Small World

My last post sort of blathered on about tires, so I forgot to tell my other "small world" anecdota. While 'Alberto' and I were at the BikeDepot, I struck up a conversation with one of the employees. He was admiring the LHT setup- Brooks, SON- and I told him about the Bleriot. He eventually told me he had bought a custom Rivendell several years ago. Custom Riv!! He later helped me look at some of their tire offerings for the CC, all in the 30-37c range. After he found the Paselas he was checking me out when he asked me a Q, "Do you have a blog?". "We'll yes I do." Etc. Etc. I don't remember the exact tack of the convo, but he then asked if my wife was xyz (name withheld/her preference). "We'll yes it is." "Is your name Tim?" "Yes it is." Ends up this guy used to work with my wife at her first post-college job at a place called UMI. They read and wrote magazine article abstracts that libraries and databases used. The good wife hated the job; really it was nothing more than white-collar factory work, processing as many abstracts as possible regardless of quality. I remember her discussing present BikeDepot employee 'D' as a good guy, one of the more interesting in that office at the time. We might connect up for an interesting ride, maybe a Rivride, in the area. I guess the 'Ville is small enough that you just run into the random connection on occasion. I think it's one thing that makes the 'Ville a bit charming. Big enough, but small enough. If you're in town, visit the BikeDepot. They have some awfully pretty Bianchi San Jose's down there. Yummy!

Speaking of yummy, vegans beware. This pic below is what I prepared Monday. Italian sausages, peppers and onions. And a bottle of 2000 Il Tesoro italian merlot to boot. Hell of a meal, well, as long as you're not watching your cholesterol.

"Most Improved"

The 'Ville got some props from that venerable rag of mediocrity Bicycling in a recent issue. To be fair, it's a nice article. It highlights efforts to make Louisville more bike-able. Linked are some local on and off-road rides, a few I've taken and others I might have to try this summer.

Tennis is getting closer to its dreaded end. Joy and anticipation mount.

On a health note, I did a sleep study last night, which meant sleeping in what looked like a hotel room, but at the same time connected to 150 (seemingly) different wires. Results...No sleep apena last night. That's a good thing b/c that's one less trigger for the Afib. 'Course, with no apnea what becomes of the wine possibility? Yikes.

Bald Eagle

Wow, on a beautiful day L and I had the good fortune of a most extraordinary sighting this morning. The family spent all day Saturday at sporting contests: 2 outdoor games, 2 basketball games, and 1 indoor soccer game. Today L had the 2nd day of his tournament in E'town, which is a 45 minute drive from home. Traveling 65 South just south of Sheperdsville and just south of the exit to Bernheim forest I spied a large presence sitting on a top branch of a tree. It was a Bald Eagle with its brown body and white head. He was perched overlooking a pond/lake just off the highway. I hollered at L and he got a good sighting too. I actually had a camera with me, but we were short on time and needed to get to pre-game.

I'm quite, quite surprised. I've never personally seen one. I know they are sighted in KY, especially at Land Between the Lakes in western KY. A colleague of mine attends a somewhat annual boat/eagle-sighting tour on either KY Lake or Lake Barkley. I'm otherwise shocked to see one this far east and so near L'Ville (25m). Some of my readers may see them like I see cardinals, but it was a great site to see on a beautiful day.

Once we got home from soccer I intended to take a ride, but instead worked in the yard with Z and a friend playing soccer next door. I enjoyed the relaxation and repetition of preparing the garden for spring.

Ride+Mas Schwag

Date: Jan 27 Sun
Mileage: 28 (Bleriot)
January mileage: 244
Year to date: 244

While the temps aren't quite balmy just yet, with the sun shining and the mercury rising above freezing, I had a pleasant albeit windy ride today on the Bleriot. Sitting here at home I find that I'm a little more taxed than usual for some reason, but it was a nice ride and certainly nice to get slightly more mileage in than my usual shorter commutes. With temps at around 32F for most of the ride I had the wardrobe perfectly dialed in.
Head: skullcap, helmet
Hands: Manzella gloves
Feet: RBW stripey socks, Targhees
legs: wool underwear, REI exercise pants
torso: zipper wool, Gore-tex jacket

I was comfy throughout even with my wool top being a little damp at the end. Today ends my holiday Schwag review. In all I got moderate orders from 4 locations. Here are my purchess and stars for review purposes. Some things I haven't used yet, so I'll withhold rating.
RBW

• twine- N/A
  
• soap-***- Just used it yesterday. My top smelled good and I think the container will last a good while. Is it "newly oiled and rejuvenated"? Beats me.
  
• Grip King pedals-****- I experienced a little weird foot pain on the first day, but since then they've been great. Smooth, light, supportive, aesthetically pleasing. Worthy high marks.
• wool beanie-****- more high marks, even though I've misplaced it here somewhere in the house. It's surprisingly soft for 100% wool, and that earns the extra star.
• Striped wool socks-****- The combo of these and the Targhees have made for my winter riding preference. They're warm and soft enough. The long-term is to whether they hold up. Let's hope they do. I would rather go out at 30F in these socks and shoes than in cycling shoes and shoe covers 99/100 times.

REI

• Targhees II-***-I haven't mentioned these much, but these were a gift while visiting Detroit. I've had very good luck with Keen "school" shoes and sandals and I've wanted more of a hiker for a while. I was inspired to buy this pair as much from Kent Peterson as much as anything. Not long ago he wrote a nice entry, as always, about his wardrobe for the dampish Northwest. He mentioned using Targhees and wool and it lighted the fire for me to try the same b/c the sandals are what I wore for summer riding quite a bit. I only give them 3 stars b/c the last is a bit narrower from the others Keens I have, so they're comfy enough, but not great. I honestly don't know how they'll do on a 6-mile hike, but we'll find out at some point.

