saturday with kim's

The rides from Kim's Bike Shop (also on Facebook) on Saturdays now suit me so well that those are my default Saturday rides unless there's something else in particular going on (well, they are awful welcoming!). I've got a routine now: I stop in at the Wawa for an apple fritter* (they're huge, and have no redeeming social value, appealing solely to the prurient interest), which sometimes excites comment from the staff or other patrons - I'm in full bike regalia, and I carry the front wheel into the store to make the bike that little bit harder to steal. Then I ride up Jersey Avenue looking for an empty building, so I can go behind it to find a place to urinate without distraction. I usually get to the shop a bit early.

For today, though, Snakehead, who's newly back from The Land Down Under, was looking for a ride companion, so we agreed to do the Kim's ride, then maybe break off at the top of Coppermine to repair to Kingston, at which point we would philosophize and opine over coffee and carbohydrates.

When I got to Kim's today, there was a first-timer there who asked I not post his pic initially (he later relented, but the first pic didn't come out anyway). Shortly thereafter, some of the usual gang began to appear.

Those two above are father-and-son, I think.

Above, Snakehead; first time on a bike in weeks.

Above, Vincencio told us that Francisco was already out doing some hills and would meet us on the road. The fellow below (I didn't get his name) is too fast for me!

We left to do the usual route. There had been rumor that Dave Kim was coming along, but he wasn't at the start; I figured his brand-new son was keeping him occupied. But at the Olde-Towne Lot in Johnson Park, where our number about doubled when we picked up the Rutgers riders, Dave was there. Later, I asked him about the family. "I miss sleeping," he said. We also caught up to Francisco along this stretch.

We zipped through South Bound Brook and Colonial Park at a pretty good clip. I got a few more pics at the bottom of the park:

Then down through Millstone and down Canal Road. Some didn't want to stop at Six Mile/Blackwells Mills, but I did; I needed to put my lungs back in.

Above, Francisco had 31 miles and 3000' of climb by the time we caught up to him. He's getting much stronger, and is racing again, I think.

Then up Coppermine, where I did better than I'd thought. At the top, we assembled for a bit.

When the rest of the gang went back up 27, Ed and I headed down Old Georgetown to the Main St Cafe for sustenance and conversation; on the way, we saw The Excellent Wife (TEW) pedaling back; she'd been out for a ride and had had a similar plan.

Ed is smitten with Australia and hopes to return (I'm a terrible traveler; he can have it). He's got back-to-work issues around funding and management/staffing changes, and he's trying to decide if he should keep the carbon bike now that he's got the steel one (he was riding the carbon bike today after a minor mishap with a driver that cost the use of the front derailleur on his Love Child).

The correct answer is, of course, that he should certainly keep the carbon bike. After all: Rule 12.

Oh, and here's my ride page with all the extra meandering.

bike maintenance class June 7

We spoke about bike chains tonight. The link I like to use, that can be re-used, is the Wipperman link.

One of the places they're available is Universal Cycles.

round valley 70+

So it was GONNA be a weekend away for a few of us to do a couple rides in Delaware (including a border-to-shore-and-back, which sounded cool), but the weather wasn't cooperating. As a consolation, Tom H offered a 57-or-so to Round Valley from Griggstown. Well, Tom's Griggstown start is about seven miles from my garage door, so I decided to ride to the start; it would make it about 70 miles for me, which is just about right.

On the road to the Griggstown Causeway were these energetic, earnest young folks offering a water stop for walkers or runners on the canal.

It was some supported event; I didn't get what it was about - their energy was greater than their accuracy or my attention (and weren't they generous!). A minute later I saw these folks heading for the canal, the guys on bikes, and the women on foot:

Laura popped up.

... and we rolled over to the lot from which Tom starts. Robert N was there (pics below).

Tom brought out his new device, the sanctum status pedis, the Holy Kickstand.

and after ritually holding up his bike with it, in sympathetic magic to keep our bikes upright on the ride, poured some filtered water on it, and sprinkled us in imitation of the asperges ritual of the Catholics.

Regular members of the Insane Bike Posse will be expected to learn the incipit of the chant for the ritual:

(Don't worry if you can't read chant; those of us in the know will teach it to you at our earliest opportunity.)

And off we went .

See? There's Robert.

(This camera distorts. They're not really that off-balance.)

We saw a number of riders on the road, at whom I dinged my bell, although after the stop in Whitehouse, the ding was muffled. I had hung my first headband over the handlebar to dry out, and was using my second; it was that humid. The laundry on the handlebar muffled the cheery bell.

Before I knew it, we were at the Round Valley Reservoir.

