training resumes

the stench of my camelbackpack as I walked into the bathroom was somehow comforting. stale sweat and the woodsy traces of rides past wafted to my nose as i staggered to the sink so that I could brush my teeth.

today I rode for the first time in three weeks. a combination of injuries and a hectic work schedule have been conspiring to keep me away from my usual dose of endorphins and dammit that's sick and wrong!!!!

today's ride:
Concord, MA to Arlington, MA via a short road section and then twelve miles on the Bikeways trail (at least that's what I think it is called, old railroad right of way going from Bedford to Cambridge). Overall ride was estimated to be about 33-34 miles.

at first I was underwhelmed by the prospects of the ride. my choices for loaner wheels here in Concord are:
1: Giant hybrid "mountain" bike that is decent and was new last year, but still it's kind of "Meh"
2: Motobecane 12 speed road bike with fenders, reflectors, friction shifting, platform pedals with toe cages. Probably 1990's vintage, but could even be late '80's. Also very decent "Meh" factor, but the rear dropouts are practically horizontal so a SS conversion is doable. Plus my Dad has declared this bike "abandoned" so I can do w/e I like to it.

I decided upon option 2 because if the Toll Road Race happens at MFest this weekend I need a laughable road bike to use. So out came the tools and off came the fenders, the reflectors, the kickstand, the oddball mounts for pump and god knows what. Having no idea how to properly set up the brakes I guessed and put up with a small amount of brake rubbing (I had to loosen the brake bolt to remove the fenders and then having no idea how to set things up properly I faked it until it seemed usable).

Get on bike. Ride down street. Realize that the seat is much too low. Go home and do more wrenching. Seat still too low, but eff it, "Let's RIDE!!!"

Hating the friction shifters and the toe cages I rode to Bikeways Source (bike shop in Bedford, MA located at the Bedford end of the Bikeways trail). Purchased spd pedals and a pump that fits in my camelbackpack. Forgot to purchase tubes or a patch kit. As they were out of pedal wrenches to sell they were kind enough to loan me their deluxe pedal wrench with cushy handle from the shop and I swapped the platforms w/cages for SPDs. MUCH happier!!!

Now more or less properly equipped (sans tubes or patch kits) I got on the Bikeways and cranked along. Started hating the friction shifters less after I got the feel for their idiosyncracies. Round about Lexington I started to get tuned into the bike and picked up the pace. Was very much enjoying passing people on newer and more expensive equipment (because that is ALWAYS gratifying). Just after Lexington center I came up on this roadie on a nice bike who was going at a decent pace, but not killing it. I decided that it was time to KILL IT! Cadence up and BLAMMY! Happily the roadie took the bait and I towed him almost all the way to Arlington. I hope he enjoyed the drafting. At Arlington I turned around and headed back for Concord. Yet again I came up on a roadie with nice equipment in Lexington. Or he passed me. I cannot quite recall. I was pretty spent at this point. I hooked up on his draft and after we got out of the center we mutually hammered on this nice long stretch. Eventually he ate me up, but at the next road crossing I caught him at the traffic light and we spent the last few miles going to the end of the line chatting and taking it fairly easy. His name was Don. 57 years old and still killing it on the bike. Probably never see him again. Just one of those wonderful things about biking. Random friends you meet out there in endorphin land who would probably give you a tube or a patch because you were too boneheaded to remember that you needed to bring any.

and while i'm not sold on friction shifters I no longer hate them and I see how you could actually become quite good at automagically finding your shift points if you used them regularly.