CX (and beer) With Per

2010 Mileage: 3845

Tonight Per and I pulled out the cross bikes in anticipation of rain and an empty bridle path in Central Park. Unfortunately the rain held off and the one lap we did put in was a little overcrowded with runners. It was still nice to feel loose gravel under a narrow tire and got me excited for what comes with this time of year. It felt like fall, my favorite time of year. We followed our ride with a few beers over at his place. An evening of things that I'm going to miss.

So Little Time...

2010 Mileage: 3804

I have definitely been burning the candle at both ends, having to work and at the same time trying to fit everything in before we move away from the city. The departure date is officially one week away.

On Tuesday Lindsay joined me for that walk to work I was talking about. It was nice to take the time to take in what I have been seeing every day for the last 15 months.

Wednesday I went for a ride in Central Park with Per, Jeff and Cassidy. I caught an awesome sunset view on my way home from the park as I got to the Hudson River. After the ride Lindsay and I went to Heidelberg on the UES for some good German beer with Per, Johanna and Cassidy.

Then Thursday after work turned in to an impromptu trip to Hoboken with Mike. Per and Luca joined in the fun as we went to an outdoor concert on one of the piers with a phenomenal view of the city followed by a bit of drinking at a bar called DC's.Saturday morning I woke up way too early to go catch part of the Mengoni race in Central Park and then went for a River Road ride with Per and Cassidy. After the ride Lindsay and I went to visit Cassidy at Rapha were we found him sleeping inside the broom van at the cafe and we got Linz her first ever cycling jersey. We then headed over to the frying pan for a fun afternoon of buckets of Corona on the Hudson later joined by Mal & Lauren.

Feeling Like A Tourist

2010 Mileage: 3676I had another weekend of very little time (actually none in this case) on the bike. Instead with Linz's family in town I visited the places in the city that I typically avoid, namely Times Square and Little Italy. I also managed to talk them in to a wonderful detour to Zum Schneider on Friday night for some fine German beer. Lindsay's Dad and I seemed to be enjoying the beer more than the others and it was also showing on Saturday morning (at least for me). We also got a look at the rather incredible view of what is going on at the WTC site from their hotel room window at the Millennium Hilton. Like I said I typically avoid these places in the city and although I'm not really one for crowds it was fun to play tourist in my own city for a bit. It was especially cool to see how excited Andrea (Lindsay's cousin) got about everything since it was her very first trip to NYC. Makes me realize a lot of the incredible sites in this city that I sometimes have taken for granted. You probably recognize were Linz is at in the pic above and below we have Little Italy and the WTC view from her parents hotel room. I guess we decided to continue the theme of the weekend because after her family hit the road mid-day on Sunday we decided to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. It is something that the two of us have been talking about doing for a while since we have crossed on bicycles before but never really walked it just to walk it and we really enjoyed it. We had planned on getting pizza at Grimaldi's Pizzeria over on the Brooklyn side but with the wait at what was looking like well over an hour we decided to just head back and eat at Harry's (always a good place for pizza).We took a minute to check out the merry-go-round that will be installed in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Playing tourist and snapping some shots yesterday made me realize that there are some sights that I am really taking for granted so I am vowing to take more pictures over the course of my final two weeks living here in the city. One day this week I am actually planning to walk my normal morning commute to get a different look at it and hopefully take some good pictures. My daily commute is only about five miles but I pass some pretty incredible sights on a daily basis that I suppose I will be sharing with you soon.

Now it is time to head to Dean & Deluca to pick up a few items to make dinner for the wife and I.

Keeping Things In Perspective

2010 Mileage: 3660

This post should probably just be about two things, my favorite Hells Kitchen burrito joint burnt down this morning and I went to a Rapha Cycle Club event tonight to "check out" bike snob. Both are very noteworthy as La Paloma was an amazing little Mexican restaurant run by great people that I got carry out from at least once a week and although the pictures don't do it justice this is what it currently looks like.And the building above.

I wish them a speedy recovery.

The bike snob event was fun although I did miss the reading which I heard was rather humorous. Through brief conversation he was also a lot nicer and less arrogant in person than I was expecting even though I I didn't want to get too close during conversation since we were both wearing plum colored t-shirts and somewhat matched. There was also about 1/10th the crowd I expected when I got there (a little late) which I guess was a good thing based on the crowd that can hang out at Rapha (and is the direction that this post is heading in).

With the place rather empty and the latest Mario Cipollini bikes video (that has been popping up on blogs left and right like this one) playing I managed to get in to a rather in depth conversation about carbon fiber frames with Derrick from Rapha. He had some good arguments regarding tube shape importance and builder experience, and my arguments were regarding the human element involved and the error that can occur due to that. It was never an argument but actually a rather civil conversation between two people who don't know each other well enough to argue. It was also cut rather short as I was realizing what I was discussing. Our conversation was regarding bikes that a majority of the public will never purchase and I was sitting in a cafe/clothing store that carries cycling apparel that I (a bike shop manager who spends way too much on this stuff) won't even spend my money on. I realize that I am not Rapha's target demographic but at the same time this helped me with a quick reality check. As someone who hopes to open their own shop one day I need to remember to see things from the right perspective. Understanding the intricacies of high end products is important (as well as interesting to me) but cycling is fun and needs to remain that way otherwise selling bikes becomes like selling used cars. I am not a salesman, I am simply someone who loves bicycles and is lucky enough to make a living selling them. I realize I am once again rambling and I have been doing that a fair amount in my posts lately but I hope you understand what I am getting at. The pure joy that can come from cycling is why I am so in love with it at the most grass roots level and I want to make sure that as long as I am in this industry I don't become jaded or feel above the normal consumer like I have seen so many people become. It is because of them that this industry that I both love and make my livelihood from exists.

