Training :P

I rode the Racer 0h, 5.4 miles for the church trip and another 2 miles later — and *did* coast out and OOPS car coming and no, I’m not in “braking position” but yea, my legs figured out what to do. It’s still not comfy. It *is* an awesome bike and its one gear is Sue Jones’ Favorite Effort Gear. Chatted w/ a “sister from another mister” buying shrooms at the market — she’d gone in by the time I pulled up to her Schwinn … but she left when I was leaving and her steed is from the fifties, obtained at the police auction when they had those. I appreciate the similarity of paint jobs…

Last week somebody linked to somebody’s research survey about the effects of athletic training on life and stuff. So I took it, noting that it included things about injuries and oh, the stuff of people who push really hard in competing. I reflected on not really competing or riding hard for a while, and/but that I managed to get 535 miles last *March* because of the absolute joy of having the Xtracycle back (including getting pulled over by an Urbana cop, and when he said that well, somebody on a bicycle had been taking stuff from yards, I refrained from saying “you know, not too long ago I would have assumed you were telling the truth,” and just went on my way… I didn’t even say “are you new?? DO YOU NOT KNOW WHO I AM???” 😛 😛 )

… and while on the weekend I only eked out 18 miles (9 is the Basic Errands so yes, there was extra but… not a RIDE extra), today for the lunch laps I did the second 1.45 miles in 6:05, as in, breaking a sweat, because a: I want to get to 500 miles today (6 more to go and it’s a 6.8 mile commute home 😛 ) and b: just talking about being competitive triggered it 🙂

And a Facilities and Services truck was plopped in the middle of the Fountain cut – through — but in a place aperson could ride around. And I have a baritone solo in Maori to learn 🙂

Tailwinds!

The weather was kind again and the storms abated by 7:00 and the winds soared me on into work. So, I’m ahead of last February’s grand total already! That said, I managed 523 miles last March…. inspired by Having The Xtracycle Back. Welp, I’m going to get inspired by … looking at Last March 😛 and hopefully by having the Racer back. When my amazon points reappeared from the credit card, I Gave Up and ordered a new S-6 tire from Kenda. I put a new tube in too on general principle and … eyed the rim tape suspiciously. It’s possibly from 1968 😉 IT ROLLED ROUND 🙂 🙂 That said, the Coaster Brake Motor Memory … did not return yet. So comin’ into the driveway I braked NOT ENOUGH and put the left foot down but that would be the foot to brake more so I was Flinstoning … but I shall aim to ride it to church Sunday — and take a picture of the wonderful thing 😉 — and consider putting “Vaca con cuernos” on the top tube as its name, since I’ve been doing Duolingo enough so if somebody said something in Spanish I might have half a clue 😛 My student worker one year saw the bike and said that phrase and then “I don’t know how to translate!!” — well, basically it’s “milk cow with horns,” the horns being the handlebars and the big ol baskets being udders 😛

The winds are **supposed** to shift so they’ll blow me home with diving temperatures — but only diving slightly below freezing. January was seventh warmest month ever… I’m thinking February may top that ’cause we had some cold spells, and yes, I’m downright worried about summer.

Windy BUT

I expected to take the bus in today. Got up to hear Jim Meadows on WILL note it was 54 degrees and then back to NPR, reflecting that I’ve often been annoyed when they just read the forecast without telling me what the temperature is, but TODAY I want to know about the wind and rain factor. So, to the computer that says “WIND ADVISORY” and that it’s 22 mph out there and going to be 27 by noon. So I dress … for 35 degrees because my brain refuses to believe it’s 54… and note that okay, it *will* be 35 by the time I get home to do the 1.5 mile ride-to-Race STreet visit.

Then I looked outside. Erm, when it’s windy, tree branches move around. They’re not. I go outside. Okay, the clouds are moving briskly but not scary-brisk.. I go back in and it still says they’re 22 mph from the south.

Welp, Parkland is about 5 miles west and 1 mile north of me. Tailwind, though There Will Be Places where the buildings, etc redirect a strong wind.

I get on the bike (a solid 6 minutes earlier than usual, don’t ask me why) noting I’ve a pair of sweatpants to go over things at work – but I toss the rain pants in the crate anyway… and yes, a breezy ride in with the weird effects of areas of low, dark clouds and bright sun in other parts of the sky… I’ve gotten to work with the “extra credit” version — *at my desk* and seeing the computer say before the hour — 3 days rolling. Well, okay, I’m keeping track as of this week (so even though you didn’t ask why… )

The green tank’s chain is still … too hard and rusty to get into the big gear and yea, it jumps in a place. We’ll see. I ordered an S-6 to see if I can get theSchwinn Racer riding as if wheels were round again. Tires are abear to seat right — but perhaps I have the wrong S or something. I already got the Tri-Flo 😛 and the wild butterfly face mask

So it’s forecast to be back down to 23 mph winds — and from W not S so I won’t have to charge into it for that stretch at the beginning of the commute and … I’m up to 98 miles for February 🙂 *and* some of ’em not walking pace.

