According to what I’ve read recently, Newton (the physicist not the cookie) came up with some laws that have been proven and supported. One of those laws, the Second Law of Motion, states that “The acceleration a of a body is parallel and directly proportional to the net force F and inversely proportional to the mass m, i.e., F = ma”.
Now I was never a good student, choosing instead to focus on the social and entertainment aspects of school instead of the traditional educational aspects, but from what I can determine, this means that a cyclist’s speed (acceleration) is directly proportional to the power (Force) they can produce and inversely proportional to their weight (mass) – And all of this is assuming no outside interference (wind, hills, draft, etc)
Well, with all the rain we’ve been having here in “sunny” California, I haven’t been out on the bike as much as I’d like. I have though been “fueling” for rides that never happen….which as you can imagine has increased my (m)Mass while not at all increasing my (f)Force.
Yesterday though, after church, the skies were only partly cloudy so I got my gear together, put air in my tires (they were low, not completely flat...it hasn't been that long), and headed out on the road bike for what I planned on being a fast, flat 20 mile loop that should get me home before the rains came back.
In planning most all of my rides, I try to include a decent amount of climbing. Its one of those things that, although it causes me much pain and suffering, I really enjoy. I like to climb. I like the way it forces me to focus on making circles and keeping my heart rate under control while preventing me from thinking about any of the other junk that is normally bouncing around in my head.
Yesterday’s route though was going to be almost completely flat so I figured I’d try to force myself into a similar state by ramping up my pace and hammering the whole route….unfortunately those stupid Laws of Motion that I mentioned above kind of got in the way.
At the end of last season, I found that I was able to maintain a pretty consistent 20-21mph rate on a flat road, riding alone and with little wind and including sections at 22-23mph. Usually this ended up generating an average of right around 20mph for a 20 mile loop. Yesterday though, after what seemed to me to be an all out effort, keeping my heart rate up and pushing hard, I got home to find that my 20 mile loop averaged 17.7mph per my Garmin.
Now, before you start calling me a fat slug, (which to be honest is the phrase I used after looking at my stats) I will say that the last section home, Mission Bl north to Industrial Bl. west was almost all either directly into a headwind or with a very stiff crosswind which were things that had a direct bearing on Mr. Newton’s laws (physicists call these mitigating factors)
The fundamental truth here though, ignoring my excuses, is that that the same force (f) applied to a larger mass(m+x) will produce a correspondingly smaller acceleration. Or more plainly stated, if I paid more attention to Mr. Newton and spent less time with Fig Newtons I’d be able to maintain a faster pace because my (m)ass would be smaller.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Life is a lot like salmon fishing….
Several years ago now I and a buddy went salmon fishing with a guide. You know, one of those guys that has the really cool boat, all the awesome stories and for 150 bucks a person guarantees you’ll catch a fish big enough to put on your wall. (as if my wife would ever actually let me put a fish on the wall inside our house)
We met up at some small diner in the foothills where in addition to handing over our 300 dollars he allowed us to buy him breakfast while he regaled us with story after story of how this season was the best he remembered, and how he pitied the poor idiots that had to schlep into an office every day….(wait, did he just insult us, the guys paying his rent?)
Anyway, after filling our bellies with thick chunk bacon and home fries like you can only find in small towns up in the hills, we headed out to the launch, loaded up in his boat and headed up river at a rate that I’m pretty sure would be considered speeding on any highway till we got to the “exact spot”. And here we sat for most of the day baking in the sun and listening to stories about how earlier in the week people couldn’t keep the fish off their lines….until….All of a sudden my buddy Sean’s rod slammed down and his reel started screaming as line peeled off faster than a fat guy running towards a donut shop.
This of course triggered several responses. I immediately began to, a) hate Sean, b)work on a plan to knock him overboard and grab his fishing rod and c) build a story in my head as to why this was all justified. (yep, I’m a multi-tasker)
Sean on the other hand just started yelling and swearing and hanging on for dear life.
