Gravel ho!

June 14, 2015

Salutations!  I have been out doing some recreational bicycling lately and it was quite enjoyable.  I rode this bicycle.  

Rich rode this bicycle.  

We are planning on bicycling on some gravel next Saturdy.  Big Fondu Dy, I her.  There are other opportunities that weekend as well, why it’s the Rollin’ to Colon weekend, too!  So you really have no reason not to enjoy an organized bicycling event, unless you hate organization.  And if you really hate organization, then you probably shouldn’t be reading, because communication with words requires organization. 

Les be real hear.  Rolling on gravel doesn’t sound all that great, but I guess it might be fun.  And I’ve been told there’s a nice beer drinking opportunity following the dusty, arse-bruising, spine-jarring sojourn through some rural landscapes. 

So Rich and I rode around for awhile today.  We saw a camp.  

We saw a big truck and some heavy equipment. 

We saw some typical Omaha outskirts landscapes (i.e., nuveau chateaus avec le olde rustic avec accentes beaucoup, ole!).  

We even saw a gravel rode, butt we din’t hav tim fer it.

So huzzah to the gravelly grunting a head.  I am as reedy as I will ever bee.  Buzzzzzz or buzzzkilll?  Tim wil til, tim wil til.

Slow down and enjoy a fun and safe wait!

June 10, 2015

As immortalized in the combined wisdom of Art and Paul one should slow down, you’re moving too fast.

I rarely feel that this is a problem for me while bicycling; however, today I drank a lot of caffeine and left my workplace at the paper-cutting emporium a tad early to tend to some familial business.   This left me feeling giddy.  My giddiness was enhanced when I met up with a fellow bicycler who was bicycling along smartly on a fixed-gear bicycle. 

Please be forewarned, if you are a sensitive reader and/or an impatient one, the following section contains a long-winded narrative with no pictures and some profanity. 

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As we took slightly different paths, we eventually reunited and headed towards a busy intersection on the multi-use trail.  I did not hurry, but was surprised that a) the young cyclist didn’t pass me and that b) the light was still green when I got there (or at least it was as far as I could tell, because it is hard to see the light once you get past a certain point on the multi-use trail).   Anyway, I calculated that even if the light began to turn yellow at the last point I noted its greenness, I’d still have enough time to bicycle safely through the intersection before the light changed and unleashed its potentially deadly flow! 

I have to say, it was somewhat exciting.  It is, I must admit based on the few times I’ve experienced it, sometimes fun to go fast.  It can also be dangerous, which is something I have become less and less enthusiastic about over the years.  That is why I am glad that the Old Bastard isn’t really built for speed (unless you are going fast and straight down a steep hill with a tailwind, in which case it's mass is a distinct velocity-boost). 

Back to my bicycling, I’m pretty sure the traffic flow began just as I crossed the midpoint of the intersection because I think the motorcyclist in the turn lane had to stop just as he started to go.  Luckily the intersection has a green arrow before the full intensity of oppositely travelling traffic resumes so, once I wasn’t hit by the motorcyclist, I was no longer threatened.  However, my young comrade on a human-powered two-wheeler was still behind me!  As I continued on my aggressive way the motorcyclist yelled something that sounded like, “That’s a good way to get hit, shithead!”

Indeed, motor-powered two-wheeling friend.  In-fucking-deedy-do. 

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I felt bad.  I have heard there are old climbers and bold climbers, but no old and bold climbers.  The same may be true of bicycler commuters.  Plus I was so busy pedaling I didn't take any fun photos along the way.  I hope I’ve learned my lesson…..again.  Thank you for noticing us bicyclers, motorists!

Happy National Safety Month!

And on a brighter note, here are some sweet touring bikes.  I often imagine myself riding on a bicycle tour somewhere scenic with few intersections and red lights.  Maybe the Canadian Rockies.  Or Switzerland.

Gravelly Dreams of Grandeur

June 9, 2015

Well howdy drifters.  Things are heating up.  

BRAN is in full swing.  I hear that they are now in Axtell, the new home of Thunderhead Brewery.  They make some fine beers, if I recall correctly.  Cornstalker is a tasty, strong dark ale of some sort, I think.  I believe I had one on my one and only Nacho Ride out of Lincoln.

Plenty of bicycling opportunities are available these days.  My friend Rich just mentioned a gravelly excursion coming up in a couple of weeks.  It is the Good Life Gravel Gran Fondo starting in Mineola, IA on June 20th.  I will of course be participating (if I can’t weasel out of it) in the shorter 50-mile jaunt.  I am not conditioned for this ride (air-conditioned doesn’t help).  The most strenuous bicycling I have contemplated lately was a “bicycle tractor pull.”  I am picturing a tug-of-war-style event involving two bicycles joined together by a static line, facing in opposite directions and pulling, one against the other to see who would topple or be pulled across the centerline by their opponent. 

Sure it’s an asinine notion, but don’t people bicycle joust already?  It might be fun until people who were actually good at it started participating and ruining everything like they always do!  Damn do-gooders!

