December biking...cont'd

And need I say more? Maybe four inches of the white stuff as of a few minutes ago and a total of maybe 8 to 12 expected. There will be no bike headed out of this driveway soon. The only good thing to be said is that we do not expect to see landslides.

December biking....

Since my last entry on this forum I have a) survived a nasty bout with a flu-like infection, b) watched the temperatures drop from the balmy 60s to the teens and 20s, and c) missed my stated goal of 5000 miles for the year. Oh well....

Watching the weather last night they said that 19 out of the last 22 days have seen temperatures below average and I can certainly testify to that. I don't mind a little cool weather but gusty winds and 35 degrees just is not fun. Fortunately no snow yet but they are trying to scare us with the predictions for the weekend...we shall see.

In the meantime, I will stick to CNN and ESPN and the indoor bike. Hard to re-create hills but with an hour or so a day the basic conditioning survives - and there is the added advantage of being able to stare down a holiday eggnog with no guilt feelings.

To all who may still occasionally check in to read my mental meanderings I wish you a very Happy Holiday, a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

See you on the road

November cycling,,,,continued

Note to myself: just because the sun is out is not reason to assume that it will be a warm day. I knew that the temperature was somewhere around 45 when I "suited up" this morning but for some reason I skipped the liners I usually wear under the wool socks I favor in winter. About ten miles out my toes started to feel sensations that I typically associate with my ice skating days as a kid in Detroit. The layering protects the body but the extremities are exposed not only to the cool temperatures but to the self-generated wind-chill as well - going downhill and hitting speeds of 30 to 35 mph probably drops the effective temperature by ten to fifteen degrees (I read that somewhere, don't ask me to prove it). In any case it was a good ride - 55 miles with about 3500 ft of climbing and not a cloud in the sky. I have a kind of self-imposed minimum temperature of 4o but above that I love a winter ride. The senses somehow seem more alert and sensitive to what is around, the roads seem to be a little less busy (all the tourists have gone into hibernation?) and especially with minimal wind you can put together a nice ride. I'm hoping that the real winter, i.e. snow and ice, will hold off for awhile (like forever?) and we get one of those years where we can ride right into January. My goal at the beginning of the year was to hit 5,000 miles and I'm at about 4200 now...it will be close.

Put away the summer jerseys...

The sun was out in full force but it was not a day to worry about sun screen. It is most definitely autumn and it wouldn't take much to feel like winter. In spite of the bright sunshine it was only in the mid-forties when I went out today and for the first time I had both winter gloves and ear protectors under the helmet. So long as I dress in layers I can still be pretty comfortable but there was certainly no doubt that the summer temperatures are gone for this year. We have probably passed the peak leaf season but there is enough left on the trees that with a strong afternoon sun the backroads are still good for some ooohs and aaaahs. Funny little story today....I stopped alongside someone's driveway on a country road in the Sourlands (what New Jerseyans call the Sourland Mtns - really a nice collection of hills and all country) for a drink and quick snack. The homeowner came down the drive to collect her garbage cans and asked if I had seen any bears...Bears??! says I. Keep your eyes open she says - this is garbage collection day and this is when they seem to come out....I rode off wondering if I could kick it into high gear and outrun a hungry bear....Who would have thunk it in New Jersey?

Scenes of Autumn

I complain a lot about the cooler temperatures, the shorter days and the need to start thinking long tights and extra layers under the jersey. But then we get a couple of almost perfect days and I realize that fall is truly a dream come true for cyclists. And the last couple of days have been that way: hardly any wind, sun and puffy-white clouds, and temps right around 70. I remember that last year I had just been cleared to ride again at this time and was disconcerted by the loss of the summer - I felt like I missed all the warm weather and the snow would be flying momentarily. This year I have been able to segue right into the cooler weather and watch the leaves turn and see all the country roads doing their magic thing with the scenery. Yesterday the roads were filled with the leaf-peepers: folks with their convertible tops down, a million or so motorcycles out cruising and dozens of horse trailers looking for places to ride. It is truly a magic time and I'm going to enjoy every mile for as long as it lasts.....

A Perfect Fall Day

It could not have been a better day for a ride. It was cool - temps in the upper 30s - but clear and with a promise of sun and a warm-up. The bike club in Bucks County in Pennsylvania sponsors an annual event that is probably my favorite ride of the year. It starts at the edge of the Delaware River and covers 63 miles inland through the rolling and rural countryside of Bucks county. If we are lucky we get weather like yesterday: sunshine coming through the filters of the golden, reddish hues of the turning leaves, no wind, and just cool enough to stay comfortable with just a couple of layers. The ride is called the Covered Bridges ride in honor of the six historic covered bridges that the route follows - I looked for Clint Eastwood but apparently he never got out of Madison County. And the fall colors were truly spectacular. We had long roads of woods and turning leaves that were just about at peak color. And we had hills. I had forgotten how many and how long - lots of 14-16% grades and the final tally was something well over 5,000 feet of climbing for the day. A great day!

Days are shorter, shadows are longer...

It was truly an absolutely gorgeous fall day today. The sun was bright, no wind and temps of maybe 65 when I headed out the door. We are just starting to see real fall color - and I say "real" advisedly. Because of the drought in these parts that we experienced in July through September a lot of trees started shedding their leaves a month ago but it was not the usual fall thing - it was simply the lack of water. And so I suspect that our typical New Jersey autumn display is going to be a bit less spectacular this year. However, there are some signs of the season and I did take a few photos to prove it.

The lower angle of the sun changes the scenery in a dramatic fashion. The very long shadows of the trees and sun shining through the golden leaves makes even the familiar roads seem fresh and different. I did about 60 miles today and came home about 5:00 somewhat surprised to realize that there really was not much daylight left...I hate to think of five 0'clock street lights and, even worse, freezing temps, snow....already I'm looking forward to a couple weeks in Florida.

Role reversal...

Wow, what a long time since the last entry - time flies when you are doing stuff... Almost a year ago to the day I was placing a finis on my rehab and climbing back on my (brand new) bike for my first post-motorcycle ride. For the past couple of weeks I've been away from the bike for a different reason. Susan had her second knee replaced four weeks ago and I have gone into the caretaker mode that she did so well for me. She measures her rehab progress on a day to day basis - sometimes reverting to hour to hour - and is generally doing quite well for someone who has had a body part cut out and replaced with a man-made substitute. She folded up the walker this morning and is now using the cane exclusively - she can go up the stairs by herself and even did her own lunch yesterday.... I guess she is not yet tired of my cooking since she shows no signs of doing dinner yet. Actually, as my daughter pointed out yesterday, we are lucky to have each other for support - life is good. Meantime, I finally pulled the bike down from the hooks in the garage yesterday and went out to view the fall colors. I realized how quickly we are moving into autumn when I felt better in a long sleeved jersey and could forget the sunscreen I was still using my last trip out. I did 40 or so miles on a gorgeous day with no significant adventures other than waving to lots of other cyclists doing the same thing on a Sunday afternoon. Today I'm a bit stiff after the layoff but maybe another ride is in the offing this afternoon and I'll go out to find my legs again.

