I Bring Some Good to the World

It is nice to know I bring some good to the world. (For those that cannot make the connection, I created "the list".) Now if only I had time to to update it more often...

Ironman Bikini?

I am curious what was worn on the bike?

I Love Palo Alto [on a bike]

I really hate Palo Alto when I am in a car. Most roads are limited to 25-30 mph, and it is one of those cities where cops have a lot of free time to give out tickets. (Reading the police blotter for Palo Alto can be quite amusing. Last year one of the more serious crime waves was a rash of tree and shrubbery thefts!)

Anyway, while I hate Palo Alto in a car, I have grown to love the city when I am on a bike. Palo Alto is almost half of my bike commute to work, so I see a lot of it. Recently I discovered Bryant Ave which is a North/South bike "express lane". It is actually safer, and more importantly faster than Middlefield which has many traffic signals and a few shoulder-less sections. For most of Bryant ave, there are stop signs for perpendicular car traffic, car traffic is often limited to local residents only, and all traffic lights have a bike sensors. I wish more cities would build bike roads like this.

Number 1 or 2

Was it a number one or number two mid-marathon, and why do I have a desire to know?

Broken Spoke

I broke a spoke for the first time ever on a bike. It is one of those things that will probably happen to everyone if they ride enough. In my case, it has taken about five years. (I started riding seriously in 1999.) I was able to unscrew the spoke, open up the brake, and get home with a little bit of extra wobble without much trouble. I was surprised at how quick the whole thing was resolved. In all, I would say this took up less time than a flat tire.

Now I need to go through the arduous task of fixing it, getting it fixed, or giving up on the wheel and getting something new. Custom maybe?

update:
Well, the broken spoke has been fixed. After $40+ in parts, I fixed it in about 20 minutes. I had to purchase a cassette key, chain whip, and crescent wrench along with the new spoke, but I needed all that stuff anyway.

KLIMB -- Cycling Route Tool

I love KLIMB. If you do any cycling in the SF Bay Area, or if you live in a location that has maps available, this tool will not only help you route bike trips, but it will also give a good approximation of mileage and elevation. How much does it cost? It is FREE!

Hmm, why are my legs tired? Oh, its because I actually saw some elevation gain for the first time in over a year. (It is not much, but it is a start.)



Now if only I was smart enough to get this working on my Solaris box at work....

∞ Miles to the Gallon

Gas in the SF Bay area is about $2.80/gallon for 91 right now. While the high price of gas is not going to change my lifestyle much, it is a huge emotional drain to sink $40 into my gas tank once a week. Since I am getting back into the whole healthy active lifestyle again, I figured biking to work would kill two birds with one stone:

• Biking is much cheaper than driving when you factor in gas, depreciation and maintenance costs
  
• Biking is free exercise

When I was a traveling and client-facing consulting, biking to work was not the easiest thing in the world to do. Since I actually have an office where my ass is parked for 40+ hours a week, along with access to a shower and secure bike storage, I would be a fool not to bike to work.

Even without the two obvious benefits of cost savings and a cheap workout, biking to work has some unexpected benefits such as:

• When going out to eat for lunch, we won't be taking my car
  
• If I want to get out of work early--err on time, I can use the excuse of "gotta get home before the sun sets"
• My shower is paid for by the company

This week I only made the bike trek to work once. Next week I will shoot for two round trips. The week after that, three?

Oh, and for those curious, my commute is approx 40 miles round trip depending on the route I take. If I ride to work the entire week, that is 200 miles!

Athlete again?

For the first time in a few years, I have signed up for a race. The hardcore triathletes will probably not consider this a real race, but since I have no plans on running again any time soon, this is as close to a triathlon as I will get.



I forgot how friggin expensive this sport is. $170!!! I guess I cannot complain too much. In 2001 I blew over a grand on race entries.

The last real race I did before injuries where I really trained and made an effort was Pacific Grove in 2001. (I dabbled with some races in 2002 and 2003, but they were more or less unofficial Aquabike events. I guess I was ahead of the times.) When I hoped off the bike in that race I was in the lead, but that lead quickly turned into 3rd in my age group and somewhere in the "teens" overall. Come to think of it, friggin trical never sent me my award. One more reason to dislike them I guess...

So, I will have to learn to be an athlete again. I spent last summer in Sweden for work where my "exercise" consisted of walking from my apartment to the tunnelbana, work or the irish pub. I think this summer might be a bit different.

~2/3