The professional, much to his credit, having seen all this before calmly released his anchor, started the motor and began following the fish downstream all the while telling us both to Calm the F%*# Down! (evidently he isn't opposed to cursing like I am)
Eventually, as I continued my plotting, Sean continued his hanging on and the professional continued following the fish, we hit a slow part of the river, guided both fish and boat into an eddy and boated the fish….a very nice 20+lb salmon.
So, what does a fishing story have to do with a cycling blog? Well, nothing really. It’s just that this past week has been kind of a rough one in our family for a lot of different reasons and this story popped in my head.
Life really is like salmon fishing. Sometimes, when things are cruising along all nice and calm there are things that happen that create huge amounts of stress and chaos. We in turn, can respond to those situations in a number of different ways…..scream and swear, plot and plan or we can untie the anchor, relax, hang on and see where things go….and to be honest, sometimes hanging on is all you can do….
We met up at some small diner in the foothills where in addition to handing over our 300 dollars he allowed us to buy him breakfast while he regaled us with story after story of how this season was the best he remembered, and how he pitied the poor idiots that had to schlep into an office every day….(wait, did he just insult us, the guys paying his rent?)
Anyway, after filling our bellies with thick chunk bacon and home fries like you can only find in small towns up in the hills, we headed out to the launch, loaded up in his boat and headed up river at a rate that I’m pretty sure would be considered speeding on any highway till we got to the “exact spot”. And here we sat for most of the day baking in the sun and listening to stories about how earlier in the week people couldn’t keep the fish off their lines….until….All of a sudden my buddy Sean’s rod slammed down and his reel started screaming as line peeled off faster than a fat guy running towards a donut shop.
This of course triggered several responses. I immediately began to, a) hate Sean, b)work on a plan to knock him overboard and grab his fishing rod and c) build a story in my head as to why this was all justified. (yep, I’m a multi-tasker)
Sean on the other hand just started yelling and swearing and hanging on for dear life.
The professional, much to his credit, having seen all this before calmly released his anchor, started the motor and began following the fish downstream all the while telling us both to Calm the F%*# Down! (evidently he isn't opposed to cursing like I am)
Eventually, as I continued my plotting, Sean continued his hanging on and the professional continued following the fish, we hit a slow part of the river, guided both fish and boat into an eddy and boated the fish….a very nice 20+lb salmon.
So, what does a fishing story have to do with a cycling blog? Well, nothing really. It’s just that this past week has been kind of a rough one in our family for a lot of different reasons and this story popped in my head.
Life really is like salmon fishing. Sometimes, when things are cruising along all nice and calm there are things that happen that create huge amounts of stress and chaos. We in turn, can respond to those situations in a number of different ways…..scream and swear, plot and plan or we can untie the anchor, relax, hang on and see where things go….and to be honest, sometimes hanging on is all you can do….
Monday, February 27, 2012
When Did I Become “That Guy”?
We’ve all ridden with “that guy”…you know the one. Basically a decent enough guy, but out of shape and overweight and armed with all of reasons (or excuses) as to why this particular ride is so hard…
My derailleur is acting up, I’ve been sick lately, I haven’t ridden that much, I’m in a recovery period right now, I broke my collarbone, etc, etc….
He’s always polite, and is always apologizing for being the last one up the hill and making everyone wait….but to be honest you’re really just sick of him and wish he’d get his fat azz off the couch and on the bike more so he could save the excuses and stories.
Well, the week before last I came to a startling realization….I’m THAT GUY!!!! Yep, me….somehow over the past few months through a rigorous regimen of eating as if I ride every day while hardly ever actually doing any riding, I’ve reached a new pinnacle of fatness and out-of-shapeness….
This, combined with my first Thursday ride on the SS since I broke my collarbone back in August reduced me to the dead-freakin-last-fat-guy-up-the-hill status.
