Llama Likes Bikes

The Art of the Crash

2012-02-11T12:44:00.000-05:00

I have been lucky. In the 5.5 years, or so, that I have been cycling with any regularity, I have only suffered 2 crashes. The first one was caused by a driver cutting me off... intentionally, I might add. That incident was rather minor, as all it really entailed was me standing on my brakes so hard I popped up out of my seat and landed on my handlebars, bending the right side downward far enough that I had to replace them.

This past weekend was a much more serious accident in that I was hurt, but fortunately my bike was not. As you shall read in my previous post, I was riding in a parking lot with my sons. My older son challenged me to a race, across the parking lot and my brakes failed.

Now, here is what I call the art of the fall. I had only a few moments in between realizing I would crash and the event horizon. I knew that if I turned away from the curb too sharply I would fall over immediately and get a face full of an asphalt sandwich. This was the least preferred option.

I could hit the curb straight on and do a swan dive over my handlebars, but ruin my rim and wheel. Granted, it would look pretty cool, but it could still hurt, and would ruin part of my bike.

Fortunately, I realized there was a third option... and I went for it!

I turned slightly to the left, so that my wheel hit the curb at an angle. This made it turn sideways and sling me over onto the grass at a similar angle. By so doing, I was able to turn enough to land on my right shoulder and roll after landing. This was the best option, and (as planned) it didn't ruin my bike or wheel.

What it did, however, sling my head directly into the ground when my shoulder hit. This was a most unpleasant experience, and one that left me with a nasty headache for a couple of hours afterward, but given the options, it was the best and the one to leave me with the least amount of pain and damage.

Crashes happen very quickly, and we never know what will happen or when they will occur. Perhaps that's why we call it an "accident" and not an "I-meant-to."

Goodbye. Boodbye, my friend...

2012-02-11T12:26:00.000-05:00

The weather has been unseasonably warm, and my sons wanted to go to practice riding their bikes. So, I took them up to the local tech school's parking lot. Son #1 was doing quite well, and I will be taking his training wheels off when I get the chance. (Honestly, I should have done it by now, but that just hasn't happened yet.) Son #2 is slow, but getting the hang of it.

Well, Son #1 decided to challenge me to a race across the parking lot. This really wasn't fair as I am older, faster, and was on my Puch. So, we agreed to give him a head start. I waited until he was about 2/3 the way across and then I got down on it. I hit about 21mph bolting across the parking lot and almost caught up (I was planning on letting him win anyway... it's what dads do) when I needed to hit the brakes in order to slow down, when...

TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE!

I don't know what happened, but the calipers would not clamp down hard enough to stop me! I knew immediately that I was going to crash since I was going too fast to turn away without eating asphalt. So I quickly chose to hit the curb. I will talk about the art of the fall in my next post (which you likely read first since this shows most recent posts first). Long story short, I hit the ground... HARD.

I've been in a couple of crashes over the years, but this was easily the hardest one I've ever had. I landed on my right shoulder, and my head hit the ground hardest. This is precisely why I always wear a helmet!! No matter what, always wear a helmet. Honestly, I was only doing this to set an example for my sons, because I never imagined that I would have a crash simply riding in circles around a parking lot while my boys cruised around on their bikes.

So now I have to bid farewell to my helmet of the past 4.5 years. It's been a good run, and probably 1,000 miles. I know that's not a lot in the long run, but it was a good helmet. Granted, the dark blue totally clashed with silver and coffee colored Trek. I will particularly miss the stickers. Seriously, I don't know what "Calvin's Dog Biscuits" are or how I acquired the sticker, but anything that says, "Life is Short, Eat Biscuits" is a winner in my book.

So I have taken a photo to remember it before throwing it away. I now have a new silver one that will match my Trek, and will last through my next crash. I hope that is many, MANY miles from now.

Am I alive?

2011-06-27T14:15:00.000-04:00

I swear, it has been way too long since I have been on here...

Our school year went longer than normal this year and I haven't been out of school for a whole week yet. I have, however, managed to get on my bike a couple of times. The fun part is that I have been riding the Puch rather than my Trek. I am finally getting used to the skinnier wheels, and I have to say that I do enjoy being able to ride a little faster than I can on the hybrid. (Skinnier wheels means less surface area, which means less friction.)

However, today I learned the hard way that this bike needs a serious brake adjustment. Fortunately I was not in danger of getting hit, but I could not stop as fast as I needed to prior to making a turn. I should be able to do that myself, but I am prepared to head to my LBS if needed.

I didn't have my camera with me when I took a ride at Petersburg National Battlefield last week. I would love to have a picture of my bike with a cannon, but so far it seems destined not to be. I will remedy that for the next battlefield that I go to. Until then, I will continue riding for local errands as much as possible. I'm looking forward to a good summer of weight loss.

Ready for 2011 Cycling!!

2011-04-05T19:58:00.000-04:00

Spring has sprung, and I am ready for riding. This has been a viscous year for me and cycling. The winter was harsher than expected with a LOT of snow and ice; we had another baby (which takes away a lot of "free" time); and I have had a bad winter for sicknesses (flu, food poisoning, etc.).

Now the weather is finally coming around, my health is improving, and I have a new bike rack for my car (thank you credit card rewards points!!). So now I am going to take my bike to work with me and I am going to go for a ride immediately after work, before I come home. I would ride to work, but I am not ready to get up early enough for a 21 mile commute. Heck... I drive and still have to get up at 5:30. I'm either too lazy or unmotivated to get up at 4 am just to get to work early enough to shower there... and then not get home until wicked late.

So for the time being, I am just going to ease back into my riding with a few 5-10 mile rides and we shall take it from there.

Why Congress needs to read laws before passing them.

2010-10-03T17:29:00.000-04:00

In case any of you (all three of my readers) missed it, I am in the process of taking this blog a little further out into the world of cycling in general. I will likely start posting something every Sunday since I don't ride on Sundays. (It's part of what I consider keeping the Sabbath Day holy.)

Well, I came across this gem earlier this week while perusing some information on stuff hidden in bills passed by Congress before anyone reads the bloody thing. (Yes, I am surprisingly conservative. That's not something that you find very often with cyclists and hard core recyclers.) Alas, I digress...

Now, I found this article on treehugger.com that reveals some of the stuff that snuck into one of the bailouts Obama pushed through Congress. Did you know that you can be reimbursed up to $20/week for applicable expenses associated with bike maintenance if you cycle your commute to work?

That's right, hidden away in the bowels of legislation among the tax exemptions for using wooden arrows and various cost analysis assessments for racetracks (please explain how these stimulate the economy), is this nice little tidbit for the benefit of those who wish to ride their bikes to work.

I don't care why you ride a bike (health reasons, environmentalism, cost efficiency) I'm just glad to see that there is finally something worthwhile in DC happening in favor of those who are truly using alternative transportation.

Why do I do this to myself?

2010-10-02T12:11:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine here in town wanted to go riding with me. He's a couple of years older than me, but he's also out of shape. Now, what makes this super "not fair" is the fact that he's one of the skinny "out of shape" people. It's so unfair...

Anyway, I wanted to ride out to a park north of town, but he didn't want to because he works near the park and "it'll feel like I'm commuting to work." I can understand that (but I do wonder, since when does 1.5 miles count as a commute?). So I make another suggestion, and wouldn't you know it... he used to "commute" that way too. I wish he had just sad that he just wanted to go ride the trail that I have blogged about the last two times I went out.

So I figured that this might be a little fair. He's "out of shape" and wearing blue jeans. I, on the other hand, am wearing fat people workout clothes. He's got the Trek mountain bike (made for off road stuff) and I've got the Trek road-based hybrid. In the end, we took the trail and were fairly evenly matched. Well, maybe not so much.

He did a lot of stopping for sightseeing at the bridges and to read the signs and so forth. I can understand that, and I even did that on one of my rides. So, I understand the delays. What I did not get, however, was how a skinny dude with better equipment was going so far behind me. I had to keep slowing down to let him catch up. Then I would get back into my normal cadence, and pass him again, only to slow down for him to catch up, and get back into rhythm, and you see the cycle (no pun intended). I was shocked at how quickly this tired me out even MORE than riding my ill-equipped bike on an off road trail.

Then, just to make things even more interesting, there was the tree that had fallen across the path. Yes, a mighty oak had decided it was tired of standing and chose to have a bit of a lie-down... right across the trail! Well, my friend decided that he wanted to keep going, so we portaged the bikes through the wreckage and continued on the ride.

By the time that we got home, we were both exhausted. I cannot do that on the wet trail again, or so help me... okay, that was an idle threat. It's really not going anywhere.

Unfortunately, I did not take my phone with me, otherwise, I'd have a picture of the tree. I would have taken a picture with me on top and called it "Manuel the Wonder Tree-Slayer!" or something predictably silly like that.

If nothing else, this gave me 20 miles for the week. I know that I have done that in a day before, but among the various challenges (not riding in a while, weather, friends, etc.) it's a hopeful start back into the lifestyle.

The Price You Pay....

2010-09-28T19:38:00.000-04:00

Okay, I have to admit that this is something I have not felt in a while... horrible after riding.

