50 Days!

50 Days until the Big Day!!

Thursday Nights at Wheeler Airport

We've recently started up a Thursday Night Ride at the Wheeler Airport just northwest of downtown KC. It's a 4.3 mile loop around the limited access road that surrounds the airport. It's popular due to the lack of traffic, the relatively flat course, and the fact that you're never more than 2 miles from you car (in case things go south one way or another).

If you're into training, it's a good location to gauge progress over time, and between rides.

If you want to join us, we meet at 5:30pm every Thursday night at the Wheeler Airport, just off the Broadway Bridge, north of downtown KC. Last week we rode for an hour or so, at a 18-22mph pace.

There are two main parking lots to set off from, and we'll make it a habit to meet near Hanger 3.

Today, however, on only our second go around, it's raining steady and may not lighten up by tonight.

- Keep Ridin'

Verizon Clearly Doesn't Know Me

Lately it seems that every time I reboot my Blackberry 9360 Tour (which I'm quite fond of, incidentally), there's another strange new app loaded onto it. At first, I thought it was odd... Slacker Radio was there, bright and shiny on my home screen. "Odd" I thought to myself, "I don't remember getting that... must have missed a clause in some EULA somewhere". Then Bing showed up. Then Skype.

Ok. Something is up.

Then today, NFL Mobile showed up.

Seriously. Verizon. You clearly don't know me. It's obvious at this point that you have no idea who I am.

Let me be absolutely clear on this. I couldn't possibly care less about the NFL.

I did a quick Google (!Bing) search on line, and found this: Free NFL Mobile App for Blackberry Now Available. Thoughts and solutions to this intrusive (though unavoidable at the moment) practice are in the comments.

In short, you can...

• Delete the service, though it will probably show up again when you resend your service book.
• Simply hide the icons, or put them all in a single folder and hide the folder.
• Install the app, and then delete it. Until you install it, the delete option is unavailable.

Hope that helps...

Indoor Training, How To Not Be Bored

The timing of this post by the newly married Fat Cyclist, and what I was thinking about writing this morning could not be better. Fortuitous, that is, in a most nonfortuitous way.

The topic on my mind is how to stay entertained when riding/training indoors in lieu of riding to work. He’s on about making sure Perfectly Good Excuses are the only ones that keep you from riding to work. I’ll refer you to Elden’s writings on the subject. It’s very good. He’s a lot better than I am, after all.

So, while he waxes on about the necessity of a Perfectly Good Excuse, I’ll just say that very few of my excuses for riding indoors since November have been “Perfectly Good” and leave it at that.

So, given that I can live with that, how do I make the best of it? I really want to keep in riding shape, but riding indoors on a trainer is boring. There are no gorgeous views atop the crest of a hill at sunset after a brief rainfall. There are no epic climbs to conquer with chest-pounding exuberance. There are no irresponsibly fast (but undeniably joyous) sweeps around the tight bends of bike/ped trails.

Then again, there are no momentum killing stop lights. There are no self-entitled drivers scoffing at the law and my safety. There are no bottles/bottle rockets being thrown at you from the passenger seats of hick pickup trucks (and I say “hick” with as much derision, and as little respect as I can possibly fathom – they are the scourge of the road). There is no cold rain.

What remains, is you, your trainer, and hopefully a relatively climate controlled room in which to train.

Oh, and that pesky need to stay engaged and entertained.

Personally, I’ve found two approaches work best. The first is music. The second is television.

I like using music as a distraction for a few reasons.

• The rhythm makes for a tightly controlled cadence. A carefully crafted playlist can guide you through whatever kind of workout you want. You still control the resistance via gearing, but the cadence inspiring rhythm is hard to ignore.
• The music allows the mind to wander. I’ve taken Hincapie, Landis and Armstrong on many times, and have always come out victorious.
• The songs tend to break up the workout into smaller chunks. It’s not one long haul. Instead, it’s a bunch of smaller hauls, each with it’s own song.
• But mostly it’s the rhythm.
• Sometimes, however, music isn’t enough to keep my mind engaged while my legs push the pedals.

I like television as a distraction for a few reasons, also.

• Getting caught up in a good show or movie makes the time fly by. Before you know it, you’ve reached your time or (virtual) mileage goal, and it’s time to unclick.
• I do like my stories, and it’s a perfect time to get some training in while staying current. After all, it’s very important to me to stay abreast of what’s going on with the Graystones and Adamas.
• The television doesn’t encourage a good steady cadence like music does, though. I’ve been riding long enough that I naturally fall within the 90-100rpm cadence I’ve heard is best, but there was a time when that wouldn’t have been the case.

Some tips from a rank amateur…

• If you want to train early in the morning, try to find a place as far away from sleeping people as possible. Trainers are a bit noisy. The music and television need to be noisier.
• Find a dedicated place to train if you can. Having to break down and set up the trainers can be a minor pain.
• Make or find a plan and stick to it. Riding indoors is boring, after all, so at least make sure you’re making progress and getting stronger, faster, and better.

In the immortal words of Greg LeMond, "It never gets easier, you just go faster."

Predators On Facebook Tough To Track - Kansas City News Story - KMBC Kansas City

Predators On Facebook Tough To Track - Kansas City News Story - KMBC Kansas City: "KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Your child could be talking to a sexual predator on Facebook and not even know it. Thursday, February 18, 2010."

Just watched this on the television... more ridiculous scare mongering from self-important local news personalities. To be fair, the advice was good, such as "Don't say anything online that you wouldn't say in real life." and the tips for parents.


