Happy New Year

We woke up this morning and put one of the morning talk/news shows on the TV. The reporter was standing in Times Square and the snow and sleet was flying and it looked absolutely frigid. Susan and I opened our slider to the balcony and, after watching the sun come up, took our coffee and tea out to our chairs and sat and simply luxuriated in the warmth of the morning sun and its reflection on the ocean. I cannot remember a more auspicious start to new year's eve. Breakfast out of the way I headed out for another ride on A1A, the coastal route in Southern Florida. It is the height of tourist season and so this two-lane highway has been crowded with heavy traffic the last couple of times I've been out but the road also has real bike lanes on most of it so it is bearable. However, for some reason, maybe because it was cloudy and overcast when I started, the highway traffic was light this morning. I don't think that I have ever in my life been on a bike on New Year's eve - too cold, too snowy where I come from - and so I find myself heading for Palm Beach in 70 degree weather (the sun soon came out and it was 82 when I finished) and pinching myself all the way - this can't be real. A few days ago I also hit the 5,000 mile mark for this year. To be honest, my original goal was 10,000 miles but a motorcycle in Ohio forced a couple of revisions. Actually I'm really pretty pleased with the 5K - I have done that only once before and for awhile this year I thought that even that would be out of reach. More to the point I think is that I had a great ride today - about 50 miles and felt like doing more when I finished. I might not have predicted that a few months ago. Much as the accident in June consumed time and energy and attention it was not the real point. I had the adventure of my life with XC09 even if it was shortened a bit. I rode with some really great cyclists and, probably not entirely by coincidence, some really great people. We saw deserts, mountains, the "amber waves of grain", the backroads and small towns of America - and I wouldn't trade that for anything. And on that note I wish all (or both of you) who may read this a very happy and prosperous 2010.

Florida Cycling

When we were doing the XC ride we had a couple of folks from Florida and we all wondered how they could train for the mountains and the climbing we had to do through the Western states especially. So I finally managed to get out on the roads here in Florida today and I think that it may just be irrelevant. The day was so nice - sunny and temps somewhere around 75 - that I think the hills just don't matter. When you can ride all winter and also go as far as you want then I think maybe the frequency and distances more than makes up for the lack of hills. Which I did notice on the ride by the way: think of Nancy who conquered everything with style and grace. Anyway I took off on Highway A1A on the Eastern coast this morning and felt like I was joinging a bicycle parade. There were literally hundreds of riders on the road flying both north and south with the Atlantic on one side and the Intercoastal on the other. I started in Hillsboro Beach and headed north - there was a headwind and I wanted it on a my back for the return trip. The road is flat, the traffic horrendous (lots of "cue tips" pulling out of condominium driveways) but they have decent bike lanes most of the time and there are so many other bikes on the road that drivers are at least aware. Thanks to the weather in New Jersey I haven't been on the bike in a couple of weeks and so my plan was to do maybe 30 miles and come back another day. However my computer kept quitting on me and I lost track of how far I went. When I got to the city limits of Palm Beach I decided it might be time to turn around. So I ended up doing a nice little fifty mile hike and was actually ready for more...Nice day, nice ride - I could get used to this.

24 and 24...

I've titled this little entry 24 and 24 because first it is about 24 degrees - without the wind chill factor - and because we have officially 24 inches of snow. And it snowed almost around the clock, 24 hours.

The lower photo is a bit of our back yard and deck - you need snowshoes to navigate. The second photo Susan took on my return from the morning ride - other than dodging snowplows it wasn't too bad...

I hoped to do a century but wanted to get back and shovel snow...gotta be tough to be cyclist in New Jersey....

No cycling today....

This is the scene from the bottom of our driveway as of a few minutes ago. And the weather folks are telling us this is just the beginning, that with just a little luck we could see up to 15 inches of this stuff by tomorrow morning. This is the path that I normally take to get out my neighborhood and out to the country - I don't think I would make it to the next driveway. Although I must say that returning from a "milk and bread run" an hour ago I did see someone on a mountain bike who appeared to be successfully navigating one of our unplowed streets. Maybe he had studded tires?

One of the last reminders of my encounter with the motorcycle is my back so I'm wielding the shovel with great care. We have a little electric snow blower that I usually bypass in favor of the exercise but I think it may get pressed into service today. So to all of you Californians, Texans, and Floridians enjoy your tropical temps and sunshine today and think of us cold easterners perched on our indoor bikes spinning away with the blizzard outside.

Cycling with football...

Another cold and windy day in NJ - I want my sunny days back. I don't mind riding in the cool weather but my threshold is at about 40 degrees and no wind. When the wind chill factor drops below 40 the bike remains on the hooks. And so I have just finished my third session this week on the indoor bike. I have it set up in front of the TV in our catch-all TV-Computer-Exercise room. The truth be told I hate the indoor cycling: it is boring, kind of mindless, excercise for the sake of excercise. I feel good when it is over but the process really puts me off. I turn on the TV and watch either one of the news stations or a sports station. I have found that I can usually find a "classic" football game, i.e. one from the 80s or 90s and since I usually have no clue who won it is like watching the game fresh. The best plays for cycling are the running plays. As the runner twists and turns through the line and into the open field I start applying my own body english and I find myself increasing intensity and pushing harder, almost like going up hill as I change into a tougher gear. Long passes can be good too but tend to be more momentary - the receiver stretches and I tend to go up with him but then he falls back to earth and I'm back on the seat and just spinning waiting for the next play.... And so I've worked up a sweat for today, feel good about getting some exercise and its time to get a shower and move on with the day - how I envy those Californians who can go out almost every day.