Rule #9

Friendly Friday before the Flat

Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period. 

Well, not really. You might just be a little insane, or desperate, or obsessive-compulsive. Take your pick. So obviously my thoughts are, as they usually are this time of year, on the weather. For the past couple of weeks it seems like we have been going back and forth between cold north wind and warm southeast rain - often on the same day. Yesterday I went out in the morning in what was essentially summer kit with just a nod to the fact that the streets were still soaking wet, and by "nod" I mean wool socks.

New Shoe Day!

Speaking of socks and feet, I received the new Bont road shoes about a week ago. The worst part about new shoes is positioning the cleats, and it didn't help that Bont changed up the alignment grid printed on the bottom, so I was basically starting from scratch - again. On the first ride I felt like the cleats were just a bit too far back, and my troublesome right foot wasn't aligned correctly. I then made some microscopic adjustments and I think got a little closer to where they should be. My right foot still feels like it's pointing inward just a bit. This pair of 41s feel a little bit smaller than the last pair, but it's really too early to say anything for sure. The insoles that came with this 2024 updated model incorporate metatarsal buttons, so I haven't felt any urgency to rush out and find some of the Specialized insoles I've been using for years. Again, I haven't done any really long hard rides with them yet, so the jury is still out on that. I did get their special upgrade insoles, but haven't ridden with them yet. They include an optional stick-on metatarsal button that is kind of big. Anyway, I guess I have all winter to experiment. Frankly, the biggest problem I've had hasn't been with the shoes, but with the cleats. All I had on hand were the ubiquitous Keo Grip cleats. Every time I try to clip in, the rubber pad on the front of the cleat catches on the pedal. It's absolutely infuriating. The last time I used those cleats I got dropped at the start of two criteriums. Unfortunately, the non-grip versions are pretty rare, so I haven't gotten them yet. Instead, I used a razor to cut off some of the rubber on my left cleat, which helped a little, but didn't really eliminate the problem.

December flowers

This morning I went out to the WeMoRi knowing full well that I might be the only one. A cold front had come through yesterday along with rain all day, but on the other side of the front was dry, cold air, so by morning the streets were mostly dry. Of course one reason they were so dry was the 30 mph north wind. It was just above 40° when I headed out into it. As I approached Toussaint from Wisner I saw Brett go past, but I wasn't inclined to chase him. I figured that Lakeshore Drive was probably wet from water blowing over the seawall, so I was on the lookout for a group doing City Park laps as an alternative. Just as I started to turn north onto Marconi I heard someone call my name from the other direction. It was Geoff and Maurizio, who together constituted what there was of the WeMoRi, apparently. When Lisa blew past us on Wisner there was a very brief effort to catch her, but that didn't last long. We were all already firmly planted into Zone 2 territory. Anyway, it was not much of a workout.

The day before hadn't been much better. Tuesday morning the streets were soaking wet, but at least it wasn't cold. There was nobody at NOMA when I got there, which was no surprise. I did the route anyway, at one point meeting up with a couple of riders, but otherwise it was just a quiet solo ride that left the bike quite a mess. Monday hadn't been much better. It was just Colin and me for Mellow Monday. 

Last weekend's Giro Rides were both rather small and therefore not super fast.  Last Thursday it rained all morning, but I did manage to sneak out in the late afternoon for a solo levee ride. At least I saw one of the River Ridge eagles atop a power pole near their nest. The Friendly Friday ride the following day went better. We had at least a handful of riders on hand, including Charles who was about to fly out to Lithuania. It was all going nicely until we made the turn from Marconi onto Flimore and I realized my rear tire was almost flat. I told the others to go on, thinking that the slow leak might allow me to limp back to NOMA, but unfortunately it bottomed out about halfway down Wisner. It was freezing cold that morning and so it took me and my frozen fingers longer than usual to fix it.

It seems like every day lately there is some kind of threatening weather. It's cold, or windy, or wet, or about to rain, or some combination of the aforementioned. Kinda sucks, actually. Early morning meetings are going to interfere with my morning rides tomorrow and Friday, so basically the whole week  has been kind of a disaster. The forecast for tomorrow morning is calling for 43°, and I have to be at a meeting on campus at 8 am, and then other meetings downtown from 11 on, so I may not get to ride at all. Friday morning is another 8 am meeting, this time downtown, so the best I can hope for is an early escape and an evening levee ride, I think.