This really was a bad day. We have had rain for the past two days and I knew that there would be a little effect upon my riding, but I honestly did not believe that it would make riding the hardpack trail that I recently found THAT difficult. You see, we've been in a bit of a drought, and even though we have had two day of rain, the ground has sucked it all right up. I couldn't find any puddles to splash in. So I figured that there would not be much of a problem riding that trail. Boy was I wrong...

Although the trail was in decent condition, it was still soft. This was only a problem because my tires naturally sunk into the soft earth and formed a clear "U" in which my tires struggled to plow through. I pushed myself harder than I did on Saturday, and it was a hard fought 6.2 miles, but I managed to do it in only 3 minutes more time. Of course those 3 minutes knocked my overall time down 1.2 mph.

I do not know if/when I will try that trail again as there is a lot of rain predicted later on this week. I think I will stick to the roads, which my bike is more suited for anyway.

Fortunately, I think I have found a riding buddy. A friend from church wants to do some more riding and has asked if he can join me. I do not know how much motivation we can give each other. He's even more casual of a cyclist than I am, and he's also riding a crap Wal-Mart "Y" frame mountain bike. Then again... his is MUCH skinnier than I am, which means that his lousy bike may slow him down to my speeds.

I guess we shall see.

All I know is that I have a lot of riding to do to make up for a hot and busy summer.

Tobacco Heritage Trail

2010-09-25T13:44:00.000-04:00

I finally found the "trailhead" for this trail just a few blocks from my house. It's not exactly well known or advertised. To make matters worse, it is also not even marked off of the trail!

A little history here:

The Tobacco Heritage Trail is part of Virginia's "Rails to Trails" program, which is designed to turn defunct railroad lines into usable, hard pack trails for bikes, hiking, and horseback riding. The program has worked fairly well until the state finally realized, "oh, wait... we don't have any money because we are spending millions more than we bring in!" So this was one of first programs to get a spending cut. Although I'm a little disappointed, I fully expect and understand this. (My personal beliefs dictate that you shouldn't spend money that you don't have... I know, it's a radical concept!)

Anyway, all of this leads to a VERY short trail. From the official trailhead, it is a little over a mile and a half, with marks every 1/10 mile. However, there is a "lead up" trail that is about a mile long. When you add in the ride to and from my house, (sarcasm) I went a whopping 6.2 miles today. (/sarcasm) If the trail is ever completed as planned, it will stretch from Lawrenceville, VA all the way to South Boston, VA. This should be a total of 90-100 miles when all is complete.

In spite of the short distance, there are some really nice features to the trail:
* I like the hard pack gravel. It is a little more challenging than normal asphalt roads, which makes for a better work out.
* There is a stretch that is a solid 3/4 miles of uphill fun (can you say workout?).
* Lots of shade! (Trust me, this is very nice today where the weather is in the high 90s.)
* It's very close to my home! I can pop out a good hard ride and be home in under half an hour! Seriously, it takes longer to watch an episode of Charles in Charge (which coincidentally also takes a lot more physical strength than riding those 6 miles).
* Riding along the old railroad tracks also gives me the opportunity to see some back country that I do not get to on the highways.

I will add this ride to my regular routes! My plan is to do it until it is easy or they make it longer, although if government is involved, I think we know which one of those two will occur first...

You would give me kiss if I was on soccer team!

2010-07-28T09:10:00.001-04:00

Okay, that was a rigorous two hours of soccer last night. Well, honestly, it turned out to be about 1:45 of playing with 15 min of water breaks. As promised, I played the field and I did a lot (and I mean a LOT) of running. I didn't play any particular position. I roamed the field and went from midfield to defense to striker.

Still, this was a little intimidating. Me being both over 30 and over weight, and here I was playing against high school students. Granted, it made it a little easier since this was mostly the cross country team. However, there are many on the soccer team who run cross country to stay in shape. At the end of the night, the final score was 9-5, with my team on top. Of course I was very proud to have put in 4 of those goals!!

Granted, this was all unofficial. There was no coaching going on, and this was just for fun more than anything else, but it still felt good reminding these kids that as a coach, I actually seem to know what I am doing. There's nothing like schooling these kids who think I don't know anything.

Now I do have to admit that I got taken down by a girl half my size. It was one of my students from last year, so I'm sure she really enjoyed it. She had the ball and made a bad pass. So she tried to recover and I was on it too. Fortunately, I got there right before her and cleared the ball, but her leg got wrapped up in mine. She twisted my ankle pretty well, and while I was off balance she actually managed to flip me over. It was quite impressive, but looked awesome for her!!

All in all, it was a good sweat. Actually, it was quite disgusting how much I sweat last night, but that's another story. I don't use many sports drinks, but last night I had to get Powerade simply because of how drained I was. I am sore now, but it is a very good kind of sore!

I think that today, instead of riding, I am going to go and walk for a few miles. I haven't decided where yet, but I need to be ready for the next time we play.

(Oh, and if you don't get the title reference, go and look up Group X)

You know what excuses are like...

2010-07-27T14:29:00.000-04:00

Well I have not been vigilant about my cycling recently. I have not ridden since last Thursday!! Now, I spent some of that time on "vacation." It wasn't exactly vacation... it was more of a necessary trip that we turned into fun time at a motel. This did, however, allow me to have some good time swimming, which I don't seem to get to do very often. So I put in about 25 laps in the motel's pool.

I got back super late on Friday, and Saturday through Monday had triple digit heat. Seriously, I cannot bring myself to go cycling in 106 degree weather. Would you? Okay, realistically you could if you got up earlier in the day, but I've been a night owl recently. That's what I do when I'm not teaching.

I wanted to ride today, but it is raining almost nonstop. And I'm not talking about the nice, pleasant, ride through the drizzle type of rain. I'm talking about yellow and red on Doppler kind of hell fire and damnation! It's proving to be very interesting weather.

Fortunately, it should be stopping in the late afternoon. Will I ride? Nope. Why not you ask? Because I get to go and play soccer. I have two hours of soccer planned with some friends from work and school. I am excited about that, and I promise that I will not play goal keeper (which was my position even when I was young and skinny) so that I have to run and frolic and actually sweat because I'm running!

I don't know if the word "frolic" has ever been used to describe something with soccer. I don't think it works, and I promise never to use it ever again.

Ever!

New Home Riding: Day 2

2010-07-22T08:54:00.000-04:00

Today was a MUCH better ride. As I hoped, I left significantly earlier in the day (a little before 8:00). As one might expect, riding in 80 degrees is far preferable to riding in 100 degrees. I went about a quarter mile farther (5.3+ miles) and more than a minute faster (19:50) than I did yesterday. The hills felt about the same, but I was able to go faster over them, which sucked at the time, but feels good now.

Perhaps the best part of the ride was that I managed to break a true sweat, unlike yesterday.... Yesterday, I broke a sweat just by walking outside and staying there for more than 15 seconds. Today, I had a mild sweat for a majority of the ride, about 18 minutes in, my body started to really burn the calories. Unfortunately, it was there at the end, instead of a halfway through or something like that. Alas, I am on limited time today as I must leave soon to head down to Raleigh, NC for personal business.

Now for just a quick note on the area. I must admit that the people around here are much nicer than anticipated. They are (so far) very cyclist friendly! I mean seriously, they like wave and say hello and stuff. It's totally awesome to see. Now, I do not know if this is just my excitement of living in a new area, but so far I have no complaints about the locals. Not that I had any complaints about the locals where I was, but they certainly did not go out of their way to wave or greet me.

Goodbye to the long flat roads

2010-07-21T21:13:00.000-04:00

I have been largely out of commission for a while. We purchased a home and moved 20 miles west of where I had been living and riding. Unfortunately, due to health issues with my wife's pregnancy, I had to do the move largely by myself. Now, I must admit that I had some help from some wonderful friends, but that's a story for another blog.

Today, I finally got back on the bike after taking 3 weeks to make our move and settle in decently. Now this is where it gets fun. The weather was a miserable 99 degrees and with the humidity, the heat index was well over 100! I hate riding in such heat, but I couldn't resist. It's simply been too long since I last rode.

Perhaps this was not the best idea as the heat proved to be quite unbearable. I started off well, and managed to eke out a little over 5 miles. However, I came limping back in, trying not to vomit from heat exhaustion.

This was also my first introduction to the roads around here. I am happy to report that the hills are more bearable than I had anticipated. They are more pronounced than the flatlands from which I just moved, but all in all, they are not too bad.

I shall tackle them again tomorrow morning before I have to drive down to Raleigh. I hope to get out before the heat makes it as bad as it was today.... which means I should be in bed by now.

I can't believe I forgot to post...

2010-06-26T22:31:00.000-04:00

Yeah... somehow I managed to overlook posting the ride that did before I went on vacation with the boys while wifey was off at girl's camp. (It was posted over on www.dailymile.com, but not here.)

I was a little too eager to get the summer started, and went for a ride the day after school finished. I was ready and eager for a nice long ride! Unfortunately, my body had other plans....

After a mere 2 miles, I started coughing like a smoker, and early into mile #3 I had to stop in order to "throw up." At that point I turned around and got home as quickly as I could. I was just too sick with the sinus infection to put forth that much effort. Fortunately, the rest that I got in South Carolina seemed to be all that I needed. I got home just in time to close on the house I'm purchasing.