Target

• "Lady Boots"-***1/2- These are the surprise purchases from the winter. Officially listed as Side Zip Ankle Boot, I found them on sale at Target. Let's be clear that I wasn't on the prowl for women's shoes. I thought they were mens, size 11. I was buying up to allow me to fit a thick sock in this "fur"-lined winter boots. I ought to give them an even higher mark, in fact I just changed them to a 31/2 star, mostly because I bought them for the fantastic price of $6.34. I've been telling people of what a fantastic deal they were. I've used them twice for cold commutes and they performed admirably. No, they won't go on club rides, but I don't really do club rides, so that's taken care of.
  

I also recently purchased a Klean Kanteen stainless steel water bottle. After reading recent articles about plastic leeching I bought a 27oz-er with a cool loop top. I really like it so far and used it today on the ride. I can see the surface getting beat to hell, but who cares? I may even cover with outside with some type of clever twine/leather/cloth tape thing to keep it from rattling and to preserve the exterior.

Grip Kings, shiny style. I like them so far.

Keen Targhees II sitting atop Grip Kings.

27oz. Klean Kanteen inside very fetching Nitto cage. I like the peeking out Mr. Bleriot too.

"Lady Boots". Two cold trips and great performance for $6.34. I'm pretty proud of myself, to be honest.

Oops. I was moving stuff around in the garage one day and Z's snowboard fell from the rafters. I didn't know what it had landed on. Now I do, off the front fender of the Bleriot. I could be bothered, but really I consider it the wear-n-tear of life. I just don't mind, for some reason.

These remaining pics are from today's ride. I did the standard Massie Ave./Rudy Ln./Lime Kiln route towards River Rd. This time I took a few spins through Glenview, the original Big $ neighborhood of Louisville. I assume that newer money has moved to other areas of the county, but I've stated on this blog that I have a soft spot for big houses with even bigger yards. I figure is somebody is going to save some trees from cramped subdivisions it might as well be the Old $$ folks to do so.

Big House with Big Yard

The quaint Glenview Post Office, with winter patriotic bunting up.

Glenview's main drag coming up from River Rd. and the river. This would be known as an allee, in French terms.

Southside Ramble

Date: Jan 10 Fri
Mileage: 31 (Bleriot)
January mileage: 109
Year to date: 109

After a lame non-start yesterday I wanted to make up a bit of mileage to end a tough week of work. To be honest my legs haven't exactly been there this week, b/c that's alright. Instead of the same ol' Riverwalk ride I headed south towards Iroquois Pk., the old stomping grounds of my 22 yr-old self and older neighborhood of my father in his youth. I winded around Churchill Downs, Wyndotte Pk and near Iroquois H.S. into Iroquois Pk, where I headed up to the top. I love, love, love the top of Iroquois. I took some pics of the meadow in Oct of '06 about the same time of year- earthen tones, grass crackling, barren denuded trees standing sentinel in open meadow. Love it! I decided today that if I were to come upon mucho moola and bought my hermitage spread, part of it would like this below. I think this pic was taken more in fall and doesn't quite capture the winter desperation and solitude, but today's trip engendered in me a need to revisit and to evoke such a great place via new pics.

The trip home included snaking through the original 'South End', across towards UL/Cardinal Stadium, through the Fairgrounds and finally through Audabon Pk. I wouldn't say I was fresh through the 2nd portion today, but I'm satisfied with my 31miles today and it probably was my best accomplishment of the day.

Westward Ho!

Date: Dec 29 Sat
Mileage: 23 (Bleriot)
December mileage: 254
Year to date: 2756
iPod: Plant/Krauss, Bobby Bare Jr., Neil Young

Given my enthusiasm for Thursday's ride, today's was a more subdued mood. I just couldn't get a good groove, but tried to realize my lack of pep and take it for what it was. Today's temps weren't bad, 32F or so, but I must have underdressed b/c I was cold most of the time, especially my legs and hands. I only rode with 1 layer of tights, and on the hands I wore a new pair of gloves I bought at Kohl's last week for $20. They made my hands sweat last week at 42F, but 10 colder today they lasted about an hour and then icicle time. Below are a few pics from the ride, mostly of downtown. I did the normal westward loop towards Shawnee and then worked home via Market and Baxter. Mediocre miles are better than no miles, right?

First time seeing these in the 'Ville although I think I blogged about the press release earlier in '07. Don't know if anyone is using them, but I haven't seen any in use in my occasional forays al centro.

Main Street Facades. It's some kind "most in the U.S. iron ....". That's a curious Daniel Boone sculpture there.

Kentucky Center for the Arts. I did a presentation on it in high school. The front facade glass is supposed to mirror the street's architectural heritage. The roof-line represents a wave, as in a wave from a barge on the Ohio, I guess. The redid a bit of the facade a few years ago, adding green, blue and red squares to the lattice work. I think you can barely see that.

Ghost?

Contretemps

Date: Nov 14 Wed
Mileage: 33 (LHT)- 6m a.m/27m p.m.
November mileage: 190
Year to date: 2234

I've been trying to think of a witty title for today's commute, but in the end this one is apt. Today's ride was a continuation of yesterday's epic. Yesterday I lost my glasses (fell out of pocket not well zipped), so today i retraced my path in hopes of coming across said $300, 5-month old glasses. Piss! While ayer's route was one into the unknown, today's felt a bit more slog-like, but I thoroughly enjoyed up until the bitter end. And I took pics. I'll narrate the new Riverwalk/Levee Trail connector with images, and maybe throw in a few asides concerning my good fortune and there lack of it.

New markings on Algonquin under 264/Shawnee Expswy. This led me to initial look for other new work on the connector.