How did this happen?

Wow! September 7 already and somehow we have slipped past Labor Day. Susan and I took a kind of holiday and went back to Michigan for a family reunion, through Canada and back to New York state to stay a few days in the Finger Lakes area to tour all the wineries I had remembered from Anchor House rides. The skies were blue, the temps were hot and it seemed like summer was set to continue indefinitely. We got back home the end of last week and by Labor Day the thermometer was reading 50 when we tried to go out for our customary breakfast on the porch. It's like summer just decided to go away - what a rude shock. I've lived through many years (more than I'm willing to admit to if the truth be told) and so this change of seasons should not be such a surprise. However, I was thinking today (while on the bike, of course) how much I can identify with the kids going back to school - I'm not ready. I don't want the shorter days, the cooler mornings - next thing will be the long sleeves, the leg warmers and tights and , worst of all, the ice and snow. In spite of the changing seasons I have had a couple of great rides in the past several days. The deer seem to be more numerous than ever these days and I've had them both standing stock still while I passed within a few feet of them at the side of the road and bounding out of the woods right into my path (usually in twos) and on into their next feeding ground. I've also seen a red fox scamper across the road and into the field on my right and a small flock of wild turkeys in a corn field. Today I felt like I was training for Dalhart. The wind was somewhere around 20 to 25 mph and, of course, it felt like it was in my face most of the time. I did 61 miles with 3500 feet of climbing and somewhere around the 40 mile mark I started thinking I could really use a quick nap....So I got home in time to catch the last set of the Querry match at the Open, take a quick shower and a pasta dinner with a cold beer for dinner. Nice consolation prize for the end of the summer.

100 miles...and then some

The Princeton Freewheelers put on an organized bike ride annually that I have been doing for probably 18 of the past 20 years. They lay out routes of varying miles, anywhere from 16 to a century in the country-side around Princeton. I started thinking about the century almost as soon as I could get back on the bike last December and yesterday was the day... I am not typically an early riser but I was up at 5:45 and out of the house by 6:30. I've done enough riding this summer that I felt confident that I could finish but was not at all sure what my time might be and wanted an early start. The ride attracts about 2500 riders from all over the area and I was hoping that I would see some early registrants to ride with but not a soul did I know in the early crowd (I did later run into a couple of Anchor House folks at the SAGs). Much as they start every year at the same site the routes seemed to me to be almost completely re-designed - some familiar roads but lots of different ways to get from here to there and lots of different territory. They took us through all the farmlands of Mercer and Burlington counties, then off into the Pine Barrens, around a beautiful lake, Mirror Lake, that I had never heard of and finally through Turkey Swamp park and back to Point A. I had one flat but otherwise no mishaps - although I did just avoid a guy who went down in front of me (the cue sheet said CAUTION, he took a sharp right turn at 20+mph and hit gravel: lots of road rash). Even though I found nobody I knew to ride with there are many singles and groups and it's the kind of ride where it is easy to hook onto a group for awhile or simply ride a comfortable pace and keep other riders in sight. Wandering through the farms and occasional towns and developments, my memory went back to the cross-country, of course (is there a day even a year later that I don't have at least a brief thought of that adventure?). I kept thinking maybe Tom was just behind me or maybe the little group just ahead of me was Champ and Hank or maybe the Daltons.... Bottom line, it was a great ride. The weather was perfect: mid 80s, lots of white, puffy clouds just like the midwest, just enough of a breeze to keep the humidity down without bringing back reminders of Dalhart. And I did 101 miles in 5 hours/54 minutes and an average speed of 17 mph, much better than I expected. The entire ride was 107 miles and with SAG stops, fixing the flat, and attending to the wounded warrior on the road it took just under 7 hours. Life is good......

Tip to Tip

As it turns out the "official" name for the top to bottom ride in England is Tip to Tip. It starts at Lands End in the south and proceeds north the top of Scotland. The boys (Tom and Peter) will be leaving tomorrow night, flying through the night, and presumably meeting with Harry (and the mysterious but we now know beautiful Carole as well ?) on Thursday. I had expected Tom to be involved in last minute details and was ten miles into a ride when my cell phone went off and it was Tom looking for one last bit of training before crossing the pond. I found him with his bike suitcase packed and ready and he pulled out his backup and we were off again. He, of course, talked of nothing but his packing, how he has organized everything - I even learned of the almost infinite variety of plastic baggies he has found for the trip. I suggested at one point that he seemed to be packing for a trip to the edge of the civilized world with all that he is bringing along. And in between we chose a good mix of rolling hills and flats where he could occasionally shoot out ahead and test his abilities to keep up with a couple of strong riders - it was fun trying to pull him back in (for my own satisfaction) but he is in good shape and the three of them should have a good couple of weeks. For my own part I'm doing a century on Saturday, my first since the accident and my first organized ride since last year. It is sponsored by the Princeton bike club and is an annual event that I have done for years. This year will be a little more special because I'm seeing it as a kind of "I'm back" statement and a test of all the rehab and riding I've done over the past 12 months or so. Plus the event attracts about 2,000 riders for a variety of distances and is just a fun day - the weather forecast is good and I'm looking forward to it.

Training for the TdE

Yes, that title is correct - TdE not TdF. I crossed paths with Tom on Sunday (we hadn't seen each other for maybe a month) and he informed me that he is headed for England in about ten days and will be doing a Tour of England. And he is joining Harry (who just finished a ride in California) and Peter. Peter, it should be noted was apparently not satisfied with the TdI (tour of Israel) and needs to add another country to his summer activity list....And so Tom and I met up this morning and headed out into the first truly beautiful day we have had in two or three weeks and hit the roads and hills we spent so much time on last year getting ready for the cross country. We did 77 miles with 4500 feet of climbing and consumed 5500 calories - only thing we could not do was ride on the left side of the road, that is frowned on in New Jersey. In any case, Tom is fresh off the week-long, 500 mile Anchor House ride, seems to be very fit and I am very envious of his upcoming adventure. I am sure we will get a couple more rides in before he hops on the plane and crosses the pond to join Harry and Peter. Meantime I am looking forward to my first century of the summer coming up in a couple of weeks and hoping that this ridiculous weather - temps of 90 and above and humidity almost as high - will give us a break that day. A year ago I wouldn't have given myself much of a chance on a century so, weather be damned, I'm looking forward to it. And, finally, riding together for 77 miles we reviewed and rehashed most of the cross country adventure. In the end you remember the climbs, the centuries, the weather, the funky little places we stopped for lunch - but we agreed that we were exceptionally lucky with the 20 or so people we rode with for those many days: a truly great group of people and they made the journey the fun thing it was. My hat is off to you Tom, Harry, and Peter - I wish I was joining you.