Oh sure, I had all the excuses primed and ready to go when I finally caught up to everyone at the top of the first and longest climb of the evening, and the guys were all very nice and sympathetic and actually seemed to not mind waiting on me but I know…..I could see it in their eyes…..I could tell they were all thinking it…..”Rich if you’d just put down the box of Krispy Kremes and ride once in a while we wouldn’t be standing here cold and shivering while waiting for your lardass to catch up”
The rest of the ride was more of the same….the short steep climb at the half way point, the long climb up from the stone bridge, the road back to the parking lot, every single climb of the evening ended with me arriving red-faced and on the verge of hypoxia and them all patiently waiting…politely humiliating me with their kindness and platitudes.....It was humbling to say the least.
I guess though if you want to find a silver lining….and I’m definitely a silver lining kind of guy…..the humiliation has since been used as motivation. I’m down from my 3 year record weight of a couple pounds over two hundred and I’ve managed to run or ride at least a few times a week since. In addition, I no longer shove everything I see down my throat as if I’m riding 5 days a week, I’ve been doing my exercises and I actually feel like I may be getting back into shape. Of course, round is a shape, just not the shape I want to see when I look in the mirror.
I’m hoping over the next couple of weeks to drop “that guy” and not see him again for the rest of the season….
My derailleur is acting up, I’ve been sick lately, I haven’t ridden that much, I’m in a recovery period right now, I broke my collarbone, etc, etc….
He’s always polite, and is always apologizing for being the last one up the hill and making everyone wait….but to be honest you’re really just sick of him and wish he’d get his fat azz off the couch and on the bike more so he could save the excuses and stories.
Well, the week before last I came to a startling realization….I’m THAT GUY!!!! Yep, me….somehow over the past few months through a rigorous regimen of eating as if I ride every day while hardly ever actually doing any riding, I’ve reached a new pinnacle of fatness and out-of-shapeness….
This, combined with my first Thursday ride on the SS since I broke my collarbone back in August reduced me to the dead-freakin-last-fat-guy-up-the-hill status.
Oh sure, I had all the excuses primed and ready to go when I finally caught up to everyone at the top of the first and longest climb of the evening, and the guys were all very nice and sympathetic and actually seemed to not mind waiting on me but I know…..I could see it in their eyes…..I could tell they were all thinking it…..”Rich if you’d just put down the box of Krispy Kremes and ride once in a while we wouldn’t be standing here cold and shivering while waiting for your lardass to catch up”
The rest of the ride was more of the same….the short steep climb at the half way point, the long climb up from the stone bridge, the road back to the parking lot, every single climb of the evening ended with me arriving red-faced and on the verge of hypoxia and them all patiently waiting…politely humiliating me with their kindness and platitudes.....It was humbling to say the least.
I guess though if you want to find a silver lining….and I’m definitely a silver lining kind of guy…..the humiliation has since been used as motivation. I’m down from my 3 year record weight of a couple pounds over two hundred and I’ve managed to run or ride at least a few times a week since. In addition, I no longer shove everything I see down my throat as if I’m riding 5 days a week, I’ve been doing my exercises and I actually feel like I may be getting back into shape. Of course, round is a shape, just not the shape I want to see when I look in the mirror.
I’m hoping over the next couple of weeks to drop “that guy” and not see him again for the rest of the season….
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Giving Back….
For the past couple of years our riding group has been involved with a really cool charity. Turning Wheels for Kids (http://www.turningwheelsforkids.org/). They assemble and donate bikes for under privileged kids that otherwise wouldn’t get a bike.
The majority of the giving happens at Christmas time following the Big Bike Build, but from what I understand, there are bikes given out at other times of the year as well.
This year though, several of us are taking our involvement to a deeper level as we’re helping to launch the Tri-Valley Chapter of Turning Wheels for Kids. Our goal is fairly aggressive in that we’re hoping to buy, assemble and donate 400 bikes this coming December.
I’ve always believed in the phrase that for those to whom much is given, much is expected and I really enjoy being able to help support causes or charities I believe in. I feel like my family has been abundantly blessed and giving back is the least we can do. This though, is a whole new experience for me. I’ve never really been involved in something like this, at this level. The planning required and the fund raising to be done seem almost overwhelming when I sit down and look at the list. The good thing is though, that I’m not alone. We have a very smart, committed group of people that are going to work to pull this off. And, of course, we have the resources of the founding Turning Wheels board to help us get this thing rolling.
