7/3 - 7/12 Ride Report

7/3 - Blanco, TX
7/5 - New Berlin, TX
7/7 - Mission Trail
7/8 - Schertz, TX
7/9 - Mission Trail
7/11 - Government Canyon State Natural Area
7/12 - Freiheit, TX

The Blanco ride (7/3) was really nice. I'd never been down the section of FM 3351 from Kendalia to Edge Falls Rd. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable riding there during the day. I did, however, locate the intersection on Edge Falls Rd. where Acker Rd. comes in from Spring Branch Rd. I need to drive that road sometime soon to see if it's suitable to ride from Spring Branch Rd. to Edge Falls Rd. That would be a great connector and allow a trip to Kendalia without having to go on FM 3351 at all. That would be a big win.

The Mission Trail ride in the morning from the house (7/7 and 7/9) is a good way to start the day. I can't wait until later in the year when I'll be able to ride later than 6:30 am. I have to start that early to beat the heat right now and it kills me to wake-up so early.

I finished getting all the GPS data I wanted for Government Canyon (7/11) and I took a few pictures. I'm now ready to do that map. I normally ride the perimeter trails, but this week I rode on the inner trails. Little Windmill and Twin Oaks were both smoother than I remember. Also, I rode up Wildcat Canyon instead of down it. I remembered it as being a lot more rocky and technical than it was. I really like it going uphill.

I've never done the Freiheit ride before (7/12). It's out near New Braunfels, which is farther than I usually go out I-35 for rides. I like the roads, but I wonder how busy they are during the week. They may only be good for early weekend rides. When I get ready to do those maps I'll drive it during the week to get a feel for what to expect.

I'm getting a better feel for the area around New Berlin (7/5). There's a whole quadrant Southeast of San Antonio (south of I-35) that I've not ridden much over the years, mostly because it's flatter than I usually like. With the traffic getting so heavy on the North side of town, I'm spending more time out in that area. I'm finding some really great roads out there, though unfortunately the street signs are few and far between, making navigation a challenge. I've got some good ideas for maps out in the area that I'm going to refine over the next month or two until I'm ready to do the maps.

The ride from Schertz (7/8) was also in the Southeast quadrant and gave me more of an appreciation for how the roads flow between I-35 and I-10. Slowly but surely I'm learning how the roads work over there. Eventually my mental map of that area will allow me to navigate around there without getting lost. I hope.

7/1/09 Mission Trail

It almost wasn't scorching hot this evening. Almost.

6/30/09 New Berlin

I really like the area around New Berlin for riding. It's mostly back roads with light traffic, and the few busy roads are easily avoided. There aren't any hills to speak of, which is actually nice for a change (though I do enjoy hilly terrain). I really want to get to know that area much better.

6/29/09 Government Canyon

I tried out new riser handlebars on my mountain bike today. After renting the 29er and enjoying its more upright seating position, I decided to change my position on my current bike. I ordered a bmx/downhiller handlebar that has three inches of rise. It was great! My back still hurt a bit, but it was MUCH better than it has been. The only downside to the bar is that it's too wide. It's 28 inches wide, while my last one was 23 inches wide. That's not hard to fix with a hacksaw, though. I'll take off two inches to start and try that out. If that doesn't do the trick, I'll continue to take it off in one inch increments until I'm comfortable with the position.

6/28/09 Bullis Park

Hot blah blah blah, dry blah blah blah.

6/27/09 Rebecca Creek

The Guadalupe River is pretty darn dry right now. At the bridge on Spring Branch Road there weren't any really dry spots, but at the bridge on FM 311 there were lots of rocks showing in between the water. The bridge on Rebecca Creek Rd. was totally dry. There were pools of water to each side of it, but not that much. I'm not sure if that's part of the Guadalupe as well, but it feeds it at least. We could sure use some rain.

6/25/09 Loop 410 East

It's amazing to me that the access road for Loop 410 on the southeast side of town has such little traffic on it. I wonder how long that will last?

6/23/09 Mission Trail

We rode the Mission Trail at 7:00 am this morning. It's actually pleasant at that time of day, before the heat hits.

6/22/09 McAllister Park

In my continuing quest to conquer my back problems, I tried out a different bike today. I rented a large 29" Specialized from Ride Away Bikes. I wanted to see if a different bike had any effect on how my back does during a mountain bike ride. I learned some things.


First, I learned that I really like the 29" wheels. They rolled over everything and really smoothed out the trail. They aren't so awesome that I'm going to rush out and buy a new bike tomorrow, but when it comes time to replace my current bike the new one will have 29" wheels. Definitely.


Second, I learned that I really like SRAM's trigger shifters. They just feel very intuitive. I've been riding Shimano XTR shifters for over 10 years, and it only took me about fifteen minutes to get used to the SRAM shifters. Fifteen minutes after that I was in love with them. They just worked great. The ones on the bike were the X-7 model, so I figure that the top-of-the-line X-0 models probably work even better. I'm definitely using SRAM on my next mountain bike.


The big takeaway from the day, though, was a change to my seating position. Since the bike was a large, which is bigger than I usually ride, by the time I got the seat height adjusted the bars were slightly above the seat. My current bike has the bars about two inches below the seat (or more). Bars below the seat is the standard position for mountain bikes (and road bikes, for that matter). I found that the bars being seat height made a huge difference. My back wasn't perfectly pain free, but the difference was very noticeable. I immediately ordered a new high-rise handlebar when I got home. I have high hopes for it.


So, renting the bike turned out to be well worth it. It's always nice to learn new things.

6/21/09 Flat Rock Ranch

The creek on Flat Rock Ranch is bone dry this year. I've seen it deep enough in the past that it was difficult to wade across. This really is a dry year.