The end of the Gatorade...

I've been off the bike for the last few days but not for the usual reasons: not for the heat (which reached 103 a couple days ago), no mechanical problems, and certainly not for rain (we've had none). I have had the mother of all toothaches starting last Saturday night and finally starting to abate a bit over the last couple of days. The short version of this little saga is that I had some work done on three side-by-side molars last week - all had decay under crowns, something that apparently is never supposed to happen. My dentist blames it exclusively on the Gatorade that I drink so much of while biking. By last Monday the pain was so bad that I was using some left-over percocet (same stuff they gave me in the hospital last year) and I put in an emergency call to the dentist on the holiday. With prescriptions for both antibiotics and pain killers I could finally say today that I felt like a normal human being again with just a dull ache in my lower jaw. And today I saw the endonist who informed me that I will probably have at least one root canal before any other work is done - oh joy. And so the last bottle of Gatorade has gone in the trash and from now on it will be water and Endurolytes - the refreshing taste of Orange G-ade is a thing of the past. And today I was back out for forty or so miles and found out I can actually survive quite nicely without all the sugars and acids. Thank God a good beer is still a good thing.

Blue skies...and more.

Today was one of those absolutlely perfect days for cycling. Low humidity, a slight breeze, and perfectly blue skies-not a cloud in sight. The Anchor House ride is coming up and I am not going to be doing it this year and the cross country is over for the year-I didn't do that either. So I get on the bike for the sheer love of cycling and that was truly my feeling today. I did 65 miles with about 3700 hundred feet of climbing (including a couple of 18-20% grade for a short duration) and felt like I could have done a century. I think the hardest part of the end of the xc ride (aside from the violent circumstances) was the end of the kind of fantasy feeling that life was only all about getting up, getting on the bike, and just riding to the next destination and knowing that that was our only responsibility every single day. It is, of course, a kind of fantasy but also a wonderful experience. My mind was running full tilt today with thoughts of XC 09 partly because I had a phone call yesterday from Barbie Rojas, one of our 09 colleagues who is doing the full ride over three year segments. I plan to do the final segment myself next year as does she. So, of course, I rode today thinking of last year's ride and scheming and planning for the completion in 2011. We did agree that we would be thinking of this next 11 months as training for the final stage. I may have said this before but if I could truly bring life to fantasy and dreams I would start again in Los Angeles and do the entire cross country trip in one act. For a lot of reasons that is fantasy however and Champaign to Boston is far more practical and doable. In the meantime I've got plenty of reason to ride and prepare and it is a bonus to think there will be an 09'r on the ride with me.

End of the ride....

I realized today that I am suffering a severe case of "blog withdrawl". The XC10 ride ended on Friday with their last short ride to Boston and no more will we have the daily accounts of mountains, wheat fields, rolling hills, centuries and all the rest that make up the cross country adventures of this year's riders. I have been truly addicted, checking for their posts a couple of times a day and I really feel like I got to know some of them very well. I would like to visit every single one of them and, after a ride of course, find out just what they intend to do after such a marvelous adventure. At the same time, I must say that following all these folks across the country has made me more determined than ever to pick it up and complete my own journey next year. My current plan is to meet the XC11 group in Champaign and go from there. I was out today for about 60 miles (in 94 degree heat, BTW) and all I could think of was completion of the ride - I guess I am already training.

The forecast this morning was for a wicked hot day and the reality did not disappoint. I started out with temps already in the 80s and by the time I got home (four hours or so later) it was 92. Amazingly once I got rolling I almost enjoyed the heat. I went through a huge amount of liquid and had to stop at a couple of country deli's for more water bottles - aside: I always wonder whether these little places that sell water by the bottle would simply give tap water if we asked for it? In the end I did about 65 miles and went past the 2000 mile mark for the year.

One of my stops today made me think of Nancy from XC09. Along one of my frequent routes is a former private airport. It was, in fact, one of the very last grass landing strips in the country until it was sold a couple of years ago. In fact, one bit of trivia is that it was used by Charles Lindberg in the late 20s/early 30s - the Lindberg family lived about 20 miles from the airport until the very famous kidnapping of Charles Jr. in (I think) 1932. In any case the little airport carried on for years and was a favorite with some of the local aviation fans for years. It was sold to a joint venture of three towns to become a soccer facility for the three town leagues. Behind the old hangar there are still three unclaimed airplanes that just kind of sit while the grass grows higher and higher around them. I'm sure the kids need the soccer field but it is also kind of a shame to see this bit of aviation history gradually fading away. Was also thinking today of how much I'm going to miss the XC10 riders and their blogs. They have one more long day and then the ceremonial ride to the Atlantic and their long adventure will be history. I feel like I have come to know them and have really enjoyed following and occasionally commenting on their stories. I have strong feelings for the group that did XC09 but it has been interesting to see this group come together and hear them comment on the bonding that takes place on a shared adventure like a cross country bike trip. We who ride bikes become part of an amazing culture.

Thanks and then some

Not to belabor the point, but I cannot help but be very aware that exactly one year ago today I a) took a very short bike ride, b) was treated to ride in a helicopter, and c) spent the rest of the day in the OSU hospital in a kind of haze of morphine drips and cat scans and xrays. Amazingly enough one of the thoughts I do remember was thinking that if the bike wasn't too banged up maybe I could catch up with the XC group in Erie...Somewhere around 8 or 9 o'clock a team of young doctors showed up to let me know what a dumb idea that was. - Anyhow, the only point of this little bit of musing is to state that one year later it was a gorgeous day in New Jersey and I went out and rode 72 miles today with 4600 feet of climbing and I was thinking thoughts of gratitude and appreciation for this wonderful life every foot of the way...

Random thoughts...

Just finished reading the first several posts on the blogs of this year's XC riders. Today's ride of one hundred and four miles was the last full day ride that I did last year. I remember sitting at dinner with Alec - we both agreed that the century we had just finished was the easiest we had ever done and we both felt that we might have been in the best physical shape of our lives. And tonight I cannot help but wonder if Tracy had a few extra words of warning for the group on the left turn in Delaware - "traffic comes up really fast, make doubly sure you have a clear lane for your turn". If it was a little closer I would be out there myself directing traffic.