New off-street path on Bell's Lane. So pristine and devoid of glass and trash!

This little short portion proved interesting both yesterday and today. Ayer, I almost didn't find this. It sits somewhat behind an old switching station or something. B/c it's so new all the signage isn't complete. Once on it, though, it's a delightful little foray along the train tracks, but with woods full to the left. Oh, and hoy this is where i noticed my tire going soft! It was the first flat I've had in 2 years (commuting), resulting from a tiny piece of glass. I'm going to comment to Conti that it's bullshit to get a flat on their big, band super flat-protection tires with nothing more than a sliver. I change it with a fresh tube, and will have to patch the other as the new spare.

This is actually a pic of Rohm&Haas, but I'm standing in the entrance road of DuPont. My papaw (grandfather to you non-rural Kentuckians) worked here for years and years, my eldest uncle does not. It lies in an area of the 'Ville called "Rubbertown". What at one time was a boon of solid, well-paying blue-collar jobs now is a blight of modern enviroterrorism. There have been SO many articles of the health problems in Louisville's West End. That said, it paid my mom's bills and mine too when I stayed at their house from 1st-6th grade. The new path is a widened shoulder along Campground Rd. It's sort of a shitty stretch, but better than nothing. My uncle can perhaps commute from Southwestern Louisville to his job in "Rubbertown" b/c of the new connector, so I'm supportive rocks and all.

Once past 'Rubbertown', this is the first glimpse of a non-industrial river. I found this by following Lee's Lane past the bike path and to the river. It's obvious something else was there at some point, with it's previous roadbed. Gotta like the Fall color.

The Lee's Lane connector trail. I really like this pic, with the LG&E plant to the right, with its steam trailing in the wind, and the foliage to the left providing balance. I don't know if it's a "good pic", but I like it. And, yes, the winds from the west were quite pesky today. This is near where, on the return trip today, I learned that the bulb had burned out in the BM Lumotec. Oh mierda, miles and miles from home in impending darkness with no headlight. Not good.

"Tenedor". Or actually, bifurcacion. Yesterday I didn't know which to take, but I decided that the right seemed to go downhill towards the river, and I wanted to continue further along the path. (and non-Spanish people may miss the joke. Tenedor is a dinner fork, not a fork in the road. play on words. ja ja. geeky Spanish humor.)

This fuzzy pic doesn't do justice to my favorite new stretch of cyclingness. This section is found just off the levee trail. It's helped by the foliage. It's just a peaceful, pretty stretch of path.

The Bridge. Others locally have also commented on the quality of this puente. It traverses a bizarre large-looking drainage, with innumerable tree trunks. It's sort of in the middle of nowhere, but it's great.

Well, this is the 'Ville too. More southern industrial nightmare. This is the same LG&E plant on the southern side after the 'pretty stretch'. I sort of like this pic too, in all it's ick. The combo of the leaden skies, wires and smoke remind me of those Dickensian pics of England.

That's not a hill, per se. That's a mound of coal for the plant. At the base a most bizarre feature. Apparently it's the cemetary where the University organ/body donors are laid. Ayer, when I first saw the "hills" I thought it was across the river in Indiana. Little did I know.

The river view from Riverview Park. The hills are Indiana. I've heard there are some nice climbing hills, but I've never been over there to ride save a couple club rides a while ago.

More calamities. Ayer, this is where the wallet and ipod case fell out. I heard them and learned that I wasn't good and closed up. I held out much hope that I would find the glasses in the grass today, but to no avail. Big Bummer. I guess I'll get the adult bday+Xmas gift of more new glasses. Let's be clear that this episode- the glasses episode- is a huge learning experience. Back in June I had a perfectly nice pair of glasses. I lost my temper and broke them, so I paid good $$ for new ones. Now, with further responsibility issues- although more accidental- I've screwed another pair up. So that's $600 in 6 months, both situations being completely avoidable. Calm and controlling emotions. Responsible and taking care of appropriate task. Ugghh. Oh, and my front brake decided to magically rub here. the left arm wasn't releasing well. I think it was probably gunk built up on the rim, but this was my furthest point today.

So the tally for 2 days is 86 miles, 1 $300 pairglasses lost, 1 flat, 1 wonky brake, 1 dead bulb (with no replacements), 1 pack Swisscake survival rolls, 1 bus ride home. And a whole lot of fun.

I think I'm getting my legs though. I find that I can still cruise a pretty good speed even when I'm tiring. No, not super speed, but functional speed.

And I finished the evening off with a bus ride home. Down in the West End at dark, tired, wet, and with no headlight, I gave in and availed myself of another of the 'Ville's offerings, buses with bike racks. So I paid my dollar and road across the county back to my neighborhood and to Wednesday night church, where I had spaghetti, salad and more than 1 piece of bread. Thusly quite the adventure. Damn those glasses though.

Locust Grove

An addition to a beautiful ride today was coming across a Revolutionary War re-enactment at Locust Grove.

Up the gravel front drive of Locust Grove, with tents near the house and the walk full of folks.

Out on the battlefield, or just staging field, with some of those dreaded "redcoats" and a few modern coats to boot.

Tent city on the field. Very Pretty.

Derby City Cup II

Date: Oct 27 Sat
Mileage: 19 (LHT)
October mileage: 374
Year to date: 1975
Temps: 57F/overcast and damp

Well, L is better but Z has come down with "it". Now, which of the parents is next? That will be the question of foreshadowed doom the rest of the this weekend and the start of the week. I changed the 'disposal dishwasher hose' this morning; it the easiest fix I'd done in a while. After that I finally got out after a week of sloth and rain. Yet again I chose the LHT b/c I seem to really be comfy on the Rando/B-17 setup it provides. My goal was to take an easy loop down towards the RRCC area to watch some of the 'Cross Gran Prix taking place today and tomorrow. If it works out, I'll be able to take in the pros tomorrow, but today was more a brief stop to check out the course and the ambiance. It looks like they did a great job with the course and the general feel, but I didn't see many fans there. I'm sure much more of the general public shows up in places like Portland and in New England. Hopefully the racers will be satisfied enough that they want to come back, even if the fanbase is less than "Flanders-esque".