6/19/09 Mission Trail

I'm really amazed at how many other people are out on the Mission Trail riding whenever I'm there. I see all levels of riders, from the serious folks in full gear to the families in their t-shirts and shorts. This place is really good for San Antonio.

6/18/09 McAllister Park

I tried out a new (for me) stem this evening.  I've been battling with back aches for years, and for the past few months I've been trying to get them worked out.  Exercise has gotten the road riding taken care of, but I still get aches while riding my mountain bike.  I changed to a non-offset seatpost to move my seat forward, and the stem I tried today is shorter.  This should bring me more upright and make me less bent over.  Unfortunately, it didn't really make any difference.  I still hurt by the middle of the ride.

I measured my mountain bike and compared it to my road bike.  Seat height is about the same on both of them, and with the new stem the distance from seat to handlebars, and the height of the seat above the handlebars, are both about the same.  I'm running out of differences between the bikes to blame it on.

I know that it's possible that riding off-road just beats my back into submission, but I'm not ready to draw that conclusion yet.  If I keep investigating possible causes, the worst thing that will happen is that I find nothing and I just learn to live with the pain.  Anything I discover in the process can only help.  Therefore, there's no reason to stop trying new things until I've really exhausted all options.

The last real differences I see between the bikes is that the moutain bike handlebars are much wider, and the mountain bike cranks are a bit longer (172.5 vs. 175).  Also, I ride with bar ends on the mountain bike.

Things left to try:

• shorter cranks
• ride without the bar ends
• narrower bars
  
• vary the ride (I always do the same course) and see if the aches happen at the same places, or just at the same times in the ride.  This way maybe I could isolate what type of riding does it and work from there.
• see if the physical therapist has any other exercise suggestions
  
• try another bike and see if that makes a difference. Several of the local shops rent bikes, so it wouldn't be that hard to do.
  

6/17/09 Mission Trail

It was windy tonight.  I'm not used to this in the summer time.  I guess I need to check the weather closer to see why it's still blowing.

6/15/09 McAllister Park

There's not nearly so much activity in the park in the afternoons now that summer has arrived. When I got there at 5:30 pm, the parking lot was only about 1/3 full. By the time we finished there were more cars, but it still wasn't full. There weren't many kids on the playgrounds, either. I can't blame everyone for staying in now that the heat has arrived.

6/14/09 Gruene

We rode the Tour de Gruene time trail loop today. I had forgotten how much I dislike FM 306. It's OK from FM 2673 up to Purgatory road, because it has a nice shoulder. After that, the shoulder narrows to one bike wide, and there's a ton of traffic. That road's not high on my list of places to ride.

6/13/09 Comfort MTB

It looks like they're running some power transmission lines through Flat Rock Ranch. They've got huge poles laying on the ground, and have cut new roads to get the poles in. I wonder if they're going to use a helicopter to run the wires? I wonder if Jimmy is happy to have the roads, or is bummed about having the lines run through his place?

6/10/09 Mission Trail

This was the first time I rode the Mission Trail on the actual trail. Usually we do most of the ride on the roads that parallel the trail, only dipping onto the trail for key sections. It turns out the trail is good enough to send people down. It's also hot enough that they probably won't want to until fall.

6/9/09 New Tuesday Nighter

It has finally gotten hot.  It's not the pavement blistering August kind of hot, but we're way past the spring pleasantness.  I drank 5 bottles on the ride and was still dehydrated by the time I finished.  I also hadn't eaten anything since lunch, so I was dragging late in the ride.  I need to remember to bring food with me for evening rides in addition to the extra water bottle.

6/7/09 Gruene

When I was growing up my family always went to the lake or the coast when we wanted to play in the water.  I can't recall ever getting in an inner-tube and floating down a river.  So, I'm always surprised when we ride down River Road in the summer time and it's packed wall-to-wall with motor homes and people in tents, though I shouldn't be.

The interesting part is doing it at 7:30 am, before everyone has woken up.  It's actually calm and peaceful.  The problem part is riding back down River Road at around 10:00 am, when everyone has gotten up and is heading back home.  Then it looks like ants streaming out of the colony, especially since there's only one road in and out.  And the ants aren't at all happy to have to drive slowly behind you as you ride out of the valley.  Honking, cursing, and shooting the finger make for good times!  The fact that they're all hung-over probably doesn't help a bit.

6/6/09 Bullis County Park

I'm still finishing rides with lots of water left.  This can't last for much longer.  Summer's bound to arrive in full force any minute now.

6/4/09 Po-Po's

I shouldn't have commented yesterday on my friend's flat problems.  The first thing that happened to me this morning was that the stem broke off the valve on my rear tube when I was topping it off.  I had to change the tube before I could ride.  Karma's not always nice.

6/3/09 Mission Trail

My friend Will is 2 for 2 on flats lately.  He got one on Sunday and he got one this evening when we rode.  It's amazing how you can go for years without a flat, then you get a whole bunch in a row.

6/2/09 Comfort

It was a day for the wildlife.  I saw axis deer, white tail deer, turkey, buzzards, and lots of dead things.  It pays to look out for cars if you're a wild animal.

5/31/09 Gruene

We managed to get lost today scouting a new course.  Well, we weren't really lost, but we took a wrong turn and didn't do the route we originally planned.  It's been a while since I got lost, and it was actually nice because we rode a bunch of roads I've never ridden before.  I got several ideas for new routes.  All in all, a great day.

5/30/09 Real Ale Ride

I have a friend.  I don't want to embarass him, so we'll just identify him as rider 'J'.

