With any luck at all the unseemly heat has broken. For the moment, anyway.
Come morning we don’t have to worry that the air conditioning will click on if we throw the doors and windows open to admit a listless 80° breeze that frankly falls miles short of refreshing. But 68°? That’s more like it.
Now and then we’ve gotten a soupçon of rain overnight. Better and better.
As a consequence the cycling has been excellent. It’ll be a while before we have to start thinking about arm and knee warmers, but the other day I packed a jacket and rode a bike with fenders just to ensure that there would be no rain while I was out and about.
Despite the heat I’ve been logging 100-120 miles a week since mid-June, plus occasional short trail runs and even some light weightlifting. Exactly why remains a mystery. The only possible justification is the faint hope that all this sweaty nonsense will help me continue smiling down at the daisies instead of scowling up at the roots.
The other day I found myself afflicted with the impulse to resurrect my old Steelman time-trial bike. Must’ve been some distant, pain-wracked memory of the Record Challenge Time Trial at Moriarty trying to crawl out of its coffin.
The best ride I ever had there was in 1991, when I turned a 56:43 for 40km despite being mired in the move from Fanta Se to Bibleburg. I was logging most of my mileage in the ’83 Toyota longbed but still managed a PR that was only about 10 minutes slower than Kent Bostick’s best time on the course (he didn’t even race that year and still beat me).
Imagine my surprise when a casual check of the Innertubes found that the Paula Higgins Memorial Record Challenge Time Trial is on for the upcoming Labor Day weekend.
Hmm. Now that I’m a geezer I’d be racing the 20km. The way I’ve been training, who knows? I might even be able to break the hour.
Mad Blog Media 
Though if I recall correctly, you’d be in the only category where you’re not guaranteed a medal.
Not even a Medal of Freedom? I hear at least one dude will give that sucker to just about anyone, and the only race is to kiss his fat ass.
Nope. Unlike some, we have standards. They may be low, but they’re ours
No worries. I could be in a one-man race and still not make the podium.
You can do it, Shady!!!
Do what? Where? Say, who is this, anyway? Nurse! Someone’s peed in my bibs … again.
Jumping anaconda! MEN 95-99 Sep 1
11:59 PM 20 km
Are they seriously talking age grouping up to 100 or am I missing something? If so, better have defibrillators and oxygen handy and maybe some coffin vendors tents at the start line. Make mine British Racing Green.
Well, it is the Land of Enchantment. Maybe Merlin’s making a little magic. The wizard, not the bike company.
“Exactly why remains a mystery.” Probably so you can live to 100. Then you and Herb can ride the TT for free. Khal and I will be at the finish with walkers and cowbells. I will have a cold Barrio Rojo in the cooler for Herb’s recovery drink.
Don’t forget the Athletic Brewing Run Wild non-alcoholic IPA for me. Hell, make it a sixer, the voices in my head will want a little sumpin’-sumpin’ too.
You got it!
Jeeze, a time trial? That is a scary thought. I still have my aero clip-ons from back in the prehistoric, when I tried to look like a bike racer but it was obvious to anyone watching that I was an imposter.
I did one race in the early nineties and won my age group. But that was because it was held in the middle of a massive Kona storm way out on the Leeward side, the Makaha TT. Very few people bothered showing up that day and being stubborn, I did. The race was in massive crosswinds and pouring rain. More of a test of insanity than of ability.
I’ve been slowly working my mileage back up after getting the all clear from the cardiologist, but still only riding about every other day. Would be fun, but that’s a long drive to finish Lanterne Rouge, which was my specialty.
Scary indeed. I haven’t raced in 20 years and I ain’t about to come out of retirement now.
I actually won a couple of short, hilly time trials Back in the Day™. One was the ITT leg of the 1991 Tour de Los Alamos, and the other was the Skyline Drive ITT at Cañon City in ’94. I was logging 200 miles a week by February that year and was fresh off a fall/winter of cyclocross, so I had good legs for a change.
But the longer ones? Sheeyit. All I had for them was the technology. Like an ugly fat smelly old bald dude driving next year’s Maserati in hopes of picking up chicks.
Do you recall the ITT route up in BombTowne? By the time I arrived there were two road races and a criterium. One road race was up in the Jemez, going from just above Jemez Springs to just short of the big drop to LA. The other was the Bandelier Loop, anywhere from 1 lap for citizens to I think 3 laps for Cat I,II,III. The Crit was right downtown. I raced it one year and did a lot of support a couple other times. Most fun was driving the 944 Turbo all over hell and gone at high speed at 4 a.m. putting up Bike Race signs up on Route 4 in the Jemez.
I don’t have any notes on the course, but I remember it using the Bandelier Loop, possibly the same start as the road race, but with a turnaround about 7.5 miles in.
Must’ve had a tailwind because I was big-ringing it on the return, mostly 53×19 but 53×12 across the line. Profile aero bars. Ooo la la.
Will you wear the same kit?
That Descente skinsuit is a classic. Pretty sure the photo was during the time we were in the Springs
¿Oye, Miguelito, que pasa? That Descente kit was killa dilla for sure. I forget who was working at Descente that season and decided to lay that zoom suit on old, slow me. It was about like painting a Citroen 2CV British racing green (h/t to Old Herb).
If I remember right I was freshly moved to Colorado. In the pic I’m rocking the Specialized Allez Epic carbon I bought in Los Alamos (dig the downtube shifters), with a disc and front wheel from The Denver Spoke, and IIRC I overnighted in the dorm at Adams State College, my alma mater from 1971 to ’73.
I do have one skinsuit left from Back in the Day™, one of the yellow jobs from VOmax. And guess what? It still fits.
Yeah, I don’t believe it either. I got it on, but one good stout fart would probably blow it to little black-and-yellow pieces.
If I gave up drinking I could fit into my original Old Guys jersey without looking silly. But you know what they say: “looks like I picked the wrong week to quit drinking”
I want that cold beer POB promised me….oh I see, it’s to be consumed at the finish line…never mind. And POG the Descente swag dude was likely Steve Ruckhaus?
Well Herb, if we ever decide to go to Duke City to visit, we will let you know. And, the beer is on me! Now Khal and Patrick loves them some free beer, so we would have to get the “Paseo del Bosque” gang back together. Beer for my friends!
Here’s hoping that no matter what we do this holiday weekend, we can do it safely and without the clear and present fear of others acting in impaired haste and irresponsibility.
There’s always a sad day.