Since Sunday is my day of rest, there will be no rides, but I am eyeballing Monday before we start moving into our new home. It's only 20 miles away and we have the time to make a "shoebox" move rather than doing it all in one day.

Soon I will start exploring new routes and roads for riding!

Family Vacation Week = No Rides

2010-06-26T22:14:00.000-04:00

This week we took a trip to visit family in South Carolina. It was a nice trip, and my offspring was surprisingly well-behaved. So much so that I actually stopped at South of the Border to let them have an ice cream. Now, if you are not familiar with this place, check it out. It is doubtful that you can be on I-95 between Georgia and Virginia without seeing billboards for this place. It's the bane of every traveling parent's existence, but I digress...

The only real bad part of the trip was the weather. I have come to be spoiled by the relative lack of humidity in Virginia compared to that of south Georgia, where I started cycling. Nonetheless, I knew that the 100+ degree weather combined with humidity would make cycling while there on vacation a little too miserable. Therefore I left the bike at home. I actually feel a little guilty about that. If nothing else, it did give me time to completely get over my sinus infection, so I will be ready to start next week in the saddle!!

Okay, to be brutally honest, there was one more bad thing about the trip, but it was completely my fault. I broke Rule #1 of Traveling for men. I didn't take my own toiletries. I don't know why my family doesn't use soap. I mean, normal, everyday soap. Instead, they have all the fancy shower gels. So I had my choices of Chamomile-Vanilla, Green Apple, and Mixed Berry. If it wasn't for the first one, I'd think I was cleaning myself with Crystal Light. The Chamomile option now makes it sound like tea. If it was a hot shower, I could have just let myself steep. Moral of the story (once again): Men folk need to make sure and take your own soap on vacation.

Now, as per usual, I will take Sunday off from cycling, but I will be back in business soon. Stay tuned for more details of the many adventures in cycling.

Summer is finally here!

2010-06-19T14:40:00.000-04:00

I have been waiting for this!

Summer is finally here again, which means that this semester has finally come to a close. I couldn't be any happier about that. This has been one of the hardest semesters I have ever had. Over the past few months:

taught at the high school,
taught two classes at the community college
coached high school soccer,
took two graduate classes as a student, AND
proctored the SAT and ACT two weekends a month.

All in all, I am ready for the break. Granted, it is only 8 weeks, but I have committed to ride at least 500 miles this summer on my bike. I know that is not too much for 8 weeks, but I have already seen how hard it is for me to do 100/week, although it is doable. I didn't help that during spring break I was fixing my bikes as well. Now they should be good to go, BUT other issues ensue.

Next week my bride is off to girls camp with the teenage girls from church, which leaves me alone with the boys... who are too young to be left alone while I ride for an hour or so. Moreover, we are about to buty a house which is going to take some time moving into, and there are at least 3 projects that require immediate attention (bathroom remodel, finish off a bedroom, and install insulation). All of this will take both time and money and eat into my precious cycling time. On top of which, I will now need to find new places to ride. I know where to go here, but I am moving to a town half an hour away. I know I will find more hills and freer roads.

Now, with all of this going on, I am happy to report that my weight has remained the same!! Without the routine exercise I have managed to keep my weight static, and I am considering this to be a GOOD thing!! I know that ideally, I will be dropping the pounds through dietary changes, but honestly, with all the stress I had this semester combined with the junk food... yeah, honestly I have to admit that I am happy that I have simply not gained.

Now that I have some summertime, this is the time for me to start dropping it through proper exercise.

Stay tuned for the exciting details!!

No rides this week

2010-04-17T13:22:00.000-04:00

Spring break is over, and I am back in the grind. School is annoying and seriously cramping my cycling style. I haven't been able to ride, but I have been getting some exercised though.

With my normal schedule right now, life is nearly miserable. I coach soccer at my high school. We have games on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but don't forget the practices on Tuesday and Thursday. Of course, I also teach full time during the day, and I teach night classes at a junior college at night. For this scheduling I have been trying to get my exercise at soccer practice and run with the kids. Of course I am a rather competitive and intense sports fanatic. All of my non-starting players seem to enjoy watching my antics and pacing. I am the kind of coach who comes home from every game hoarse, sore, and exhausted. I usually feel like I've been running.

Of course, I also walk to school a couple of days a week.

Although this schedule is killing me now, I think that it'll all come together in a few weeks. There are only 2 more weeks out at the JuCo in this semester. Ironically, there are only only 2 more weeks of 3-games a week. Then I will be able to get into some real riding again. Until then... I'll squeeze in a few miles here and there as I can.

One lucky bird...

2010-04-10T22:12:00.000-04:00

It has been a couple of days and they have been adventurous!

This past Thursday I had a new 20 mile trip planned, but I had to call it after only 6 miles. Can you believe that!?! 6 miles!!

Okay, that was when I decided to turn around. I picked a new route that would take me over hills and through the woods (but not to grandmother's house). The first problem was that I didn't realize that this route has more uphills than down. Disappointing though that may be, it is a fact of life. I'm fine with that, in theory.

However, the hills were not the problem. I know I sound like a broken record, but this was one of the worst headwinds that I have ever felt on a consistent basis. Just to put it in perspective, I was still actively working to pedal downhill (on the few that I got). In fact I had to make three rest stops before I even go to the 6-mile mark!

You see, I had crested a hill, and I saw this nice, long, flat, beautiful straightaway. I was so excited, to be honest, but the problem was that I was pedaling as hard as I could wand was only keeping about 13.5 mph. I knew something was wrong, and about half way along this straightaway, I decided to give up and head home. This was my third stop and I cheked my bike's computer. I had barely managed 12 mph.

6 miles in 30 minutes!! Simply put: that's pathetic.

After I turned around, I had the wind behind me, and it was a dream come true. I was dang near flying home. As I was going I decided to test the wind. Since it was coming straight from behind on the flat, I rode until I could no longer feel the wind. Although I could see the grass in the fields blowing, I felt nothing! No wind against against my face, nor on my back. If my theory is correct, that means I was traveling as fast as the wind, which means I had been riding against a 15mph headwind. No wonder it was hard.

So I cruised home, fairly quickly. Actually, I rode the 6 miles home 10 minutes faster than it took to get there (avg. 18mph). That was quite impressive, but it averaged the day out to a nice 15mph trip.

That was Thursday. Unfortunately I didn't get to ride yesterday or today because my wife is feeling sick and I was taking care of the boys as needed. I let her rest as much as possible since I return to work next week after spring break. And then it's going to be soccer games and practice that will kill my cycling. Oh how I cannot wait for summer.

Still wondering about the title of this post? Well I hit a bird tonight. (I snuck out at dusk after the boys went down for a quick 5 miler.) As I was riding I saw this cat pounce ten feet. A bird flew away just as the cat got to him, and the bird was actually hit in the air. This threw him off just enough that it hit my leg as I coming by. In spite of this, the bird still managed to fly away and it seemed to be okay. All I can say is that with two close calls, that truly is one luck bird!

Repairing the damage...

2010-04-07T14:28:00.000-04:00

It's a good thing I am on spring break, as this gave me the chance to take care of repairing these spokes immediately. Now, I have about 525 miles on my Trek, and I am a hefty rider. As an FYI, this is not a good combo. Reading in various cycling forums for us "clydesdales" (male cyclists over 250 lbs.) it seems that a lot of the stock rims have issues after 500 miles or so.

This was a good realization to have, especially since I have already replaced one broken spoke. So now, I had two more spokes to replace, which would be 3 out of 36. At the local bike shop (LBS), we put a little stress on the remaining ones and two more broke. Now, I'm looking at this from the perspective of 5/36 are broken, which is essentially one-sixth. I figure that if this much is going, how long before the rest of them? So, in the long run, it would be cheaper to replace the whole rim and get another 500 miles rather than replacing a few spokes here and there. The major drawback is that I will have to get it trued in about another month or so. Again, this is still cheaper in the longrun, in my opinion.

I also took the liberty of picking up some new brake cables and cable housings for my Puch. As I was working on it the other night, I realized that all of this needs to be replaced. After I get that done, I will see about replacing the gear cables. Until that time, I just need to make sure that the bike is good and rideable. I will try and get all of this done today/tonight, but I still have to get a bike ride.

In other news, on a personal note, my wife and I went looking at houses yesterday. We didn't find "the one," but we have identified at least 3 houses that we both like. We are keeping our options open, but are really hoping to help out the economy by purchasing a house before the summer is out. Is it sad that I'm keeping ease and accessibility of cycling as a major factor in my half of the decision making process?

Damn the luck!

2010-04-06T11:46:00.000-04:00

This was one heck of a day. It started out wonderfully well. I had a good rockin' pace going early on in my ride. There was some shade, a cool yet light breeze, and then it all went downhill.

I know I sound like a broken record, but the headwind make such a difference. I lost my 15+mph pace very quickly when I started heading south on my route today. I thought that it was the hill (about 1 mile at a 25-30 degree incline) which has always given me trouble. However, I was still struggling to keep 13mph even on the back side of the hill. I thought that it was just severe fatigue until the road made a right hand turn and I went behind a clump of trees. Almost immediately I shot up to over 16mph! That is until I passed the trees. (and now to sound like a salesman...)

But wait, there's more!

