Screw the calendar — today was the first official day of fall. I know this to be a fact because when I set out for a quick 45 minutes of cyclo-cross after a morning of light labor I was wearing arm warmers, knee warmers and an undershirt in addition to the usual kit, and wishing I’d opted for long-fingered gloves.
I had planned to do a few go-rounds at a nearby school that has a gravel track, some short, sharp run-ups, a bit of asphalt and even a log to hop. But some anonymous teabagger has let the grounds go to hell, so after trying and failing to find a suitable path through the weeds I rolled off to my old standby, Monument Valley Park.
Unfortunately I apparently took a couple of goatheads with me, and just as the ’crossing was starting to feel good the front tire went soft. Oh, bugger. Out with the bad tube, in with the good tube. This mini-pump works about as well as the Senate. Look at the time. The sis and bro’-in-law are en route from Fort Fun, expecting lunch. Home wi’ ye, ye bald-pated tosspot.
And that was my Sunday in Bibleburg. How was yours?
Mad Blog Media 
A couple weeks ago, I unintentionally crashed through a bed of goatheads with the mountainbike, tried to pick the buggers out and replaced the tube. I flatted again on the way home. The tire was full of the buggers, and the original tube, when pumped up and put under water to locate the holes for patching, looked like a bubbler in a fishtank. Ye gads…
Well, today was a good day. It was cold here so I didn’t set out till almost noon, and I spent several hours recovering from a nine percent climb and fast descent from 9,000 feet (Pajarito Mountain, in case O’G remembers) that left my hands yellow and numb and the rest of me quite cold, with a “holy shit, I am out of shape” feeling in the cardiovascular system for good measure. Other than that, it was three great hours on the road bike. The usual dose of antifreeze is working quite well, thank you.
K, them goatheads is a mutha, brutha. They’re so prolific in Colorado that they caused me to quit racing sewups in cyclo-cross. It proved cheaper to run clinchers and buy a couple-three extra bikes to stuff in the pit.
When changing tubes today I checked the inside of my tire for evil spirits and found only two of them. Clipped the sonsabitches off with the rough edge of a tire iron, stuffed in the new tube and got back after it.
I do love a bit of ’cross on a chilly fall day — a guy warms up awfully fast running up the hills.
But I’ll pay for it tomorrow. That’s two days of ’cross and three of running, which is a lot for this ol’ dog. My chiropractor will earn her money when I lurch in at 10 a.m. looking like a fat kid who can’t wait for Halloween to play zombie.
Yeah. I don’t feel much better. Sucks to get old, eh, Patrick?
Check this lunatic out.
Mid to high 80s in SacTown today. The local series cross season started yesterday and I was comfortably in a horizontal position. Staying up way too late will do that to an old fart like myself, so I don’t feel too bad. Besides I rode by myself today in a sleeveless jersey and felt like crap. But 15 miles is better than 0, a little ride is better than a minuscule one, and it is only 5 days to the weekend! And the forecast is for much of the same this week, but with some NNW winds to be blowing around. Can you say “allergies?”
Like James was seeing in Sac-o-tomatoes, the weather here in SoCal has been unbelievable: mid to high 80s, with light winds and near single digit humidity. So what a perfect day to NOT get on the bike and instead watch Formula 1 from Japan and MotoGP from Malaysia. Since I rode somewhat hard on both Friday and Saturday (and had a wee too much of the grape on both of those nights) I felt nary a twinge of guilt stretched out on the couch a good portion of the day… Hitting it hard this morning though (well, sort of hard for this tired old bod). I’ll put a few miles in for any of you locked to your workstations this fine morning.
50 miles with Nancy (Time trialist/Triathlete). Nice and fast. At our water stop 45 miles along I studied the cirrus clouds and a sense of awareness, I don’t often get, came over me that not much further up past those cirrus was cold space, but down where I was it was warm and beautiful.
I’m with Davide! After the ravioli party and a bit more wine than might have been necessary, we took it easy on Sunday after enjoying a couple of hours on the road bikes Saturday in gorgeous weather (especially for Iowa!)
Another nice week here according to the guys that operate the weather dartboard in these parts, so a ride today after pranzo (a light one of prosciutto and melon, some apples and cheese and a glass of vino bianco) may be in order. I salute those of you who don’t have to work today (and to those who would work if they had a job)equally on this sort-of holiday. For me it just means the post office is closed so the packages I need to send will have to wait ’till tomorrow.
A couple years ago I was riding in the bike lane when I passed some city workers cleaning up the weeds by the side of the road. It wasn’t for another block that I realized the weeds they had so carelessly (or was it maliciously?) tossed in the bike lane were in fact goat-head breeders. Six in the front, four in the rear. Thanks City of Grand Junction!! Now to whom at the city can I send the bill for two new tubes?
These days, though, I’d be happy to go out and get a goat head or two. All your riding tales are making me jealous. Not to whine, but I’m still dealing with my skull-impact-into-ground event, with nothing but a cheap piece of styrofoam in between. Three months later I still feel like crap. Tried to go out for a ride on Saturday but the brain said “no-way, you try and I’ll knock your ass back down again.” Apparently next on the menu is a neurologist, although to find what’s in my head should more likely require a spelunker.