It’s actually pretty exciting to be a part of something like this although I know it’s going to be a lot of work and a really great learning experience. We’ll be reaching out to local corporations as partners, working with various groups for both donations from them and others who will be asking for bikes to be donated and all the while focusing on helping kids get a bicycle…..what could be cooler than a bunch of cyclists helping get kids on bikes of their own?
Stay tuned, as things move forward you’ll be hearing more about it here….
The majority of the giving happens at Christmas time following the Big Bike Build, but from what I understand, there are bikes given out at other times of the year as well.
Our involvement to date has been at the Big Bike Build which, in addition to doing something good, is a tremendous amount of fun. This year, I think they said there were 900 volunteers who helped assemble and give away 2400 bikes. It’s an amazing site. You walk in the morning of the build to an empty building with nothing but boxes down the middle aisle. Then at the end of the day, the boxes are gone and replaced by 2400 sparkling new bikes….
This year though, several of us are taking our involvement to a deeper level as we’re helping to launch the Tri-Valley Chapter of Turning Wheels for Kids. Our goal is fairly aggressive in that we’re hoping to buy, assemble and donate 400 bikes this coming December.
I’ve always believed in the phrase that for those to whom much is given, much is expected and I really enjoy being able to help support causes or charities I believe in. I feel like my family has been abundantly blessed and giving back is the least we can do. This though, is a whole new experience for me. I’ve never really been involved in something like this, at this level. The planning required and the fund raising to be done seem almost overwhelming when I sit down and look at the list. The good thing is though, that I’m not alone. We have a very smart, committed group of people that are going to work to pull this off. And, of course, we have the resources of the founding Turning Wheels board to help us get this thing rolling.
It’s actually pretty exciting to be a part of something like this although I know it’s going to be a lot of work and a really great learning experience. We’ll be reaching out to local corporations as partners, working with various groups for both donations from them and others who will be asking for bikes to be donated and all the while focusing on helping kids get a bicycle…..what could be cooler than a bunch of cyclists helping get kids on bikes of their own?
Stay tuned, as things move forward you’ll be hearing more about it here….
Friday, January 27, 2012
A Degree in Medicine Leads to Great Advice....
“Well, it’s not showing any sign of healing so obviously the ultrasonic bone stimulator isn’t working” These words were spoken by my orthopedic surgeon for this my 8th visit and after 28 weeks of “healing”
Evidently, as she explained it, the clavicle is a notoriously slow healer due to low blood flow in the area and as many as 15% of fractures end up as a non-union after 6 months. So, I’m in good company and completely normal (my wife may disagree with that)
My next question was, obviously “well, what now?” At which point she suggested we talk to the head orthopedic surgery guy and she went to get him. After talking to him, showing that I had full range of motion, wasn’t having any pain (which surprised him) and felt good, he basically said, it’s up to you… We can do surgery, which entails putting in a titanium plate and a bunch of screws. (I asked if it came in carbon fiber but he obviously isn’t a cyclist cuz he didn’t even crack a smile) or we can leave it be.
Now, since I’m kind of a bottom line guy and since he wasn’t really offering any suggestions, I really wanted to discuss both options with the hope of coming to a decision. Sort of like the upside/downside lists I tend to make when confronted with big decisions.
Me – so, lets explore both of these options - surgery?
Head Ortho Surgery Guy - Surgery would involve about 6-8 weeks off the bike while it healed and would result in the bones lining back up and being reinforced.
Me – What happens if I crash after surgery (I mean, it’s bound to happen right?)
Head Ortho Surgery Guy – Well, with the plate in there the break is reinforced but the bones on either side will most likely fracture
Me – Ok, what if I don’t do surgery?