The same thing held true when a delivery truck passed me and stayed in front of me for a little while. Riding in his wake, I was able to draft my way up an additional 3.5mph. Headwind really does make a phenomenal difference!

I did, however, stop at a truck stop about 10 miles into my ride. I got some more water and I bought a banana. That break was great, but I was also at the point I turned north. At that point I was riding uphill at over 15mph. It felt AWESOME!! I was cruising along and on the back stretch of the ride, which I always enjoy, until WHAM!!

I was heading downhill at about 25 mph when I hit an oversized bee squarely with chest. It hit so hard that it literally knocked my breath away. I think it was as much shock as anything else, but that did a number on me.

And then, when I was almost home (about 2 miles away) I heard two gunshots and my bike fishtailed a little. I took one look down, saw the wobble, and knew immediately what happened. I stopped to confirm: two broken spokes!! That sucks, because now I have to get someone to fix that for me; I can't do it myself.

Now, I know that I need to replace the brake cables and brake housing on my Puch anyway, so I think I need to make a trip to a bike shop ASAP. I need to make sure that I get these 100 miles in this week. With my three rides so far I only have 39.6 done. Only 60.4 more to go, and no bike that I feel comfortable riding that far.

Oh what fun...

You know what they say about excuses...

2010-04-06T08:18:00.000-04:00

I didn't get to ride yesterday, so I absolutely MUST ride today. My wife had to spend quite a bit of time at the doctor's office and that cost me some of my prime riding time. Unfortunately I have some obligations this afternoon, which means that I have to ride this AM, but wifey is sleeping in. Part of her recovery process.

Anyway, I spent some time last night with my Puch, and I have updated that page here on this blog. I hope to have some pics added in the very near future. Stay tuned!

Major changes to the website!

2010-04-04T11:55:00.000-04:00

For those of you who are faithful followers of this site, you will notice some major changes and updates. I am attempting to make this website more informative and interactive.

First of all, there are new pages available with the menu just above the blogs. Here you can find information on my bikes and history of my rather unique moniker. Just below, you will find some tabs that let me know what you think of my posts. Finally, you will notice that you can email direct links to my posts.

Feel free to contact me with any questions or suggestions for improvements.

Please understand that I am not going on a ride today. I am going to relax here on Easter Sunday, but rest assured that I will be back in the saddle again tomorrow.

Until then, I hope that your weather is every bit as enjoyable as it is here in southside Virginia, and that you are taking the the time to recognize the Easter holiday!

Headwind: I curse thy vile name!

2010-04-03T13:19:00.005-04:00

Today was a good ride I have to say. I went for a jaunt right down the road to a community about 5 miles south of town. I thought it would be quick, but I did not account for the headwind. It was pretty bad at first, but it eased up as I continued. Just to give you an idea of how much of an impact it had on me. From my house to the church parking lot (that I use to stretch, get water, and turn around) took a little over 23 minutes. This was disappointingly slow for me as this was a shorter ride than I took yesterday.

However, once I got back on my bike to head home the wind, which had largely died down, was now at my back rather than my front. I knew that I was making better time, but was surprised to realize that I saved about 5 minutes of time!! I finished my ride in a little over 40 minutes total. This means that I did the second half of my ride in roughly 17 minutes; this is about 5-6 minutes faster than it took to get there.

This was a good ride, and all in all I averaged 15.25 mph, which was much better than the 13+ mph I had yesterday. While I would like to think that I am going to be a little faster, this was both a shorter and slightly flatter ride. It should have been faster. In the near future I will return to yesterday's route and see how much time I can take off of it.

I still seem to hate the first half of the routes I ride, but the second half is SO much better. I think I am going to have to find some new routes to ride so that I don't have them as well memorized.

Note: this picture is not me, my ride, nor owned by me. I found it online, here, and will gladly remove it if requested by the owner.

The 500 Club

2010-04-03T13:11:00.004-04:00

Okay, so this isn't that much to many cyclists, but to me this is a big step. I have finally reached 500 miles on my bike! This is a LOT of cycling to me. You see, when I bought this bike 2 years ago, I also got a computer that tracks speed, distance, time, etc. Well, it has a lifetime counter as well. Today, I crossed 500 miles on this bike.

So far my lifetime stats on this 2008 Trek 7100 are:
506 miles
45 Hours, 25 minutes

This comes to an overall speed of 11.14 mph. This is not all that great, but it does include a lot of in town and through neighborhood miles, which are inherently slower. Of course that sounds like an excuse... maybe it is. All I know is that I have finally broken in this bike, and I hope to get another 500 miles in by the end of this year.

We shall see how that works out. I know that I can do it. Now it is a matter of just getting on my bike and riding!!

Very full day!!

2010-04-02T20:59:00.004-04:00

Working 3 jobs is hard enough, but what really sucks is that I do not have the free time to ride as I want. That's why spring break is so wonderful!! Today was the first day of it and I could only wait until 9:30 before I was on my bike. I started by running a couple of errands in town and then going for a little stroll through the countryside.

It was kind of funny, because as I was coming out of the post office parking lot, there was a group of about 7 cyclists at the traffic light waiting for it to turn green. I have to admit that I thought it was pretty cool that there were more bikes on the road at that time than cars, but that is a side story. We all caught up to each other about two traffic lights away. (We were all turning left, and that light takes forever.)

As the pulled up behind me, they were checking out my ride, as I did to them. These were some serious riders. They all had the jerseys, drop bars, lights galore, and more. It was also very cool to see a married couple sharing a tandem bike. They started the morning out in Petersburg, VA and they were heading to the beach. I should have asked them which one since this town is out of the way for finding the beach. Then again, they said it was a 225 mile trip for them, so obviously they are not worried about the fastest route. We split up after about 3/4 of a mile, and I continued about my journey. It was nice to be back in the saddle, and the first 6 miles of the trip were absolutely wonderful.

However, somewhere in the 7th mile it all started to suck. I was going uphill, my legs were hurting, I swallowed a bug, there were more and more cars... all in all that was just miserable. I was seriously beginning to question if I was really going to finish the ride. Regardless of that, I decided to push through and kept going. Then about the 9th mile the worst was over. I got my second wind and everything was great. I cruised right along at a nice, easy pace and kept going.

I decided to stop somewhere after 11 miles to readjust my saddle and make a couple of other minor tweaks to the bike; it seemed to ride even better after that. All in all, I went little over 14 miles in about 64 minutes. I was sad that it took so long, but this was my first real ride in a while. Although I have tried to shake off my winter legs, it's time to get some real riding in.

In order to keep myself motivated, I promised my soccer team (oh yeah... I'm a soccer coach. Did I not tell you that?) that I would ride at least 100 miles during spring break. If I didn't, I would run 10 laps while they watched. Sheesh... why did I make that promise? At least I got the first 14 miles of it done. Now to pace out the remaining 86. That'll be fun...

At any rate, this is only part of the day, but the rest is rather personal. Let's just say that the prospects of buying a house are very good right now, and I am rather excited. It's our attempt to help the economy. Well... that and to stop paying rent! I am REALLY hoping to find somewhere within a distance that I can ride my bike to school. There are a few options as much as 6 miles away. For now, we will just have to wait and see how they look on the inside.

Until then... lot's of water, rest, and getting ready for another ride tomorrow!

Back in the Saddle (again...)

2010-03-13T12:14:00.003-05:00

Wow... Winter is ending, spring is here. A couple of weeks ago I took my bike to get it serviced and ready for the summer. A few days ago I pulled it out and put it on the road for a quick round trip to work (1 mile).

However today's weather was far too wonderful... I had to go somewhere! So I hopped on the bike and went for it. I wanted to ride south to a town 5 miles south of where I live for a nice 10 mile trip, but when I got out there I couldn't resist. When I came to the first hill, I dropped it into high gear and I pushed it... both ways!

Although it was only a rolling hill, I managed to hit just shy of 29 mph heading down, and I maintained 16.5 mph coming up the far side. I must admit that I was so bushed from that, that I had go slow. I relaxed on the flats, but I pushed hard on the hills. It's good to know that I can do it, but it's depressing to know that it took so much out of me.

On the bright side, I see a few positives:
#1) Now that I got that out of my system, I can start riding for distance and weight loss.
#2) It's still a beautiful day and I got to ride my bike.
#3) Even though I am fat and out of shape, my calves are freakin' rocks!! I like this one because it makes me feel cool knowing that I have something stud-like about my body.
#4) While I know I am still fat, I can accept this and even have a sense of humor about it. Here's a cycling jersey in which I am thinking of investing:

If only I had an extra $985...

2010-02-14T15:40:00.002-05:00

For those of you who do not know me all that well, you should know that not only am I overweight, a cyclist, but I am also a HUGE Civil War buff! I wrote my master's thesis on the theory vs. practice of states' rights within the Confederacy (but that's another story altogether).

Unfortunately, I came across this gem for the summer. It is a Civil War Tour that goes from Gettysburg, PA down through Maryland and to Antietam Battlefield at Sharpsburg, MD and concludes at Harper's Ferry. All in all, it's 4 days of history-goodness rolled into one big, long cycling journey. OOooo.... I am so jealous of those who can go.

