One significant development in my "personal" cycling... I have a new bike frame. My sweet Cannondale T1 touring bike developed a couple of stress fractures - the first problem I've had with a Cannondale frame in many years and miles - and they replaced it under the lifetime warranty. (I intend to post separately about this. Please stay tuned.)
Other notes:
The weather has been hot! (But as a long-time observer, I can say that happens quite regularly in these parts, in July.) We had 2 108-degree days; that's within 3 degrees of Boise's all-time high. I rode 20+ miles on both of those 108 days, but I was sweatin' like a New York waiter!
I replaced a rear tire. I took off my worn-out Vittoria Randonneur 700x32, and put on another one. The old tire had 3981 miles, with two flats. It remains my favorite-ever make/model of tire. (The front tire has been on even longer. It's starting to look a little raggedy, but it's probably got 6000 miles on it!)
The Tour de France is underway. If I had cable or satellite TV (and time to watch), I'd probably pay more attention. I believe the kid from the UK is wearing the yellow jersey and likely to take home the prize. (And of course, Lance Armstrong continues to be dogged by allegations of doping, years after his amazing run ended. They oughtta give the guy a rest! He NEVER failed a drug test during or after a race.)
Looks like the "forbidden" stretch of Greenbelt, behind Garden City's Riverside Village, will be on the ballot in November. The voters will declare whether it gets opened to cyclists, or continues to be off-limits. Too bad it's only Garden City voters who get to decide; people from all over the area benefit from having the Greenbelt available.
I continue to look forward to spending the better part of a week up in northern Idaho in September, riding the Coeur d'Alene Trail. "More than 71 miles of paved path takes you from high mountain splendor, through the historic Silver Valley, into the chain lakes region, along the shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene, over the Chatcolet Bridge to Heyburn State Park, and finally climbs to the Palouse prairie..." Sweeeeeet! (I've been wanting to do that for ten years... although my plans sometimes get derailed, I'm sure hoping THIS plan materializes!)
I've had more than the usual number of "off bike" days lately, due to being out of town. But if I keep those pedals turning, I'm still on track to hit 150,000 bike miles (since I started tracking, in 1986), right around the end of the year.
Miss Mackie and I continue to have some excellent buddy rides. I got a replacement white tire and tube at the Boise Bicycle Project - her front tire was getting pretty crumbly. She still likes to get a little push-start on her 20-inch bike, but once she's underway she's amazingly steady and competent for a five-year-old... and she sure enjoys it! Here are a couple photos from a week or so ago, moments after we rode through the cool sprinklers on a hot summer evening.
Ride on! Be safe!
3 comments:
Your posts are always well worth reading and as frequent as I would expect from someone who has a life.
Keep up the good work!
I agree with Bob.
One of my worst nightmares happened this summer. My knees are giving me fits. I have taken to walking and driving more than I have in the last 10 years.
Thanks for the kind words, my friends!
That's interesting (and troubling) about your knees, Clancy.
Last year, for probably 3 months or so, it seemed like, I had a rather centralized ache in my right knee - just in the one knee and just in a very specific place (right at the top of the kneecap). I attributed it to some sort of tendonitis. It didn't prevent me from riding, but it definitely caused me to cut back on pedaling effort - it hurt more when I pedaled harder. And - it wasn't just when I was riding... it would be evident in the night when I was trying to sleep, too.
This year it has returned, somewhat. It's always there, but hasn't been a major factor in my riding or sleeping. It also seems to get more acute when it ride LESS, rather than more, which is strange.
It hasn't been enough to motivate me to seek medical attention... but I've got a chiropractor nephew; I might casually mention it to him and see what he says.
Dang it! Are we getting OLD?!!?
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