Back on the Bike!

It's been nearly 2 weeks since I have ridden a bike.  After Father's Day I got so busy with work that I couldn't commute and then I spent a week in Canada fishing and got back Saturday night.  Sunday morning I headed out on my 30 mile course around Newtown.

I came up on this guys in Brookfield Bicycle Center kit but wasn't anyone I recognized.  His name was Nick and we rode together all the way to the split with Hattertown and Sugar Street.  He headed back to Brookfield on Sugar street and continued south.

Dirty Father's Day Gravel Grinder

I had grandiose plans of hitting the road really early for a 50 mile gravel grinder only to procrastinate and leave two hours later.  It's funny how everything that could go wrong on this ride that I didn't expect happened and the one thing I was afraid of never came to pass.  On Obtuse Rocks, I had to reset my Garmin.  Further down the road my front tire became unseated.  Later in the ride, my Garmin shut off by itself, this also happened to me on the Bloomin' Metric.  If that wasn't enough, on the return trip some old guy drove up along side me and yelled at me that my seat was too low.  I compared to my Cannondale and he was right!

Monsoon Season in Connecticut

Woke up Friday morning to a heavy rain but by 7:00 AM it tapered off and just as I was considering pulling a Superman in the furnace room the phone rang.  My daughter left her text book on her desk and needed it brought to school ASAP.  So I didn't ride to work on Friday, but I should of because by the afternoon the sun peaked out as the Ryan Hanrahan predicted it would.  Getting home from work around 6 PM I pulled the Superman and jumped on the Bianchi San Jose for quick rip around town.

1000 Miles on the Surly Cross Check

Call me a Bike Nerd or Bike Geek but I love data and I keep track of just about everything I can in a computer program called SportTracks related to biking, including my weight!  I use Strava and Endomondo, too, but I have been using SportTracks since I started riding and have just stuck with it. Thursday's commute took the Cross Check to 1000 miles ridden in just over 6 months.  Graphic above depicts the distribution of riding activities, the most of which is commuting.  The Cross Check is, by far, the best and most versatile bike that I have owned not specifically geared towards one discipline.

A Banana Peel is not Biodegradable on the street

According to some experts on the interwebs it takes 3 to 5 weeks for a banana peel to decompose.  So unless the owner of the house, that this peel was discarded in front of, throws it in the trash or helps it into the woods I would call this littering.  I would recommend that if you are going to ride and eat bananas for fuel that you bring a ziplock baggy and put the peel in it and throw it out properly instead of on the side of the road.

Hat City Cyclefest

Will, my brother-in-law, and I rode the Hat City Cycle Fest on Sunday and it was a glorious day to be on a bike!  Our plan was to do the 80 mile course and depending on time (Will was flying to England that evening) we would see about going for the Century. 

Hoppy Bike Commute

Heading out Friday morning to work was a mixed bag of nerves and jubilation.  The rear tire was working but every bump and jiggle had me checking it.  It's funny how you come to rely on something so much but when it let's you down you never seem to trust it again.

Continental Tour Ride Tires are not so puncture resistant, after all!

I have ridden well over 2000 miles on these Continental Tour Ride Tires and never had a problem, that is until Thursday's commute, in the pouring rain.  I flatted on Route 25 just past the railroad tracks in Hawleyville.  Fortunately, I was able to get under an awning by Papa Al's Pizza and stay dry while I replace the tube.  

Day 2 of no biking, but I got a new jersey today!

Last month I rode every day.  A few days were just a mile or two for some test rides but the point was to get as many points for the National Bike Challenge.  I kicked but on my team, too.  However, these past two days I have decided to take a break.  I did happen to swing by The Bicycle Center in Brookfield on Tuesday and pick up one of their new riding jerseys.  I will be wearing that on Sunday when I do my first century ride, 100 miles!

Singlespeeding the Bloomin Metric

You couldn't ask for a better day at the Bloomin Metric.  We had quite a crowd this year including my wife's sister and one of their two daughters.  Wil, third from the left you might recognize as my riding partner from previous rides, including Saturday's ride to the Beach.  He was riding my tandem with his daughter.  My father is next to him, my daughter Katie and myself.  I finally got to ride a Singlespeed!  Next year, if I do the short course again, I might go fixed.