fixed impressions

While no one would probably get down on me for my early season enthusiasm this year, I have to admit I over-cooked it and have had to be mostly horizontal with back spasms for the last 4 days.  I did a nice hour long single speed coaster ride in the Sunny Hollow/Camp Johnson zone.  It’s pretty good early season terrain, not too much mud, not too many long or steep climbs…great trails.  That seemed like a good pace, then I went out on the roadie on Thursday and put in a good 2  hours with lots of 1/2 mile and shorter climbs and just had a great time.   My back felt weak by the time I was stretching at home, still seemed like no big deal…until Friday morning when I didn’t get up.  Doh!  Made it through work ok, but had to miss our end of season party/ride day at Stowe.  Bitch.

Well anyway, I was lucky that it was the weekend, and I was able to mostly just chill, watch some flicks and listen to a bunch of new music.  It’s so hard to sit still, damn, when you put so much in during the week to get that one day of free time on the weekend….doh!   I’m over it.  Monday is a whole new ballgame.

Trying to finally wrap this house thing I’ve been trying to pull together since January.  That will be resolved Weds. AM.  Stay tuned.

G

My Vulture SS

I got out for just under an hour of fine April singletrack today.  I am reminded what a little bit of fitness does to improve your riding.  Today was a small payoff of sorts for the slavery I’ve endured on the stationary bike and stair mastah this spring.

It was dreamy.  So many riders, more than I’ve ever seen in summer or fall.  Not sure whether it was collective spring fever or what, but folk were out.  Lots of mechanicals and flats and all of us trying to help each other but not having good glue in the patch kit or a second extra tube…those things you always have in droves by mid-summer.  Ah, the rites of spring.

I was doing laps with two quick grunts and on the the fourth lap just got knackered.  As CuJo said, getting wonked on your single speed is a great way to start the year…why ease into  it, that just prolongs the suffering.   Go right for the single speed specific fitness, screw the road bike and the fixie and all that:

• TRAIL
• SINGLE SPEED
• RIDE
• BREATHE
• SWEAT

Simple?  Yes.

Rock on and over and out.

G

i took the MKS pedals i picked up from the Old Spokes Home and put them on the univega.  it really looks good now with the brown brooks saddle.  put in about 2 varied hours just riding easy around town.  like the 46×19 for now.  i have a front fender on there that my dad installed back in the day.  it has a trick fender flap made out of some sheets of rubber he found somewhere.  i’ve cut the fender stays a bit too short and the rubber drags on the tire and even binds up occasionally—a little sketch.  I just need to buy a couple of new stays.

it was great to be out and nice to have a bit of time to post.  looking for it to be a good year on the bike.  been out to play bike polo already once this year, wednesdays on the waterfront roller hockey rink behind the skatepark.  write to bikepolo@mac.com to get on the mailing list.