Pedalman's view with the rubber side down

That's two this year

2009-07-17T19:54:00.002-04:00

Much to my embarrassment I was involved in another bike accident last week. I was making a left turn with a car in front and a car behind me. I didn't think of looking to my right as I was the fourth in line for the advanced green and all traffic had stopped at the red. I should have looked because a fellow cyclist went right through the lights and into my leg with his front tire.

It all happened pretty fast and all the traffic stopped. I was on my feet pretty fast and when I realized what happened started to get really mad. The guy that hit me kept saying how he needed to go and do something. Police and ambulance showed and after questions and statements from witnesses the other rider was at fault for going through a red light.

After speaking with the police they informed me that the man who hit me had some mental challenges. They got in touch with his counsellor and we all agreed that having him charged wouldn't help anyone. I just hope his counsellor helps him understand that going through a red light regardless how late you might be is the wrong thing to do.

My leg is a terrific colour of yellow and purple but for the most part alright. I was riding the hybrid so it took the crash with grace and sustained no damage. The one thing I realized once home that was missing was my sunglasses. In the grand scheme of things that's not too bad. I have now ordered some new one's from Oakley and they are on the way.

Trying to get better

2009-07-11T11:10:00.004-04:00

I thought I would put down a typical week in my struggle to be a better cyclist. I typically workout in the gym 4 days a week but due to work and life I don't have designated days in which I do certain days. Some days I'm in the gym at 10am, while others are 11pm. Most of my 'training' rides start at 4:30am and the goal is for 3 of these every week. I'll focus on my gym time workouts as myself and my coach are still working on the mechanics of my 'training' rides.

DAY 1

Tricep pulldowns 20% max 4x25 reps

Dips 5x25 reps

Pushups reg. 3x20reps

incline 3x20reps

decline 3x20reps

Ball trunk lift 4x 20reps

Side to Side trunk lift 3x20reps

Ball Pass 2x20reps

Reverse Crunch 3x25reps

DAY 2

Leg Curl 20% max 4x25reps

Ball Hip extension 3x25reps

No weight slow squat 4x25reps

No weight Lunge 3x 20reps

Power jumps 2x 12reps

No weight Side Lunge 3x 20reps

Step-ups 3x15reps

Reverse Crunch 2x30reps

Day3

Barbell Pullup 2x25reps

Shrugs 10% max 3x25 reps

Barbell Row 10% max 2x 20reps

Standing Calf Raise 3x20reps

Standing Long Jump 1x25reps

Ball Pike 3x 12reps

Oblique Plank 2x15reps

Pushups reg. 1x50reps

Incline Pushups 1x 30reps

DAY 4

Ball Crunches 4x20reps

Side to Side trunk lift 2x20reps

No weight Slow Squat 2x20reps

Lunges 1x20reps

Step ups 2x30reps

Power jumps 1x20reps

I try and get to the yoga studio once a week in which I'll normally replace 'Day 4' with an hour of yoga. I of course try to be on at least one of my bikes everyday, except of course when a fellow cyclist blows through a red light and slams right into me. We'll save that one for another post.

I've updated the play list with some of the tunes I'm grooving to. Track 16 is one of the best for some climbing fun.

Keep the Rubber Side Down!

Out of the Loop but getting back in

2009-06-30T16:36:00.003-04:00

The past few weeks at work have been really hectic and I'm not going to bore you with the details. My time outside of work has been limited and as such I've been using it to ride and hit the gym and not writing about it.

In the past few weeks, I've had some great solo rides. The one's in which it's just you, your thoughts and the bike. Some have been a quick 30km while others have clocked 160+km. I've also been hitting the gym and incorporating some new exercises to help get me back to the level I was this time last year. Lots of lunges, squats, lifts and curls. This time though I've been doing some single legged ones and I'm really loving it.

I'll be starting up with my trainer again next week and no doubt she'll be kicking my ass eight ways to Sunday. I'm really looking forward to the 4:30am training rides(don't tell her) as I find they really start my day off right.

You've probably noticed that there is a music player on the blog now. Each week I'll try and copy the playlist I'm using during my rides in it.

Keep the Rubber Side Down my friends.

Lucinda

2009-06-11T19:35:00.004-04:00

Lucinda is the newest member of the family and all have welcomed her with open arms. Even though she is taking the place of a sister who had an unfortunate accident with a cab, she is her own bike.

I'm sure that she will be steady and swift when needed and enjoy long casual scenic trips.

May the roads be hilly, the sky blue and the wind behind you.

