March has been pretty cold so far…but things are looking up. I am writing this from Terminal 3 at O’Hare International at my new favorite eatery in this otherwise God-forsaken municipal bus station/airport.

I’ve had two excellent rides so far this month on Monday and Tuesday. Monday was around 30 degrees but sunny and well worth tolerating the bitter cold. Tuesday warmed up a bit and was maybe 35 or so. I had a (not so) hidden agenda on Monday where after weeks of waiting, eBay watching, and cajoling I had decided that the time was right to move to clipless pedals. I had a sweet eBay score a few weeks ago where I picked up a nice pair of Specialized shoes on the dirt cheap (12.50 American dollars, brand new with tags). I have ached recently for new routes out of New Albany and so I used parts of the RCCS Brew2 ride to stitch together pieces into something new. It conveniently met up half way at Clarksville Schwinn where I loaded my back pocket with a set of Crank Brothers Candy C pedals. I choose these for the relatively wide platform that allows pedaling clipped in or not. The reviews indicated that they are also reasonably easy to get in and out of. I made the stop and picked them up, then proceeded to weave my way through the older part of Clarksville (which my work friend tells me they call “the OC (Original Clarksville)) and back into New Albany using my newly bold method of charging into N’Albany via Spring Street/IN-62. It was cold but I dressed the part with a wool shirt, wool, pants and wool socks…needless to say I stayed warm.

Tuesday was not looking good for a ride – a work meeting than ran two hours and the requisite catch up that followed threatened to squash the needed window for bike riding. A furious round of catch-up ensued. At 1 o’clock I said “screw it” and went anyway for a theoretically shortened ride to compensate for the lateness in the day. This was to be the big clipless pedal tryout after all. I headed west towards Silver Hills because it gives me the most options for length and terrain. I studied the booklet that came with the pedals and had an idea of what was need to seat the cleats into the pedals. I omitted the advice section where they intone that you should mount the bike to a trainer and practice for a bit prior to putting your self in traffic. The claims proved to be true in that the first couple of clip-ins were accomplished by what could be described as “mashing” the shoe into the pedal. Soon enough I was pedaling away with a new feeling of connectivity. I have had issue with how my feet feel relating to cold and sometimes numbness that I thing relate to how the solid areas of toe clips are routing air at my feet and into my shoes. I did not experience these feelings on the new pedals. What was interesting is that I had sore thighs by the time I finished. This indicates to me an adaption of my pedaling stroke to accommodate and feel and new opportunity to apply power to the “back side” of the pedal that I was missing out on (perhaps). All of this and I think they admittedly look better than sloppy toe clips. With the sun shining and the brisk wind in my face my shortened ride turned into a pretty normal ride of around 15 miles. The verdict on the pedals is good. I like how they felt in the ride. My brain communicated properly and allowed me not to fall on my maiden ride although I understand it may be coming.

The weather is supposed to be quite good on Thursday and I will be there…can’t wait.

I rode a grueling lunch ride on Monday – using a route I rode before that goes out Old Vincennes to Old Hill Road. It is a large opening climb followed by heavy rolling hills and ends with a return on the hated Green Valley Road. It was only around 14 miles but quite taxing. It turns out I was coming down with a cold. By Monday night I had developed a fever. I limped in for half a day on Tuesday but headed home and missed Wednesday. By Thursday I was better and looking forward to the ride on Friday night. Thursday morning we had an opening temp of 0 but it was supposed to rise to 17 for Friday night.

I drove over to Tim’s house to get started around 7:30. I had three shirts and a jacket on, 2 pairs of pants and three pairs of socks. Plenty of wool to go around. Shortly after we took off I realized my glove strategy was a failure. Tim had an extra set that fixed it though. We took a nice roll straight down Bardstown Road but looped over to Cherokee for the last bit before getting to the shop. We hung out for awhile and had a beer and some coffee. We were getting antsy by 9 when we finally left to ride out. The plan was a short ride over towards River Road and back. About 15 of us headed out although it broke up quickly and Tim and I stayed toward the front pack of 5 riders total. This was my first attempt at any type of “pack” riding and it was a little nerve wracking. Especially since it was quite dark and the bundling up made peripheral sight harder. I got over it quickly and we rode to Hillcrest. As we politely made our way down towards River Road with head and tail lights blazing a driver yelled at us to get on the sidewalk. An eloquent rider in our party opined “Fuck You”. On we went…

By this time the cold had set into my feet but otherwise I was really quite comfortable. We were down to four riders – Tim on a SS, Aaron on a Fixie, and myself and another on geared road bikes. We all had headlights but I had a powerful NiteRider light on loan from Tim. We rode through Mockingbird and it was one of the greatest bike experiences I have had. We moved in almost a surreal path – I stayed generally in the back and bathed the pack with light. The road is beautifully paved and it was almost completely silent. It was nearly like riding in some deserted land. The whole night was great but this was worth it all.