Alas, we are currently (and desperately) trying to get out of debt while simultaneously trying get ourselves into a position to buy a house. (Yes... I know... it seems oxymoronical to get out of cebt only to buy a house. Well a college education and a house are the only debts that I am willing to have right now. All other must be eradicated.)

So this is my latest disappointment, but it does give me a goal to which I can work. Of course this is a financial goal rather than a cycling or weight loss one. Nonetheless, I am glad to know it's available.

Oh, and on a side note: My tax return should be in soon, which means that I will be purchasing a new wheel for my bike and then I can get back in the saddle!

I am REALLY hating this weather!!

2010-02-11T21:23:00.002-05:00

The combination of the snow, ice, and wind are making it pretty darn hard to get any decent workouts going. I have been pretty good about walking to and from work, but that is only a mile each day. About once or twice a week I manage to get an extra two or three miles walking in...

To make matters worse, I will NOT be able to join the Monument Avenue 10k. That's a real heartbreaker. Unfortunately, there is a seminar that I need to attend in order to complete full certification with work. It meets three consecutive weekends, and I'll let you guess when it begins. Yeah... that's how karma has decided to work things out...

Now, on the cycling front, I am dying for some warmer weather and/or lack of ice on the ground. For the time being though, it is not too bad for me. I still have not fixed the rear wheel on my bike. I am patiently awaiting my tax return so that I can get a nice, new wheel. One that support one of my "girth." (That's a polite way of admitting I'm still fat).

However, that should only be a couple of weeks, and by that time the weather will hopefully be less "sucky" (yes, that is a technical term).

So for the time being, I am trying to walk and if not lose weight... just not add any. I am looking forward to this spring and cannot wait to get back on the bike. Until then, I will try to post every now and then, and just keep my weight steady.

What a bad week for working out.

2010-01-22T22:12:00.004-05:00

As I sit here watching Yellowbeard, I cannot but help to lament this week. It has turned out to be one that has afforded VERY little opportunity to work out. I have walked to work three days this week, but not much else. The weather has been miserable. On the days it hasn't rained, the weather has simply been below freezing. Call me pathetic if you will, but that's a little too cold for me. I think that I still fear a little bit after walking 2-3 miles a night for a week straight and catching bronchitis. Looking ahead, the weather does not appear to plan to help me out any... so I will just have to suck it up and go for it!

In spite of the bad week, I am still on pace with the training schedule for the Monument Avenue 10K. So out of the negatives I can take at least one positive. Unfortunately the minor moral victory does nothing to get me into better shape.

Oh, and if you've never heard of Yellowbeard, that is a film that you MUST check it out at some point. It has half the members of Monty Python, Cheech and Chong, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Madalyn Kahn, and a few other comedic greats. Imagine Pirates of the Caribbean meets Holy Grail.

Back in the Saddle (and Training)

2010-01-16T17:23:00.003-05:00

I know it's been a while, but I make no apologies. I am currently in training for the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K in Richmond, VA. (Check it out at http://www.sportsbackers.org/events/10k/10k.htm) I'm going to be walking/jogging that, so don't think I'm ready for real running. I started my training a week before the schedule recommended.

Monday calls for 30 min of cardio, so I went ahead and decided to do that cardio today. I went on 30 min bike ride. I truly notice a difference in how I feel, sweat, and react after that magical 30 minute mark. So, it was a good start. But today was my first ride in months!! It was a little awkward back on the bike after walking for the past two weeks, but it felt good.

The weather was a little bit of a problem because it was a little cooler than I like (low 50s) and I spent most of my time in the neighborhood. That really slowed me down with all of the stop signs and intersections. All in all, I went 7.25 miles in just over 30 minutes. That came down to about 13.5 mph.

Nonetheless, I am well on my way to getting in shape for the 10K. I know that I am in shape now, after all "round" is a shape. I just want to try a different one.

I will probably take one more ride this week if I can, but will be walking more than likely. I am a little concerned with the rear wheel of my bike. I made some adjustments, but it appears to have more damage that needs to have a professional look at. I don't mind the shorter rides around town, but I'm not heading out on the roads until I get it looked at. Now I just need my tax return, but that is another story all together.

I'm Back!!

2009-11-12T18:36:00.003-05:00

I have no clue what happened, but for some reason Blogger suspended my account!?! There was no explaination, no warning, heck there wasn't even any notification!! The only thing that I finally managed to get was a generic notice (about 2 weeks ago) that my account was suspended due to violations of the user agreement. Apparently, they thought that I was selling or illegally promoting something. Once again, I have no clue what, or why, but they suspended my account due to these supposed violations.

So... when I received that notice regarding my suspension due to contract violations, I sent an email posthaste to the powers-that-be requesting to know what about this blog or account was inappropriately advertising anything! I have waited quite patiently for any kind of response, but to no avail.

Hmmm... What to do...?

And now, tonight, for the first time in what seems like forever, I checked out my blog. And there behold for one and all is my blog!?! What the heck?

Just as magically as it appeared, Llama Likes Bikes, has magically reappeared! (The "magically" comment is kind of funny as my son is watching Harry Potter right now.)

So, I hope that you will have some new and improved posts in the near future about my rides and riding. Then again, I need to get back on the bike anyway. I've been off for a while, and the weather is atrocious! So far we have had 3 straight days of rain. I like it, generally speaking, but don't like having that as an excuse for not riding. I hope that I can go for a ride this weekend.

What a disappointing day!

2009-09-05T18:58:00.002-04:00

I was looking forward to getting back on my bike for a good, long ride. Things were looking good, and I was out and about at a good time. I started with a nice mile and a half through the neighborhood before I even started on my route. I went out with vigor and enthusiasm. I took my 15-mile route and did it backwards. As it turns out, this is a LOT easier going the other way. I was cruising along about 1.5 mph faster than the normal route.

I was also enjoying some nice, not-too-hot weather. The shade along the road was nice, which helped my speed and time. It was rather foolish of me to start this route without a water bottle (as the cage broke earlier this week). It wasn't too bad generally speaking, although I did get a hankering for a drink.

The problem came in between miles 9-10. I don't know exactly what happened, but I felt a wobble and a fishtail. I looked down and saw that my rear wheel was wobbling!! I stopped to check it out, but couldn't tell if the wheel is out of true, or if there is a problem with the hub. I will check it out tonight, though.

I tried to limp along, and cruised along at about 12-13 mph, but didn't trust going any further without doing any damage. I ended up calling my wife to come and pick me up, which was embarrassing and disappointing. It was even worse when I realized that I was only 1.3 miles from home! Oh well, I'd rather make sure I got home safely without causing any significant damage to my bike.

So, it is time to either ride the as-of-yet-not-fully-restored Daimler, or spend the next few days jogging. Hmmm... what to do.

Oh yeah, and if that wasn't bad enough, my beloved Georgia Bulldogs lost to Oklahoma State. The calls were so bad and one-sided that even ABC's announcers were commenting on the lack of consistency. That doesn't change the fact that the Bulldogs did not execute when they had the chances.

A potentially broken bike... the Dawgs lose... and I may have to end up jogging... Yup, it was a VERY disappointing day.

Holy FREAKIN' cow, what a night...

2009-09-01T21:48:00.003-04:00

So I rode my bike out to the college and back, where I teach on Tuesday nights. It works out to a good 9.5 mile ride round trip, but tonight was something surreal. It seemed that everything that could go wrong, DID. Here's a quick list:

20 mph headwind on the trip out
Headlight batteries died
Taillight batteries died
Water bottle cage broke
My pants leg got caught in my crankset and nearly flipped me off the bike. This is particularly puzzling as I had the leg rolled up AND tied with an ankle strap.

So in the end, I rode 5 miles in the dark, honestly fearing for my safety! However, I made it home safe and sound, thanks largely to divine providence. Seriously folks! Now I am not trying to turn this into a religious blog or anything like that (even though I am a Christian and not ashamed to admit it). Yet tonight, there was far more coincidence than could be simply justified away as... well... coincidence.

I had a beautifully clear night to ride with an almost-full moon, and I was able to see the road clearly enough to stay safely on it. But if that wasn't enough, every time that I was coming up on rough road, a pothole, loose gravel, or some other obstacle a car would happen to come by at that moment and I had light sufficient to safely navigate around any potential problem area. I was also blessed with many considerate drivers, who ALL moved into the far lane away from me while riding. This is something that NEVER seems to happen. Usually drivers want to see how close they can get to me.

At any rate, it was a night where there was potential for disaster through numerous safety issues, but all came through just fine. In the end I remained safe and actually feel very good thanks to the ride.

But just to let you know how much respect they give cyclists around here, this is what they consider "sharing the road."

Officially, the COOLEST website ever!!`

2009-08-28T21:22:00.002-04:00

Okay, realistically, it's probably just the most useful website, but coolest sounds more fun. So check THIS out.

This is from the US National Track and Field website. It is a wonderful little tool that uses google maps to help you create routes. It is originally designed for running, but the applications are endless. I have already checked out some different routes that I have ridden (and it seems to concur with the odometer on my bike) and I have looked at some routes I am wanting to ride.

Now, on a side note, I rode my bike to work today. I was running late this morning, and I can fly to the school when I need to. On my way home, though, I took the long way, so I went three miles today instead of one. It still didn't do much for calorie burning, but it will help keep me limber until a real ride.

