I was able to get out for about 45 minutes before today’s rain. It’s not fun to ride in a rainy 40 degrees F. But getting out on the Three Rivers trail, Minnesota, March makes up a bit for sheltering in place
B&B's I Cycle, You Cycle, Let's Exchange Stories (aka B.I.C.Y.C.L.E.S.)
- Thread starter Ryanshh
- Start date
Took advantage of the nice weather the past couple days. Thursday did 9.32 miles with 642 ft. of elevation gain. Yesterday was even nicer. After the first loop, I stopped in front of the house and debated in my head whether to do another loop. My head said, ah what the hell, go for it. So today was 18.64 miles with 1,284 ft. of elevation gain. I almost didn't make it up the final hill at the top of the mountain just behind my house. But I was able to grind it out, veeeeery slowly. These were my first rides since Feb 24. I won’t be getting into any kind of shape with this frequency of once a month. Weather calls for rain all weekend so I'll have time to recover for Monday's ride. I gotta get out again Monday.
For me, a great way to get psyched to ride when it gets warmer was watching the Netflix series: The Least Expected Day: Inside the Movistar Team 2019.
Watching now! Thanks!
**** the pros. The tour de France should be banned. There's still some hope that it could be killed of this year, too bad it took a few thousand deaths.
I lived for a few years in Tarbes, very close to the Pyrénées. The tour is a deep nuisance. It starts with the teams, and especially their cars, driving like the complete idiots that they are and having no problems running over the locals. Then comes the team's buses, whose drivers have no clue what they are doing.
But there's another layer.
The pros need wide, straight, free of obstacle roads. So the small towns and villages pay to remove any obstacles, like round-about, chicanes, road narrowings. You know who also like these straight roads? Drunkards and idiots in cars who speed in villages and kill pedestrians, cyclists, etc. So in the end the villages pay to remove the safety features and write this on the transportation budget, claiming that this is for favoring the use of bikes.
But there's another layer.
Nobody cycles for transportation in France. Why? Because cycling is to do sport and nothing else. It's the exact same problem in France, Spain, and Italy. On the other hand, look at Germany, Switzerland, or Austria.
But there's another layer.
There is doping in kid's road cycling. A lot of it. There's a massive amount of doping in junior ranks. And the Ineos/Sky team has proved the pros are still riding loaded up to the eyeballs. That ties completely with the transportation theme: get to work by bike and immediately the colleagues are calling you "the doped". Cycling still bears this stigma.
It's not finished!
In 2016 (I was now in Germany) I bought a second-hand Merida cyclo-cross bike, I wanted a fast commuter with disc brakes. Three months later Merida signed as co-sponsor with the team of... Bahrein's head torturer. I taped over every mention of the bike's manufacturer. There were 26 of them, even on the bar tape.
Pro cycling is completely rotten and should just disappear.
I lived for a few years in Tarbes, very close to the Pyrénées. The tour is a deep nuisance. It starts with the teams, and especially their cars, driving like the complete idiots that they are and having no problems running over the locals. Then comes the team's buses, whose drivers have no clue what they are doing.
But there's another layer.
The pros need wide, straight, free of obstacle roads. So the small towns and villages pay to remove any obstacles, like round-about, chicanes, road narrowings. You know who also like these straight roads? Drunkards and idiots in cars who speed in villages and kill pedestrians, cyclists, etc. So in the end the villages pay to remove the safety features and write this on the transportation budget, claiming that this is for favoring the use of bikes.
But there's another layer.
Nobody cycles for transportation in France. Why? Because cycling is to do sport and nothing else. It's the exact same problem in France, Spain, and Italy. On the other hand, look at Germany, Switzerland, or Austria.
But there's another layer.
There is doping in kid's road cycling. A lot of it. There's a massive amount of doping in junior ranks. And the Ineos/Sky team has proved the pros are still riding loaded up to the eyeballs. That ties completely with the transportation theme: get to work by bike and immediately the colleagues are calling you "the doped". Cycling still bears this stigma.
It's not finished!
In 2016 (I was now in Germany) I bought a second-hand Merida cyclo-cross bike, I wanted a fast commuter with disc brakes. Three months later Merida signed as co-sponsor with the team of... Bahrein's head torturer. I taped over every mention of the bike's manufacturer. There were 26 of them, even on the bar tape.
Pro cycling is completely rotten and should just disappear.