Reunion of sorts

The last couple of days that I've been out I have regretted not packing the camera. A couple of days ago I ran into a heavily loaded cyclist standing at the side of the road at a Y type intersection. Turns out he was in the last few hours of a bike tour that started in Charlotte, SC and was confused by his maps and GPS as to where to turn next. Turns out he was from San Francisco, happily retired (at what I would guess was about age 50), and did two or three tours like this every year - this was his first in the east. So I gave him some directions - he had maybe 30 miles to his final destination - and was on my way. I was trying to do a bit of training and so headed out to an area where I knew I could a couple of big circles of five or so miles and lo and behold, I came up on my friend at another Y intersection and, again, totally lost. (And I should say, in his defense, that the roads in this area have a way of changing names every time they cross a township or county line so maps sometimes lie.) In any case, this time I offered to lead him to a spot where I could send him off and mistakes were impossible. So off we rode through the next town, past a high school with kids just getting out, and back into the country - maybe ten miles in all. I wished him well and watched him heading up the road with his panniers loaded with tent, cooking gear, sleeping bag, etc, etc and was so glad I had Tracy and her wonderful assistants to find our hotels, send us to restaurants and carry our bags - we just rode the bikes and ate. And today, about halfway through my ride I pulled up to a country store/deli and there was Tom Ryan coming from the other direction. Tom's mustache seems a bit bushier and he is still shaving his head but otherwise is the same crank I've know for years. So we had some chocolate chip cookies and something to drink and decided to continue on together. He always knows some little road, frequently with a climb, that I have either never seen or don't remember and we found one today...Pretty road with a long climb - all country with woods or farms on either side. All in all we did about half of a 55 mile ride together and it was a good day. I do so many of my rides on kind of the spur of the moment, i.e., I've finished my coffee and NY Times in the morning and therefore it must be time for a ride. I forget how much I enjoy riding with a friend and we resolved to do this a little more often....

A real summer day

I was on an unexpected backroad and thinking of Kansas and Missouri - because I'm reading all the blogs of the current crop of XC'rs - when I came upon this scene. Sure enough it is still New Jersey but if you look real close and squint your eyes just a bit you can imagine those amber waves of grain and....Well anyhow, the clouds are pretty and it's still a nice little pastoral scene, albeit in New Jersey not Kansas. I did have my share of mini-adventures today but it was a good ride. I was maybe 8 miles out when I reached for a water bottle and realized there was nothing in the two racks. I decided very quickly to retrace my steps and go back home using the recovery route as a kind of training ride - full out for eight miles. Well maybe not full full out but I did push it and felt good for the effort. The bottles were, of course, right where I left them in the garage next to the pump. So back on my way and this maybe 14 miles out and I ran into a road paving operation and a detour up the back road where I found the little scene above....Lots of traffic for a little country road with no shoulders but no problems. Another maybe 6 miles and I ran into another road project with two lanes becoming one and lots of traffic backed up in both directions. This was a little bit more hairy to get through but I turned off at the first opportunity and decided I would think through my entire route home and stay away from the construction folks. So I pretty much stayed on the country roads, followed a couple of little streams that I like - passed a trout fisherman and large blue heron, also fishing I would guess - and managed to get in a little climbing as well. It should also be noted that the temps hit 90 today - first day that I've been out in that kind of heat but lots of liquids and I actually kind of enjoyed it....And finally, on the last few miles heading home I made a left turn and felt a kind of soft slide in the rear tire...stopped to look and sure enough, a very soft but still ride-able tire. The remaining four miles or so were done very carefully but the tire retained enough air to get me home although it is very flat as I write this. Actually this is the first flat I've had with the new bike and certainly the first since almost a year ago - I will be refreshing my skills tomorrow but is always better to change a tire in the garage than on the road.

So for the day, 64 miles, 2700 feet of climbing, and a little over four hours on the bike...a good day in spite of the minor annoyances....And they are talking rain tomorrow and Sunday so I may get a forced recovery day or two.

Tour of Somerville

No riding today...instead we journeyed to Somerville NJ, about 30 miles north to take in the Memorial Day bike races. They advertise themselves as the oldest continuous bike racing event in the country. They have been doing this every year for seventy years and I have been going off and on for the last 15 years or so. The opening event is a juniors race (15-18) at 20 miles and this is followed by a cat 1/2, a seniors (50+) 15 miler, a womens pro + cat 1/2 and finally the mens final, 50 miles of pro and cat 1. They block off a big section of downtown Somerville and set up a course that is something just over a mile in big rectangle. The great thing is that spectators can wander the entire course or find a place in the shade and just sit (we did both) but wherever you go you are right at the barriers on the street. At times the peleton moves so closely that you can feel the draft. The camera, of course, stops the action but believe me those folks are moving when they go by. I had a great time taking pictures and trying to catch the perfect shot...I'm guessing that I got a decent focus maybe half the time but it was fun trying. Truly a great way to spend Memorial Day....

Memorial day weekend

It seems like a while since I did a post - too busy reading the blogs of the current crop of cross country riders, AKA as XC10 (we were XC09). They really seem like a great group and it is fun to read of their adventures. They are going the same way we did - they are currently in Kansas, a five day journey - and cover the same routes, stay in the same motels but their take on the trip is still very different. It is amazing how they see things I don't remember, talk of places we missed but at the same time point out some of the same highlights, take photos of the same views and have some of the same adventures we had. One of the riders met someone who lived only a few miles from one of the overnight stops - the new friend showed up at the hotel with a bucket of home baked cookies. Tom and I met an older gentleman (and I use that term advisedly) who turned out to be a professional beekeeper. He went out to his car and brought back a very large jar of his own honey - true energy food which we passed along to the support folks to share at the SAG...amazing who you meet along the way. Perfect day today - low 80s but no humidity and just enough breeze to cool things a bit when I found shade. I wore my Navy jersey today - partly because it is long sleeved and I did not want to bother with sunscreen, and partly because it is Memorial Day weekend and it seemed to me the appropriate garb for the day. As it turns out I stumbled into the preparations for the parade in Hopewell, a nearby town, and pedaled right down the main drag just minutes before the parade actually started. I think some of the folks thought I might be the trailblazer for the volunteer fire trucks and I got a couple of cheers and shouts of Go Navy...I waved but did not stop to give autographs. All in all a good day on the bike: 60 miles, a tad over 15 mph and over 3000 ft of climbing. Made the beer with dinner extra good.

