The Bolder Boulder

I flew into Denver today. I have a workshop to go to. As I'm driving my rental car to Boulder--okay, okay, it happened while I was in flight over Boulder.  I looked out of the airplane window and watched what had to be Boulder slip by beneath us.  I could see a creek below and just knew there had to be bike paths all along it.  And from our elevated perspective, I thought for sure I was seeing them. Well, that got confirmed during my drive in the rental car to Boulder.  What I didn't know, was exactly where the hotel was AND that the "Bolder Boulder 10K Run" was happening as I was driving into town.  I eventually learned that there were about 60,000 people who entered and ran this Memorial Day event.  The other thing I didn't know was that every year, Boulder holds a Boulder Creek Festival. Yeah, there was some traffic. As some of you might have guessed by know though, is that as I was driving watching cyclists left and right of me, I became hell bent on figuring out a way to ride some of the bike paths and bike lanes I began seeing everywhere in Boulder.  So, I asked at the desk at around 12pm and was assured I could get a cruiser for about $10.  But, when I went to the sport shop, it was closed. Never fear, I was directed to the Boulder Bikesmith Bike Shop (http://boulderbikesmith.com/) just a short walk away in the nearby shopping center, next to--get this--a Performance Bike Shop.  Bikesmith rented bikes and I was itching to sooth my poor bum from the punishment of a 3-hour airline flight and about an hour and a half car ride. So for under twenty bucks, I got a "dorkster" upright ride complete with helmet AND lock.  It was a "comfort bike" but I felt completely unnatural on it.  Nonetheless, it was a set of wheels and within minutes, I was cruising the Boulder Creek Trail.  I rode for over 12 miles and got a tad lost (see below) but everyone on the trail was very nice to let me know how to get where I was going. In fact, and you're not going to believe this, a guy in a car asked me if I was lost.  I said, "sorta" and he asked where I wanted to go.  I had spotted the Boulder Brewery & Pub on the hotel map and he let me know how to get there but thought it might be closed.  He even lead the way and when I got there we concluded it was indeed closed for Memorial Day.  But he suggested I go to Pearl St. and I'd find what I was looking for which happened to be lunch and a cool one. I eventually got back on the trail and finally got headed in the right direction and then ended up heading right into the Boulder Creek Festival.  It - was - packed!  I had to dismount and wade through the crowd.  I finally stopped to ask how to get to Pearl St.  I stopped to watch some street performers and then checked the map for a pub.   I ended up at the Walnut Brewery and had a fantastic chicken sandwich and some finely crafted brews before I headed back to the hotel. And then, I ended up watching the Flyers out hustle and out play the Chicago Blackhawks  only to lose 2-1.  Niemi was a friggin' wall!  Whatta ya gonna do?  It's back to Philly for games 3 and 4.  I don't want another Boston series, dammit!  LET'S GO FLYERS!! Activity Route: Boulder Creek (sorta) Elev. Avg: 5270 ft Location: Boulder, CO, Elev. Gain: +62 ft Date: 05/31/10 Up/Downhill: [+321/-259] Time: 04:15 PM Difficulty: 4.1 / 5.0 Weather: Sunny 82 F temp; 15% humidity 77 F heat index; winds E 4 mph Map Elevation (ft) Speed (mph)

Posted from bimactive.com

Hell of the West (backwards)

