I finally had a chance to take my bike out for a quick ride Monday night.
The bike was much quicker and more responsive than I expected. A pleasant surprise indeed.
I felt like I was driving a sports car. My Ibex is pretty light but a bit more “stable” feeling. The Aegis had just enough Zipp, pun intended.
It might take a little getting used to. That’s not a bad thing, just different, and fun. I’m sure some of that comes from a different stem and geometry from my other bike.
At any rate, I’m really looking forward to riding the bike this weekend for 70 – 100 miles. And I’ll post more on it as I’m able to log more miles on it.
Despite my upcoming century, or metric century, in Bar Harbor on October 5th, I feel my cycling season is really winding down.
Gone is the desire to hit the road hard. My inclination to ride for hours is fading fast like the light in the evening autumn sky.
Belgium Kneewarmers wrote a great post on it recently. It only confirms my need to take some time off before hitting the gym later this fall.
For now my focus has changed. I’ve started walking in the evenings with my husband recently and I’m happy to report it’s the highlight of my day. It gives us a chance to be together and talk, without the distraction of the TV, email or the internet. From these walks we have had some wonderful discussions, most about cycling or what’s going on in our separate lives at our respective offices.
I’ve enjoyed these walks so much that I’ve skipped a few group rides for a brisk walk with him. Interestingly enough, this has even been a guilt free decision, even when I see the ride group pass us while we are on our walk. I should have also trusted my instinct Monday and skipped that ride too.
The walks certainly aren’t as intense as the efforts I put in on the the bike. However, I feel the lower intensity efforts are doing me a great deal of good. I’m using muscles different from those I use on the bike and it must be helping stretch out my hips a bit.
The only issue I’ve had with walking was a discomfort in my foot. I’ve recently purchased a new pair of sneaks for the activity, which seems to be helping after just one jaunt.
Our next step will be to add in some intervals of running. Or I should say jogging. I have no desire to run at this point – I’ll save that for mid-winter cross training and ramping up my fitness for the spring season. Jogging will be just enough to step up the pace a bit for more leg strength while still maintaining a somewhat low heart rate.
I can’t imagine walking could be considered real cross training for me. Running would, but not walking. Still, it’s a good way to continue to be active, especially in the company of my husband.
I’m still on the bike periodically for now by commuting to work. I’ll also be riding on the weekends with club members throughout the fall, up until the snow flies. When I’m on the bike I’ll be more aware of enjoying the fresh air, scenery and the companionship of my friends than I will of my heart rate, cadence and average speed.
What about you? Will you also be taking some recovery time this fall? Turning off your alarm and making up for lost time with your family?
I have a secret. I’ve had it for a while now. It’s been hard to keep it to myself and not share this secret.
Until now. I can finally share my secret with you, and anyone else who cares to know my secret.
Yes, I am officially letting the cat out of the bag.
So without futher ado, here is my secret:
Yes, it’s a new bike. More importantly, it’s MY new bike.
It is also an early birthday present from my husband. What a birthday gift, huh??
So let me give you the specs on the bike:
Aegis Victory Frame – size 52. (Yes, made in Maine.)
Full Ultegra
Team issue Zipp wheels
Continental Grand Prix 4000S tires
Prologo Saddle and Handlebar tape
You can stop drooling now.
Yes, I’m proud of my bike. The only downside is that I haven’t had a chance to ride it yet. It was completed today, after being dropped off in parts and pieces yesterday, and I can’t even ride it. Because it’s raining.
Not only is there one rain storm rolling through here tonight and into tomorrow, but tropical storm Kyle is expected to arrive Sunday. So much for the training ride Sunday to Brunswick. Though I’m still hopeful I might squeeze in a ride Sunday afternoon. I need to work out the bugs with the bike prior to the Bar Harbor ride.
Check back for an update. I’ll be writing about my new ride as soon as I have a chance to run her though her paces.
Even though it’s not the official end of the season (that comes when the snow flies), the club had it’s “end of the season social” last night. There were approximately 30 people that joined the party throughout the evening. Our club opens this event to club members and friends of the club, which is to say that even those who aren’t club members but ride with us throughout the season are invited to attend.
As is usually the case, we had way too much food. So the leftovers will be packed up and taken to Bar Harbor for a BBQ there in a week for those of us that are participating in the Cadillac Mountain Challenge.
One of the highlights of these gatherings is that a local chocolatier and fellow rider, Dean Bingham of Dean’s Sweets, shows up with some of his delightful truffles. Everyone just raves about them.
I splurged earlier this year and purchased some for my husband for Father’s Day, and they were a huge hit. My husband thinks they are some of the best truffles he’s ever had.
Dean makes some pretty unusual flavors in addition to some traditional ones. His chocolates have received some great press in some New England publications. If you are looking for a great gift for the chocolate lover in your life, and that might even be you, I highly recommend placing an order with him. You won’t be disappointed.
I’m a little late in my posting regarding the Smuttynose Brewing Company Portsmouth Criterium so here it is.
My husband and I drove to Portsmouth Sunday to watch the criterium. We knew a few guys in the Pro/1/2/3 race. And as the women were warming up I recognized Cody Harris, who I didn’t know had signed up for the race but was happy she did so I had someone to cheer for.
Of course we took the camera and got some great shots. One of my favorites was of Cody Harris in the women’s race (on the left in the photo below).
