I’m all packed up and headed off to the Big Apple. I’m going to ride in the Bike New York event on Sunday, so I’m flying in to Baltimore this afternoon and driving the rest of the way with Dan. Tomorrow we’ll ride 42 miles through all 5 boroughs of New York City without any […]
Category / bicycling
Bitten By The Male Obsession Bug
I’m out of control. I have fallen back in love with bicycling and I have a full-on outbreak of the ‘Male Obsession Bug.’ If you’re female, you’ve seen it in action and if you’re a guy, then you know what I’m talking about. 🙂 The Male Obsession Bug can strike at any time, on any subject. for some it’s sports, for others, it’s a recreational hobby. Regardless of the obsession, the affects of the ‘bug’ are easy to detect.
For one, the infected subject can’t stop talking about his new obsession. In my case, this is cycling. So, regardless of the conversation, I can find some relevance to cycling and will use any excuse to divert the topic to cycling. For example, let’s say that someone brings up the subject of the new Palm Zire 71 handheld. Now, how in the world could a Palm OS handheld have anything to do with cycling? Well, a man’s infected brain might mention the fact that there is a product called the Bike Brain that can connect a Palm device to the bicycle for recording all sorts of information. Then he might mention that he’s thinking about using Bicycling Journal to record his rides for posting on his weblog.
Damn Lights
I got started a little late on Monday. It was after 6pm before I left the house, but I had my light system mounted, tested and ready to go. So, I figured I was ok. However, anything could be farther from the truth. My plan was to ride to Brentwood, visit the REI store and […]
Training Day
I has been almost 2 weeks since my last ride. I’m riding in the Bike New York event next Sunday, so I figured I had to put on some decent miles today. We’ve been going to Bellevue Community Church out in Bellevue for the past few months and I figured that would make a good […]
One Step Forward – Half A Step Back
Last week was an absolute bear and I wasn’t able to ride at all. Yesterday I had choir rehearsal, so I decided to ride to the rehearsal. I had no idea how far the ride would be, or how long it would take me. I just hopped on my bike and rode. Since it was […]
Stretching It Out
I rode to the Maryland Farms YMCA today. Good ride overall. My legs were in MUCH better form. I only walked one hill – due more to fear than anything else. I’m still not 100% used to the SPD clips and I was in rush hour traffic on Old Hickory Blvd with no shoulder. I […]
Two More Days Of Rest
Well, I haven’t worked out at all, or cycled for the last two days. I’ve simply been in too much pain. Not unbarable pain mind you, just simple muscle fatigue and overall soreness. By this afternoon however, my legs are feeling much better and I think I’m going to try and ride tomorrow morning. That […]
And On The 7th Day
Took a day of rest today. My legs are really tight and sore and I simply needed to rest them. Besides, it’s Sunday!
Glutton For Punishment
With my legs and ass killing me after two days of riding, I still woke at 6am, donned my cycling shoes and rode to Starbucks. With Dan still in town, we agreed to meet there for breakfast to go over a few things. I noticed some very small improvements in my climbing and overall performance, […]
Back In The Saddle Again
It’s been almost a year since I’ve been on a bicycle and it’s been about 10 years since I’ve done any serious riding. So yesterday afternoon I did a 16-mile ride with one of my closest friends, Dan Westman.
Since January, I’ve been working out at the YMCA. Monday is treadmill and upper body weight training and Wednesday is yoga. With all of this activity I figured I’d fair pretty well overall on our ride. Suffice to say, that wasn’t the case. Instead, I was dragging ass on every hill and every climb. 🙁
It was like I was re-discovering new muscles. Even with all my previous workouts, I simply hadn’t used the muscles needed for a climb. It’s hard to explain, but it was as if I just found some new “interior” muscles in my upper thigh that my body was so happy it found them that is decided to set them on fire. Add to the equation that I was attempting to drag my lard ass up the hill and I think you can begin to feel my pain. Continue Reading