The Trek site had a “dual sport 1 Gen 4” for 650 bucks on its site. Not step through but looks like enough of an angle to help with my lack of flexibility… but it’s not at my shop. I might swing by there anyway… and see what the two “higher end” versions have. Except they *do* have a verve in the same price range and that is a LOW STEP thank you. Hmmm.

Seat???

past days I’ve seen Assorted Riding Foibles. Coming from library, a prime bike theft spot (but recent cameras may have changed that)… a guy who was definitely “riding like he stole it” on a bike with minimal air in the tires. He tried to hop the curb and I said ‘you’ll need more air in the tires to do that!” as he had to dismount… he said something about trying to find a way to get around faster and that yea, he hadn’t pumped up the tires.

Wednesday I got to be nice to two different bus drivers in the same quarter mile — there we were, sitting at the fourth street stop light which doesn’t always detect *anything* (and no, it’s not going too far forward; you need to be on the left part of the lane and sometimes that doesn’t work either)… so I asked the pedestrian to poke the button and voila! Yellow! (I don’t know if it being like 13 degrees had anything to do with it) … then yes, the Teal actually goes under the train tracks and I pulled over so it could go first.

HEading home — talk about riding like you stole it, the guy was on a bike *with no seat.* Except I don’t think he stole it because he was riding strong, as if he’d done it on purpose like that rider from the Quad Cities who did that (word was “it was the triceps cities before he got there!’)

But also oh, I don’t remember the first idiot but going home eastbound on University … where was that horn? Oh, *behind* the car waiting to cross northbound. I hollered out a “thank you for waiting even if there are a** around.”

And… a few happy comments about my assorted lights 😉

BUT today it’s 6 degrees and I got on the bus… this cold the silly chain would be sad even *if* it were well lubricated, and it isn’t…. THIS WEEKEND 🙂

Just do it ;)

I went to bed early thinkingI’d get up early; when I didn’t feel like it, I attributed it to moribund habits — no real ride since last Tuesday. 19 degrees out there, a dusting of snow, the radio guy says might be slippery and they were out treating the roads. My road has *puddles.* So Ifigured… salt works… and it’s Monday so it takes more to get stuff together even if the “stuff” is in “I’ve been riding the bus” mode, and the get-to-work-at-9 bus leaves at oh, 5 or 6 past the hour, not 13 past the hour so I’d have had to wait for the 16 past the hour that may or may not go to the terminal so I’d have to think and pay attention 😛

Oh, 15 mph NNW wind and my last stretch is out on the prairie into the North. And my chain is ridiculously rusty b/c I *did* do errand rides. Drivers were *nice* — because yes, I was often Out In The Traffic Part … tho’ unlike last week, the sides weren’t icy, just snowy. I was working hard and goin’ slow — heading towards the Prospect light Iwas where normally I can make that next cycle… realized when I tried to get to that speed and gear up how slowly I’d been going and no, didn’t make it…

On campus I followed another bike’s tracks through the snow and yes, that Miyata that parks in my cave *does* ride in the weather. Slightly knobbier tires 😉

… and yes, I’m glad I rode in. It’s a “going to be worse tomorrow” — supposed to dive down to 7 tonight and that’s getting to “no exposed skin” range, and where if the bus marquee says “It’s too cold to walk!” I believe it 😛 (Today it was “BEEP BEEP.”) Tomorrow’s the bike club annual meeting — and now I’m *glad* it’s at the Urbana library not out at nice restaurant… in W. Champaign… b/c I’ll be able to bus it easily. Should toss the real laptop into the bakcpack though…

Still riding ;)

about 240 miles in this January… got the tank out (the Transport, the Trek longbike wiht fatter tires but STEP THROUGH I MISS THAT ) …. and pumped up the tires… but need to give the chain some love and lube. It’s lockin’ up. I also think another one of my pedal thingies might have a bum switch… except I might just have the same pedal light that has the bum switch. Need to find the fifth one (Redshift sent me a replacement) to see 😉

It amazes me every time a driver coming out of a big strip-mall parking lot such as on Country Fair…. does the stop thing a full car length *back.* It’s called GOOD INFRASTRUCTURE because they can see well enough to stop there to wait for me… and I can be confident they do see me! Today somebody did a full speed-around-and-pass a driver being courteous behind me, though.

Last January had 287 miles … but many inches of sloppy wet snow predicted for tonight/ tomorrow. I’ve been given permission to work from home but we have good bus drivers. If students come in for help, I want to be here, and if they don’t, I want to be here to hopefully do what I’m going to do NOW and get stuff done….