Thinking of Santa Fe

Went out for a ride today and my mind was going in a million different directions. I read the blogs of all the XC10 riders this morning - yesterday was the Turquoise highway, the ride from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. This is not the longest day of the ride but it is mostly uphill and winds its way through some very pretty country. Last year we had cold and mist that wanted to be rain and it seemed like a long day. The bloggers all reported a beautiful day, warm and sunny and they loved the high desert scenery and the quirky little towns along the way. And I also remember our rest day in Santa Fe which I spent mostly with my daughter and granddaughter who drove up from Albuquerque for the visit. It was really a great day off from the cycling. But at the same time I'm remembering Charlie coming down to the dining room on Saturday night and Tom and I inviting him to join us for dinner - he sat for a couple of minutes and then decided he would re-heat some pizza and went up to his room. And, of course, that was the last we saw of him. Charlie would die in his sleep that night and the next couple of days were very sad for all of us on the ride...As Karen said, the only vacation I can remember that I am thinking "where was I a year ago"....lots of memories. And for the record, I did 52 miles today on a route I haven't seen since last April - was a great ride, no pain in the knee, 2000 feet of climbing and 16 mph....felt good.

An almost perfect day...

One of the 'perks' of retirement (there are many for anyone who is counting) is the ability to grab a day like we had today and head out on the bike. It has been rainy, cold, drizzly, gray the last three or four days and even the one quick ride I did was not all that much fun. Today was blue sky, high 70s, and almost zero humidity - easily one of the ten best days of the year. I have not done the Anchor House training ride yet and decided today was right (minus Federal Twist - I've promised to save that for a friend). I have also had this thing in the back of my mind about doing my birthday ride - in miles rather than kilometres - and to this point the longest I have done has been 62 miles I think, a little shy of the goal. In any case I headed out at about 11 AM, perfect time from my perspective...morning chill is gone, traffic is light, kids are still in school. I probably should have brought my camera - the azaleas are gone but the irises and the wildflowers are out and we are still at that stage where all the fields are a bright and glorious green. I saw maybe half a dozen deer today - they feed at the side of the road and usually look up, give me a funny look and then slide into the woods. Also saw hawks and turkey vultures circling and looking for the hot air drafts that make them float to gracefully. So after several spurts of climbing I settled into a highway that runs alongside the Delaware river and figured I would just put it into a big gear and cruise on this scenic and flat road... Somewhere around the 40 mile point I started to get a bit of a twinge in my right knee (not the leg hurt last summer). So I circled around and started my ride back in the direction of Lawrenceville knowing I had a ways to go but already calculating that today would probably be my high day for the year. Basic geography will tell you that if you travelling on a river road and want to get back inland you had best be prepared to climb a bit and as I turned onto my first major climbing road that twinge came back big time...At this point I realized this thing was going to be with me all the way home and maybe the fun part of the day was over. So...long story short...I cannot remember that knee ever causing me as much grief as it did today. I have a pretty high pain threshold but the last 20 miles or so today were agony. My average dropped down to 13.9 and I loudly rejoiced over every downhill no matter how slight. In the end I did 80 miles (more than enough to satisfy the BD requirement) and did 4500 feet of climbing...in hindsight I think I could have done without the climbing....

Bikes on the Brain...

Bikes on the brain, or words to that effect - I think I may also have heard the word 'obsessed'. And it is probably true to some extent. I have been reading the blogs of the current cross-country riders, thinking of my own adventure last year, and then simply enjoying yesterday's almost perfect day. Saturday was windy and gusty but yesterday was a day full of blue skies and those big, white, puffy clouds that make me want to take another picture every time I turn a corner or crest a hill. And, of course, at this time of year we have had our rains and sun and the greens of the grass are almost as spectacular as the blue skies. So great ride 62 miles, 3700 feet of climbing and home in time for dinner out with Susan - can't beat that.

One of our company from last year's cross country made a Facebook comment a few days ago to the effect that she could not remember another vacation where, one year later, she was thinking almost daily of what she had been doing one year ago. And I can only affirm and attest to the same phenomenon. The 2010 edition of that ride started last Sunday and armed with URLs for half a dozen blogs I have been following their adventures and living the ride vicariously all week. I went out today for my own ride and as soon as a bit of headwind came up I immediately flashed back to the breezes we experienced last year. This is perhaps the toughest one week period of the ride. They do back to back centuries through the desert, go immediately into the the climbing in the Arizona mountains and that while they are still getting used to the fact that they ride every day - no chance for a day off to recover. I, of course, was riding through the familiar roads around my town but I was seeing the mountains, climbing the hills and thinking of where I might stop for a few minutes of gatorade - and, oh, why didn't I put a Payday in my pocket? Alas, I didn't have Tom rumbling and grumbling beside me, didn't see Hank and Champ at the deli that I passed and Nancy and her distinctive bike were nowhere to be seen on my roads. It was still a good ride: 40 miles, 1800 feet of climbing and enough humidity to raise a real sweat. And tomorrow is Saturday - all the weekend warriors will be out on the roads and we get a bit of the cameraderie that adds so much to the experience of the bike.

Has it really been a year?

Today I was kicking myself for not bringing my camera along on the ride. One year ago today Tom Ryan and I boarded the plane in Newark and arrived mid-afternoon in California, eager, anxious but ready to start the adventure of a lifetime. Today we got together for what was really the first real ride since we parted in Ohio (we did have one short ride in November but I was still in recovery mode). And so I rode over to Pennington (6 miles maybe) to pick up Tom just as we had done so many times in training last year. The skies were a bit threatening when we started, in fact we had a few random drops (and we both hate rain)but the clouds moved out and the sun and blue skies took over and we had a terrific ride. For those who might care we did 55.5 miles, 3200 feet of climbing and a leisurely 14.5 mph. We pretty much agreed that not a day goes by that we don't think of that ride and the people we rode with...and we did our best today to hash over all of our memories: too many to recount here but let it be said that we had a story and a memory for virtually every day and every-body we shared the ride with. Tom is, of course, training for the Anchor House ride (and he is ready) which I will almost certainly not be doing but we both agreed that we could understand Mike going back and doing the ride again. I ride a lot on the spur of the moment, i.e. the jobs are done and Susan and I have no plans and I'm gone, so it was good to ride with a friend. It was also good to measure my progress (i.e. recuperation) against Tom's riding. Suffice to say I felt pretty good about where I am today - won't be running down Fred or Jim this week but then we didn't do that last summer either.... So to all XC09'rs who may be reading know that we were thinking about you today...wish we could all be starting out from Manhattan Beach on Sunday.