MAP It's a beauty ride that has a little of everything; mountains, rivers, lakes, beaches, forests, farms and, of course, highways, clear cuts and city streets (small city). The weather was perfect for the climbs, overcast and cool. Still, we'd've enjoyed some sunshine though, especially on the downhills. It was the Irish Triumvirate consisting of Matt, Mike & Me. We're a good group for the ride and I always get my workout being the heaviest of the three of us on the climbs. Downhill though, I'm rather like a rock in free fall, untouchable. I still want my big BIG chain ring though. I want to be able to catch Glenn sometime. I rode with him on a Spirit Wheels ride about a year or two ago and we did the eastern portion of the OCC (the now defunct Olympic Cycling Classic). He started bombing down O'Brien Rd. and I figured I'd uber-tuck and see how soon I'd catch and pass him. But then, he did something I wasn't expecting. At 35+ mph, he started pedaling and I couldn't keep up. He started pulling away and I geared all the way up to Big Daddy gear and was pedaling air, no chain tension no matter how fast I whipped the pedals around. I was at a distinct disadvantage here. He had the BIG gear! SPEED (MPH) Well, this ride, the "Hell of the West (backwards)" has become somewhat of a traditional ride.  I tend to sign the boys up for the Fort 2 Fort every year (except last year due to cancellation) and we collectively need to train for their first event ride of the year.  So, without fail, we'll ride the Hell of the West . . . backwards. ACTIVITY Route: Hell of the West (backwards) Elev. Avg: 413 ft Location: Port Angeles, WA, Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 05/29/10 Up/Downhill: [+6404/-6404] Time: 02:07 PM Difficulty: 4.4 / 5.0 Weather: Cloudy 50 F temp; 85% humidity 50 F heat index; winds WNW 15 mph I was introduced to the course back during the limited Olympic Cycling Classic days, a May ride to remember.  It was part of the standard or English century (as opposed to the metric century) that started from the city pier.  After having ridden the eastern 62 miles of the eastern part of the course, the Hell of the West (forward) headed west along 112, across Piedmont to 101, etc.  It was truly hellish because by the time you made it to the city pier, the westerlies were blowing and you were in a headwind all the way out to Salt Creek. Once down Camp Hayden Rd., you get the beautiful view, at beach level, of the beach.  But, then comes the wall!  The road follows along the beach front and you're having one of those magical moments on two wheels where the whole world and all of your petty troubles fall away and your in some sort of serene setting just experiencing one of those moments in your life that you pray to your deity of preference you'll be seeing again that momentary eternity just before you die. And then, the road takes an turn and you realize your dream sequence has abruptly ended and you are heading straight for an epic climb that will be having you cursing a blue streak that'd make a sailor blush, your mother cry and have dock workers taking notes as you start slamming gears and stomping on your pedals.  Sweat will start to pour off of your nose and chin and everything pointing down in bullet sized plops as you read the pink spray paint some sadistic lunatic sprayed on the road, "GOT GEARS?"  You may even think you're about to black out from lack of oxygen as your lungs feel like they're about to explode and your legs feel like they're about to ignite your Lycra bike shorts. And then, somehow, through some sort of miracle of modern science and/or technology or perhaps an actual miracle of the Pope kind, you've made it to the top.  Now, due to oxygen debt, your idyllic end of life dream sequence has vanished forever.  Those neurons are now just the latest casualties of the battle to get you from where you started to where you were going, back to where you started. Sounds crazy when you put it like that but, there it is.  You'll have to reinforce that memory some other way. But wait, there's more.  There's the Piedmont climb, something like three miles of 8% that'll have you wondering whether or not you're on a conveyor belt made of asphalt and you're heading in the wrong direction.  And, the Hell of the West forward has perhaps one of the most sadistic twists yet.  At mile 100 (if you're riding the whole OCC course), after descending down Indian Valley heading east on US 101 still, oddly, into a headwind, you take a turn onto Olympic Hot Springs Rd. and then a quick left onto Little River Rd. ELEVATION (FT) That's right, you'll be heading UP Little River Rd. after having already ridden 100 miles.  The inaugural ride of the OCC, Lisa and I opted out of the Hell of the West precisely because we didn't think that after riding 100 miles, a feat in itself, we'd be able to even look at the 15% section of Little River Rd. without falling off our bikes, curling up into fetal positions and bawling for our mommies.  The next two years though, and sadly the last years of the event, we did the whole 100+ miles and 6500+ feet of climbing. Little River Rd. starts with a false flat and is quite dreamy (watch out).  Within less than a quarter mile or so, you're looking for the crease in the road where the floor meets the wall of vertical that'll make a man out of any pantie waist that climbs it, male OR female.  It's 15% for a very short mile by tape measure, but it's an eternity by sweat measure.  I learned it wasn't impossible, just unthinkable for the uninitiated.  Just go to granny and grind that puppy up. Well, remember that dream sequence you wanted to savor?  The one you hoped you'd be seeing when things got rough or relaxed or whatever?  There is a way to bring it back.  I know just how to do that.  Ride the damn thing BACKWARDS!  Those asphalt walls of voodoo turn into flights of shear terror and unimaginable exhilaration.  And that's just what we did this Saturday.  Not the whole OCC ride, but the Hell of the West backwards.  If you've got the opportunity, this one comes highly recommended. Performance Distance: 43.83 miles Time: 3:21:11 Speed: 13.1 mph Pace: 4' 35 /mi Calories: 2470

Posted from bimactive.com

Five Bridges Tour NYC!

