Ima Leavn'

In the morning for the Mohican with my two biggest competitors (Keith & Topher). Should be a good trip. I've felt crappy all week, but who knows what's in store for Saturday? Maybe I'll get lost and it won't matter anyway?

Whatever

It's a 100 mile ride on my bike. I've done a bunch this year. They're cool. Why should this one be any different?

- b

All Work and No Play...

If you're looking for something fun, it's not here. From what I've read, all the fun was here (new flashy look too). So it goes.

The weekend started Friday with me working from home. Unfortunately I actually had work to do and spent most of the day cooped up in my house fretting over someone else's poorly written code. It's one thing to frett over my own crappy code, but to be stuck with someone else's the Friday before a three day weekend kinda sucks. When I couldn't take any more of it, I jumped on the fixie and rode to Paoli to pick up Jen's car from the shop (when one goes down, they all go down). We finally got her AC compressor replaced. The ride over was hot and sweaty. The ride back was arctic cool. She'll be so happy. Get home, cut the grass, then throw back some beers. Jen's old beer club from her last job wanted her back, so we've got a whole case of stuff I'm not really liking. Read some reviews here.

Is it because I'm getting old, I'm tired or allergies, but my eyes stop working about this time every night? They dry out and just want to close.

Saturday we're up with some chores around the house (yep you guessed it Trim!), then off in search of an umbrella for our deck furniture. I think we got the umbrella, but no pole. I think it's on its way.

While we were out, we picked up a pressure washer. I still needed to clean the pool cover and various other dirty things a pressure washer would be good for. After the leaf blower incident last fall (I bought one cheap enough for the budget, but not powerful enough for the job), we decided on a gas powered "weekend warrior" one. Got it home, unrolled the pool cover, fired up the washer and realized the cover had holes in it. Fold the cover back up and look for something else to blast.

The chair on the right was freshly blasted. The chair on the left was dirty and trembling. Since it's kind of hard to tell the difference, here's a better example.

The problem with "toys" like this is they become work real quick. You make a clean spot, then realize it's going to take all week to make it all clean. That sucks. Can I return this thing?

Crap. Just realized I got out of sequence for the weekend. The pressure washer was bought Saturday, but I didn't put it together till Sunday. Not sure what the hell I did Saturday afternoon. I'm sure it was drudgery and not nearly as productive as I would have liked. Hmmmm. I went swimming - I think. That's when I discovered a new "feature" of our pool.

I put this pump in last summer, so it's new as far as pool pumps go. There shouldn't be water anywhere but inside it. Now if you've been following at all, you've probably noticed this pool of ours has some issues. It probably sounds like every nightmare you've ever heard about pools. Most of that's true - sort of. I grew up with a pool. My parents have had a pool (their second now) for 14 or 15 years. They're great (pools). When we were looking for a house, one of my requirements was a pool. That's what we got. The house is 20 something years old. The pool is around 18 I think. Imagine driving a car that's 18 yrs old (I have one of those too). They need work from time to time. Luckily an 18 yr old pool has a lot less parts then an 18 yr old car and I've replaced most of them with the pool. Last year it was mostly learning what was wrong and replacing the culprit part. So far this year, it's been a little harder. I know what's wrong, but the labor required to fix is more then I can afford (time mostly) right now. In the meantime, the chemicals are balanced and the water is quite refreshing.

Moving on...

Sunday I got up early, met FatMarc (another flashy new design, did I miss a TPS report?) and did another century. It was mostly uneventful - exactly what I wanted. A little drama in the beginning and end, but the middle was do your pull and hang on. Rob documented it better then I could here. Though I do have one thing to add. I think I hurt worse from sitting in formation making sure all my shit's straight then I do from riding the miles. For those that don't know, when riding the road you typically get in some kind of pace line. A pace line, whether rotating or holding steady, lines everyone up to share and benefit from the draft of the lead riders. The problem is you're usually rolling at a high rate of speed inches off the rider in front of you, behind you and possibly next to you. After four hours of making sure my tires and elbows don't freak someone out, I'm mentally wasted and achy. There's little room to stretch or relax for an obsessive-nut like me. Just look ahead, spin smooth and hold steady. Feet go numb? Hold straight and spin steady. Neck sending shooting pains down your spine? Hold straight and spin steady. Wanna slow down or check the scenery? Hold straight and spin steady. Not that I'm complaining. It's more like sharing for those that haven't had the privilege. Like I said, it was the perfect ride for the ride I needed this week.

