Solitary Man

So, I met a new guy last night. Well, I kind of met a new guy last night.

I was riding along 2200 West, minding my own business, and climbing the 2% grades that live on that road. Near the crest of one, I glanced over my shoulder to see what traffic was coming. I didn't see any cars, but I did see a cyclist. Right there. I mean just off my wheel and to my left. I had no idea he was there. I had been pushing along to get myself home in time for the family picnic that evening. As we continued along the road, we chatted for a few minutes about the beauty of the day for biking and the potholes we both knew were in the road.

As we approached 5400 South, I asked if he was heading east or west. He replied that he was heading west, but first he'd go a block further south to avoid the shoulder-less road. Although I thought that it would be fun to follow him, I figured that I should head east along my shortest route home. So, I slid off to the left turn lane while he slid forward toward the light.

We went our separate ways. I don't know how long he had followed me before I noticed he was there. I figure he could have passed me easily, since he had gained on me to get into the position he was in. I enjoyed the company for a minute, then resumed my solitary ride home.

And, kudos to Neil Diamond for the title to this post.

All Apologies

I need to apologize for some breaches of etiquette I've slipped into recently.

To start, I have passed several cyclists without acknowledging them. Now, I was not trying to snub anyone, but my attention was elsewhere while they passed. I noticed them as they cleared my 9-o'clock, but it was then too late to wave. I know that it's good karma to wave at other cyclists, and I try to do it; but sometimes you just don't notice them. Sorry.

Next, my postings as of late have been more sporadic that I would have liked. I had the thought for this post on Monday, but it's taken until now to put it up. Strangely, more time biking tends to correlate to less time blogging. And, lots of family time tends to interrupt a consistent (or in my case optimistic) blogging schedule. Sorry.

And finally, we had our boat out on the slalom course last weekend, and it may have looked like we were hogging the course, or trying to keep other people off of it. In reality, our boat was having a hard time. We'd start it up, back out into the lake, then it would kill. We'd have to wait a few minutes for it to start up again. I think some people thought we were being rude out there, but in reality we were just trying to get started to either run the course or get out of the way. Again, sorry.

Well, that's my apologies for now. I hope to not have to make many more soon.

Waiting for the Sun

Wow! It seems like I have been waiting for the sun all season long. I skipped St. George in February, 5-mile Pass in May, the Cycle Salt Lake Century in May, and generally any and all riding before the month of June. Now, I've been hampered by the rain during June as well.

Now, please understand, I appreciate the rain. I know that I live in a semi-arid desert that relies on early season rains and snows to get through a dry, hot summer. I also know that every day it rains is another day I don't have to turn on my sprinklers. However, every day of rain is one more day that it's easy for me to wimp out on what could often be a great ride. Such was the case Wednesday evening when I skipped the ride on account of rain, ran a couple of errands on the way home, and found the sun beating on me for half of my drive. I was tempted to turn around and ride my bike anyway, but took the wimp out route.

I am looking forward to the sunny weather today for both my bike ride to work and some waterskiing this evening. I also have friends who are looking forward to it as they run the Wasatch Back today and tomorrow.

Maybe I'll start getting in shape for the season now. I mean, it's still a good ten days until the Boy Scout bike ride around Bear Lake. Plenty of time to train for that. Maybe once that's knocked out I'll try riding my bike to the waterski lake. There's only a net elevation gain of 300 - 400 meters on that metric century ride. And nothing like working out before working out.

Now, having waited for the sun for so long, I should go greet it with a glorious ride.

And, good luck, Malisa.

Drive this Road

Yes, please drive this road. As long as that road is 3200 West. I'll bike the road while you drive it. That's when it gets fun. You see, last night traffic got jammed up right around 4700 South, and for the next 5 km I passed car after car after car.

I really don't remember the last time I so enjoyed a traffic jam. It was great. These cars whose drivers thought they were all that were being passed by a lowly bicycle, whose rider was struggling up the 2-3% grades on the road. (Yes, I know that's a sad commentary on my fitness level.) I even passed traffic when the road briefly turned up to a 5% gradient. I kept passing them all the way to 6200 South. Then, I rocketed down the hill and kept the -- now smoothly flowing -- traffic at bay until 7000 South. Between there and 7800 South a few cars got the better of me, but I caught them all at the light before turning east to finish my ride home. For nearly 9 km in total I passed or kept pace with the traffic on that road!

There's something really fun about going from the slow vehicle on the road to being the only vehicle moving on the road. Maybe somewhere in that 5 km line of traffic there was someone who had considered riding his or her bike, but thought it would take too long to get where they were going. Maybe they'll think a little differently next time.

