Simple boot warmer - for those extra freezy morning commutes

Having been commuting through the winter months for a couple of seasons - thought I'd share a simple little boot warmer I've been using when the temps get below 15º F.

Cost:

Roaster $ 22.00
Timer  $10.00

Electricity - not sure.  Runs for about 1 1/2 hours maybe twice a week during peak season.

Let's let the pictures do most of the the talking:

As you can see it's a pretty simple arrangement.  The timer kicks on the roaster at about 4:00 am and I head out the door at 6:00.  There are blocks of wood under the boots - keeping the boots from making contact with any of the inner surface - as that could cause unwanted meltage. Also I have flipped and used the liner as a lid - it leaves plenty of room around the boots - again preventing any surface contact.

The temp is set to roughly 135º so's not to cook the booties too much.  By the time I am ready to leave they are warm to the core.  My ride is 45-55 minutes and the result is most pleasant.

Ahhhhh...

Muklukutopia..

It's been awhile since my last bloggery - but not quite as long as the wait for Salsa's new snowbike:  The highly coveted Mukluk. Why coveted?  Simple really - used to be you'd have to buy a frame - then some big wheels, then some special bottom bracket, then a special adapter for your front derailleur and so on.  By the time one finished spending, even the most obsessive bike geek might start questioning themselves - that's no good.   I had wanted a snowbike since the first time I saw the original Snowcat rims and still have an itch to go try the Iditasport race.   We'll see though - it takes a fair bit of money and planning to do correctly (like, not die) - but seems like a once in a lifetime pursuit.

Back when I first saw the Mukluk in August  I knew I was sold.  After a demo ride on whatever snowbike Bikeman had at the Wicked ride of the East, I got talking to the Bikeman man, and got to talking about the pending shipment of Mukluks.  I ordered mine the next day and it arrived last Wednesday.  Davis at Bikeman emailed  - stating that the bike had arrived on Tuesday - and asked if I wanted it assembled and shipped on Friday or just plain shipped.  That was easy to decide..

So here she is - in front of the basement fireplace - with a little holiday sparkle.   

 I had her built up and ready to go on Thursday night - and took her for a quick spin on the trail out back.  Holy #%^!!!  This thing is different.  Like just different overall - not necessarily bad or good.  At high speeds careening around the driveway and on the trail - she didn't want to go where you pointed her.  At low speeds she was very "turny" if that's a word.  After about a half hour - I had it figured out:  One must fully engage  oneself  "with the bike" if one should like to stay one with the trail.  Not that it mattered much, because if you went off the trail, you just runned everything over. It felt like riding a motorcycle - in that body position, not just subtle steering was required for proper cornering. 

First real ride report:

At this point, lil Rhody is still devoid of snow but the Mukluk was not to be denied.  As it happens we have some beaches in southern New England.  On Friday after some satellite Googling it looked as though there was some promising terrain at Nauset Beach down at the Cape.  Beaches..meh.. Until today  I shyed away from the beach scene. They are always too damn hot and crowded - not really an issue in the middle of December:)

I don't know about you, but often I'll stew up an adventure like this and get all excited only to be slightly let down upon realizing it.  Not so here at Nauset.  This was beyond my expectations. I met one (1) person while riding a total distance of 13 miles.  The beach was pristine, the views and terrain breathtaking.  It took 2 hours to complete the ride from the main parking lot down to the point and back.   Some of that time was spent fiddling with still and video recording of the experience.   I started southbound entirely on the beach - which at times was tough but manageable - then headed back on the jeep trail on the other side of the dunes.  It was easily one of the best "adventure" rides I have ever pursued.   Temps at the house were about 16º when I left at 7:00 am - when I arrived @ 9:00 it was about 43º.  Just plain perfect. 

I present to you a ride down t'the Cape -@  Nauset Beach.

