to ask Rick to push me. Hard.

Saturday's century was great. Not super fast, but I felt strong all the way to the end. Sunday I went out again for 40 miles and still felt strong (though I faded a bit in the last few miles).

Monday I rested. Tuesdays are the big hill ride. A group ride with 4400 feet of climbing in about 55 miles, and this would be our sixth time out. We ride hard, but the fastest climbers always wait at the hilltops for everybody else to catch up. Nobody gets left behind. (That's a welcome change from previous years, it makes the ride a lot friendlier.)

So I was feeling strong, and had planned to ask Rick (the ride leader from Mystic Cycle) to push me this time. Make me work. Keep the pace up.

I never asked, because I didn't have to. Two new guys (Alex and ... the other guy, I can't remember his name) showed up who normally do the 5:30 a.m. ride from downtown Mystic. They were both very strong, and brought out Rick's competitive nature.

There were five of us: Rick, Jeff (also from MCC), Alex, what's-his-name, and myself.

At the end of the ride I had my highest avg. speed for this ride so far this year, but that doesn't really tell the whole story. There were lots of places where we noodled around waiting for slower riders to catch up. (Sometimes I was a slower rider, especially on the two biggest hills, but mostly I was near the front.)

(See, the guys who ride faster and then wait for the others to catch up end up with the same average speed.)

My average speeds for the six "birthday loops" (as this ride is called):

6/17: 18.46 mph
6/24: 18.59 mph
7/1: 18.48 mph (I forgot to have lunch that day!)
7/8: 18.56 mph
7/15: 18.86 mph
7/22: 18.94 mph

These rides are good training for the Huckleberries ride, where we have over 6,000 feet of climbing in about 100 miles. That ride is Friday, August 31st, the day before the PMC... so I get just one more of these before the big event.

Stats: 57.96 miles (93.31 km) in 3h 3' 36" for an average speed of 18.94 mph (30.49 kph).

Ride #67: First Century of the Year, with Tom Tinory

seth@macrobyte.net — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 20:01:55 GMT

Rawson Hubbell, who joined us for the first time on the Huckleberries Ride last year, wrote to ask me if we were doing it again this year. I knew we were, but there hadn't yet been any communication between the group, so I (eventually) wrote to everyone to talk about starting times. Even tried to fool them (half-heartedly) into thinking we should start at 6, to beat the heat.

We'll be starting at 7:30, at the same spot on the MA/NY border, on Friday, August 1st, the morning before the PMC.

In the burst of email which followed (between the fifteen or so riders on the cc list), one mentioned being in CT for vacation so he wouldn't be available for a proposed hill-ride sometime in the next couple weeks. "In CT?" I thought. So, I asked him if he was in my area, and (if so) if he would like to go for a ride.

Not only was he in my general area, but he's staying at his mother-in-law's house right in the very same town. Another Huckleberry right here in town? There's only one thing to do.

So, at about 5:40 on Saturday morning I set off to meet Tom Tinnory somewhere between...

Er, what's that, you ask? No, it's not a typo. 5:40 a.m., that's right. FIVE FORTY IN THE MORNING. No, really, I'm not kidding. Stop it, I'm serious!

As I was saying, I left the house at 5:40 AM, just a few minutes after sunrise, to meet Tom somewhere between his place and mine. That place happened to be on Route 117.

I mentioned the ride on Twitter, yesterday, and someone asked me for the route. My response managed to compress the whole ride into a twoosh! (A twoosh is a post on twitter that uses exactly the limit of 140 characters.)

@dreimiller 184->201->Cossadduck->49->184->River Rd->1->Watch Hill->Misquamicut->1a->1->215->117->184

That doesn't include the approximately 4 miles from my place to the meeting point on Route 117, but it says, in English: Route 184 to Route 201, to Cossadduck Hill Road, to Route 49 (actually, I forgot to include Route 165, as 201 never intersects 49 as far as I know), to Route 184, to River Road into Mystic and Route 1, to Westerly and the back roads into Watch Hill Road then Misquamicut, to Rotue 1a, back onto Route 1, to Route 215 in Mystic through Noank, back onto Route 117... er, hang on.

In fact, that route was wrong. After Route 215, we turned right on Long Hill Road (still Route 215?), which ends on Route 1 at the top of the hill. Tom turned left to head home, I turned right — away from Route 117 — and took Flanders Road back to 184, then to Haley Road and home. Whatever, it was close enough.

There were two mechanicals on the trip: the first was Tom getting a flat on Route 49 after riding over some glass. We saw quite a bit of glass, in fact, because we haven't had rain in ages so there's been nothing to wash it out of the road. The second mechanical was shortly after his flat: my bike started making this incredibly annoying metallic ringing sound! Turns out it was just a broken bottle cage.

With Cossadduck and Route 49 in the first half of the ride, we were mostly done with the hills before the temperature went too high. Our first water stop was actually my house, where we went for a little side trip after returning from Route 49 (about 45 miles into the ride) because I had left my Gu (energy gel) there. Second water stop was a gas station on Route 1 a couple miles East of Mystic Cycle and just a couple minutes after 9 a.m.

Another bit that my "twoosh" left out: from Route 1 in Stonington we turned right onto Greenhaven, followed that to the Pawcatuck River and swooped left onto River Road. This takes us into Pawcatuck, right on the border with Westerly.

Tom had never seen Watch Hill from the road, only from his boat. Not sure he really saw it this time, either, as he was focused on both not being hit by any tourists in their big cars and not running over any of the many careless pedestrians.

In Misquamicut I did what I always do: pick my way through the stopped cars waiting to enter the beach parking lot, and then crank up my speed to whatever maximum I can manage all the way around the big curve of the parking lot. This time, that speed was 30.1 mph, for about 30 seconds, then about 26 mph for another 45. Slowed down at the far end so Tom could catch me (I didn't warn him), then told him Steve Davis hates it when I do that. It's nice to stretch my legs a little, sometimes.

