Winter Wonderland

2010 Mileage: 886

Per and Luca met me at the shop when I closed and we rode the west side greenway up past the GWB. We stopped at a great Latin restaurant called Malecon in Washington Heights for some cafe con leche before riding back. I ended up having a Dominican Burger with fries too and it was a pretty good thing I did with how tough the ride was (even though it was pretty short at about 28 miles). It was slow going and trudging through the snow was difficult at times but I think this was the most fun I have had on a bicycle maybe ever. It is rides like this that make me feel like a kid again and make me realize why I love riding so much and riding with two other guys feeling the same way just made it an amazing experience. Per and I got a lot of great pictures of the fun today. You can check out the rest of Per's pics here.

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Feeling like a grade school kid on a snow day! And yes I am on a snow day, closed the shop at 11.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

A Bike Is An Investment, Right?

2010 Mileage: 848

I put in four laps in the park with Per for 36 miles on the day. It was a bit cold but I felt good. It is always nice switching back to the road bike (which I did tonight) after a few days on the commuter cross bike, it makes the miles seem a whole lot easier. Also our long discussion about how to convince Jo (Per's wife) to allow Per to buy a new bike seemed to make the laps go quickly. I think we determined the bicycle as an investment approach is the route to take. Using my finance background we were able to come up with some very impressive arguments regarding the risk and return for the time frame. Although that is the approach he took with his road bike and he is still riding it with no intention of seeing a return on that investment anytime soon. The next discussion might have to be about how to fit yet another bike in his New York City apartment. That is always a question but never a concern (at least for Per and I).

After the ride I came home and felt my masculinity slipping away as I watched the end of The Bachelor with Lindsay and did some stretching. I'm not sure it is a good idea announcing that to everyone, but I'm sure I have done less intelligent things in the past.

Happy Birthday Luca

2010 Mileage: 812

Yesterday I slept in and then headed out to Central Park on the bike. The big storm just missed us and we only had a light dusting of snow, but it was still a pretty cold ride. I put in three laps and called it a day not wanting to push the knee too hard even though it was feeling good. The laps also felt incredibly slow even though they were around my normal pace. I guess it was just one of those rides. I had 33 miles on the day.

After the ride I threw the pannier bags on the bike so I could head over to Whole Foods to pick up all the important stuff for Luca's birthday celebration.
Per, my cousin Matt, Luca and Morgan came over for the festivities. We just hung out at the apartment and watched a replay of the cyclocross worlds, drank some beer and enjoyed eachothers company. It turned out to be a great time and I hope the birthday boy enjoyed himself. Opening those mini kegs is a little trickier than the picture on the side makes it look. Let's just say I had to wash a good amount of Bitburger off the cieling.

One Month Dry

2010 Mileage: 769

The title doesn't refer to the weather because it has been anything but dry here. I went one entire month without a drink (adult beverage if you will). It's not as though I have a drinking problem, but it was a great way to save some money with the wedding approaching. It also did get me to spend a little more time on the bike and I do feel a bit healthier. And although I am enjoying a nice glass of wine tonight (and I had a beer at the shop with Per earlier) to close out my dry spell I am also looking forward to spending a good amount of time on the bike tomorrow. Snow or no snow my knee is feeling great after a good 4 days of yoga/stretching and foam rolling. I don't want to push it too hard but I am itching to get a long ride in and with a day off and Lindsay busy with wedding dress stuff all day tomorrow seems like a great day to see if I actually am recovered.

Recovery Time

2010 Mileage: 754

Well the last few days I have been staying off the bike (except for to commute). I have also been doing a lot of stretching, yoga (might be the same as stretching) and foam rolling to try and get my knee all better. Another day or two off the bike and I am hoping I'll be ready to get back at the heavy mileage.

On a side note I am delivering a trainer to a customer tonight. It is a bit interesting riding with this monsterous box on the back of my bike. It may have been even more interesting actually getting this thing strapped on there.

Ouch

2010 Mileage: 733

Five laps in the park last night for 42 miles on the day. My knee started hurting on the fourth lap and only got worse. I guess it is back to the exercises that Kate gave me to do. We are supposed to be getting some snow today so I should be back on the cross bike for some fun miles. Hopeully the knee lets me enjoy it.