From there it was just a ride back to the shop for a little beer and to watch crazy fixie videos. we hung out for a bit and then took a nice ride home.

Tim recapped his story here. The ride organizer recapped here.

I think overall both Tim and I were surprised at how fast the ride broke apart. We were probably fooling ourselves that it would be some sort of proletariat ride making sure everyone stayed together. After all the core group are pretty aggressive types, not to mention how cold it was. I was a little nervous about what to expect but everyone was welcoming and they were a good group of riders. I wore my best pants for the occasion but they happen to be reasonably tight and I was the only one kicking that style. I’m sure we will head down for the next one. I think it is maybe the most interesting bike movement afoot in the ‘ville for now.

I “celebrated” four months of riding with a cold, hard ride to Corydon Pike via Budd/Highwater lane. I reviewed Tim’s map of this ride and decided I liked how he dealt with the wacky intersection of Hwy 111 and Indiana 62. He went around it. Me too, and I liked the result. One of the surprising things that eluded me in four months of riding was a dog chase. Granted, that was fine by me but considering the amount of Indiana back roads I ride it’s surprising. I panted to the top of the first rise on Budd Road and there it was – some sort of Husky looking dog who came haul-assin’ out into the street to give chase. I dropped gears, stood up, and stomped it. I am pleased to report that I quickly lost his interest. I actually saw another one about a mile later that looked the same. It wisely yielded to its still marked electric fence.

This ride can be a tough one for an hour and I was definitely feeling the impact of the cold and the wind. From Highwater Road to the Edwardsville climb is a slow steady climb and my speed fell into the range of 11-12 mph. It is a little daunting that the climb begins around 7 miles in and I thinking – I’m already a little tired and it’s all in front of me.

I made it up and around just fine. As I descended I even went into the drop portion of the handlebars to see if I could get some of the wind out of my eyes. I find it hard to keep my eyes from watering and I even wear glasses. I had gotten pretty hot by the time I reached the top of the hill, but the ridge line ride cooled me back down and I never recovered any warmth. By the time I made it back I was quite ready to hit the hot shower.

So here’s to my longest exercise regiment ever. Hopefully for many miles to come.

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MTD – 208.01

Today – 16.38

There was definately a chill in the air today not seen yet this year. NWS says we topped out at 48 today…I believe it. Although I have been meaning to for some time I have not rotated cool weather clothes into my workout bag. I walked out to get a bead on the weather before I left and thought – oh boy. There were only two choices – stay or go unprepared. I chose to revel in another of the Rivendell Tips for Happy Riding that states “Go for a one-hour ride underdressed sometime, because it’s good to be really cold on a bike every now and then”. Mission Accomplished. As I left the office my friend TD offered me his jacket, I declined and so he said I’d be back. I left with two polypro shirts and basketball shorts on. It didn’t feel too bad when I walked out, but as soon as I took off the wind and the cold came on strong.

I went out toward Edwardsville as I often do. The route gives me many options and when I take it to the top it offers some great post-climb relief. The first hill up went fine and I went through Silver Hills and down a freezing Camp Rd. headed to Indiana 62. The wind was absolutely punishing on the steady pre-climb. I was really feeling it on my bare forearms and tumbling into my ears. The hill climb itself was a minor relief from the wind. I was able to make it further up than ever in the saddle before standing up. It was a good climb, and a nice ride across the ridge back toward town. The descent was very cold and uncomfortable, I rode back into town and took the most direct line back to work, no extra through town riding. I was ready to hit the hot shower. This was also the first real test on my lungs for sucking in all that cold air. It takes some adjustment for sure.

I got a call from Tim after I got home and scored a tire for the Bridgestone to replace the marred rear tire. He showed up with a surprise pair of size L Cannondale pants that were a race win prize. I said “oh, hey, great”. “Actually I rode today in 2 shirts and shorts”. The reply – “dude, get real”. Anyway – Thanks Tim. It is nice to have a benefactor.

I clipped my mileage target today with three legit riding opportunities left for the week. maybe I’ll get 250 which would be pretty sweet.

Tomorrow I think I will stretch out for a long, flat one.