While the rest of the world was wrestling with big issues — union-busting, dictator-toppling and the Academy Awards — Mikey O’Schenk and I tackled the small shit, like stopping twice on today’s ride to deal with a softening rear tire.
The first time O’Schenk felt his rim kissing Mother Earth we stopped to air the leaky sumbitch up a tad and continued along our merry way through the Air Force Academy. Alas, that temporary fix wrote a permanent finis to the tube, as he managed to pull the guts out of the valve when unhitching the pump.
So I loaned him one of my spares — O’Schenk usually rides with one while I pack three, one for each of my velo-personalities — and we limped on home. This is not a figure of speech, as O’Schenk had run a 20km footrace the day before and was feeling the burn.
I hadn’t done diddley and was as frisky as a young stoat, which must have been irksome to my companion, who is several years my senior. A couple, anyway. OK, call it a year and change. This is a creative process I’m involved in here, and if it occasionally demands that I simply make stuff up, well, so be it.
Mad Blog Media 
love the jacket where can I score one of those bad boys? looks like a nice day in Colorado. Still snow on ground in Montana and temp finally up to 32. burn some caloric fat for el peurco or el cerdo in the great white north
I want one also.
I went out for a “quick” 45 miles yesterday with a friend who just got infected with the road riding bug last spring. We had a nice tailwind for the first half of the ride, so you know what that meant for the second half, don’t ya?
Did I say “quick”, because that may have been relative: the guy kicked my butt! Did I mention that he’s 15 years my junior? (Let the excuses begin!) I may have to volunteer to work on his bike in order to get an opportunity to fill his bike’s inner tubes with water. “This will guarantee no more flats, it’s what earth movers use!”
And yea, I too went looking for “Old Guys Who Get Fat In Winter Racing Team” gear or any other Mad Dog Media stuff at Velogear the other day and came up empty. O’G! Where can we find your stuff so we can look “cool” at the next club ride and put some coin in your pocket at the same time? Have you given up completely on capitalism?
John…it sounds like you need to introduce this guy to the concept of “base miles”. I’ve had a rule for years that says I won’t use the big ring at all from November through middle or end of March. It’s a tough battle to fight too. Just Saturday I was chiding guys in the group ride for riding in the big ring. After the ride, one of those guys said something about being blown out after 43 miles and I said “you don’t have to ride one speed every time you hop on a bike you know. There’s no law to mandate that.”
Streakin’ Jeebus, we still have a Long Yard of snow on the ground here in Massachusetts, with black ice lurking in every shadow!
I’m jonesing for a road ride (and yes, I’m getting fat) but I’m without health insurance and inclined to wait for Spring. ‘Till then, I’m a gymbot!