2 cats part 2: 2nd place

So, it's the midst of Hurricane Dan, there was a mountain bike race in Ashford at the June Norcross Boy Scout Camp. Though it must be said, the rain did stop on the second lap.

I think this email exchange between me and someone who did the Cat 1 race pretty much sums it up:

Thanks.

That was simultaneously some of the most difficult and fun riding I've probably ever done. I did a lot more 'racing' against other people than I usually end up doing: I had the lead for awhile, dropped to second, then the third, then caught back to second and even fended off some of the older guys. The funny thing is that this was happening at about 6 mph.

I agree about the course. I have a hard time imaging it dry, but I'm guess it would be super fast- like Winding Trails without sand. Hopefully it's not so ruined that we can't ride it next year.

Brendan

- Hide quoted text -

On Mon, Aug 31, 2009 at 7:42 PM, wrote:
Hey Brendan,
Nice ride on Saturday. Sucks that you guys got the course when it was really destroyed. The course keep changing on each of my laps and by the 3rd one it was wrecked. Too bad because that was a really cool course and would have rocked had it been dry.
I believe you are right, you can have additional barriers if they are natural.
Later
-XXX

The one sad thing for me was that I thought that I had won the race upon completion. I didn't realize a guy who had passed me midway through the first lap was my age. :-( Ok, not so sad. The guy beat me by over ten minutes; I didn't have a snow ball's chance in hell. He was flying.

I also hope that the trails are able to recover, because the race really did a deed on the trail and I want to race there again next year. Then again, those boy scouts looked more than capable of fixing them.

So, should I do that 50 miler at the Landmine Classic?

These pictures were taken nowhere near the race. The second picture's photo credit is Elmar Tusch. No good pictures because the wise Johanna decided not to attend the race.
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!

That was a lot of rain today. Also, that picture was not taken in Connecticut. Read more!

Massive

I guess I should have remembered to take pictures of people instead of only my bike looking sad by the Arts Academy.

It's been the same three people who've shown up for Critical Mass in January & February. We're certainly not massive and we're not particularly critical either. In fact, our ride probably doesn't warrant the title of Critical Mass, we're more of just a bike ride. We're not really taking back the streets from anyone, but we've definitely covered far more distance than those big rides of last year. Read more!

Grossest commute ever!

At one point, I road through this!

I guess there weren't frogs falling from sky or wads of mucus, but today was undoubtedly the grossest commute ever. Everything was six inches of ice-water-slush. Ugh. I guess it could be worse if Hartford didn't have paved roads and there was a monsoon.

Anyone have a pleasant experience today? Read more!

Two news items about getting around

I saw a guy walking down the street today having this problem.

Over at urban compass, Robert Cotto writes about that New Haven to Springfield commuter train.

The Courant wrote about the short lived Asylum Ave bike lane. At least Kevin Burnham tried.

It's nasty outside today. Read more!

Unadon

The Eel is done.

The weather was nasty and I'm guessing that scared off a number of competitors, despite that I thought we had a pretty good contingent. We also know who's hardcore in CT.

Big ups to Johanna, Xootr, the Elm City Scorchers, Matt from Ghostship, the Riverfront Recapture ranger, and everyone who showed up. (Sorry for the use of "big ups", I couldn't think of an appropriate substitute.)

I don't have a camera anymore, so I have no way of showing you what it actually looked like.

Results:

1. Salem 1:16
2. Russ 1:18 (with loaded front panniers!)
3. Matt 1:21 (first place out of town, too)
   
4. Doug 1:21 (he got the cool Xootr rack)
5. Josh 1:38 (on a folding bike)
6. Chauncy 1:38 (fixed)
7. Joel 1:38
8. Chris 1:44
9. Eric -
   
10. Rafael -
    
11. Drew -

As far as I could tell, people liked the course. I hope to do another one with sunny weather. Also, I may go with an earlier start time. Who knew it got dark at 4:45 these days? Read more!

Riding in the Rain (Again)

So my afternoon commute found me riding home in the pouring rain and to be honest I was fine with it. As some of you may know I decided some time ago to ride rain or shine yet as the season begins to change I've had to think about what adjustments to make as we move into cooler weather. Rather than riding in rain pants and t-shirt today I decided to ride in long sleeves and vest. Turned out to be a good decision. The ride was relaxing, comfortable, and refreshing, it was nice to have a bit of cool weather. I think the only down side was the wet feet, literally...