One K Day

Today was one windy day...I could easily have titled this entry as D-Day as in Dalhart day. Within the first mile I was heading into headwinds of 20+ mph and really wondering if I wanted to ride that badly. I had chosen my M jersey (thanks Al) and inspired by the famous fight song decided 'what the hell', the sun is out, it's a beautiful day, I can handle this. And of course, the good thing about the wind is that it is constant: doing a round trip from home means that at some point you will find that it becomes a tailwind and that can be delightful. So after fighting head and cross winds for the first ten miles I finally made the critical right turn and had several miles of pure tailwind - I looked down at the Garmin at one point and was cruising at 24 - that is a good wind. So I finally found my way into the Sourlands with a bit of uphill but lots of trees and they cut the wind to something manageable. As I was headed back home, maybe 15 miles out I came out of a section of trees and saw that sun seemed to have disappeared. A huge bank of very black clouds was being borne by this wind directly into the path I had to take. At this point I had the wind in my favor again and so decided to run for it - actually I didn't have a lot of choice, my wife was having lunch with a friend and chances of a rescue were pretty slim. So I kicked it up a bit and decided this was going to be one of those training rides where you just go like hell for as long as you can. I dropped into a high gear and took off watching these clouds and seeing trees bending at angles I would not have thought possible. Every time I looked down at the computer I was doing 21/23 mph, much faster than my usual pace but there was also a certain excitement trying to outdo the wind and outrace the coming rain. Bottom line: I started feeling a few drops the last couple of miles but I made into my driveway and garage ahead of the rain and with my heartbeat still under the limit I've programmed into the Garmin. And I must say it was one really fun and exciting run. And a quick P.S....I hit my first one thousand miles today, hurray. Last year with all the training for XC I was actually at 1800 at this date but given our weather and the fact that this year I'm just doing this for fun I'm pretty content with hitting 1K this early in May...

Summer already...

The last day of April but it seems like the first day of summer. After days of cold blustery winds we had temps up to 80 today - and NO wind, how great is that? I did 61 miles with a total ascent of 3600 ft and an average speed of 15 - pretty respectable, and more importantly, a thoroughly enjoyable ride. I loved this scene in the photo - what actually caught my eye as I went flying by was the overturned boat off to the left - the color and design made me think of the Vietnamese fishing boats I remember from many years ago. All that is missing is the eye painted onto the bow. The photo that I could not get was my meeting with a wild turkey. I was going up a longish hill that always slows me down a bit. Mr turkey came out of the woods on the left (country road, no traffic) and took a couple of steps downhill towards me. When he noticed this strange creature in a colorful jersey and sitting on a two-wheeled "thing" he stopped, kind of gave me the eye as if thinking "what is this thing doing in my backyard?" At this point he turned and continued across the road and into the woods. I kept right on climbing and as he stepped off the road and into the brush I was maybe 5/6 feet from him but my presence did not seem to bother him in the least and he continued to saunter into the woods as if he owned the world. One of those semi-magic moments that makes New Jersey such a surprising place.

NJ Spring

Wow - the temperature is about 50 and winds at about 20/25 with gusts to 35. Almost as bad as the Texas panhandle and Dalhart. Yesterday it was a bit warmer with winds of only 15/20 and so I did get out for a couple of hours. Saturday was an even better day - low 70s and no wind. I had intended to get out early and get in a 70 mile celebration ride (celebrating another birthday and the fact that I'm able to celebrate - I don't take that for granted). However, our contractor (who has been rebuilding our bathroom shower) arrived at 8:15 ready to finally do the last step in the process - putting the ceiling under the shower back together. I told this guy he had almost become a part of the family but it was a step-by-step process and so went on for almost three weeks. And so the plan changed with my late departure - I did 73 kilometres instead and finished in time for dinner. This weekend promises to have sun and temps in the low 80s - mayhaps I find time to do the 70+ in miles.

And the answer is....

And the question is, of course, what happened to spring? The good news about New Jersey is that you need only wait a couple of hourse, maybe a day, and things will change. Today was one of those "ten best days of the year". Beautiful spring day: deep blue sky punctuated by hundreds of white, puffy clouds, minimal wind and a high temperature of maybe 70. At one point I was riding through an area of freshly plowed fields and looking across the shiny brown earth to the green trees and the sky and I slid right into the gravel on the side of the road - another six inches and I would have been in the ditch doing what we call an Arty Johnson (remember Laugh-in ?). I did 47 miles and climbed 2700 feet over 3 hours - great ride. My mind was kind of reeling today. I recently made contact with my college class "keeper of the lists" after many years of virtually no contact at all. I received a listing of everybody they have found and even a photo album of a reunion that was held this past December. And then within the last week or so I have learned of one severe heart attack and the guy is in the hospital basically on life support while his wife issues bulletins and asks for support and prayers. Then a couple days ago an e-mail arrived telling me of a guy who I knew well who was rushed to the hospital on Easter and has since learned that he has stage 4 lung cancer - and all this just a few days before his 70th birthday. My memory is of a guy who was an excellent athlete, excelled at intramural everything as well as an all around nice guy. I simply could not get him out of my mind today...It is almost incomprehensible that I would be out on my bike going up and down hills, looking for the flats to move into high gear and just having a great day and knowing that this old friend has been basically told he has six months to a year if he is lucky. I know, of course, that the philosophers have been pondering such situations for centuries and the questions are many, the answers few but that makes it no less disconcerting. I did sit down today and write this guy (also named Bob) a birthday card but it seemed woefully inadequate. Life goes on but can be cruel and unfair - I know it is a cliche but here's another lesson in living in the present and grabbing for the ring while it is there to grab.

Where did spring go?

After a week of sun and seventies all of a sudden the clouds rolled in and the mercury showed 47 when I went out today. As another cyclist noted even the squirrels' teeth were chattering. I was back to two layers and long sleeves but still in shorts - if I could wear shorts on the ride from Albuquerque to Santa Fe I can wear shorts anywhere (almost). The clouds were the big, puffy, rolling gray that a couple of months ago would have meant another blizzard was about to hit. Today they were broken up by slashes of blue sky and even an occasional shot of sun and had a kind of beauty that made me wish I had a camera. In any case I did forty miles before I decided that my feet were on the verge of freezing up and I headed for the barn. I did manage to get in 2100 feet of climbing which is not bad for a relatively short day. I did one long hill that was one I chose frequently last year when I was training for the XC. It is about a mile long and the grade runs between 9 and 12% all the way up. I remember taking it maybe 10/11 years ago for the first time on a very hot July day. I was training for nothing, it was well before either Anchor House or any thought of a cross-country....I was maybe halfway up and must have been really struggling because a police officer pulled over just ahead of me, got out of his car and suggested that I might want to stop for a few minutes and make sure I was OK. Today it was just another hill and I actually enjoyed it...Life is good.

Why do you do this?

Another better than average spring week with temps into the high 60s and low 70s - absolutely perfect for cycling. Would that we could keep this through July and August.

I did about 55 miles on Wednesday and another 33 yesterday. I'm trying to use the new bike computer as a kind of training tool and so am watching cadence and heart rate a little more closely and I'm starting to see the effect. I've got my average heart rate down with the spikes now no more than 168-170 (I hit 195 the first day I had the heart monitor on).