Here's my kind of parking lot:

After a few minutes down from the lot nothing but wind and waves

Down at the point

Heading back on the 4wd trail - it's hillier than you'd think

A great little cabin along the trail - has to be some  seriously good times going on in the summer

 Leaving my new found riding destination behind

Salsa has nailed this "Adventure by Bike" thing.  The Mukluk is  like the Land Cruiser of bikes.  Gussy it up with some excess gear and suddenly you'll find yourself somewhere you normally wouldn't go.  The good times have only begun with this, my new favorite ride.

To the Cape - an official apology.  Sorry I took so long to appreciate what you had to offer. 

I'll be back (off-season at least)



It's really simple! All I have to do is lose a few pounds!

In 2009 - much weight was lost and much speed was found.  In 2010 no weight was lost - but a little more speed was found.  In 2011 weight must be lost - or very little additional speed will be found.  The problem is, I just keep finding food. 

Some examples:

These would be various Chunky Soups and tasty Grillin' Beans to my immediate lower left - few sardines in there too - who needs files?

Towards the upper left - I can always find these irresistible beauties

To my upper right some peanut butter, Nutella, apples and Triscuits - seems kinda healthyish.  That reminds me, I really need to get an updated picture of wife and child. 

Behind me - some Wheat Bagels.  These just can't be bad for you - can they?

Let's not forget this office essential just to the right of the "Bagel" drawer. Kind of empty at the moment - but there is a solid 4000 calories waitin' to happen in here.

It gets worse.  Management conducts lots of meetings with lots of important people and it's important to show important people how important they are by lavishing them with plenty of food.  It's also important to not run out.  As it happens - there is a frosted glass window I can peek through right next to me.  Guess where the royal spread goes?  Yep - right on the other side.  When the important people are done I'll watch carefully for the cleanup crew.  That's my cue that soon enough I can count on leftover sandwiches in the break room.  Really tasty sandwiches..

Another pathetic example from a few days ago:  Boss swings by with a foam container - "Hey Alby, want the other half of my steak and cheese pita?" - "Nah... I'm good.  Gotta keep swinging the axe".  Him - "Well, you could save it in the fridge for tomorrow.." Me -"Ooh, that's a good idea - sure, put it in there".   Remember the movie "Gone in 60 seconds"? I beat that.

So this winter / next spring -  The clear focus *has*  to be calorie deficit.  I am still quite porky by bike racing standards - which in a way seems good.  That means there's a whole bunch of speed left to be found.  The flip side of this, which I am sure happens to anyone looking to push themselves to the next level is that being competitive at even a slightly higher level starts to mean work.  So far "training" has been:  Ride to work, go race every so often and win.   Must be strong...  Must stop finding food - or settle for having gone racing "just for the fun of it".  Yick.

Commutah with a computah?? Cygolite Expilion 250 review - it's just right

I have a small collection of existing lights that are plenty effective for either trail riding or commuting - but recently purchased one of  Cygolite's latest - the "Expilion 250" as it has additional features especially suitable for commuters.   One of those existing lights is the Cygolite Trion 600, which has become my go-to handlebar light for the past two years due to it's performance, ease of use and reliability.  Consider the Expilion 250 a well matched smaller sibling with a few extras.

 Finer points of the Expilion 250:

• One piece design
•  Battery is easily removed / replaced
• Chargeable via USB port
• Lightweight enough for helmet mounting

As for the one piece design:  It caters well to transitioning off and on the bike.  There is no fussing with Velcro straps & cables.  It helps give pessimists the impression that bike-commuting is relatively fuss free. As anyone who bike commutes knows -  when people are on the fence comparing means of transportation they are often at looking the weaknesses or inconvenience opposite their current system. This is one less thing.

Removable battery:  No-brainer here.  Current lithium based battery technology is very impressive - but they still can fail or die out with time.  Having the ability to swap out the battery addresses serviceability and you can bring an extra along for both run-time and the all important redundancy factor.

