A few signs of Spring

Today, I ate lunch outside. When I came back in to my desk, a tick -- a freakin' bloodsucking terror -- fell out of my hair, down my arm and onto my desk. The first thing I grabbed from my office environment was a pair of scissors, and I cut its head off. Just another reason they call me Grindcore.

The time change has come, and conditions for riding after work have been excellent. Grab some friends, head out and ride!

 

Then come home, make a quick dinner accompanied by beer, and enjoy your porch.

Rice, homemade vegan "sausage" from theppk.com, collards, and Dig by New Belgium Brewing

 The sunsets have been beautiful, with the added treat of enjoying the planets and the moon in the early evening.

Nothing beats crushing gravel with a couple of rad ladies. So happy they could make it for the ride!

 All in pursuit of this T-Rex.

 

And then following it with bike camping with two of your nearest and dearest, well, that's about a perfect weekend right there.

One of my non-race bike goals for 2012 was to be able to carry all my own gear for a camping trip -- Mission Accomplished. Another was learning to ride rollers, checked off in February, and tonight I unwittingly checked off a third. While taking a mellow ride through Wilderness, I successfully bunny hopped a gap in the ground under the Warlick Bridge. I've practiced bunnyhopping without obstacles, never actually applied it successfully in a situation where it was useful. Looks like it's time to come up with a few more goals...it's only March!

Oh yeah, and I finished that 10k trail run in an hour and eight minutes, 11:02 pace. Not bad for a non-runner -- I'm pretty sure that's the farthest I'd ever run in my life -- and I even had fun!

Photo: Nathan Swanson

Yep, that's me, sporting the "bike dork in a running race" look. All leg and goofy tan lines, Sheclismo pride blazing.

BicycLincoln Roll-Out

I've been part of founding a new community cycling advocacy group. Our Roll-Out party is tonight, starting at 6 PM. Check us out at bicyclincoln.org, on Facebook at facebook.com/BicycLincoln, or on Twitter @BicycLincoln (where I tweet the weekday bike count from the State Office Building).

Weekend Rides

This weekend, there were early morning rides with the regular gravel crew. And while I love riding with them, it was also a weekend with cold early morning temperatures warming quickly into melty mid-thirties, and after a long week of hustling to meet deadlines, the idea of waking to an alarm to be cold for the first hour or two wasn't so appealing to me.

Saturday, Ryan had a meeting at work at 9:30, so I rode him there and then ventured east of town on my own. I had a fun time crushing through the semi-melted, semi-icy, semi-snowy Dietrich/Murdock Trail. Loved using the Challenge Grifos on my lovely new War Axe, staying upright over the rough terrain. Until I hit a drift as deep as my hubs, that is. Time to head over to the gravel.

Gravel was beautiful. Dry, hard packed, and peaceful. There was hardly any wind, and I enjoyed some time on roads I rarely ride.

It's really nice to be out on my own sometimes. And since I'm often riding solo in long endurance races, it's good to replicate that feeling in training season, too. Time to think, look around and enjoy the sights, and just pay attention to how I feel and how I'm riding.

It's a little more boring when you get a flat, though. No one to joke around with, and no one to offer a turn of pumping up the tire! I had a slow leak, and thought I might be able to make it back to Pepe's before having to change the tube. No such luck, but I went there anyway for some chips and salsa and use of his floor pump. Gotta love Bike Friendly Businesses!

Sunday, there was another early ride. Though I woke up in time that I could've gotten up to make the 7:30 ride, it was so cozy in bed. Way too cozy to get out, way better idea to snuggle and read some New Yorker articles. Luckily, Malcolm got in touch with me around 10, and we went out for some miles in the much warmer sun.  

A little Sheclismo/Lady War Axe pee break. It's annoying to have to take off the jersey like that on the side of the road, but bibs are more comfortable, hands down.

It was nice to get a ride in with Malcolm. He's about to leave town for some adventures, no fixed plans, a step into the unknown. Sounds fun and daunting. But as he said, he became a cyclist in Lincoln, so he'll probably be back.

We stopped in Cortland, and were full-out overwhelmed by the new flavor choices in gas station food. Those buffalo wing pretzels were delicious, and so were the lime & chili almonds. Unfortunately, on the way home, I developed a bit of a stomach of anger at all the spicy/sour combo going on in my system.

For fans of The Wire: it looks like Frank Sobotka retired on SW 2nd. I've ridden by this place several times, can't believe I never noticed.

sunday club

reading.

January weekend fun

MG & Rhino on the track

One would expect that, on a weekend in mid-January in Nebraska, the weather would be cold, the streets would be snow-covered, and the idea of riding bikes in figure 8s around a big old living room & dining room all day would be a good way to while away the hours. Well, it's been oddly warm (*ahem, global warming), but a regular band of Pirates took shifts to make an indoor century happen nonetheless. I did two half-hour blocks, one on the vintage Bontrager BMX and another on CVO's Pugsley. Fun times.

Ryan did a full hour and a half straight through

Next on the agenda for Saturday was the 2nd Annual Bien Rica Soup Night & Clothing Swap. Sort through your closet, bring what you want to get rid of, rummage through the things others brought and leave with a few gems, and we'll donate the rest to an organization in need -- this year, it's Friendship Home. Also, it's a soup night, and so before the swapping began, we feasted on 6 different soups and accompanying goodies.    

Bros Can Cook, a new show featuring hockey fans?

Few get into it as well as Ryan & Diane

Though Anders might be in contention

If you want in on this next year, let us know. Space is somewhat limited!! Start saving up the good things as you sort through your closets... 

Sunday morning, as I awoke at a leisurely 8:30 AM, I was sure I'd missed group ride opportunities. Luckily, there was a 10 AM ride scheduled, so I packed up and headed to Cultiva for a little fresh air and gravel. The wind was stiff from the south & west, and I did my best to stay tucked in with a strong group of riders. After 20 or so miles into it, I was feeling the hurt, and besides, I had to get clothes folded up and sorted to donate. Headed back to town with Matt & Mark, enjoying the push of the wind at our backs and the strong sun.

Getting pushed back to town with Wills & Mark A.

Loving my buttery-smooth new ride

Have I mentioned I love my new bike? Yeah. I do. I even took it for a little jaunt through Wilderness on the way home.