It’s summer and I, like many bicyclers around the northern hemisphere, am out pedaling about and purchasing gardening supplies to transport home for use in the family garden.  

I am hoping to grow melons.  Yup.  Love ‘em.

 

Transporting my starter soil home, I began pondering the portaging capabilities afforded by our two-wheeled friends.  I wondered about towing a watercraft down to the lake.  Although I have not witnessed a bicycle towing a canoe, I figured it was a much better idea than bicycle jousting.  So here is one option that I thought looked pretty good.

It’s warm and summery and my Metro’s A/C has never worked.  Let’s ride!  Maybe even to the lake! Someday, Gilligan.  Someday.

Bridge to Chicago and Memorial Day

May 24, 2015

Happy Memorial Day weekend!  I hope that you are relaxing and enjoying it. 

I was out last night at the lovely park on the Council Bluffs side of the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian bridge.

Loessfest was happening and Chicago played a fabulous show filled with horn-powered rock ‘n roll.   Here is the song they encored with –

As I walked towards the bridge on my way to the show I was pleased to note a fleet of comfortable B-bikes was moored near the river. 

At the show I met up with Jay and Jen, who were the owners of two cool-looking bicycles - a Jamis Aurora Elite and a Salsa Vaya.    

They were very knowledgeable about some local/regional bicycling events that sounded fun.  Pedaler's Jamboree and the Iowa Pedaler's Jamboree both sound very cool and involve bicycling for a few days and enjoying some music during the evening camping events.  The original Pedaler's Jamboree is located on the lovely Katy Trail in Missouri and is apparently an annual event that takes place every Memorial Day weekend.  The Iowa PJ is a new event that will take place this September over Labor Day weekend.

In addition to picturing myself on fun bicycle-camping events, I have also recently enjoyed wresting with a tyre change during which one of my Park Tools tyre levers got bent.

I had to take the wheel off to replace some broken spokes, but the tyre removal knocked my smyle out of place!  I am not sure why I break spokes on a somewhat regular case these days.  However, it is likely due to one or more of the following factors:

1. I pull around Toddler Snot in a Nashbar Kid Karriage on a regular basis.
2. I haul around a fair bit of weight in my Nashbar Panniers on a regular basis.
3. Last thyme I replaced my brakes, they did not match and may have caused different amounts of force to be applied to opposite sides of the rim.

In any case, I'm clearly to blame.  After much cursing the deed was done.

I hope you have some enjoyable bicycling and/or get bent, as you prefer.

Hogging the yogurt

May 4, 2015

Hello and welcome.  What have you been up to?  I see, I see.  Please send me an e-mail so I won't forget!  I would like to apprise you of my latest and fairly late activities if you don’t mind:

1.  Taco ride – My dear ol’ Da and I made it out to the plush limestone chip of the Wabash Trace Nature Trail Thursday last.  It was a hoot!  

I got to the steakhouse and ordered the salad bar and a Fat Tyre bier, which was not available last time I recall.  I was informed that this event is not called “The Salad Bar Ride.”  Touche! avec accente mon frer, avec accente, silvous plais.  Nevertheless, I procured the sustenance I needed including the following:  potato salad, pasta salad, bean salad, creamy pea salad, crispy iceberg lettuce salad, pudding with Oreo salad x 2 trips!  Yum!

2.  Despite the hourly forcast with 15-minute details showing rain and thunder this evening, I ventured out to bicycle to the grocery store without my raincoat!  Exhilarating!   It didn’t’ actually rain, so it wasn’t that exhilarating!  I purchased some Greek yogurt, which I have been informed is no longer a popular purchase.  That seems appropriate, since I like to wait for clearance prices whenever possible.  

3.  It is now NationalBike Month!  Huzzah!  Let’s all bicycle even more than usual! 

4.  The National BikeChallenge is now occurring and you can sign up to participate at your leisure.   You can use Strava to help you get credit for your bicycling deeds of heroic prowess.  Strava is, I believe, a familiar of sorts that will perch upon the body part of your choice as you swoop and soar precipitously upon your chosen venture!  Strava will exhort you, praise you, inflate your ego to pressures that will rival your tyre tubes.  Ware, however, the mischievous nature of this spritely prankster as it may turn from its light-hearted prancing into dangerous tunneling through the depths of your psyche only to emerge eventually into dimly-lit subterranean caverns wroght by creatures long forgot!  It might also eat all of your Greek yogurt if you’re not careful!

5.  Here in Omaha, we have a Live Well Omaha Challenge that allows you to enjoy keeping track of your active commuting accomplishments and to pulverize the competition into a mushy, sweet Greek-yogurt-like substance to be flavored to taste!

5.  It is still spring, and my unwitting familiar and guide, the elusive groundhog has been prancing about and good-naturedly posing for the camera.  

I feel this is a good omen for a strong bicycling season for those of us who revere the stately clumsiness of the hog and her ilk. 

6.  It is too rainy to mow, so we might as well ride on!  To soggy glory and groundhogs!