It was motivating to see 'cross like this, though. I raced 'cross for 2 years back when I was in "racing" shape- '99 and '00. Now I only have a vague notion of how much I was lifting, running and biking. I bet I had as many miles as I do now, but I was lifting 2/3x a week and jogging too, with some hill running thrown in for 'cross purposes. It WOULD feel good to feel like that, but now I'm much more involved in tennis in the spring, so I just don't know. I would have the summer to get lots of base miles in, and I do like the muddy off-road feel of 'cross, so we'll see. Below are a few crappy pics of today's ride. Buddhists aren't supposed to cling, so I guess it's not important that my camera sucks, but it sucks.

You can see from this pic that, with all the rainfall this week (9"+), Beargrass Creek flooded the BC Trail in places. Yummm, wet gooey mud to dance through.

This seems to be elusive Mr. Blue Heron that I've seen 2 or 3 times on the BCT. He stopped for me to take a not-that-clear pic.

One view of the 'cross course today. This is a view down a former fairway.

This is a shot of River Road looking East. They closed it down for the race!! I'm loving that. This obviously is the start/finish, not the most exciting part of the course, but rock on NoCar!

A better pic that I though in hindsight. This is none other than Chris Horner in Lotto kit. For those 2 readers who don't know, he finished 15th in this year's TdF, higher than I thought. And he played runner-up Cadel Evan's right-hand last-man-standing in the mountains. And he's right here in the 'Ville at a cross race. This portion of the course is a tight chicane through trees.

Shitty pic, but the Kona duo of Trebon and Wicks is an impressive sight. these boys are both something like 6'4" or taller, monsters in a sport of dwarves.

Apparently they were not tall enough today b/c cyclingnews reported that they finished 3 and 4 behind Jeremy Powers and my hero Tim Johnson. Tomorrow they go off again and I'll be there for full race report. I might even take the video cam and see what I can do. Or maybe not. I'll just clear out the digicam.

Derby City Cup

I'm a little disgusted. I was totally soaked Monday afternoon and haven't been on a bike since then. We've had almost 9" of rain since, and the transition from 75F/sunny to 55F/raining like hell hasn't done well with me. And last night poor L was up and down with stomach flu/food poisoning- he barfed again this evening- and that's just hard hard hard. So no bikes, @#@#$.

On a different note, the 'Ville is hosting one segment of the biggest 'cross series in the U.S., the U.S. Gran Prix. This is big stuff here in the heartland. We have a pretty active 'cross culture, one that I participated in night many 6 or 7 years ago. Now I'm fatter, intentionally slower, and have an ankle that can't hold any appreciable explosive movement. This weekend, though, the best American racers (excluding Belgianish Jonathon Page) have descended here to partake of our future "Champions Park". This is the area I blogged a month or so ago. The course is set up on the old River Road CC, and it's going to be table-top flat, with lots of run-ups and dismounts in and around the old greens, tees, and sand traps. It could be spectacular. I'm going Sunday and am hopping to catch the UCI big boys race. There's going to be a "Belgian" beer tent, so whether I get home is another issue, b/c of course I'll ride there on the Crosscheck.


This smallish pic to the right is of Tim Johnson, he of a junior silver medal at the 'cross worlds, and he who nicely answered my Qs a few years ago via website. I'm rooting for him. Since the start of September I've lost around 13lbs, so doing 'cross next year, aside from an epic century this summer, is something I could aspire to achieve, aside winning the @%@#@# state tennis title.

Tomorrow the bike? Vamos a ver. Z has a game, and we have flooring and lighting to shop for, aside from the good wife going to a social engagement or 2. And L is still puny. Life, my friend, Life.

Las Colinas

Date: Oct 21 Sun
Mileage: 53 (Bleriot)
October mileage: 343
Year to date: 1944
Temps: 50-70 a.m. sunny

Finally I broke the 2-hour mark and did a longish ride. It seems that, with commuting, I'm so often stuck in a short frame-of-mind. I got up extra early today so I could accomplish my task before afternoon soccer and such, but found that the sun didn't rise until almost 8. Strange that I'm at work by 7 most days, but that's on the LHT with the SON light and blinkies. I waited and left when I felt comfy. From Louisville you have 3 or 4 options for general riding areas: Oldham Co., Spencer Co., Southern IN, and finally southern Jefferson/Bullitt Co. Most club rides take advantage of the first 2 areas, and don't often ride in the last listed b/c it's the farthest from the middle and upper-middle class folks who make up cyclists in the area. Most of my family lives in the "South End" or Valley Station, so I've often done rides in that general area. Yes, it means more pick-up trucks and dogs, but also much less traffic and fewer soccer moms ready to run your ass over.

I stopped by Breadworks to pick up a muffin for a mid-ride breakfast. The Carradice came in handy on such a ride In it I had: muffin, camera, cell phone, pump, sunglasses, extra tube. I used the side pockets for tools. As the temps rose I used it for storing my jacket and gloves. My route took me out Eastern Pkwy, Strawberry Lane and New Cut to get to the emptier rural roads. I only took this route b/c it was an early Sunday morning. I also have an ADD thing about repeating roads on rides sometimes. I know people who bike or jog the exact same roads every time. Not me, I need variety. Once in the Fairdale area I chose to attack the more country roads via Jefferson Hill. On this road I first came to what's know as the Jefferson Co. Memorial Forest.
Jefferson Hill Road cuts across the Siltstone Trail, as seen here on the marker. Jefferson Co. Memorial Forest is one of the largest of its types in the country. It has numerous hiking trails, and today's bike ride crossed the longest trail 3 different times. No bike trails though.

