Something Different

Even a creature of habit needs a change once in a while. This morning the prospect of another training ride on the levee seemed distinctly unappetizing so I thought I'd do something different. I headed in the opposite direction, out to the lakefront, retracing a training ritual abandoned years ago. It felt refreshing to be out there jockeying with the morning traffic and dodging the bumps and potholes of Carrollton Avenue. Along the way, I thought I'd make a loop of the planned criterium course for the LAMBRA crit championships that are coming up later in the month.

The course starts and finishes on Lelong Avenue, I presume, since it's just about the only straight stretch of road on the whole circuit. The first photo is looking away from Wisner Blvd. toward the museum that is in the middle of the loop. From here the course curves right and crosses a bridge over the lagoon, then it curves left onto part of the old Roosevelt Mall loop where there should be a little bit of shade thanks to the oak trees, before curving left again, crossing another bridge, and then looping around the back of the museum beore making a right turn back onto Lelong for a long straight that ends with a U-turn. Other than that U-turn it seems like a fairly non-technical course that will probably be pretty fast. Then again, I don't really know what it will be like at race speeds. The road surface is mostly old concrete which is in reasonably good shape except for a few wide seams between sections. There aren't really any sharp corners on the entire loop.

Once I got to the lakefront, I met up with a couple of people and rode with them along

Lakeshore Drive before finally heading back home down Wisner and Carrollton. I have to admit, I was kind of enjoying mixing it up with the commuter traffic. I guess that means I've been spending too much time on the levee! Riding by yourself always seems so different from riding with a group. If properly motivated, it can be a much better workout. Of course, I'm not always properly motivated, so that's where the group rides become invaluable. You also tend to do a lot more accelerations from slow speeds when riding on the streets in the city. That's probably a good thing.

So three of our researchers scored big in the latest La. Board of Regents Research Commercialization and Educational Enhancement Program competition, scoring in excess of $15M in funding for three major projects. I may have to take back some of those bad things I said about the Board of Regents a few weeks ago. Anyway, it will be a huge help for three of our best research teams.

I was over at my father's place yesterday evening to lend a hand. He's quite glad to be finally fully de-catheterized, but I think it is finally sinking in that he will never fully regain some of the motor skills he lost because of the stroke.