So the pressure washer deal was Sunday after the ride. After that we hit Kooma for Sushi. Mmmmmm. Beer and raw fish! My favorite! As we were finishing dinner it started to storm. I had to run down the block to get the car in the rain to pick up Jen. By the time we got home, it was over, but not without leaving its mark. Luckily the puddle wasn't as big as last time, but still a puddle where a puddle shouldn't be.

Monday morning it was up early and drive FIVE hours for this.

Your guess is as good as mine. Honestly, I was just happy my truck was able to go five hours without leaving me somewhere I didn't want to be (again). After the trip to Frenchtown (NJ), it was home for more trim work and a quick fix of the leaky roof vent.

It's not pretty, but neither's your uvula.

I'm done. It's past my bedtime, I've got dishes to do and my eyes have nearly quit working all together.

-b

First Swim

Air temp was 92°. Water temp was 78°. Got chilly after a while. Time to get back to work anyway.

-b

Liquid Courage Part I

Sort of random thoughts from last nights installment of the Wednesday Night ride in Downingtown.

They said it was going to be mellow. Sure they've said this in the past and it wasn't, but they kept saying it. The mention of a beer stop solidified my belief it actually would be mellow.

It wasn't mellow.

Because I thought it was going to be mellow, I invited Buddy on a pre-ride at Marsh Creek. We got an hour and a half of speedy great traction riding in before heading over to Victory for the actual ride. On the way, we each grabbed a beer.

The ride got off a little late as Ben and Scott were still out stashing beers at the top of Mark D' Huez. Cool. Still looks mellow. We rolled out and headed for Skelp Level. Turn into the woods and suddenly it's not mellow anymore. Ben and Mark were way off the front and Ryan was going over the bars. Straighten up and take off again. Ryan, Yarnall (the vet), myself and Henderson had a nice little downhill freight train going. In a flash, we passed by some women's Beaners going the other way. On the climb out, Copper DeCarlo (he's a roadie and a Pig) boggled the one root I wanted to make and stuck Henderson and I with dabs.

Cross the road and into the forbidden lands. The route was down Vietnam, up the Center and out through Bulldozer. I moved to the front with Ben and took off. I pedaled my ass off (down hill) to keep up with him. Many times my life flashed before my eyes as they focused and refocused on roots, trees, rocks and trail. All the pedaling worked as we gaped the others in our decent.

The climb up the Center was uneventful till Ben made a reroute skipping dozer to take Butt-Pucker instead. Not at all the gnarly death drop it used to be Ben, Rick and myself dropped in over the rocks for the behind the seat decent. Halfway down I got the crazy notion to try and pass Rick, who was holding his own quite well, but ended up taking myself out (testosterone and adrenalin make a toxic mix). Scraped and dirtied I was relegated to the back as everyone else rolled to the bottom. Again Ben took a reroute and finished out the forbidden lands with a traverse of Clay.

To be continued...

-b

His Side

The weather was beautiful today. I had to go for a bike ride. All dressed up in my matching Pearl Izumi outfit I headed out north on Creek Road. The weather was perfect - low seventies, little humidity and a slight breeze. I was really enjoying the meandering road along the Brandywine. Down near the old mill I see another cyclist pulling out onto the road. From a distance I can see he's no ordinary road cyclist. He must have come off some ride on the Struble trail. As I approach, I see my suspicions are confirmed. He's riding some kind of Franken-bike. Maybe it's an extra large BMX bike, because it has only one gear and no rear brake that I can see. Maybe there's a coaster brake? He's also got a backpack stuffed full of who knows what. There's a plumbers snake strapped to the back of it. Is he some kind of plumber cyclist? How gay is that? Anyway the road is pretty curvy and there's lots of cars. I wait to pass him when the road straightens out. It was really kind of funny. He'd pedal like crazy on all the downhills, like he could actually go faster and stay ahead. Not sure what was going on in his head, but it was time for me to ride on. The pavement got smoother, so I dropped down a few gears, grabbed my drops and tried to put some distance on him. I pedaled hard for a half mile or so, then let up some. Next thing I know, the goofball is coming around me with a sneering "Now I'm on your left" comment. Whatever. The day was too beautiful to waste on this. I let him go. He'd have to be turning off soon. I can't imagine how far you'd go on that bike with all that stuff strapped to your back. I rode on enjoying the scenery and the day. It really was beautiful.