I could never quite capture the essence of the forest on film today. It was a little dark and early, so low light means questionable results. One thing to note is the leaf change that can be seen here. It's really a delightful area of the county. I'm afraid it's mostly used by rednecks to dump trash and to grow pot.

Jefferson Hill is a classic short but tough climb that includes 2 classic switchbacks as well. It's pretty too. The local club, and its excellent webmaster Duc, maintain a site of the local hills, "100 Steep Ones". Most local climbs in this area of KY are short- less than a mile- but also steep, running up and down the knobs. I also heart my triple when riding climbs such as Jefferson. That portion of the ride took me to Knob Creek, which is a pleasant rode that cuts down through the valley towards the Fort Knox area and into Bullitt Co. Although many people commute from Bullitt to Louisville, you could be a world apart into rural KY. Next I chose to take on Barrallton. This is an infamous climb in the area, said to be one of the toughest. I'd never climbed it before, so I was excited to take it on. It's listed as somewhat comparable to Jefferson, but I found out that it's MUCH more difficult. The first portion rises up quite steeply, and then levels off a bit. After that, it kicks up very severely. It wasn't so much the inability to find a gear, but rather that I had problems keeping the front wheel down. I got off the bike. Yes, I tried to do it, but I sucked it up and walked a bit, really from a lack of bike skills as much as fitness and whatev. This pic is at the top of the steep pitch looking down. I know pics don't convey steepness very well, but my was it bad. Barrallton has a similar average gradient as that of Jefferson, but I think JH is steeper over a longer period. This is something like .2 miles at 17-20%. I don't know. After that I made the circle of Bearcamp/Pendleton/Medora/Blevins Gap, which is a classic loop for many cyclists, and certainly for me. I stopped at the train tracks at Medora and Blevins Gap and had my muffin.

Shiny Bleriot at breakfast stop. It really rode well today.

Ferrocarril, por supuesto!

At that point I was feeling the legs a bit. I cut across Scott Gap to Bearcamp and began working my way home. My route home took me on Manslick and into Iroquois Pk. At this point I stopped to call home, b/c I was about to be late for soccer. From Iroquois I knew it to be a minimum 40min ride, so I put my head down and pedaled. Really, I was tired and had no climbing legs, but the route was mostly flat except for a couple small hills. I was quite proud to finish with some strength, and in time for the game. And they WON finally!! It was fun to see some enthusiastic boys out there. And on top of that, their coach didn't show (nobody knows why), and he wasn't there to see their first win in a long time.

First ride this year over 50 and the first since last summer some time. Lots of fun, great weather and color, and the legs felt great. Now for another week of commuter miles.

'Sheryl''s Lost Ride

I didn't ride today. The workers started on the kitchen renovation, so I had to haul some tennis stuff back to school, and carrying a tennis hopper full of balls with anything less than an Extrabike would be impossible.

I also had tennis after school, and this proved fortuitous for 'Sheryl', b/c she had a mega-flat on her commuter; it was too gashed and torn to boot, so she needed a lift, and our schedules corresponded. Also, the boys had after-school activities and needed picking up, so the confluence of the three situations created a vortex of interesting events. I'm getter there; Bear with me. About 2 months ago 'sheryl' had her "Biketown" bike stolen from her backyard. This bike was from a program run by Bicycling magazine (I'm not putting a link in. It's a terrible rag), in which people write/wrote an essay how and why they needed a new hybrid Trek bike, and the winners received one. 'sheryl', being slightly insane, won and that became her long-time commuter. It's a basic Trek hybrid, hers with a rack an fenders, but for many regular cyclists it would be unassuming, and even more so unimpressive. That said, 'sheryl' has put in more commuter trips the last 3 years- not miles mind you- than 'lance' or myself. They had to jump an 8-ft wooden security fence to fetch it. No mean feat.

I'm almost there.

We 4 were returning to our respective neighborhood, the Highlands, when it a vociferous tone 'sheryl' exclaimed, "There's my bike!! My bike!! That woman is on my bike!!". That part of Broadway is mostly 'Hood. There are some public housing projects close by, numerous eateries shucking fried nastiness, and lots and lots of bars on windows. According to her appearance, this woman certainly belonged in the area. Now it all gets a little racist. 'sheryl' was sure, so I turned around the truck in pursuit. She went down a side street, but we finally caught up to her. 'sheryl' jumped out and confronted the woman, well, sort of confronted her. By this time we were directly in front of the projects with all the homies out and about in the street, sidewalk and stoop. I think 'sheryl' wanted to take her on; it WAS her bike, but how do you confront a mean-looking tough-livin' woman directly in front of her housing project with all the peeps looking on. Disaster was imminent. The woman took off into the project with the bike leaving 'sheryl' to decide "Pursue or don't Pursue". I took the liberty of finding some references on Shepard Square. See for yourself: 1, 2, 3, 4.

We drove around the corner and found her again. She didn't give a rat's ass. 'sheryl' had filed a police report, so she was going home to call, but do you believe they'll find her again? that they'll take time from finding murderers and gang-bangers to fetch her $300 hybrid? Lightening can strike twice, you know.

Did a little projecting on the 9.2.5. You're gonna like it.

