Like I mentioned in my post on Monday, though I have only gone over 300 miles so far this year, I have seen some promising things.
Before I get into the odds and ends I also mentioned the Greenwood Village (Colorado) Goose Chase. I don’t work for the chase and no longer work for Greenwood Village so this is an unbiased recommendation. On June 19, 2010 the City of GV along with some great co-sponsors will kick off the 15th Annual Goose Chase. If you are unfamiliar with this, it is a party atmosphere with a 15, 30 or 45 mile bike ride that is compatible with all skill levels. For you runners, there are 5K and 10K certified runs. After working it, (or working at getting out of working it) for 13 years, I used it for my first organize ride last year. My son and I used it for our first experience in a large group. It was fun, non-intimidating and no more effort than what we normally ride. As a matter of fact, it was a typical ride that 100’s of people take every weekend. The majority of the ride was around the Cherry Creek Lake (Reservoir to the Colorado locals) and the area around it. The difference was that 100’s of riders were doing it together and all at once, it was cool. If you are going to be riding that Sunday or want to stick your toes into the world of bicycle tours this is the place to be. It’s fun, it’s as easy as you want to make it but most of all it is just plain fun with a small country fair feeling. Check it out www.goosechase.org.
As for the odds and ends go I believe they are pretty cool. What I am the most happy about is the actual show of bicycling camaraderie. I guess this comes from all my years on a motorcycle. Whether you knew a rider or not, you gave a greeting while moving or a small conversation on a break. My logic for expecting to see it with bicyclists, you are on two wheels you have stepped outside of that normal box. I have seen more noticeable greetings whether it is just an animated nod or wave of the fingers, more than one. Or and all out verbal greeting. I have even been passed with a short verbal greeting and a few words of conversation. I’m hearing more people pass, I am passed a lot, and hear the “on your left” phrase. I have annoyed at least one “super star” by swerving to avoid a very bad piece of tarmac and unbeknownst to me, he was practicing his winning form of passing in a pack on me.
Color, there is a lot more color this year. Last year I felt weird with purple shorts and an orange sleeveless jersey. OK maybe that is still weird, but there are a lot of you out there with yellow, red, different blues, green and yes, I saw purple shorts on a much better looking posterior than mine. This isn’t a blah sport, it is enjoyable, it is fun, we love it, be bright show you are happy.
Another thing I have noticed which is also really great, more newbies. Yes, there are new people out there full of doubts as to what they are doing, full of questions and on a journey of long range fulfillment of life. Kudos if you have found these scribblings of semi-insanity.
The last thing that I have noticed and yes, like the other items I really like it, the snakes are not overwhelming yet. Due to the cooler weather they are just beginning to wake up keep your eyes open.
Ride Hard, Ride Safe, But Ride
Be Safe Out There
G
Friday, May 14, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Life, Is Still, In The Way
Yes, at the most inopportune time’s life is still jumping up and popping me in the face. I have always been a big believer that timing is everything and with every passing day it is proven more true.
I am involved in a group that is planning a state wide school safety conference. I had expected more assistance from the group that placed me there. I’m sure you know how those things work out. It goes along with the multitude of state agencies and organizations that have taken this undertaking. I was hoping for a cooperative, sharing of ideas, from all of the separate agencies that put their individual conferences on every year. Yea, that was really going to happen. What does this have to do with Bicycling you ask? The amazing amount of stress relief, which can be credited to bicycling. But then with what I am enduring right now the cycling is not even beginning to scratch the surface.
This brings me back to the timing and life getting in the way. I was expecting to be back into a good riding routine and popping out close to a hundred miles a week by the middle of last month. Spring has been a beautiful time to ride in Colorado. This spring, we received our winter. It has snowed, multiple times, stayed cold, windy, all those stupid Mother Nature things that I can not seem to deal with, especially when I’m not into a solid routine yet. Then add the pre mentioned stress. We have had some great riding days, don’t get me wrong, but that is where the timing thing comes into play. My son’s and I have enjoyed beautiful, calm, sunny weather as we have driven to basketball practices. Why just yesterday we commented on the 70 degree temperature and the amount of cyclist out as we were shuffling between three different games. It was Mothers day which is why there were only three. By the time we came home, the wind woke up and the overcast skies with the threat of a storm rolled in. It is predicted to dump a foot of snow sometimes tomorrow. This morning hit 50 before nine am. I was going for a ride.