-b

My Side

I roll up to the intersection between Dorlan Mill and Creek road. It's clear except for a roadie headed my way. I pull out and spin my fixie down the road. I guess it's just simple competition, but whenever you see another cyclist on the road, you know there's going to be a fight. The first part of Creek road is pretty rough. Between the old choppy pavement and cars whizzing by you, it's not a peaceful ride. On top of that I can hear the gears of the roadie clicking as he approaches and grabs my wheel. Stripped to bear bones, the fixie spins in silence. So he's pacing me. That's cool. I'm just commuting and hauling a bunch of crap I picked up at Home Depot. I wonder what he's thinking as he's following my single geared, brake-less fat tubed rear end. Oh well. Keep a smooth cadence and pedal on.

We finally reach the newly paved area and the road flattens out a bit. I basically spin out and he comes around. "On your left" I hear as he drops a few gears (clunk, clunk, clunk) and grabs his drop bars. "Hmmm guess I'm too slow" I think to myself. I notice as he pulls away he's wearing a plane jane Pearl Izumi jersey and shorts (Nashbar must of had a sale). He's got skinny little hairy legs too. The jerk in me gets a little fired up. I also notice he's pushing pretty hard. His body language shows lots of inefficient effort. He's struggling to pull ahead and stay there. I move in for the kill. It's always easier to chase then lead, so I settle in to pacing him. I keep a few bike lengths sdistance waiting for the right moment. Sure enough his effort is short winded. His hands come off the drops and his pace slows. Using the excuse I can't coast, I pedal up beside him and say "Now I'm on your left." He smiles as I go around in reprimanding style.

I pedal down the road keeping my pace. Through a few rollers I keep seated trying to make it look easy - keep my body language smooth. Before I turn off, I look back. He dropped off a bit. His hands are on the top of his bars as he holds steady to a more comfortable pace.

-b

They Come in Threes

The skimmer won't skim and the dryer won't dry. What's next?

- b

Dogs Love Me

Whenever I ride by a yard with a dog, they go crazy. They bark and run excited to see me. It's great. Sometimes it's a lone dog, sometimes it's nearly a pack all barking and biting at the air as I roll by. Dogs are great. So much energy. So happy to see and greet new people as they pass by their yards.

This post is brought to you by Knob Creek a fine Kentucky straight bourbon.

-b

Granogue Race

Up at 5am and off to the races. Today Jen and I were tasked with marshaling an area called Deputies woods at Granogue. It's a real fun section. It's twisty with dips. From a central point, you get a great view of racers nearly circling you through the woods. Though already fun, we decided to add a little of our own. We fired up the iPod with some powered speakers (via generator off in the distance) and played Johnny Cash all day. We had the whole redneck motif going with hats, shine and overalls. Not sure if anyone really noticed, but at least Jen and I had a good time.

My partner in crime

The sport racers came through first. They all seemed a little confused. I guess they couldn't figure out why a couple of hillbilly look-alikes were standing around playing country music in the middle of a mt. bike race. Whatever. They'll learn.

The elite racers were a whole different story (or maybe my perception was sufficiently altered by the shine?). We got all kinds of hoot & hollers, requests and the always appreciated air.
Here's Ryan bringing his Dtown style to the first state.

Here's proof that Kevin not only knows what "getting air" means, but he can do it!

Yeah I know they're blurry. I'm not a photographer.
Here's Ben with some rigid force.

Bike Line Bill with some serious crossed up action

So maybe I had a few...

But it was no where near as many as this guy

During cleanup, we had a quick minute for a short game of marshmellow baseball. Or is it marshball or maybe basemellow?

And hey! If you lost a bottle during the race, but were too cool to pick it up you can find it here.

-b

Full Speed on Empty

Next to some, I guess the past couple of weeks haven't been so bad for me. I have an entirely new perspective on racing. Racing is a lot easier then having a race. I've volunteered for two races in a row and I'm beat. Now I've got to find some time to recover, train and race myself.

I realize things have been a little lacking around here. Oh well. It's all I can muster. At least you'll get lots of pictures. Ready?

Started Friday with the day off. First on the bill was opening the pool.

Jen said there was no way I could handle this by myself. Ha!

After the pool it was onto the grass. I've been trying for weeks to get
on a Friday cut schedule. Now all I have to do is keep it there.
With the grass taken care of, I had to run over to Paoli to pick up the
car from the shop. I should have just ridden over there, but then I
would have missed this.

Yeah. That's special.
So train ride to Paoli, pick up the car, stop at the shop and
pay for a huge mistake (more on that in another post). Hit the fabric
shop then back home. Back at home it's back to chores. I threw
together our new deck furniture finally.