Back to work

2009-08-28T00:43:00.001-04:00

School started up again. Yesterday (I'm writing just after midnight) teachers reported back, and students return the day after Labor Day. Oh what fun...

Seriously though I am looking forward to getting back into a normal routine. I hope to make exercise occur at a normal and/or consistent time of day. I will hit up the coaches at the school to find out when the track and weight room are available so I can use them as well.

My riding will not be anything impressive since I only live 0.5 miles from the school. However, there is a way I can wind through the neighborhood to kick it up to one mile. What's the point though? One mile isn't even enough time to work up a sweat, much less burn any calories. So I believe that I will continue to walk to school UNLESS I am going to change clothes and go for a long ride immediately after school. I can see myself doing that in the winter so that I can take advantage of the warmest part of the day.

Until then, I'll just continue the power walks and hit the bike in the late afternoon when it gets cooler.

On a positive note, I had two teachers tell me that I look like I've lost some weight. Apparently it is not much yet, but every little bit helps.

Right now, I'm just trying not to stop.

No ride, but an interesting day

2009-08-21T21:31:00.007-04:00

Unfortunately I did not get to ride today. :( So sad....

But I did get in a decent walk today by going to the library. It was about 2 miles or so. I decided to shake things up and do something a little more "full-body." I planned on taking a ride after the boys went to bed, but that thrown all in arrears. Friday nights are family pizza and movie night. We make 2 pizzas from scratch, and each son helps mommy make one, but I digress.

Well, while I was walking home this afternoon, I got caught in a massive downpour. That was fun, and wet. The bottom dropped out of the sky and it rained rained rained!! The problem was that a tree limb fell in the storm, hit a power line, and knocked out the power in the neighborhood. It took about 2 hours for all to be restored... which meant that movie night was pushed back... so the boys have just gone to bed... and I am not going to start my ride at nearly 10 at night. So I am planning on getting up early to go on my ride.

Before the storm, though, I did come across something here in town that I had seen, but never really looked at. This is a German WWI 150 mm howitzer! Now, you should be asking yourselves, "what is a 1917 German cannon doing in front of town hall in a small, rural, southern Virginia town." I'm glad you asked. This was taken as one of the so-called "spoils of war." The local Sons of Confederate Veterans chapter managed to acquire this, somehow, at the end of WWI and donated it to the town as a memorial to those local citizens who served and died in the war. They also managed to get some of the projectiles for the weapon. You can see them lined up on the right-hand side of the cannon.

Maybe it's just me, but I find this fascinating! Too many people I know here just see a cannon and think that there is nothing special about that. Yet how many have actually taken the time to stop and think of either it's significance or its rarity. This is the kind of rare gem that makes traveling so much fun! There's a lot of stuff out there to be seen and experienced, but too few actually do it. Every time I slow down and look around, I love it.

You should try it too.

And in case you are interested, it appears that Norwood, Massachusetts has the same thing. Maybe they were on sale after the war.

It's been a long depressing week...

2009-08-20T14:06:00.003-04:00

Last weekend I did the unthinkable... I weighed myself! (insert nervous gulping sound here)

The result? I gained 15 lbs!?!

I must admit that this shook me pretty badly. I'd spent so long working so hard, and here I am gaining weight? I went into a bout of severe depression for a few days after that. To make matters worse, some of my cycling friends informed me about how much weight they gained and expanded around the midsection. Needless to say, that made things worse.

However, after a couple of days, I started doing some research here are some points that seem to be considered while riding to lose weight:

DRINK MORE WATER!! This seems to be a consistent key, and it seems that I need to drink more while cycling than other forms of excercise I have done in the past.

DISTANCE!! This is of vital importance. Upon further investigation, the guys who gained weight while riding seemed to ride anywhere from 8-12 miles per day. The difference is that they rode in short segments of a couple of miles at the time. Now, this leads to my next point:

CONTINUITY!! I have read various studies arguing for and against segmented workouts. However, conversations with people who have successfully lost weight cycling seem to say 15 miles per continuous ride is how they did it. Long story short: I need to ride longer distances more often.

SCHEDULE!! Although I am just excited of the prospect of losing weight, but I need a little more patience. I think I will have to change the schedule for one day aerobic, one day anaerobic.

GET OFF THE D@MN SCALE!! Two points here:

First of all, muscle weighs more than fat. So as I build muscle and tone my (already beautiful) legs, the weight will go up with the increased muscle mass.
Secondly, I need to focus on the waist line, and not the scale. Which is also depressing, but at the same time I need to consider this: I gained 15 lbs, but my clothes fit exactly the same. You try adding that much without having to adjust your wardrobe.

So these are my thoughts and new knowledge. I must admit that I am still a little depressed, but I am going to improve. I will get back on the proverbial horse tonight and start my way back.

Random thoughts

2009-08-14T17:37:00.003-04:00

Just a few comments today. I haven't had a chance to ride yet because I have spent a majority of the day in the library or in class. It has not been a fun day, and I don't know if I will get to ride with the rain we're having today. *insert big frowny face here*

Yesterday was a busy day as well, but I was able to get in a quick 5 mile jaunt. I hope to do the same tonight after the boys go to bed.

I do want to make a comment regarding why I like cycling, outside of the whole "hoping-to-lose-weight-and-feeling-better-physically" thing. It starts with my love of driving. Ever since I got my driver's license I have LOVED driving... perhaps that is why I spent 3 years driving buses... who knows.

At any rate, as a teenager, I loved sneaking away for a Sunday afternoon drive. In south Georgia, we had many roads that were sloping and curvy, with little to no law enforcement. I would go out and push my car and driving abilities. There was nothing like a drive in the country.

Cycling is kind of like that, but a little more intimate. When you are on a bike, you feel the curves of the road, the imperfections, the gravel... Everything that exists on the road, you become a part of. I find things you would never see otherwise. On one ride, I found 3 snake skins that had been shed. I have seen deer and many other animals who otherwise would have gone unnoticed.

Perhaps the best part is the weather. Admittedly, it can (and sometimes is) the worst part. But think about this: on a bike (or a motorcycle for that matter) there is no climate control. You feel the hot or the cold. If it is wet, you are wet. The notice the individual smells, the wind, and anything else going on around you.

In short, when cycling, you are truly riding in the country. In a car, at best, you are merely riding through the country.

Think about that next time you are out driving. Would you rather be in or going through the country?

2009-08-12T17:15:00.003-04:00

Today was a fun day riding. One of my fellow teachers, who lives in my neighborhood, and I went for a ride together. She has a nice fixter of a beach cruiser and is jsut now attmpting to start riding her bike to save fuel and miles on her car. So I showed her some good routes to ride, and we went to the post office. Together we managed a full 3 miles together.

We went along at a nice 12mph (or so) pace. We made it back to her house, I dropped the hammer and pushed it for a hard ride after that. I went down a stretch of road that has nice gentle hills (if you can even call them that) and I cruised along at about 17 or 18 mph for that stretch for an additional 8 milesm making 11 total for the day. It was a nice ride, and also fun to have someone with whom I could chat for a while.

I am trying to talk her into riding her bike to school regularly. That way we will have 3 bikes crammed in the teacher's lounge. Maybe then the school can look into getting a bike rack. That would be GREAT since there are some students who I know would ride if they had a place to secure their bikes. We'll see if it can happen.

Alas, I digress.

On another note, I must say that temperature plays such a dramatic difference. Going out this morning, it was about 20 degrees cooler (upper 70s), with a mostly cloudy sky made the ride amazing. I went a mile further and completed the ride faster than I did on Monday. Yet when I got home, I had a drink of water and was all set for more activities. After Monday's ride, I came home and collapsed on the floor after only 5 miles. Fortunately, the cooler weather is predicted for the rest of the week.

Ahhh.... I'm looking forward to some good rides!!

Finally, here is another great sign I came across while riding. I don't know about you, but I'm quite glad they informed me that the road ends in 110 miles! Not 11.0 or 1.10, but 110 miles. I checked the sign closely and it indeed lacks any period. Sheesh, if there's no outlet, and you've driven for 2 hours, you probably know what you're looking for down there....

Hottest Day of the Year, and Another Milestone

2009-08-10T21:58:00.005-04:00

No, I am not exaggerating. Seriously, today was the hottest day of 2009 in this area. The temperature was up to 99 with a heat index of nearly 110. I swear, I thought I was back in Georgia. Nonetheless, I went for my ride today. Although I could have easily written off part (if not all) of it, I knew I needed to go.

So I ran my errands by the post office, registered my son for kindergarten, and picked up some textbooks from the junior college (where I teach at nights). All in all it turned into a 9.75 mile ride for the day, but it was miserable!!!

I stopped three times to fill up my water bottle, and even stopped in one convenient store just to cool down for a couple of minutes. My legs were putty and nearly useless by the time I got home. I felt worse then after Saturday's ride more than twice as far.

The worst part was that I was so tired, I fell asleep before taking a shower. Ugh....

Fortunately, tomorrow will not be as hot, and the rest of the week is lining up for the mid-80s. I am looking forward to some good rides before I must return to teaching.

The other great milestone is that today I passed 400 miles on my bike! It's a little weird thinking that I have ridden that far, but obviously I have. I am looking forward to many more miles, but also looking forward to losing some weight. Alas, I still haven't come to weigh myself. I guess I'll do that in another hundred miles or so...

