soakin up some sun
 

Man, I am loving this time down in sunny Cocoa, Florida. Got down here on Thursday for my daughter's wedding tomorrow. After hemming and hawing about which bike to bring, I finally settled on my beater Bianchi xcross bike which is currently sporting 700x32 Serfas Drifters...darned things look more like 35s, but the roll surprisingly well and have come in handy crossing the danged 520 bridges over the inland waterway...what little shoulder there is isn't pretty...full of crap and glass. I'd hate to freakin blowout on the downhill side of one of those spans with 50mph+ traffic right on my shoulder.

I freakin love riding down Indian River, Riverside and Rockledge...the road is a very narrow two-lane that winds down the shoreline with a 25mph speed limit for the most part...and not much auto traffic. The inland waterway is there on my one side, some of the most beautiful homes, old and new, that you've ever seen. Something about Southern/Spanish/tropical architecture and hanging moss is just too cool to me. :)

I'm certainly spreading the fred down here...in my non-spandex retro-like shorts, red Climalite t shirt, mid-top old MTB shoes and ball cap riding around on that ugly rattle-canned green xcross bike with wide tires and rear rack. I've even dropped the obligatory poseur - riding a nice carbon bike, CSC kit from a couple of years back, mashing away while on his aero bars, totally oblivious to me coming up on his wheel. I even delayed catching him by actually somewhat stopping at a stop sign...unlike just about every other bicycler I saw. I guess knowing your home roads helps a bit. But I digress, this guy never saw me come up on him, so I had an instant gap that he never even attempted to jump. Man, I love dropping someone who don't even know he's racing...makes me feel all upholding the fred creed n sh_t.

I'll get a short ride in tomorrow before the wedding, then a long ride on Sunday before driving back up to Ohio and fall weather. I gotta say, after morning commutes down to the 30s when I left, and highs only in the 50s, riding down here in sunny 80ish temps sure makes my legs feel fresh and strong. Yeah, I'm enjoying the feeling now...tomorrow is Saturday and there are bound to be actual roadies on the road...so I'm sure I'll have my soul crushed back to it's pitiful natural state...but tonight, I fricken rawk.

If you are looking for a point to this thread...there isn't - unless you are up north riding with long sleeves, tights, gloves and jackets and or jackets, like I was earlier this week and will be back to way too soon. For you, I just got one thing to say:

NEENER, NEENER, NEENER, 80 AND SUNNY, BLIATCHES! :p

I didn't see the word humidity anywhere in your post. I lived there through a summer. Try that and then tell us how much you like it. :) Enjoy!

tomorrow, chicago, 7am, dark & rain & 40ish.

i heart you chip. later.

Excellent disguise of a Fred beats Poseur story thread!

Congrats on your daughter's pending wedding. You know we'll need to see you in your dress, er, suit.

Wow, one whole summer! The heat and humidity down here (I've spent a few summers in NC, SC, Georgia and here in Florida over the years) isn't crap compared to the Philippines, Hawaii, or even Japan. HTFU wussy.

;)

nice freakin story

Enjoy!!

Down here, spring is well enough advanced that most days are sunny and 17-20 degrees now which is wonderful after a long, long cool rainy winter. On Friday it was actually warm enough to walk around at lunch in shirtsleeves ... I think it got to 24C that day!! :)

I just got back from a month on the other side of the peninsula, I hate that state with a passion. But I have to admit there's something to be said for a New Englander who can be out riding in shortsleeves in October - but I did have to resort to a base and arm warmers on those Sunday group rides.
The downside is you can not ride your bike on the streets (at least not around the greater Tampa area), the roads just arent made for bikes. Each of the 4 weeks I was down there another cyclist was killed. I think there were like 6 deaths total in a 2 month period.
Glad to see you're enjoying your time down there humilating the CSC guys on the high end carbon. I sadly got dropped by a few of them on the MUP that runs alongside the interstate outside of Tampa.

Will you do me this one small favor Don Chipcom? I heard no Sicilian can refuse a favor on the day of his daughter's wedding :)
Congratulations on your daughter's wedding. I'm sure it will be a memorable day for you.

Enjoy it Chipper. It is a frigid 70 degrees back up here in the frozen wasteland we call Ohio.

I am not even that far north and I have to already wear thin booties. Hail hurts. I got it twice Wednesday and Thursday

Florida does have the hot guys and gals. And that humidity and heat really sparks up the hormones - a lot. That is not bad at all in my book.

Figures. It was 35 when I rode to work Tuesday morning, only mid 50s when I rode home. I'm sure the temps will go back down just as I get home on Monday or Tuesday. It really has been a nice fall tho...even better with a week break on the sunny space coast. ;)

Had a nice ride again this morning. Funny thing, this hotel is on top of probably the only hill for miles and miles. To get from the riverside to the hotel I have a couple small climbs....one being a modest 6% or so, followed by a small wall of at least 13%. Some guy, probably my age, turned off of Indian River unto those residential streets from the opposite direction, just in front of me. I passed him on that 6% like he was standing still...but it looked like he might gain some ground when we hit the wall...but only because I hit it first. I dropped down into my 34-24 and spun right up...then he literally hit the wall, standing on the pedals barely making like 45rpm, as if he didn't drop to his little ring. Man, what a way to destroy your knees. :eek:

Congrats on your daughter's nuptuals. I figure on having at least another decade before having to face that.