The Best Part of Bike to Work Day

Park Hill BTWD Station

DINNER!  G's all-day smoked ribs with his super secret rub, my amazingly awesome and remarkable potato salad over greens from the garden and a gin and tonic.

Perfection.

In Praise of the Sunroof

We had to buy a new car last week.  As much as I despised the minivan, I was sincerely hoping we could get three to five more years out of it.  But alas, the transmission was on its last leg, a common issue for minivans once they get on in years, and I refused to put another dime into it since the value was near to nothing and fading fast.  So, off we went to buy a new Honda CR-V, the car I was originally shopping for when we got the minivan.

Practically every one we found and liked had a sunroof and I was adamant that I wanted no part of any sunroof, a completely unnecessary luxury.  However, after a few weeks of car shopping (I hate car shopping!) I relented and got the sunroof.

I had to drive to work twice this week and I'll be gawd derned if opening that sunroof after a long day in the depths of museumland didn't give me a second wind just as strong as hopping on my bike does!

I may never drive a car withOUT a sunroof again. 

We'll call it a metric century, m'kay.

5am

Rest Stop #2 and a few of the Depot crew.

And, my finish.

I think I could have done the full 100 had my knee not started acting up. I felt like I had plenty of energy to make it, but the hills were killing my legs. It was actually not the usual knee issue, instead something that has plagued me only occassionally on the outside of the right knee.  A sharp pain with motion which eventually radiates down my leg and into my ankle.  The one other time it's happened, on the Elephant Rock metric century a couple of years ago, I adjusted my cleat and all was well.   But this time, no adjustments helped.  I believe it was the all the climbing that did it.

I'm happy with 71 miles though, considering the lack of training I've done.

One More Week

I've got one more week to get ready for my first century of 2011.....and I am not even close.