Eel X(treme)!

All zero of you readers probably thought that (a) the eel didn't happen or (b) I never came back.

Well, I'm here to tell you that it did and it was probably the best one since the first one.

There was nearly 20 people and all but two made it all the way through the ride in some fashion. No one did the 70 miles route the right way. Since even though I came up with the thing, I led a group astray through People's State Forest. Though in sacrificing some dirt, we rode the extremely fun road ("road") descent through the middle of the park. 

I think the route road extremely well, so no plans to change it for next year in an meaningful way and I think the date was perfect for "fall color". Maybe I'll charge $2 and get some kind of food option. Maybe not. I got a whole year to think about it. Read more!

Where have I been?

The beat bike blog means a lot to me. Riding a bike means more. So, I've been pressed for time as of late and I haven't been writing my usual awesomely philosophical blog posts. Actually, I never wrote those.

I blame the fascinating world of being an intern. It's been busy and I have computer access that limits me from blogging. I have been riding a bike and it's been nice. Exotic locations, like Vermont and Cape Cod. Rides where I wore knickers. Rides where I got lost on moose trails. Etc.

However, I remembered today that I could blog from my phone. Maybe I'll try that some more, but does anyone really miss me?

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Disposing

I finally got around to fixing my bike ahead of the Norcross Scurry on Saturday and in the process I was thinking about the weirdness of parts on bikes that are disposable. I was replacing the rear derailleur and chain. Isn't it weird that what is a bicycle's drive shaft breaks with such frequency? On my mountain bikes, it seems to be about once per year or so that I replace a chain. If drive shafts on cars with that frequency, there'd be incredible number of cars broken down on the side of road. Same thing with tubes: if cars got flat tires as frequently as bikes, there'd be dead cars littering the sides of roads everywhere.

To that end, I wonder (because I'm ignorant) about motorcycles. They're to some extent big bikes with motors, do they break down as much as bikes?

I suppose cars do have mechanical problems fairly regularly, but the problems aren't as inhibiting to movement as they are on bikes. Well, mostly I'm wondering if chain drive motorcycles break chains very often. There's a lot more torque on those chains than on bikes.

Further, why do so many bike parts seem so much more disposable than parts on other modes of transportation. Are bikes just built to break down? Read more!

Only ten days late! And two more things!

This is not Johanna's Masi.

At Will's behest, here's a fuzzy recap of the July 4 alley cat that went around Hartford.

Things started off optimistically. Johanna let me ride her Masi, so that I could go kind of fast. I ate breakfast and I was wearing clothes. The checkpoints were Stop & Shop, 1010 Wethersfield Ave, under the Founders Bridge, and Heaven. They weren't written in that order, but that's the order I went. The one interesting part was that you had to take a can to S&S, return it, and get the receipt. It wasn't a checkpoint with a person. Wait, no, two interesting things. TJ and a fellow, whose name I forgot, were both riding tandems (with people on the back, whose names I also forgot). At the start, their plan seemed to be to put their tandems on top of other people's bike. It was a good plan, but I thwarted them by moving my bike. Don't let it be said that I'm not crafty.

The race started and I headed to S&S from Evergreen by taking New Park and for reasons I can't understand, I was the only person besides TJ who decided to do that. I arrived at the grocery store first, only to find that all of the machines but one were full. Valdez, because he's fast at everything, showed up a little while later. Unlike me, right directly to the correct machine, while I was wandering around confused and was quickly out the door. I followed suit, left, and set off to Wethersfield Ave via Flatbush/Zion/New Britain/Webster/Benton. Things were still looking pretty good, until my left crank fell off.

I went back and got it. It's around that time that I remembered why you're supposed to ride with a tool. It's also when I remembered that two piece cranks are dumb. I pedaled with one leg for awhile and people passed me. TJ almost passed me, but then offered to pull me down Wethersfield Ave. It was very nice of him. He pulled me for about a half mile or so and we arrived at the checkpoint. I implored Lauren for a tool and offered her money. She misheard me and thought that I was trying to sell her my broken cranks. We resolved that and she lent me a hex wrench and I got the crank back on. There were still two more checkpoints and I sort of took my time. My issues weren't over, on Locust, my pedal detached from its spindle. It's easy to put back on, but it was yet another bizarre thing to fall off the bike.

No mishaps after that. I came in last for the one-man bike group. Valdez won. Then there was a party for TJ and the United States.

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I can't remember seeing the fountain ever working this good.

Burr Mall, a high-ranking Hartford chill spot, is back in action. That elevated concrete across the street at the MDC is not far behind.

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Should I wear capris, too?

Also, Cameron Diaz and I ride the same bike (more or less).

I'm sure it's old news, but I didn't know about it. I'm also withholding any comments about her playing bike polo.

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