Rider 'J' had an eventful day at the Real Ale Ride.  He started off the morning by snapping his rear deraileur cable on the first real hill we came to.  We jury-rigged it to stay in one gear, then went on our way.  Luckily, the first rest stop we came to had a bike mechanic who fixed him up.  Which is a good thing, because 'J's legs weren't up for a ride of this magnitude, especially with only one gear.  He's one of the strongest riders I know, and can ride away from me at will on any terrain, but he hasn't been getting many miles of late.  About 15 miles from the end in Blanco, his legs went into full cramp.  He managed to get them worked out, but was truly suffering for the rest of the ride.  I gave him what food I had, and we got him some water, but that really doesn't help much once the cramps have set it.  He swears that he's going to ride more and get in better shape, but I'll believe that when I see it.  'J' has a tendency to push himself to the limits of endurance in life, and there just aren't the hours in the day for him to ride more and keep up with his workload.

5/28/09 McAllister Park

Tonight I'm feeling a strange combination of satisfaction and remorse.  I made my friend barf on the ride tonight.  In no way was I trying to do it.   Apparently a combination of a bad salad at lunch and a little more exertion than he's currently used to did it.  He lasted about 25 minutes into the ride before he went.  This makes me feel somehow manly... yet not at all happy about pushing him over the edge.  I don't enjoy hurting others, but I guess I really am in better shape than I thought.

This is the same guy I made pass-out on a ride.  We were riding up a steep hill high in the Rocky mountains in Colorado.  When the rest of the group got to the top of the climb, he wasn't with us.  So we waited.  And waited.  And waited.  When we were just about ready to go back and look for him, he finally showed up.  Apparently, part way up the climb, he got light headed, fell off the bike, and passed out. It probably doesn't help that he smokes.

5/26/09 Tuesday Nighter

I held on to the group for at least 200 yards tonight.  I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry... But I think I'll just laugh, since I know I'm slow and I don't have any emotional investment in being fast.

By the way, I never realized that the San Antonio river flows right past the back of Blue Star.  There are some nice old houses across the way with their backyards opening to the river.  That would have been a nice place to buy a house 15 years ago.  I'll bet they've gotten very expensive now.

5/24/09 Comfort - Fredericksburg

I just can't get used to this rainy weather.  It's been so dry this year, and suddenly it starts raining every day.  I'm sure that by the time I AM used to it, it'll go back to being dry again.

5/23/09 Po-Po's

There were actually events worth relating on today's ride!

First, on the way down Big Joshua Creek Road, we came across a lady who had gotten her truck stuck trying to get out of her drive way.  Her normal gate was broken, so she had gone through a side gate.  She didn't notice a big hole in front of it and plopped her driver's side front wheel right into it!  We all gave her a hand by pushing and got her backed out.  She then drove around the hole and got on her way.  Now there's at least one person on the roads who doesn't hate cyclists (I hope).  As she came past, I noticed that her truck was listing to the side that went into the hole.  I'm wondering if maybe she damaged the suspension when she stuck it.

Second, as we were riding out of Comfort, we passed up a small grass airstrip that we always pass.  As we went by, I noticed a plane getting ready to take off.  We all stopped in the road right in front of the runway, and the pilot obligingly buzzed us as he took off.  That's not something I've ever seen before.

By the end of the ride rain had blown in and we tried to race it back to the cars.  We could see it pouring in the (not too distant) distance, and watched it drift our way.  It finally caught us as we went past the lone building known as the town of Wellfare, and it came down steady after that.  I was drenched when the ride was done.  Luckily I keep a small golf towel I got from somewhere in my bag.  It's about 3 inches square (not really, but it is small), which was almost enough to dry me off in the car (again, not really).  I really need to start checking the weather forecasts before I ride.

5/22/09 Bracken

Today we couldn't get rained on no matter how hard we tried.  When we left the parking lot, it was dry.  By the time we hit the bottom of Krueger Canyon, there was water on the road.  We had damp roads all the way back to the cars, but never got rained on.  The cars were wet when we got back, so it had rained there.  Somehow, we rode around the showers.  I have no idea how we did that; we could NEVER have done that if we tried.

5/21/09 McAllister Park

There were a ton of people out on the trails tonight.  I almost ran into like five or ten of them.  It's just impossible to go fast in the park these days safely.

5/20/09 Mission Trail

I may actually be getting the tinniest bit of fitness.  Scott was talking about how fast the ride tonight was.  I thought it was very leisurely.  I'm not sure if Scott is the best gauge of fitness, but he is always faster than me (no matter how much he protests otherwise).  I'll take this as being somewhere between neutral and good.

5/17/09 Utopia

Gorgeous day, beautiful ride, great company, blah, blah, blah...  Of interest is this sign I saw in the bathroom in Utopia:

5/16/09 Government Canyon

Every few years I get caught out in a hard rain storm.  It had been awhile since the last time, so I guess it was due.  Jay and I talked about the possibility of rain as we were in the parking lot, then didn't give it any more thought until we were climbing the hill on Caroline's loop and the drops started coming.  By the time we got to the top it was pouring, we were soaked, the trail was slick and muddy, and it was time to call it a day.  As we headed back down the hill, and then to the parking lot, the rain got less and less intense and finally stopped.  At the car, there hadn't been any rain yet and everyone was looking at us funny since we were soaked and covered in mud.  By the time we got finished cleaning up the rain had arrived, though, and the rest of the day was a complete soaker.  I guess I need to pay more attention to the weather radar on questionable days.

5/15/09 Martinez

I know that we're in the middle of a drought, but everywhere I ride it's totally green.  I'm not sure what gives.

