Crit and I both had to start from the school on Highland as he had to be at Funtown with his son at 10 and my BW and I had to meet Captain Dale at Lost Shaker of Salt II by 11. This removes the neutral sections of the ride but also to my benefit removes the annoying little hill from Broadway to Highland.
I felt pretty good that morning but Crit said he felt like he had a rock in his stomach and his legs were tired. Could have been left over from the rainy ride on Thursday. I wish I could ride as strong as he does when I feel like crap.
We jumped into the group at about 27 miles an hour. Nice way to wake up your legs. Things went pretty smoothly outside of the random guy who showed up with a backpack and a bike pump sticking out of the pack. The first time he went through in the pace line he just sat up until someone yelled for him to pull through. This would be a recurring theme.
I felt good and took my turns in the pace line as we headed to Blackpoint. Crit took a flier off the front about 1 mile before the fire station hoping to catch people by surprise. He did as he quickly jumped out to about a 30 meter lead, unfortunately for him there was a fire truck in the middle of road stopping traffic so that break was for not. For some reason he decided to break again right after this but two guys went with him meaning I had to bridge the 15 to 20 meters so he wasn't on his own. Once he realized the break didn't take we sat up and waited for the group.
The plan was for me to give Crit a lead out from 500 meters but we got caught a little far back and on the outside so I went with about 800 meters left. I did pull him to the front but we came from so far back that too many people saw it and caught on. Crit did give me credit for stringing out the group though and as I pulled off he simply sat in for a 100 meters and then blasted by the 2 or 3 guys in front of him for the win. He sounded pretty happy to have his lead out guy back even if I am not quite where I was a few years ago.
The rest of the ride went well and I just sat in as much as possible while taking a couple of short pulls. With about 1.5 miles left two of the better riders (I know them as Hank and Dixon) went off the front and had a gap of about 100 meters. As I was coming up the last hill near the Portland Headlight I realized that I had a lot more momentum the 10 guys in front of me so I pulled around them and just kept going. Of course who was causing the slow up? That's right the guy with the backpack. So knowing I wasn't going to contest the sprint I figured I would do my best to pull the pack back to the break. I gained about 80 meters in the 600 to 700 meters I pulled for and got some thanks after the sprint for closing the gap. I even helped Crit by pulling the pack back I allowed him to shoot past a lot of guys and he finished 3rd.
Good times and then even better times on Lost Shaker of Salt II for about 10 hours and a couple of hours in the Old Port with my BW, Kelly B, Crit, his fiance Jrock and Chimp Hands. If I can get my hands on the video of Crit and Jrock dancing that is going straight to youtube!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Thursday in the Rain
I decided against my better judgement and my BW's text message about a tornado warning in our general area to ride with Back Bay Bikes. I was one of the few as it was only Crit, our riding friend Bike Shedd, Kris from BBB and one other guy.
I believe this proves there are always at least 5 idiots in every group of riders!
We started out on the usual route which is torture for me because it meant we were going up Mtn. Road. The guys had to wait for me but after that due to the rain and impending darkness we took a different route home avoiding Dutton Hill Rd. SWEET
I felt pretty good, did some long pulls and took some fliers off the front. These fliers always seem to be just before hills, this is my plan so I can hit the hill with as much momentum as possible. The ride was going smoothly until the other guy flatted. Standing there in the rain chilled us all but we got the flat changed quickly and got going again.
I flatted about 300 yards from BBB and thankfully Kris was nice enough to take the bike in the shop and change the tube on the rear tire. The Klein is a great frame but the reverse drop outs are a pain in the ASS. Remember flats come in 3'S
I have now decided that BBB is a very friendly shop so I am going to get my bike tuned up there and get my Rolf's bearing re-packed there as well.
It was a good ride, we did about 30 miles but neither Crit nor I have any stats.
I believe this proves there are always at least 5 idiots in every group of riders!
We started out on the usual route which is torture for me because it meant we were going up Mtn. Road. The guys had to wait for me but after that due to the rain and impending darkness we took a different route home avoiding Dutton Hill Rd. SWEET
I felt pretty good, did some long pulls and took some fliers off the front. These fliers always seem to be just before hills, this is my plan so I can hit the hill with as much momentum as possible. The ride was going smoothly until the other guy flatted. Standing there in the rain chilled us all but we got the flat changed quickly and got going again.
I flatted about 300 yards from BBB and thankfully Kris was nice enough to take the bike in the shop and change the tube on the rear tire. The Klein is a great frame but the reverse drop outs are a pain in the ASS. Remember flats come in 3'S
I have now decided that BBB is a very friendly shop so I am going to get my bike tuned up there and get my Rolf's bearing re-packed there as well.
