As Luck Would Have It

In this day an age of rising fuel cost, the days of discounted airline tickets would seem to be gone, not true. Was lucky yesterday to purchase a ticket from American Airlines for moi, from Louisville to San Jose,CA for $238 roundtrip. This is setting up another monster week of riding in one of, if not the most bicycle friendly areas of the United States. My buddy Terry lives in Los Altos, CA which is south of San Francisco and east of Santa Cruz. Ever since last August when I did a bike trip with him then, we have kicked around another journey, now that will become a reality. More later.

Yesterday I got in another twenty miles of relatively flat and easy riding. Once again across the Silver Creek Bridge and over to Jeffersonville and then looped back to New Albany's Community Park and then home. A bit blustery and no sunshine made for cool riding even though the temperatures were in the mid 50's.

New adventures in equipment malfunction.

You'll notice that the bolt to the right has sheared in half, making it impossible to keep the two sections of the clamp that secure the seat to the post together, ensuring that for the second time this year, my seat has disappeared while riding.

It happened this morning while out for a daybreak spin around NA, so it wasn't catastrophic. I'll be mailing the pieces back to Performance, and borrowing Diana's seat (again) to commute this week.

I know I'm a fat guy ... but this is getting ridiculous. I'm thinking of taking a spare clamp assembly on the Euro trip -- but I couldn't very well pack an extra post.

Saturday And Lovin' It

Just returned back home from a nice, leg burner, lung burner (all the above) out to Georgetown and back down Paoli Pike and back Old Vincennes to home. I had not been doing many hills because of some right knee soreness, but today I hit the hills big time.
Cruised up Old Vincennes to Highlander Point and then on to Duffy Road. Up Luther Road and around back to Edwardsville Galena Road, past Highland Hills Middle School, over to Floyd Central High School. Returned back up Old Vincennes to Luther Road and over to Paoli Pike. Burning down the hill and then State Street to downtown NA and then back Old Vincennes to our Silver Hills home. Total ride 24 miles. Time for a beer!
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Silver Creek Bridge: Still Open

In between the end of my work day and meeting friends at Pat's Steakhouse in Louisville for dinner, I took a little ride up to Downtown Jeffersonville. Started out from home and used the old Silver Creek Bridge one more time before destruction begins. Was a nice sunny day for a ride along the Ohio River. It proved to be a little breezy at times but mostly very comfortable. Nonetheless, logged nineteen miles today. Hope this weekend is nice, so as to get a long ride in, like maybe to Lanesville or Georgetown via the back roads of our beautiful Southern Indiana landscape.

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Am I The Only Person Riding?

Come on, going to let a little ice and snow stop you from riding? Well yeah? Did the pattern of my riding of late, which is in Louisville. It is a good break and less traffic than fighting the bonehead drivers on the North Shore of the Ohio River. Cruised part of the River Walk, but opted for streets because of still spots of ice and snow in shaded areas. Followed the Bike Route signs out to Chickasaw park via Northwestern/Southwestern Parkways. Made the lap in the park and then came back downtown on Greenwood Ave. What better way to get the real feel of a city than on a bike. The people in that part of the city are cordial and helpful when I have questions either for directions or some historical site. I did a two hour ride, before darkness finally got me. Total ride was 21 miles.

Clagg Bridge

Come hell or high water yesterday I was going to ride a little before the weather took a drastic plunge, so after a day of work in Madison I grabbed my bike and headed for the RiverWalk in Louisville. Gusting winds and running out of daylight shortened my ride, but not before cruising under the Clagg Railroad Bridge and watching it lower back down after a tug and barges had passed by. If you have never seen this structure move it is a sight to behold. Peddled through Portland and went up over the new bridge to Shipping Port Island and back. Rode an hour around downtown L'ville then going back over the Clark Memorial Bridge and to safety before the rains came.

photo borrowed from www.railpictures.net

61 degrees on Feb.15,2006

It is written that great minds think a like. Today for Roger and I we must have been on the same wave length or reasonable facsimile. He is swamped with prepping for Gravity Head while CINergy owns me most of the time and today was no exception. He and I had traded emails about a possible ride this week together, but schedules would not be. But we both wound up at the BBC Taproom at different times today via our bicycles.
I skipped early from my gig in Madison and made a beeline to get my bike and pickup. Yes I left early from work, just like a lot of other folks wanting to take advantage of the great weather.
I left my pickup near the Clark Memorial Bridge in Jeffersonville and headed to Louisville. Made my way to Chickasaw Park via the River Walk and then back to downtown using city streets like Southwestern Parkway and Bank Street. Cut back over on to the River Walk and cruised my way to Clay and Main for a couple pints and a growler to go of BBC’s APA. Chatted with Matt Gould and Dave Pierce for a bit, before coming back across the bridge right as the sky was full of beautiful colors at sunset.
Very relaxing ride that I will do again to relieve stress build up from work and other un-necessary stuff we all have from life.

Saturday

Today after not riding since January 31st, I took my first ride in the month of February. A brisk nineteen mile ride around NA, out to St. Joe Road past Graceland and back home, by way of Community Park and downtown NA. Not many hills on this route, but plenty of sprinting on Charlestown and Grant Line Roads, trying to not get run over by maniacs in SUV's using cell phones.

Will be going to Bedford tomorrow and will likely take my bike and get a ride in up there around the hilly Limestone capital of the world.

The Potable Cyclist

Good article in the CJ today!
*photo borrowed from CJ website

Where'd Spring go?

After 20 km each of the last two days, I'm both frozen and in need of a stiff drink.

But not a frozen drink.

Brief note: No rooms available at Spezial in late August.

For those on the biking trip to Europa, I've learned that there are no rooms during the period we'll be in Bamberg. I'm checking, but it's possible that the whole establishment is shut down for vacation during this period.

Which means we'd have to drink Spezial up at the beer garden overlooking the city. Rotten luck.

I'll now be investigating alternatives. Because the group continues to grow in size, it might be a good idea to find a pension arrangement rather than a hotel, perhaps a bit out of center to better accommodate a group with bikes. I'm hoping to enlist the assistance of Matthias Trum, owner of Schlenkerla, who has told me that Monday the 28th is the last day of the annual street festival in the old town, where the breweries dispense beer and much revelry occurs.

Out to ride now, and then to work for a few chores.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

This site, The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition played a huge part in helping me plan for my trip last August to the Bay Area. What a grand idea to help further educate people about what is going on and also in the quest for bicycling in your own town. Most streets in San Francisco are so user friendly for cycling, that the trip was somewhat effortless and safe. I did not feel threatened once by a vehicle driver. For those of us that ride the city streets around Metro Louisville and ward off insults and rude vehicle driving, cycling in the Bay Area is a bit like dying and going to heaven.

Beercycling memories.

Inside the venerable Mahrs Brauerei taproom in Bamberg, it's Craig Somers and myself in 2003, near the conclusion of the summer's biking:

No bicycles in the picture, to be sure, but beer's almost the same thing ... the photo was taken by Pavel Borovich (sic), the Czech beer lover who Kim Andersen (literally) stumbled into while exiting a taxi in front of the Spezial brewpub.

Only six and a half months ...