5/13/09 Mission Trail

Wind, wind, blow away.  Come again some other day.  (that would sure make Scotty happy)

5/12/09 Tuesday Nighter

It's been a couple of years since I did one of the Tuesday night ride/race events.  I'm not physically gifted enough, or sufficiently dedicated to training, to be able to do anything but hang on for dear life.  Also, the Helotes course had gotten to the point where it was scary.  Too much growth in that area had led to traffic patterns that were going to get someone run over sooner or later.  I didn't want to be that someone, or to get dragged into the lawsuit that would have inevitably followed.

So, when Shawn told me about the new Tuesday night course south of town, I was a little interested.  There's hardly any traffic in that area, and what traffic there is isn't traveling fast.  When he told me that it was a seven mile loop that the group did four times, I got really interested.  This is perfect for me.  I can hang on for whatever few miles I can, then do a couple of leisurely laps, and finally go to the finish line to watch the racers finish up.

It was really nice to see a bunch of people that I haven't run across in several years.  The ride out to the course and the ride back were a nice opportunity to chat, and I ended up getting a good 40 miles in, which is great for a week night.  I'll definitely make this a regular ride.

5/11/09 McAllister Park

I usually (always) change into my bike clothes in the car before riding.  This morning there were a couple of younger women chatting in and beside the car next to me in the parking lot.  My window tinting is dark enough that you generally can't see in the car.  I think, though, that this morning the light must have been just right.  After I hopped out of the car with my bib shorts and shoes on, the women were totally staring at me.  It's safe to assume they weren't taking in the awesomeness of my bare chest.  I have to think that maybe they unintentionally watched me change.  At least they weren't throwing up.  I put on the rest of my clothes and rode away as fast as I could.  Thankfully the police weren't waiting for me when I returned.

5/9/09 Comfort - Kerrville

We came across a group of old folks (ages over 52) walking on some back roads around Comfort.  It was a big group of people, and they had cars waiting for them up the road, so it was some kind of organized affair.  As we approached the cars, there were several people standing in the middle of the road not paying attention to traffic (understandable since there really isn't any around there).  When we got close to them, I called out that we were approaching to make sure they didn't step out in front of us.  Two of the ladies freaked out and jumped into each other's arms.  They gave us angry scowls as we came past.  I was tempted to give them the finger in reply, but thought better of it.  Instead, I just nodded and smiled, which is actually secret code for the finger.

Pedestrians who aren't paying attention are dangerous to cyclists.  I can't count the number of times I've come up on someone, called out that I'm going to pass them, and had them jump right in front of me.  I learned this long ago while riding at the park, and actually hit one or two of them before I figured it out.  Now I know to be very careful in this situation because, unfortunately, pedestrians are no smarter than deer on the highway.  And certainly not so interesting to look at.

5/8/09 Government Canyon

Every time I get on the bike, the first thing I think is, "I'm really out of shape."  And, usually, that bears true when everyone else I ride with rides away from me from the git-go.   Occasionally, though, I'm reminded that I'm not in as bad shape as I could be.  Today, I rode with a friend who is a good rider but who has suffered from back problems lately and hasn't been on the bike much.  I spent the day waiting on him.  His skills were fine, but his fitness just wasn't there.  Which reminded me of an old term for guys hanging off the back: "sweat rag."  That's when there's one guy slower than the rest, and everyone stops to wait on him at every corner.  The rest of the people get nice and rested waiting for him, but he gets his ass kicked trying to keep up.  In the end, he usually is covered in sweat and mopping up behind everyone, hence the term "sweat rag."

5/7/09 New Braunfels

I usually only ride Wald Road and Krueger Canyon Road (outside of New Braunfels) on the weekends, and they're pretty calm then.  Today I rode them in the morning, and it turns out they're crawling with dump trucks of all shapes and sizes during working hours.  Which makes sense, since there are cement and gravel quarries all up and down those roads.  Lucky for me people are actually fairly respectful of single cyclists riding.  They only tend to get shitty when there's a pack of us all splayed out across the road.  Not that I'm pointing fingers or anything...

5/6/09 Mission Trail

Well, summer is finally here, and in full force.  Not only was it hot as hell tonight (96+ degrees), but it was very humid as well.  I finished the ride dehydrated and wringing wet.  It's been many months since that happened.

5/3/09 McAllister Park

Every time I shower after a good mountain bike ride, I shed grime like a coal miner.  Big streams of it cover the tiles and run down the drain.  It gives me a feeling of accomplishment.  I'm not sure what I've accomplished, other than getting dirty, but that's probably enough.

4/30/09 MIssion Trail

It turns out that it's light at 6:45 am this time of year.  I had no idea.

4/29/09 Mission Trail

The only nice thing about fighting a headwind all the way out on a ride is getting blown all the way home (that's what she said... actually, I doubt she'd say that because only a "he" would say that).

4/26/09 Comfort

What a weird weather day.  It was misting and wet when I left the house, and it just kept getting wetter as I headed to Comfort.  By the time I got to 1604, it was raining convincingly.  Mark called me and asked if I wanted to give up on the ride, but I said we might as well go to Comfort and see if it was wet there.  As we kept heading north, it kept raining.  It was still raining in Boerne, and it was still raining as we passed Po-Po's.  Then, out of nowhere, it stopped.  By the time I exited for Comfort, it was dry.  Somewhere in the 10 miles between Po-Po's and Comfort, we passed the magic line.

There was a strong headwind from the south, and still the threat of rain blowing in, so we opted for the shorter 30 mile route (which turned out to be only 25 miles).  Still, strangely, it was a great day to ride.  The temperature was nice, the humidity was low (don't ask me how), and the wind never really blew in our face.  It just goes to show you should never call the ride until you're actually at the start.

4/25/09 McAllister Park/Mudcreek Park

Just when I think I'm in some kind of decent shape, I go ride with someone that kicks my ass.  This time it was Jens, Richard, and Anthony.  Not only are they faster than me, but they had gotten in a good warmup before picking me up cold.  Needless to say, it hurt.  It's still a lot of fun, though, and I'll do it again as often as I can.  I just eventually explode and have to limp in on my own.