(Distortion, and the camera sucks for distance anyway.)

I turned to see this poor guy puffin' up the hill.

Laura and I rolled over to the parking lot, where Tom and Robert were talking to him and his wife. The had decided to celebrate 27 years of marriage with a 27-mile ride... and she had just cooked him coming up the hill to the reservoir.

She had done it, by the way, on a nothing-in-particular steel bike. If she keeps pedaling, she's gonna be a monster.

From Round Valley, there's some more climb which is just annoying, and then a highly-satisfying downhill where I crossed 40mph for maybe the third time in my life (and that's plenty fast for me, thanks). Then to the Wawa:

...with the void-of-redeeming-social-value apple fritter (hey, I was doin' about 70 miles; I knew I'd burn it off). I also got this pic of Laura's Miss Piggy (in the current incarnation) and her helmet and shades:

And back. Laura stopped for pictures; we stopped at this bridge.

We climbed Lindbergh on the way back; Laura was torn about heading back from there or finishing with us, but she'd wind up with about 88 miles for the day, and it was to much work to spin that out into a century, so she left us at Ridge Road.

Tom, Robert, and I headed back to Griggstown.

Robert has numerous offspring and the appurtenant parental responsibilities; we wish we'd see him more frequently, but we understand why we don't. He was kind today while I was spoutin' off about my various forms of crazy and my work complaints (as, of course, were Tom and Laura when I was spoutin' off to them). But part of the wonderfulness of this ride was that, for most of it, I could just enjoy the ride and the company.

And 70 miles or so is just about right, when I have the time and I'm in shape.

So what's right with all of youse-all today?

old guys helpin' me put my brains back in

I've been working too hard, and taking it too personally, and generally not doing well with work stuff. After the weekend on call (including 86 hours straight with a cell phone, during which I couldn't be more than thirty minutes away from my computer), I took today off. The initial plan, suggested by The Excellent Wife (TEW), was to go do the Wednesday ride with The Old Guys. I had a soul-crushing depression (even though I taught my bike class last night, which is usually good for my mood), and almost didn't go, but TEW pointed out that I always feel better when I'm around these guys, and she's right.

When I used to ride with them regularly on Wednesdays, I'd add miles with Erich W by parking at Etra Park in Hightstown and riding to the start in Allentown from there. I did that today, so my route shows almost 60 miles, even though the guys rode about 40. I thought about Erich on the way down. I miss him.

Dennis W led, whom I've not seen on a ride in a long time after some health problems. It was good to see him, and the rest of the guys I knew... and, of course, since it's a group that continues to go out, there were guys I hadn't met, some of whom I met today.

Above, I like that one of Don. Below, Al's got a recumbent now.

Above: I got Howie to stop complaining and smile long enough to get this picture.

Off we went, on the usual roads (don't worry; I can get lost anyway). After a while, I felt the gloom start to lift. Mike offered to sweep, a task I usually take, saying that I needed a day to cut loose, and he was right. Thanks, Mike.

We stopped at the Pemberton Wawa, where this young guy let me bend his ear about bikes for a few.

He was kinder than I deserve.

We got to talking about the bike class I teach at the New Brunswick Bike Exchange (one guy asked when I was going to offer it again, which was gratifying!). The class is listed as the Second Annual, which it turned out to be, but that wasn't my intention. I could offer it again, especially if there's some interest in people volunteering at the exchange afterwards.

We also talked about my glasses with the prescription inserts. Serfas isn't making them anymore, citing too much cheap competition, but I found a few on Amazon: High-Balance Peloton, High-Balance Tour, High Balance Tri (prices have gone up since I looked at 'em a few months ago!). The key, though, was the getting the Rx inserts filled. Local opticians didn't want to do such a small job, but LensesRx will do 'em by mail. I got the progressive lenses, and the Rx part probably cost about $65 with shipping.

Above, more of Al's recumbent. Below, the Yellow Maserati.

This group has a range of abilities and gets spread out on the way back. We got passed by a faster group, and I just had to chase one of the guys in that group. We chatted a bit, and I almost missed a turn. I DID miss Dennis, whom I thought had gotten ahead of me... but he wasn't at the park at the end, and it took a long time for him and the rest of his cohort to show. It turned out they had taken a break. Sensible.

I'm back, of course, and TEW was right; I'm less engulfed by depression and anxiety (it's not all better, but it's undoubtedly better). I've got to set some limits at work: I can't maintain the pace I've been keeping, and just because I'm able to do something, that doesn't mean it's solely my responsibility.

Oh, well, Back to it tomorrow. I'm grateful for this day. That's all we really have, isn't it?