Welcome Lucinda.

The Ride

2009-06-10T19:37:00.002-04:00

Now that a few days have passed since my Ride for Heart, I think I'm able to give a bit better insight on what it was like for me.

The night before I ended up working until midnight which meant that when I got out of bed at 5am on Sunday, I had only slept for a little over two hours. I checked the weather and found that rain was still very much going to be a part of the 75kms.

On my way to the EX, one of the only concerns that kept nagging at me was if I would be warm enough. I decided to stick to my shorts, short sleeved wick shirt, long sleeve wick shirt, jersey and wind vest. It may sound like a lot but all the layers on top are thin and the temperature is all over the place.

I met up with the rest of my group at the gates and we made our way to the start for the 6:45am. The chatter was light and fun until about ten minutes until start time. The leader of our group conveyed the 2hr goal I had and everyone nodded their heads, gave me a pat and told me they would do whatever it took to make it happen. A brief shudder of fear welled up inside of me when thoughts of being the weakest link in the group flashed in my head. The thoughts quickly dissipated when I saw marshals starting to move out from the front of all the riders waiting for the go ahead.

There were many groups like ours that launched off the front and all had an agenda. We quickly formed our pace line and we were off. I made it a point to cover my speed, distance and time before leaving the house. All I was aware of was my cadence. The rain started shortly after the launch, died away and came back. Keeping the pace line was difficult as the rooster tales from the rider in front reduced almost all visibility.

I believe somewhere around the 45km mark I could feeling my strength starting to waiver. The leader of the group noticed and took me off of pulling duty for 6 turns while I ate and recharged. I was embarrassed for having to take a 'break' but as they all rotated around me they gave me words of empowerment and encouragement. My strength started to come back and soon I was back in proper rotation.

Within about 10km to go, the leader who was behind me in the line called out that an attack was happening and I was to chase it down.

'Rabbit loose!'

'Pedalman, chase him down and bring him in!'

The rabbit of course was him and I needed to get on his wheel. He shot past me and I launched my chase. As I cranked the pedals and started to speed away from the pace line keeping the rabbit in my cross hairs the group shouted words of encouragement to me.

I reached down and hit play on the Ipod. I had yet to turn it on and knew that I would need the extra motivation at this point. Moby's 'Lift Me Up' was like nitrous to my legs and I remember saying 'Got ya' before the song ended.

When we crossed the finish line, the last thing that was on my mind was if we had made it under my 2hr goal. The leader came up to me slapped me on the back and told me that maybe next year the goal should be changed a bit.

'1hr:57mins:41sec

He suggested the goal be changed to 1hr45mins next year. I can't repeat the suggestion I gave to him in response.

I want to thank all those that supported me on this ride. Without you guys in my corner, I wouldn't have had a shot.

Thank you my friends.

I've got a secret

2009-05-28T17:48:00.003-04:00

In two weeks I jump on my bike and head off for a 75km charity ride for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. I was recently challenged by a group of friends to do the ride at sportif* pace, meaning 35+km/h. I readily accepted once I found that a friend of mine can't do the ride with me due to injury. The group that I'll be heading out with are the people I raced with last year, but was unable to this year due to surgeries during the off season.

My goal is to complete the ride in under 2hrs. For this to happen our group will need to fall into place and just in case I'll have my secret weapons close at hand.

Lance

Hammer Gel

IPod- loaded with explosive tunes

List of all those that have supported me in this ride.

Dumped and loving it!

2009-05-19T20:24:00.004-04:00

I was lucky enough today to get out and enjoy 5 beautiful hours of riding. Down by the lake the wind became a force to contend with, but I sure as heck didn't let it get in the way. When I got back home, I felt relaxed and couldn't stop smiling.

I haven't been able to log a great deal of mileage recently and tried to make it up today. By all accounts I should be tired and ready for bed, but instead I feel composed and fresh. It came to me while reading Melanie's blog, why I feel so great. She wrote that her partner Jay doesn't like running long distance because it would leave him alone with his thoughts and that would drive him crazy. Being left alone with my thoughts while on the bike is one of the great pleasures I get. I know that within an hour, I can do a complete thought drain and leave it on the road behind me.

I logged 127kms today and dropped the office, personal and assorted challenges around the 30km mark.

