I RIDE FOR HENRY

So I’ve had a tough time getting back in the saddle after the PMC.
I like to think that’s because it’s so nice to have some free time in August.

Yesterday I went out for a shorty, and this is how it went:
1. Flatted my front tire in Gloucester, on RTE-133.  Next cyclist to pass me also flatted in the same spot.
2. I tore my new tube on the install.
3. Had to remove it and patch it; then I broke one of my two tire levers.
4. It started to rain.
5. Finally re-installed tube & tire.
6. Rode 7 miles with low air to Seaside Cycles; it was closed on Sunday.
7. So I used my remaining C02 cartridge to top-up the tire pressure.
8. My patch then failed.
9. Out of air, I called home for a rescue.
10. Found coffee shop and sat under an awning, watching the rain fall, drinking a latte.

Back to the cranks last night.  I had an inspiring 43m training ride thru Waltham/Lincoln/Concord,.  Pretty good speed, but it couldn’t have been a sweeter summer evening.  The air was hot and thick, and the low sun raked the farms along Monument Street in Concord.  I rolled back to the manse at 8:20 as dusk settled.

Getting ready for a long ride this weekend…

The Purgatory Road Race kicked my bottom.

www.greenlinevelo.com/purgatory

I strapped on my heart rate monitor right after registering and it read 110bpm.  I was already exhausted.  And then, the circuit was hilly – short and steep.  All the practiced riders stayed in the saddle and low-geared past me like I was tied to a turtle.  I couldn’t fall into a catchup pace and my legs cramped up something fierce.   But hey, the 40mph country-road downhill was worth it all…

Today was an interesting ride, I was pretty whipped and nothing went smoothly.

1. Last night I discovered my saddle was broken – which explains why it hasn’t felt very comfortable lately, but my wallet will hurt the most.

2. I was just through Maynard this morning when my chain fell off and got pulled up between the frame and sprocket.  It dug a trough into my plastic bike and gave my vanity gene some exercise.

3.  During all this, I dropped my bike-computer and it scrambled the screen data.  Not a big deal, but odd.  It held the ride data.

Wow, I cleaned my chain with a proper chain cleaner a few nights ago.  This picture was 43 miles later, and it’s still looking good.  I also cleaned, lubed, and adjusted the rear derailleur: my shifts were snappier and the chain was quieter and seemingly smoother all around.  I think I’ll do that more often.  Now if I could just figure out how to tighten the shifter throw…

Ok, my first training log.

I started riding last summer when I bought my first road bike: a ten year old steel Greg LeMond Alpe d’Huez.  ‘Ole Orange’ was way faster than my 16year old no-gears-left mountain bike, and it got me really jazzed about riding fast on smooth roads.  Unfortunately, commuting home one evening in December I was hit by a motorist and the frame was torn apart.  The only silver lining was when the driver’s insurance afforded me a mid-winter splurge on a Cervelo S2 carbon fiber racer.  Henry calls it my speedy bike, and it is.  I’ve clocked about 800 miles this spring and I think I’m finally breaking in the drivetrain.  My cycling computer tells me that effort cost roughly 46,000 calories, which is an amazing number.

Anyhow, summer’s here, the PMC is around the corner, and I need to get my distance riding up.  So that’s where I’ll start…

Equipé Henry!