Futbol mas cerca

I could find a bunch of crap about ManU's crappy start or other PL business. Or I could do some crap about Beck's first, most excellent free kick. You can find that if you want. I'd rather show you this conceptualized header with crest from the group trying to bring MLS to the St. Louis area. I lived in St. Louis in the summers of 1987 and '88. Granted, I was miserable there b/c my parents dragged me there right after graduation, so I associate the city with the depths of Hell given that I had no friends and not much of a clue. But it's a great baseball town, and the Cards have always been my 2nd favs after the Reds. The city also has a pretty deep futbol history, and even from back then I remember how hyped the local high-school game was. I think it would be a great market for MLS and it's a team I would support. From that location it's just short of a 4-hr drive. I think it would be worth 1 summer overnight to take in a game, and the facilities they're considering are pretty damn nice. The only real question remaining is, Why can't the 'Ville pull this off? No, we're not really a futbol town, but again it's thinking small and limited around here. Their facilities concept includes not only a stadium and practice fields, but stores and homes. It's big thinking. Hizhonorforlife would never think too big. It might lose him the next election.

Chip Cronen Memorial Ride

I've been busy with school opening, but I would be remiss not to mention the 'Chip Cronen Memorial Ride' that took place this last Sunday here in the 'Ville. I was attending an event, taking the progeny to another event, and the good wife was attending a wedding, so needless-to-say I did not attend, but it seemed like a more than successful affair. The CJ has a nice article about the event. Too bad this shorter article couldn't grow into something larger and more energized. I'm not complaining though. This town rarely gets print that's positive. Most has been yellow journalistic sensationalized BS from the TV news about the scourge that is the cyclist-running-stop-sign. It's an encouraging sight to see this many cyclists in such a context. Hopefully, it can be a positive step from such a tragedy.

Can this sign, and painted ones on the road, save lives? Let's hope so.

LBS

First of all, I am an idea thief. I didn't choose to discuss my own incredible insights into the nature of the LBS; KM did it first. I think, though, it's an idea worth discussing b/c the LBS is a concept that's very important if not essential to the cyclist.

He alluded to a list of posts on the iBOB list discussing the nature of the LBS. The sentiments there were quite varied, from brick-n-mortar owners to those who seemingly wouldn't step foot in a shop if they had to. The point for many is that the Internet and catalogs have made the visit to the LBS pretty obsolete. Here are my reasons for "trading" at the LBS, as my grandpa used to say:

• mechanical service. I've mentioned many times that I have very few mechanical skills. I just don't. I try. I'll give it a go before I break it or foul it up such that a human being with skills has to work on it. That's the primary reason I will always visit Bob and Susie at Clarksville Schwinn. They take care of me, plain and simple. They know I have no skill and they make sure I'm taken care of in a prompt manner. Often, for a medium repair job, they'll ask "Can you leave it?", meaning the default situation is waiting for the repair. Can you imagine that? Service in the modern age of ????? , mierda, I don't know what you should call the modern age of non-service.

• Fair Prices. I didn't say dirt cheap prices. I said Fair and that's reasonable. In our land of cheap, Wal-Mart crap everyone feels that it MUST be the cheapest price possible, but that's shit. If it's a fair price that's good enough for me. I've never known Clarksville to over-charge me for something. Yes, Nashbar may have it cheaper, but include S&H and the price is comparable. It's also the case that the LBS- well, a good one- has to back up their pricing and service. A good shop has to maintain a good reputation. I'm sure all shops aren't so fair and just, but my LBS is, so of course I maintain a relationship.

• Kids' Bikes. Older son Z is probably getting a new bike this Saturday- he's outgrown the other. Can I order that from HC? Nashbar? Performance? Random shop in random place? Clarksville has and sells bikes that aren't only for adults with too much money for their niche hobby (like the Bleriot, duh!) My son needs a bike and the LBS has it. I got my first BMX bike from there, and my first road bike (Trek 400 Elance which I now own again) and my boys get their bikes from the LBS. I'm sure online shoppers can get kids bikes online, but I want my boys to have those butts in the seat to see how those growing arms and legs fit, and how they will fit.
  

• Deals. Yes, the net is full of deals, but the LBS has the wheels in the flesh. I have the Redline 9.2.5. and the Surly CrossCheck solely b/c someone at the LBS new my interests and found me a good price and I could experience it on the spot, w/ appropriate changes to boot. OK, they took advantage of me, but I love both bikes. The Redline was very inexpensive to start with, and the shop gave me a great price, $100 cheaper than the MSRP listed at the time. Nathan at Clarksville (he's not there anymore. moved to Indy) knew I wanted a 'cross bike but wasn't ready to pay for the entry level racers from Redline or C'dale. He found the Surly CC and gave me a stinking deal on it. The shop couldn't have made much $$, but he did it b/c that's what service is and that's what the customer relationship is.

There are reasons I don't always shop at Clarksville:

• Niche products. Clarksville could have ordered and put together the Bleriot. That's the point, right? Being able to get the Bleriot through QBP? I knew, though, that Clarksville wasn't accustomed to putting together "vintage" steel RBW-style bikes, so I went with HC based on the reputation and ideology of Jim at HC. It came down to vision and interest. Of course Clarksville could've mechanically put together the Bleriot. Duh! But at some point expertise wins out. The same said for the LHT I bought on ebay. Clarksville could've done the same, and after I've added all the shit to it, could've done it at the same or cheaper price. That said, it's not a "Clarksville" kind of bike, or of any other LBS in town. My cycling is not very "'Ville-like", so my sources have to branch out. I'm sure other folks on that iBOB discussion board are feeling the same. There aren't many 650B/commuter/vintage shops out there. Same goes for the SKS fenders, for example. LBS could've ordered them, but Jim had them in stock and sent them to me at a fair price. That's good enough.

• Sizes. Yes, I'm fat compared to the average roadie, so Nashbar/Performance have better clothing sizes for me. That's a fact. Add shoes to this list. I certainly have bought shoes from a variety of sources b/c of sizing issues.
  

