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June 2, 2008
My Sunday: Part II
[Technical difficulties have made this even later than I'd thought it might be.]
In yesterday's post I told you all about the exiting gardening life I led on Sunday. Due to the extreme amount of sunshine that Sunday brought with it I decided to knock off early to take the new bike (TNB) on its First Big Ride.
I say First Big Ride, not because it was going to be the longest for TNB (though it turned out that way) but because the route would take me the farthest I'd been from home on TNB — a bike that sorely lacked any of the survival tools the Mighty Schwinn had attached to it.
So I thought I'd better get some.
Having had a good bicycle-buying experience at Bike Source I decided to let them fulfill my wedge bag and tire-pump needs. I was on their doorstep at 4:15 and by 4:15:10 had verified, without a doubt, that their Sunday hours ended at 4 p.m. Ah well, Performance was just down the road.
I'd tried to buy a wedge bag a few days before but had gotten lost in all the choices and gone home empty handed. Sunday, however, my favorite blonde salesgal made the mistake of asking if she could help me and in short order I'd picked up a wedge bag, frame-mount pump, bottle carrier, inner tube, and a so-cars-can-see-me headlight.
I got a carbon fiber bottle carrier as I don't want to start putting heavy bits and pieces on TNB. Well, that's not really the case; as I've mentioned before I come in at 242 and I find it hard to believe that, unless I start using lighter-than-air add-ons or components made by Briggs & Stratton, anything I mount to the bike is going to affect performance that much. I got the carbon fiber bottle carrier because it was sleek looking and the same color (sort of) as TNB.
Blah blah blah… I had everything mounted and was on the road by 6 p.m.
About five miles into the ride I noticed I'd left my water bottle, full of ice water, at home. Right next to, I'm guessing, my tire levers. Oh well, the best laid plans.
My original intent was to put in 20 miles doing ten out and then ten back. Since the wind was beating me up on the way out I figured it would be pushing me on the way home, making those miles free sort of. So I called an audible and went for 15 out that eventually became a smidge over 16.
TNB rides very well; I can't believe how smooth it is. And while I'm guessing it's a bit more aerodynamic than The Might Schwinn I still possess the air-tunnel footprint of a Kenworth. Which is to say that most of the first 15 miles required a fair amount of pedaling to produce an average speed of just over 15 mph (at some points I was globbing along at 12 and 13).
Then came the turnaround. I honestly expected to be cruising around at 25 mph without too much effort; it's happened before on The Mighty Schwinn, and it's always dreamy when it happens.
It was not to be, however. Sure, 16 and 17 came without too much trouble and there were periods of 22 mph, but never did I feel as if I were being rewarded for putting up with the amount of wind I had to tolerate on the way out.
(Good Lord. I just reread that and you'd think I was out there trying to build the pyramids with a kid's pail and shovel instead of pedaling a bicycle around. Woe is frikkin' me.)
Did I mention I got laid at the end of the ride?
I didn't.
Technorati Tags: Cycling
Posted by delmer at June 2, 2008 3:48 PM
Comments
Well, like you said...sometimes the best laid plans...
Posted by: Ginger at June 4, 2008 2:54 PM
TNB??? Pffffffffffffft! That's it??
you could at least survey your readers on some other (much better) names ;o)
Posted by: Lady P at June 4, 2008 3:50 PM
I agree with Lady P. My son calls his bike "My Bike" but at least he says it like Peewee Herman.
Posted by: Icy Mt. at June 4, 2008 4:03 PM
So your riding the Turner News Broadcasting? How does Ted feel about that? Yes I know it's TNN, or was, or whatever. I think "The Roub" would be better and that was spending 2 seconds on it. Or how about "The aix" (the axe). I got nothing, it's hard for me to name an inanimate object, no matter what it cost. I've owned my S-15 Jimmy for 15 years and I call it.......wait for it..........."the truck" yep pretty impressive.
Posted by: mikeo at June 4, 2008 8:08 PM
My previous bike (Pinarello Dyna-Lite) was easy to name- Dinah. "I'm gonna go ride Dinah for a few hours" had a nice ring to it.
The obvious nickname for Roubaix is Ruby (plus you can make "riding Ruby" jokes). Or you could name it for a queen, because Paris-Roubaix is the Queen of the Classics. How about Rania? She's the hottest Queen I know of http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2004/05/22/queen_rania.jpg
Posted by: Bill at June 5, 2008 1:42 AM
Ginger: So true ...
Lady P: I'm still working on it. Don't get your knickers in a bunch.
IcyMt: Man, that's an old movie ... Pee Wee is timeless.
MikeO: These are the reasons we do what we do and why we didn't go into advertising.
Bill: Nice link. She is a hottie.
Posted by: delmer at June 6, 2008 9:04 AM
Sorrow... and "ha!"
Posted by: heather dugan at June 7, 2008 9:55 PM