Organize and conquer in style

2009-04-30T12:11:00.006-04:00

One of my greatest OCD issues is making sure that everything is organized and available when I go riding. If you want to see my face squish and contort, wait for the time that someone I'm riding with has a flat and then tells me that they don't have a patch kit or tube replacement, after I've asked them if they need me to bring anything. Most of the time when riding with certain people I always carry an extra tube and latex gloves, knowing that they tend to be a little absent minded or disorganized and will have forgotten some items. I've found that my saddle bag has been bursting on these occasions and items end up in my jersey pocket.

Now I am by no means a person that goes overboard with taking things with me but I want to make sure I don't get left high and dry. Here's a list of items always in my bag:

- 1 or 2 spare tubes(depending on length of trip and which bike)

- 1 pair of latex gloves(nothing worse than changing a flat, getting your hands dirty and then sticking to the bars)

- 2 tire levers

- 2 CO2 cartridges (sometimes 3 depending on length of trip)

- multi tool

- Phone

- $20 bill

- $2 in change

- house keys

Like most people that are addicted to pushing the pedals will ride to where they need to go above and beyond any mode of transport. If I have to hit a store across town, I jump on my hybrid and go. One of the annoying parts is having to always un-velcro the saddle bag to take it with me. Then restringing through the saddle bars when I jump back on. My annoyances have been answered by Trek.

This little beauty has an attachment that you fasten to your seat rails. On it is a cleat that you slide and lock your bag onto. The bag has a velcro strap to stabilize the bag further to your seat post. Press a button to disengage and your bag is in hand. There is access to the bag through the two sides as well as the back. Inside is a clip for your keys and even a little pouch with a zipper for your change. This was definitely made by someone who understand that not all bikes are used for going from A to B without some stops on the way. I then found out they they have produced a smaller bag with the same construction for weekend road warriors. I put my order in for one.

Because I spend a great deal of my free time tooting around town on either my Hybrid or fixed gear I tend to wear regular shorts instead of my road kit. I can still end up doing 80-100kms in a day but at a different pace. I've found that two things tend to happen. The first is that I go through the seat of my shorts pretty quickly. The second is my butt feels the riding distance when not in my kit shorts. Yet again, another company has come to my rescue; CHROME

Now many people know of CHROME because of their awesome bags with swanky buckle connectors. They've been in the clothing line for a while now and of course like everything they do, it's centered around cyclists. These pants come to about mid shin, so no more tying the bottom and have spandex throughout. This makes them stretch and easy to ride in. The butt and delicate area is reinforced and super soft. Pockets everywhere and have the hipster feel to them. They aren't cheap, but if like me you're going through at least 2 pairs of shorts and/or pants every season, then they aren't expensive.

Yesterday was a good day of riding and shopping. I found a solution to my bag issues and a new pair of pants/shorts.

Ready, Set, Go!

2009-04-20T20:32:00.002-04:00

I have officially signed up for the Ride for Heart on June 7th. I'll be doing the 75kms along with a few good friends of mine. I've decided that this will be the only ride I do that I'll ask support from my friends. (If you're family, I'm hitting you up for all of them!)

If it's possible give me a hand helping those that can't Keep the Rubber Side Down. If you click on my highlighted name below it will take you to my personal page.

Thanks.

Pedalman

Don't be Intimidated

2009-04-14T11:58:00.002-04:00

While at work yesterday I heard a few of the employees talking about starting to ride to work. Naturally my ears perked up and I swooped in giving encouragement and praise. The overwhelming reason for the change was to save money on transportation and get some exercise. The three of them all have bikes in good working order and when I asked when they were going to start, they all king of looked at the ground or averted their eyes.

These three individuals are all from smaller towns and have never ridden their bikes in Toronto, and are intimidated by hitting the streets.

Once I realized the reason for their hesitation, we made a plan of action.

Two of the three live within a block of each other so this morning I met those two at the closest house and rode with them into work. I explained best practices and showed them the reasons why. I took them along a bit of a longer route but the pay off was a lot less traffic and time to ask and answer questions. Once arriving at work and locking up their bikes properly they realized that they made it in less time than taking transit. I'm meeting them after work to take them home a different way in which they came.

The third individual lives in the exact opposite direction and double the distance. I'm meeting with him at 7am tomorrow at his house and doing the same routine. The cool thing is he lives 2 blocks from the waterfront trail and didn't even know it.

Hopefully investing a few hours over the course of a couple days will help people become safe, healthy and happy cyclists.

If you can help someone overcome intimidation of cycling the streets in your neighbourhood, do what you can because it makes it better for everyone.

Need to ride...

2009-04-08T21:41:00.007-04:00

I'm starting to wake up in soaked jerseys with my helmet and cycling socks on. I need to ride!