It was a good ride, we did about 30 miles but neither Crit nor I have any stats.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Poker, I just met her!
One of the nice things about being back in the Portland area is the bi-weekly poker tournaments that TBO hosts. These are usually $25 buy in with $5 bounty no-limit hold-em tournaments but quarterly he has a $50 buy in with a $10 bounty. This past Friday was the big buy in tournament with 24 people.
I hadn't played much poker in the Miami area so my plan was to play as tight as I could and slowly work my way back into a rhythm. I am not really a by the numbers player or a play on instinct only player, I like to be somewhere in the middle. I wouldn't say I am any where near being a great poker player but I think I am decent which is largely based on my patience.
Friday night started out pretty well with a friendly table. My cards were running ok and I simply played when I had the cards and didn't mess around much. I folded a couple of times when I was probably in the lead after the flop but I don't think calling big bets that early is worth the risk. There are enough people in every poker tournament who aren't afraid to chase so why risk it until you have to. That doesn't mean I am against pushing a little when I sense weakness but usually players are a little looser early in tournaments and tighter later so I try to play the opposite.
When we combined tables from 2 to 3 I had a pretty good chip stack, I was about 3rd at my table. I had a good read on some of the players including the guy 2 to my right. I had him about 3 to 1 in chips and when he smooth called the BB with only about 6 times the BB left in chips I had him with a middle pair or Ace, something. I had pocket J's so I went all in assuming he would call. He did but unfortunately he hit A, 3, A on the flop. Hand basically over. It was a little bit of a bad beat but not due to him, he had to call.
The next hand really bothered me. I had K,Q and no one raised pre-flop. I called and the flop came down blank, Q, blank rainbow. No flush draw no straight draw. The guy 3 to my left who now had me about 3 to 1 in chips bet 20 after the flop. I smooth called assuming he had middle pair. Turn was a blank and still rainbow he bet $20 again and I smooth called again letting him think his middle pair was good. River turned an Ace but no straight draw or a flush draw. He bets $40 and I think he is either making a continuation bet hoping I missed or did he actually make all those bets with nothing but an Ace. I called as I was getting about 5 to 1 on my money and he turns over an Ace. I very politely asked what he was chasing. I wasn't rude about it. He said he was chasing the flush....I was stunned and not sure what to say. Apparently he thought two of the black cards where both spades but one was a spade and one was a club. The guys I knew at the table all gave me a knowing nod....bad beat and very bad play by him but he won so I guess it wasn't a bad play.
I went into a little funk and thought about just going all in as I was down to about 3 times the BB. Luckily I had all terrible hands for about 15 minutes and eventually ended up with 10 J suited so I went all in. I had 3 callers and this was my luckiest moment of the night as I hit the flush.
With enough chips to hang around for awhile I went back to being patient until I had pocket 9's. There was a raise from the guy 2 to my right who had drawn out against me when I had pocket J's. Seemed like a good time for payback. The flop came up 9, 6, J. I checked hoping he would take a shot at me seeing as he had me about 5 to 1 in chips at this time and he went all in. I insta-called and he was a tad shocked to see I had trip 9's. He gave me props for the trap and I won that hand. Shortly after the tables combined and the other table had a lot more chips in play so I was about 7th in chips out of 9.
I went into lock down poker mode and only played from position or when I had the cards. There were too many big stacks for me to push anyone around. I won a couple of decent size hands and then had Q, 6 from the little blind. No one raised so I called. The flop came out 10, J, Q rainbow. MMullet who was first to act went all in, it folded to me and I studied his chip stack. I had him about 3 to 1 and the only other guy left in the hand had less chips than I did. I folded but here is why. MMullet has taken me out of at least 4 tournaments and usually from behind. I assumed I had him with the Q's but I didn't want to risk that many chips in a race. He showed pocket 8's so I was right and I didn't even rabbit hunt as I just assumed he would hit either the 9 for the gut shot straight draw or another 8. That may seem like a defeatist attitude but like I said I play as much by instinct as by numbers.
I stayed very patient and watched other people beat up on each other until I had pocket J's again. The guy who chased earlier when the flush wasn't there raised. We ended up heads up and I had him about 2 to 1 in chips so I pushed all in and he called. He Ace, 6. This time there was no suck out for him and I took him down. From there until there were 4 of us I played very few hands. Once there were 4 of us I got a little more aggressive as I had already won $35 in bounty's and the 4th place prize was $60 so I would make money on the night no matter what. I took out the 4th place guy and at that point the other 2 players had about 85% of the chips and I had the other 15%. I made it back to almost even with some decent play (I raised all in when the dealer folded and the LB just called. I had 9, 6 off suit and he folded) and some nice cards. I lost when I raised 240 (I had about 700) and the other guy went all in. I had K, Q and decided to make a stand. Unfortunately he had A, K and that held up.