However, they lost me with the bits about the sex offenders and the lack of police manpower and time to check them all was completely glossed over. They ignored the fact that the list is so polluted with people who have no business being there, that the police may miss the real threats.


In the end, it was irrational fear mongering in the name of ratings without any real perspective on the level of danger.
But that's what I expected to find, so that's what I found.

Guest Author: Mrs. Cue Ball

David,

I don't think you deserve an explanation for how I've treated you. I don't think I owe you anything. But I think we have a chance, you and I, of getting back what we once had, so I'm going to give you one.

I don't always go where you want me to go, and often I go exactly where you don't want me to go. What do you expect? You haven't been visiting me that much. I'm hurt, and am feeling neglected by the lack of attention lately. So, yeah, maybe I am being a little passive aggressive. Instead of talking to you directly, I behave badly, and hope you'll work it out yourself. I'm talking to you directly now, though. So anything that happens after this is on you.

If you'd just spend more time with me, I wouldn't have to hide myself behind the pretty blue 2 ball. With more attention, I may have slowed to a stop a few inches back that way, and let you see your 11 ball. Look at it, all pretty and stripey. Oh wait. You can't see it. The 2 is in the way. My bad. *shrug*

Also, about that thing you call a stroke. I bet you can't even remember what it's called, can you? Can you? Chicken wing! That's what it's called. But what's it all about? Where'd that come from? You used to hit me true and on the straight and narrow. I used to know right where to expect you. Now, you're all over the place. What am I supposed to do with that? I try to go where you want me to go, but what you apparently want, and what you're telling me are two completely different things.

You did this to yourself. It's not my fault you decided you had more important things to do. Now you want to come back and pick up where things left off. Well, let me tell you, it's not that simple. It's not going to happen that way. I lost faith in you. I lost trust in you. You're going to have to earn it back. That means time. That means attention, and if you want me back, you're going to have to give me that time and attention. If I don't get it, I'm going to keep dumping you for the other person to see how they do.

I'm being straight with you here, which is more than I can say for how you've been treating me, Mr. Chicken Wing.

Now, I'm not saying I'll leave you forever. I think we have a chance. We used to have something real good going on. It was solid. We liked each other. We joked around. We played, we laughed. we had a great time! I'm telling you, we can have all that again. But it's conditional... we can have all that again on the condition that you treat me right, and with the respect you used to show me; the respect I deserve. We have a chance, you and I, but remember what I said: time and attention. There are no freebies here. You can't just expect me to do what you want. You have to earn it.

I'm around... you just have to find me again.
Yours,
Cue Ball

Wave

Got my Wave invitation. Now I have to figure out what to do with it. Any idaas?

A Series of Fortunate Events

It's a bit dark in the mornings these days to break out the camera and provide visual evidence of how gorgeous it is. Not that that's anything new to the huge number of readers I have the pleasure of counting as my audience. I have really nice camera, but I just can't seem to stop myself while riding long enough to take pictures. Maybe one day I'll learn to slow down and enjoy the views a bit more. Maybe some day I'll come up with a safe way to store the camera so that it's easily accessible.

Until then, my flowery language will have to suffice.

At better than 60°F this morning, cloudy and just slightly damp, it was a truly spectacular 5 mile ride in to work.

I couldn't have driven even if I'd wanted to, as my car is in the shop getting it's transmission and fuel system flushed, a tire repaired, and some drying and cracking belt that apparently runs lots of really important systems replaced.

Would I have driven? Maybe. I might have driven and brought with me a week's worth of clothes so I didn't have to pack each day. Then I would have driven again on Friday to take it all back home. This is an odd week, though... Nov. 11th is a holiday, and I have an early morning meeting on the 12th I have to drive in for. It'd be a weird week anyway. So I probably would have just packed the three days I'll be riding and called it good.

What's the real point of this post though? Even though my car is in the shop, I was able to easily make it to work without relying directly on anyone else, using skills and techniques that I've developed myself. We won't get into the hair splitting exercise that I do, in fact, rely on countless people, including bike manufacturers, road crews, clothing designers and manufacturers, programmers, etc. We'll just leave it with the idea that this morning, I got here on my own power.

In the end, I'm fortunate in that I don't require my car at work today, but I'm prepared in that I don't require my car to get to work. The gorgeous weather just adds icing to an already fortunately well-prepared day.

Pay-As-You-Go Auto Insurance

Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner of California released regulations permitting and authorizing mileage verification for pay-as-you-drive. The idea being that Californians won't drive as much if they pay-per-mile.

Spokesmen from a few Insurance companies, including State Farm and Allstate, have stated that they are considering pay-per-mile auto insurance but haven't decided whether or not it'll actually become a reality.

With the economy being the way it is, getting a...

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Is it just me, or would this be of great benefit to those of us who ride our bikes as much as, if not more than, we drive?

I can hear the detractors now, though... "Pay your fair share of the road costs! Register your bike so you have a right to the road just like we do!" Bah. As if insurance payments go to road maintenance.

I wonder if, after a year on a pay-as-you-go plan, they'd be willing to go the same route as utility companies who offer "Budget Billing" rates based on the average of your last 12 months?

Yay! Another Car Story — But Much Happier!

"Hi Readers — When you get right down to it, a lot of Free-Range Kids ends up being a plea for more community. More helping each other, more trusting each other, even more hanging out with each other. And here is a story of just that: A brief glimpse of how nice it is when [...]

When zero-discretion policies and accurate risk calculus collide we have... common sense. This story is remarkable by the very fact that it's unremarkable.