After the beach area we had rabbits: five cyclists ahead of us, and I wanted to catch them before the end of the road in Weekapaug. It was a struggle, but we did it with just a few dozen yards to spare. Rode with them to our next water stop, the Mobil station Dunn's Corners. Turns out they were all from URI, and were also doing a century.

Tom was a little concerned that we were going to end up with a lot more than 100 miles, but instead of retracing our route we took the most direct route back to Mystic Cycle. It took almost 30 minutes for them to replace the bottle cages on both bikes, because one of my bolts was completely stripped (the inside, where you put the allen wrench). They finally ripped the cage off and then used pliers to grab and turn the round bolt.

After last year's disastrous PMC ride, I was really worried about how I'd handle my first century this year. Would I be ready for three days in a row?

Once this was all done, though, I felt great! Tired, of course, but still far better than I expected. Plus, I got to ride with a friend instead of going out solo. Thanks for a great time, Tom!

Stats: 101.46 miles (163.3 km) in 5h 30' 13" for an average speed of 18.43 mph (29.68 kph).

My weight for this ride was 244 pounds. Last year at the PMC I was 253, and my lowest ever at the PMC was 250. (I've been down to 239 later in the summer, but never this low so early.)

If Only Drivers Shared the Road...?!

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:58:49 GMT

Billy Starr, founder and leader of the PMC, sent out an email today asking — nay, commanding — all of the PMC riders to read an article on the Boston Globe's web site: If only drivers shared the road, cyclists would be safer.

It's very much like similar articles I've seen many times before: it's a little dangerous to be a cyclist on the roads with big cars and angry drivers. I have no argument with the basic premise, and it's certainly true that many drivers wish we weren't out there. Most drivers tolerate us just fine, and a few seem to actually like to see us, but there's a very vocal minority who would rather see us banned. More dangerous, I think, are the careless drivers on cell phones, though. While the angry driver will usually just try to scare you, he hasn't actually lost control of his big, red pickup truck. The careless driver, though... look out.

As I said, I have no argument with the idea behind the article. Some of what it actually says, though, is bordering on asinine.

I just have one question: Why are you so angry? We're out there obeying the rules, getting exercise, and saving gasoline. We've ridden in charity rides that benefit cancer, mental retardation, poor children, multiple sclerosis, and myriad other causes. We stay on the far right side of the lane. We never blow through traffic lights or stop signs. We're cautious because we know that you're out there in mega-ton vehicles, any one of which could flatten us in an instant.

Sure, lots of us ride in charity events, but I honestly don't know many drivers who always obey the rules of the road. In fact, that paragraph is so ludicrous that I have to wonder if it was written just to get a rise out of the motorists who read the story. MOST CYCLISTS COMPLETELY IGNORE THE TRAFFIC LAWS AND ALL COMMON SENSE RULES OF SAFETY.

I'm going on a 60 mile hill ride with a bunch of ultra-experienced cyclists in about an hour. All of us will put in at least 5,000 miles this year, and some of the group were actually professional (that is: paid, Cat-1) racers at one time. Yet, the most experienced of the whole group is almost certainly going to do little more than slow down for stop signs, and will only stop for red lights if the cross-wise traffic is not yet moving.

Now, I know the roads I ride on VERY well. There's a light at the end of River Road, for example, that a cyclist can't 'trip' to turn green, so there's no choice but to go through it (after checking for traffic). There's a four-way stop on Clift Street, half way up a ridiculously steep climb: frankly, if there's no car there (or if there is but they wave me through because they understand) then I'm not stopping for it because then I'd have to walk to the top.

But I don't know anyone who rides the way he describes in that article. Not really. I know plenty of riders who pretend they ride that way, who claim it in conversation, but I don't know any who do it.

In fact, I was thinking the other day that if we're going to claim to have just as much right to the road as cars do, then perhaps we should be licensed to ride on roads the same way cars are. (Admittedly, we don't pose a safety risk to others quite the way a car does, but that's not the only reason drivers are licensed.)

The reader comments after the article are all over the place, but I agree a lot more with the second commenter than I do with the author's "perfect world seen through rosey glasses" imagination. I'll quote in full:

Oh, so many things wrong with this article. First, I have the "pleasure" of driving to work through "cyclist heaven" (Lexington, Belmont, Bedford, etc) and have had on more than one occasion, seen a "law abiding" cyclist do the following: take a right turn around a car from the wrong lane; failing to stop at stop signs/stop lights, not stopping for school buses (yes, there was a near miss). I am all for cyclists getting exercise and using alternative transportation, but YOU as a cyclist should be required to be licensed. If I have to be licensed to drive my car on the streets/roads of MA, you should be too. Just two weeks ago, I thought I had inadvertantly struck a cyclist who cut me off (while he was wearing iPod headphones) on a busy road. An officer cited him for reckless "driving" and ticketed him. one word: karma.

(That reminds me that Steve once told me about a roadie wearing iPod headphones and being completely unaware that Steve was trying to get his attention. Way to die, buddy.)

Safer roads and friendlier drivers would be great, but we bear at least some of the blame for the anger and the danger.

Tour de France Lanterne Rouge: Happy news

seth@macrobyte.net — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:11:53 GMT

Tour de France Lanterne Rouge: Happy news

We fans of the Tour de France have been somewhat battered and disillusioned by events in recent years, but this is the kind of storybook matchup that will make the 2008 race worth watching.

Good luck, gentlemen. Let the best man win!

The above quote is from a site that celebrates the Lanterne Rouge, the last place rider in the Tour de France (which starts Saturday!!!). She's referring to the fact that two historic Lanternes Rouge have both been added to the rosters of their respective team for le Tour: Jimmy Casper for Agritubel and Wim Vansevenant for Silence Lotto. (In other words, both of those riders have finished last in a previous TdF... and in fact, Vansevenant pretty much owned the red jersey last year.)

The story made me smile. The TdF, and professional cycling in general, is in such a mess right now that there's no way to overstate how bad it is. The idea of two historic last place finishers going "head to head," and making the event worth watching is so silly that... well, I think I agree with her.

Well said, Nancy.