4/23/09 From Work

This was my last "From Work" ride for a while.  I'm going out on my own to try out some business ideas I have.  Since I'll be working from home, my commute is getting greatly compressed. Now I'll just walk out the back door and to the garage apartment, a distance of less than 100 feet.

It was time to leave for a number of reasons, but foremost is the fact that I've gotten bored with the commute.  I'm a creature of habit, and I tend to ride the exact same route to and from work each day.  I now know every pebble, pothole, and crack in the streets from my house to downtown where I work.  I know that it would be easier to just change-up the route, but my OCD prevents me from doing that.  The only real option was to leave my job and free myself from the tyranny of repetitive cycling.  Now, instead of commuting, I'll be able to do short rides from my house in the mornings before starting work.  My only fear is that I'll have to move in a year or two when I've gotten bored of all the streets around the house.

4/23/09 To Work

I've been doing an overhaul of my mountain bike this week.  I've pulled everything apart and cleaned it; I've re-greased all the bearings I can get to; and I fixed a broken axle in the rear wheel.  All's good there.  Now, the road bike is making creaking noises in the bottom bracket, so I guess that's next.  Still, this is a lot better than it was before we had good sealed bearings.

By the way, I always vaguely knew that the Little 500 was a real race, but I'd never heard the details before.  This is unlike any bike race I've ever heard of.

Bike Chatter

This looks interesting. It's a Twitter follower for cyclists.

http://www.bikechatter.com/

4/19/09 Fiesta Wildflower

I must be getting more attuned to the wind, because it blew like hell today but didn't really bother me.  Part of that is the fact that it was at our backs for about 2/3 of the ride.  But the return leg had a head wind pretty much all the way back. 

I think it's kind-of like climbing.  I used to really hate to climb, but these days I actually like it.  I don't like the wind, and probably never will, but I don't hate it anymore.  This makes rides much nicer. 

4/18/09 Mission Trail

It's so nice riding a bike that doesn't make noises.  It's been years since I was able to do that on the road.  Up the hills, over the bumps, sitting, standing, any way I ride it, no extra noises. I'm glad the creaking is finally fixed.

Of course, when you fix one thing, something else immediately breaks.  Right before the ride, I decided to adjust the alignment of the stem, because I noticed it looked a little crooked during my last ride.  I loosened the bolts, got it adjusted where I like it, then tightened the bolts.  The top one promptly snapped off.  Not what I was wanting to have to deal with.  So, I used my drill, my bolt extractor, and a small pair of vice grips to get the old bolt out.  Of course, I broke two small drill bits in the process.  Then, I managed to find a bolt that would fit.  I somehow got it all back together and got going in time to not be late for the ride.

4/15/09 To Work

I hate riding with a sore throat.  I've had a cold coming on since yesterday, and this morning my throat was a little sore.  I didn't give it much thought until I start riding in and breathing a lot (usually I only breathe once an hour or so - it's my super power).  That always dries my throat out and makes it hurt.  It doesn't hurt badly, but it is a constant irritant and makes the ride un-enjoyable.  I think I'll not do my normal long Wednesday night ride tonight and just head home after work.

4/14/09 From Work

ZOMG!¹  The creak is gone!  I finally figured it out, and it's a weird one.  The bolt in the clamp securing the handlebar to the stem was creaking when the bars got wrenched on and the clamp shifted.  I should have guessed this earlier, because I have a similar problem with my seat-post clamp bolt.   I pulled the bolt out, covered it in ti-prep, re-assembled it, and everything's quiet now.  FINALLY!!!


¹This is the only internet acronym I've found that no-one can explain to my satisfaction. The "OMG" part means "Oh My God", but no-one can give a good explanation of what the "Z" stands for. Urban Dictionary defines ZOMG, but I'm not sure I believe their explanation for the "Z".

4/14/09 To work

There's this old building on St. Mary's street that used to be empty, but now has a boxing gym in it.  They repainted it before moving in, and it was clean for a while.  Today I noticed that there's graffiti on it.  I wonder who tagged a boxing place?  I assume they made sure there were no boxers there, so they wouldn't get their asses kicked.  That's really only a step or two down from tagging a gun store or a mafia restaurant.  I guess some taggers just like to dance with danger.

The Poo Chronicles: Sidebar

"Poo?  That's disgusting!  Why would you want to write about that???"

Well, you're right, poo IS disgusting.  Very.  And it's also not very interesting.  But poo isn't the point of these stories.  These are stories of embarassment.  These are stories about the dumb things poo makes people do, and the interesting ways they handle it.  So, keep in mind that I'm not talking about poo; I'm talking about the crazy things it makes people do, especially the things they're embarassed to talk about.

With that said, let me re-introduce you to the original stories (and be expecting more):

The Poo Chronicles: Part 1
The Poo Chronicles: Part 2
The Poo Chronicles: Part 3

4/10/09 Easter Hill Country Tour Day 1

Sometimes on a ride, no matter which direction you ride, the wind is in your face.  Today was one of those days.  No matter which way the road went, there was a headwind.  I think this happens because the direction of the wind and the direction of the roads conspire against you.  This was bound to happen, since I've had the opposite luck on the last few long rides, where the wind is at your back no matter which way you go.  Luckily, it wasn't blowing very hard, so it was just a very minor annoyance.

Otherwise, the ride was great.  The rest stops were well stocked and frequent, so I felt like I was getting something for my money.  There were also a lot of nice people on the ride and I had groups to ride with for the whole ride.  All in all, it was a great day.  Year in and year out, the Easter rides are good ones.