Longest Ride Yet!! ...And some disappointing news

2009-08-09T16:55:00.006-04:00

I am super excited after yesterday. I rode for a whopping 21.5 miles! That nearly doubled my previous single trip distance of 12 miles. I used to think that 10 miles was pretty good, well for a fat guy that is. As it turns out, I am capable of much more.

I went at (what I consider to be) a disappointing 14 mph. I could sit here and talk about the headwind (which was pretty bad), or the heat (upper 90s!), or even that there were more hills than anticipated (which is true). All of these things came together to make it a challenging ride. I pushed myself longer and farther than I ever had before, and in the end, I wasn't thinking about how hard it was, the hills, the heat, or anything else. I was thinking how much I wish I had taken a camera! There were some nice scenes along Hwy 301, but I can wax poetically about that at another time.

Not only was I excited about the distance, but I have also been going for three weeks as of yesterday. In that time, I have cycled 104 miles! This works out to 4.95 miles per day in that time. Which tells me that I am hitting the overall average, AND that I have largely compensated from my family vacation to Georgia.

Now for the disappointment. I was speaking with a far more avid cyclist than I. He explained (completely unsolicited and unawares of my plan or this blog) that for weight loss, I should expect to cycle 12-15 miles at a time! I don't know how I will get that much out everyday. Maybe I will kick my goal up to 10, I'm not sure. All I know is that I have A LOT more work ahead of me.

I will try to get in a 6 mile rie tonight, but I have at least 10 tomorrow with the various errands I have tomorrow (Monday). Here's to a lot more work, and a lot more fun!!

Llama Road Kill (Almost)

2009-08-06T15:31:00.004-04:00

It has been a long hard 3 days since I returned from Georgia. I have pushed myself hard and had a lot of fun with it. After doing 7 miles worth of errands on Tuesday, I went out that evening for a quick 3 mile ride to make 10 for the day.

Yesterday, I left for the Wednesday night service at church early and asked my wife to pick me up on the way whenever she caught up to me. I went down a fairly busy stretch of road that I had never ridden before. I should have known it would be more difficult when I had to cross the interstate (I-95). That was an adventure, but it was funny watching the reaction from teh driver behind me.

We were stopped at a traffic light immediately before the interstate. I was looking around, and I could see that he didn't like having a cyclist in front of him. Fortunately, we were on a slight downgrade, and I was able to get myself up to about 22 mph or so, and slingshot myself up the overpass. He was visibly impressed when he passed me half-way up the hill. He even gave me a "thumbs up."

That was all fine and dandy. The bad part came when I was on the rightmost of the four lane divided highway (two lanes in each direction). Most of the vehicles were passing in the left hand lane, which is greatly appreciated. (As a sidenote, if you see a cyclist, give him plenty of room on the road!!)

Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, a semi came past me with about 6 inches to spare!! It scared the ever living crap out of me!! Years ago, I drove buses, and I learned that 6 inches it more than enough room, but it still scared me when I wans't expecting it. Now, in all fairness, the trucker had cars in the next lane and could not move over, and I understand that he didn't/couldn't clow down just for a cyclist. But whoa.... that was something.

I had to stop for a few moments to collect my thoughts... which, now that I think about it, is better than stopping to collect body parts. Still it shook me up and I ended up going slower for the rest of the evening. That was why I only managed to do 10 miles. Nonetheless, I made it to the county line, which was definitely an accomplishment.

Speaking of accomplishments, with today's ride, I have managed 26 miles in 3 days! (I would have gone further today, but the rain was eminent, and I didn't want to get wet.) Tomorrow I will step on the scale and see if there is any progress.

What exactly is a Wonder Llama?

2009-08-05T10:28:00.012-04:00

I think it is time for you to meet the cast of characters in this endeavor, which would include me and my bikes. I wanted to to start things off with me; not because I am arrogant and self aggrandizing, but because I know that a few of you are wondering where the title/nickname/moniker of Manuel the Wonder Llama originated. Well here you go, wonder no more…

It was at a ripe young age that I first saw Monty Python and the Holy Grail (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071853/). It was on A&E, and yes, I did watch that channel in 8^th grade. If you have not seen it, then take the time, otherwise, this post may sound like gibberish. (Let’s be honest, it may still sound like that, but we’ll see.)

At the beginning of the film, the dramatic opening credits are cut short due (twice) and finally they hire another crew to finish them. Due to budget cuts, they hire a super cheap group peopled almost exclusively by llamas. One of the crew was named Ralph the Wonder Llama. By the end of it I came to love Monty Python, and I was starting to learn the subtleties of their humor.

So, it was the very next day in school that I was in Georgia History when things came together. My teacher was Mr. Sweat. Seriously! His name was Mr. Sweat! If you think that is bad, his first name was Delmos. I swear, it is like his parents didn’t think he had to grow up in school. But I digress…

So we were discussing women’s suffrage in history, and one of the girls in class was up on her soapbox about women’s lib. I saw the opportunity and I couldn’t resist. I raised my hand and threw in my two cents worth:

Me: Mr. Sweat, I agree. A woman’s place is not in the kitchen…

Classmate: Finally a guy who gets it!

Me: …we need her in the rest of the house: to do the laundry, make the bed, clean the living room…

Needless to say, this did not go over too well with everyone. Some laughed, but my colleague got quite irritated, and challenged me:

Classmate: I swear, you really are just like every other guy I can’t believe you. Just who do you think you are?

Me: (Thinking of the intro to Holy Grail) “I am Manuel Llama”

Her: Huh?

Me: And not only am I a llama, I am a Wonder Llama! And nobody messes with a Wonder Llama!!

And so there you go. The official creation of Manuel the Wonder Llama. It is silly, stupid, and crazy. However, that is where the term came from. Sorry if it is a bit underwhelming. But this is where my love of Llamas started. Perhaps that is why I like Carl from "The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron." Oh, and this is an artist's rendition of a Wonder Llama looks like. (Thanks Preston!)

A Great New Prank!

2009-08-04T11:49:00.003-04:00

So I was glad to get back into the cycling action after vacation. I used today to run some errands around town to get myself started back on a good note. Unfortunately, this town is small enough that my main errands wouldn't take a full five miles. So I got creative and took a long route, and added an unnecessary task just to get my mileage up where it needed to be. Actually, I went a little over 7 miles when all was said and done.

I did, however, come up with a fun prank. I had to go by the Department of Motor Vehicles and decided to stop in and see how they handle a cyclist. I rode up, went in with my helmet, and inquired about how to get a license for my bike. They kept trying to answer about a motorcycle. Big surprise right? The bast part was when I was informed that my helmet was not appropriate for a motorcycle. It took them a while to realize that I was talking about a bicycle!

Oh... it was fun! Stupid, but fun.

Back Home and Way Behind

2009-08-03T23:19:00.004-04:00

You know, it is generally a bad idea to try and start a new exercise program of ANY kind the week before leaving on a family vacation. We were gone for 11 days, and I only rode my five miles on 4 of those days.

I missed 3 days in travel, 1 due to being doped up on benedryl after being swarmed by wasps, and 3 more due to inclement weather. Ugh... what a horrible vacation for cycling!!

Otherwise the trip was okay. It consisted of much yard work and odd jobs for my mom and mother-in-law. Plus, there were the online graduate classes that I am working on as well. Hmmm.... On second thought, it was not much of a fun vacation now was it?

Fortunately, I am back home! This means I can get back to a regular schedule and get back in the cycling groove! Whoo hoo!!

I plan on starting tomorrow by running my various needed errands on bike. That should cover the mileage easily. Plus, after the many hills in Snellville, the flatlands of southside Virginia will be like visiting an old friend.

And I am sorry that I took so long to update. So I would like to reward your patience with a hilarious sign that I saw today at a rest stop on I-85 in North Carolina. This is one of the better public signs I have seen.

Based upon the phrasing, I guess it is not punishable to use the parking lot as a urinal but NOT as a toilet.

The scary part is that you know they would not have made a sign if there had not been a need for explaining it.

A bit of advice for the men out there

2009-07-30T23:29:00.003-04:00

I missed riding yesterday due to an unfortunate incident involving a lawn mower, a swarm of yellow jackets, and a whole bunch of benedryl. Fortunately, I appear to not be allergic, and have fully recovered from the incident. There were at least 5 stings, and there were probably more. I'm unsure because I ran out of fingers upon which to count...

Today's ride was largely uneventful, but I have learned one VERY important lesson to share with all of the men folk out there. Simply put: Always have your own soap! I am here on vacation, and I am at the mercy of my mother-in-law's showering amenities. This usually is not a problem as there has always been masculine shampoo. However, today I came across the unthinkable: no soap. Seriously, men use bar soap. Women use that shampoo-esque bath gel. And that was all I had to clean up with after my ride.

Ugh...

You see, I was showering up to go on a date with my wife. A true date, that involved dinner, and opening car doors for her, and fancy stuff like that. Alas, I couldn't smell manly for her because the shower gods conspired against a man on vacation. So I had to go out with her smelling like "Warm Vanilla Brown Sugar." And let me just tell you, that smell clashes with the Speed Stick deodorant!!