Cody also took the first premium of the race. Way to go!!
The men’s Cat 4 field was pretty large at 60+ and the men’s Pro/1/2/3 was 80 strong. When the Pro race started and they came around us after the first lap, the breeze from the group was exhilarating. Gosh I love watching bike races! Especially Crits and Circuits where there is a chance to see lap after lap.
We were super impressed by the race itself. There were a few breaks but the field worked hard to pull everyone back together. This made it much more exciting than to see a break stay out lap after lap. Everyone was hungry for positioning, prems, wins and it showed.
The local guys from Base 36/SMCC did pretty well. Jurgen was in a break for a lap or two and ended up finishing in the top 20.
Chris Laflamme unfortunately finished just out of the top 20.
Ben and Ralph (respectively below) also looked good throughout the race:
The best photo was of the team after the race:
(L to R: Jeff Dixon, Ralph Karam, Ben Forbes, Chris Laflamme, and Jurgen Nebelung.)
This was the last road race of the season for this group. It’s now onto cyclocross season. I missed a couple local races last year but I’m charged about them this year. We’ll attend the one at Pineland Farms on October 18th to cheer on our friends/co-riders and with any luck I might be able to convince my husband that the action at the Gloucester race will be worth the drive.
Last night we had a good crowd for the last women’s ride of the season.
It was pretty dark when we returned approximately 90 minutes later. We really couldn’t have extended the ride any further into the season without starting earlier. 5:30 is the earliest we can safely start with most people’s work schedules.
It has been a great first season for this women’s ride. We had a great group of core riders that showed week after week. And each week brought at least one newcomer.
I think everyone is looking forward to repeating this group ride next season and we are going to do what we can to make that happen!
I was watching a TV show with my husband Saturday evening when this commercial was aired:
My husband and I just turned and looked at each other in total disbelief.
We don’t eat anything with corn syrup, or high-fructose corn syrup, if we can possibly help it. We read labels and if there is anything with that in it, we don’t by it. And it’s usually easy to spot – they tend to be listed in the top portion of the ingredients list but not always.
So in my search of this commercial for my posting, I also found this one:
I was amazed! Even more commercials. OMG!
They claim it’s “okay in moderation”. But it’s in EVERYTHING. Not to mention in many fruit drinks it’s one of the top ingredients, which means it’s loaded with it. Not my idea of moderation.
I’m not a doctor, or a nutritionist, but I can tell you that HFCS is a major component to diabetes and obesity. For some people it can slow down their metabolism. For others it causes your blood sugar to spike, causing a surge of insulin, which in turn causes the body to store fat.
Here’s a short list of things we don’t buy any more because of this ingredient:
Ice Cream (we only buy Turkey Hill All Natural or Bryers All Natural because it doesn’t contain HFCS), most ketchup brands (we’ll buy an organic brand that doesn’t contain it), Bread and Butter Pickles (yes, pickles), relish, barbecue sauce (I make my own now with above mentioned organic ketchup), baked beans, most if not all juices, sodas, and sports drinks, cereals, jams/jellies, most spaghetti sauce brands, hot dogs, mayonnaise, some peanut butters, instant oatmeal, chocolate syrup (for chocolate milk or ice cream), pancake syrup (not the genuine maple syrup), gravy, bread (yes, even bread), just to name a few.
Now, if you don’t believe me, go through your cupboards and look at many of the products you have now, that you normally eat, and see how many items contain corn syrup, or high-fructose corn syrup. Then tell me it’s “all in moderation”.
If you only have a few of these products that contain HFCS, or just corn syrup, congratulations. If you have several, start reading labels at the grocery store and don’t buy these products if you can help it in an effort to limit your HFCS intake to a more moderate level. There are other “cleaner” products out there that are good alternatives to the products you normally buy with HFCS.
Let’s hope someone doesn’t come out with an ad for partially-hydrogenated oils.
I think I might have found a pair of bibs that I really like!
Not that bibs are convenient for women, because they aren’t. Still, there is a certain prestige to bibs. Everyone I know swears by them, stating, “Once you have tried them, you’ll never go back to shorts.” So I felt the need to jump on that band wagon and buy a pair.
I had purchased a pair of Pearl Izumi bibs a while back that I felt ambivalent about.
Then I recently purchased a pair of Castelli bibshorts for my husband. He felt they were a little snug. So I gave them a try and wore them on my morning commute. They fit me well.
So I’ll keep them and work them into my shorts rotation. They will be good for short rides when I don’t need any rest stops. However, I will still go back to my shorts.
Bike Noob recently posted this bibshorts vs shorts issue as well. I don’t think women mind the waistband of shorts as much as men do. After all we are used to them from wearing panty hose, especially control tops.
What do you prefer, bibs or shorts? (Perhaps this is like the age old question: Boxers or Briefs?)
"To be a cyclist is to be a student of pain....at cycling's core lies pain, hard and bitter as the pit inside a juicy peach. It doesn't matter if you're sprinting for an Olympic medal, a town sign, a trailhead, or the rest stop with the homemade brownies. If you never confront pain, you're missing the essence of the sport. Without pain, there's no adversity. Without adversity, no challenge. Without challenge, no improvement. No improvement, no sense of accomplishment and no deep-down joy. Might as well be playing Tiddly-Winks." - Scott Martin