I was on my way out on Wednesday and Susan asked me what I was training for? in the sense of 'are you planning an event similar to last year's cross country?' The simple answer, of course, is no, I don't think I will be doing a cross country this year. But the question did get me thinking while I was wandering around the countryside. I do track my performance every day. I record mileage, time, and average speed. And now with the new bike computer I also record climbing distance, heart rate data, cadence and keep all that on the computer. There must be some point to keeping all that data and so what am I training for?

I do love cycling - there is something truly exhilarating about getting into a rhythm on a clear road, about doing a steady climb up a hill, and, even more, hitting a smooth downhill where you can move into the drops and just fly. And finishing a good ride - the legs are tired but it feels so good to simply relax and recover...and beer can taste so good too.

But the real answer is simply that this is training for life. I've reached the point in life where some of the parts don't always work as well as they did forty or fifty years ago and the only solution I know for age is to simply keep going. And the harder you go the harder you can go. I like the idea that steps don't bother me, that my heart seems to be serving me well, and that I can still swing my leg over the crossbar on the bike without putting my life in mortal danger. It is indeed a wonderful life and well worth making the most of it....

The photos are from yesterday's ride. The farm is called the Old Stone House Farm and I caught a view of the wisteria climbing up the stone center of this wonderful old barn. I wish it was a little sharper but it's enough to carry a small camera on the bike - no room for a tripod.

More New Jersey Spring....

Many years ago I lived in Altadena California and was offered the opportunity (?) to transfer to New York City. The logical place to live was New Jersey and I remember thinking "live in New Jersey?" I had an image of oil refineries, turnpikes and greater downtown Newark and the idea of leaving the foothills of the San Gabriel mtns for that took some creative imagining.

Needless to say I took the job and along the way discovered a New Jersey that only the natives know about. And when the snows finally melt and the trees and grass all come back in the spring-time it is almost as magical as the views of the San Gabriel peaks and canyons. Except for a couple of rainy days I've been out almost every day on the bike the last week or so and if I could I would just package this time of year and keep it for the full twelve months. Yesterday was a perfect example - the temperature was somewhere around 70, the sun was out, just a bit of a breeze, dressed in shorts and short sleeves (the three layers and tights a distant memory) - how perfect for a bike. I did about 55 miles skirting the Sourlands and checking out a bit of horse country along the way. What kind of a perfect day was that?

And a final note - I was stopped at a red light and a motorcycle pulled up to my left. He pulled down his helmet and yelled "Great day for a ride, huh?" I was tempted to respond with a "get away from me" but the spirit of the day prevailed. I said "you got that right - enjoy." And off we went when the light turned green - I may even start waving to those guys again.

The Best Time of the Year

Our house has a stream (officially Five Mile Run) that runs along the back of our yard and beyond that is big section of green area where there is no housing and all trees and untended land. Combined with the many trees in the developement it gives us a kind of park like environment - one of the big reasons I bought the house in the first place. We get a pretty good variety of wildlife thanks to that little creek and our trees and this morning I was treated to two woodpeckers trying to clean out the insect population in our yard. And my thought was that this is a good omen for the day - I need to get out and enjoy the country. And the country is enjoyable. Everything that was gray and brown last week is now in flower or is turning a brilliant green. The trees are all in bud and many are showing leaves. The flowering trees are a brilliant white and pink and with the early spring they are now in full bloom. And I know, I should have taken my camera - maybe next time. I did an anchor house route today called the Tour d' Manure - lots of farmers out plowing and spreading that good stuff on their fields. Very soon we will be watching corn and soybeans coming up (no snickers please, New Jersey is the Farm State after all). And it was an almost perfect ride: the temperature was 80 when I got home, the first time this year I've gone out short sleeves. I did about 45 miles with a few hills and am getting better at coordinating my heart rate with my cadence; that little Garmin is a great training tool, I wish I had started with it twenty or so years ago. Quite honestly the only thing missing is people. I have always been kind of a lone rider, mostly because when I was working I could never coordinate with someone else's schedule and almost every ride was opportunistic and spontaneous. The cross-country ride spoiled me I think. I now go out and I wonder how George is doing, whether Jim has pulled up to the hotel, where Mike might be - and usually it was easy to see Hank and Champ and maybe Nancy for lunch or a D Q. In an ideal world an XC ride would be something to do every year....(but don't tell Susan I said that).

April Fools Day...

It may be the first of April but no foolish jokes by the New Jersey weatherman. We have had what a friend labeled as bipolar (aka schizophrenia) weather the last couple of weeks. We had a weekend of sun and 70's a couple of weeks ago followed by torrential rains, gale force winds and a return to the cold weather of winter. Today was gorgeous, a true return to spring. There are a couple of roads that I like that take me into the Sourland Mtns (not true mountains by Vermont or California standards but lots of hills and climbing to get to the ridges at the top). The area is sparsely populated and generally scenic. One particular road runs by a couple of streams and woods on either side. Today all the streams were running fast bouncing over the rocks on their way to whatever river they finally join. Wild flowers are popping up, the forsythia is in full bloom and daffodils are all over the place. I'm back in shorts and single bike jersey and even had to put a bit of sunscreen on my nose. I looked at my log from 2009 and I am so far from what I had ridden by April first last year I cannot imagine catching up - of course at this time last year I was training for the cross-country and riding every chance I had. However, I did do 53 miles today with almost 4,000 of climbing and I felt good tonight so I must be doing something right. I'm really hoping today is a harbinger of the weeks ahead - I'm really ready to shut down the indoor bike and go for the sun.

Spring - officially!

After all the snow and ice we deserve a little warmth and color in our lives and we sure got it this weekend. The first day of spring was officially observed yesterday - I heard two different times for the vernal equinox about five hours apart so who knew when to stand the eggs on their ends - and I got my bike out to bookmark The Day. We have had temperatures in the low seventies, gentle breezes and blue skies - it really doesn't get much better than that.

Friday was the first day in shorts and one simple jersey - no layers. I really love going out on a work day, it is one of the true "perks" of retirement. Much as I enjoy riding with someone or a group it really is nice to have all the scenic backroads all to myself. I went to the covered bridge and rode upstream from the highway to the bridge. I saw a lone hiker and a photographer but otherwise the noisy, burbling stream was there just for my enjoyment. And with the rain from last week and the runoff from all the snow the stream and creeks are all flowing and at their prettiest. Today I went into the sourlands and again rode upstream (and up hill) by another healthy little stream. I even scared up a red tail hawk from alongside the road and watched him spread his wings and hover above me until he decided to peal off to the right and go looking for a tall tree to sit in. And it turned out that there were lots of people more interested in being outdoors than staying to watch the NCAAs - lots of cyclists and even more motorcyclists. I think of the latter with mixed feelings but those I saw today were courteous and careful, I probably could have held a civil conversation if we had stopped at the same deli.