On a side note Per got back from Germany today and I am looking forward to seeing him back in the shop tomorrow. We have a lot of hanging out to do over the next two weeks before I vacate the city. And by hanging out I mean riding and drinking.

Another New Toy

2010 Mileage: 3623

Well I was going to right about the amazing weekend that I had with my Dad visiting and how Peter Luger's was probably the greatest meal I have ever had but instead you can read about it all here on the Wife's blog since she beat me to it. I am just incredibly excited to be back in Michigan and closer to my family again.

So instead I will show everybody my new toy (the bike collection seems to be growing rapidly as of late), a 2011 Raleigh RX 1.0 cyclocross bike. It came in yesterday and is hopefully going to get its first long ride tomorrow. This morning was out of the question since I was at Zum Schneider way too late last night with Tony (a friend from Michigan) who came to the city on a last minute trip. Way too late just means I wasn't in bed until after 12 but I guess I'm getting old. Since I couldn't get out for a real ride on the cross bike today I decided I would just sign up for a race instead, so the Ronde Van Stony is now on the list of races I will be participating in when I move back to Michigan next month. This dirt road race is joining Peak 2 Peak, Iceman and the Addison Oaks Fall Classic on the list. I also think I'd like to do some of the Tailwind CX races in the area but I can't seem to find a registration for those yet. I also may have to make my way back out to The Big Apple to race the Staten Island CX race with Per and Luca again since that race last year was definitely one of the best days I've ever had on (and off) the bike. A more official review of the new toy will probably come later after it has been properly abused but so far I love it except for the tires. The compound is incredibly slippery and although I read that in a number of reviews I had to ride them to truly feel it. At least it is only tires, easily swapped out. Well this post is starting to ramble so I will just show you the bike.
The army green wasn't my first choice but I have always been a function over fashion guy and with a full Shimano 105 component group and an Easton fork for the right price I wasn't going to let that stop me. I'm glad I didn't because the color is really growing on me. Now I just need it to rain so I can get this thing nice and muddy and Per to get back from his two week hiatus in Germany so I have someone to ride where I'm not supposed to in Riverside and Central Park with.

Shake Shack

2010 Mileage: 3587

I'm sure if you are reading this you probably already know, but Lindsay and I are about to be leaving NYC soon to head back to Michigan and move in to our very own house. No more rent payments with nothing to show for them and room to keep all my bikes and Lindsay's shoes. I can't wait. However there are a handful of things that we really want to do together before we leave the city, and one of them was eat at Shake Shack at Madison Square Park. Last night we checked that one of the list and the burger absolutely lived up to all the hype. After the wait in line of close to an hour to get our food I was skeptical about the experience but after my first bite that skepticism all went away. I'm sure I'll now be visiting the location by the shop soon to give it another try. It's also really nice to eat outside in the park but the one issue with it is no public restrooms, just a heads up if you ever plan on going.

Today my dad is getting in to town for a couple of days and then to help us move out a whole lot of our stuff. I'm looking forward to seeing him as well as the dinner we have planned for tonight at Peter Luger Steakhouse, another place that I am hoping will live up to all the hype.

And on a side note, I can't believe how sore I still am. With my dad here I will probably have a couple days off the bike and I really need them. I need to work on this whole muscle recovery thing too. I guess playing soccer again is showing me a lot I need to work on.

I'm Exhausted

2010 Mileage: 3576

It was a very busy couple of days with an 11pm soccer game last night (way past my bedtime), 60 miles on the bike today which included a River Road ride (lots of climbing) with Larry this morning, and then a soccer game tonight. And then of course the team after us was short players and asked if anyone on my team would fill in. Everybody else bailed, but me being the glutton for punishment that I am volunteered my services. The quality of soccer in the second game on the part of both teams wasn't quite what I am used to so it wasn't too bad that every time I made a long run I had to pull up early and just take a shot because my calves were cramping. I think the soccer has me hurting so badly since I started playing again because I am using muscles that have been far too neglected over the last year where a vast majority of my athletic activity has taken place on a bike. It is a true testament to muscular imbalances and I am definitely realizing I need to work on fixing some of mine.

Now on to the cause of those imbalances, a whole lot of time in the saddle (and that is what this morning was). Lets just say that I am very proud of Larry for not giving up on our ride today. He rode every last bit of it and I'm sure he is feeling it right now. The pace was much slower than what I am used to but that was fine based on all my other activities the last couple days. Here is a picture of Larry on our ride:
Tommorrow (other than work) will most likely be a day of rest, stretching, foam rolling and cleaning in preparation for Dad coming this weekend.