It's official

I am out of shape. Perhaps my cunning plan of doing absolutely nothing other than drinking booze and eating holiday garbage from November until now was ill thought out. I had my suspicions after my two slow rides to work this year; I suspected the bikes I was riding (and the machines may have contibuted, for sure) but after getting on the trainer yesterday I have a better idea of where the fault lies.


My winter setup


I rode for about forty minutes yesterday, and that's laughably low. I'll be riding again today, and I'm shooting for at least an hour. It's hard for me to find stuff to write about when I am actually pedaling out in the world; finding stuff to write about in my living room is an even more daunting prospect. I will tell you that if you think your wife doesn't use that spare yoga mat, check first. When she notices what you have done with it, you might end up on the hook for a new one.

My dog is fascinated by my trainer. She is not a big fan of bicycles anyway (or any two wheel contraption) and she is unsure how to handle this one. While it is something she knows that she hates, it doesn't act like any other she has seen; it's loud, but only one wheel is moving, and I am sitting still. During my whole session yesterday she laid on the floor maybe two feet away, and was more attentive than I have seen her in a long time.


The only other time she isn't splayed out like a bearskin rug; when I am trying to take a picture of her.


It is going to be cold and rainy this week, so I'm only planning on riding on Monday. I also have several meetings that I will need to drive to, so even if it were nice I wouldn't be able to ride. I'm shooting for a few hours on the trainer during the week, but I have never been an exercise for exercise's sake type of person. I like cycling beacuse every ride is a little adventure. Cycling isn't really "fun" in the traditional sense of the word; it's partially about suffering and pain. Indoor cycling is all about suffering and pain, with any of the stuff that makes riding kind of fun stripped away.

In other news, I recieved my press credentials for the NAHBS show, so I will be in Austin on the 25th and 26th of February, looking at awesome handmade bicycles that I could never justify buying for myself. I'm fascinated by the whole handmade scene, and I'm sure I will enjoy the experience. In addition, as "press" I will be attending some parties that the public won't be allowed at, so hopefully I will get to meet some cool folks. Mellow Johnny's is throwing the official party on Friday night, so I'm hoping that Lance will be there.

Sargeant Shultz

I have seen nothing! I have ridden miles to nowhere.

Twenty minutes on the trainer feels like an infinity. I said I would be on the trainer three times this week, and last night was the first of 3. I had to smoke a brisket for my lodge holiday meal, so I was puttering around in the garage getting my smoker ready, and when the meat went in I remembered my promise to my faithful reader(s) and decided to roll up my pants leg and get to work.

I slipped off my Texas Rangers Crocs (double Idiocracy!), rolled up my right pants leg, slipped on my riding shoes, and off I went. I was smart in that I placed my trainer setup right next to my beer fridge, so I was properly hydrated for the entire ride, at least. I rode in silence, with only the whirring of the trainer and the hickory smoke drifting in from outside to keep me company. I feel like I got a reasonable warm up workout in, but I realize that 3 x 20 minutes a week is going to do approximately nothing for me, other than burn through my beer supply. I'm going to stick to these goals, but I'll up my sessions a little. Next week I'll shoot for a night and morning workout.

My Falcon is at the powdercoater, getting a candy red 2 step paint job. I spread the rear drops to 130 to accomodate the modern hub I'm going to be using with the STI brifters I'll be installing. I hope to have the frame back from the guy by Sunday, and then I'll be ready to put the stickers on the bike and start putting it together. The Suteki is coming together as a fixed gear, but I need to lube the chain and do some part polishing before it goes too much further. I have a neat lugged stem that I'm putting on, but it needs some polish, as does the SR seapost I have. I also need to get a freewheel for the other side of my flip/flop hub, so that I can run the bike on the paths around my house. I wouldn't want to run a fixed gear on the paths, becasue you never know what's coming around the corner - though I wouldn't think the paths are quite as busy when it's this cold outside.

I have a couple of leftover photos I'll put up from my train riding days very shortly. I had a couple of posts in the hopper when I had to alter my plans - though I promise I will ride at least once before the end of the year, and I will post a train blog when I do.