I have lived in New Jersey long enough to know that summer is not starting tomorrow but am also enough of a Pollyanna that I'm planning on nothing less than more spring weather from here on out. If the daffodils are out today can the forsysthia be far behind?

Almost gone...

And with just a little luck even this last lingering bit of snow will disappear with the rains that are coming in over the weekend. I've been out three of the last six days and the temperature has been in the fifties and even into the low sixties - almost seems like spring might be here in a day or so. Monday I actually should have put on a sunscreen - Susan's first comment was over the little bit of color I picked up on my nose. And yesterday it was overcast but warm enough and no wind...almost perfect. Anybody who has lived in the East for more than a couple of years knows how often we have had snowstorms into April but I'm putting my bets down on no more snow....we shall see.

One of my favorite Christmas presents this year was a new Garmin bike computer and I have been breaking it in the last few days. It collects and displays data on just about everything that a cyclist wants - and then some. I have always had the basic speed and mileage computer, of course, and have seen the Garmin GPS on others' bikes but I guess maybe I was just too cheap to get one for myself. So now I am tracking cadence in addition to MPH, hill gradient and heart beat (and they are related), and then downloading it all to the computer when I come home. Yesterday I took one of my favorite routes (to Sergeantsville and home via Lindbergh Road) and checked out the grade of some of my favorite hills, watched my heartbeat go up and down and did my best to keep a consistent cadence...and also kept reminding myself to keep my eyes on the road and traffic. So I am now looking for a worthy recipient for my almost-new "old" bike computer. And wondering why I didn't have this fun thing for the cross country last summer. Thank you Susan.

Where did all the snow go????

Today was one of those days that gives hope that spring is really coming. The last few days have seen temps in the forties and either sun or rain to help get rid of all that snow. It is not completely gone but the roads are clear and for the most part pretty dry. I checked my log before I went out today and discovered it has actually been six weeks since I have been on the road. And I felt it very soon into the ride...The first hill, the first sustained run with no traffic lights - what happened to my legs and lungs? Wasn't I faithfully riding the indoor bike? Doesn't all that snow shoveling count for something? I ended up doing 46 miles but it truly felt like the first ride of the year. Or maybe after doing the XC last year I think that all that fitness should be a permanent part of my physiology - ha, reality strikes again. In any case it was a truly beautiful day - blue sky and sunshine and temps that reached 54 by the time I rolled back into my driveway. And the number of cyclists out on the roads of Mercer County was like a summer day - great to see a few kindred souls bundled up and moving. Riding solo I also had plenty of time for the thinking of great thoughts. And while I cannot lay claim to any truly profound conclusions I did come up with a couple of more mundane and practical conclusions. I've been going under the assumption that I would be completing the cross country trip at the first opportunity - actually my plan was to go back and join the Crossroads gang in Champaign. They are terrific people and offer the advantage of taking care of all the logistics and providing a great bunch of people to ride with (although, honestly, I cannot imagine finding another group anything like XC09). But life has a way of interfering with our best laid plans. In my case we have a couple of family weddings that cannot be missed in June and July. And to complicate matters we are seriously considering putting our house up for sale...We found a perfect house in an over 55 community a couple of weeks ago and it killed me that I could not make an offer without some reasonable certainty of selling our house....So, tough call but maybe I just need to get my world in order so that I can do it next year...Maybe in 2011 Barbie and Darrell will also be doing that last leg and we can have a reunion.

Post script...

After posting the photos of our most recent storm there are signs of hope today. The temperature hit 47 with a bright sun this afternoon. Everywhere you look there are huge mounds of snow - probably 4 to 5 feet at the street and up to maybe 15 feet where the plows have been in the shopping mall parking lots. However, the snow was melting today and with luck we may see the grass again before April. And maybe even get the bike back on the road soon? On another note our local papers have been running a story of a cyclist killed on the road in one of our neighboring towns. It turns out he had cerebral palsy,had given up his driver's license, and has been dependant on his bike for years. The original story was a bit slanted and implied that with all the snow on the sides of the road he probably shouldn't have been there. From a cyclist's point of view this is, of course, ridiculous - the law is quite clear in giving the cyclist the right to the same space on the road as an automobile (and he was on a side road, not a major thoroughfare). In broad daylight the driver hit the cyclist from the rear and apparently he died before they even got him to the hospital. It goes without saying I suppose that I am just a bit sensitive and probably biased in interpreting this story - however, it did give me a measure of satisfaction to learn today that the driver has now been charged with vehicular homicide. Apparently she was driving under the influence of a prescription drug. No good answers here: a tragedy for both parties.

Waiting for the sun to come out....

What a difference a year can make. I went to my log today and at 17 February last year I had 9 days of riding and about 350 miles. Through today I have not had a day on the bike in February and I cannot remember the last time I was on the road...The photos tell the tale: first is the scene from our front porch taken yesterday. And second is our backyard, also taken yesterday. Mother nature was dumping another 2 or three inches on top of the 2-3 feet we already have on the ground from last week. It is beautiful, of course, but as I have said throughout this winter there is a very fine line between " wow, isn't it gorgeous" and " enough of this white s**t already." So in the meantime, the Olympics are on TV and I try to time my indoor bike time with something reasonably energetic and inspiring - curling does not do it for me but watching the cross-country skiers sprints are almost as good as a fast break in a good basketball game. And here's to a little sun in the long term forecast and back to the roads.

First ride of '10

It was unseasonably cold the last five/six days we were in Florida - and by unseasonably I mean really, really cold: temps down to the 20s at night and highs of 45 during the day. I, of course, had planned on Florida weather and packed nothing but shorts and short sleeved jerseys. Susan and I went to Epcot one day in the winter coats we wore when we left New Jersey. And the first morning back home it was 11 when I went out to get the paper - "serves you right for complaining about Florida" said an acquaintance. So this morning it was 25 at 8 but the sun was out. I came home from the grocery store about noon and spotted two cyclists. My winter threshold is 4o degrees and minimal wind - when I got home it was 41. With that kind of overage there was nothing to do but get the layers out and get moving. Actually it was a day of bright sun and the requisite no wind and so was not bad at all, especially with 4 layers, winter hiking socks and the hood for the head. I got reacquainted with the rolling terrain of NJ after the "flat" of Florida and fortunately all the ice and snow is off the roads. So, first ride of the new year: 30 miles done, 4,971 to go. Maybe tomorrow again....