Activity Route: Five Bridges Tour, NYC! Elev. Avg: 23 ft Location: New York/Central Park, NY, Elev. Gain: -72 ft Date: 07/03/09 Up/Downhill: [+1328/-1400] Time: 01:04 PM Difficulty: 4.8 / 5.0 Weather: Mostly Cloudy 75 F temp; 63% humidity 77 F heat index; winds NW 4 mph Map Elevation (ft)

Posted from bimactive.com

The Story of Jack-Jack & the Big Apple

Now I got Jack-Jack in New York City last summer.  Yeah, he cost a bit in the big city and then some more to get 'im all the way home, but DAMN it was AWESOME to ride in the Big Apple.  Got 'im at Toga's Gotham City Bike Shop down in Tribeca.  Lisa was there at Columbia University to take classes for teaching . . . stuff, and I came along . . . BECAUSE IT WAS THE BIG APPLE!!  Our first day, was all travel, schlepping luggage and dealing with hotels (don't even get me started).

Lisa didn't start her seminars until Monday so Sunday, we walked over to Central Park, two blocks west, as we stayed at a hotel in the middle of Upper East Side.  We got to Central Park and went to cross the main street loop just after breakfast and were dumb founded by the traffic.  It was ALL bicycle traffic and some joggers and a few roller blade-ers, but about an STPs worth of bicycles!

There I was, for a week in the Big Apple, Lisa would be at her classes at CU from 8-4 and I would be touring around . . . on foot?  Seeing all those bikes in Central Park on Sunday and then the bike lanes and the sheer number of commuters and recreational riders had me frothing.  I MUST RIDE IN NYC!  I immediately thought to rent a bike and tour the city that way.  Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was contemplating purchasing a single speed for the coming winter.  It dawned on me, this town might have a few bike shops that I could haunt for some insight, rentals, test rides and whatnot.  Come Monday, I was gonna do some ground work.

It became my mission. Soon, I was absolutely possessed.  It was the perfect distraction.  I went to the hotel's computer room and started Googling bike shops in NYC.  The first bike shop I hit, I asked for costs to rent a road bike and a helmet.  Fifty bucks a day.  No matter which bike shop I visited, it was patently the same.  Hmm, five days riding, that's $250 bucks I'd never see again.  Two hundred and fifty bucks, that's nearly half the cost of a mid-ranged single speed.  I'd been looking at getting a Specialized Langster and they've been around $650 - $850+.  Nah, I couldn't spend $250 to rent when it could go toward a solid purchase.

Hey, how 'bout scouting the classifieds?  Well, I don't know the story behind it, but NYC ain't got no classifieds that I could determine.  I'm not much of a newspaper kinda guy anyway, but if there's a classified section in a NY paper, it might be in some special place I couldn't figure out how to find.  Maybe it's written in lemon juice and I just need to heat the pages up to see it.  They must've gone totally online. So I asked the bike shops if they had any used bikes I could buy (and then give away).  I mean, someone somewhere in this mega-metropolis must have an old Schwinn Varsity or something that's been rusting on a fire escape somewhere that they'd sell for 50 bucks or so?

The bike shops started pointing me to Lower East Side.  I found a "Recycle Cycle" or something down there and  I knew from all of the Law & Order shows Lisa makes me watch (ah, I like 'em too) that the Lower East Side is where all the shit hits the fan so to speak.  Bodies end up in the East River mostly.  The Hudson is on the west side and it's a bit more upscale there.  Actors bodies are found dead from overdoses there.  Bankers who've pilfered their customers nest eggs get arrested there.  You know, white collar upscale crap happens there.

But, the Lower East Side, that's a different frame of mind.  As soon as I got off the bus, I knew this would be an "on guard" situation.  Eyes darting when know one's looking and such.  But, that day, it wasn't bad.  I got to that recycle cycle place and walked into a rather dusty grimy kinda hole in the wall joint where you could basically bring your own bike in and, as long as you didn't steal the tools (I think they were on chains anyway), you were good to work on your own shit.