The Great Mojo Bars Taste Test

seth@macrobyte.net — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 01:44:30 GMT

Months and months ago, my friend Daniel Berlinger offered to send me a box of Clif Bar Mojo Bars if I'd comment on them — good or bad — here on the site.

He sent them almost immediately. I, however, never got around to writing about them. Ahem. That darn Seth!

He's reminded me over a month ago. Then he reminded me again a couple minutes ago! OK, he's been very patient, so here's my side of the deal.

Mojo bars are "energy" granola bars. They're intended for cyclists and hikers, people who need to keep their energy levels way up. Unfortunately, I've never been a big fan of the combination fo granola bars and cycling!

My first experience eating a granloa bar while cycling was in my first or second PMC. I remember it quite clearly, because I thought it was going to kill me! I had been riding pretty hard, but slowed down to eat the granola in my jersey pocket. Took my first bite, and found out the hard way that they take too long to chew up! Duh. But since I'd been riding so hard, I couldn't breathe deeply enough through my nose... so I inhaled through my mouth, and with all that wonderful air came a lung full of granola crumbs. Cough, cough. Cough, cough, cough... ack... I'm dying here... cough, cough. Stop on the side of the road, everything goes sparkly and dark for a second, cough up the rest of the crumbs, breathe a little...

Anyway, that was years ago. The mojo bars were this year. I was more careful this time, and knew better than to eat one while still huffing-and-puffing. They didn't try to kill me, and that's a major point in their favor!

It's been a few months since I tried them, and I'd be lying if I said I could remember the names of all of the flavors. Instead, I looked up the names in one of Daniel's old posts. Once I saw the names, I did at least remember what I thought of the bars.

Mixed Nuts: Eh. About what you'd expect. Tasted like mixed nuts, but in bar shape.
Fruit Nut Crunch: I liked this one.
Mountain Mix: Eh. So-so.
Chocolate Peanut: Very tasty. Two great tastes that taste great together, and I've always been a sucker for a Reese's.
Honey Roasted Peanut: I was expecting (or at least hoping for) the taste of Planter's honey-roasted peanuts, but it isn't really like that. It's more like really sweet peanuts.
Peanut Butter Pretzel: If I remember this one correctly, then it's one of the four I would buy again. Sweet and salty.
Peanut Butter and Jelly: This had one of the best flavors, but could have a used a touch of salt.

I'm still not a fan of granola bars during bike rides, but I do like to have one at least 30 minutes before heading out. Unfortunately, Mystic Cycle doesn't carry them, so I need to talk them into picking some up for me if I'm going to make them part of my daily routine.

Sorry this took so long, Daniel!

Three Lost Rides

seth@macrobyte.net — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:18:42 GMT

I'm going to do another "ride update" soon, but I have to report that I've lost a piece of paper with three of my rides from early June. I have a general idea what the stats were for those rides, but this is only the first or second time I've had to "rough it" with my numbers.

Not good. I've been looking for this piece of paper for over a week now, it really does seem to be gone. :-(

Rides #37, #42 and #44: Friends, Hills, and the Slimming Effects of Lightning

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:25:31 GMT

Corinne has been hearing about my lack of updates here on [tw] from her friends, who I think mostly just want more pictures of Lauren (I don't blame them!). I've been much too quiet lately.

I'm going to pay for that quietness, soon. The PMC is in less than two months, and I haven't raised a penny yet. What an idiot.

This particular update, however, is not about Lauren, Corinne, her friends, or the PMC. It's about my riding (and weight loss) over the last month. I'll start with:

Ride #37: Birthday Loop with Steve

Steve Davis came down on May 23rd to ride the storied Birthday Loop with me.

Steve is in fantastic shape, much better for mid-Spring than I've ever known him to be, since we started riding together years ago.

I, on the other hand, was still getting over my cold. I'd only ridden three times in the previous two weeks, and was still coughing quite a bit.

The result: Steve was very patient with me. We did the whole ride, of course, but averages only 17.5 mph. He easily could have handled a 19 mph average, which is quite impressive with all the climbing.

My stats are missing a couple of miles because my bike computer mysteriously shut off for a little while. However, Steve had exactly the same average speed as I did when we were done, so I'm just going to stick with what mine said.

Stats: 52.56 miles (84.62 km) in 3h 0' 0" for an average speed of 17.52 mph (28.20 kph).

Ride #42: Cracked 260

This ride is notable only because I finally cracked 260. That is, my weight finally dropped below it.

I thought that was quite an accomplishment, so I checked my stats for last year. EXACTLY THE SAME DATE!! Oy! Still, last year my weight was only below 260 for two days, then it went back up and stayed there for another month. This year, it's continued going down, and I'm hoping to drop below 250 before the end of the month.

How far can I drop before PMC? This will be my sixth PMC, and I've never been below 250.

Stats: 43.91 miles (70.69 km) in 2h 17' 12" for an average speed of 19.20 mph (30.91 kph).

Ride #44: Lightning Has Struck My Brain!

Sorry, the title for this ride was just a hook to get you to read the story. (Ok ok, I'll stop. I'm sure Sean, at least, is moaning by now...)

This ride was on Sunday, the beginning of our current heat wave. I left the house planning to do the birthday loop again, after spending 45 minutes carefully cleaning up my drivetrain. The first 20 miles were quite hot, but I can handle hot. After the first ten miles, I saw the storm coming in but hoped it was going to pass to the North.

No such luck.

I climbed Cossaduck hearing thunder. Second time this year I've managed to climb it "out of the saddle" from bottom to top. Once again, I forgot to set the lap timer on my bike computer, so I have no idea how much I've improved. (My first trip up the hill this year was a pitiful 4:40!!)

Heard a lot more thunder while I was on Gilliver, but they were still five or six seconds after the flash so I figured I was ok. At that point, I was riding away from the storm.

In the last mile of Route 49, just before the turn onto Wyassup, the sprinkling started and I knew the storm was going to catch me, but now I was in farm country. What was I supposed to do? I kept riding.

