Chain Ring Cowboy

Central Texas needs all the rain it can get, so I shall not fuss about not getting to ride much last week. Yesterday the sun broke out and was perfect weather for taking a long ride. I broke one of my policies by loading up my green bike into the back seat of the car, then drive it over to Jorge and Mindy's house, so we could go on a smooth 26 miler. Mindy went about half way, making a short loop turn so she could get back home, get a run in and work in her yard. This time of year, with artificial springtime in the air, the yard can beckon some of us. Jorge and I kept going and experienced some good hill work. I suppose that the days off were good for my legs actually, but my appetite lends to mid range expansion. It was 46 degrees this morning riding in, making for a wondeful ride. Thanks oh Master of the Universe for letting me turn the cranks with my gift of legs, feet, and everything else connected to them.

In order to feel better about not riding in on Thursdays if I stop at Starbucks and get a Venti house coffee, no room for cream please, it helps a little. Tigua, his name is Tiqua, was left on his personal rug in the apartment giving me vibes of not wanting to stay in all day. Tigua is a Trek 7300FX hybrid bike, dirty from riding in the days of drizzling rain and fog. I thought I would wait until the weekend to give him a good cleaning. I wonder though, did he really want to come out today, or was I just imagining it? Maybe he wanted to stay in with the cat and rest, leaving me to my flawed intuition. If I come back today I may add more to this post, but if I don't then I will have to leave this as is and have a productive work day. I need to get out 8 maps of the panhandle with aerial photos overlayed. Yipeee

It seems that taking three days off riding was good for me physically, but was taxing mentally. With the weather being so wet and cold, I thought it best to stay off the streets. Austin recorded over 500 motorized vehicle accidents during this icy cool snap. I confess that I did get out in it in my car to some extent, but for good cause in my mind, even though my pocketbook says otherwise. If you haven't read Robert Hust's "The Art of Urban Cycling", you must. Talk about an open minded, person, who can see all sides of a view. And regarding the cyclying world living in a car world, that is something to have. Anyway after reading about his thoughts on helmets, I decided to get me a skateboard helmet, just like the ones you see on the snowboarders and ski jumpers on the olympics. They are actually pretty cheap, under 40 bucks. But the accomodation to, uh, yes, I like to listen to public radio when I commute. Low volume, car noise still gets in and I can hear what is goi

I slept in this morning, ate a big multi-grain pancake, drank a pot of coffee, did two loads of laundry, watched boxing, cleaned the kitty box, and then came to the apartment office to log on in order to scribble something in this space. No riding today it looks like. With the inclement weather, but by the standards of many places and many blogs I read all the time, this weather doesn't really prohibit cycling. I can use the excuse that since I did 30 miles yesterday in a strong wind, my legs and knees could use the rest. So I will do just that. Maybe tomorrow I can get in some extra long miles no matter what the temperature is. Maybe I can do the same on Monday, as it is a holiday for us state employees. Since I am knew to this blogging thing and since I am whiling away my time just bantering about nothing, maybe I can learn how to put my picture in the profiles, write more creatively, and get through the rooky-ness part of the whole thing. This is a good day to learn about colleg

Nation wide cold front coming through town. Winds gusting like maybe 25-30 miles per hours. My commute dead into the wind was brutal on the one hand and awesomely a fun challenge on the other. Going downhill where I normally slide down was more like down gearing for uphill this morning. My actual commute today was suppose to be a 20 miler, but I gave up at my normal 10 and loaded Tigua (my bike's official given name) on the bus for the second half. Going home should be nice if the wind remains at the intensity it is now, no bus rides home. Set sails as it were.

Since I am in a class for the next two days, and since I teach a class on Thursday evenings, this is a no ride day for me. It just doesn't feel right to have to get in the car and get to someplace with the rest of the driving world. Perhaps tomorrow I will combination ride and bus commute. It will be Friday, so I can get home at my leisure. The weather is supposed to get cold and wet, so I may amend my goal even again. It's all about the ride from South Austin, ain't it?

In the normal day to day activities, it seems that I forget about what is really important to me and my life. I am for sure going to have to trim my goal of cycling at least 7,000 miles this year because of priorities that come before, yes, even cycling. There is a family reunion coming up in July, way high priority. Then there is the high school class reunion in September, pretty durn high priority. Then, I have to be flexible to what comes up, such as a phone call from old friends who want to get together for brief visits. My grown daughters and their families warrant some mention also here. If the year had 365 days, to reach 7,000 miles would require an average of 20 miles a day. I am either going to change my goal miles or have some days with a whole bunch of cycle miles in them, which is ok. I can do a 50 no problem. After that, I'm not so sure. It is 57 degrees out there this morning. Oh, so lucky to live here where I can ride to work in shorts and short sleeved shirt. It was

For the life of me I cannot find the specific instructions on how to add my photo on the profile section of the blog. I am sure that it is so easy and sitting right in front of me, "if it were a snake it would bite me" type of saying. If by a miraculous chance you read this and you can explain it in terms that even I can understand, please feel free to do so. My daughter came by the office so we could go to lunch before here 1:30 class. What a treat that was. With my all consumed passion for cycling, I am hoping to land a part time job in a cool bicycle shop Bicycle sports shop , not so much to make money but to be around the business. Let's see what happens.

10 miles in to the stay all day cubicle. Weather nice and cool, traffice soft and polite. What else is there?

 

Windy Ridiing this weekend, both Saturday and Sunday. It's getting to where when I glide along easily with a tailwind, I almost feel guilty that not much work is being done. I have to remind myself that I paid in advance for the break, or will pay some more when I change directions. 143 miles last week, with 30 yesterday and minimum of 20 today, I am on a good sart to ensure my 125 miles goal this week. It was cold this morning, but not anything like what Jill and others experience. What I really need to do is learn how to make a nice blog page like all the rest out there. So much to learn........ let's see how things develop

I commute with my bicycle and want to become read by others of whom I enjoy reading.