I may have to research some shoe covers, anyone have any opinions?

Another piece of good advice was what Will gave me when he checking into the store as I was leaving. Turn your light on in the rain even if its not dark. I passed another biker on my way home (Josh was that you on Tunxis?) that had his light on and I only saw the light not the rider. Several more that I passed later I could hardly see.

I got a pretty good soaking over all but it was nice, made me realize how we take dry clothes for granted.



Wet Bag.




Rain soaked me!
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Riding (or not) in the rain.

For the bike commuter the prospect of rain has very different implications than for those who choose to drive to work every day. The automobile traveler need only grab and umbrella or raincoat and go about their day largely per usual. For the bicyclist, however, the sight or forecast of rain forces them into what I perceive as three camps. The first immediately leaves the bike in the basement or garage and gets out their car keys. The second group initiates the stressful decision-making process in which weather radar maps are consulted, times analyzed, and the roll of the dice to beat the weather is gambled in order to not to have to drive. This is especially true if there is the chance that they might drive and then it doesn't rain and they (like myself) are resultantly wracked with guilt all afternoon. The third group takes to the bike in the mantra of the postal service; rain, sleet, snow, hail, mudslide, etc. I recently came to the realization that I was sick of the stress of the second grouping and thought that my life would be much less stressful if I moved into the third. I rationalized that if I didn't think about the weather, never questioned whether I would ride or note, and prepared myself and my bike for any type of weather, riding in the rain would be much more enjoyable and I would have far less automobile-related guilt.

After I started to do a little research into rain commuting I discovered a consensus among all-weather commuters that riding in the rain is not only perfectly safe (provided you brake a little early and don't take corners a breakneck speed), but it is also mentally refreshing, guilt reducing, and almost zen-like given the sounds and sensations experienced. I was sold. Reading further I found that those who were the happiest were those who had appropriately outfitted themselves to riding in the rain, waterproof bags, fenders, rain pants and jackets, etc all made for a more enjoyable and drier ride. Being a bike commuter I already had a waterproof messenger bag, and as I am employed in the outdoor sports business I also had a plethora of waterproof/breathable jackets and pants at my disposal. These I modified for bike use, namely removing any hoods that would catch the wind (and the rain), and cut pant legs to keep them out of chains and chainrings and to facilitate better ventilation. The result is waterproof protection that I can wear over or in lieu of work or regular clothes.


The set up on a warmer ride home from work. Ditching the jacket to stay cooler and opting for Chacos rather than shoes which are a lot let messy when soaked. While I usually wear my helmet in the rain a cycling cap does a good job of keeping rain out of my eyes.

Next I set out to prepare my bike. Another consensus found through my research was that fenders, albeit at times the butt of jokes, make a huge difference in keeping the bike and the rider dry and clean in wet conditions. I even found a set that while indestructible plastic have the look of polished chrome which goes well with my all-weather commuter, a sweet '78 Univega Supra Sport. After thinking a bit more I realized that as I already fill my messenger bag to the brim on most days if I was to take along an extra set of clothes to change into (not wanting to ride in both rain gear and regular clothes if it was, say 85 degrees) I should look into panniers that I could throw on my rack to lessen the load on my back. Numerous options availed themselves and I found a waterproof set that struck my fancy.




A couple shots of the Vega displaying her rain rig (and before she got new brake levers, rerouted cables, and nice bright yellow bar tape). The panniers are totally H2O-proof and carry a ton of stuff and the fenders do an amazing job of keeping you super dry as most of the soaking you'll get while riding is that coming of the tires, not from the rain itself.


The change is dramatic!! While I don't mind cruising through a warm rain with the spray off the tires cooling me down and the water soaking through my shirt, this isn't the best way to arrive at work, nor is it always the most comfortable experience for a longer ride. The new set-up is an amazing improvement. Even in heavy rain the difference is substantial and it takes far less time to get mud and road grime off the bike after a rain ride.

Most importantly, I no longer question whether I'm going to ride or not, and not having to face the guilt of driving on a day that dries out is priceless. Read more!