4/8/09 Mission Trail

My nipples really got rubbed wrong tonight.  I'm looking at them right now, and they aren't chaffed or raw, but they definitely bothered me on the ride.  I have this problem occasionally, but I can never pinpoint an issue.  The bib shorts I had on I have worn probably a hundred times, with no memorable problems.  The jersey I had on has no particular history of pain.  I don't understand why, on occasion, they just get rubbed wrong.  I've considered keeping some bandaids around, but it's so inconsistent, and my chest is so hairy, that that's not really an option.  I tried to move around the suspenders and the jersey, but that didn't help.  I think that the next time I have this problem, I'm going to stop, pull off my jersey, re-adjust my shorts, and put everything back on carefully.  It works when my socks are rubbing my toes wrong, so I guess it's worth a shot here.

Just in case this happens again any time soon, I was wearing the black Castelli KISS shorts and my jersey from work.  I'll keep track of that in case I can find a pattern.

4/8/09 To Work

When you ride bicycles, you spend a lot of time staring intently at streets.  Streets that look pristine from a car can look like a Swiss cheese moonscape when you're trying to navigate through them and not pop a tire or get beaten to death.  Actually, there are very few streets that are really smooth and not full of holes.  Even when they re-pave a street, someone else comes along and digs a hole in it almost immediately.  And when they patch the hole, the patch never lasts very well.  They should make street repair engineers¹ ride around on bicycles.  Then they'd have more appreciation for their work.



¹I mean the people who come up with the guidelines for how to repair streets, not the ones that do the actual work.

4/5/09 McAllister Park

Today I did a dumb thing.  While I was getting ready to ride, I left my GPS sitting on top of the car so it could sync with the satelites and be ready for the ride.  In my haste to get going, I forgot and left it there, on top of the car, for the entire ride.  Luckily, when I got back it was still there.  That's a miracle. 

I cannot believe that I left my GPS sitting on top of my car for over an hour and a half and no-one took it.  That almost restores my faith in humanity.

4/4/09 Pedal Power Wildflower Ride

There aren't many wildflowers out this year, thanks to the drought (I think).  I saw a few on the Willow City loop, and a couple on the median of 281 as I was driving south out of Johnson City, but that was about it.  I was kind of bummed by that, because I really like looking at the flowers this time of year.  Still, it was a great day to ride a bicycle.  It was sunny and warm, without being hot, the wind didn't end-up being a factor, and my legs felt good.  I need more days like that.

4/1/09 Mission Trail

There is no way that there are fish in the creak they call a river down by the missions (also known as the San Antonio river).  No way.  The water levels go up and down, it sits stagnant for long stretches of time, and there's no telling what kind of wastes run into it from the surrounding areas.  Yet, every time I ride by it, there are people there fishing.  Sometimes not a small number of them, either.  I have never seen anyone pulling a fish out.  If by some miracle someone DID catch a fish, I hope they'd have the good sense to throw it back or incinerate it, NOT eat it.  Ugh.

4/1/09 To Work

Well, no matter what I try, I can't get rid of the creaking in the headset area of my bike.  I think the next thing I'll try is to put a different stem/handlebar set on there and wrestle it around to see if it still creaks.  That'll at least eliminate one more potential problem.  So far, I'm pretty sure it's not the fork, headset, spacers, compression cap, or handlebars.  The stem is the only thing left.  If that doesn't do it...

3/31/09 From Work

After riding past the youth baseball fields in the Olmos Basin tonight, I find it hard to believe that Detroit can't sell enough SUV's to pay the bills.  That's all there was.  I couldn't count the number of black Tahoes* and Suburbans if I used all my digits (that's 21), much less all the other colors/makes/models that I saw.  And if the driving skills of those parents are any indication, they'll be wrecking the current ones and having to buy new ones at a steady pace.  The embarassing thing about it was that I recognized a lot of those people as friends from high school.  Then again, I remember how they drove when we were in school together, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised when they do their best to run me over.  Or maybe they just recognized me and wanted to take care of some unfinished business.

*I was counting black Tahoe's because my sister and my cousin each have one, so I can't point any fingers here. They're (basically) good people.

3/31/09 To Work

If every day in California was like today, I'd move there in a heartbeat, cost be damned.  This weather is wonderful!

3/30/09 From Work

I passed three non-poor people commuting on their bikes this afternoon.  It's not unusual to see people on bikes who can't afford cars, but I rarely see the well-heeled riding to and from work, and never three in the same day. 

The first guy was leaving the TV station as I passed it.  He blew past me on his fancy-shmancy 'cross bike with the rack on back.  He tried to say something to me, but I was way too cool to reply (ok, just way too slow to formulate an intelligent reply). 

The next guy was riding an old turquois Trek Y-bike in the opposite direction from me.  I wasn't sure whether to be happy for him that he was riding, or sad that his bike has the worst suspension design ever.

The third guy was riding with a jogger the wrong way down the street.  He may not have been commuting, but he certainly didn't have to be riding the bike.

3/30/09 To Work

A mini-van pulled out right in front of me this morning.  The old lady and her old passenger weren't paying attention where they were going.  It wasn't really close, but it did kind of irritate me.  The car was covered in bird shit; obviously I'm not the first thing it's irritated.  I'm sure it has nothing to do with it, but the car had a Minnesota license plate.  That dang snow-bird with bird-shit should watch where she's going.  Strangely, I didn't flip her the bird, though it may have been appropriate.

3/29/09 McAllister Park

I wish I had something interesting to say, but I basically just vegetated for an hour and a half on the back of my mountain bike.  I finished the ride and couldn't really remember anything that happened.  Sometimes I do that when I'm in the car; arrive at a place and not remember driving there.  I hope I didn't run anyone over, but I'm pretty sure I would remember if I did.

