Saturday Ride

Massive changes in our weekend plan left me a bit of time this morning for ride (something I didn’t think would happen this weekend). With only about one hour to ride, I did what any sane person would do–ride Dirty Dozen hills: High Street, Logan, and Suffolk/Hazelton/Burgess. Logan is merely a matter of focus, I […]

Tuesday Night at the Oval (Nothing to See Here, Move Along)

Last night for points. This meant very little to me, since I wasn’t on the cusp on top ten overall (short of winning the race, but I am a realist). First place was already wrapped up. MAR was not, so I figured the race might be a bit on the fast side. Slightly larger group […]

The End of an Era (No, Really)

A slightly somber day around the homestead. The Surly was (finally) sold to a young college freshman who is ready to cast off on his first fixed gear adventure. The bike was promptly replaced by an on-sale Novara Fusion. Yes, it has gears. And I can coast. And it has a rack. REI was clearing […]

Tuesday Night at the Oval

Full field tonight–35 riders. Could be scary. Would most definitely be fast, with several B race regulars joining the fun. Right from the gun, I was at the front, and promptly took my pull. Based on conversations with a few other riders, five second pulls seemed to be the ticket, so I counted…one, two, three, […]

Thought of the, Umm, Year

As kids, our stock answer to most every question was nothing. What did you do at school today? Nothing. What’s new? Nothing. Then, somewhere on the way to adulthood, we each took a 180-degree turn. We cashed in our nothing for busy. I’m starting to think that, like youth, the word nothing is wasted on […]

Saturday Ride

Not what I had planned. I am not often a good navigator. Even when given precise directions, I find ways to make the wrong turn (see here). Today was no different. I forgot the cue sheet, so I was working off memory (which is never a good thing). First, I went the wrong way on […]

Tuesday Night at the Oval

The officials didn’t mention how big the field was, but I reckon it was maybe 25 or so. Iron City Bikes and CMU had a few riders each, and with Ted and Rob there, I figured things would be interesting at the front. The pace was brisk from the start, and I settled in near […]

Sunday Ride, and Bike Maintenance

I was, oddly, unmotivated to ride on the road today, likely due to the strong-ish winds, which meant, given my desired route around Deer Lakes Park, meant lots of headwinds. Lots. So I pulled out the Monocog and headed to Frick, hoping that nothing would fall off since I haven’t even looked at the bike […]

Tuesday Night at the Oval

The threat of rain kept the field size a bit more manageable last night, with 21 riders starting. Notably absent were the CMU team and Rob L. (a reliable motor at the front of bunch), but another strong rider who wasn’t around last week was back. I had two plans going into the race: 1. […]

Alexander Solzhenitsyn, RIP

Apparently the Russian novelist, dissident, and fist-shaker at the ills of modernism has died. If you are unfamiliar with his work, I recommend his commencement address at Harvard, given in 1978. Time Magazine also has an article from 1974 detailing his expulsion from the Soviet Union as a dissident.