Beyond 1200

Today was the first day I’ve bailed on a ride after starting. It wasn’t an easy decision as I love my really long rides in morning. Watch the video to see why.

I’ve had my current bike for about 6 years so far. It was a replacement for a Giant ATX1 that was stolen after less than two years of use, sniff.
My current Giant ATX3 carries a few components that I’ve had for almost a decade, that have moved from bike to bike over time. The bike [...]

There’s something wonderfully refreshing about the dark.
I’m not talking that semi-dark in the city, where the distant glow of street lights are always visible, and the glaring stare of an LED is always close at hand.
Pitch black. Just you and the glow of the moon.
That’s how my ride on Tuesday morning was. It was dark, [...]

photo credit: richardmasoner
The rain is starting to pick up and mercury is falling. Often the signal for the end of the riding season.
There is often to reason to stop riding, even when the weather gets very miserable.
Just as prevention is better than cure works for colds, so good preparation can make riding through the [...]

So you like riding children’s bikes?
That’s the feeling I get whenever I see these diminutive creations of the hardcore commuting crowd.
I had a foldable bike once, it was really cheap and was a prize at the company annual dinner.
It did not leave a good impression with me. The steering was twitchy, I felt like I’d [...]

I don’t eat during rides.
I’ve had this mental block against consuming anything but plain water for the duration of long and short rides. It’s been that way since as far back as I remember. Friends would swear by energy drinks, but not me.
Well, I’ve changed.
I’ve realized what a drastic mistake that was.
A few weeks back [...]

Happy feet equals happy rider. Through the years I’ve burned through a few pairs of decent cycling shoes. Only one pair has lasted more than two years.
Cycling shoes take quite a bit of battering, they’re exposed to the elements, they become super-filthy because of their proximity to the street, getting the biggest splashes and becoming [...]

My butt hurts.
To put it bluntly that is the challenge I am having right now as I increase the distance of my long rides. I’ve never really had this problem before, but now it’s getting to me.
Racing vs Randonneuring
The biggest difference between these two is the speed and the time on the bike.
Racing is faster [...]