So I walk into this place and waited for the . . . any body to kinda pay attention to me.  I remember looking around and wondering where any of the bikes for sale were.  Most of them were tagged for repairs.  Of course, I was looking for a used bike in my size and when I finally got someone's attention, he said they had a used road bike my size for $75 but it wouldn't be ready until Friday.  DAMN, that close.  That'd be one day on a piece o' crap for $75.  NOPE!  Not gonna do it.  That did it, I'm officially, in the market!!

Some would think I'm nuts.  And, to some degree, I am.  Who goes to NYC and doesn't visit the museums and galleries and theaters and clubs and the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building and all that tourist crap that people who go places do. I called my cousin in Allentown but he was down with a pulled achilles or something so I'd've had to rent a car and drive down their and deal with the traffic and gas and . . . fuggetaboutit!  I was shopping for a bike dammit and nobody, place or thing was going to stop me from achieving what we Americans cherish above all else!

Yeah, we're sick that way.  But the pros of this particular purchase far outweighed any conceivable cons.  Single speeds have one cog, thus one gear.  If you flip the rear wheel, the flywheel hub is converted into a fixed hub and your immediately thrust into an elite status, a "fixie rider" or just plain "fixie". Well, I'm no bike messenger so flywheel coaster it would be . . . if I got one.  So, I picked up a great bicycle map of Manhattan (http://www.nycbikemaps.com/maps/nyc-bike-map/) and began to strategize my way around to (honestly) almost every damn bike shop on the Island.

Now, you know, I was already testing and eying and asking about Langsters and sizes and costs and styles.  I was really wanting to get a NYC styled Langster.  It was taxi cab yellow with a stripe of black and white checkers.  Come on!  THAT'd be WAY cool!  But, I didn't see a one.  Next on my list, was a Seattle version.  I did see one, green with white walls and handlebar tape but it just didn't really do anything for me.  Yeah, GENUINE IMITATION WOOD VENEER fenders with a . . . handlebar mounted coffee cage.  Really?  REALLY!?!  Nope.  That's just not me.  Then there was the Tokyo model.  Race track style white taped handlebars with a black/white/gold/maroon frame in Asian stylized images and fonts an' stuff.  Way cool!  Too cool!  Too pretty!  I wanted something to ride in the Pacific NW winter, not a show piece I'd feel guilty about every damn time I didn't religiously wipe down with a chamois cut from royal baby swaddling.

Nope.  Too much to worry about, really.  Yeah, she's a beaut, but I was looking for something more of a beast.  Besides, I'd be riding this thing all around NYC and I didn't want to get mugged right off of my brand new bike!  Hey, I'm from Jersey and I don't know shit about NYC.  Anyway, if I could avoid undue paranoia, I would.  So, I searched and searched and finally found Jack-Jack at Toga's Gotham City Bikes in Tribeca (http://togabikes.com/storelocator/gotham-bikes-downtown-2.htm).

He felt just right but the size was rather small for me I thought, 56 cm.  I had doubts and thought maybe I should try a larger size.  But the more I thought and the more I inevitably rode 'im, the more right he felt.  I tried a Giant single speed at a shop on Upper West Side and it was a 58 cm steel frame but when I tried to go up an incline along the Hudson River bike path, I had to jump off.  That bike was too something and I couldn't put my finger on it, exactly.  Jack-Jack on the other hand, allowed me to wrench his aluminum frame with some decent leverage rather easily and the inclines were much more possible.  So, I had texted Lisa a picture of Jack-Jack.  We'd already discussed the logic of buying a new bike in NY and shipping it home and all so she was cool with it.  And, I knew she wished to join in the fun as well, but it wasn't to be.  Not on this trip.  (I definitely married the right woman).  So I bought 'im!

What now?  RIDE!  That's what!!  Where?  Friggin' A, the whole city is has bike paths/lanes and people were riding all over the place! So let the adventure begin (or continue as it may).  I set out the very next day touring NYC the best way I could imagine, on bike!  I hit the Hudson River trail on my ride back to the hotel and detoured through Central Park.  It was AWESOME.  Lisa was excited for me and I took her out for a few drinks and then to dinner and whatever else she wanted to do.  We hit the town and had a blast.