The Poo Chronicles, Part 3

The problem with bib shorts is that you have to practically strip naked to do your business.  This can sometimes be a challenge when you're riding your bicycle and have to tend to things in out-of-the-ordinary surroundings.  Porta-Potties are the worst.

Picture this.  I'm about 20 miles into an organized ride.  It's a nice ride, and they have porta-johns at the rest stops.  This is actually kinda rare, and is really appreciated.  Anyway, I had a quick breakfast on the way to the ride, and now it wants out.  I see a rest stop ahead.  I pull over, get in line, and clinch up tight until I can get into the "stall".  Once in there, I do a juggling act involving taking off my helmet and glasses, emptying my jersey pockets, and finally taking the jersey off, all while making sure nothing touches the ground.  That's not easy.

When I'm done, I decide that there's no way I can put it all back on in that stall and not have some sort of major dunking accident.  So, I toss open the door and exit with my jersey in one hand and my helmet and other stuff in the other.  It is totally obvious to all looking what I've been up to.  Couple that with the fact that it took me quite a while to do all I neaded to do, and you begin to get the picture.

Standing in the front of the line to get in next are three cute girls.  They take one look at me, assess the situation, and immediately switch lines to the next john.  I then look up and notice several of my friends who have come along behind me and stopped at the rest stop as well.  They've witnessed the whole thing and are sitting there laughing at me and making jokes at my expense.

Sometimes it's hard to have any dignity.

The Poo Chronicles, Part 2

Scott: "Hey, guys, I need to take a dump."

Me: "Dude, we're in the middle of nowhere.  There isn't a bathroom anywhere near here."

Scott: "No problem, I'll just go in the woods."

We all stop, and Scott goes tromping off into the bushes and trees.

Shawn: "Does anyone have a camera?"

Rob: "Yeah, I do."

Shawn goes tromping off into the bushes, carrying the camera.

Scott (in the distance, yelling): "Hey, get away from me you pervert!!!"

Shawn comes walking back, grinning.

Scott comes back a few minutes later, griping about how his friends don't respect him.

Later, we develop the picture.  It is very blurry, but if you know what you're looking for, you can see Scott, without shorts, squatting down and holding onto a tree branch.  If you don't know what to look for, it could just as well be a picture of Sasquatch, or space aliens. Luckily for Scott, Shawn wasn't taking very good pictures that day.

The Poo Chronicles, Part 1

Shawn: "Dude, is there is a stain on the ass of my shorts?"

Me: "Yep"

Shawn: "Dammit, I sharted!"

Now picture one very skinny dude buck naked with his ass in a stream in a canyon in the heart of the Texas hill country. Scrubbing his crack with a hand full of stream gravel. With a group of his friends standing around taunting him. He finally gets out, puts his clothes back on, and gets back on his bicycle.

Me: "How's it now?"

Shawn: "My shorts are wet and my crack is chafing."

Me: "At least we only have 30 miles left in the ride..."

3/23/09 From Work

I passed a guy jogging down St. Mary's street today.  He was either very bow-legged, or he had just shit his pants and didn't want to squish it around in his shorts.  I'm still debating which it was.

3/23/09 To Work

I got my computer back from being repaired.  Garmin really did a good job (they better have for $100).  Among other things, some of the buttons had been sticking before and they all work well now.  Not to mention the fact that it doesn't automagically turn off during a ride.  While I was setting this one back up, I was really impressed by how much info you can get from the thing.  I didn't realize that it would do sunrise/sunset times for your locale.

Still, I've gotten very used to not staring at a computer during a ride.  It feels very liberating.  Luckily, the Garmin works just fine in your back pocket.  I've gone ahead and removed the computer mounts from all my bikes.  Now I'm just going to pop it in the pocket and have it to look at after the ride or when I stop.

3/22/09 Rebecca Creak

There's a stop light at the corner of Smithson Valley Road and 46 that doesn't detect bicycles at all.  There's a button on the pole to push to cross if you're a pedestrian.  We pushed the heck out of that button today, but the light never changed.  We went ahead and ran it.  This isn't the first time I've had that problem.  I'm convinced those buttons are never hooked to anything; they're just there to calm people.  It gives them the illusion of control, but I guess sometimes that's enough.  We're all just sheep.

3/19/09 Fredericksburg

Today was the perfect day.  Light to no winds.  Temperatures starting in the 60's and topping out in the 70's.  Sunny.  Perfection.

We rode in the direction of Doss, without actually going all the way to Doss.  Those roads are the best that I know of anywhere.  We connected a bunch of roads I knew with a few that I had never ridden on before (but had seen on the map).

We saw deer and turkeys, as well as plenty of dogs.  Even a few other cyclists.

3/18/09 Mission Trail

Tonight was confusion.  We started off by leaving without Steve because there was a misunderstanding and we thought he wasn't riding tonight.  He called about 15 minutes into the ride wanting to know where we were.  He was going to catch up with us, but we never saw him.  Strike one.

Then, Scott Chapman got dropped about the time we got near Mission San Jose, and we never saw him again.  Strike two.

Two guys we met along the road were with us for a while, but when we went around the gate at Espada, they got confused and turned back.  We never saw them again.  Strike three.

After that, Shawn got confused at the ghost tracks and thought that I was back.  He went back to look for me.  I was actually up the road riding slow waiting for him to catch.  He finally figured this out and caught up.  Strike four.

Finally, on the way back Shawn and Dan took off trying to beat each other up.  Shawn finally dropped Dan, who waited up for us, but we never saw Shawn again.  Strike five.

It kind of reminded me of a monkey trying to fuck a football.