Run is done...

2009-04-05T18:26:00.002-04:00

and so am I.

I did the run this past Saturday before I went into work and even at the best of times it would have been painful. Within the first kilometer my shins were giving me a problem, so my sister and I resorted to a 2/1 split. 2mins run and then 1min walk. It amazed me how my conditioning has dropped so much. I was never a runner before, but a small 5k nearly killed me.

For the most part my legs were fine except for my shins. I didn't have any soreness in my thighs or butt but the shins screamed for a good 24hrs afterward.

As we crossed the finish line, our father was there waiting for us beaming as if we had just finished the Boston Marathon in record time. He then took us back to his house for a meal he had ready. We both grumbled a bit about our less than stellar performance, only to hear him remind us that it's not how you finish but that you did finish. He also reminded us that every step we took was to help those that couldn't.

I was unable to convince my sister to do the Ride for Heart in 2 months. She hates biking about as much as I hate running. The ride is 75km, whereas the run was only 5k and that really doesn't equal out.

Maybe I can convince my brother-in-law?

Take it easy

2009-04-01T10:14:00.002-04:00

Well after a month of spending my time recovering and working my butt off, it looks as if I'll be able to hit the road soon.

The last surgery I had was a bit of a tough one but nothing that couldn't be handled with a little patience and rest. There were a few times that I was almost out the door with bike in hand, but realized that if I didn't take care of myself then, I might be ruining the entire season.

The doctors have said that starting next week I'll be able to hit the rubber to the road. Mind you, I'm supposed to take it easy and listen to my body. I can't put into words how great that makes me feel. I'll be able to finally test all the projects I worked on this past winter, including a few goodies I grabbed at the bike show.

No more than an hour a day on the bike next week at a relaxed and easy pace. I wonder if the doctor means his easy pace, or more of a Lance Armstrong easy pace?

On a different note, I hope my friends that are at the spring training camp are having a great time.

'I'll take the next pull at the front guys'

Weekend of Fun, Lust and assorted stuff

2009-03-09T18:46:00.003-04:00

This weekend is the annual Spring International Bike Show. Not only does it bring shivers and energy to my body but reminds me that snowy days of winter are almost over. It starts on Friday and runs until Sunday at 5pm. This is one of my favorite weekends all year.
I usually attend at least 2 of the days. The first day is always a trip to see what's out and happening, take notes and talk to everyone. The second day is shopping day and much shorter than the first. My shopping day consists of walking through the pavilion with list in hand, making pick-ups or arranging delivery from the furthest vendor to the one nearest the door. However this year, it may only be one day depending on my surgery tomorrow. I can do it in one day if needed but hopefully can squeeze in 2.
If you're in town make the trip, because even if you aren't looking for anything it's a great way to get the spring fever running through the veins.

Nothing to do with cycling!

2009-03-04T19:27:00.003-05:00

When I was young I would spent countless hours in the kitchen. There were always parties happening at the house and the kitchen was the place to be. Not only did I get to sample everything before it went out, but it was the one room in which I was really included. I loved watching the speed and chaos around me and the end result would be beautifully plated dishes that looked and tasted as if an angel had blessed them.

Over time I was allowed to participate more in the kitchen dance than shake hands and speak about the weather and how school was going. I was taught how to reduce sauces, clarify butter, plate and everything in between. During the weeks of no parties I would spend time practicing in the hopes that for the next party I would be allowed to do a little more than the previous.

Over the course of a few years the amount of parties diminished as there had been a change in our family structure so my practice tapered of as well. Twice a month I would put something together to for my family when we were all together, but it wasn't the same. I came to realize that the pressure and controlled chaos wasn't there and I thrived on that in the kitchen.
A few times over the years, my sister would call me in a panic saying she had been called into work and she had a dinner party that night. Could I come to the house and take over? Hell yeah! My sister is an amazing cook so the first time the panic call came in, I was afraid I would let her and her guests down as I had been out of practice and even at the best I have ever been couldn't match my sisters skill. The tears in her eyes when she came in and saw what I had created in the 4 hours of her being gone was enough to push away any fears I had in letting her down.

My best friend who is also my roommate loves having dinner parties. She is a great cook and continually amazes me with dishes that she just 'whips up'. When she cooks I never venture into the kitchen, unless it's to get the dog that has found a way to wriggle past the barriers. For the most part my roommate does the cooking in the house and I do the cleaning. I find cleaning relaxing and it helps with my anal tendencies of making sure everything is where it has to be. Tomorrow my roommate is having a girls night dinner. What started as 4 friends turned into 12 and my roommate has to work last minute. She was going to call it off, but then asked me this this morning if I would help her out.