Too dark to work outside, I moved in to finish up some stuff on the windows. Last week Jen primed our kitchen windows. This weekend it was paint, but first I had to fill in all the nail holes. Yay!

Go to bed and get up early Saturday to head to Granogue to
prepare for the race on Sunday. I guess I spent three or four hours
working my part of the course - marking and taping for direction.

After the work it was time to ride. There may have been twenty of us or so. I felt pretty good and was having a lot of fun on that lap. Then near the end I realized I hadn't been on my mt. bike in over a week and a half. At that point the trail got real hairy and I wussed out. I backed it off a bit and rolled to the finish. The afternoon was still kind of early, so I rolled another lap with Wes. Granted Wes is fast, but he was killing me. I had nothing and lost every little bit I thought I had.

Beat with my tail between my legs, I ran home. The skies were
looking ominous and Jen was painting the windows. I got home just
in time to throw up some protection.

I still felt like ass from the ride. When I finally went to the bathroom
I figured out why. I was completely dehydrated. I hadn't been that
bad in a while. I guess working all morning in the sun without enough
water kind of did me in. It took a good couple of hours and lots and
lots of water to get back to semi-normal. In the meantime
I was finishing up some stuff with the pool when I found this.

This picture is kind of small, but if you look real close, right above the water line, you'll see a crack running from one side to the other. Now this could mean all kinds of things. First thought is I didn't properly close the skimmer (this part) for winter, it got/had water in it, froze and cracked. Overall I lowered the water in the pool adequately below the skimmer for closing. Did the skimmer fill with its own water (from under the cover)? I don't know. I can't say I payed that much attention to the water level in the skimmer when I took the cover off. I was too busy getting it done and not inspecting. The other thing is the crack is above the water. Maybe it's just not that important of an issue right now? The pool is old. Plastic cracks. It may have just been its time.

But that's not all. The skimmer wasn't skimming. It's supposed to clean the crap off the surface of the pool. The surface wasn't getting clean. I put my hand down to the bottom and felt suction, but not a whole lot. Today there's no suction at all. It's done - kaput. Not sure this is something I can or have time to fix. Getting a pool store to look at it, is next to impossible this time of year. I'm going to have to do a little research. Good news is the chemicals are balancing out nicely and the vacuum still works.

That was it for Friday and Saturday. I'm going to have to do a whole other post for Sunday and the race. Maybe I'll shower and sleep first. We'll see. Remember a few weeks (maybe months) I said I need to clean my gear room? Still do.

-b

ps. I still owe Lodi pictures.

Something to Celebrate

Jackass

-b

Path of Destruction

Ever since I started single-speedn' with this guy

Good luck at Granogue!

-b

I Got Nothing

If cycling is a drug, I need rehab.

Is there a methadone solution?

-b

Frystown Fifty

I've got this long race coming up June 2nd, so I've got some training to do. Coming off the 12 Hours of Lodi, I made it an easy week with mostly commuting. All that changed Saturday. I got up, did some dishes, then set up a route to ride to my friend Bill's house in Frystown. It literally went like that. I made the route, entered it in my GPS and took off on the fixie.

I think I was twenty miles in when I realized I made a mistake. The route there was supposed to be roughly fifty miles. That meant a hundred miles round trip. That's a hundred miles with hills. I hadn't done that before on the fixie, but I was pretty sure it was a bad idea at this point.

Quickly I came up with a plan. I'd start counting or paying attention to the hills I couldn't pedal down. I figured if I couldn't pedal my way down it, there was no way I could pedal up it. If the number of "no way ups" or "too long to walk" hills got ridiculous, I'd have to come up with an alternate route home.

I lost track. There were too many turns, too much traffic, and too much sun. I plowed on.

If you're ever going north or north west from my area, you have to climb a ridge before you get to the valley before the Blue mt. ridge. I'm not sure what the name of this first ridge is (it's too late to figure it out), but it's related to the ridge in Valley Forge. It practically runs parallel to the turnpike till it hits Harrisburg and the Blue Mt. ridge. I hit this unnamed ridge on Texter Mt. road. I knew from my GPS data, I'd climb about five hundred feet in a short stretch. What I didn't know was it would be in the form of a dozen or so short steeps separated by false flats for a mile or so. It sucked. I climbed, wheezed, got dizzy, nearly blacked out and fell over before I passed a guy that said "you're almost there." With one final push I made it and turned left to go down. At the top was this.

