Today I rode Tour de Cure for the St. Louis area with a bevy of my coworkers. There were three mapped routes - 20, 50, and 100 miles - all with full support should something go awry.

The event took place in Illinois, which seems to be an amazingly friendly bike state (trails AND roads) - at least it is in all of the areas in Illinois in which I have ridden.

I was slated to ride 20, thinking it was 25 up until the moment I received the map. The savvy gentlemen from work with whom I rode decided 20 was really too much of a cakewalk, so we proceeded up the 50 mile map until about the 16 mile point, and then we turned around - ride totalling about 32 miles.

I really like this bike thing. The weather was perfect (that is, it was perfect if one does not mind reapplying sunscreen three times) and only mildly windy. The whole experience was quite pleasant except for the lovely man in the pick-up truck who could express himself no better than to flip me off. Thank you, Mr. Asshat (thanks, Rachel, for the term) lazy-brained-finger-wagging imbecile. I wonder how you'd fare on a 32-mile ride. Probably not as well as I.

This was good training for the MS150, which I'll be riding in the Columbia, MO area in early September (6th and 7th, to be exact). If ever there was a time to beg for money for sponsorship, this is it. MS150 is a fairly large event, and it's quite a formadable thing to accomplish for a new cyclist.

hln

Posted by: hln at 09:55 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Off-road Road Bike

(Subtitled: "Uh oh.")

Vacation is such a good thing. The alarm rings at 5 a.m. I shun it. My poor spouse, who has opted to take vacation a day later than I, scuttles off to work. I awaken at 7 and begin my day.

I putz, I putter, and then I decide to get real things done (because dish-doing, laundry, and bed making are just normal, everyday chores). I take the bike out and hook it onto the bike rack contraption on my car, and off I go to the trail.

The weather is gorgeous. It feels much more like October than June (which is great when it's not rainy). I set out to do 10 or so miles at the local trail, which is twice around. I figure this will be amazingly easy compared to some of my earlier outings - weekends and holidays. And, indeed, the trail is quite empty. The only thing standing between me and a nice soothing (but sweaty) ride is a healthy, gusty, occasional wind.

Oh, and two innocent, slow-moving, widely spaced Islamic-looking women who decide to span the entire breadth of the trail.

Of course, the point at which they do this is right before the bridge, which is a small incline to cross over the lake itself. I try to be polite and go around, but there's just no room, and I veer off a bit too much to the left, having already braked. Oops, on the grass. Clip out right foot and lean right. Nope. Clip out left foot, and lean left, yep. Brake. Lean HARD left. Gently stop self with tree. Still in one piece; not on ground. Whee. That was fun.

All this within the first two miles? What else does my day hold? What quest awaits?

<meoldrama>Oooh</melodrama>

hln

Posted by: hln at 09:46 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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"Sit Bones" is terminology I had not heard until recently, but it's cyclist nomenclature for the proper way to position oneself on a bicycle in preparation for a lengthy ride. Finding your Sit Bones is supposed to mean riding proves less offensive to one's genitalia.

I gave my Sit Bones a call today, but I got only the answering machine. So, upon returning home, I asked friendly Google for some advice.

hln

Posted by: hln at 08:12 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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