On Wyassup, with the thunder rolling almost constantly, I crested one of the hills telling myself "think negative thoughts! Think negative!" But, at the top of one of the two hills (I can't remember which, now, but I think it was the second), everything around me when bright purple! I'm not kidding, I thought for a split second that I'd been struck. There was enough time for me to yell "yi" before my "yikes!" was drowned out in the loudest thunder I've heard in 30 years.

I wasn't hit, obviously, but it must have been cloud-to-cloud right over head. That was exciting.

(When I was quite young, I remember standing at my grandparents back door in Berkley, MA, when lightning struck the back yard. That was some kind of loud, and I've had a love for lightning every since.)

After that, the rain started in earnest and I just rode home. That took about ten miles off the ride, but it was fun. (Now I need to clean my drive train again!)

Stats: 44.67 miles (71.91 km) in 2h 30' 21" for an average speed of 17.82 mph (28.70 kph).

Oh, and I'm now down to 254. :-D

Ride #29: The Full "Birthday Loop" HIll Ride

seth@macrobyte.net — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:25:46 GMT

(This ride was on Sunday. I've also ridden Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, but this was the only one worth writing about. Stats for those days are on May's page.)

After a couple days of rain, I decided it was time to do the full, hilly, half-century ride that I've been describing here for years.

One thing you need to understand about this area: South-Eastern Connecticut is flat. Not Kansas-flat, but still very flat. This area is know for its sea-side scenery, not its mountains. There are no mountains for which it could be known.

People in Western Mass, or Vermont, or Georgia (think "Bald Buster"), or the Rockies, or just about anywhere else... they look at what I call a hill route and chuckle. "Poor boy would not like it out here," they think to themselves. You may even be one of those peope. :p

Steve Davis prompted me to map the route at USATF. So, I very carefully traced out the whole 54 mile route, starting and ending at my front door. See the ride profile here.

4,140 feet of climbing in 54 miles is pretty good for this area, but you can tell from the map that the route is truly wacky (calling it a "loop" requires a bit of squinting). That's because it just keeps heading for the next hill.

Unfortunately, the "birthday loop" (named by the guys at Mystic Cycle) omits one of the steepest hills around, though it passes very close to it. I'm going to try modifying the route next week when I ride it again, adding in that extra hill. Should add another 250 feet of elevation-gain. The week after that, Steve's coming down to ride with me for an afternoon, and this is the route we'll be following. (Ooh, maybe I'll throw in Pumpkin Hill, too... Hmm...)

Stats: 54.83 miles (88.27 km) in 3h 9' 39" for an average speed of 17.34 mph (27.92 kph).

Ride #25: Gotta Love Those Rest Days!

seth@macrobyte.net — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:42:47 GMT

In the eight days from the 14th to the 21st, I rode seven times. The only day I missed was Friday the 18th. 236 miles (380 km) in eight days (seven rides). That's one of my best weeks ever, not counting the PMC every year.

But, all that riding really doesn't do you much good if you don't take a rest once in a while. Tuesday the 22nd I worked form Rich's house all day (before picking up Corinne, Ellyn and Lauren from the airport that night. It's wonderful to have my girls home!) So, no ride. Then on Wednesday I worked on stuff for Bare Bones in the morning and working on my (LAST) midweek Bible class in the afternoon. Another day off.

By this morning I was feeling fat again. Mark and I drove up to visit Mike (Lauren's dad) at his "home away from home" in Somers, CT, and I had a Big Mac for lunch. Yay nutrition! By the time we got home I felt fat and lazy. Time for a ride!

As of today I've lost eight pounds since the beginning of the month, and twelve pounds since my heaviest weight this year. My weight is now down to the same as it was at this time last year, but I'm trending down. (Last year, I endured a very long plateau. I'm being much smarter this year.)

Today is also a nice little anniversary. It's been four years since my first ride on my wonderful Seven Axiom Steel. I'm still so ridiculously happy with this bike... it's definitely my favorite-major-purchase of all time.

Here are the total and average stats for those four years:

Summary of rides from 4/24/2004 to 4/24/2008
Rides:	495	Miles:	19278.36 miles (31025.51 km)	Time:	42day 7h 55m 12s
Avg. Speed:	18.97 mph (30.53 kph)	Avg. Miles:	38.94 miles (62.66 km)	Avg. Time:	2h 3m 8s

Fastest	22.05 mph (35.48 kph)	Miles:	21.12 miles (33.98 km)	Date:	9/12/2005
Slowest	15.5 mph (24.94 kph)	Miles:	9.0 miles (14.48 km)	Date:	4/24/2004

Avg. Weight:	257 lbs	Max Weight:	297 lbs	Min Weight:	239 lbs

Wow. Almost 20,000 miles in four years! (That table will only look right on the the site, not in email. You've been warned.)

When looking at those weights, please keep in mind that I'm 6' 9". 297 is heavy even for me, but 257 isn't too bad, and I'm quite happy when I'm in the 240's by mid-summer.

One last thing: the weather this April has been unreal. It's been more than two weeks since we had any rain, has been bright and sunny almost all of that time, and it was in the upper 70's today! It feels great now, but what does this say about the upcoming summer? I'm worried we're going to fry, and this is starting to feel like the makings of a drought. Two rainless weeks in April? Uh oh. (This weekend has rain in the forecast. We'll see.)

Tomorrow I'll do the big hill ride again if I can knock off enough time for it.

Stats: 42.59 miles (68.56 km) in 2h 18' 7" for an average speed of 18.50 mph (29.78 kph).

Ride #21: First Up Cossaduck, and One Unlikely Number

seth@macrobyte.net — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:18:21 GMT

I mentioned that I'm really pushing myself back into shape this year. Last year's PMC was so bad that I couldn't even write about it. Admittedly, I got sick, but I really just wasn't riding like myself last year. This year I want to make up for it, so I'm doing lots of hill rides. Whereas last year's daily route was flat and pretty, this year's has more hills. Eventually I plan to make the "birthday loop" my daily ride, though I'm not quite there yet.