A ride gone wrong...

So while about 90% of the time I get lost while riding it can be attributed to google maps telling me there are roads where there are not a recent ride gone wrong I can only blame on myself (or perhaps as I later found out, the town of Simsbury).

A couple weeks ago I was scheduled to work a six day week which meant that on a couple days I was going to get out at 2.00. I had not been out on a 40+ mile ride yet this summer so I figured this would be the perfect opportunity. Unfortunately, however several factors would prove to derail my plans, shorten my ride, and leave me cold and wet trapped in the rain.

While I had planned to leave work at 2.00 this happened to be the week (much like this week) where we saw rain and thunderstorms every single day. The day had been fair but at about 1.45 a brutal thunderstorm rolled in that soaked the roads and kicked up the wind. I saw no point in trudging through the rain so I delayed my departure till the rain stopped at about 3.15. I raced home, quickly changed, and pulled up the radar. It showed a series of small thunderstorms moving in a line with 30 minute gaps between them. Not a fan of modifying my plans due to the weather I calculated a route by which I could race ahead of the storm, head West, and loop through Simsbury, into Barkhamsted, and South around a second storm. I wrote down my route which was a loop along routes 309, 179, 219, and 44. I stepped out the back door to the sounds of rumbling thunder, again questioned the intelligence of my decision, and hopped on the bike. As I rode North along Quaker, Asylum, and Steele St. and jumped onto 185. The whole time I was right on the edge of the storm as a picture taken over my shoulder along Elizabeth Park looked as such:


And this...


After moving down 185 towards Bloomfield the view to the West looked like this...

The view to the East however, was less inviting...


I headed up over Simsbury Mountain and noticed this foreboding sign on the way down which made me again question my choice to venture out...


READ MORE after the jump!



The weather was great though and I continued on through the back roads of Simsbury which turned out to be much more scenic than I thought. Here are a few pictures of the rolling hills and fields that remain in this increasingly sprawling area...


And...


I wanted to ask this little lady the answer to the proverbial question but left her to her bug hunting...



Things were going smoothly until I get to the intersection of Stratton Brook Rd and Rt 309. My route list informed me to turn left on 309, however I came to realize at this point that none of the roads are signed with route numbers!! (I found out the next day from a customer at work that allegedly Simsbury only recently moved away from the route numbering in favor of road names. Perhaps the numbers were a little too urbanizing in a pristine town like Simsbury (note sarcasm)). This I knew would turn out to be quite the problem as I would have to guess which road was which. I made my series of turns not confident that I was heading in the right direction. Eventually, however, I turned onto a major road which I sensed was Rt 44 and felt a little better as to my situation. After a couple miles, however, I realized that I was rather on Rt 202 and not only very far from my intended location but heading right back into the heart of a round of storms.

Along the river....


Clouds coming...


I had meant to travel counter-clockwise but somehow while making the same series of left and right turns had gone clockwise and was now heading South back into Simsbury. This meant that I had not only lost about 10 miles of my intended ride but that I had NOT ridden around the storm and would soon be soaked. The rain started slow at first and I rode on but soon it was coming down in sheets and the lightening started to pick up. At first I grabbed a spot under a tree but then noticed a nice awning across the street.

Here is my pathetic set-up as I waited for the rain to clear.


After about 20 minutes the rain cleared and I made my way back over Simsbury Mountain and home again. A few shots along the way proved that had I been about 20 miles West I'd be nice and dry...



The roads were quite wet...

As was I when I got home...


All in all still a pleasant ride but I sure learned never to ride without as much route information as is possible. Because everyone remember, Simsbury hates route numbers!!!
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I got baggage!

Its Wednesday! Delivery day! ARRGG! i wanna go back to sleep. My kayaking trip got rained out yesterday, so i got to drive into work this morning since i still had my van with me. otherwise, it would have been another early morning at Dunkin' Donuts trying to fit all this stuff in my bag. Anywho, here's an older photo showing my typical Wednesday morning cargo carrying commute! Read more!

Jazz Fest, or Lurking Under Bridges.

After working out some technical difficulties I have finally managed to upload my personal photos for posting and as such now can publish this very belated post. One of the most fun nights of riding bikes around Hartford I've had to date...