I grabbed the bag of new tubes I had just bought at Performance Cycle last week to fix my flat front tire. As a side note I discovered that if you ride very fast and make very gentle turns you can get at least 12 miles on a front tire going flat. Back to Performance Cycle. I know from experience, doing small parts and clothing business with them for years, that what you buy from them is not necessary what’s in the box when you go to use it. I was sitting in the front room pulling small pieces of glass out of my flat front tire then opened one of the new “True Goo” self sealing tube (side note #2, “True Goo” tubes don’t plug up the stems as easy as “Slime” tubes do.) and discovered that it had a shrader valve and not the presta the salesman got for me, yes my fault. A quick check of the other “True Goo” tubes and they were the same. I jumped in the car, drove the seven miles to Performance, twenty minutes one way with the morning traffic. But alas, the timing thing again comes to play, and I arrived fifty minutes before they opened. I figured I would just go home and throw in one of the other non-Goo tubes I bought and change to Goo the next time. It is sticker season you know. I went home, less traffic going east, put in the new tube, threw on my shorts and a jersey while I attempted to ignore the whistling wind threw the screens on my windows. I grabbed the wheel all ready to go went into the garage and watched my garage door bow in and out with the force of the wind and hoped the door did not get jerked off. Results, I’m back in front of this dam computer banging out this smattering of nonsense.
I did get some rides in, in April not many and not far but did bring up my average speed to the mid thirteen mph. Even a thirteen point three on a twenty two mile loop. So all has not been lost, speeds to look forward to and as the lovely Ms. Neff pointed out in her comment, which I agree with completely, I can not give up the fun and the exhilarating workout bicycling gives me.
I also managed to sign up my older son and I for the Greenwood Goose Chase. If you are local take a look at their web site, goosechase.org. This is fun and just a daily ride with a few hundred of your closest strangers.
More on the Goose Chase and the positive things I have seen on my rides so far this year, later this week.
Ride Safe, But Ride, More important Be Careful Out There.
“G”
I am involved in a group that is planning a state wide school safety conference. I had expected more assistance from the group that placed me there. I’m sure you know how those things work out. It goes along with the multitude of state agencies and organizations that have taken this undertaking. I was hoping for a cooperative, sharing of ideas, from all of the separate agencies that put their individual conferences on every year. Yea, that was really going to happen. What does this have to do with Bicycling you ask? The amazing amount of stress relief, which can be credited to bicycling. But then with what I am enduring right now the cycling is not even beginning to scratch the surface.
This brings me back to the timing and life getting in the way. I was expecting to be back into a good riding routine and popping out close to a hundred miles a week by the middle of last month. Spring has been a beautiful time to ride in Colorado. This spring, we received our winter. It has snowed, multiple times, stayed cold, windy, all those stupid Mother Nature things that I can not seem to deal with, especially when I’m not into a solid routine yet. Then add the pre mentioned stress. We have had some great riding days, don’t get me wrong, but that is where the timing thing comes into play. My son’s and I have enjoyed beautiful, calm, sunny weather as we have driven to basketball practices. Why just yesterday we commented on the 70 degree temperature and the amount of cyclist out as we were shuffling between three different games. It was Mothers day which is why there were only three. By the time we came home, the wind woke up and the overcast skies with the threat of a storm rolled in. It is predicted to dump a foot of snow sometimes tomorrow. This morning hit 50 before nine am. I was going for a ride.
I grabbed the bag of new tubes I had just bought at Performance Cycle last week to fix my flat front tire. As a side note I discovered that if you ride very fast and make very gentle turns you can get at least 12 miles on a front tire going flat. Back to Performance Cycle. I know from experience, doing small parts and clothing business with them for years, that what you buy from them is not necessary what’s in the box when you go to use it. I was sitting in the front room pulling small pieces of glass out of my flat front tire then opened one of the new “True Goo” self sealing tube (side note #2, “True Goo” tubes don’t plug up the stems as easy as “Slime” tubes do.) and discovered that it had a shrader valve and not the presta the salesman got for me, yes my fault. A quick check of the other “True Goo” tubes and they were the same. I jumped in the car, drove the seven miles to Performance, twenty minutes one way with the morning traffic. But alas, the timing thing again comes to play, and I arrived fifty minutes before they opened. I figured I would just go home and throw in one of the other non-Goo tubes I bought and change to Goo the next time. It is sticker season you know. I went home, less traffic going east, put in the new tube, threw on my shorts and a jersey while I attempted to ignore the whistling wind threw the screens on my windows. I grabbed the wheel all ready to go went into the garage and watched my garage door bow in and out with the force of the wind and hoped the door did not get jerked off. Results, I’m back in front of this dam computer banging out this smattering of nonsense.
I did get some rides in, in April not many and not far but did bring up my average speed to the mid thirteen mph. Even a thirteen point three on a twenty two mile loop. So all has not been lost, speeds to look forward to and as the lovely Ms. Neff pointed out in her comment, which I agree with completely, I can not give up the fun and the exhilarating workout bicycling gives me.
I also managed to sign up my older son and I for the Greenwood Goose Chase. If you are local take a look at their web site, goosechase.org. This is fun and just a daily ride with a few hundred of your closest strangers.
More on the Goose Chase and the positive things I have seen on my rides so far this year, later this week.
Ride Safe, But Ride, More important Be Careful Out There.
“G”
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