I was happy with my play especially given how little I have played lately. I am excited to get back into playing there regularly and perhaps making some trips to Seabrook to play in some tournaments. I have determined that at this point my game is much better suited to tournaments and not to cash games. Wish me luck!
I hadn't played much poker in the Miami area so my plan was to play as tight as I could and slowly work my way back into a rhythm. I am not really a by the numbers player or a play on instinct only player, I like to be somewhere in the middle. I wouldn't say I am any where near being a great poker player but I think I am decent which is largely based on my patience.
Friday night started out pretty well with a friendly table. My cards were running ok and I simply played when I had the cards and didn't mess around much. I folded a couple of times when I was probably in the lead after the flop but I don't think calling big bets that early is worth the risk. There are enough people in every poker tournament who aren't afraid to chase so why risk it until you have to. That doesn't mean I am against pushing a little when I sense weakness but usually players are a little looser early in tournaments and tighter later so I try to play the opposite.
When we combined tables from 2 to 3 I had a pretty good chip stack, I was about 3rd at my table. I had a good read on some of the players including the guy 2 to my right. I had him about 3 to 1 in chips and when he smooth called the BB with only about 6 times the BB left in chips I had him with a middle pair or Ace, something. I had pocket J's so I went all in assuming he would call. He did but unfortunately he hit A, 3, A on the flop. Hand basically over. It was a little bit of a bad beat but not due to him, he had to call.
The next hand really bothered me. I had K,Q and no one raised pre-flop. I called and the flop came down blank, Q, blank rainbow. No flush draw no straight draw. The guy 3 to my left who now had me about 3 to 1 in chips bet 20 after the flop. I smooth called assuming he had middle pair. Turn was a blank and still rainbow he bet $20 again and I smooth called again letting him think his middle pair was good. River turned an Ace but no straight draw or a flush draw. He bets $40 and I think he is either making a continuation bet hoping I missed or did he actually make all those bets with nothing but an Ace. I called as I was getting about 5 to 1 on my money and he turns over an Ace. I very politely asked what he was chasing. I wasn't rude about it. He said he was chasing the flush....I was stunned and not sure what to say. Apparently he thought two of the black cards where both spades but one was a spade and one was a club. The guys I knew at the table all gave me a knowing nod....bad beat and very bad play by him but he won so I guess it wasn't a bad play.
I went into a little funk and thought about just going all in as I was down to about 3 times the BB. Luckily I had all terrible hands for about 15 minutes and eventually ended up with 10 J suited so I went all in. I had 3 callers and this was my luckiest moment of the night as I hit the flush.
With enough chips to hang around for awhile I went back to being patient until I had pocket 9's. There was a raise from the guy 2 to my right who had drawn out against me when I had pocket J's. Seemed like a good time for payback. The flop came up 9, 6, J. I checked hoping he would take a shot at me seeing as he had me about 5 to 1 in chips at this time and he went all in. I insta-called and he was a tad shocked to see I had trip 9's. He gave me props for the trap and I won that hand. Shortly after the tables combined and the other table had a lot more chips in play so I was about 7th in chips out of 9.
I went into lock down poker mode and only played from position or when I had the cards. There were too many big stacks for me to push anyone around. I won a couple of decent size hands and then had Q, 6 from the little blind. No one raised so I called. The flop came out 10, J, Q rainbow. MMullet who was first to act went all in, it folded to me and I studied his chip stack. I had him about 3 to 1 and the only other guy left in the hand had less chips than I did. I folded but here is why. MMullet has taken me out of at least 4 tournaments and usually from behind. I assumed I had him with the Q's but I didn't want to risk that many chips in a race. He showed pocket 8's so I was right and I didn't even rabbit hunt as I just assumed he would hit either the 9 for the gut shot straight draw or another 8. That may seem like a defeatist attitude but like I said I play as much by instinct as by numbers.