• The Commuting thang. I'm more a commuter than any other kind of cycling. I get significant mileage commuting Aug-Feb until tennis starts. I also try, with some success and failure, to use the bike for errands all year (yesterday to the bank and a 2-mile round trip). Clarksville does have commuting products like hybrid bikes and rechargeable lights, but really there is no focus there. I've bought almost all my bags from outside sources. I sourced the LHT with products from HC and from Peterwhite. There is no commuter focus anywhere in this town. As I've become more a commuter and wanderer and less a roadie or mountain biker, my visits to the LBS have decreased. Maybe I'm a little more self-sufficient. Certainly the ethos of a commuter is a person who can take care of him/herself. That's the point, right?

The LBS, para mi, is essential. I have to have that service and expertise at my disposal, and these folks are seriously supporting the local economy and the local cycling commuting via sponsorship. There's a need. It's also just that there's a need for them to branch out beyond shiny carbon road bikes and cheesy hybrids. Cycling overall needs to branch out beyond those.

Following is a list of 'Ville shops and their proclivities. I shop very little at the others for different reasons. Anybody new to the 'Ville can use this info, but really it is useless:

**Clarksville- C'dale/Fuji/Colnago/Litespeed. A big fav in town. Bob and Sue (Susie) are great. Big road and mountain bike business.

**Schellers- 2 locations+ another in Lexington. The Trek stable including Lemond/Klein. They also carry Electra and Bachetta 'bents. I have a feeling they do more business selling treadmills than bikes. Stores have that modern clean "We're selling upgraded toilets" kind of look. Tom Armstrong is the local 'bent guru. He's good, but the only time I've ever really been to this shop was some work on the Rans.

**Bardstown Rd. Bicycles-Fuji/Specialized. I should "trade" at this joint. It's close and the guy's kids are at the same hippie magnet school as mine, BUT I've been overcharged here and it just doesn't wet my whistle. I've heard of others who haven't had the most spot-on service here either.

**St. Matthews- Not much going on here. The owner's son is in charge or something and he'd rather watch Raider football than sell bikes. That's what I heard. This was the Bridgestone dealer in town back in the day. I bought my used RB-1 from one of the employees.

**Bicycle Sport- Another Trek dealer. Icky! Looks like a, shit I don't know, looks like some kitchen store you would shop at in the mall. I'm sure yuppies love it, but I've been in there twice in 15 years in town (post-college).

On your Left- This shop has some promise. It reminds me of this shop in Portland. It's primarily a repair shop, but does offer a few things and can order many more. The owner/employee, John, seems like a cool cat. I think it strongly caters to the mt. bike crowd. Nothing wrong with that. I just don't do much of that anymore.

Goose Creek- I've never been there. It's out in the suburban hinterlands. I just visited the site to find that it's a mail order store that does local deliveries by bike courier. ??? I thought they sold bikes, but I guess it's just parts. I'm not sure if it's brilliant or bizarre, but that's what they do. If it's where I think it is, then delivery from there would be brave. It's in one of those very typical suburban "No bikes allowed" kinds of areas.

Cycler's Cafe-Felt/Bianchi/Orbea/Kona/BMC- As you can see they have quite the stable of racy bikes. I really hoped this would be the joint. A "cafe". Instead, it heavily caters to the local roadie crowd, so feels as inviting as a frat part if you're not in the frat.

Damn, that's a lot of time waster. I'm done.

Ride

Date: April 11 Wed
Mileage: 28 (LHT)+ 1 to bank
April mileage: 50
Year to date: 661

I open with a pic of the hail that fell in the flower bed. Fortunately it wasn't big enough to hurt the cars or the roof. We've had 2 other roofs replaced due to hail in our time in this house.

I was stir crazy all day around the house. We had rain and funk and gunk all Wednesday, and on top of that I messed with the taxes and installed a new printer (from Christmas "emoticon"). The fam went to Wednesday church supper, and after a brief hailstorm (above documentation) I jumped on the LHT for whatever ride it was going to be. More nastiness was in the forecast, but I didn't care. I had to get OUT! The LHT would serve me well with its much-needed fenders and hub generator light, and I took along some gear- wool hat and toe covers- in case it got nasty.

My general route took me across Cherokee and down the Beargrass Creek Path. As I have before, I saw the Blue Heron and commenced the hunt for photo capture. He, being wily and wild, kept one step, er, flight ahead of me, so I never got that one special pic. Here's the best I could do. In case you're not sure what you are looking at, he's the blobbish thing in the top right corner, well, towards that corner. He definitely contrasts with the brown of the trees. I think I'll buy a new camera with a better telephoto and faster shutter, but that's another story.
I hopped over to the Butchertown path with exited me onto River Road. More nastiness was a-brewing downtown- my direction-, so I knew fates were against me. This pic doesn't quite capture the contrast of the blueishness of the sky on either side of this pic with it's greys, blacks, reds and oranges. You can barely see the rain coming straight down on the city. Foreshadowing.

5 minutes after this pic I was pelted with large rain drops and 40mph winds. I was traveling along at 7-8mph directly into the gale. It was exhilarating! I needed to stop to turn on the back blinkie and to cover the Brooks just to be safe. I think the fenders would do the same job, but better safe than buying a new, expensive saddle. I had the good fortune to stop under the interstate and to have a wall to the west, buffeting me from the gale-force storm. I didn't stay long, only to put on the toe covers and cover the saddle. Here's the latest LHT.

The best image of the day came shortly afterwards, again while I was under the interstate downtown. The storm had quickly blown by and now the sun was peeking out from the clouds. I saw this, stopped in the middle of the street, went backwards on the street and took this, all with a security guard looking at me as though I were a 7-foot tall Nigerian ballet dancer wearing a tutu. Don't know if the pic captures it, but the water was streaming down from the deluge on the interstate with the western sun playing games with the light. I like it.