Why is the county marker a tombstone? Actually, this marked the death of my ride. At this point I turned left on S. Mountain Rd and went downhill for a long time. I went down longer then it took me to come up. I went down with the brake on nearly the entire time. I wasn't coming back that way. When I hit 422, I decided I'd had enough. I was two and a half hours in, I had to get back. I flipped through the screens on my GPS and noticed I was at mile 40. That was just 10 miles short of Bill's. What the hell? Why come all this way and not finish it? I turned back and headed for Bill's.

It wasn't long before I saw this.

That's when I knew I made the right choice. I call it the "Hillbilly Hearse." Pretty original huh?

Soon after the hearse, I got to Bill's. I raided their fridge for some cold chicken, an old Coke and Gatorade. Saw the new pool, congratulated Bill on finally graduating from his Actuary hell and rolled on with a different return route. I decided to shoot for flat. From Bill's, that meant a lot of roads with traffic. Basically I'd hit 419 s. to 422 e. to 724 e. to 82 s. Ugly roads I know, but relatively flat. At some point I realized it didn't make a difference if I could hear the cars coming behind me and cranked up the iPod. Soon I was cruising singing out loud and feeling good. There may have even been some shoulder shaking, but I'm not going to admit to that.

Just outside of Birdsboro at mile 86, I stopped for food and phone calls. My car was in the shop, so I had to take care of the bill. I called Jen and let her know where I was. I apologized for being way late and leaving her home to work all day.

I really felt awful, but the windows look great! I told her I had only one main road to go and it should take around two hours. Not quite.

On rt. 82 below Birdsboro, the bridge is out. I thought I remembered it being "out" for car travel, but pedestrians and cyclists were fine. I was wrong.


Off with the socks and shoes and through the water. As I'm riding on the other side, I notice the road is rather crappy. It's plain coming apart, then my fears are confirmed.

Two bridges out! What's worse, I've been here before and don't remember the bridges being completely out. Anyway, clean up the feet, throw on the socks and shoes and roll. The end was pretty anti-climactic. The last twenty miles hurt a lot. I just wanted it over. I rolled in with almost 115 miles.

Here's the data for those interested:

Heavy Load

It's been one of those weeks, though I'll spare you the gory details.

Got some recovery riding in this week. Should be in good shape for Saturdays Frystown Fifty. Of course I have to then turn around and do fifty back. That's right folks. It's another Saturday Century with yours truly. Should be a good bit of suffering going on for that ride. No one will know, cause they'll all be resting for this on Sunday. If you are racing, please remember to print clearly on your entry forms. I can't be held responsible if John Smith gets entered as Some Jerkoff, cause I can't read his entry. As they say in geek world (my job), Garbage in = Garbage out.

As if I didn't have enough to do with my bikes as it is, this guy

has to go put Leftist fantasies in my head about suspension choices. Thanks Evan. Please remember I'm not one of your typical "can I have that $8,000 bike to hang on my wall" customers.

Don't forget. Cancer Sucks! If you haven't already made a donation or have plans to, YOU SUCK!

- b

Cancer Sucks

I know this chick. She had cancer. She beat it herself and now she's trying to beat it for everyone else.

Do what you can to help the cause.

No joke. It effects all of us.

It's real easy. Here's the info:

Her name is Sam. She works with the HERA Women's Cancer Foundation to raise awareness and money to fight women's cancer.

There's a bunch of different ways YOU can make a difference.

Donate to HERA here.

Through HERA, Sam has a climbing team to raise money. It's called Team Bury the Dragon. You can read more about it here and here.

You can donate through HERA in the name of her team here.

Any little bit helps. Do it today. Do it tomorrow and do it again the following day.

If you need incentive, she's sponsoring a bike gear raffle. You can win some really cool bike stuff or just buy cool stickers. Every bit helps. Do it here.

A bunch of people are helping out. YOU should too.

-b

Thanks for the Ride

On my last lap at the 12 Hours of Lodi Farm, Bob Anderson (super fast, really nice, solo winner) grabbed my wheel for a short while and hung on. I'd spent each and every lap hunting people down and passing them like mile markers along the road. Not Bob. He let me by, then grabbed hold. Focused on my own goal to crush another lap, it took me a little while to register he was back there. He wasn't pushing or challenging me. He was simply along for the ride. Being that the section we were in was mostly without climbs, I turned it up a notch. He took the bait. Hmmm this could be interesting I thought. The trail got really twisty and we hammered it. A few drops and jumps got our bikes airborne. Simultaneously our bikes went from ripping dirt to the silence only air can achieve. With two whacks we were back on the ground tearing it up. The trail made a slightly banked turn out into the field where people were camping. A small crowd had gathered to watch. It must have been quite a show as we both ripped around the top of the berm and shot back into the woods. At this point I realized I couldn't keep this up much longer. I thought about where we were and what was coming next. Soon there would be a hill. On a single speed, I'd drop him on the climb. He knew it too (so I thought). As we hit the bottom he backed off and said "Thanks for the ride."