I stayed very patient and watched other people beat up on each other until I had pocket J's again. The guy who chased earlier when the flush wasn't there raised. We ended up heads up and I had him about 2 to 1 in chips so I pushed all in and he called. He Ace, 6. This time there was no suck out for him and I took him down. From there until there were 4 of us I played very few hands. Once there were 4 of us I got a little more aggressive as I had already won $35 in bounty's and the 4th place prize was $60 so I would make money on the night no matter what. I took out the 4th place guy and at that point the other 2 players had about 85% of the chips and I had the other 15%. I made it back to almost even with some decent play (I raised all in when the dealer folded and the LB just called. I had 9, 6 off suit and he folded) and some nice cards. I lost when I raised 240 (I had about 700) and the other guy went all in. I had K, Q and decided to make a stand. Unfortunately he had A, K and that held up.
I was happy with my play especially given how little I have played lately. I am excited to get back into playing there regularly and perhaps making some trips to Seabrook to play in some tournaments. I have determined that at this point my game is much better suited to tournaments and not to cash games. Wish me luck!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Lunch time golf
I went out with a co-worker today for a quick 9 holes at Twin Falls. This course is very short but presents some challenges with some narrow holes and lots of side hill lies.
I started out terribly and just couldn't seem to focus. (double, double, bogey, triple) After the first 4 holes I realized I was down 3 strokes to my co-worker and I couldn't let him beat me so I stated on the 5th tee I was going to shoot even par the rest of the way.
Hole 5: Easy 2 putt par after a short 3 wood but good 4 iron to 15 feet
Hole 6: Drove the 260 yard hole and 2 putted for birdie
Hole 7: Placed my drive 10 yards from the green but 3 putted from 12 feet for a bogey. (I could not get a putt to the hole all day)
Hole 8: Took the risky play with a driver and had to chip out. Had a 45 yard pitch to a brutal pin placement and hit my best touch shot of the day but missed my 4 ft par putt with a terrible stroke.
Hole 9: I needed a birdie to get to even par for the last 5 but I hit a terrible tee shot to a side hill lie. I had 190 in and hit a 5 iron from the lie right over the flag. I was just off the back and missed my birdie chip by inches but still made a nice recovery for par and 1 over for the last 5 holes.
I did realize that on all my bad shots early I was moving my head and once I stopped that the game seemed a lot easier. That all goes back to Hendersfheg's drunken golf lesson of 3 years ago but that is another story.
I am hoping to make the 9 hole lunches a once a week thing and play some courses that force me to use clubs besides my driver as TBO has joined Nonesuch and wants me to play there a lot and that course takes the driver out of my hands on all but 4 holes which negates my length advantage which I am convinced is why TBO joined there!
I started out terribly and just couldn't seem to focus. (double, double, bogey, triple) After the first 4 holes I realized I was down 3 strokes to my co-worker and I couldn't let him beat me so I stated on the 5th tee I was going to shoot even par the rest of the way.
Hole 5: Easy 2 putt par after a short 3 wood but good 4 iron to 15 feet
Hole 6: Drove the 260 yard hole and 2 putted for birdie
Hole 7: Placed my drive 10 yards from the green but 3 putted from 12 feet for a bogey. (I could not get a putt to the hole all day)
Hole 8: Took the risky play with a driver and had to chip out. Had a 45 yard pitch to a brutal pin placement and hit my best touch shot of the day but missed my 4 ft par putt with a terrible stroke.
Hole 9: I needed a birdie to get to even par for the last 5 but I hit a terrible tee shot to a side hill lie. I had 190 in and hit a 5 iron from the lie right over the flag. I was just off the back and missed my birdie chip by inches but still made a nice recovery for par and 1 over for the last 5 holes.
I did realize that on all my bad shots early I was moving my head and once I stopped that the game seemed a lot easier. That all goes back to Hendersfheg's drunken golf lesson of 3 years ago but that is another story.
I am hoping to make the 9 hole lunches a once a week thing and play some courses that force me to use clubs besides my driver as TBO has joined Nonesuch and wants me to play there a lot and that course takes the driver out of my hands on all but 4 holes which negates my length advantage which I am convinced is why TBO joined there!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Sometimes there is no B Group
I did the SMCC ride on Saturday with Crit and about 30 other people many of them being 1/2/3 riders where Crit is a 4/5 and I am trying to create a new classification called 5/FAT. This is usually a fast ride and Saturday was no exception and if you fall off the back there is no B Group to grab onto. The major issue with being dropped on this ride is the last 10 miles are mainly along the coast and very windy so if you are riding on your own you bear the full brunt of the wind. If you are close to being dropped you must lay down everything you have because you can sit in the group and relax.