So after getting out of work early the Saturday before last I had ambitions of riding down to the riverfront to take in some cool jazz (or jass, as Brendan has pointed out it should rightfully be refered). However, as is often the case with Saturdays plans were slowly pushed back and it was not until after a quick ride out to Bloomfield, a couple post-ride beers, and a friend's delayed arrival, that Ben, Sonny, and I made it down to the river around 7.30 as the Jazz was wrapping up. Being as hot as it was and wanting to partake in a couple of cold beverages, we cruised across the plaza, descended the stairs past the bandstand, and took a nice spot on the grass down the walkway where we could simultaneously grab a cold drink and listen to the music.

We took some random bike pictures, including my Panasonic laying in the grass with the river meandering in the background.....


Chillwill showed up shortly thereafter and we all sat among our bikes in the grass and enjoyed the excellent resource that the riverfront really is.

He particularly enjoyed his envelope coozey on this hot summer day, all business...


After an hour or so hunger took over and we decided to roll into West Hartford to BBQ. However, as we got ready to leave Chillwill declared that we really shouldn't go anywhere as it was going to pour. The sky was starting to darken and a breeze was picking up put we didn't think much of it. Will, however, was unwaivering and insisted if we wanted to go we could but he wasn't going to leave the protection of the bridge we had ridden under by this point. I kept going, but upon getting out from under the south side of the Founder's bridge felt a few raindrops and thought Will might be on to something. Turning around I concurred that we might want to sit it out and the others agreed. Ben, however, was already gone, about to ride into the eye of the storm.

A storm it was, though the three of us that remained were happily tucked under the bridge as the rain came down in sheets and we sat on the levy finishing our beverages and shooting pics...
The light was quite low but the pictures are kind of interesting...

Sitting on the levy with the rain kicking up light spots on the river....


Rain pouring off the highway and out of a culvert...


While we sat comfortably on the levy, Ben, however, was not so fortunate and rode like a madman through the rain and wind all the way back to West Hartford wet and alone (sorry buddy). After the rain finished up the three of us who remained nonchalantly rode home reasonably dry and safe (excepting of course Sonny's run in with a gate, no harm no foul.) Food was eventually had in the form of Park Lane grinders where we happened to catch Brendan and Johanna rolling down Quaker. Good to see other bikers out in the storm.

All in all a good night to be in the city and the perfect time to get caught under the protective spans of a bridge.
Read more!

Pesky Kids (an update concerning my recent absence from two wheels)

I've been off the bike for the past few days, unfortunately, because my dear wife is away doing research in Nicaragua until Monday the 23rd, leaving me in sole control of my two young terrorists. Usually, the whole family can travel by bike, because Anna has a seat on the back of her rig for the little one and I tow the bigger one in the trailer, but with two kids and one adult, the equation gets complicated. Also, their preschool is in Middletown (near Anna's work), and even if I did have a two-kid trailer, I couldn't get them to school then get me to work in a timely fashion if I had to ride all the way there.

All of which is to say, I am going crazy because I have a great new bike but I'm not getting to ride it. I can say that before the wife went away, I got to ride from Middletown to New Haven and back on my Swift folder, and the hype is true: The thing really does hold up nicely on long rides, with many of the favorable long-distance attributes of full-sized road bikes. Unfortunately, it also suffers from some of the same deficits of full-sized bikes, namely, if you make the stupid mistake of riding 50 miles on a 100-degree day, it will not help you to feel less overheated. Also, if you ride it to Kenny's for PHH on a Tuesday night and it has a slow leak in the back tire and you are stupid enough not to carry a spare tube, it will not save you from having to walk home.

In other sponsor news, the Manhattan Portage businessy commuter bag is performing admirably. Before I was de-bike-ified by my wife's departure, I took it on a mid-sized grocery run, filled it to the brim, and switched from shoulder strap to backpack straps for carrying comfort. That was great. And since then, I've been lugging my laptop and lunch and voluminous court filings around the state in it and it has been everything I'd ever hoped for in a bag. Also, the "waterproof fabric treatment," about which I was skeptical, did pretty well in one of the recent torrential downpours (which I rode through to go get beers at Kenny's): Everything in the bag actually stayed dry! Thanks, Manhattan Portage, you champion of companies! Read more!