Head Ortho Surgery Guy – if we leave it alone, you go on your merry way, there’s no downtime, but the bones would be out of line and not reinforced
Me – What happens if I crash?
Head Ortho Surgery Guy - Without the plate, the break isn’t reinforced and the bones on either side of the break will most likely fracture
Me – So, as I understand it, either way, another bad crash and something there will break, but if I have surgery I have to stay off the bike for 6-8 weeks?
Head Ortho Surgery Guy – yep
Me – what do you suggest?
Head Ortho Surgery Guy – I suggest you try not to crash....
And there you have it…..it’s simple really…..Just try not to crash….
The decision seems pretty simple. I'm not in pain, I can ride my bike and whether or not I have surgery, I should avoid crashing(which I do anyway).....so, I'm skipping the surgery and riding my bike. Why would I want to go under the knife if the end result is going to be the same and all it will do is take me off the bike for 8 weeks?
My next question was, obviously “well, what now?” At which point she suggested we talk to the head orthopedic surgery guy and she went to get him. After talking to him, showing that I had full range of motion, wasn’t having any pain (which surprised him) and felt good, he basically said, it’s up to you… We can do surgery, which entails putting in a titanium plate and a bunch of screws. (I asked if it came in carbon fiber but he obviously isn’t a cyclist cuz he didn’t even crack a smile) or we can leave it be.
Now, since I’m kind of a bottom line guy and since he wasn’t really offering any suggestions, I really wanted to discuss both options with the hope of coming to a decision. Sort of like the upside/downside lists I tend to make when confronted with big decisions.
Me – so, lets explore both of these options - surgery?
Head Ortho Surgery Guy - Surgery would involve about 6-8 weeks off the bike while it healed and would result in the bones lining back up and being reinforced.
Me – What happens if I crash after surgery (I mean, it’s bound to happen right?)
Head Ortho Surgery Guy – Well, with the plate in there the break is reinforced but the bones on either side will most likely fracture
Me – Ok, what if I don’t do surgery?
Head Ortho Surgery Guy – if we leave it alone, you go on your merry way, there’s no downtime, but the bones would be out of line and not reinforced
Me – What happens if I crash?
Head Ortho Surgery Guy - Without the plate, the break isn’t reinforced and the bones on either side of the break will most likely fracture
Me – So, as I understand it, either way, another bad crash and something there will break, but if I have surgery I have to stay off the bike for 6-8 weeks?
Head Ortho Surgery Guy – yep
Me – what do you suggest?
Head Ortho Surgery Guy – I suggest you try not to crash....
And there you have it…..it’s simple really…..Just try not to crash….
The decision seems pretty simple. I'm not in pain, I can ride my bike and whether or not I have surgery, I should avoid crashing(which I do anyway).....so, I'm skipping the surgery and riding my bike. Why would I want to go under the knife if the end result is going to be the same and all it will do is take me off the bike for 8 weeks?
Winter.....sorta....
With the exception of last week’s rain, this year’s winter weather has been mild to say the least. It seems more like Fall is 6 months long. Which should be a great thing for my fitness level since, were I so inclined, I could probably ride 7 days a week.
The reality though is that I think my body knows it’s winter and despite the clear skies, has decided it would be better off hibernating. My motivation level is at an all time low, my eating habits are at an all time high and my waistline and weight are at record levels….levels not seen in years.
Normally, this isn’t such a bad thing. During a normal winter, most of my riding friends are in the exact same boat and we all use the same “weather sucks too bad to ride” excuse. This year though, I fear it’s just me. Most of my friends are actually taking advantage of the mild weather and riding as much as they can.
I have gotten a couple of rides in though. Two weeks ago, my buddy Chris and I played hooky from work and took the mountain bikes down to Santa Cruz and rode Demo Forest. The last time I had been here was back in 2008 which is crazy since it’s an amazing place to ride and only an hour from home. This time though, the results were much better than the last time we rode it.
The nice part about mid-week rides (and mid-week ski days for that matter) is that the places you go are usually pretty empty. Thursday was no exception. There were two other cars in the parking lot with the people from both those cars pedaling off in the opposite direction as we pulled up.