USB port charging:  I had initially shrugged this off as unnecessary extravagance.  After all, just about every light system available now can run on high for 2.5 hours or more.  My commute is anywhere from 40 to 60 minutes one-way, so why bother?  Worst case you can reduce the output and have plenty to get home safely.  Fact is, I just like being able to top it off at work - knowing I have more than double the capacity required.  This feature really does help increase flexibility for folks who might do lots of work related traveling.  For example: I have a co-worker who flies in from Chicago every Monday - then heads back home on Fridays.  With a one-piece light that requires no special charger - it's that much less fuss.

Lightweight:  At 130 grams it can be used as a dedicated helmet light without causing major imbalance or neck problems.  This is exactly where mine stays - again contributing to simple transitioning.

Light, handlebar mount, helmet mount and US quarter for size reference

Battery removed - simple twist & lock installation - but watch it (or don't)!  The light turns on immediately when you put the battery in.

Wall socket adapter and included USB cable.

Handlebar mount includes adapters for 25.4-31.8mm Ø bars

USB input charging jack with rubber seal

On the household glass head

While charging - light remains red

Done charging  = green. 

Also green during operation with blinking that increases in speed when battery power starts to dwindle.

So the big question of course with any lighting system:  "how much power she got?". For practical application:  Plenty.  I have used the Expilion 250 all by itself on many rides and have found it to have enough light to be used by itself.  That said,  I prefer to use it in tandem with the handlebar light.  It's in this configuration where the it really shines (grrroannn..) especially during pitch black or rainy commutes. With the handlebar light, one can flood the immediate path ahead to illuminate road hazards without blinding oncoming traffic and use the helmet light to project further ahead or around - and if necessary (yes sometimes it's necessary) blind side-street traffic. 

Side note on lighting in general related to commuting:  I have found motorists seem to respect the handlebar mounted lights more than the helmet light by itself.  Theory:  The handlebar light has the same presence & stability as motor-vehicles.  Motor vehicles are far more likely to scratch paint = more respect than bobbing helmet light - which obviously to the sub-conscious is *not* a motor vehicle likely to scratch paint. 

The following photos are an unfair comparison (in terms of overall output)  - but should serve well to demonstrate the beam pattern against the Trion 600 and the very popular Magic-Shine.   The Expilion 250 is rated by Cygolite at 250 lumen's - the Trion 600 (ready for it?) 600 lumen's and the Magic-Shine a slightly optimistic 900 lumen's.

Overall distance here is almost exactly 100' from the lights to the line between the woods and driveway looking straight ahead.  Camera was set at F stop /  4.0 with a time value of 1.3 seconds.  I'm no expert with photography so go easy on me.

Cygolite Trion 600 -  floody buddy

Magic Shine showing her well defined lines

Cygolite Expilion 250 -  very bright and localized. Quite good considering it has less than half the lumen's

The photos clearly demonstrate the beam pattern of the Expilion is more spotlight / less flood than the 600 or more lumen systems which is to be expected.  This offers enough "hotness" to provide well projected illumination - without losing too much light to excessive dispersion.  My advice - use the Expilion exclusively on your helmet to allow pointing the light where needed.  Usually one points ones head in the direction they want to look or go -this'd be a win-win.

Overall I give this light a 4 out of 5. It'd be nearly a 5 were it not for one issue:  The mount tolerances are too tight!  I don't remove my light from my helmet so it's less of an issue for me personally - but if you need to mount and remove the light from the mount  regularly you will find it very difficult to remove.  I remedied this by carefully whittling away some of the material from the light mount slides and retaining plastic spring / lever with an X-acto knife.  It works easier now, but still offers more resistance than preferred. 

UPDATE- Cygolite has responded to the mounting issue http://www.cygolite.com/products/new/Expilion/exp_brackets.html

Here's where to look at more detailed specs: 

http://www.cygolite.com/products/new/Expilion/expilion250.html

MSRP is $ 139.99 - shop around some and you can find it for $20 less.  I happen to know this bike shop..  

It came through.

