Ah, snap!

It looks like winter has finally tapped out, thank goodness.

A lot has happened since my last post so I'll try to get up to speed here. I had been having some knee problems so I had started to take it easy on the bike, so I failed at the thirty days of biking. Then it snowed during April, of course, and I ended up riding the fat bike to school one day and had no knee pain. I rode the Cross Check the next day and had some more knee pain. What the hell? Then I road the fat bike the day it really dumped on us and I had no problems what so ever. What is the deal?

I worked all weekend and had one of the guys at work suggest I raise my seat just a little bit. I did so and tightened up the Brooks... damn it. That is all it was. I felt like a dummy. Well at least that went away, however two more problem were born out of the ashes. First off, I rode to work the other day and it killed my wrist. The cyst I've had, that has been slightly bothersome, got huge from riding on it a bunch. Luckily I have an appointment at the VA, but it still sucks and it hurts a lot not too. Hopefully they can drain it and I can be on my way, I don't want surgery. I am planning to try to do a little camping trip in May and I kind of need my wrist for that.

The other problem now is that with the warm weather my Lake's are no longer an option as far as footwear goes, the problem is that my Sidi's have not arrived yet. I ordered them on April first and still nothing. The guy that handles all that crap at work is going to look into it for me tomorrow, but it is still a bummer. It kind of keeps me off the bike for now as I have no viable footwear and I'm just not going to do flat pedals.

Some exciting stuff going on for the future. I am planning a short little tour to go camping sometime in May. I am thinking of going to Nerstrand Big Woods State Park. Hopefully my buddy I went to Afton with will be able to join me. I also am planning to kill the Luce Line. I still need revenge from last fall when I went and it was just too damn cold to keep going. I will win.

That Timbuk2 backpack I picked up in March is working out wonderfully. During the few snow storms and what not I rode through, everything inside has stayed dried. Even riding the fat bike with no rear fender the pack has protected my back from getting wet. So far that thing gets an A+, I'll write a full review soon.

The shop has been getting busy and that is always a good feeling. We had a crazy day today and it was just such a nice day. The customers were all in good moods, we all came together as a team to rock the day, the weather was so nice, and everything just kind of fell in place. I am excited for this summer, I still love this job. Finding the right bike for someone and seeing that smile on their face when they find it great. I am bummed that I can't work here forever. Such is life.

I'll throw up some pictures from the snow storm, but that is all I've got for this week.

Is this the real life?

We are half way through April and it appears we have gone back in time to February. This unchecked aggression will not stand with the Dude.

I've only got a couple things this week. I started out the 30 days of biking really strong, I went 12 days but two things ended up happening. The first is that my knees started really hurting, it was not so much the pain that got me off the bike as it was how the pain was manifesting. When I was riding the knee pain was either on the side of my knee or on the top where the quad and the patella meet, off the bike my knee was hurting below the patella where it meets the shin. This was very worry some as that is nothing I've ever experienced. So on the advice of my boss I took the rest of the week off. If I can manage it I will try to ride to school tonight but I am not holding my breath. Which brings me to the second obstacle that has kept me off the bike, the weather. 

I did riding this weather so being cold is not an issue for me, however it is not just snowing out there. It is this freezing sleet, snow, and rain mixture. I was out in it for about a minute the other day and was freezing within seconds, that is not my scene and since I don't have to deal with it, I won't. The weather has been a real huge bummer and disappointment to boot. It is looking like we are slowly going to re-enter the 40's and 50's, I can honestly say I am just ready to see some damn sunshine. This weather is rough and takes a tole on the attitude, just gotta hang in there for another week or so.

I took some pictures on my rides for the first week or so that I was doing the 30 days of biking. Here they are.

Here I am sharing my feeling about this weather with Mother Nature

One of the few nice days.

Dirty and damaged.

Got my new pack, it holds everything.

One bike in a sea of cars.

Well that is all I got for this week. Lets hope the weather turns soon.

 

Groovy, man!

What a couple weeks it has been.

I am back in Maple Grove as I have mentioned before and it is going alright. Last weekend I took off to Minneapolis for a little work gathering. We met up at the Chatterbox and the general manager bought us some dinner and drinks. I had to crash out there as I was in no condition to ride home. I rode home the next day, Sunday, and it was chilly but I made it alright. I had also went riding on the Friday prior to that and every path was covered in snow, you can see for yourself in the picture below. It wore me and my knees out really quick.

I got a new laptop and I am afraid to carry it in a pannier to school. So I ended up ordering the Timbuk2 Especial Tres. It looks like a really nice bag, I will pick it up tomorrow when I go to work, you bet I will write a review. I also took my rack off the cross check and I was super surprised at how big a difference it made, I gained 2 miles an hour it was nuts. Though I also wiped out. I went through an underground pedestrian tunnel and it looked like there was just water coming out so I went in and about half way through I figured out it was ice, just as I had that realization, I wiped out. I may have bent my cantilever arm as well as my pinky finger. I will also find out about that tomorrow.

Monday kicks off 30 days of biking. I will be doing it this year and I will try to take at least one photo every day. I will post the link to the flickr album where I will be uploading the pictures so you can check back periodically, I will also be doing regular posts throughout the month.

Since coming back to Maple Grove I've started doing P90 again and have already lost a solid 10 pounds. My goal is to get back down to 180 at least, I feel way better, I am eating way better, and I sleep way better. I am hoping that by the end of the year I will be back to my target weight and pretty able bodied on the bike again. I can do a lot of riding but I get pretty wiped out after the fact, not like my first year of serious biking. I want to get back to that. I am pretty excited about the future and where I am heading, everything seems to be working out pretty good.

Cross Check on the snow. Wrong tool for the job.

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahaaa... wipe out!

All the layers.

It is cold this morning.

I am back in Maple Grove so my commute is about 6 miles longer than it was while I was in Minneapolis. Last time I tried to Bike in this kind of weather I did not make it too far, I think I am properly prepared today, but we will see for sure. I have to work today so I am headed to Eden Prairie via Plymouth/Baker Rd. I did not like this commute before as I had almost been taken out by motorists too many times, but I am not going to let that sway me, I need to keep riding and keep riding in the road too. If worse comes to worst I'll get on the path, but these suburban folks need to get used to seeing bikes any way. Here is to hoping I don't get nailed by a car.

I'm so excited and I just can't hide it....

It has been some time since my last post. I did some stutter biking and I am finally doing it on the regular again. Obviously spring break helps but I also got some new gear and a full fitting.

I'll start from the beginning. The last post I did was near the beginning of February and I had just gotten done with the creek ride. I went on a few more fat bike rides including riding the fat bike as transportation but then one day it was really nice and I decided to dust off the Cross Check. I had a lot of fun riding it so I went ahead and purchased some studded tires for it because I know that in March and sometimes April there is a lot of refreeze. I didn't get anything with too many studs in them but they have a nice aggressive tread and a fair amount of studs. 

Then last week I picked up a couple shifts at Freewheel and a couple more this week and then I also work Sunday. So far I have ridden in every single day and I hope to keep doing it. The only wrench in my plan is that my commute is now a round trip 50 miles as I am back in Maple Grove, where as my commute from Minneapolis was only about 28. Well one thing is for certain, I will get back in shape pretty quick.

I picked up a Gore Bike Wear coat and it is amazing. We got a deal on them over the winter through Gore and I could not believe how amazing it has turned out to be! It is getting too warm to be wearing it but it will serve me well next winter that is for sure.