Trial by Rain

Last Friday night’s freezing rain seeped into my Populo Sport’s controller (upper right corner). I pedaled up the last three miles without DC power.

Today I’m sealing it up with silicone in what I hope to be the last bullet-proof upgrade.

Nippy Zipping

I rode my 2.44 Motobecane for a grocery run today. After a nice break and in the frigid wind I had a tenancy to bust out and burn – both with acceleration and deceleration. Had to tone it down a bit after avoiding a minivan that drifted past it’s stop sign.

My fantasy goal with riding fixed gear bikes is to ride like MIB cars. Not the movie kind, but depictions of theories of alien MIB cars. Moving in defiance of inertia. Erie and unnatural shifts in velocity. I think I achieved a bit of that today.

Bokeh Bus

Rolling home with 50lbs of groceries on no-man’s-land I was able to frame a peripheral shot.

City bus decorated for the Manitou Christmas Parade slowed down when the inflatable Rudolph started falling off the roof.

Check Six – Check Five

I’ve enjoyed a week of early morning commutes, near-clear roads free of the daytime noise and mania. Conditions where so ideal I broke my average speed record at 17.5 mph last Thursday.

The east-bound right lanes of  Manitou Avenue are badly damaged so I ride the center lane until I reach new pavement after the Highway 24 overpass. Never a problem.

This morning, being Saturday, I’d expected even less traffic – and there was. I drifted into a high velocity meditation of pace and surface scan. Suddenly a Jeep jolted out in front of two approaching Incline commuters who braked and swerved into my middle lane.

I braked and swerved to the broken edge and looked back to see another car approaching behind me. It was at a safe distance, I was lucky but embarrassed that I didn’t check my six and five before swerving.

It was just so strange to suddenly be surrouded by five cars from out of nowhere.

CS Bike to Work

I missed the bike-to-work  event  cause I was too busy biking to work! https://goo.gl/photos/rmMbhWnPdSQVT7AM9

34 Miles

 

I climbed 34 vertical miles this last year, that’s six Mount Everests. Never reached orbital velocity, but gained a great perspective.

So . . . I don’t climb the mountain “because it’s there”.
I climb the mountain for the view.

1 Year Commuting

Broadmoor sunrise commute. 4,500 miles traveled 180,000 ft. climbed.