Ok, so we didn't ride yesterday, but today we definitely did!

Previously.... on riding with Dana and Tessa....

     In our last episode, I swore I was riding the next day! Well.... I didn't. But, I went into the wonderful day of Sunday with determination!  I wasn't getting out of the weekend with zero ride time! A couple friends had plans to come up to the Commonwealth and visit today, and I saw that as impeding death to my plans to go for a long ride! I had it set in stone though, one way or another I was strapping up the shoes and putting rubber to the road!

    My daughter takes naps (lucky duck!) daily still.  She actually looks forward to them, and sleeps for quite some time.  Today she got down late, which isn't exactly a bad thing, but it could be if today is a marathon nap day.  The days in New England are getting much shorter and winter is fast approaching.  I knew that if I was getting any time on the bike in, she would have to limit her nap to under 3 hours.  Amazed aren't you?? That's right.... I told you she sleeps like a champ! So, she is starting to stir around 4pm, and I went into high speed get her crap together and go movements.  I packed her snacks, her diapers, my sneakers, a hoody for her, ran back up the stairs and kicked down the door to a giggling little girl!

   All in all, we were peddling by 4:45pm. Destination: Wal-mart.  I previously mapped out three different Wal-mart's in the area, one was 7ish miles away, one was 10ish and another was 12.  I'm an educated individual....I know that if its almost 5 now it would be a race against the clock to get us both safely back home before the streetlights come on.  Plus add on to that she needed dinner at some point too. While subway is getting a bad wrap (play on words! haha) these days, I can see through the smoke and still realize that its a lovely place to enjoy dinner. So I wasn't too worried.

   From our house to Wal-mart its all along a heavily traveled Route 12.  If you aren't familiar, its not quite a limited access highway, but it is a highly traveled State road with many intersections and at three points, three lanes of travel.  It is a gradual incline all the way there with a few dips here and there but a steady up hill ride for the most part. The problem that I found was that some years back, a pipeline was laid into the road and the repave job that was done was HORRIBLE at best. So I spent a lot of the time ridding the fog line, on the traveled portion of the road, fighting off falling into a poorly paved sink hole.  Then, throw in the fact that the Town (or State) seemingly forgot about cutting back the brush along the road way, either I or Tessa's cart got a few good whacks from overgrown brush making its way into the roadway.  I suppose its one of the risks you take riding in the road, but knowing it exists I can tell you that this path of ours may be limited for future rides.

    Aside from the brief rain shower that we incurred, and the falling darkness, overall our trip to Wal-mart for a camera bracket wasn't all that bad.  Tessa had a couple crying fits and didn't feel like riding anymore, and she took a milk bath on the way to the store because it seemed like a good idea at the time. All in all it was about 15.5 miles.

IM RIDING TODAY! No.... no I'm not.... BUT TOMORROW! TOMORROW IM RIDING!!

I never pictured my self getting so into riding my bike that I would actually get bent if I didn't get to ride for a couple days.  Here I am, laying in bed, 10:32pm and I'm slightly pissed that I didn't get any ride time in. Tomorrow though..... tomorrow I am going to ride somewhere!

Tomorrow is a Daddy daycare day, just Tessa and I. In the event I never mentioned it, and you don't actually know me.... Tessa is my daughter. She and I do fun things all the time during daddy daycare days.... like Tea Parties, or watch Frozen 48 times in a row, orrr go for bike rides all over the place! Tomorrow we have a couple small errands to do in the morning around town, and after nap (hers....mine... who is keeping score really?) we have a BBQ to go to on the other side of the next town over.  I already google mapped it.... 4.4 miles up hill one way.... 4.4 miles down hill back. Not a bad little ride for the afternoon! 31 minutes there according to good ol' google! So I think we will pack up the cart and a back pack and head to the BBQ in the afternoon for a few hours after she gets up.  There's a pool there, so even if its hot, we can jump right in!

As I said, I never pictured my self getting bent over a day absent of riding.  I also never in a million years thought I would love to ride nearly as much as I do.  Tessa has the bug too! Its gotten so bad, that we saw a segway at the mall and she started yelling "BIKE, BIKE BIKE!!!" while pointing at it and flailing about.  She loves to go for rides and so do I.  Apparently she gets spun up when we don't....so do I. So tomorrow we definitely ride.

