Conejos!!

Date: April 25
Mileage: 16
Ride type: Commute
Bike: 925
Temp: 58a.m./62 p.m. + p.m. rain
April mileage: 77
Year to date: 502


took my 2nd commute in a row!! i have't looked through my records, but it's been a while since i've had two in a row. this a.m. i set the 925 up for a fixie ride. i mounted the Niterider light- simple there- and the seatpost rack, which includes a C'dale pannier. and finally a rear light. i had re-mounted the toe clips- sans straps- the other day, so i was set. the a.m., as mostly ever, proved quiet, except for the issue in the blog title- conejo means rabbits in Spanish. whilst riding about halfway through this a.m. i almost hit a rabbit. he had come up from under the wheel of a car. i turned so quickly that i heard his nails scratching on the asphalt. pretty exciting really. if he had run out under me, i'm sure i would've biffed hard. i also ran across a roadie this a.m. in the neighborhoods. i pulled in behind him and distantly drafted for a couple blocks, before letting him take a right while i continued straight. i know it's annoying and lacking in etiquette, but it's fun to pimp those roadies while i'm on the fixie with the rear rack and Chuck Taylor shoes.

Oh, the 3rd thing abt the morning was that i took on a pretty steep hill on the ride, a hill that i spin out pretty well on a freewheel bike. long story short i got winded riding downhill. there was no way to count pedal revs, well with me trying not to crash, but i had to go at least 150/min say. maybe not, but that's the fatest my legs have ever moved on a bike. and right afterwards uphill in the fixie gear. and slightly winded again.

the afternoon proved slightly more eventful. i rained buckets for a while, so the roads were damp, but no actual rain. i went pretty straight home, taking a sidetrip to Highland Ave. and later down Bardstown. i figured out today that Bardstown is so enjoyable b/c it's urban riding, stores, cars, neighborhoods, pedestrians... but first there are fewer lights so you can make some time, and secondly there are 4 lanes, two filled with parked cars. it still gives you an extra 1/3 lane to ride in. safe but still in the mix.

today, though, the extra lane almost proved my downfall. there was a long line of cars up the main lane, so i was making great time heading down the empty lane. to my left a car had left a gap, allowing a car to turn into a gas station. no prob, i'd recognized it. BUT WHOA!! as i arrived at the gap ANOTHER car was turning left. Now, on a normal bike i coast, clamp on the brakes and put my ass way back and i'm fine. the fixie, though, keeps on going. i think i actually locked the back wheel up, thereby causing that the back wheel NOT rotate and the pedals to NOT rotate. it was pretty exciting. handled a little differently i would've T-Boned the side of the Volvo. are you surprised, a Volvo? and even though i was paying attn, i'm sure everybody would've blamed me even though i had right-of-way.

no blood, no foul. 16 solid miles. it may be a little less- with no computer on the 925- but i used the calculator to do the time/approx speed thing.

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