Santa Rampage!

Yes, I posted this to social media 😉

about 20 of us rode from Common Ground out to A Local Bar That Shall Remain Nameless, our leader having chatted up the manager and informed them that we’d like to descend upon it two weeks ago… but upon our arrival — there were folks outside smoking and drinking but it was a private party and we were not among them.

So! A quick text to the Ice House. Of course they’d welcome us!

Not only that…I heard somebody else being told “______ is covering the first round.” When I heard the same thing, I said, “but we’re only here for one!” And he looked at a person, who looked at him, and he said, “that’s okay!” and I realized nobody in our party was named that, and the person at the bar was just *really* welcoming us 🙂

And, while the address is on Prospect Avenue, it’s accessible without riding on that nasty road (that is getting a road diet, yay!!!) so, it just went on the “A” list like the Rose Bowl… which was our next destination with 3 folks playin’ jazz holiday stuff.

’tis the season 🙂

My favorite weather

… Raining, 42 degrees – not raining hard enough to go through the wannabe-rain-pants, and not much wind and tailwind for the Country Fair part. *Barely* beat the 13-bus-mass-exodus at Transit Center time-wise, which meant I was going through the construction when all the school folks were also at the school across the street (they’re building new athletic facilities for the school but a lane is blocked off). A “grateful people don’t mind just slowing down” morning 😉

Last night I was peeling home from the Sisters’ Residence and some people were comingout of, if it’s the corner I think ig was (hey, it was dark), a community center… people approaching a car so I went on around and was greeted, “Hi, Sue!” — so I stopped, said Hi back, and asked who they were 😛 Filed the name in my brain … *still* hoping to figure out some way to get the Brown Robe Center for Cosmic Enlightenment and Ciphering Skills (I looked it up: archaic: doing arithmetic :)).

HOping to figure out a charging station at home for pedals, helmet and lights — from the Jackery. Looked at the solar panels at GoalZero b/c Tony had one on his bike set up to look like Just a Front Rack … and the advantages of a panel that JUST CHARGES EVEN IF YOU AREN”T MOVING if the sun’s out are awesome…

so many little bloggables ;)

I need to do the little ones more!

Last Friday was BLUSTERY and if it hadn’t been Friday I’d have done the bus home and back, but hey, I stayed on thebike and upright for that rough half mile out of the college into town.

Tony Cherolis is in town in between lives, having ridden more than 6000 miles seein’ the countryside. So last night I went down to the bike project and helped out a little — everybody there was either a volunteer or “not yet” 😉

And I was up to #2 in “rides ridden” on lovetoride — but it’s gone corporate. You need funding to qualify for prizes. Folks, if those amazing benefits for getting your employer on board are that good, you wouldn’t have to be that cheesy. Honestly, it’s drizzly today and … I *didn’t* get done what I should have in the a.m., so I stayed in — but also because … I don’t ride for the prizes but yea, I’m just going to use the site to log my miles, thank you and nope, not worry about lookin’ good on their lists. If I’m a second class rider in their eyes, I don’t need to contribute to the stories, etc. or share out online… and *yes,* I’ll be looking for another option (as in, I can make a spreadsheet, too 😛 )

I *think* I simplified the bags on the Xtracycle — at least one bag-to-bagframe is now a velcro buckle, *not* three different entanglements of old innertubes. I used 2 old inner tubes, at Tony’s urging, to just string a bit of a barrier between bags and spokes, like a skirt guard though not covering nearly as well.

And I’ve got sparkly reindeer headband on the helmet 🙂 AND …

LOL it’s tomorrow and I have no idea what that was but I need to actulaly publish this 😛

uncanny :)

OK it was all hallow’s eve last night, today All Saints, tomorrow Day of the Dead

I could see my breath last night — and the temperature was above 50. It was just that foggy. Yes, I had a lot of lights going, and being trickortreat time, people were looking out…

This morning the fog was dense. Yesterday I really wanted to NOT take the bus so I could duck down to friend’s easily for Hallowe’en. Today I wanted to ride because … I wanted to ride 😛 So, I swapped out for the Winter Helmet with its lights… YES I got the mirror in a good place that doesn’t even block the front lights, and I gorilla taped the pumpkin headband on.

I checked traffic cameras and wondered if they were up to date b/c they were not so foggy…. hopped on the bike… and the day brightened as I rode. Yesterday it got nastier and rainier as I went west (which is typical), so I arrived in Costume of Submerged Mammal… (Goretex top meant that was fine and I swapped out trousers for the ones in the plastic bag). Today? the day brightened as I rode, and the light at Bradley Waited Forever For Me and I was even early.

Feeling the need to give back what the day is giving me! Let’s get focused 🙂