I have found that its wicked easy to apply the phrase "tomorrow I'll do it" to so many things in life that I push even more to not make it just a phrase in this case.  When we ride, we see things.  We experience the world around us.  A year ago if I heard my self saying this I would throw some horrible insults at bike me and laugh. Now, I can tell you have a greater appreciation for the world. THE WORLD. Its huge! There is so much to be seen! Even if its a few miles at a time, its a few miles of something I didn't do yesterday and I would have put off before. I MUST get out and ride. I rode to the post office a few weeks ago on my bike and found that its actually a decent trip to and from.  I rode down the road, past a cemetery looped around and back again and found that the cemetery

is very well manicured.  These are all things I never knew until I rode.  So now, I ride. I ride often and absolutely love it.  I always look forward to the new thing we find on a bike ride. Tomorrow I'm riding.

 

Embrace the Lycra

Long ago I had a room mate who dated a girl who was a borderline professional cyclist.  She lived, breathed, ate and shat cycling. It was obnoxious! I couldn't tolerate it, so when the little bike stand was set up in the living room with first person point of view videos of the Tour De what ever playing in front of her (and him since he had to conform) I had to fight back all that I had not to go find the nearest stick and jam it in their spokes!  The problem here is it wouldn't send them ass over tea kettle in the living room like it would on the road.

Fast forward to where I am today.... almost a professional cyclist, planning my next Century or half century (never knew those meant anything until last week!) I found that I have become more and more like those granola eating douche bags I once waived an angry fist at every morning.  Oh yea...annnnd I am not even remotely close to professional!

When I started to get into this, I was told by my friend to "Embrace the Lycra".  I found that this took on so much more meaning after I rode in the PMC.  I hated.... HATED... those bike people. In fact I used the term "bike people" as inflammatory as some of the worst insults that you can conceive.  However, I realize that thousands of millions of bajillions of people CAN'T just be trying to be trendy. There has got to be an actual meaning and use for the Lycra stuff.  On top of that, I felt that I didn't have the most appealing body for Lycra....its skin tight, and not forgiving! All that aside, I donned the Lycra head to toe for the PMC and at the first drops of sweat that spewed from my body I instantly knew the first reason for the Lycra!  It wicked the moisture away and didn't soak up like my T shirts and basketball shorts did. Aside from that there was the comfort and ease of riding, the aerodynamics, the warmth/cooling.... the list goes on.  So the trendy cats that I thought just wore this stuff because it was the cool thing to do, wears it because it serves a purpose! Who knew?!?

I have almost 76% embraced the Lycra now.  I realize all of its purposeful reasons to be worn and...I own it. So why don't I wear it regularly? Purely because of self image and self confidence! Riding alone, I am the only one seen, riding in a pack of every shape, size and ability I am just that....one of the pack! I blend, I fit in, I have a feeling of acceptance among the masses.  Why allow that to bother me? I have no reason. It just does.  Slowly but surely I am gaining the confidence to embrace the Lycra 100%, 100% of the time because honestly it is necessary and functional.  So, maybe next ride I will have it on from head to toe!

Embrace the Lycra!

Webster to Chepachette

             Since I have started this bike riding thing, I have gone to a seasoned veteran of riding that I am friends with for pointers and tips and stuff.  She has family that lives close to my inlaws and has always said that a ride from our house to their house is a pretty challenging ride, especially when you get to Palaski road.  Its like a giant hellish hill taunting you with every stride of the peddle.  So.... yet again, that competitive nature of  "I can do it..." takes over. So during one of the hottest and most humid days of the year, of course I decide to pack my daughter into her cart and ride on.  The plus side... or the light at the end of the tunnel if you will...theres a lake anxiously awaiting our arrival that we can swim in. Boom. done. sold. Im there.