Thursday was my first attempt at about 80% of that crazy hill ride. I left out Wintechaug on the front and Town Farm Road on the back, shortening the route from 50+ to about 40 miles. However, this ride was my fourth day on the bike in a row, and the season is still very young so I knew it wasn't going to be a fast ride.

My performance was better than I expected. Cossaduck HIll is a beast, but I was able to climb "out of the saddle" for 2/3 of the hill, which is much better than my first attempt in previous years. I didn't even care how long this route took me, I just wanted to get through it and put some hills into my legs.

There were two very pleasant surprises in store for me. The first was that Gilliver Road has been resurfaced! Last year it was so bad that I tended to skip it, which meant leaving out one and a half good climbs in favor of about four extra miles. Now it's quite smooth and rideable (and the crazy dog at the top of the hill never made a peep, which made that road even better... he's a bike chaser).

The second surprise? Well, just look at the picture.

I have no explanation for this. The computer only counts speeds that are maintained for at least two (or maybe it's three) seconds. Yet, I'm pretty sure I never hit 79 mph. My highest speed to date was (I think) 54 mph. I may have hit that again on one of the descents, or maybe even a little higher, but 79 mph!? That just doesn't seem likely or even possible.

Must admit that I seriously considered just sending this picture to a couple cycling-friends (Steve, Daniel, I'm looking at you...) with no comments. :-D

Stats: 39.78 miles (64.04 km) in 2h 20' 43" for an average speed of 16.96 mph (27.30 kph).

(Reminder not to make too much of that low average speed. This ride had loads of climbing and the season is still very young.)

Nobody's Home

seth@macrobyte.net — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:15:55 GMT

My grandparents needed some help with "things," so Ellyn (technically, my aunt... Dad's sister) asked Corinne to go down with her for a week. Originally they were going to drive, but (thankfully) I talked them out of that idea. They flew out Tuesday afternoon, and come back on Tuesday the 22nd.

With Corinne out of the house for a week, I can't sleep at home. (Shannon's 21, her husband won't be home for another nine months, and I don't want anybody getting the wrong idea.) Since I can't stay at home, I suggested they take Lauren with them also. Shannon and I both need to work, but one of us would have to take the week off to watch Lauren full time if she had stayed at home.

Thus, my first tweet of the day, yesterday, "Woke up alone in a strange house in a small bed, far from home." (The bed was in Ellyn's & Gary's guest room.)

For most of the week they're gone I'll be working from home, but mornings from Thursday to Saturday are at Rich's house. He and his family are out of town, so I'm making friends with his gigantic, 30-inch Cinema Display and officially Getting Stuff Done™. In the afternoons I'm heading home again, going for a ride (weather is PERFECT this week), then working at home until late evening when I head back into Westerly for the night.

Yeah, I'm missing my girls. :-(

Corinne and Ellyn both report that Lauren was a nightmare on the plane down there. She screamed more often than she was quiet, and just wouldn't settle down. She slept great Tuesday night, but terribly Wednesday night and awoke everyone except Gramma. When Corinne and I last spoke, Lauren was screaming in the background.

I think my girls miss me, too. ;-)

Shannon's son Richie was supposed to be up here now for a three day visit, but that was canceled at the last minute. So Shannon is bored, but has Saturday off and is going bowling with her friend Jen.

Quick status update on Shannon: she is now working a second job at a Hallmark store, and can't seem to decide between starting a cleaning business (simply because her Mom says she could make good money doing it) and going to school for massage therapy (which is what she really wants to do). I'm strongly in favor of the massage therapy (because, as I said, it's what she really wants to do), but she also wants to get her son back. If she's working one or two jobs and going to school for massage therapy, there won't be much time left for her kids. I'm hoping she'll just keep on keeping on until Mike comes home in January.

I Am A Comedy of Errors

seth@macrobyte.net — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 17:09:42 GMT

Yesterday afternoon I went for a ~31 mile bike ride. Due to weather and travel, it was my first ride in eight days.

When I ride, I put a cheap cell phone, my debit card, and an old license in a zip-lock bag, and put the bag in a jersey pocket. I can pick up Gu, Gatorade or a new tube if needed, or I can call Corinne for a pick-up. If I'm knocked out (as happened nine years ago), the old license will tell people who I am.

After a ride, I put the bag on the shelf by my bike. I'm all sweaty, so pulling everything out of the bag at that moment would defeat the purpose of the bag.

Well, this morning I awoke Lauren at 7:20 so we could drive up to see her dad (Mike) during the morning visiting hours, and still be home in time for a few hours of work and another short ride. First stop: the Dunkin Donuts right up the street, for coffee. I waited in line for ten minutes (grr), and then — at the window — realized I didn't have my wallet. They know me, and told me to just take it.

Drove back to the house, grabbed my wallet from the shelf next to my bike (in the garage), and left again. Corinne just shook her head. I could hear her thinking, "That's my husband!"

We needed gas, but were running a little late so decided I'd go back to pay for the coffee this afternoon, and just head for the prison in Somers, CT. Plenty of gas stations on the way (the Dunkin Donuts is at a gas statiion).

The first, just three miles from the house, was closed for renovations. So, we continued to Norwich and stopped at a big, new Citgo. Grabbed my wallet, hopped out to pump the gas, and as I opened it I had something like a daydream, a vision, of my debit card (and only credit card) waiting patiently in a zip-lock bag. On the shelf. Next to my bike.

Sigh. We'll try again tomorrow morning.

(At breakfast yesterday morning, Rich argued with me that I should always keep a little cash in my wallet. "Don't need it," I said, "I just use my card for everything." D'oh!)

Birthday, Postponed

seth@macrobyte.net — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 10:32:01 GMT

Today was supposed to be my "birthday century". Couldn't do it Sunday, but today should have worked out perfectly.

Unfortunately, I'm behind on work (mostly due to this stuff). I know I *could* take the day off anyway, but I felt guilty about it last night. By the time I went to bed, I'd made the decision to put it off for next week. Probably Monday.