The next day, she rode a bus to Columbia U and I rode the East and Hudson River trails as well as Central Park.  I wanted to ride as much of NYC as possible and when I looked at the bike map, the bridges were calling, SCREAMING out to me.  I could ride every bridge in Manhattan!  What a concept.  Now that's what I call an adventure.  So, the next day, it would be our last day in the Big Apple, I rode every damn bridge I could:

The Brooklyn Bridge.

http://www.nycbikemaps.com/spokes/video-bike-ride-across-brooklyn-bridge/

The Manhattan Bridge.

http://www.nycbikemaps.com/spokes/video-bike-ride-across-the-manhattan-bridge/

The Williamsburg Bridge.

(no video, yet)

The Queens-borough Bridge.

http://www.nycbikemaps.com/spokes/video-bike-ride-across-the-queensboro-bridge/

The Pulaski Bridge.

(no video)

Broadway Bike Lane.
http://www.nycbikemaps.com/spokes/video-bike-ride-down-broadway/

And perhaps my newfound, most favorite-est bridge of all time--and for now Lisa has the pic on her cell and I haven't downloaded it yet but will upload a Panoramio image as a placeholder--has to be the pedestrian drawbridge that crosses from Manhattan Island to Randalls/Wards Island.  You read that right, it's a pedestrian drawbridge!  Un-F-ing-believable!  Only in NYC could the masses get a drawbridge specifically for . . . walking/bicycling.  I have to tell you,  we had to walk across it and I had to ride across it.  It should symbolize the future of transport!

Doin' the Hip Shake, Baby!

Why is it every time I have one of those embarrassing moments on a bike, it's in front of a bunch of people?  I was coming home yesterday from our local North Olympic Library after doing my civic duty as a PCO. I was riding my single speed, Jack-Jack, when I ended up on the pavement on 101 in front of a more than a few people in vehicles.  It was kinda surreal actually and my hip is still talking to me about it.  I don't have a speedometer for Jack but I know I was doin' around 16-20 mph down 101 shortly after taking the right turn ramp off of Lauridsen Blvd.  I was wearing my jeans, a long sleeved tee shirt and my new Eddie Bauer 365 light grey jacket (very street, as it should be on a single speed) AND my helmet.

Well, I decided, rather late, that I wanted to turn left into the alley before my street so I could just cruise into our backyard and see if Lisa or anybody was out there.  I signaled with my left arm outstretched more than once which limits my time on brake levers.  I started my left turn still signalling, slightly braking with my right hand and then dropped my left hand to apply some rear brake assistance.  I was standing up as I recall, and as I started my turn left toward the alley, my rear tire started to skid from behind me to my right.

There were a few cars about 10 car lengths behind me and I remember letting JJ rip because I wanted to get to the alley before the rather long line of cars approaching.  I was on it though.  At least thats what I thought.  As the skid ensued, I eased up on the brakes and realized I was already in the other lane.  I remember looking at the oncoming traffic to judge just how to steer when I noticed that Jack-Jack had snapped to the right as the wheels regained traction.  I was still standing on my pedals at the time and that became a rather crucial mistake.  That, and the fact that I would try to apply more brake without really thinking about sitting down or correcting for the new direction.

The new direction and my heightened center of gravity with all the momentum I'd had going at the moment soon overtook any reaction I could've possibly managed at the time and I was rather instantaneously airborne.  I was no longer in control of where I was going.  Suddenly I was looking back where I had come from because I was facing that way.  And then just as suddenly the camera (my field of view) swung toward the blue sky.  It was a beautiful day after all, and I was planning to enjoy as much of it outside as possible.

I must've landed on my left hip because that's what ended up feeling most sore after the fact.  But, I do remember left arm sleeve and back shoulders and then a rather harsh, "THUMP" as my head snapped back onto the asphalt!  Sort of like when you're at the amusement park on one of those rides you've never ridden before and you'd seen all of those people screaming and smiling and laughing as their heads seemed to snap and whip around as if they couldn't stop it from happening and you really don't understand why that is until you do the ride yourself.  It was very much like that.  You knew it was going to happen but you didn't think it would happen to you, while you were on the ride.