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Maybe the sport just needs to be policed better. Better policing and enforcement would cut out most of the doping. Then the few that do it would be looked down upon and might stop it altogether. I enjoy my rides a few times a week. Getting some fresh air, riding through the 2,000 acre park and climbing hills. Great workout. And it's helping me keep my sanity during these insane times.
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For me, cycling was never about racing, neither pro nor amateur. I admit that I followed TdF results for a few years when L**** A******** was raising the cheating game to new heights. Do I have to hate on Greg LeMond? My less than complete understanding is that LeMond raced clean and was calling out L**** years before anybody with standing in US cycling was willing to go there.
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The doping is not the big problem (even with armstrong, who has done far worse with harrassment, death threats, con jobs and general psychopathy). The problem is that the TdF and ASO have harmed and continue to harm the communities that they exploit.
Lemond is exactly the same as the other. A dumb racer who has never asked himself if what he did had any consequences.
A far better example is Chris Boardmann. A mainly track cyclist (so no racing on open roads) and now fighting for cycling and walking in Manchester (the british press seem to say he does a good job).
Lemond is exactly the same as the other. A dumb racer who has never asked himself if what he did had any consequences.
A far better example is Chris Boardmann. A mainly track cyclist (so no racing on open roads) and now fighting for cycling and walking in Manchester (the british press seem to say he does a good job).
Cold and wet here, but shelter in place has lowered weekday traffic to near nil. A short errand run got extended to a 7+ mile meandering loop on neighborhood streets. Got home just as the rain intensified.
This Breezer utility is far from a sport bike, but it moves along. I’m trying to get my wife to give up her childhood Schwinn LeTour (that I commuterized for her 25 years ago) and to commute on this one instead. Then I could modernize the drivetrain/shifters on my old Trek 930 mtb/utility. I need projects!
This Breezer utility is far from a sport bike, but it moves along. I’m trying to get my wife to give up her childhood Schwinn LeTour (that I commuterized for her 25 years ago) and to commute on this one instead. Then I could modernize the drivetrain/shifters on my old Trek 930 mtb/utility. I need projects!
Slightly different Columbia River ride today. 35 miles of sunshine and a steady north wind.
At the boat ramp/west end path access. There were lots of riders and other folks on the path today. This parking lot was nearly full.
At the boat ramp/west end path access. There were lots of riders and other folks on the path today. This parking lot was nearly full.
I learned yesterday that if I shave before going to ride, and it's warm, and the blade I used was quite irritating, then the sweat burns.
I did not do this mistake today.
While I was taking this picture an older guy passed me. The next part was all downhill. I usually am slow, afraid and too careful going down but this time I had this guy a bit away in front to show me how it's done and I had a faster, relaxed and very enjoyable ride down the hill that ends 1.5km from home.
16km, 500m up, 50 minutes.
Because I am saving money by shaving with a DE instead of cartridges I will soon be able to justify buying a new phone with a better camera. But before that learning basic photographic skills would be useful.
I did not do this mistake today.
While I was taking this picture an older guy passed me. The next part was all downhill. I usually am slow, afraid and too careful going down but this time I had this guy a bit away in front to show me how it's done and I had a faster, relaxed and very enjoyable ride down the hill that ends 1.5km from home.
16km, 500m up, 50 minutes.
Because I am saving money by shaving with a DE instead of cartridges I will soon be able to justify buying a new phone with a better camera. But before that learning basic photographic skills would be useful.
- Thread starter
- #92
Living in a pretty populated area and not wanting to risk an injury while riding outside, I've gone to the darkside and started Zwifting. 60 miles this week and enjoying it so far. Already missing the roads...
Changed rear pads on the MTB today. Front pads still have a bit of life. It's less than a year old with 450 miles. The thing is heavy at 28#, so I guess a set of pads a year is reasonable.
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Seems pretty low mileage to me, but I only have discs on one road bike.
Much more breaking on the MTB. I think I did pads on the road bike at about 5K miles!
Braking!
Breaking/braking, mtb is probably higher on either scale. How’s your finger doing?
Thanks for asking...
The nail sloughed away without me feeling it Sunday, so that’s huge progress! I was dreading catching it on something and having it ripped away from the nailbed. The swelling is nearly resolved and I have almost full range of motion. The fingertip still feels a bit odd, but it’ll come around. I still have to remind myself to use it. I won’t post a pic- it’d be unsettling to some.
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