It's too bad, because the weather today is going to be perfect for a long ride. Now, I'm not sure that any weather is good enough to make 135 miles (century plus my age) an easy ride, other than a really strong tail wind that follows me through the whole course, but 74°, sunny, with almost no wind and 50% humidity is really the best I could ever hope for.

I'll ride today, but it'll be just a regular 50.

Outta Here

seth@macrobyte.net — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 12:35:31 GMT

With three auctions up and running, and a total of 99 different applications (some utilities are duplicated in all three auctions, and I haven't done a firm count, but it's close to 99), I still have at least 25 apps which haven't appeared in any auctions. This is crazy. And fun.

Anyway, the weather is totally amazing this morning, so I'm not wasting any more time inside. Cleaning the bike, picking up some new cleats, and then hitting the road for a few hours.

PMC Day 0: The Huckleberries Ride Again

seth@macrobyte.net — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 03:59:26 GMT

This was the third year in a row that I participated in the Huckleberries ride. This is a 95 mile ride from the border between New York and Massachusetts (on Route 102 in West Stockbridge) to Sturbridge, MA.

A few things about this ride never seem to change: the core group who has been doing it for eleven years, the heat, and the pain of climbing the longest hills.

One thing that does change is how we all handle the weather and the climbing from year to year. Two years ago I rode quite well (for me) in spite of heat and humidity like I've never experienced (on a long ride) before or since. Last year was hot but rainy and I suffered with stomach cramps for the second half. This year...

Ride #63: Thirty Two Miles on a Rocket

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 16:04:54 GMT

I know, I know, it's been way too long since I posted a ride update. I could try to explain just how busy and over-committed I am, and that in fact a lot of people are mad at me right now because some important things fell by the wayside, but what would be the point? It would sound like an excuse — and a bad one, since it's my fault — and the ride reports just aren't important enough in the first place.

However, I certainly have been riding and keeping my stats.

Yesterday, almost a full month early, I had my first "over 21" ride. Thirty-two miles at about 21.3 miles per hour.

What can I say? The weather was perfect (in the seventies, sunny, almost windless), I had the right lunch at the right time, and the weight has been coming off. Zoom.

I still have a ways to go (both miles and weight-loss), but I'm starting to think I'll be ok for this year's PMC. This winter I need to do something about not gaining so much weight. Just don't know what. If I don't enjoy it, I probably won't do it.

Stats: 32.12 miles (51.71 km) in 1h 30' 32" for an average speed of 21.28 mph (34.27 kph).

Stats to date: Rides: 63, Ttl Miles: 2,241.5, Ttl Time: 5 days, 0h 45' 10", Avg Miles: 35.57, Avg Minutes: 1h 55' 0", Avg Speed: 18.56 mph

What A Bonehead

seth@macrobyte.net — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 14:57:13 GMT

I left the house at a little after seven o'clock this morning for the drive up to Steve Davis's house in Mansfield, MA. This was to be the first century of the season, and his son Paul was going to join us for at least half of it. (Paul needs to put in some more hours on the bike if he's going to put the hurt on his dad this year like he did last year.)

I arrived at the house right on time, but didn't have any Gu (I was out), so we ran to the local bike shop to pick some up. They were closed (it was only 9:30, they open at 10). Picked up some Power Bars and Cliff Bars at the CVS, and went back to the house to change and ride.

Except I left my shoes — my brand new cycling shoes — on the shelf in the garage. At home.

Almost anything else (except forgetting the bike) could have been worked around.

No shoes, no ride.

So I'm home again, working for a couple hours before I go out for a long, solo ride this afternoon.

Bonehead.

Ride #36: I Probably Won't Go Blind for This

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 29 May 2007 20:43:44 GMT

Monday I went out for another longish ride, in spite of the eyes. I'd been off the bike all weekend, and sometimes the addiction overcomes any of that silly "logic stuff" I can throw at it. And honestly, it didn't hurt at all.

So I rode a little over fifty miles. It was basically the same route that we used on Thursday, minus the Watch Hill / Misquamicut / Bradford spur, and I added in the full climb up Pumpkin Hill.

The weight really is NOT coming off very well this year. I'm not quite ready to panic, but if I don't start shrinking soon I'm going to switch to the flickr diet. (That is, I'll have to be satisfied with pictures of food.) The flickr diet is cool, as you can consume unlimited quantities of everything on the menu, and the food is guaranteed to be 100% free of toxins and fats. What could be better?

Stats: 52.44 miles (84.42 km) in 2h 43' 54" for an average speed of 19.19 mph (30.90 kph).

Stats to date: Rides: 36, Ttl Miles: 1167.82, Ttl Time: 2 days, 16h 56' 15", Avg Miles: 32.43, Avg Minutes: 1h 48' 13", Avg Speed: 17.98 mph

But Pink is So Not My Color!

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 29 May 2007 17:33:52 GMT

Shortly after leaving for Portland almost two weeks ago, my left eye turned slightly pink. "Allergies," I kept telling myself, though I've never had allergies. Hey, it could happen! The eye gradually turned more and more pink over the following nine or ten days, and the right eye started showing a little color, too. No irritation, no discharge, just bright, pretty colors. (Though Laruen looks better in pink than I do.)

Thursday, on the long ride with lots of sweat running into my eyes, there were a couple twinges. I ignored them.

Saturday it hurt. I left the contacts out as much as I could. I hate wearing glasses, but it's marginally better than actually going permanently blind. (That's a guess, since I've never actually been blind, but it seems logical.)

Sunday it hurt a bit more, but it stopped hurting when I was doing something physical like thowing a frisbee for hours with Bill Ellison (again). When we came home, it felt like acid was dripping into it every few seconds. Acid in, tears out. (Not as in "boo hoo," but as in, "Hey look, my eye is leaking.") So i went to the doctor, who put in a drop of something to numb it and immediatly had a new best friend!

So no, it's not an allergy as I wanted to believe. He diagnosed it as bacterial conjunctivitis, which is generally caused by either staph or strep bacteria. He gave me some antibiotic eye drops, and sent me on my way.

