Theory Proved

Tonight I decided to test my theory that Brighton's Murray Lake trail would be a sweet single speed track due to it's zen-like flowiness. So I chose it for my inaugural ride on my new bike.

{sidenote\}
Definitions for non-biking readers:
single speed (n/ adj): a bike with only one "speed" i.e.: one ring in the front, one cog in the back. no derailleur. no shifting.
flow (n)/ flowiness (adj): the way in which a trail "moves" as you ride it... hard to describe without actually riding. let's try this-- if someone dumped a whole bunch of water on the trail, flowiness would describe how the water moved over the trail. assuming that it didn't get absorbed by the ridiculous amount of sand we have in Michigan. so a non-flowy trail would make the water stop. a flowy trail would allow the water to move freely (albeit over rocks and roots and hills and fun stuff like that). please don't get too technical on me with the laws of physics and such, i know that enough force could make water move freely regardless of how flowy the trail originally was. just... visualize.
{/end sidenote}

We had hosted the State Championship Criterium race today at work. It was awesome driving in to Dexter (tiny little village just west of Ann Arbor) and seeing the streets downtown lined with a couple hundred bikers, some very nice bikes, and spectators. There was a wedding, a funeral, and a bike race in Dexter today, and I don't think the town has seen that much excitement in decades.

So, long story short, we were supposed to close at 3. And then we were supposed to close at 5. But we started closing at 5:15, and finished closing at 6. So I didn't get out of work until 6:15, ran home and grabbed a wheel to lend to a friend that trashed his last weekend-- he had called earlier in the day looking to get the wheel fixed at the shop, but due to the race there was no mechanical/ warranty service today, and the shop is closed until Thursday because of the holiday, and I felt really bad having to tell my friend that on the phone, so I offered him my spare wheel to use in the meanwhile-- and I got on the trail around 7:45.

Before I hit the trail, I was really scared that my legs would just cease to function mid-ride because my gear was just too hard and I would learn that I am, indeed, a total weakling. And then I'd cry. And my knees would disintegrate. And I'd cry some more.

But I was WRONG!

Once you get moving, that bike is incredibly fun to ride. It's a bit tough to get on top of the gear again if you have to stop for any reason, but it's certainly not "painful." On hills, I could feel my right thumb automatically feeling for the shifter. Nope! Not there! There's nothing to shift!

But all you have to do is get out of the saddle and keep pedaling! I took roomie's advice and continued to pedal even tough I thought I would fall over... and it worked! I didn't fall over! I made it up every little rise! (except towards the end, where there's the "easy" or "hard" option-- I took the "hard" option, which I've never even ridden on my geared bike. it wasn't all that "hard," but i clipped a tree with my incredibly wide handlebars on a really tight uphill turn and fell over. I had to run the rest of the way.)

I was also worried that with the big wheels (29 inches vs 26 inches standard) it would be really hard to maneuver through the trees and such. Nope! I don't know, I think the bike handles even better than 26ers. Roomie said that was because of the stiff fork, it lets you know sooner when you've chosen a bad line, or are taking a corner too hard. You feel yourself wobble and then correct it and you're good to go. Whereas with suspension, the line isn't so clear, and suddenly you're on the ground before you've had time to even react-- unless you're incredibly in-tuned with what your bike is telling you, which good riders are! ;-)

And an unexpected added benefit (at least for me)? Well, I tend to brake on the downhills. And I brake too much, and at the wrong time, and this causes me to do stupid things like go flying over my handlebars. Brilliant, I know. With the stiff fork, you can't grip the bar too hard on the downhills, because you'll rattle your wrists and elbows off. Braking makes you grip the bar too hard. Hence, less braking, more momentum, fewer dislocated shoulders.

Oh, and her name is Ramona.

Hooray!

Sunrise at Sleeping Bear Dunes

sunrise over north manitou island, sleeping bear dunes, MI

I drove Up North last weekend, leaving Saturday after work and taking advantage of my nice new Monday-Tuesday-off work schedule.

It was so nice, I could feel the tension leaving my shoulders the further north I drove. My roommate just laughed at me when I said that, but I swear-- the minute I drove over the Washtenaw County line on my way home, my shoulders went all tense again.

On Monday, I got up shortly before sunrise and went for a hike in Sleeping Bear Dunes... the path I always take with my mom and the dogs.

And so I brought my camera, which has not been out of its case since Guatemala (or... well... since i took pictures of the new bike the night before!). I wasn't sure how these would turn out, because I haven't been feeling particularly creative lately. But these shots make me happy:

looking over the dunes, towards glen lake

dunegrass

ripples near the petrified forest

I had spent the night before out on the dock (until I woke up shivering violently at 1 am! Fleece blankets aren't nearly as warm as my -5 degree down sleeping bag. duly noted.). I sadly learned that the max time for shutter speed on my DSLR is 60". one minute. not long enough to capture the night sky so effectively... wah. I would love to find a darkroom to use so I can switch back to my grandpa's full-manual Canon. Or perhaps I shall set up my own darkroom...

here is the result, moon over glen lake

and so i bought another bike

ooooOOOOOOooooo

i bought a singlespeed! hoo-ray!

am i crazy?! perhaps...

