Having crammed my belly full at an all you can eat buffet, and having skimmed a rather ominous weather report, I really didn’t expect to be riding this Saturday morning. However, I woke to a beautiful looking morning and knew I had better get out there.
My neighbourhood was all dry streets and mild temperatures. A few streets over, pools of water lined the streets and I didn’t know what had happened. Apparently it rained from 8 am to 8:15. I didn’t see it or experience it, but the evidence was irrefutable. Garage sales that had hastily moved to actual garages were putting their wares back on the driveway with renewed optimism.
Once again, I chose B group. It was larger than other weeks and we set a blistering pace north on Warden to the lake. This is a pretty popular ride, and while we passed a few groups, nobody passed us. Two of the group rides took long pulls at the front and we had a serious pace going. We made the lake in really good time. (pictures on Instagram and the link is in the lower right of this page if you are viewing the real page and not just the reader)
When I got back, the skies opened up and rain returned. I didn’t mind as I was in my kitchen drinking coffee and reviewing my Strava accomplishments.
About a week ago, I decided to go on vacation. For those of you who have seen my instagram photos, you will already know this. For those of you who haven’t seen them, take a look at the instagram links to the bottom right of this blog–assuming you are on the actual blog page and not just the low graphics reader version.
I am jetting off to Marrakech….shortly.
Some thoughts….in no particular order
From the moment I mentioned this to my father, he has been singing the Crosby Stills and Nash song to me and everyone.
I am not sure this is the perfect time to travel, but it seems like I should be living rather than waiting.
There are many more hoops to jump through, but I guess that isn’t a bad thing.
I have to wear my mask all day at work, so I don’t suppose wearing one during the flight will feel much different.
I was casually looking at bicycle trips and found a fantastic sounding one that crossed three countries in the Andes. The price was high, but it was a rather long trip. It was also by a company I had not heard of and didn’t have many reviews. I was interested, but a bit wary.
In that same search, I found a very discounted trip to Morocco. I wasn’t really considering it until several of my co-workers mentioned that they had been there and LOVED it.
This is a bicycle trip, so those following me on Strava can see my daily routes.
I’ve got some time before and after the trip to do my own thing.
I am thinking of taking a hot air balloon ride.
I wish I were a better packer.
There is snow where I live, so you can imagine that I am really looking forward to some warmer weather. Unfortunately, I have to wear some of those heavy clothes to the airport.
When I land in Paris, I will have officially circled the whole globe. I have flown from here to Japan. I have flown from Japan to Paris. Now, I will fly from here to Paris. It isn’t a Perfect circle, but still interesting.
I have crossed the tropic of Cancer, but I have crossed neither the Equator nor the tropic of Capricorn. One day, I hope to do this. (I have read both books, but you might not find that interesting)
I didn’t get out on the bike last week. I just wasn’t feeling it. I had a new class to teach with a steep learning curve. I had disappointing hockey playoffs to watch. I had….obviously a bunch of lame excuses.
Yesterday was the longest work day I have had in a while. I doubt that it means a return to normalcy, but it means a few more dollars. When class was finished, and I was definitely tired of looking at the computer screen and listening to correct student grammar or vocabulary or pronunciation, I knew I had to get out of the house and on the road.
I paused to fuel up, but managed to get my stuff together in a decent amount of time (for me; others are much faster at getting themselves ready). I checked my tire pressure, turned on Strava and away I went.
I don’t have the highest of hi tech, but I really can’t justify spending a lot of money on a flashier bike computer….but someday.
My route was not too varied and it doesn’t look visually appealing on Strava, but I got in a good 60 kms before returning home. I passed some beautiful scenes. While I was taking a picture of the pond, another rider stopped to ask if I needed help. When he realized that I was stopping for a photo op, he remarked that he was “stealing my idea” and getting a picture for himself. It was hardly stealing, but he was just trying to be polite.
Later, after I sent my pictures to my girlfriend, she remarked at how beautiful it was and that I should take her there. I had to explain that this was someone’s house, and not a park. In fact, I counted at least ten houses with significant water features. Maybe they get a tax break. Maybe one person started it and the rest of them copied the idea in a “whatever you can do, I can do better” kind of competition. I remember when all it took to be macho was having a loud and fast car. I have since replaced that idea with having a lighter and more expensive bike with best head unit.
I do intend to show my girlfriend the places, but I am going to have to find somewhere to park the car. It isn’t a busy road, but the shoulder isn’t too wide, and very few people seem to worry about the speed limit.
I noticed a number of properties up for sale on my cycling route. Sadly, all of them are beyond the means of this humble ESL teacher. Actually, even if they were not beyond my means, I think the amount of upkeep (in terms of either labour or money) would be too much for me. However, when you’re on the bike and cruising through the countryside, you are allowed to dream.
I didn’t feel like I had set any speed records, but Strava explained that I had done my “Personal Best” on a double digit amount of segments.
I had the chance to get outside on my bike twice this week. Actually, I probably had more than two chances, but twice was the number I chose to take advantage of. Owing to the ESL market’s sluggishness and lack of commute, I have most late afternoon’s free. This is an interesting time to ride a bike. It ‘s between rush hour and playoff hockey.
Normally at this point in the post I would refer back to my previous posts, which chronicle the struggles of getting the bike ready for outdoor riding during this bike part shortage. Sadly, I cannot do that because all the posts I created while on the Business Plan were deleted when I reverted to the free blog. I will eventually put them back up, but that is a job for another day.
If you ride a bike, it will come as no surprise that it is a Perfect Moment. There is something about the combination of physical effort and mechanical equipment that is beautiful, powerful, and all encompassing. Trying to think of other times when I felt that way are hard; Maybe once, on an 8-person rowing scull when all 8 of us were actually in rhythm, maybe on a pair of skis….
