I am not a huge fan of Pro road cycling anymore, between the (past?) drug use from racers and the snobbery that runs amuck among the road scene with their carbon wheels, overpriced Rapha kits and “rules” about everything from what socks you wear, to color of your handlebar tape, to how you wear your eyewear, has left me with little admiration for the lot of them. But I know when I see something cool, and this video by ShimanoRaceTV from the recent World Championship is pretty cool.
Tag Archives | road riding
Road Ride Pay Dirt
Today was a good day for a ride on the dirt roads surrounding my crib, and they did NOT disappoint, that’s for sure!
I won’t go to into all of the details of the ride, ’cause they ain’t that impressive, but just as it is with riding in the woods on singletrack, I see a little more than most when out on the dirt roads, so for the most part, I will let the pictures do the talking.
Basically the ride broke down like this: go south of town, hit Deerfield Road which is one of the shittiest roads I’ve ever been on (teeth rattling, nut sack pounding ripples of suck and THAT is on a freaking mountain bike), do some flats, do some mild hills, do some pavement, some sandy roads, see some freaky dirt road stuff, enjoy the ride, get 2.5 hours of riding in and go home. Fin.
Here are the pics…
Barn Storming
Today seemed like a good day for a dirt road ride.
And it was. Continue Reading →
Lack of Commitment
Yesterday’s short gravel ride was done in the hopes of doing a longer ride in cooler temps and less wind today. I got both, so a 41 mile road ride was planned. There were some storms in the forecast, but thus far the radar had looked clear. Let’s go!
Of course, I’ve been fooled by the weather radar before… and it appeared that it was about to happen again.
Worldless Riding
Tuesday morning meant it was time for another edition of The Tuesday Morning Anti Worlds– an easy, meaningless, non competitive, non group ride on dirt roads and farm roads that doesn’t really have to be on Tuesday but since today was Tuesday it’s the TUESDAY Morning blah, blah, blah…
Sweaty Eyelids
It’s funny what a difference having some good carbs in the system and cooler temps can do for the legs. Some storms moved through various parts of the central Michigan area yesterday (somehow missing Mt. Pleasant) and left behind 20˚cooler temperatures.
Despite the cooler temps, there was some thick, lingering humidity in the air… the sort of that leaves you soaked with sweat even though it is NOT all that hot out. The sort which causes sweat to collect on your eyelids in puddles and can have your chamois feeling like a sweat soaked sponge that oozes perspiration with every shift of the crotchial region.
I feared the worst for today’s ride, since pre-ride prep involved me breaking a valve stem upon removing the pump. I considered it penance yesterday’s aborted ride and hoped the Bike Gods were appeased. It seems they were. Today’s 42 mile road ride was light years better than yesterday’s craptastic mountain bike ride. but to be honest, the ride was nothing to write home about (or blog about) yet it appears that I have done just that… c’est la vie.