I got up almost as quickly as I fell.  Witnesses  might even have described that I bounced right back up and grabbed my aluminum steed and jetted toward the curb.  Once in the alley, I quickly studied Jack-Jack for damage.  I noticed that one of the vehicles that was behind me had pulled over to see if I was okay.  I just hopped back on my bike and left the scene without acknowledgement a tad embarrassed that I'd been so foolish to fall in full view like that.  I must take the time to send a rave for Sunday's PDN (Peninsula Daily News).

Luckily . . . no, smartly I had worn a helmet.  The surprising force with which my head had hit the pavement shocked me.  It was one of those, "Oh SHIT!" moments.  Had I not been wearing my helmet, this passage may never have been written or perhaps w3llen mmm00066 liiittl;ljl;l vveapoiw (i.e., written more like this).  The helmet absorbed almost all of the impact.  I did feel the thump and wondered afterward if I'd suffered a concussion because my head was a tad sore, but the occipital strap on the back of the helmet un-ratcheted providing a lot of the initial impact absorption and the helmet did the rest.  I was really glad I'd had it on.

Fabulous Flyers!!!

Well, I have to say that I didn't expect much from the Flyers this year.  They struggled a bit during the regular season and they ended the season barely getting into the playoffs, by the skin of their teeth in fact.  I was fortunate enough to get a phone call from a friend informing me that this end season game would be televised so I made a point to record it.  What a game!  It was against the Rangers and went all the way into overtime.  Then the 4 on 4 five minute overtime lapsed and it went to a shootout.  Luckily, the Flyers won the shootout and they advanced to the playoffs.

The bummer was that for some reason, almost none of the Flyers games were televised on Versus or the Networks or otherwise (and I have a basic sports package on Direct TV to boot).  So, they sweep the Devils and I saw nary a game.  But then came Boston.  I didn't get to see many of those games initially, Lisa and I were ensconced in routing for the Canuckle-heads at the time and the Flyers were having their asses handed to them anyway.  Ultimately though, the Canucks got beat by Chicago in a hideous game six that made you want to vomit.  Their defense absolutely sucked!  And, of course, Luongo, their goalie, got most of the blame.  I blame the haphazard defense that throws a hapless puck across ice in their own zone in front of incoming Chicago forwards with no recourse.

Well, enough of the Canucks, the series and game of the season so far has to be Flyers v. Boston.  Right out of the shoot, Boston tallies up three straight wins against the Flyers who'd just swept the New Jersey Devils. But the Flyers never said die and kept themselves alive by winning the next three games with the help of returning scoring star Simon Gagne.  In fact, Boucher their starting goalie, gets injured in game 5 and is forced to retire for the rest of the season but the Flyers backup goalie, Leighton takes over, continues the shutout Boucher started and they force a game 6. Leighton continues the streak with the Flyers and force a game 7.

Since the Canucks were out, Lisa and I did watch some of the Montreal v. Pittsburgh games and actually cheered on the Habs.  But nothing compared to watching game 7 of the Boston v. Philadelphia game.  The Flyers come back from 3 games down in the series to force a game 7 with a backup goalie.  Game 7 commences and Boston rips 3 goals past the newly appointed Flyer tender in the first period.  At this point, I had taken off my Flyers jersey thinking they were done like dinner and wearing the jersey would only make me feel worse.  But, with less than 6 minutes left in the first, Flyer coach Laviolette calls a crucial time out to slow the pace and get the team thinking "score a goal".  They do and close out the first period down 3 - 1 but not out.

Early in the second, the Flyers go on to score another goal then another goal and end the second period tied at 3 - 3.  With just over 7 minutes left in the third period, Simon Gagne scores the winning goal and the series is over with the Flyers making a historic comeback that few teams in the history of sports have ever done.  They will be listed as one of the few: "Forever more, whenever a playoff series in any sport finds one team ahead of another three games-to-none, the list of teams that came back to win will now read:

1942 Maple Leafs, 1975 Islanders, 2004 Red Sox, 2010 Flyers."

So far, early in the semi-finals versus the Habs of Montreal, the Flyers have continued their historic run by stunning the Canadiens with back to back shutouts by a backup goalie 6 - 0 and 3 - 0. I'll be watching with baited breath for sure and not wearing my Flyer jersey until they bring home the Stanley Cup!