I have been training on Zwift since December and I knew my fitness was better and that my weight was significantly less. I also knew that riding outdoors was different from riding indoors. There was wind. It wasn’t like my fan cooling me down, it was like a chain holding me back. The road surface may have looked smooth, but it was anything but.
My body took a beating the first day, but reacted much better the second day. I wasn’t quite the sweaty mess a Zwift ride is, but I might have left that sweat outside on the road somewhere. I was definitely faster on average and I was a much stronger climber. Those 18% climbs on Zwift have really helped me.
I took some great pictures (all on Instagram since I have no space to upload them here). There were some great trees, some great bodies of water, and very few cars. It is easy to see why it was a Perfect Moment.
I’ve missed a few rides lately. Last weekend the temperature was 4 degrees. The other times coincided with something I either had to do or wanted to do. Keeping that in mind, and knowing that the temperature was changing quite rapidly this year, I knew that I had to get out for a ride this morning. I am not convinced it is the last ride of the year, but cooler temperatures and lots of rain are forecast for the coming months. As far as the club is concerned, this is the last official ride of the summer.
When I arrived at the meeting point, I was the only one there. I did laps around the parking lot to stay warm and functioning. It wasn’t cold, but I dressed for it to get warmer. It afforded me the opportunity to take some pictures of the trees in the area. The colours were fantastic.
Only two others showed up. Most club members were doing other rides. Not exactly how I pictured the last ride of the season, but that is the kind of year it has been. Attendance has been sparse for most rides and many people were busy making group rides of their own.
Our ride was the familiar bakery ride. The ride took us through some beautiful landscape. There were lots of leaves with vibrant colours and the corn stalks were really high. The temperature was warm enough when we were moving and I found myself enjoying the scenery a lot. I was so happy that I got out for the ride. I wish I had charged up my faux pro and gotten some video.
It wasn’t my most challenging ride and I really didn’t set Strava afire with my exploits. However, I got out on my bike and that is what matters. Yes, I want to go faster, but part of that is getting out on the bike more and pushing yourself to go faster. This might not have been the ride for that, but a couple of hours on the bike certainly beats a bunch of hours sitting on the sofa or sitting in front of the computer screen.
It was another Tuesday, and that meant another chance to go on a group ride. Of course, I had a few things to get done before the ride, but I felt pretty prepared for the ride itself. I had been eating a bit better since last week, and with the exception of tight back muscles, things were looking up.
I had prepared my fluids and they were half frozen, waiting for a cold water top up. Looking back, I think I froze too much because even now after the ride is over, there are still chunks in the bottom of my water bottles. I thought it would be warmer. I guess I was wrong.
I had washed all my cycling gear and everything was in my Cat5 cycling case. This is a wonderful tool for organization. Normally I don’t need it because I am often leaving from home. However, as I explained last week, the Tuesday group meets a bit far from home and while I could cycle there, I suspect that the ride home after the ride would probably kill me.  On the bright side, I didn’t mind the drive home today. The sky looked beautiful and I was just the right amount of body tired. My mind was still good, but I could feel my body starting to wind down.
However, this week, the Cat5 would be my downfall. I threw it in the car and headed to the meeting point. After a few minutes of driving, I started to worry that I had forgotten my shoes. I quickly patted the bag and was relieved that my shoes were in there. I chided myself for being such a worrier and continued my drive.
When I got to the meeting place, I started to put on the parts of the kit that I couldn’t wear while driving–the shoes would make it difficult to operate the pedals, the gloves would look pretentious, and the helmet would look ridiculous. That’s when it happened. Another Oops Moment!  I had forgotten my helmet. Aargh!
I said hello and goodbye to the people assembled for the ride. Riding without a helmet is against the group’s policies and would disqualify both myself and them for the insurance coverage. I explained what happened and started back to my car. They suggested that I ask the bike shop (which organized the club and was the meeting point) if they had a “loaner”. I figured it was a long shot, but I had driven all that way. Fortunately for me, they were able to help me. They loaned me a helmet. That’s why I have a different “bucket” on my head than usual. I haven’t bought a new helmet…yet.
My reward for riding
The ride was pretty good. The people rode a bit more predictably than last time. I guess we are all getting better. My only problem was that my turn to pull (lead the group) often came on uphill spurts. The worst one was near the end. I couldn’t keep the speed, but when I let everyone pass, I lost all my momentum. This is my fault because I should have kept the pace. I just didn’t like hanging on the outside like that, and slowed up because I wanted everyone past me. I guess the solution is to do some hill repeats and improve my climbing quickly.
We were out for a couple of hours and managed to do 45kms. We had a few stops to fuel up, take a picture or two, and review road safety. Sadly, I didn’t ensure my Strava was recording. I thought I had pressed the record button….I guess this ride will exist only in my memory.
Thanks to rain and incredible heat–and the need to recover the ego from a particularly bad ride–I had gotten out on the bike for two weeks. Today, thanks to a break in the heat and perhaps to mark the start of the Tour de France, I got out for a ride today.
I joined the C group, which moved at a slower pace than the B group I took on my fatefully bad ride. I had no trouble keeping up with everyone and for the first time this season, didn’t fade as the ride wore on. My body is sore, but not excessively so.
This ride was special because the group leader failed to memorize the route before we left, so we started off on his standby route. We also had a newbie in the group and the group leader stayed with her while we tooled around. We had a pretty nice ride with a good number of tiring hills.
It might be too early in the day to call this Today’s one and only Perfect Moment–I am certainly open to something even more amazing happening–but for now, I think it qualifies.
An Archive of Perfect Moments 