the rusty kind of pain

So it is a litle embarrassing how much I spent on my bike wheel. It had to happen. I mean it was sunny. And it is a pretty hot bike. So I needed to get the hot wheel.

Jake: So this one is more expensive? Is it lighter?
Bike Dude: Well a little lighter, but that is not what we think about with this wheel. This one is stiffer.

Hmmm, stiffer. Instant torque application. Teh Badnezzz.

So, I took the bike out. First day. 25 miles. Pretty quick. Not slouching, but not housing shit either. Next day, sunny again, no class, no work. Just a bunch of hills west of Madison taunting me with their very existence.

First 15 miles were straight into the wind. Uphill. Trudging at 16 miles an hour. I didn't expect much. Ouch, this hurts. The hard kind of pain.

Hadn't really tested the wheel yet. Then I found some fellow riders. One guy on a Litespeed Titanium bike. Drafted on him at 18 miles an hour, got my strength back and passed him doing 21.

Mile 25 hit me and I started to feel tired again. The climbs were slow, the music in the Ipod a little subdued. I wind my way back to Madison. County K. A nice road, valleys and hills. Trucks pass, but the shoulder is ample, a comforting ride back.

Then 5 miles out of Madison the shoulder ends. Not only does it end, but there is a 6 inch drop off from the asphalt into gravel. Nowhere to ride but a foot into the road. The traffic picks up, delivery trucks due to Madison. Nowhere, but forward. The hammer comes down. Cruising speed is 28 miles per hour, courtesy of multi-ton truck drafting. Climb the hills at 21, descent at 38. Just get me off this road.

Today I weighed myslef. 1.5 pounds down. Could have been the ride. Could dehydration from the 5 hours of post ride drinking. Nothing better to help recover. Have to thin the blood, see?




the calm before the storm



the hills