Dobovedo's Journal of Journeys

Saturday Night: Marietta

After we rolled into town, we picked up our bags and rode over to our hotel. Once we got cleaned up, we got a cab back into town. We woulda walked, but Jim wanted to go to Mass and it was raining again. While he did that, Dan and I strolled through town (it had naturally stopped raining by the time the cab showed up) looking for the Marietta Brewing Company. As we walked along the river looking at historic houses and building and plaques and markers, I realized that Marietta is a very cool historic river town. The “first town” permanently settled in the Northwest Territories. At the pub, Dan and I had a good time having a couple of ales and an appetizer while we waited for Jim to catch up. There were a lot of CFC riders in the place and we talked with some other riders as well. We then had some dinner and some more good brew: root beer this time, and then walked back to our hotel.

[this is the part where I'm not supposed to mention that Dan's TV viewing choices are decidedly non-masculine and definitely NOT what I'm used to on cycling trips. I won't even say what they were on Friday night and early on Saturday. I challenged his manhood a few times and things improved with Dirty Harry and Lethal Weapon] Read more on CFC Day 2: 100 The Not-Quite-As-Hard Way…

As I alluded to earlier, this years Columbus Fall Challenge ended up being much harder than anticipated. I never expected it to be easy, but Saturday in particular was the first time all year I struggled to enjoy a long ride.

Perhaps I should qualify that last statement. It was the first time all year I struggled to enjoy a ride that wasn’t: Read more on CFC Day 1: 112 The Hard Way…

So earlier on Tuesday I found out I’d be riding with Vince and Crilli this evening. Three of us for the Riverside Ride. Trying to get it in before dark. Also known as dusk. So I came up with the super corny blog title of “Three Duskateers”.

I’m not sure which is worse. That I came up with a blog title so corny, or that I came up with it before we even did the ride!

Read more on Rhino’s Riverside Ride…

I had a conversation the other day with someone who was describing a really bad day on the bike. Everything went wrong with the weather, and they had a miserable day, even though they usually don’t mind the elements much.

My response was that when I have days like that I usually try to play, “At least it’s not…”

Read more on At Least It’s Not…

So I was walking out of the Y this afternoon and realized that technically, I did my first triathlon today.

Sorta.

Read more on First Tri On My First Try!…

About the same time I was at the side of the road overlooking the ??? river, changing a flat tire on day two of CFC, I had gone past 9000 miles on the year. CycliStats is now predciting my total milage will be 12,000+. Stands to reason. It’s a simple calculation based on miles ridden and time remaining in the year. 9 of 12 months down. 9000 of 12000 miles. What CycliStats does not do is analyze trends over time. Low mileage months should be estimated as such. I’m actually kind of surprised it doesn’t. WeightWare predicts weight fluctuations based on previous trends. For example: if you tend to be higher in winter, lower in summer, it will take that into account. So it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to design the other program to do the same.

Read more on 9000…

So after my Genious rating in the Diet Power software, the last few days the best I have managed is a ‘C’. Sure was fun though.

I figure if I’m going to do something as ridiculously hard as Columbus Fall Challenge, I’m eatin’ crap! Why else do ride? Besides, how the hell does one eat 6000 calories worth of spinach? That’s 500 cups, in case you were wondering.

Read more on I’m a Friggin’ Dunce!…

I don’t know if I’m dreaming this, but I’m pretty sure I’ve had a headwind on my commute 4 times in a row. 2 times in two opposite directions. I realize this is not impossible, but I certainly find it improbable. Maybe it turned 90 degrees, like NE, NW, NE, NW or something. All I know is I’ve been working way to hard to simply go between Troy and Piqua lately. Oh well… at least I have a nice pristine railroad crossing to enjoy every day.

Read more on Headwind 4 Ways?…

Well, here it is, in big bold letters. Confirmation of something I’ve always known.

I’m a genius.

(Yes.. I am aware I spelt it wrong in the title. My level of geniusness is only exceeded by my sense of humour.)

((Yes.. I spelt “humour” that way on purpose.))

Read more on I’m a Friggin’ Genious!…

So, I’m sittin’ on the couch this evening, printing out various maps and reservation confirmations and planning my CFC weekend, when Cindy comes walking in the front door.

“Did you ride up in Minster?”

Read more on What Did You Expect?…

With the Tuesday Riverside Ride in the books and expecting to ride up in Minster on Thursday, I didn’t really need to be out riding extra on Wednesday. I had an enjoyable time the previous week though, so I headed out to Tipp Park for Hillmaster’s Wednesday ride again. He moved it up to 5:30, and I wasn’t doing g the full route, so it seemed a good way to enjoy the evening and still get home at a reasonable hour.

The group was small, just Frank, Bruce and I. Until we got about a mile down the road, and Paul pulled up beside us in his truck. He hadn’t remembered the earlier time. We pulled over and watched, and listened to, the rusty, squeaking crop-watering contraption that the local farmer was moving off the fields. It was moving so slow it was almost imperceptible. I tried to guage the progress, and the best I can figure is it was moving .1 mph. Maybe less. It moved all of 25 yards while we were standing there, but I’m not sure how long that was.

Read more on Bonus Miles…

Vince rode down from Minster to join me for the first ‘official’ Tuesday Night Riverside Ride for the fall. He did this because he – and I quote – “didn’t want to have you getting all depressed that no one shows up for your first ride”. Gee.. what a guy.

His plan was to ride the first part of the route back to the north and then head home. We rolled out towards Lockington at a conversational pace, and the further we went, and we weren’t turning towards the west, the more questions he asked about where we were going. As we turned east onto Schenk and I said that it was the same as his loop from there, he said “this wasn’t what I expected”.

Read more on Riverside: Racin’ the Sun…