In 1978 after a lifetime of being carted around in VW beetles that my dad would patch up, our family acquired our first ever new car:  A Ford Fiesta.  Not just any Ford Fiesta, but a bright orange "S" model.  That'd be the sport version for those not-in-the-know.  The Fiesta was designed by the same fellow who introduced the world to the VW Rabbit - thusly it had some Euro pedigree in the form of excellent handling and phenomenal fuel mileage.  I ask the fuel addicted automotive world again:  DOES ANYONE REMEMBER THE SEVENTIES??  It was a quick car at the time due to weighing nearly as much as a modern day...  You know, I don't think anyone makes cars that light and dangerous anymore.

The point of this?  At the time I was overwhelmed by the turn of events.  I had never dreamed it possible that our family could purchase such a beautiful new car.  The first few days it sat in the driveway I'd just stare at it in amazement. 

Now, I'm not suggesting sponsorship is quite on the level of a new car to an impressionable 8 year old - but I still have a bit of doubt that what I have chanced upon is real.  Quite like the Fiesta I am over-dramatizing an everyday occurence.  But for now, I'll take it further than necessary.

Here's my first official plug - I'm rolling with these guys: http://www.bikeman.com/  Here's to 2011!  Fact is,  I have been a bikeman the whole time.  Just ask the girls who I pass cutting through the soccer field on the way home.  "Hey.. bikeman..." Yeah, that's me.

OMG! I'm like almost sponsored.

On Friday afternoon I received an emailed sponsorship offer from *the only* bike team I had been interested in.  I won't divulge the team quite yet as the whole thing could backfire.  Let's just say they're a bike shop from New England, they've been around for awhile and they're wicked smaht... in terms of utilizing the internet to it's fullest.  During the Hampshire 100 (a race I have yet to post about - among  many others that deserve mention) I rode behind one of their team members for awhile and even announced out loud to my favorite rival who I was pacing with that I was interested in joining that team.  The rider overheard me (oh good, it worked) and said it wasn't too hard to hook up with them.  Most excellent I thoughts to myself!

Part of the requirement (a big part) is to bolster internet marketing by offering reports - whether they be from racing, general riding or bike tech.  Additionally, one must offer a short bio and photo for the team page.  In turn, one recieves a very nice discount on general merchandise - an intial team kit below cost and of course above all, gets that much closer to being a "real" race dude.

Most of the racer bio's have a picture of the rider in racer attire looking pretty gnar.  The team manager made it clear, that it was not necessary to be decked out in the team kit with your bike for the photo.  For me, that was a  green light to mix things up and maybe even be a touch competive.  You see, day after day, I am trounced by super dads hamming it up with their kids eliciting oohs and ahhs from ladies.  It's my turn bitches. 

Here is one of the resultant shots from todays photo-shoot.  Ladies out there - try not to be overwhelmed with your emotions or desire.  I know I am working with immense power here, if things get out of hand remind yourself that most of us are competive jerks at the core.



To the men out there: Yeah that's right.  You've been pwnd pal.  By a dad hauling ass with his kid on a dangerously ill constructed pedicab.  I did make sure that it has two brakes - just in case one lets loose.  So maybe, just maybe I'm not all bad.

A how to guide to "bonking"

Yesterday evening I was perusing the net and checked out the Narragansett Wheelmen site.  The Narragansett Wheelmen are a bike club out of Rhode Island that have been around for quite some time.  I believe it may be the oldest bike club in the country.  Every Sunday they put together a  group ride somewhere in Southern NE.  These are typical group rides - the fast folk go out first (18 or more avg speed) then the mid-range riders, and then the beginners.  So far I have ridden with them three times - here's my account of all of em' - and of course the one I did just today that resulted in my first bonkage.