There it is, men. The moral of the story, when you go on vacation, make sure you pack soap with your toiletries.

Conquering Snellville

2009-07-29T08:11:00.002-04:00

We made our way up to Snellville (near Atlanta) to visit some more family and friends. Since I missed a ride on Monday I determined to try and catch up on Tuesday.

No such luck.

I think I have managed to find a natural anomaly. I believe that this town is the one in existence to have more uphills than down. Even when I tried to return home, I swear that there were roads going uphill both ways!?!

The worst part about riding around here is that I don't know the area that well, which means I was learning it as I rode. Coming from rural Georgia, there is something that I am familiar with, but of which I do not have an intimate knowledge: cul de sacs!! These things are evil! What's worse is that they pop up out seemingly of nowhere, and usually at the bottom of one of the few hills.

At least that was the case yesterday when I managed to get a downhill, and I was flying along just over 27 mph, when I happened to see the dreaded cul de sac. Expletives ran through my mind as I locked down my brakes in an attempt to stop before flying further down the hill, but without pavement. I was seriously considering putting my feet on the ground to try and "Fred Flintone" that bike to a stop...

Fortunately that was not necessary as I turned that remaining energy into a fast turn around. Then there was something even worse: the uphill from Satan.

To be honest, I got a little lazy at that point. I put it in the granny gear and eased my way back up the hill a little under 10 mph. I know where I am NOT riding today.

Although I didn't catch up in distance, I do believe that I managed to burn more calories and get a better workout than if I has simply ridden 10 miles on flatter ground. Oh the joy that is the uphill battle. I'm not really looking forward to today's ride, mostly because I have to go and cut grass first.

Not so anonymous...

2009-07-28T12:17:00.005-04:00

Sunday morning I went for a nice pre-church ride. It was nothing too long, a quick 5.5 miles, but this time I truly went with a purpose: to answer my question. As it turns out, things seemed easier on Saturday because of the slower speed. I pushed myself as I normally would, and found the town to be every bit as I remembered it; not too hard, but still a decent workout.

The best part was that it was a cool (high 70s) Sunday morning. In a sleepy little town like Swainsboro, that meant that I largely had the roads to myself. It is great to be able to ride and not worry about cars, traffic, exhaust, or anything else. All I had was some quiet time with the outdoor air and my thoughts. But, with the way my mind works, that could be a scary thing... as you are about to see...

The best part of the ride was that I got to take a picture that I have wanted for years. Our local Alcoholics Anonymous building is something unique. First of all, they have their own BUILDING! Not a meeting hall, not a room in a church, but an entire structure. What's worse is that they have their own sign out front. This is nothing abnormal about that per se. What is unusual is the size of the sign. It is massive! Below you will see it, and my bike is in the picture for a size comparison.

Now, what this tells me is that they have enough need and business to erect a massive, concrete, permanent sign for this facility. Yet what makes it really interesting is the willingness to have it. You see, a town like Swainsboro is small enough that you can pretty much recognize people by their cars. I did it in high school all the time, and I know many people who still do. My point is that if you are at an AA meeting, people driving by know your car and know why you're there. Hmmm.... not so anonymous now is it?

Fortunately I didn't have to worry about anyone asking my why I was there on a Sunday morning. I figure those who are successful in the program are at home getting ready for church, and those who are not doing so well are at home hungover. Either way, I was free to sightsee all I wanted!

Yes it was a good ride.

Unfortunately, I missed a Monday ride due to yardwork and inclement weather. I need to make up for that later today.

First Ride in Georgia

2009-07-25T16:09:00.005-04:00

I love Georgia. I lived here for many years, and have pined for the state while I lived in South Carolina. Now, after a year in Virginia, I came back in the late July and have to say, I LOVE Virginia summers. Oh my gosh... the weather down here is horrible. Sadly, though it is no where near as bad as when I was in high school. We are not hitting 110 yet. Still, upper 90s with a side order of 90% humidity, I do not miss this!

Which is why I will cycle in the mornings or late at night. I went for a ride at 10:00 this morning, and that was very nearly too late. Fortunately, I was able to ride with my wife. She's great, but a lot slower than I am, which may be a good thing. I'm sure that if I pushed myself at my normal pace I would have gone too hard in the heat. As it stood, we managed a nice 12 mph. (Which was much like riding with my nephew... you can check that story if you like.)

I must admit that the roads, hills, and everywhere else I used to go seemed to be a lot easier than before. I don't know if it was because of the additional year of practice or if it was from the decreased in speed. Either way, I think I was sweating more from the heat than the ride.

We managed a nice 5.33 miles today, and I look forward to another ride tomorrow. I hope that I can go with Wifey again, but we will see about that in the morning.

Family Trip with EVERYTHING... and a Trash Can

2009-07-25T10:52:00.004-04:00

So we have come down to Georgia to visit family (both mine and my wife's). The bad part is that I didn't get to ride for two days in a row. Thursday I missed due to traffic court (that's another story altogether...) and Friday I missed due a mere 9-hour trip in the car. That was fun. I could literally feel myself getting fatter just sitting there for so long.

And to make that worse, I actually had an ice cream cone yesterday! Well, first it is important to know that we have a little bit a tradition. Since we usually come down I-95, the kids always want to stop at South of the Border. If you do not know what that is... you HAVE to take a trip down 95 just to get the experience once. Trust me, there is enough local color that you do not even have to get off of the interstate to experience it. Well, it is a good point approximately half way, and not a bad place to stretch our legs, so we usually stop and let the boys get an ice cream cone. It was here that I made my mistake.

I had an ice cream too.

Full fat ice cream.

I know that was horrible for any kind of weight loss, but I have lost 5 lbs in the first week of cycling, and was feeling good, and was apparently not thinking. So I had a "trash can." This is a flavor of ice cream that is a combination of all other flavors. I don't know how or why they make it, but they do. And it is offered at South of the Border. And I had one. It must be popular as it was the only flavor that was nearly gone. All I can say is that was another once in a lifetime experience that I am glad I had, and will never have again.

So, that aside, we made it back down to south Georgia for the first time in nearly a year. But I did the important thing: I brought my bike. It's going to be fun to ride in my old stomping grounds and see how it compares. I used to ride on a crappy old Wal-Mart bike, which was great until I replaced it with a Trek... one of the best moves I have made.

So now I get to see how a good bike and one year's worth of experience on a decent bike changes the riding experience in south Georgia.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Riding with my nephew

2009-07-22T10:50:00.004-04:00

I went riding today even though I didn't feel like it at first. This is the great and odd rule of cycling. The more I don't want to go, the more I am glad that I did when I get home. There is some kind of weird, inversely-proportionate rule for that I think.

At any rate, I went riding with my nephew. He borrowed my good bike, and I took the 35 year old Daimler road bike out for a spin... that was an adventure.

I know I am not fast, but I am a LOT fast than my nephew, who is 13. I had to stop twice to wait for him, and then made him ride in front of me so that I didn't leave him forever behind me. Actually, it was at the halfway point that I stopped and waited for over a minute for him to catch up. That was bad, but I never expected him to get so far behind on such a flat stretch of road.

Our trip was like this:
Nephew: peddle, peddle, peddle, peddle, peddle, peddle, peddle, peddle, peddle, peddle...

Me: peddle, peddle, coast... look at birds... enjoy the breeze... peddle, peddle, coast... look at birds... enjoy the breeze...

Well, you get the idea.

When we got back, we had gone 5.25 miles and I felt that I had hardly broken a sweat. We'd averaged 11.9 mph, which is a lot slower than my usual 15+ mph. Oh well, I will count this as a non-aerobic workout day.

It may have been slower, but I am glad that I went for the ride. It's pretty fun riding with someone. Plus, this is five days in a row. One more then I can take a day off. But at this rate, I might not. We'll see.

4 Days Down... who knows how many to go...

2009-07-22T08:24:00.003-04:00

So far I have managed to do this for four days straight. I started with a 10-miler on Saturday, and have followed up with 5 miles for the past 3 days. I must admit that this is the first day that I don't want to ride. Luckily it is the summer and I can put it off for a little while. I'm using the fog outside as an excuse. We get really thick fog that usually burns off around 10:00, so I will try to go then.

I have just today thought about when to weigh myself. Ugh... what a miserable concept. I really HATE the idea of stepping on a scale, but I have to do it at some point. Otherwise, I won't know if my plan is working. So, after careful thought and consideration (I believe I spent about one half of a second on it) I have decided that I will do that on the weekend. That way, I will start at the one week mark and keep it going from there.

I haven't decided if I will post my weights or not. Mostly because I am still embarrassed by how much I weigh. Alas, that is a story for another day...

Let's get this party started!

2009-07-20T23:20:00.003-04:00

So you are probably wondering who the heck this is, and those who know me are wondering why the devil I am doing. Well, it is simple. I have enjoyed cycling for a couple of years now, but I have been inconsistent with it.

The problem is... well... to quote Tommy Boy, "I have what doctors call a little bit of a weight problem."

So here I am, attempting to do something about that. My goal is to ride 5 miles a day 6 days a week. Right now, it comes down to motivation and time management. I hope to get it started on a good note.

I welcome you to join my misadventures and share your stories as well, but most importantly, let's have some fun along the way.