The first couple of miles are a neutral zone and we made our way to the 10 Million Dollar bridge which is where the fun starts. Thankfully no one screamed up the hill to the bridge and I actually made my way from about 20th to 5th going up the hill. I sat in 5th going over the bridge and onto Broadway and then we took the left up the hill towards Highland Ave. This isn't a big hill but always seems to give me lots of problems and Saturday was no exception as I actually dropped all the way to the back of the pack. I chased back on and then managed to fight my way to the middle of the pack which was a good thing as about .5 miles into Highland Ave we were going 33 MPH.
I felt strong all the way out to Black Point Inn and wasn't afraid to lead for a little even going to the front about .5 mile before everyone was gearing up for the sprint. Crit and I had chatted about me leading out from about 500 meters but I chose to slow it down and ride it out as I couldn't find Crit and by the time I did he was two lines over so I couldn't offer any help. Crit did take 2nd as one of the Class 3 guys took him at the line. Once I am in a little better shape that will not happen as I block a lot of wind for Crit and he can get a good jump around me even at 30+ mph.
On the way back I focused on staying in the middle of pack and only ended up at the back twice. Once I had to lay down some watts to get by some people so I could stop yo-yoing, the other time was on 77 just before the right onto Shore Road and the first 1 mile of Shore Road is downhill so I shut it down a little as I was pretty exhausted from the rollers and last climb before 77. I easily chased back on downhill and moved into the top 10 of the group, at this time we started a nice little climb and as a rider was trying to go by me on the left near the yellow line I moved over about 6 inches to give him room and a rider 2 back and 2 to my right yelled at me to hold my line, the guy immediately to my right had no issues with what I did and Jacko (one of the SMCC guys) told me later that I was in the right and the other guy was an idiot.
I handled Shore Road pretty easily which usually gives me fits as the rollers are a tad steep for my taste and I was headed for a top 20 finish when I nailed the biggest pot hole I have ever hit. I have no idea how my Rolf didn't blow. I hit it so hard my handlebars actually moved down a little bit, strangely enough Crit and I decided that was for the better as they appeared to by too high before. I still finished with the pack but shut it down after the hit to make sure my bike and my head were still in one piece.
We averaged 23.1 from the Shop to the Cookie Jar so the fast part of the ride was closer to 25. The total ride with the neutral zone back to the shop was 35 miles. I am hoping to get out and do at least one ride this week, maybe even two and then hit Saturday morning again.
The first couple of miles are a neutral zone and we made our way to the 10 Million Dollar bridge which is where the fun starts. Thankfully no one screamed up the hill to the bridge and I actually made my way from about 20th to 5th going up the hill. I sat in 5th going over the bridge and onto Broadway and then we took the left up the hill towards Highland Ave. This isn't a big hill but always seems to give me lots of problems and Saturday was no exception as I actually dropped all the way to the back of the pack. I chased back on and then managed to fight my way to the middle of the pack which was a good thing as about .5 miles into Highland Ave we were going 33 MPH.
I felt strong all the way out to Black Point Inn and wasn't afraid to lead for a little even going to the front about .5 mile before everyone was gearing up for the sprint. Crit and I had chatted about me leading out from about 500 meters but I chose to slow it down and ride it out as I couldn't find Crit and by the time I did he was two lines over so I couldn't offer any help. Crit did take 2nd as one of the Class 3 guys took him at the line. Once I am in a little better shape that will not happen as I block a lot of wind for Crit and he can get a good jump around me even at 30+ mph.
On the way back I focused on staying in the middle of pack and only ended up at the back twice. Once I had to lay down some watts to get by some people so I could stop yo-yoing, the other time was on 77 just before the right onto Shore Road and the first 1 mile of Shore Road is downhill so I shut it down a little as I was pretty exhausted from the rollers and last climb before 77. I easily chased back on downhill and moved into the top 10 of the group, at this time we started a nice little climb and as a rider was trying to go by me on the left near the yellow line I moved over about 6 inches to give him room and a rider 2 back and 2 to my right yelled at me to hold my line, the guy immediately to my right had no issues with what I did and Jacko (one of the SMCC guys) told me later that I was in the right and the other guy was an idiot.
I handled Shore Road pretty easily which usually gives me fits as the rollers are a tad steep for my taste and I was headed for a top 20 finish when I nailed the biggest pot hole I have ever hit. I have no idea how my Rolf didn't blow. I hit it so hard my handlebars actually moved down a little bit, strangely enough Crit and I decided that was for the better as they appeared to by too high before. I still finished with the pack but shut it down after the hit to make sure my bike and my head were still in one piece.