So now I'm off to the market with no list except knowing there are 13 people, no allergies and all like their desserts.
Hmmm... 12 course Italian themed...2 batches of pasta dough...will have to make fresh bread...chessecake...tiramisu...
Wish me luck.

Best goals are those that are shared

2009-02-23T13:16:00.003-05:00

I had a delightful breakfast with my father this morning and as usual the conversation led to my goals this spring/summer/fall.
My friends that read this know that my goals have been put on hold this year due to my own medical reasons and that of family members. When I explained how my goals have taken a back seat his eyebrows shot up and the *look* of displeasure crossed his face. He understood why they needed to be changed but then asked what they had been changed to. I didn't have an answer for him. He told me that a goal without a plan of action is nothing more than a dream and one that will stay in the ether until a plan is in place. I wish I had a nickel for every time I heard that or a variation growing up.
It seems as if he had a plan of his own before the conversation started. We both agreed that I needed to stay close to home this year unless some situations change. He then produced what looked like a business plan and put it in front of me. It listed events with dates and times throughout the year. He felt that I would second guess doing any of these events due to family reasons and then produced an itinerary of his own that showed him either cheering at the events or being in a support vehicle for me at all the stops and checkpoints.
A wave of emotion hit me hard and I couldn't help but smile.
One of the events that looks to be the first will be Harry's Run-Off in which my sister will join me. This will be the most challenging as running and me don't get along very well. It is also somewhat soon and my conditioning is appalling. The good news is it's only 5K and my father's answer to my running condition was 'then walk it, just make sure you finish it.'
He put two large cycling events on the calender for us. The Conquer Cancer ride from Toronto to Niagara Falls(200kms+), and the AIDS ride from Toronto to Montreal(600kms+). Both these he will be at all stopping points throughout the course to cheer me on and slip me some more snacks if needed.
We have also tentatively spoken about a few rides in the States, but they are stretch goals depending on some other factors that need to be taken care of.
This year I will be doing some rides and runs with my father as the co-pilot. I couldn't ask for anything better.

Down but not out

2009-02-21T12:17:00.002-05:00

I'm back to the living! I have had my first go around of surgery and with a little luck will be able to start back on the bike in a week.
Thank you to everyone that sent warm wishes and encouragement. Keep the rubber side down my friends and crank a few for me.

Idiot

2009-02-09T12:52:00.002-05:00

10:30am and my phone rings yet again. Today is one of the few days I don't mind as it's my birthday and my friends and family have been reminding me all day. It happens to be a friend of mine that owns one of the LBS.
Friend- 'Hey, how are you?'
Me- 'Good thanks, how are you?'
Friend- 'Good... Are you by any chance looking for a new winter bike?'
Me-'Yeah, who told you? Mine got swiped at 's office.'
Friend- 'Well you might want to come down as the idiot who stole it just tried to sell it here and we're waiting for the cops and they'll want to talk to you.'
Me-'WHAT? You have my bike?'
Friend- 'Yup, and the jackass that stole it, come down, the cops are on the way.'

I arrived just as the police did, and there was my bike sitting in the shop in all it's beautiful glory. The police asked for proof that it was mine and besides having 'Pedalman' on the frame, I had the serial number listed in the police computer and the verification document of police registration.
Happy Birthday to me!

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

2009-02-06T19:02:00.002-05:00

For the most part this past week has been pretty good, but as we all know when things go bad, they go really bad.
The good aspects of this week are as follows:
1) Feeling better to the point in which they have bumped up my first surgery by 5 days.
2) Was asked my opinion at work about a large initiative and all my proposals will be adopted and implemented across the country.
3) My new bike.
4) This video by Donald.

The Bad aspects of the week:
1) The dog was ill inside one of my shoes, but I didn't know until I put it on.
2) A friend borrowed my winter bike, which then got stolen at his office.

The Ugly aspects of the week:
1) What's going to happen to the poor person who stole the bike. It is very recognizable and I put a 'shout out' to my courier friends who take it personally when a bike gets stolen.

The good still outweighs everything else, so at the end of the day, my week wasn't too bad.