My first ride with the club was last year around November.  It was a crazy warm day with temps nearing 70º.  Truth be told at the end, I wasn't all that smitten with the group riding concept.  Firstly, the ride I chose was out of Taunton, MA - as in "flat".  There was a shorter ride and a 50 miler.  I took off with the fast dudes and hung out near the front taking pulls from time to time. Riding in close proximity to a bunch of bikers you have never met is an exercise in everything biking isn't: It's not relaxing, and you don't enjoy the scenery - (unless it happens to be fit and jogging alongside the road).  The ride took a little over 2 hours.  Fairly quick, but that's to be expected when there is like maybe 200' of climbing.   So at the end, due to drafting and little climbing I just didn't feel very spent or enchanted.

Being a glutton for punishment - I opted to try again this year.  The chosen ride went right by our neighborhood - so I figured I'd ride solo to the start point in Central Falls (yah I know, not the kind of town you want to bring anything of value into) and finish up back at home.  This ride was for a benefit supporting some Columbian team or something like that.  I arrived about 20 minutes before the start and paced around to keep the juices flowing.  It was a fairly hot day - so the event coordinators graciously offered everyone additional water delivered in an ice filled plastic garbage can.  That was a pretty nice touch I must say.  We took off at the scheduled time escorted by the police.  Riding through downtown Central Falls was a bit surreal..  There was a lot of Columbian patriotism taking place - everywhere we went people were cheering (or jeering?) - giving the start a kind of parade atmosphere.  We finally got out of town, and I was feeling pretty darn good.  So good in fact that I laid on the hammer hard at the first big hill, laying waste to dozens of very well appointed riders. These aren't races but I just can't help myself - thankfully neither can some other guys.  There was one fellow, obviously Columbian (had the team jersey) and two others able to hang.  From there - our group of four tore it up.  This was more like it!  I am a pretty decent hill climber, so I'd pull the group up the hills and when the terrain flattened the big diesels would take over - with me barely clinging on in their wake.  The Columbian guy was entirely unconcerned with things like stop signs or traffic signals - as in, he wouldn't slow down at all for them.  The first complete blow-through was crossing Rte 146.  He weaved across the four lane highway dodging cars moving over 50mph. Umm.. OK pal, if that's your thing... I opted to wait out the light and not give motorists any further reason to run over cyclists.     Even with two water bottles and the extra water from the start I ran out with about 15 miles to go (this ride was around 50 miles as well) as it was hot, hot, hot! Near our house I bid farewell to the guys and turned off.  This was more like it: Hills, and fast.  Total ride mileage 56.9, time - about 2.5 hours - elevation gain:  about 3,700'

So today's ride..  Again it was pretty close to home.  I have kind of made it a point now not to drive to these things.  The ride was a 63 miler that starts at Ponagansett HS and heads out to the hills in CT and back.  I rode over to the high school (about 9 miles and got there with about 5 minutes to spare. 