We averaged 23.1 from the Shop to the Cookie Jar so the fast part of the ride was closer to 25. The total ride with the neutral zone back to the shop was 35 miles. I am hoping to get out and do at least one ride this week, maybe even two and then hit Saturday morning again.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Temporarily a B Group Rider
In case you all are wondering I have not been holding out regarding writing about my cycling, I simply haven't been riding. I needed to jump back into it and last night with Back Bay Cycles seemed like as a good a time as ever.
This is a ride with some serious climbing (even Crit puts it in the small ring) which as we all know is not my strong suit. The only saving grace for me is they wait at the end of the 2 largest hills.
I arrived nice and early and got everything situated, even had Crit change my skewer on my front tire to attempt too diagnose the rub that has been happening. We have determined it was a combination of the skewer and my needing new bearings. The skewer did solve most of the issue though.
10 minutes before we are to leave my bike is leaned up against my car and all of the sudden my bike starts shaking, or actually it was my car that was shaking!
Somehow the lady in the minivan parked in front of me forgot she had a trailer hitch and backed into my G35x's plastic ground effects/bumper. Once I got her attention and got her to stop backing up she insisted she was parked in by Crit and I. We just looked at each other dumb founded because when she had backed up she had at least 6 feet in front of her minivan to Crit's car. We got her out of there with a minimum of directions once she realized that when you drive a minivan the front of your car is only 3 feet from your head.
5 minutes to go there is an announcement of a separate B Group. I was all the sudden much happier...you know just in case the A Group decided that waiting more than 15 minutes for me was becoming tiresome. Little did I know how much the B Group would come in handy.
Crit and I start to role out with the A Group when to my dismay I realize that the last time anyone had been on my Klein it was my Beautiful Wife (BW for short now aka, RHS and BOS) when we were seeing if my frame would fit her. So as I am trying to avoid my chin with my knees I let Crit know and whip around to go to my car to make a quick adjustment assuming I will simply ride with the B Group but Crit to his credit wouldn't let me quit on the A Group that easy. With a quick seat height adjustment we take off from my car, go flying by the B Group waiting at a light and he says grab on and I will tow you to the A Group. Grab on to what? I couldn't even catch up to him to draft so I let him go after a fruitless .5 mile chase so he can ride with the A's. I pull off and adjust my seat some more and catch on with the B's.
All in all a good ride, I was pretty spent going up Mtn. Road but for some reason when we got to Dutton Hill Rd. I actually kept up with the better climbers for the most part. When I don't ride for a while it takes some miles to get used to the pain levels associated with climbing but once I am there no issues.
The only issue with riding with the B's is they are very disorganized. I suspect that is why they all ride with the B's as they aren't into creating a nice tight peloton so there were constantly people off the front. I would use my superior descent technique (fat+gravity+plus tight tuck=speed) to chase down some breaks and I led a couple of them, the last as it turned out broke up the pack as the 9 of us riding were only 4 when we returned to the shop. Probably not good B Group etiquette but the guys who I was towing seemed pretty happy.
We went 35 miles with an average of 18 mph with quite a bit of soft pedaling, not too bad with that much climbing. The A Group avg. 21.6 and Crit said through most of the rollers they were going 32-38 so they probably picked up a lot of their speed there. There is about 6 miles of neutral zone riding due to traffic so the main part of the ride is much faster. I didn't have a computer on but I would say my top speed probably crested 40 mph as Crit's was 42 and I usually descend faster.
Crit and I headed to my unfurnished apartment sat in the camp chairs and did some venting. Assuming my stuff either arrives tonight or is not scheduled to arrive too early tomorrow I will do the Saturday morning ride with SMCC.
I am glad to be back on the bike even if I am temporarily a B Group rider.
This is a ride with some serious climbing (even Crit puts it in the small ring) which as we all know is not my strong suit. The only saving grace for me is they wait at the end of the 2 largest hills.
I arrived nice and early and got everything situated, even had Crit change my skewer on my front tire to attempt too diagnose the rub that has been happening. We have determined it was a combination of the skewer and my needing new bearings. The skewer did solve most of the issue though.
10 minutes before we are to leave my bike is leaned up against my car and all of the sudden my bike starts shaking, or actually it was my car that was shaking!
Somehow the lady in the minivan parked in front of me forgot she had a trailer hitch and backed into my G35x's plastic ground effects/bumper. Once I got her attention and got her to stop backing up she insisted she was parked in by Crit and I. We just looked at each other dumb founded because when she had backed up she had at least 6 feet in front of her minivan to Crit's car. We got her out of there with a minimum of directions once she realized that when you drive a minivan the front of your car is only 3 feet from your head.