          All in all it wasnt too bad of a ride.  Definitely has a number of hills that were strenuous, but over all functional.  The added weight that I am pulling definitely is noticable throughout the entire ride let alone on the hills! You would be surprised how much an extra 28 pounds is while riding! If you really want an idea, get on your bike and drag a couple cinder blocks behind you...and talk to them. Thats right.....I just compared my daughter to a couple of cinder blocks. What?

           It is a great ride with great views along the way! It takes you by Webster lake and two others.  They are all pretty much well kept and beautiful views! In fact at one point my daughter kept pointing things out saying "Daddy, pretty!".  Normally I would just say she was likely calling her Daddy pretty....because lets face it... I am pretty! In this case though, it was obvious it was the exhilarating ambiance she was enthralled with!

         Half way through the ride, I stopped to make sure the silence in the cart wasn't due to a severe case of dehydration and heat stroke rendering her unable to speak..... So we parked in someones driveway along 193.... all was well. She was just napping... who knew! So a quick temperature check revealed a cool dry child who was resting comfortably on our traverse across three states! Of course though, this woke her up.  From here I would venture a guess that the lay on looker thought maybe I was insane, we pretty much sang the ABC's a hundred times ending with a wicked loud YAAAAYYY!!! and clapping all through Thompson. By the time we hit Rhode Island, we were counting to ten over and over again together. In the event you weren't aware.....counting to ten is 1....2.... 6...9.....6....9...TENNNN!!!!! Yaaaaay!!!!

      All in all, no stops were necessary aside from the one pulse check we did at the half way mark! That is of course until we got to Palaski road.  That required two (2) hops off the bike and pushing up some hills that I swear were purposefully placed on my path solely to try and kill me. Either way, my daughter was happy, had a fun time and I rained enough sweat to resemble a small monsoon hit us on the way.  Great ride, fun times, cant wait until our next!

Thompson River Trail

               Two days after the Pan-Mass Challenge I decided it would be a good plan to ride again.... even when I was still sore and hurting from the PMC! So I packed up the hoopty and took my wife and daughter to the Thompson River Trail just down the road from us in Thompson CT!

                It is a nice place but slightly confusing as to where to go and how the path runs, so we basically just did our own thing! We left from the parking area near the Gazebo and rode down the path, through the Town Hall parking lot, over a bridge annnd basically found what I assumed was the next portion of the trail.  All in all I would say its pretty nice! It seemed to be the best idea in order to work out the pains of the distance ride, get back on the bike and ride more! Logical right?  So onward we peddled!

            If youre cool with dodging piles of broken beer bottle glass and sandy sidewalks have at it! There are some really nice off road sections that go along the river that is wicked nice! I would say this would be a much better ride had I had the off road mountain bike tires back on it, but either way still a fun couple of hours with the family!

From 20 miles to 56

               I have always been wicked competitive.  I may not have been the best competitor, but nonetheless extremely competitive and not much has changed today.  When I bought my bike I knew that I planned to push my self to limits I have never gone to before, I just didn't know where, or how.  Shortly after I bought the bike I had looked into all sorts of things..... organized trail rides, road rides, paths....you name it, I looked into it. It all looked fun, and like something I would try to do.  Years ago a friend of mine road in the Pan-Mass challenge and I followed along with his progress, so I decided to message him and learn more about it.  When I realized what it was, what it was about and who it helped I was in.  I was riding in this!!  192 miles seemed do'able....maybe?

               So I went onto the website and looked into the details on how to sign up and what I could potentially do.  The only thing available was a couple 20ish mile rides, a 40ish and then an 80 mile ride.  Since I was so convinced that 192 miles was do'able, naturally my next step would be to go with the 80 miles! So I started training.....and by training I mean chip shot 10-12 mile bike rides with my daughter in her cart.  In hindsight, I really should have planned out a more organized training schedule and built up to 80 plus miles.

            With limited funds, I chipped away at adding parts that were necessary in taking a mountain bike..... on an 80 plus mile road ride. First things first....road tires. It seemed only logical to put road tires on a bike for a road ride.  Next came shoes, peddles and padded shorts. I went on my biggest ride to date about 3 weeks prior to the ride it self....18.8 miles. Woh! Eye opening to say the least. However, I felt good, and confident!