The chosen bike: Salsa Vaya.  The Vaya is an "adventure" bike - at least that's the marketing angle.  It has a steel frame and relaxed geometry with a tallish head tube. It is fitted with braze-ons everywhere to fit just about every accessory made.  It also has disc-brake mounts.  Yes, I know - blasphemy on a road type bike. Fact is - they work really good - especially in wet or snowy conditions, which is where I intend to use the it.  There is plenty of clearance for juicy tires and fenders.  My initial intention with this ride was to just have a nice and easy tour of the countryside on a very comfortable bike.  Apparently I am still too immature to partake in this kind of riding.  When the coordinator announced that it was time for the fast guys to go - I joined them.  It  really seemed like the only thing to do:  While all of the fast guys were on fast bikes (the Vaya is about 29 lbs all up vs. their under 20lb machines) I knew if I rode with the mid-range folks I'd end up getting bored.  The ride took off and again, at some of the first hills I was able to quickly establish myself in the hierarchy.  I hung in for about 40 miles and then it hit:  Bonkage.  I just ran out of juice.  It was so sudden and debilitating that I started negotiating with another rider "I give you a nice PB & J sandwich after the ride if you give me one of your gels".  You see, I had brought only one water bottle and the  PB&J sandwich.  Like an idiot, I threw the sandwich in the pannier bag (another indication that I had a leisurely ride in mind from the start) but being kind of competitive, I wanted no part of stopping.  Without any hesitation, this kind fellow offered up one of his gels.  I thanked him profusely, and while I started squeezing it out and forcing it down I watched the group of five just kind of drift away.  There was nothing I could do.  To make matters worse, temps were in the low forties from the start, and supposed to move up to the mid-fifties.  That never happened.  The peak temperature for the day was 47º.  I was wearing shorts, a light long sleeved polypro shirt, shell vest and gloves.  I started getting real cold around mile 50 or so.  I finally pulled over to down the sandwich and kept on keeping on.  When the route got into Putnam, I was unable to resist pulling into Dunkin Donuts for a coffee.  The course continued on and started following some local roads I ride from time to time.  That was comforting, as I knew just how far I had to go, or so I thought.   I turned off the established route and headed towards home - feeling good that I was going to be OK.  Roughly 3 miles from home, I found the road was closed (#$% !!) . A bridge was completely out and there was no way I could hike the bike across.  I ended up having to turn back around which meant at least 10 additional miles.  Thoughts of calling for a ride started to come to mind.  But I just can't do that!  I think I'd rather curl up and die -  further indication that I have a ways to go with immaturity.  (I mean, I have a family for cripes sake!!)  After 5.5 hours of riding here are the numbers - the very sad numbers:

Miles:  88
Elevation gain: 6,150 feet
Food eaten the day before: A bowl of cereal, two eggs, two slices of Pizza and three glasses of wine
Food eaten the morning before:  A bowl of cereal

The simple lesson:  Next time eat some damn food a few days in advance, bring more food / beverages and take the damn fast bike!!  Unless you intend to ride in a leisurely fashion.  Right. 

Well, I should go now.  My right hamstring starting to cramp up.

Racing - the first season..

So  - February passes, then March!, next thing you know - here comes April!  I'm busy as ever at my desk, checking out stuff of interest on the net and find "EFTA" - That's "Eastern Fat Tire Association".   (Just so you know, they won't hack on you if you run skinny-tires). I had been thinking about racing mountain bikes since..  Ohh, round maybe 1988? ish?  Never had the nerve though.  See, I don't like failure.  I mean how harmful can putting off something you've really wanted to do for over 20 years be?  Here was my "sign":  We had just moved to Glocester, RI in Aug of 08'  - Guess where the first race of the EFTA series takes place?  Yup!! I am going to be the local favorite!!  Not to mention I am too old to give a damn if I lose (maybe).

 I present the idea of racing to my wife - who has listened to me blather on bout' my  mad mountain bike skillz endlessly through the years.   You see, while I might have been fat - all through the years I'd get out here and there and lay waste to co-workers and random people I'd meet on the trails (cept' for the Subaru guy in Douglas State Forest - where are you now dude!?).  Her immediate reaction:  "you need to get your ass kicked".  Nice honey, real nice.  There you have it. - Simple enough goal:  get my ass kicked. 

First race of 09'  -  THE GLOCESTER GRIND

The day was kind of drizzly and cool.  Temps were right around 50º (alt 167) F.  Kind of miserable in some ways, but also kind of refreshing.  If any of you  first timers feel intimidated by lots of men in flashy spandex - come see me and I'll warm you right up with a nice hug.  Really though, seeing all of these rad dudes gave me a severe case of the Queen Alexandria Birdwings.

Having read up on racing and stuff I knew a pre-ride was a good idea.  Off I went- tra, la, la.. how nostalgic.  My first ever pre-ride!  I start riding around the course which starts in a smallish field - it then ducks into a little pine forest and then,  then..  Holy Crap! A mud-hole infested with rocks (this is the best overall description of the Gloceseter Grind FYI).  Being a technical hero in my mind, I figure I can clean it. "It" in turn dirty's and bruises me.  *fall number one* Thankfully no-one sees this, so I continue on pre-riding.  As I keep riding, I continue to chance upon more of these rock gardens - and continue to think I can find the best line right from the get-go.  Not so.  *fall number two, three and four* It now occurs to me that this course is just as, if not tougher than the tough stuff I ride in Douglas State Forest - even worse - I really don't have the time to figure out all the best lines.  Not good. 