I extended my route westward on the Riverwalk, knowing I would have to depend on the SON as my light faded. The rains blew through, leaving a fabulous evening sky of reds, oranges and blues. I wasn't quite in any one spot to capture a great sunset, but this is an image in Portland- the Louisville original- of the first Catholic church steeple west of the Alleghenies against the evening sky. The gentleman below is actually watching a group of (his) swarthy boys up on the Riverwalk, one with a bat. I'm not really sure what they were up to, but fortunately they were small enough to the be dangerous.

The Riverwalk had seen lots of mud, so I treaded delicately but confidently with the 2"Serfas monsters. Every know and then I hit a large puddle and I felt like a boat with the Serfas acting as an enormous prow. Light faded and I found myself in Shawnee Park, a place 95% of white folks would dare visit. My uncle asked me if I carried a gun while riding on the Riverwalk. Perhaps the danger is there, but I feel generally safer in the West End of Louisville, now overwhelmingly black, than I do in parts of the East End, which has been overrun with Volvos and trophy mom bitches ready to run a cyclist over in a hearbeat.

I returned home in the dead of dark, down streets with people I'm supposed to be very fearful of. No one said a word as I meandered back via River Park St./Chestnut and in to downtown. I made a quick call home to tell the fam I wasn't dead. De hecho, I had left the front door wide open during the hail storm, so the boys though I was dead. Widespread Panic was playing at the Palace. I saw them once, years ago. Boring show. My legs were a little tired by then after near-30 miles on the LHT. I don't have too many miles in the legs, and the weather and situations added to the challenge.

Satisfying.

Falls last Sunday

The 'Ville from downriver, Indiana side

Sort of muddy, no?

Ville through railroad bridge. River's up.

Pretty. Shiny. Ooo.

Footwear of choice for this ride. Not too supportive, but certainly functional and own personal style points too.

Mayor Jerry

I've not been riding much, but things are looking a bit brighter here. Hizhonorforlife Mayor Jerry recently gave the keynote speech @ the Nat'l Bike Summit. That's a pretty big deal I guess. At least we, or at least Mayor Jerry is thinking in the right direction. Time will certainly tell though.

The Falls

Date: Mar 11 Sun
Mileage: 21.5 (Bleriot)
March mileage: 95.5
Year to date: 535.5

Another great day for a ride, with sunny, sunny skies and a crispness in the air. Morning temps were in the mid-40sF, so I dressed appropriately in layers so I could peel off the warmth at some point. I decided to explore a bit of Indiana today as my destination. At some point I guess I need to do more mileage, but right now I'm pretty satisfied with these exploratory rides in the city. Of late there has been debate about the various bridge issues here in Louisville, several of which include cyclists' issues (or don't) and how they can use new or updated infrastructure. Since I crossed one of them today, I'll give a quick run-down:

• 2nd-Street Bridge- that's the one I crossed today. It's 4-lane, so seemingly adequate for cyclists, but there have been complaints of tire-eating joints and today I almost experienced that. I thought these folks were just weenies on 20C racer tires, but wow, those joints look like the teeth of the dragon. I hit the front rim on one, but the tire held sway. That's the 2nd time I thought I would get a pinch flat on the CdlVs, but they've held up. Right now this is a cyclist's only option to cross the river on bike.

• Big-4 Bridge. This is a disused railroad bridge that's connected to the Louisville Waterfront Park. The plans are pretty firm that this is going to be made into a pedestrian/bike/etc. walkway that crosses the river. Major complaints are that this will be very non-transportation oriented. It will be a pedway built for recreation and will not be in the least bit conducive to commuting. Many fear that, with this, cyclists will be barred from the Second Street Bridge.

• K&I Bridge. This conjoins the Riverwalk in Portland, but presently is closed to all traffic (non-train I guess). The long-term hope is to create a riverwalk loop on the Kentucky side and Indiana side to be able to cross the river at this point on foot/bike/etc. It's also somewhat less busy than the downtown bridges (it's perhaps 3 miles west).

• New Eastern Bridge. The Big Deal the last several years is to build two new bridges in Louisville, one downtown to help traffic on the I-65 corridor, where it's most needed, and to also build one in the east end of the county closing an outer ring interstate. This one, of course, is massively championed by the forces of Development, Development, Development to open up lands far and wide to $@#$ subdivisions and their soul-leeching powers. This is one of those political boondogles that may never happen. Point is, at one point it was supposed to have pedestrian/bicycle access on a major interstate bridge.
  

All this is speculation. Very recently there was a big to-do because some monies were taken away from providing bicycle access on the one of the "real" bridges and moving that money to the Waterfront Park bridge. Most "real" cyclists see this as a step backwards, b/c no body will commute in what amounts to a park with a bunch of dumb-ass non-transportation elements.

Well, here are some pics from today:

(I lied. I'm too lazy to load the pics. Maybe later)

Luavull Bikes

A very interesting article, perhaps one of the best, reflecting a potential change in mindset for my fair burg. The CJ today had an article about Louisville becoming a city involved with the CompletetheStreets program. This looks exciting. It's not just constructing or striping bike lanes. Rather, it's a "holistic" attempt at changing a city's culture to reflect transportation that isn't just cars. New road are designed for bike lanes and for greater use of pedestrians and wheelchairs, as well as bikes. Bike lanes are added when possible. No, I'm not a proponent of bike lanes per se. I've commuted for many years without them. But I think a city that is willing to make a statement to become one of only 22 cities in the U.S. to do this. What I like is an emphasis not just on "bike lanes" as added chump change. It's a bolder and more pro-active step to be more. Perhaps another step in the right direction for Luavull and for us at large. "It takes a village beeyatch"