Three hours later, the numbing drops wore off... but by Monday afternoon, all of the pain was gone because the home team had finally started to beat back the invading horde. So I did what anyone would do: I popped in my contacts and went for a long bike ride! After all, I have to stay in shape if I'm going to win this war, right?

Ride #35: Short and Sweet

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 29 May 2007 03:29:18 GMT

On Friday — the day after the 73 mile ride — I went out for my minimum route (21 miles).

Fastest of the year, so far: 19.6 mph. That'll be nothing in a couple of months, but I'm happy with it considering the timing.

Stats: 21.74 miles (35.00 km) in 1h 6' 31" for an average speed of 19.6 mph (31.55 kph).

Year to date: Rides: 35, Miles: 1,115.38, Minutes: 3,732.35, Average Miles: 31.86, Average Minutes: 106.6, Average Speed: 17.93 mph.

Ride #34: 73 Miles with Steve and Mike

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 29 May 2007 03:25:18 GMT

As I mentioned, Steve and Mike came down for an 80 mile ride on Thursday. We actually rode only 73 because we started a little late and Steve had to head home for a school concert with one of his nineteen sons. (Nineteen, four, whatever.)

The route was basically a combination of my various training routes, but I really did try to avoid any significant hills this time. (Two years ago, Steve dubbed Cossaduck Hill Road, "I Hate You Dillingham Hill." Couldn't do that to him again!) We started at the house, went up 184 to 117 into Ledyard, Col Ledyard Highway most of the way back but then cut over to Pumpkin HIll Road (to avoid having to climb Pumpkin Hill itself), to Gallup Hill Road for a few hundred feet. Then I said, "Let's do something fun," and they followed me DOWN DOWN DOWN Town Farm Road's crazy-steep hill (and my bottle bounced out of my cage at 47 mph, so I couldn't coast out at the end, had to go back for it). Right on Wolf's Neck, left on 201, right on Al Harvey, right on 184, left onto North Stonington Road, across 27 onto River Road into Mystic. Left onto Route One and over the drawbridge.

Then we stopped at the Henny Penny in downtown to recharge our bottles, then stopped again just a mile later at the New & Improved Mystic Cycle Center. I said that they have a full scale model of the old store in the changing room. That was a joke, but it almost could be true... the new store (well, they've been there for over a year now, but it's new to Steve and MIke) is really big.

Continuing East on Route 1 North, then a right onto Green Haven Road all the way to the Pawcatuck River, where it makes a hard left and turns into River Road, and then into Mechanic Street just before it ends back at Route 1 in downtown Pawcatuck. Right on Route 1, through Westerly, then onto 1A into Watch Hill. We stopped for lunch at St. Claire's Annex, same as two years ago. Finally pulled out the camera and took the only shots of the day: one of Mike sitting at the table (looks like he wants to hurt me, but I don't think he even knew I had the camera out), and two outside after we ate.

After lunch we finished the loop around Watch Hill, saw the big hole in the ground where the Ocean House used to be, and continued to Misquamicut Beach.

I could tell that we were going to have a tail wind along Atlantic Avenue (Misquamicut)... yeah! I love flying down that road. It's as flat as they come around here, and with a tailwind you can really fly. I was at the back of the group, and started to pick up speed. As I passed Steve, he said something like, "Restrain yourself!" but I couldn't do it. I maintained 31 mph for about 1/4 mile (all the way around the big beach parking lot), then noodled along at 18 mph waiting for them to catch up with me. (They apparently hadn't picked up their speed at all.) Normally I would try to average 25 or better for the full length of Atlantic Ave.

Left at the end of Atlantic, up into Dunn's Corners, stopped to recharge our bottles again at the Mobil station. Crossed over Route 1 onto Bradford-Dunn's Corners Road to the other property Gary and Ellyn own (rental property). Stopped in to say hi (and use the bathroom). Ellyn and Katie were there, cleaning up after the previous renter before the next weekend rental. This is when I talked Ellyn into having a Memorial Day picnic on Sunday, by tempting her with Lauren. :-D

The rest of the ride could be summarized in one word: hot. (Not that I would ever leave it at just one word, right?) We continued on 91 to Collins Road, past my parents' old place, to Maxson Hill Road, to Frontier Road, to Route 3, to Wellstown Road, to Route 216, to Route 184.

When we reached the rotary for Routes 2 and 184, Steve was so hot he was in imminent danger of self-immolation, so we stopped at Mystic Pizza II so he could splash nasty, algae-infested water on his neck from their outdoor fountain. Yuck!

From Mystic Pizza II it was eight uneventful miles home.

Steve (and Mike) even met Lauren! She was sleeping when we arrived, so I took a quick shower and then woke her up. She even stayed happy the whole time.

Great ride guys, thanks for coming down!

Stats: 73.11 miles (117.7 km) in 3h 58' 45" for an average speed of 18.37 mph (29.58 kph).

Bike Trouble, and First Big Ride of the Year

seth@macrobyte.net — Thu, 24 May 2007 11:27:40 GMT

My bike's chain has been slipping occasionally, and has offered some weak resistance to the whole "changing gears" concept. I knew this was coming, as I've put a lot of hard miles on the whole system since last summer when various parts were replaced. A couple months ago I ordered an entirely new package (Shimano Dura Ace)... but then business went a bit soft again so I've only managed to make small payments and keep it on layaway. (But the guys at Mystic Cycle taunt me with it regularly, talking about how shiny and new it is. Sigh.)

Tuesday, after a week off the bike for RailsConf, I went out for my normal (for now) 43 mile spin. The gear/chain slippage was so bad that I was afraid I might not make it home. Eventually I figured out that it was worst in the small chain ring, or in the big ring but the smallest gear at the back. In fact it was difficult to even get it into that smallest gear in the first place.

Wednesday I brought the bike in for some emergency service. Why "emergency?" Today (Thursday) I'm doing ~80 miles with Steve and Mike, starting here at my house.

