Dang! You think I can get 262 more miles completed on the rollers by midnight? :twitchy:

Hey Folks: Happy New year. Nice ride NR/GB. Seems really cold. NR, I can't believe you rode on studs the whole way. My miles are at an all time low due to weather, family visiting and no train last week. Hope everything goes back to normal next week. Hope 2010 is good to you guys.

Happy New Year, Maryland peeps!! I've been pretty scarce of late, both here in virtual land, and, unfortunately, on my bike. Too much work and not enough good health! I usually get one cold per winter; it lasts 5-6 days, and that's it. This year, I've been sick off and on for about a month now -- it comes on strong for a while, eases up a bit, and then rolls back in again. I am SO SICK OF COUGHING I can't even telll you how much!!! I think the only times I rode this month were when my car was flat on its back for two days, getting a new clutch and brakes (and of course, those were cooooooold commuting days -- the two days before the big snowstorm) and when I rode to a shop to buy brake fluid to replace what had leaked entirely out of the newly-repaired car. :notamused:

Barry, I knew there was a possibility that you would have to leave us; I'm bummed to hear that it's really going to happen. :( Do you know when you're moving?

I'm tickled by the fact that the days are already getting longer!! :thumb: Here's hoping for an early spring! Does anyone have any big and/or new plans for the year?

Nanny, nanny, boo-boo! I got 103 miles already! LOL!

Bob, Maile says "hello" and that she intends to do one of your rides soon--but not Sunday.

Good job dude.

Oh yeah one more thing... HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!!!!! :beer:

^^^^^^

<Elvis voice>Thank ya, thank ya very much!</Elvis voice>

Don't applaud... just throw money, :D

Picture set from the Solomons Island Century ride yesterday (complements of M.Neel):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcn7/se...7622992786099/

Well I finally got out into the cold this weekend. I only rode 20 miles yesterday but the wind was nasty and temps rather chilly. Almost blew me off the 41st bridge onto the JFX:-) Once warmed the temps were not an issue; however the wind was. Actually I was too warm. I used a seldom used PI balaclava. Way to hot for yesterdays temps. I hated it. I could never get the head temps correct.
Hats off to NR and GB. Isaias, you got 3 centuries already?? I guess one was last year.

Yes, 2 centuries this year already.

Bob and I rode one yesterday. I was tanking after about 1/3 of it. Not enough recovery time from the Friday century, wind, climbing, high rolling resistance from the studded tires (that I actually did need on a few of the roads we were on) all conspired to make the ride very "challenging". By the time we got to lunch, I had formed ice underneath my jersey.

Then, I had problems with my left cleat--kept on popping off the pedal at the most inopportune times. I think it was my shoe cover getting tangled up in the engagement mechanism, because after I removed my covers to replace the chemical foot warmers in my shoes during lunch, the problem mysteriously went away. I didn't have a problem with them this morning, either.

Once that problem was solved, then my water bottles froze back up and I started to get dehydrated resulting in a cramp in my left quad. We stopped at a McDonald's in Jacksonville where I emptied both bottles and filled them with hot water placing a ZYM electrolyte tablet in each. I was revitalized enough that on the way home I decided to climb up "Luskins hill" to bypass a portion of Towson.

Altogether, I got about 108 miles in, but my BiM record is hosed, so somehow I need to reconstitute the ride so my mileage reconciles with the mileage measured by my Suunto GPS watch.

My water bottle froze 30 minutes into my ride. I can't imagine what 6-8 hours on a bike would yield.

Whilst on Belfast Road yesterday, on my way to Springfield farm to pick up fresh eggs, meat, milk, I came across only two cyclists in an otherwise mecca of local cyclists- Who could they be? Who would be out in such weather, hmmmm, the guy in the back was wearing pink......

I was the guy whizzing by in the white Prius.

Yeah, I was not in good sorts at that point--going pretty slow trying to keep up with GB.

9 hours :twitchy:

LOL. I thought that might've been you. Very cool. I wish I could've yelled a hiya, but riding yesterday was like being a spaceman on a harsh planet. I found myself trying to stay in a riding groove with minimal movements. But I remember you passing and it made me wonder. The other hint I had was remembering passing your house on Christmas morning on my way to my sisters house and seeing what was in the driveway. :)

The only reason I passed you guys was because I missed my turn at Yeoho. I was going to turn and chat, offer assistance if needed, but of course you guys didn't need assistance or to freeze your asses off chatting. Yes, bought that Prius on Xmas eve. We've been wanting an alternative to driving our gas guzzling van for short trips. 30-50 mpg makes me feel a tad better. Donating our old Honda Accord to Habitat for Humanity. I still want to do grocery runs to TJoes on the bike and the farmers market on Sat mornings.