So I continue on and catch up with some slinky dudes in really nice looking spandex.  They see me coming and for sure -it is plainly printed on my entire outfit "Novice idiot racer".  Being perfectly non-competitive gentlemen, they up the pace a little.  Being a non competitive gentleman myself, I in turn up my pace a little.  Lo & behold - they go a little faster! This trend continues and I am starting to feel it.  The speed increases to the point where one of the riders declares to the to other "umm, this is a little bit fast for a pre-ride".  Now, I'm totally smug-ified with me.  Hah!  These dudes are all fancy looking and I have induced a verbal truce!  Hah! hah! Ho! SH#%!! *fall number six* I am left for dead.  I decide maybe it's not so smart to continue at this pace before the race and ease my way back having completed the whole loop.  I get back to the car and things are bad - real bad.  All of the crashing has torqued the hell out of my back.  Having alot of experience, I know when a bad back session is coming - it's here, I'm there and I want no part of riding around that thing again.  Decision time. 

I spend about 15 minutes at the car deliberating the situation.  One part of me knows it is a bad idea to go through with this, the other part wants no part of limping home a failure (see paragraph one).  So I decide.  Luckily I have a little baby jar with various meds - and it has some Ibuprofen of some sort. I pop a couple of those, do a few stretches - and limp back across the road to the start area. It's on.

Because there aren't so many of us they group our age category (35 to 41) with the older guys (42 to 50).  I swing around to get in the lineup and...  *fall number seven*  Yep.  Not quite used to the clicky pedals - get stuck in one and fall over in front of the opposition.  The announcer on the bull horn makes the most of this (thanks so much Maz) and declares to all:  "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE HAVE OUR FIRST CRASH !!!"  I mutter something about clipless pedals to the guys near me and they chuckle very nicely.  Speaking of opposition, there is some serious hardware in the group - it makes me even more nervous.  Before I know it,  - Maz yells "GO!!"

I charge from the start - holding 2nd or 3rd  until... the first left hand corner in the lovely pine woods section.  I catch a wet root and the ground catches me soon after *crash number eight*.  Four or five guys blow past - and I get back on the bike and crank with everything I have.  I am so pissed at this point - that it takes only a few seconds to catch back up with the group.  We flounder through the mud and this time... this time, I am smart at the first rock garden.  I ride as much as I can safely and then quickly hop off to hike-a-bike the rest of the way.  Learning - idn't it grand?  After the first rock garden there is a stream crossing with a well-established cut on either side. Some guy on a $4000 bike hops off and proceeds to walk through right in front of me.  I yell to him: "coming through" and he yells back "your riding through that!?" - (all of this takes place within milliseconds).  With no time for nice, nice - I yell back "YES!!!!" He is clearly in the way and I choose the only alternative:  over the 2' vertical bank into the stream.  With massive exertion - I hop back up the other side (an equally impressive embankment).  Take that super nice bike guy! (the bike - not you)

The rest of the middle of the race is kind of a blur - except one really stellar crash.  There was section where you could either ride through a deep puddle with a bank and log on the other side or ride the alternate route - a very wet and slippery plank.  Having  already tested the board side ( maybe crash number four or five?) I opted to go for the mud puddle / log.  It became quickly apparent that this option wasn't any better than the board.  I caught the log at the worst possible moment with the front tire and the bike simply disappeared *crash number nine* sending me flying super-man style where I landed me a solid 10' beyond the log.    While us novice idiots where sloshing and crashing around - the real superheros were getting in their warmup run.  Just as this crash occured, one such superhero was behind me.  In the most valley-boy california accent he piped up - dooood!!! That was epic! RU like OK??  -I replied "Fine thank you!" - his reply, "Ok man, don't worry about me  - I'm not racing ha..ha.. ha.."  Towards the end of the race I noticed I was gaining on someone I recognized - it was one of the guys I started with.  This spurred me on a bit - and I put my all into finishing as strongly as possible.  Holy cows - I did it!  Finished the race - and I can still kind of walk!

