Weekend update with your host, the Flabby Ironman

Sometimes you have the writing muse and sometimes you don't. The key is to be able to write when you don't have it. I think that's the difference between art and commercial art. The commercial artist (writer, designer, screenwriter, photographer) has to get out there and problem solve a solution whether they want to or not.

The muse isn't here this morning as I start to write. I know what I want to say, but it isn't pouring out of my fingertips like it usually does.

The weekend was spent dealing with this textbook I'm helping a friend with. It's a cool project that I think will help a lot of people, but it's a bit of a pain because it's all in Spanish and my spanish is rudimentary at best. Saturday as I worked on the textbook, I had a similar kind of lack of muse as I struggled to find a place to dive into the project. Angela had the day off so when it became aware that I wasn't going to accomplish anything significant, we went and saw Sin City. I'll review it soon, but the tasty-bite-sized-morsel version of it is that it's beautiful to look at but I could take or leave the sheer gratuitousness of the flick.

Sunday I was able to chunk out a big piece of the first chapter (it's not the most amazing design I've ever done, but it's clean) and made a phone-meeting with the friend I'm working on the project with. I got off the phone and promptly realized that it was 12:30 and the group ride I was planning to ride with left PROMPTLY at 1:00 a little more than 15 miles away. I also realized at this point that the only thing I'd had sustenance wise for the day was one tiny piece of chocolate and I was still in pajamas. I was out the door (unfortunately without my gloves) at 12:45 and arrived downtown just after 1 to see the last cyclist riding away. I grabbed my bike and pump and started the pursuit with one hand gripping my pump and the other one steadying my bars.

Aerobars, while not something I ride in all the time are my secret weapon. My secret "at least an extra 1 mile an hour" weapon. If I drop into the aerobars it's immeasurably easier to catch someone. I had vague ideas about where the last biker was and so I kept looking down side streets as I flew down Tejon looking for that bright blurry piece of fluorescent yellow (my eyes aren't that bad (20/60 or so?) so I just don't want to spend the money on prescription sunglasses) These first three miles, I'm averaging close to 21/22 mph.. and I'm slowly reeling them in. Now, this ride isn't a FAST ride, but the front definitely rides faster than the rear and is where I generally like to park myself. I finally caught them at the 3.3 mile mark.

Just after reaching them I let them drop me again and secured my pump... thus starting the second shorter sprint of the day.

The bike club uses a posting system. A posting system, for those that don't know posts someone on a corner whenever there's a change in direction. The poster waits until the last riders are through and then sprints back up to the front because they're usually a stronger rider. It works well most of the time because the stronger riders get to wear themselves out chasing from the back to the front over and over again. I am (if I say so myself) a pretty decent poster.

I posted a couple of times late i the ride yesterday. Normally while you have to wait around when you're posting you don't have to wait around TOO long. With new riders on the ride, the wait stretched WAY out. There was close to ten minutes if not more between the front and the back and so one needed to REALLY work hard to push their way to the front.

After the first post finished I dropped into my aerobars and dashed off. The sprint only works if you hit stoplights the right way and I wasn't hitting them at all. I'd get up to 19/20mph and have to stop three block ahead... only to have to climb on the other side of the intersection. I hit a bit of a descent after two miles or so though and was reeling in the group when they stopped at a gas station for a reconnect point.

My sprint was robbed from me! I was just warming up again when I had to stop. Oh well, it could have been worse, and the second actually was.

When we started up again, we began a slow climb back up to a short descent and all of a sudden I'm doing 35 mph (which slows to a consistent 30 as I head towards the mall Angela works in. Once again, another stoplight followed by a turn and a posting. Since there are only three of us turning the corner and the other two are ride leaders, I volunteer to post. With the short light and people riding their breaks on the descent, it was at least fifteen minutes before everyone came through the posting and the last chase of the day began. Once again, stopping before it even got started because of a stoplight. Stoplights are as I've written in the past, the great equalizer. They slow fast people down and allow slow people to catch up. Also, being towards the end of the route, I didn't know if I'd be able to catch the lead pack. I reeled in more than half of the pack before the route ended which made me feel pretty good, but it would have felt better to reel the rest in.

I also now have my first 'cycling tan of the year'. I love cycling tanlines because they're so stark. All of a sudden there's a SHARP line where your jersey sleeve starts.

I ran into another Minnesota cyclist during the ride. She's the club ride coordinator and asked me if I'd be interested in leading a ride... so I'm probably going to start leading a ride on the north side of town once or twice a month. It'll be nice not having to drive to the other side of town to get a group ride in. Plus, I need to get more long ride miles in before the Paul Bunyan double in June. The first centuries of the year are coming up soon as well. My goal is to get 'at least' a thousand miles just in century rides alone this year. But we'll see.

Ang and I stopped by the Bicycle Village giant tent sale on the way home from her work and my ride and picked up a few little things... she got new gloves and a pair of socks and I got new profile design water cages and some gels and energy bars. There was a sweet little hybrid tandem for 999, but as much as I'd like to buy a tandem to ride with Angela, it's just not in the financial cards right now.

Someday though!