            The PMC came August 2nd and I made my way down to the Cape the night before.  I was only riding in the 1 day ride from Bourne to Wellesley so my wife and I packed up our stuff and shipped off to Bourne the night before! There was absolutely no place to rent as far as hotels go and only riders could stay on campus of Mass Maritime, so we found a nice little dirt parking lot, put the seats down in the SUV and camped there for the night!

             All in all, it went well. I raised way more funds than I had to, and the day was beautiful.  I made it 26 miles to the first watering stop and felt great! A little sore already, but eh....what can ya do? I stretched out, ate some lunch and peddled on!  The next stop was Foxboro....30 miles away. As I took the first few spins of the peddles I began thanking all that was holy that I could only sign up for the 80 miles.  I was in no way, shape or form ready for anything longer! Lesson learned!

             Half way through Easton I ran out of water....and began to cramp up in my left leg.  From past experience, I knew that if I got off the bike and walked out the cramp I would completely seize up so to speak, so I peddled on with my right leg, while I tried to massage out the left leg.  I ate, I drank the last of my water and miraculously my cramps went away.... but....I was now out of water.  Apparently a deadly combination with distance rides.  With less than 5 miles to go to Foxboro both legs now were beginning to cramp up severely.  As I peddled into the stadium parking lot with no water and immense pain, I rejoiced when I saw the tent of food and water ready for me!  My wife was waiting anxiously at each of the watering stops too which was a huge motivator!  Getting off the bike and speaking with my wife and the staff at the ride seemed perfectly normal until they looked at me like I was speaking another language.  Apparently the heat got to me so much that I was making absolutely no sense to them, but in my head it made perfect sense so it only frustrated me and angered me more that they couldn't understand anything I was saying! The speech issues aside, they were now telling me that I probably shouldn't go on to finish the 80 miles.  That didn't go over well. I walked off the pain quickly, ate some food, watered my self and tried to say I was going to ride on....but it still made no sense.  So, sensibility took over and I figured that what everyone was telling me was right.  It a ride, not a race.  Its for charity and fun and I have accomplished both my charitable goal and I have had an amazing time riding! Add to it the health risks that could be sitting on the line with riding on, I kindly bowed out.   I completed 56 total miles and over 2200 dollars raised! For my first ride, it was also my longest ride.  It was by far one of the more incredible experiences of my life!

       Two days after the ride, I was back on the bike and peddling around with my wife and daughter just down the road from us! I was hooked! I cant wait for my next ride, and I am planning on beating my distance next year in the PMC as well as my fundraising totals! See you next year!!

Where it all started!

Somewhere around April ish of this year I purchased a Mountain bike..... it was important to me that I bought a quality bike, but not one that was going to land me more in the poor house than I already seem to be at times.  I also wanted to make sure that what ever  I purchased had the capability of towing my Daughter in her trailer.... I had no idea where I was going to go both literally and metaphorically, but I knew I wanted to go on two wheels.

Now.... some background into this. In my younger days, my friends and I rode EVERYWHERE together.  I lived on one side of the town, another friend lived in the middle and then there was another on the opposite side as me.  We would always meet in the middle (seems smart right?) and go on our daily summer adventures from there.  I can tell you that 100% of the time, I would crash the bike and end up cut, scrapped or injured in some way shape or form.  I couldn't stay on two wheels to save my life and it nearly cost it a few times! There were functional idiots who could sustain a bike ride longer than I could! It got so bad that at times my friends would try and encourage me to find something else to do while they rode around enjoying their two wheeled life....

That said.... I had to focus, and figure out if I could manage to stay upright as an adult. After all..... if I was going to be towing my daughter around, I really should avoid crashing with her in the cart.   So far so good, I don't want to jinx my self, but no problems yet!!

I picked up road tires for...my mountain bike.  Aside from 1 brief trail ride, I have been on the road non stop since I purchased it. I am pretty sure I should have just got a road bike. At the very least, a number of people have reassured my purchase by telling me that it was much smarter to get this frame, towing the little 25 pound wonder and her snow man.  What snow man?  Oh.... a lovable Disney character that HAS to get buckled in and go everywhere with us!