5 minutes to go there is an announcement of a separate B Group. I was all the sudden much happier...you know just in case the A Group decided that waiting more than 15 minutes for me was becoming tiresome. Little did I know how much the B Group would come in handy.
Crit and I start to role out with the A Group when to my dismay I realize that the last time anyone had been on my Klein it was my Beautiful Wife (BW for short now aka, RHS and BOS) when we were seeing if my frame would fit her. So as I am trying to avoid my chin with my knees I let Crit know and whip around to go to my car to make a quick adjustment assuming I will simply ride with the B Group but Crit to his credit wouldn't let me quit on the A Group that easy. With a quick seat height adjustment we take off from my car, go flying by the B Group waiting at a light and he says grab on and I will tow you to the A Group. Grab on to what? I couldn't even catch up to him to draft so I let him go after a fruitless .5 mile chase so he can ride with the A's. I pull off and adjust my seat some more and catch on with the B's.
All in all a good ride, I was pretty spent going up Mtn. Road but for some reason when we got to Dutton Hill Rd. I actually kept up with the better climbers for the most part. When I don't ride for a while it takes some miles to get used to the pain levels associated with climbing but once I am there no issues.
The only issue with riding with the B's is they are very disorganized. I suspect that is why they all ride with the B's as they aren't into creating a nice tight peloton so there were constantly people off the front. I would use my superior descent technique (fat+gravity+plus tight tuck=speed) to chase down some breaks and I led a couple of them, the last as it turned out broke up the pack as the 9 of us riding were only 4 when we returned to the shop. Probably not good B Group etiquette but the guys who I was towing seemed pretty happy.
We went 35 miles with an average of 18 mph with quite a bit of soft pedaling, not too bad with that much climbing. The A Group avg. 21.6 and Crit said through most of the rollers they were going 32-38 so they probably picked up a lot of their speed there. There is about 6 miles of neutral zone riding due to traffic so the main part of the ride is much faster. I didn't have a computer on but I would say my top speed probably crested 40 mph as Crit's was 42 and I usually descend faster.
Crit and I headed to my unfurnished apartment sat in the camp chairs and did some venting. Assuming my stuff either arrives tonight or is not scheduled to arrive too early tomorrow I will do the Saturday morning ride with SMCC.
I am glad to be back on the bike even if I am temporarily a B Group rider.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Stick and Balls Golf Week
Every year Grape Ape, Hendersfheg, BF and I have a golf week. Golf week is something we all look forward to for 50 weeks a year, often acting as though we were sailors released on shore leave with all the booze we can drink and an under-sexed group of hookers (ummm my wife wrote this part so apparently we can have hookers next year). Recovery time from golf week is approximately 1 week, which seems to take longer every year we grow older. Two weeks out we are readily looking forward to the following year.
We have a few traditions that we try to stick to:
1) Finish 2nd in the Tropics Open. We are going up against much better teams but somehow we always finish 2nd and usually win a skin. One player every year steps up and one steps down..this year I stepped down.
2) Drink lots of Gearys and then drink some more Gearys.
3) Hendersfheg and I find something other than golf to compete in, real or imaginary. A few years ago Hendersfheg bet me $10,000 that he could beat me in a cycling race. Of course he didn't own one at the time one , so I felt it was a pretty safe bet. This years gambling was centered around pool thanks to BF's new game room. I think we played about 20 games and handed $20 back and forth at least 10 times. Hendersfheg won the $20 in the end basically because he wouldn't let me go to bed until he was winning.
4) Go to Keene and play 36 at Bretwoods the day after the tournament. While it's a long travel just to play golf, Bretwoods holds a special place in all of our hearts. We had one of our all time gayest moments as a group there. Imagine a beautiful day on the course interrupted by a sporadic thundershower. We were out on the course when the foul weather swept in, forcing us to take cover under one of the picturesque covered bridges. I guess it wasn't that gay at the time, but the way Hendersfheg talks about it...well that is pretty gay.
5) BF, Grape Ape and Hendersfheg harsh each other all week. The cool thing is Grape Ape has gotten funnier as he gets older. I try to avoid this as much as possible.
5) Play the Stick and Balls match play tournament.
Part of golf week is a match play tournament we call "Stick and Balls". The Stick and Balls tournament has been going on since 1999 and has taken on numerous iterations including amount of rounds, players (BF joined in circa 2001), and names. There is no trophy for the simple reason that until this year Hendersfheg has one it every year. He has always been a better golfer than the rest of us including at one point being as low as a 14 handicap. The rest of us range from 18 to 25. (Grape Ape only plays 2 or 3 times a year outside of golf week so his handicap has risen)
Strangely enough now that Hendersfheg lives in a state where you can golf year round his handicap has ballooned to an 18 which is my handicap as well.