Chris and I got set and headed out pedaling up the road and around the backside of the park to the top of the hill. The funny thing is this is supposed to be the easy way up and due to my “winter” fitness level, I was breathing hard pretty much right out of the gate.
Eventually my heart rate seemed to settle down and as we got to the top we got ready to enjoy the fruits of our labors with some nice singletrack downhill. The funny thing was the fire road just continued down and we didn’t see the singletrack trail that we were expecting to see.
Well after heading way further down the road than we planned, we realized our error and turned around to head back up the way we had come…..good thing I LOVE climbing….except in winter when I’m fat and slow and lazy….
Eventually though, we did reach the bottom of the downhill, which is actually about 3 miles and several hundred feet below the parking lot we started in…..funny I didn’t remember this part being ALL uphill last time….
At this point, it was about 1:30 and having had breakfast at 5:30 that morning, I could tell I was nearing the “completely outta gas” stage. I had a granola bar in my camelback, but didn’t want to stop to eat, I just wanted to get back to the truck….unfortunately, my body DID want to stop and since I ignored it, it decided to shut down on me. I continued riding and making circles with my legs, but there was nothing in the tank. Every incline reduced me to my granny gear and as Chris continued to pull ahead, I could do nothing to catch him.
It quickly became apparent though that I’m not nearly the macho, 2 ride per day stud that I thought I was. I barely survived Brandon, doing the whole thing in my granny and pulling up to the top well after the rest of the group. It was there that I actually made a good decision to take the short way back and let the group continue without me. (see mom, I do make good choices once in a while)
All in all I ended up with about 23 miles and almost 4000ft of climbing for the day….needless to say, after a shower and some grub, I slept like the dead…..
Monday, January 9, 2012
Whose idea was this???
It's 36 degrees, pitch dark and there's not another car in the parking lot.....what am I doing at Lake Chabot at 6:15 on a Saturday morning.....
Oh, that's right, I wanted to try out the new Contour helmet camera and get some sunrise shots from the top of Brandon....I'm literally shivering as I put on my helmet, turn on my handlebar light, clip and begin pedaling towards ten-hills...maybe I should have skipped the sunrise idea....
I make a point of reaching up and turning on the camera at the beginning of every downhill section. Satisfied to hear the beep indicating I actually did turn it on through my thick full fingered gloves....then turn it off as I begin the uphill portions. No sense in letting everyone see just how slow I climb.
I'm huffing and puffing pretty quickly and after the first couple of short climbs I'm no longer worried about the cold. Although my toes are still freezing, my baselayer, long sleeve jersey, shorts and knee-warmers have me pretty comfortable as I negotiate the trail in the darkness with my handlebar light illuminating the frost along the trails edge.
As I cut through the golf course parking lot, I receive some pretty weird looks from the golfers who, in my opinion are even more nuts for being out here in the cold to chase a little white ball around the frozen course. I mean, they won't even expend enough energy to get warm....I begin the climb up Brandon and I'm racing daylight......the barely discernible glow over the eastern hills pushing me beyond my comfort zone as I upshift and stand in an effort to make sure I'm at the turnout before the colors start to show in the sky.
I make it to the top just as the sky starts to catch fire from the coming sunrise....the colors exploding across the horizon as wisps of fog cling to the lower valleys. I try to pull of my gloves, unzip the camera case and slow my breathing enough to get a stable shot all at the same time as I claim my victory in the race for daylight.....and am rewarded with maybe two nice shots and several that are blurry from my shaking hands and ragged breathing.
The sunrise warms things slightly although my toes have still failed to thaw as I begin pedaling up Redtail narrating in my head, the video I'll put together at the end of the ride and thinking of suitable soundtracks to capture the energy and the enthusiasm of this morning's ride. I'm pretty slow going up so I make sure to stop the video before every climb and reach up to turn it back on at the beginning of the descents.