End result:  1st place (in my age group) OK... - so there was like  only 3 or 4 guys in my age group - but this was something special for me.   Here I am, almost close enough in weight to race the clydesdale class (200 #  - A half gallon of pre-race water would have done it) and I manage a decent time (for a novice).  Maybe I'll have to check out the next race.  Further end result - my back seems to have benefitted from all the action.  I thought for sure I'd be laid up for a week.  Instead - some pain, but nothing debilitating.  Yay!

Go get my ass kicked - Hah!  Take that my lovely- your man is coming home a bona-fide MTB winner.

The first commuter bike

Motivated by the back pain - I fixed up a Specialized Expedition I had since my last biking obsession in 01' and equipped it with... drum roll please.... an electric motor. Now this alone might seriously put off many hardcore bike folk BUT I HAD MY REASONS!!

1) I was fat(ter) - and this was easier to manage. I have tried to avoid the reality but the truth are what it are.
2) I couldn't show up to work all sweaty. Simple enough - working your tush off (that's inaccurate - your tush kind of gets firm but maintains its presence) can make one inappropriately smelly and corporate merica just doesn't allow that. More on this later..
3) This is super cool technology: I like neato mechanical things. A bicycle is a neato mechanical thing, my job involves neato mechanical things, my other interests are neato mechanical things - my wife is not a fembot- so I have achieved some balance.
4) Not only was the technology cool - it was capable. I purchased my BIONX PL-350 for a mere $.. Let's not talk about that. Let's talk about how far it could go - and the nifty features:

• 4 assist and 4 regeneration modes. This is huge. When you feel strong, use mode I or don't use any assist at all. Heck - feeling REALLY strong? Use regenerate mode 4. Any of you hardcore beetches think an electric bike is for wussies? Try this out: Ride all day in regen mode 4. I rode home once in regen mode 4. That was the usual 13.2 miles with about 850' of climbing. Note I said "once". That was just to prove to myself it could be done.

• It could go the distance: The round trip commute to work is about 26-28 miles depending on whether or not I can cut through a field due to snow. In the winter I get another couple of miles in. My first test run was on mode 2. It took place on the weekend and drained the battery about 3/4's worth. Mode 2 had plenty of power; enough to average about 19.7 mph

• It works with you - not all by it's lonesome: This is another biggie. The genius behind the design is that riding is intuitive. There is a strain gauge that monitors how much you strain (got it?) and in turn it puts out a percentage of corresponding power depending on how much power you put out. It'd be like if me and my lady went out the tandem bike and worked in perfect harmony. Quite opposite the way I usually commandeer the tandem - here's one clue: Bendix 2 speed kickback shifting. Here is another: Maybe some shin guards would be a good idea? When I bought the thing the guy warned me ‘ “You’d better have good communication skills, if not it’ll test your relationship some”

• It’s well integrated: Sure you can buy kits out there that will kind of get the job done for less money. It is doubtful they have as many useful settings or work as seamlessly. The cheap kits appeal to those who like the “Back to the Future” look. Lots of gaudy technology zip-tied and bolted with various adapters to a likely even cheaper and more gaudy bike. I think I just offended a few MIT boys - not one bit sorry bout that. Enjoy your leggings, armor and buxom wenches ya nerds.
• It can be fitted on your existing bike. This really doesn't need a lot of explanation. I had a bike - they had a motor. The BIONX weighs less than just about every system out there. It has a whole bunch of other features that are properly documented here:

http://www.nycewheels.com/bionxpl350-electricbike-motorkit.html I suggest considering the system while your significant other is either away or intoxicated. I know I was drunk when I bought mine.