Some may say that riding the same course is tedious, but I am of a different mindset.  Not that I disagree completely with my colleagues on the bike, as Bloomington offers many choices for ride selection. What I like about the same course each Sunday is that you know what’s in store and the focus is on your performance.  Also, to be fair, the Flashers is a relatively safe, well known route, often with broad shoulders that has a little bit of everything; long, steady climbs, windy expanses, long flat stretches where the chase group can see the leaders for long periods of time.  And, in the event of wet, cold and inclement weather, numerous bailout points (turn-arounds).  Read the rest of this entry »

January is a funny training month.  You never know what nature has in store for you.  And, after my last post, I am sure a few of you may have been eager to see where the intersection of my ethics and survival lay.  On Saturday, a few met at the Bakehouse at the usual hour.  I showed up in jeans and a team jacket, Route 37 coffee steaming in hand and, due to prior commitments, bid the riders (Gary, Kevin and Jared) a good ride.  I would ride later in the day- a jaunt around Lemon with Purvis and Field.  It was a casual ride, chatty all the way.  The wind, however, was wearisome across the small spit of land heading east between the lake and the backwater.  This was an omen for what the following day had planned for us.  Read the rest of this entry »

We had a great ride today.  But that’s not what this post is about.  It’s about Darwinism,  sort of.  It’s about etiquette, or more appropriately, expectations on a training ride.  It’s a good story with a happy, albeit unresolved ending, so I invite you to follow along with a positive appreciation for the age-old question, ”Do I stay or do I go?”  I am interested in your input and thoughts on the subject. You can post a response below if you want to join in the dialogue. Read the rest of this entry »

Riding between fields of snow can be magical if you dress right, but some of you might wondering how anyone can handle a ride at 25F. To help out, I offer my year-round guide for the lycra-perplexed. We go by temperature zone, and it’s all about layers. Layers and layers of layers.

Your zones may vary. Call me a wuss, but I’ve listed the temperatures that I use to determine my clothing choices. If you’re a heat engine you might want to recalibrate, but there has to be some point at which you really will need a good winter jacket, gloves, and bootees. I’ll adjust my zones 5 degrees cooler if it’s sunny. If it’s rainy, all bets are off. The coldest I think I have ever been on a bicycle was going down a French mountain pass at 40F in the rain. Read the rest of this entry »

A few of us showed up at the Bakehouse for the first real-winter ride of the year.  The temperature hovered in the 20s even as the clock struck noon.  The wind was slight and out of the south.   At 20 mph the wind chill at 20 correlates to 11 degrees.   But the sun was out, and I was dressed in several layers, “two winter jackets,” as one of my teammates pointed out.  The posted course was dubbed ‘Winter Trifecta’ and has three loops that all point back to town, with its furthest reaches never more than 10 miles from downtown.  I decided to ride to the start, rather than drive, even though today’s published course would take us west then south, further away from home.  Read the rest of this entry »