After the race was over, I realized who he was. Bob Anderson won the geared solo class. He put in 13 laps that night all by himself. That little time we shared was probably his 12th lap. Coming from him, that comment on the trail meant a lot.

In a similar respect, I'd like to pass the same compliment onto the group this weekend. Everyone played a role in the success of the weekend. It was really quite amazing. Plans were made, resources shared and we all just killed it.

Guys and gals, Thanks for the ride. I can't wait for the next one.

I'll get more (pictures/details) up soon. I'm still too tired and behind on a few things. In the meantime you can check out the following for more info.

FatMarc
The Engineer
Chunky Monkey

- b

Opinions Counted

All the tallies are in and the obvious option two won by a landslide. Unfortunately option two just isn't feasible for us right now or any time soon. What's behind the wall is our fridge and a Corian counter top. To open the entire wall would require moving the fridge, getting new counters, and possibly moving the sink (Jen wants to maintain her work triangle). All things we'd be willing to do, but can't afford at this time.

Right now option one is free. If we do anything, we'll start with option one. Down the road, if we decide to redo the kitchen entirely, we could expand to option two.

Thanks to those that offered other more creative options. Using the same photo editing magic we explored them as well. Unfortunately they changed the entire look of things - more modern then we like.

-b

Wednesday Night Recount

Mark rode Sean's Intense 29er double squishy demo bike
Mark took us on a tour of new trails around the camp
Rick showed his fortitude over us through the water
Ryan was steady as she goes
Sean was climbing some mean hills on his SS
Rob got some nice air
Craig was feeling the effects of nearly 200 miles since Sunday
Jamie H. came down for some fun in the sun
I made the root climb
Jamie B. got the sprint
Wheelie Ted has a new "friend"
Sean likes hugging said "friend"
The Hop Wallop went down like water
My elPaso salad sucked
Mark and Jamie B. wrestled.
I drove Mark home
Head hurt and vision blurred as I walked in the office this morning
Today toilets fear me
Chris and Ben were missed

- b

Commute Record Broken!

Today Bob smashed his previous commute to work record by FIVE minutes! Because of such a cycling feat the following interview was held via phone with Bob at his office.

Generic Cycling Publication: "Wow Bob! You dropped a whole 5 minutes off your morning commute time. That's really quite amazing. So what was it about today that committed you to such an accomplishment?"

Bob: "It started to rain and I didn't want to get my laptop wet."

Generic Cycling Publication: "Rain? Hasn't it rained on you before?"

Bob: "Yes, but I was prepared for those trips."

Generic Cycling Publication:"So while you were hammering did you have any idea you would break your record by so much and how does it feel to have finally done it?"

Bob: "I was worried about my laptop. My legs are kind of sore."

Generic Cycling Publication: "Sore legs huh? So what kind of recovery drink do you use for that sort of thing?"

Bob: "I'm drinking coffee from the office. The rain was cold. The coffee's hot."

Generic Cycling Publication: "Yeah I guess coffee works for that sort of thing. So is there anything you would have done differently today?"

Bob: "Knee warmers would have been nice."

Generic Cycling Publication: "Knee warmers huh? That's it? Nothing else?"

Bob: "I guess I could have left sooner and ridden further when it wasn't raining, but I had chores to do."

Generic Cycling Publication: "Uh-huh. I see. Are you sure signing up for the Mohican 100 despite the many words and advice from veteran cyclists not too had anything to do with this? Or maybe the fact you have a 12 hour relay race this weekend starting at midnight Saturday night? Are you sure any of that didn't have some kind of effect on your decision to sprint your ass off in the pouring rain this morning. I mean jeez you ran through a speed trap and nearly got grilled by a semi. Something other than the damn rain had to motivate you?"

Bob: "I guess I felt pretty good."

Generic Cycling Publication: "You felt pretty good? Well there you have it folks. Bob's record for commuting into work was broken by five minutes this morning because it was raining and he 'felt pretty good.' Well that's great. Good for you Bob. Thanks for taking the time and interview with us. It's been quite enlightening."

Bob: "Sure."

-b