Maybe I'll realize that I can maintain a high heart rate for a longer period than I thought, given the right motivation.

Maybe this morning all will return to normal and I'll be passed by nearly as many cars as I passed last night. But, that will not take away the joy of being the passer, even going up the hill.

Breathe (2 AM)

Whether it's 2 AM or any other time, I've suddenly discovered that even breathing can be a little painful. While not entirely biking related, I think this will have a biking consequence.

Last Saturday I did some waterskiing. (I know, poor me.) On my first attempt through the course, I took a nasty fall crossing the wake after clearing the first buoy. Now, before continuing this story, let me explain that I waterski about as well as I bike: I've been doing both for years, but I'm far from proficient in either. I once watched a professional skier run through the slalom course and wondered if that was actually the same sport that I dabble in. I've wondered the same thing watching the expert (oops, now Cat 1) racers at Intermountain Cup races.

So, back to the story. I had just made the first turn and was crossing the wake when I, inexplicably, had my ski slide out from underneath me. I fell backward and slapped my chest on the water. HARD. I felt it through my life vest and wetsuit. That's a lot of layers of padding meant to warm me, float me, and protect me from impact. As the boat headed back to get me up again, I felt a little pain on my ribs where I had slapped the water. Just the water. I figured it was a bruise, or something. So, I got up and kept skiing. I made a few more passes through the (mini) course, then took a short breather.

When I started another set, maybe 45 minutes later, I found that I had a hard time holding the rope while I turned. Nothing wrong with my hands, but that spot where I had slapped the water was still hurting. So, I made just one pass, then called it a day. I figured the bruise would quickly pass, and that I'd be back to normal by the end of the weekend.

Well, the weekend's been over for five hours, and it's (definitely) not better. In fact, I now feel it every time I breathe deeply. So, I've now figured it's cracked ribs or something similar. Nothing to go to the doctor over, since I'd be told to just let it heal anyway. But, as I contemplate a ride home from work tonight, and think about having to breathe deeply for 30 - 45 minutes, I wonder how it will feel.

I hope it won't hurt too badly. But, since I can't even sit up from a prone position, I fear I'm in for some pain. Maybe this will give me more empathy for pro cyclists who are forced to retire from Grand Tours (a la the Giro d'Italia or Le Tour de France) for injuries. A rib seems to have more involvement with cycling that I had given credit in the past.

I'll try to get an update on how I feel after my next ride.

UPDATE:

I can ride with bruised ribs. It turns out that the cycling position does not place too much stress on the muscles supporting the ribs or upper body. The only thing to watch out for is bumps in the road that abruptly jostle you. Aside from those, the cycling isn't bad, even with needing to breath deeply during exertion.

I was able to ride home Tuesday night, then back into work on Wednesday morning without undue pain.

Road to Nowhere (Updated)

"We're on the road to nowhere / Come on inside. / Takin' that road to nowhere / Come take that ride." I guess that I'm feeling like I'm on the road to nowhere with my cycling this year.

I've taken the past two weeks off. Now, one week was for a vacation, but I have no excuse by laziness for the second week. I'm starting to feel sluggish and heavy.

Then, last night I had to tell Nicole's uncle that I couldn't ride the ULCER with him this year. I have a very good reason that I'm excited about, but it does mean no training rides in July. Bummer.

Now, I'm about to get back on that road to nowhere as I take a commute ride home. I kind of committed, half-way, to take a more challenging route home, taking on some hills and additional distance; I guess I'd better live up to that. As Lance Armstrong said a few years back in preparation for Le Tour de France, "We know the bike's fast, now we just have to see if the man is." (If the quote's slightly off, please forgive me. I'm going by memory.)

It looks like it's time to tackle the short pitch on 3200 West between 5400 and 6200 South for tonight's fun. I don't think I'm quite up to adding in the 3600 West clime in addition. Maybe later in the week?

I could pull out an analogy between my inactivity in cycling and church service as of late, but I really don't feel that motivated to think. I just need to get out and ride. Then, I need to call a few people about church service opportunities before family night begins in earnest.

Time to get my tender toushie on  the saddle.

Update: (Okay, more of an admission) I did not take the 3200 West route home since my tires had lost a fair amount of inflation and I was worried about flatting if I took a longer route. This turned out to be a wise choice, since I discovered upon arriving home that my tires were both at only 2/3 my regular pressure, or 4 bar instead of 6 bar. If I had only checked the schraeder to presta adapter in my air compressor before leaving home this morning I could have made the ride. Oh, woulda, coulda shoulda.