I push the envelope a bit on the downhills, knowing the video will be seen by people that ride these same trails both faster and better than I do, but hoping the blur of the scenery is enough to at least fool the viewers into thinking I have some semblence of skill. At one point I come around a corner on Soaring Hawk mostly in control and scatter a rafter of turkeys.....(yes, a rafter, I looked it up, a group of turkeys is really called a rafter) I make a point of turning my head to watch them fly up into the trees knowing that this will be a very cool part of the video.
As I cut down through Bort Meadow and back to the stone bridge, I'm getting tired. I stop, take the required "Bike Shot" and wolf down a clif bar. Its funny just how hard these things get when they're frozen.....
As I wind back around the lake and up the hill to the parking lot, I see that it's much busier now, almost half full and with several riders gearing up to head out. Its only as I take off my helmet and grab the video camera that I notice.....oh crap....you gotta be kidding me....yep...it's true....I just did the whole entire loop with the lense cap still on the video camera.....
Oh well, it gives me an excuse to do it again and at least I had the other camera with me for some still shots...
Oh, that's right, I wanted to try out the new Contour helmet camera and get some sunrise shots from the top of Brandon....I'm literally shivering as I put on my helmet, turn on my handlebar light, clip and begin pedaling towards ten-hills...maybe I should have skipped the sunrise idea....
I make a point of reaching up and turning on the camera at the beginning of every downhill section. Satisfied to hear the beep indicating I actually did turn it on through my thick full fingered gloves....then turn it off as I begin the uphill portions. No sense in letting everyone see just how slow I climb.
I'm huffing and puffing pretty quickly and after the first couple of short climbs I'm no longer worried about the cold. Although my toes are still freezing, my baselayer, long sleeve jersey, shorts and knee-warmers have me pretty comfortable as I negotiate the trail in the darkness with my handlebar light illuminating the frost along the trails edge.
As I cut through the golf course parking lot, I receive some pretty weird looks from the golfers who, in my opinion are even more nuts for being out here in the cold to chase a little white ball around the frozen course. I mean, they won't even expend enough energy to get warm....I begin the climb up Brandon and I'm racing daylight......the barely discernible glow over the eastern hills pushing me beyond my comfort zone as I upshift and stand in an effort to make sure I'm at the turnout before the colors start to show in the sky.
I make it to the top just as the sky starts to catch fire from the coming sunrise....the colors exploding across the horizon as wisps of fog cling to the lower valleys. I try to pull of my gloves, unzip the camera case and slow my breathing enough to get a stable shot all at the same time as I claim my victory in the race for daylight.....and am rewarded with maybe two nice shots and several that are blurry from my shaking hands and ragged breathing.
The sunrise warms things slightly although my toes have still failed to thaw as I begin pedaling up Redtail narrating in my head, the video I'll put together at the end of the ride and thinking of suitable soundtracks to capture the energy and the enthusiasm of this morning's ride. I'm pretty slow going up so I make sure to stop the video before every climb and reach up to turn it back on at the beginning of the descents.
I push the envelope a bit on the downhills, knowing the video will be seen by people that ride these same trails both faster and better than I do, but hoping the blur of the scenery is enough to at least fool the viewers into thinking I have some semblence of skill. At one point I come around a corner on Soaring Hawk mostly in control and scatter a rafter of turkeys.....(yes, a rafter, I looked it up, a group of turkeys is really called a rafter) I make a point of turning my head to watch them fly up into the trees knowing that this will be a very cool part of the video.
As I cut down through Bort Meadow and back to the stone bridge, I'm getting tired. I stop, take the required "Bike Shot" and wolf down a clif bar. Its funny just how hard these things get when they're frozen.....As I wind back around the lake and up the hill to the parking lot, I see that it's much busier now, almost half full and with several riders gearing up to head out. Its only as I take off my helmet and grab the video camera that I notice.....oh crap....you gotta be kidding me....yep...it's true....I just did the whole entire loop with the lense cap still on the video camera.....
Oh well, it gives me an excuse to do it again and at least I had the other camera with me for some still shots...
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