Hope they find out what’s wrong with your head soon, Gianni! I’ll cover a few kms on the bike for you this afternoon and hope you can ride free from threats from your brain sooner, rather than later.
On another note, I’ve been thinking more about Crooked Roubaix — the ONLY way I’m going to have ANY chance of having fun for 95 miles next year on this thing is to get up there early enough to get used to 7K+ altitude. Rather than getting a schmotel room and being at the mercy of chain eateries and Fourbucks I thought of renting a condo and cooking for myself — which means I should set up a deal to share the lodging (and dish washing!)with some other fools doing this event.
It could be sort of a Casa CycleItalia; I’d bring our espresso maker, our BIG pasta pot and stop at Whole Paycheck/Trader Joe’s on the way to make sure the joint was well-stocked with food, wine, etc. I’d do (most of)the cooking and just ask the others to throw in some dough to offset some of the condo rental and food costs. I figure it’ll be a week, probably a Monday-Monday deal so after the event everyone would have a place to clean up, recover, enjoy a nice meal and good night’s sleep, before packing up to head home the next morning. It’s a whole year away but I think it’s never too early to start at least thinking about it…September 2011 will be here sooner than you think! Anyone crazy enough to be interested in this idea can contact me at larry@cycleitalia.com, especially if you know someone with a fully-equipped condo for rent in or around Winter Park!
That’s a hell of an idea Larry, and very generous – I might take you up on that. The better half and I are just now setting up some dates for our Toscana stay next year. Is there a firm date for next year’s edition yet?
the upside is, the mini-pump makes for a good arm workout.
i’m generally on the green side, but i’d be in favor of agent orange dropped from every B1 in our inventory if it would clear the land of goathead thorns.
I rode very fast for 2 1/2 hours on Sunday afternoon. My sensations were quite good. I rode again Monday morning for 1 hour only as my sensations were not as good.
Ah, but were you tranquil? I myself am rarely tranquil unless tranquilized.
http://www.coloradocrookedroubaix.com/ Nothing much may happen officially here until May 2011 from what I’m hearing, which still leaves plenty of time to get an entry and find a condo. I’m trying to get an idea if anyone else is crazy enough to consider doing the ride — and what their ideas about lodging and food are…especially the flat-landers like yours truly who’ll need some time to get used to the elevation. Denizens of Denver and Boulder can probably just show up the night before or even the morning of the event…but not me, I need all the help I can get so I’ll wanna be there close to a week in advance and ride my LeMond Poprad with Campagnolo 9-speed triple setup, 36 spoke rear wheel and fat, Challenge Paris-Roubaix rubber. The only thing that could help me more would be the Cancellara-style electric motor in the seattube!
Yes, yes. I am tranquil in my thoughts and my sensations are good, especially with the assistance of the Trappist monks of Scourmont Abbey.
Larry…I’m sorta thinking of it. I’m not sure the 90miles at elevation is my cup of tea, but then again I never thought I’d be cycling in Europe this past summer either. So there is always that. Let me see how the winter holds up though. Is that okay? I also have to finalize a bet with a friend stuck in the Land that Time Forgot (aka SLC) in the next few months. He had some harebrained idea about mtn. biking in Austin Nevada. Anyone heard anything about the area? It’s halfway betwixt here and the SLC.
Not to change the subject, but I have a question about a recent development around here: does being “batshit crazy” come from too much batshit in the water? Seems a local “business owner” (he doesn’t say what business) has announced his candidacy for President in 2012: http://www.krextv.com/news/around-the-region/GJ-Man-Running-for-2012-US-President-104736079.html
(Sorry about the long URL) Our newest Presidential candidate, John Davis, says “one of the first things he intends to do if elected is post a sign saying, ‘As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.'”
Ooooookaaaay. I learned in school that the President served the people, but then I wasn’t home schooled.
Don’t bother going to his website. It just shows a balding white guy, the mandatory American flag and, of course, an eagle. Nothing else. No links, no text, nothing. Which, I suspect, pretty much sums up his qualifications and relevant experience.
So I’m worried, should I stop drinking the water here or what?
Only pseudoreference I found to the origins of “batshit crazy” is in the Urban Dictionary, claiming it derives from “bats in the belfry”. But the qualities of being batshit crazy seem to have gone viral.
In reply to a previous post there was a link to Carl Palladino (R), a multi-millionaire businessman running for Governor in NYS. He manages to be both batshit crazy, i.e. looney, eccentric, terrifying and apeshit crazy, i.e. foul-mouthed, hot-headed, uncouth, raging and violent.
Palladino threatens to “take out” a reporter during a heated exchange, would work to overturn any circumstance of legal abortion (does not believe in it under any circumstance: not incest, rape, life of mother, death of fetus/baby), also vehemently opposes equal rights for gays and engages in hateful speech (see the poster’s link).
Its funny that a guy who made his millions by bilking the Government is now running against the government. Crazy like a fox, eh?
Federal largesse for me, but not for thee.