They had the bike for a couple hours. I stopped back in on the way to class last night to pick it up. Rob and Brian both told me that my chain was more stretched than they'd seen before. "It's like you, it's off the charts." (I think that was a reference to my height == stretched.) I knew it was stretched, I've been through this before. Rob got it working, said I should be able to limp along for a little while, he didn't think today's ride would be a problem. Plus, they didn't charge me anything for the work.

But wait, there's more! For the last month, I've felt like I'm riding on an iron bar instead of a nice bike saddle. Yes, ok, it's a few years old, but the discomfort came on rather suddenly. Bad enough that I've had to stop every few miles after the first thirty, or finish the ride out of the saddle. Now I have a new saddle.

The plan today is to ride for about five hours (including lunch) and then work this afternoon. Steve and Mike should be here about 9:30, so hopefully we'll hit the road by 10 and then I can be working again by 4. We'll see. ;-)

Ride #14: A Fine Early Spring Day

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 17:28:10 GMT

What a beautiful day for a bike ride!

It was a little chilly (43° F, 6° C), and slightly breezy, but clear and sunny and I was able to work up a good sweat.

I've taken to carrying a small camera with me on all of my rides. So besides the incessant stats that have come with every ride report, I'm going to post a picture with some of them, too. Including this one of the Pawcatuck River, about half way through my ride. (If you're on the mailing list, you may have to go to the web page to see it.)

There's a hidden motive for posting the photos: I'm going to try to convince Steve (and Mike and/or Paul) to come down here for a ride in May again, like he and Mike did two years ago. I know Steve likes the scenery down here, so the idea is that the pictures will do most of the persuading, and I'll just have to ask.

I'm six months behind on updating my stats, but I've been faithfully recording them on paper so eventually they'll all be up to date. For now, there is no "2007" section in the cycling area of this site.

Which reminds me that I need to get the ball rolling on the PMC fundraising. Donors!? The old PMC page still has the right link, even if the page only talks about the . I've raised $500 so far this year (thank you, Mr. You-Know-Who-You-Are), the goal is $6601.

Stats: 43.72 miles (70.38 km) in 2h 27' 25" for an average speed of 17.79 mph (28.64 kph).

Yes, that's slow. It's also very early in the season! (Oh, and I'm not 100% positive about the ride number. It may be ride 13, I'm not sure yet.)

Crazy, Crazier, Craziest Days

seth@macrobyte.net — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 16:38:54 GMT

I already mentioned that this weekend is the anniversary. That makes it, officially, the most emotionally demanding and draining weekend of the year, every year (followed by Shane's birthday, Corinne's birthday, Mother's Day, and Thanksgiving).

Here's what else has been piled up on this weekend, in life's attempt to drive us crazy:

Shannon's son Richie (two and a half) and her Mom are visiting from North Carolina. Richie is staying here for the weekend. He's a delight, but he's still a two year old... and that adds a layer of craziness to an already crazy weekend.
One of our cats, Xodus, vanished without a trace at some time on Sunday. These cats never go outside, and Xodus was just spayed a week ago Saturday. She has never tried to escape before, and has never vanished for more than a couple of hours (usually by hiding under some furniture). We're totally stumped! Of course, considering the weekend, it would have to be one of Corinne's favorite cats. Obviously.
With family here, the Deane's have had this crazy schedule because everybody wants to see the baby and "wish them well" for what's coming tomorrow...
The big court date is tomorrow (Tuesday). I've described it as a brick wall that we see approaching, and which we know we're going to hit. We can't avoid it, have no idea what's going to happen, but at least we had time to think and prepare for it. If only we could see what's on the other side!
Today we took "temporary guardianship" of little Lauren Deane. The papers are filed with the probate court, and everything seems to be in order. If Mike and Shannon (God Forbid) both go to prison, at least the baby will have a loving home.

Notice that we really have very little control over most of this crazy weekend. The two biggest things (anniversary and sentencing) are totally out of our control, we wouldn't (and couldn't) keep Shannon from her family for any reason, and we agreed months ago that we'd take care of this baby if the need arose.

But wait, there's more! Last night, as we were turning the house upside down trying to find Xodus, Mike and Shannon asked us if we'd be Lauren's "godparents." Though the timing and wording were somewhat awkward, the thought they expressed — that if something ever happens to them, they want us to raise Lauren as our own — was very touching. We agreed, of course. Then we continued turning the house upside down.

With so much stress, and so many things (this weekend) that I must "accept that I can not change," I decided the best thing for me was a bike ride. So I went out for 32 miles. My speed was somewhere between molasses and cold honey.

There's nothing like the cyclist's high to help you enjoy your ride on the tornado.

Truer Words - A Journal

Rides #78 and 79: Time Trial and Birthday Loop

Ride #78, A Solo Time Trial

Ride #79, The Birthday Loop

PMC Day 0: The Huckleberries Ride Again

15 at the Start

PMC 2008: Day -1, "Holy Screwed Up Feet, Batman!"

Ride #69: Push It!

Ride #67: First Century of the Year, with Tom Tinory

If Only Drivers Shared the Road...?!

Tour de France Lanterne Rouge: Happy news

The Great Mojo Bars Taste Test

Three Lost Rides

Rides #37, #42 and #44: Friends, Hills, and the Slimming Effects of Lightning

Ride #37: Birthday Loop with Steve

Ride #42: Cracked 260

Ride #44: Lightning Has Struck My Brain!

Ride #29: The Full "Birthday Loop" HIll Ride

Ride #25: Gotta Love Those Rest Days!

Ride #21: First Up Cossaduck, and One Unlikely Number

Nobody's Home

I Am A Comedy of Errors

Birthday, Postponed

Outta Here

PMC Day 0: The Huckleberries Ride Again

Ride #63: Thirty Two Miles on a Rocket

What A Bonehead

Ride #36: I Probably Won't Go Blind for This

But Pink is *So* Not My Color!

Ride #35: Short and Sweet

Ride #34: 73 Miles with Steve and Mike

Bike Trouble, and First Big Ride of the Year

Ride #14: A Fine Early Spring Day

Crazy, Crazier, Craziest Days

But Pink is So Not My Color!