i've wanted a singlespeed since my sophomore year, which is the year after i bought my first real geared mountain bike. i started looking up parts to build my own, and searching ebay periodically for something 'affordable' (cue hysterical laughter), but i could never get the price to where i felt comfortable buying. and then i started working at a bike shop.

specs ('cause i don't feel like re-typing them): Redline Monocog Flight 29er

she's completely stock right now (except i peeled the headbadge off. it was ugly. and my roommate put on some jumbo kendas. and bolt-on grips.) we'll see what little upgrades i make... i'm thinking some pink accessories (headset, saddle, grips, hubs?). she looks like a boy's bike with the avocado green and the black trimmings. that just won't do.

i was a bit tempted to build up a frame myself, but decided that if i really wanted to do that, i should buy the stock bike and sell off the parts i didn't want to be more economical.

i think her name is either Limona (ie: Lime in Spanish, but with a girly twist) or Paltita (ie: little avocado in "Chilean").

she will get ridden tomorrow. island lake. not too technical, not too hilly, not too scary. perhaps i'll ride poto next week... heh.

wah wah wah (rant ahead)

i have been slightly lacking in motivation lately.

so i've done two races this season, which is two more than i did at this time last season, which itself should be considered a victory. And i've ridden almost 1,000 miles (still working on the base, yes) which is more than i rode ALL of last season (January to December 2006, trainer and rollers included).

But still i find myself in the middle of a race, hating life, crying (yes, crying-- i know, i know, there's no crying in mountain biking) and wanting to sell all of my bikes and bike stuff as soon as i get home. i think 'why the %@#*& am i doing this??' i get mad at myself, my friends that i bike with (why do they encourage me?!) my mother (why does she support this, however unwillingly?!) and the race organizers (why didn't they cancel the damn thing given the lightning and torrential rain?!). i dread the phone conversations after the race. { interested friend/ family member: 'how'd you do?' me: 'uh, dead effing last.' interested friend/ family member: 'oh. well... at least you tried.' } i start hoping for irreparable mechanicals ('maybe my frame will crack...') and even bodily harm ('hey, if i break my collarbone then i won't have to finish OR race again!')

and then i finish and it's done and i have a huge grin on my face and i can't wait to do it again! and i've even finished third!

... out of three. and i've been beaten by a 14-year-old who was competing in her first race, or a 16-year-old semi-pro. or my friend/riding buddy/classmate/co-worker who i could drop last season. or a different 16-year-old semi-pro.

yes, all of these are people who have beaten me. and this isn't to mention the scores of young college women who have, and continue to cream my butt during the collegiate season.

and then i'm afraid of what other people think:
1. she just rides to meet guys. (uh, no. i've never dated a cyclist, FYI.)
2. she must just ride because her boyfriend rides. (see above.)
3. she's a whiney loser. (perhaps...)
4. who does she even think she is, racing here? (::sad face::)

so i make excuses:
1. i'm not really training for this race. i'm training for the fall collegiate season.
2. i don't race to win, i just like a hard training ride and this is an easy way to get one.
3. i haven't really trained at all.
4. i have other priorities, like my academic career.

but really... all that's a bunch of BS. i'm a competitive person. i don't like to lose. i do like to bike. so i guess it's time to cut the crap and stop whining and try to change what i'm whining about... heh.

wish me luck! :-P

i'm aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiive (still)

Hello all...

Well, here I sit in lovely Ann Arbor, the humidity increasing by the minute, with not very much to say at all. Be prepared, as this blog is about to take a very bike-oriented turn.

I've already decided on my summer plans for... next year (yes, summer 2008) and they include much bicycle racing. This summer I'm getting my @$$ royally kicked by high schoolers in my age category (24 & under, seems i'm the only over-20 that has the ganas to race) and it's rather depressing.

So... i'm writing the season off to training and learning how to race-- heck, i've never really *raced* before... collegiate races were just an excuse to ride my bike on some new trails with other people who liked to ride their bikes!!

so this year i plan to qualify for and attend Collegiate Nationals in North Carolina come fall-- i pretty much qualify by default.. the whole lack-of-20-somethings racing thing.

then i'll ride my bike all winter to de-stress from the whole school-is-my-career thing (this will be a big change for me-- school... is really my JOB now.... SWEET... and YIKES).

i'm gunning for a nice bike store employee-discounted 29er rigid singlespeed and some very nice super-employee-discounted Pearl Izumi arctic cold weather gear to help keep me motivated when it's still dark at 8am and already dark at 5pm this December (ie: the only time i'll actually have to ride).

never fear-- i still plan on dabbling in some picture-taking and will blather to some extent about how awesome my classes are and how i really love living 5 miles off of campus and riding my bike to class every day.

oh, right, next summer. well, plan #1 is culinary arts classes at washtenaw community college. just to get some actual kitchen experience under my belt (for that someday when i open a sweet bike shop -slash- gourmet cafe specializing in food from locally-grown organic and fairly-traded sources in middle-of-nowhere Maine -or- Northern California). i also plan to do some endurance races in june and july (i realize quite some time ago that i can ride at a reasonable pace for a really long time given the amount that i don't train, and still have juice at the end... but i can't sprint to save my life.) and then take off for guatemala again in august. back in time for school in september! yay.

that said... i am heading up north to a race tomorrow after work, and will post a full report-plus-pictures on sunday. *yay*

PS. oh right... my thesis... i'm working on it. really, i am.