BTW-I recommend Springfield farm, great eggs, meat, milk. A bit more pricey but you know where your food comes from. And you get to pet the pigs before they become bacon. Brought my kids up there to see hwt hot dogs look like on the hoof.:D Get the chocolate whole milk, great post ride stuff, like melted choc ice cream, and it comes in a glass bottle. actually from Trickling Springs Creamery.

Nice AM commute w/ snow flurries and a clear sky with stars. How that happened I do not know.

Harry: I also like to get meat and dairy from similar places. I wish they were a little closer for weekly purchases. For others here's a link to similar places all over the state.
http://www.futureharvestcasa.org/amazing_md.html

Thanks, Springfield Farm isn't too far for me and now with the Prius I don't feel bad about driving there. The idea is to stock up but we don't have a freezer yet. I thought I may ride my bike there but the idea of the hills on Yeoho with thirty pounds of groceries.....

I've done some of those hills with ~80lbs of stuff not fun at all.

I've found that you can fix this problem by mixing approx 10% ethanol mixture in with your water.
Otherwise, you only get about a half hour's worth of water and then you're just carrying extra weight, 'cause you can't drink ice.
Andy

*vodka is a good natural source of ethanol.

^^^^^^^^
When are we going to do an ice/snow trail ride on the NCR?

We need to talk GB into getting some studded tires on one of his bikes!

It could be Andy, Bob, Charlie, me, ... anyone else?

Does anyone know about any upcoming races in Maryland?

Check here:

Cyclocross
-------------
http://www.bikereg.com/events/Defaul....y=17&btnGo=GO

Proteus Bikes has a cross race coming up in February.

Road
-------
http://www.bikereg.com/events/Defaul....y=19&btnGo=GO

Not much going on in road.

A little Irish Whiskey before work......I'll think about it. Currently making tea and honey which becomes cold tea by the end of the commute. Going to look for a nice thermos.

I'm interested but think the NCR trail might be clear of snow at this time.

While biking in this morning a car's horn sounded(door lock horn) and engine started. Inside lights were on so I looked as I passed. No one was inside!!! I guess the owner was still inside his toasty home, sipping coffee, starting his car and watching TV. He was multi tasking:-) Again a little snow with very thin cloud cover before daybreak. This is so strange but it is really cool to ride in it.

I had some jack-hole in an older (70s?) car take up a position right behind me at the intersection of Route 7 and Rossville Blvd--like he didn't see my brightly flashing Dinotte tail light. He was forced to follow me, slowly--I took the lane--until the first right hand turn about a quarter of a mile up the hill heading towards Essex Community College where he turned off--he was stuck there due to traffic in the other two lanes.

Not too long after that, another jack-hole in a "sports" car decided to pass me close.

Other than that (hasn't happened in quite a while), my commute was comfortable/enjoyable. There were flurries flying in some spots. I was sort of wishing that it would just go ahead and snow!

At the intersection of Route 1 (Belair Rd) and Putty Hill Ave, someone decided to dump a lot of water, now a big sheet of ice that covered the whole foot of the lane heading up the hill. I had a running start at it getting over the ice and on to clear road with no problems with the studded tires. I wrote MDSHA on Twitter about the ice.

I would be up for the NCR ride though you will need studs, I don't have any. I was on the NCR this a.m for a 4 mile run starting from the bottom trailhead at Ashland. After the one mile mark it is pretty much completely ice, bumpy ice from people having walked in the melted snow before it froze. I had a sugar low after one mile anyway, sometimes happens, need to bring a gel with me next time. I'll have to redo the run tomorrow on a track.

I've heard that the Trade Zone races start in February but no registration yet on BikeReg.

Harry, do you have a bike that has wide enough forks?

C'mon, guys! Studded tires could last you for three or more seasons! They're a blast.

It's not like we'd be moving so fast on them that you couldn't catch yourself. Bob? Harry? Josh?

Ummm...I don't want to exclude Barry, but Barry? Have you ever ridden that monster-truck-bike with studded tires?

I've been trying. see my earlier post. Peter White will not carry them for 650b this year even though they are available. And he's the only source in the US that Euro distributors will deal with. (stupid exclusive dealer status) :mad:

I'm waiting for a response from a Swedish online retailer.

I have never been on studded tires but I have been mountain biking on that thing of mine if that counts for anything.

From my mail box: Does anyone have a suggestion for getting from Towson Town Center to White Marsh mall?

Can someone help? I'm not that familiar with the roads around White Marsh.

I have the Trek 520 touring bike, it has big fat cyclocross tires on it now.