3/18/09 To Work

I sent my bike computer in to get it worked on, so I've been riding without one for a week or so now.  I'm surprised to find that I enjoy the rides more not knowing how far I've gone, how long it's taken, and how hard my heart is beating.  I think I'll just leave it off for the time being.

3/17/09 From Work

When I had my flat yesterday, I left the valve cap and the valve screw sitting on the sidewalk.  As I rode home today, I decided to pull over and put the valve screw on.  That must have looked really strange if anyone happened to be watching.  I just stopped, picked something up off the sidewalk, screwed it on my wheel, and rode away.

Yeah, you're right. I guess you had to be there.

3/17/09 To Work

I almost made all the lights going down St. Mary's street today.  I finally got caught at the McCullough light.  It was yellow and I probably could have made it, but I couldn't see the cross traffic so I decided to stop.  Not that I mind running lights (I don't), I just mind getting run over.  Once is enough.

3/16/09 From Work

I almost ran over a cat tonight.  Well, not really almost, but it could have happened.  He (why do I assume this?) was walking out of a yard into the street.  He didn't hear me coming.  I hissed at him, he looked up and saw me, then turn around and ran off.  I guess cats don't expect bicycles to be coming down the street, and certainly don't expect them to be (relatively) quiet.  People don't expect cyclists either.  I guess we are kind of like the Spanish Inquisition in that respect.

3/16/09 To Work

Beautiful.  It's just beautiful outside this morning.

I had a flat on the way in this morning.  Not the good kind of flat (is there really a good kind?), but the scary kind.  The kind where the tire just pops off the bead, starts making funny noises, then pops before you can do anything about it.  The kind you're always afraid of getting when you're going down a fast hill.  The kind that isn't from running over something bad, but from putting the tire on the rim wrong in the first place.  Luckily I was going slow.  Note to self: be more careful the next time you put your tire on.

3/10/09 From Work

Threatening rain, but not carrying through on the threat.

I saw a guy riding down St. Mary's on a nice looking Bianchi road bike.  He was wearing shorts, flip flops, a t-shirt, and was un-shaved.  He didn't look like your typical road rider.  I wonder if that was his bike?

When I was going through the basin, a lady walking her dog stepped out into the street right in front of me without looking. Good thing I wasn't a car. I'm always amazed at people that don't respect the damage a vehicle can do to a human body. Needless to say, I missed.

3/10/09 To Work

Headwind.  Almost hot, but still pleasant.

There used to be a Porsche Spider sitting inside a small bar on St. Mary's street, right across from Tycoon Flats.  That's the kind of car that James Dean was killed in.  It doesn't look anything like the 356/Speedster/911/etc... body style we associate with Porsche.  It's probably a kit car, because a real one would be worth a fortune.  Anyway, it's gone now.  I hope someone is out driving it and having fun.

http://www.cliffreuter.com/porsche.htm

3/8/09 Bracken

My headset has made loud creaking noises for years now.  The other day I put a washer in that I found out was missing.  This helped a bunch, but it still creaks a little.  I think the next thing to try is a carbon headset spacer, so that there won't be metal to rub together.


Also, my bike computer has now started to flake out. It randomly turns off during the ride and sometimes forgets the stats it has gathered so far. It took me about 5 or 6 starts today before it stayed on. I'll have to look into fixing or replacing it.

3/7/09 Government Canyon

Jay Burton and I rode our mountain bikes at Government Canyon State Natural Area.  The only reason I mention him is that he had a flat tire today.  That wouldn't normally happen since he runs tubeless tires with sealant in them.  It would seem, though, that he hasn't replaced the sealant in a while.  The sealant is usually only good for a few months.  Today, when he pulled the tire off to put a tube in it, the old sealant was in a mass that looked like a red and white sponge from the deepest depths of the ocean.  Very weird.  We left it sitting on the side of the trail, wondering if some hiker or biker would come along and find it and totally wonder what the heck it is and where it came from.  It was a good thing I had an extra tube with me, because he didn't have one (since there was no way his tires could go flat). This reminds me that I need to check my tires to make sure this doesn't happen to me.

3/6/09 From Work

 I rode from work back to the house.

When you can hear the wind blowing, and you can see things being blown around, but you can't feel it, you're riding with the wind.  That's a good thing.  When you can't even feel the slightest puff, then you are riding exactly with the wind at it's speed.  It really feels eerie.  Needless to say, it was a nice, relatively effortless ride home.

3/6/09 To Work

I rode from my house to work.

On the way down St. Mary's street, there was a homeless-looking guy sitting at a bus stop.  As I went past, he yelled out to me, "Armstrong's up the road from you!"  I'm still surprised when a non-cyclist knows the name of a rider, even The Lance.  Of course, I had no quick and witty reply.  I just grunted and rode on. It's not the first time someone has said something similar to me on my commute. I need to come up with a good reply for next time.

3/4/09 Mission Trail

I rode from work and met everyone at the police station. We rode down and did the Mission trail, then I finished up by riding home after dropping everyone off.

The wind was blowing hard on the way out, but it was worth it to get blown all the way home.  It was almost directly in our faces, then directly on our backs.  No cross winds.  You don't get that very often.

Coming through town, Ricky was standing at the curb holding my backpack.  I didn't have to stop; I just snatched it like a musette bag as I went past.  I stopped a few blocks later and put it on.  It's not often I get curbside service.

While I was stopped at a light, a young couple came up to me and asked for directions to the Riverwalk.  I gave them some hasty directions, then rode on.  Of course, the second they were gone, I realized that although my directions were accurate, they really weren't the best way to go for what they were looking for.  I'm just not a fast thinker.  I hope they figured it out and had a good time.

The only downside of the evening was that my rear flasher ran out of batteries.  I didn't have any problems, though, so it was OK.