So now we need a trophy! Why? Because for the first time in tournament history someone besides Hendersfheg was victorious and that would be me. I mean why else would I write so much about this.
Their were two minor downsides to the victory. I played great the day before the Tropics and the the afternoon after the Tropics but played poorly when my teammates needed me. I would trade the victory in Stick and Balls for the Tropics win. The other issue was Hendersfheg's elbow. You can tell we are getting old when he loses the tournament due an elbow injury sustained 6 months earlier putting away Christmas decorations.
I have been told there will be no asterisk next to my name on the trophy however!
I am victorious.
We have a few traditions that we try to stick to:
1) Finish 2nd in the Tropics Open. We are going up against much better teams but somehow we always finish 2nd and usually win a skin. One player every year steps up and one steps down..this year I stepped down.
2) Drink lots of Gearys and then drink some more Gearys.
3) Hendersfheg and I find something other than golf to compete in, real or imaginary. A few years ago Hendersfheg bet me $10,000 that he could beat me in a cycling race. Of course he didn't own one at the time one , so I felt it was a pretty safe bet. This years gambling was centered around pool thanks to BF's new game room. I think we played about 20 games and handed $20 back and forth at least 10 times. Hendersfheg won the $20 in the end basically because he wouldn't let me go to bed until he was winning.
4) Go to Keene and play 36 at Bretwoods the day after the tournament. While it's a long travel just to play golf, Bretwoods holds a special place in all of our hearts. We had one of our all time gayest moments as a group there. Imagine a beautiful day on the course interrupted by a sporadic thundershower. We were out on the course when the foul weather swept in, forcing us to take cover under one of the picturesque covered bridges. I guess it wasn't that gay at the time, but the way Hendersfheg talks about it...well that is pretty gay.
5) BF, Grape Ape and Hendersfheg harsh each other all week. The cool thing is Grape Ape has gotten funnier as he gets older. I try to avoid this as much as possible.
5) Play the Stick and Balls match play tournament.
Part of golf week is a match play tournament we call "Stick and Balls". The Stick and Balls tournament has been going on since 1999 and has taken on numerous iterations including amount of rounds, players (BF joined in circa 2001), and names. There is no trophy for the simple reason that until this year Hendersfheg has one it every year. He has always been a better golfer than the rest of us including at one point being as low as a 14 handicap. The rest of us range from 18 to 25. (Grape Ape only plays 2 or 3 times a year outside of golf week so his handicap has risen)
Strangely enough now that Hendersfheg lives in a state where you can golf year round his handicap has ballooned to an 18 which is my handicap as well.
So now we need a trophy! Why? Because for the first time in tournament history someone besides Hendersfheg was victorious and that would be me. I mean why else would I write so much about this.
Their were two minor downsides to the victory. I played great the day before the Tropics and the the afternoon after the Tropics but played poorly when my teammates needed me. I would trade the victory in Stick and Balls for the Tropics win. The other issue was Hendersfheg's elbow. You can tell we are getting old when he loses the tournament due an elbow injury sustained 6 months earlier putting away Christmas decorations.
I have been told there will be no asterisk next to my name on the trophy however!
I am victorious.
Homeless with a checkbook
So we have been on the road since June 1st and are finally in our new place. As you can see from the picture we only have 2 places to sit, my beautiful wife has one and the other one is the toilet seat and no I am not blogging from the toilet seat.
BF said we have been "sloughing" off friends which sounds disgusting. I prefer the term visiting lots of friends and family and we owe a huge thanks to everyone who put us up or put up with us.
We determined that for the past month we have been homeless with a check book. We weren't destitute yet had no home. Chalk it up to trying to rent short term in the summer on the coast of Maine, plus with all of our travels this month it didn't make sense to rent anyways. I have always been fairly good at being displaced but a month can grind on you. When simply trying to get ready for work is a problem it gets frustrating.
So now we are simply waiting for all of our stuff. We don't where it is and we don't know when it is going to get here. I have called the movers numerous times and I am not sure if it is the language barrier (Maine vs. Miami as I am not really sure what language the guys is speaking) or the fact that all moving companies suck. They claim it is on the way and it isn't even due to get here until Saturday, we just wish we knew when it was actually going to arrive.
Anyways we will celebrate the 4th and hope our stuff isn't dropped off on the sidewalk while we are on Lost Shaker of Salt II.
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