*Warning Explicit*
Ass Kicked
I have found that the universe dishes out swift and appropriate punishment for hubris. This week was no different. Last week, I bragged a bit about taking delight in blowing the doors off of fellow cyclists on my ebike. On Tuesday, I was all ready to ride home, when I went to grab the bike and noticed the plug laying on the ground. Could it be someone kicked the plug out of the bike? I turned on the power, fell to my knees, arms raised to the sky and screamed NOOOOOOOOO! 13% battery. I forgot to plug in my damn bike. So much for my “system” to ensure I have and do all the things. Needs work. After a few minutes of sobbing, I pulled myself together, came to terms that I would be riding home under my own power, and got on with it. On the way home, I got passed by a fellow cyclist on a beautiful Norco bike who politely waved and smiled. Fuck.
As a testament to the Creo, the bike was easy to ride without power. I made it home a little under the time it used to take me on my Diverge gravel bike, so I am chalking it up to a win and progress towards my goal #2 of becoming a better cyclist. Frankly, I was tired, but felt great. Thanks karma, that humble pie tasted good. I will still love passing other cyclists, but I won’t brag about it again.
Humble Pie
Since apparently I took too much delight in this accomplishment and did not learn my lesson, I was confronted with the following scene on my way home on Wednesday when the weather forecast said sunny and 70. My wife called to offer me a ride since the South Hill was under torrential downpour, but I realized this is my lesson, so “no, thank you”. Jacket on, hood up, head down. A little whipped cream for my humble pie. Chris Cornell got me through it. Thanks, man.
Update on equipment
My stupid expensive Sonybluetoothin-ear headphones don’t seem to like the rain. I switched to a wired in ear headset, and this is a pain also, because my phone is attached to the bike, so am I. I am constantly pulling on the cord. Wheel Sport is going to try to carry some AfterShokz earphones that are open air, so I will give those a try and report back when they come in. I have been using a small gym sack to carry my few belongings to and from work, and it works awesome. It is light enough I barely know it is there, does not move around on my back, and fits my tablet, shirt, socks, underwear and jacket when I need to store it. It has a small zipper pocket for wallet and keys. I have ridden with it in the rain several times, and it has kept everything dry, at least for the hour it takes me to get to work or home. On Friday afternoons and Monday mornings, I have to wear a full backpack to carry my laptop for the weekend, and I really don’t like it. It is cumbersome, hot, and has straps that flap in the breeze. I am grateful I found this gym sack for the majority of my commute days.
Finally, one of the favorite things I have found for bikes and phones is the QuadLock system. They have come up with a relatively slim, protective case for the phone that positively locks to a mount. They make these mounts for your bikes, motorcycles, car, body and desk. They even have powered mounts for wireless charging. I highly recommend them. My mount is right on my stem, so my phone is easily accessible when I stop to check a text, follow directions or change music. Check it out!
Asshole Alert!
Only one asshole alert this week. Black or dark green Toyota Camry decided to honk at me for interfering with his path of travel on 17th while I turned left onto Cherry Ln. Apparently my hand signal was not enough for him. Up with the adrenalin, out with the bird. How about you come back here and lets talk about my right to the road with my hand around your throat. Breathe….maybe he was having a bad day, or a bad week, or was in an emergency. I don’t know what it is like to be you. Breathe…. Screw you.
Goal Update!
Scale read 226, so progress is being made! 5 lbs in 4 weeks. I think I am making progress on becoming a better cyclist. On Thursday, I went on an “acoustic” MTB ride, went out hard and felt strong, for a short while. However, I could not hold the high intensity for long. It could be the ebike is going to be great for building a base, but if I want to engage in sustained long efforts, I am going to have to train different for those. No free rides…
Clearly, based on my response to the asshole mentioned above, my mental health still needs some work. I am going to spend next week looking at all the great things going on around me.
Like last week, 182.4 miles not driven, saving $15.54 in fuel. IRS savings of $104.88.
Finally, my new bike bling showed up. Full details next week.