Sorry to my friends

2009-02-02T18:06:00.002-05:00

To my friends I must apologize for deleting the last post. Shortly after posting it and since deletion my email has been filling up with queries about selling the bike.
For the first while I replied and said 'no' very nicely. Then it was just 'no' followed by me not responding.
I was happy to share the good news with my friends, who responded in kind.
Melanie and Bluenoser- Thanks for the kind words and yes Bluenoser I can't wait to work on it and make it new again. It is a great project for the winter months.
Donald- I'll certainly send you the pictures when she's ready. I think it would be a good one to ride when we do our climbing century.
Bill- You'll be the first person to give it a spin.
Amy- Thank you for the offer. I'll take you up on that if I come across any challenges.

I miss you guys

2009-02-01T13:27:00.002-05:00

Today the sun is bright and the temperature is actually above zero. My Blackberry started to go crazy with emails and calls at 8am, letting me know all the rides that were happening. Each call felt like another shot in the head and by 10am, I was pissed off and tired. I went for a walk in the sun and my thoughts kept going back to my bikes at home, probably wondering if I was cheating on them with another. 'I wouldn't do that guys, not without you meeting a new addition to the family first.'

Let me tri-it

2009-01-27T08:58:00.002-05:00

It has begun.
My friend Bill was nice enough to let me use his tri bike as a guinea pig to get better at my wrench skills. This winter he was planning on replacing his cassette, wheels and all cables. On Sunday he brought his baby over and we decided that with the money he is saving on labour he should replace his bars. It was on his list, but he was going to wait until next year.
Here is the preliminary list of work to do.
1. Replace all cables
2. Change bars
3. Replace cassette
4. New chain
5. Repack bearings
6. True and install new wheelset
7. New brake pads
This of course is in addition to doing a complete strip cleaning and making sure I can see my reflection on every surface.
Thanks Bill.

Setback

2009-01-20T12:40:00.002-05:00

I have encountered a bit of a setback that will affect my riding and training. I had an accident that will be keeping me off the bike and out of the gym until March at the earliest. When I first heard the news of needing to put my riding on hold, I felt like my goals for this year went up in smoke. Now, I believe they just need to be reorganized.
I've decided to take the time off the bike to retrain myself on bike mechanics. I'm at a level now that can do a little more than the basics, but my new goal is to be proficient in almost all aspects of mechanics.
Here's to new goals and new skills.

Why?

2009-01-08T01:51:00.002-05:00

This past week I had a conference to go to in which I was going to follow up it up with a spin class. I find that by the end of any conference, I need something to clear the cobwebs out of my eyes and get my mind and body working again.
I took my bag that had a jersey, shorts, towel, shoes and pedals. After our lunch, we filed back into the conference hall of boredom and sat back down. On the floor beside my chair was my shirt, shorts and pedals and bag. My shoes and towel were gone.
Who steals cycling shoes and a towel?
The hotel security and management came and did their best to keep me calm. One of the reasons I was upset besides the obvious was that they told us the room would be locked in our absence and our stuff would be safe.
So I'm wondering if the little crook knows that they took cycling shoes and a used towel. The shoes have me miffed the most as they were my new Sidi Dragons and I hadn't even broken them in.
Time to go shopping.

New Things Already

2009-01-03T10:58:00.002-05:00

First of all let me start by saying 'Happy New Year'
Each New Years Day I look forward to getting up early in the morning and going for a quiet hike. I find that the city is more of a ghost town the first morning of the year as most everything is closed and people spent the previous night eating and drinking too much.
A few days prior to my annual hike, a friend gave me a call and asked if I would be interested in going out New Years morning with her for her annual ride. Much like my hike, it was something she always did and much for the same reason. It sounded like a good idea, and why not change things up a bit.
By 7:30am we were wrapped up and coasting along the streets making our way to paths that would lead us east and outside of the city limits. It was cold but both of us were dressed for the ride and the sun came out and made everything shine. We took our time making our way to the destination she chose, chatting and enjoying the quiet envelope around us. The only steady sound came from our tires compacting the snow underneath. A few times we needed to dismount and walk/carry, due to a fallen tree or uncertain riding conditions.
By 9:30am we were rolling up to our destination. She had chosen a spot I routinely stop at during the warmer months for a snack and water. I love it because after spending time going through some brush you come out to an open piece of land and rock that sits you about 300 feet above the lake. We both stood there for a moment, soaking in the quiet and watching the open water way out sparkle like lights. We had both brought small backpacks containing food, liquid and a change of clothes. We made a clearing in the snow in which we could sit, eat and enjoy everything around us. Between the two of us, we had brought enough food and liquid to take care of a hungry family. We sat, ate, watched and chatted for about 1.5 hours before making our way home.
I think I may have a new tradition on the first morning of every year.