"It never gets any easier. You just go faster." ---Greg Lemond
"Don't buy upgrades. Ride up grades." --- Eddy Merckx
"You drive like shit." ---The Car Whisperer

28.10.09

Hump day

First, some early Hate. It’s things like this that bring out the fascist in me:

Why the fuck does a guy with six DUI, not to mention mental instability (which should’ve become obvious by – oh, I don’t know - the third instance?) still possess a drivers license? Because nobody took the responsibility to make sure he didn’t, a 20 year-old molecular biology student from Winnetka is dead. And the most this guy will face is a six year prison term as punishment. There are no are no charges of manslaughter or vehicular homicide. At my new job at the DMV, I would clear several other pre-lunch “appointments” to devote my full morning to this guy.

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Cycling tip of the day: ride “hub to hub.” One of the things that makes a group ride – even just two of you – so enjoyable is the rambling conversation that makes the miles melt away. At least three times a week I ride to work with Diddy Kong, aka The Bike Destroyer, and we cover any number of subjects, from bike gear (mostly gear) to cooking to last night’s 30 Rock episode. It can be very hard to have a conversation, however, when riding single file, especially in any kind of wind, which is almost always the case. Where allowed, riding two abreast is much more conducive for a fun ride.

However, problems can arise when the two riders are not riding at the same speed. Inevitably, one rider is going just a bit faster, causing the other to constantly have to play a mini-game of catch-up…or visa versa: the ride gets too slow. Whichever the case, the constant fluctuations in speed will make the ride a constant battle, robbing it of enjoyment.

The pro’s solution to this – utilized on infinite low-level recovery and base mile rides - is to imagine an invisible line between the front wheel hubs, perpendicular to your direction of travel. By each rider keeping the line straight, only miniscule adjustments are needed to keep the speed constant, allowing for a steady, low-level endurance effort at which a conversational pace can easily be maintained.

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I think this picture by Luke should get a Pulitzer:



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I’m going to Jinglecross this year!

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I totally attacked you on Lehigh and almost got my hub beyond your front tire. Pwned.

brianfmorrissey said...

FEED ZONE!

allenpg said...

What we really need are electronic keycards/licenses that you need to insert in order to operate the car. Just like in "The Fifth Element"! Lose you points and you can't drive...unless you're like Bruce Willis and rip out the computer.