Training Schedule Revision

Saturday's ride was excellent -- perfect weather, the bike was in great shape, and I was feeling really good. I came prepared with frame pump, patch kit, tire levers, and bike tool, so of course nothing exploded. My speed averaged about 15 MPH. I climbed Baringer Hill at the end of the trip, and it was surprisingly easy, considering that I was around mile 30 by then. I dropped onto the little ring about 3/4s of the way up the hill and rolled over the ridgeline feeling pretty good.

Cycling shorts are definitely high on my want list right now -- the cargos I've been riding in tend to start to chafe around mile 15 or so (less if I'm sweaty ... ewwww). I used to consider myself above wearing lycra, but it is pretty much universally acknowledged that long-distance cycling will eventually destroy any sense of personal modesty you once enjoyed.

The usual progression from Anti-Lycra Activist to One of Those People usually goes something like this:

Week 1: 'Utility' Cyclist
Cyclist: "I wear cargo shorts when I ride so I can carry all my stuff with me."
BFF: "You look dumb in cargo shorts."

Week 14: 'Recreational Utility' Cyclist
Cyclist: "You'll never catch me dead in Spandex (tm). I'll never be One Of Those People."
BFF: "You look dumb in cargo shorts."

Week 23: 'One Of Those People'
Cyclist: "I wear my old lycra shorts to bed. They're so comfy!"
BFF: "OMG ... WHERE IS THE EYE BLEACH????!!!"

Because of last week's long-ride fail, I've bumped my long ride mileage goals(but not my total mileage goals) out a week. This Saturday's ride was 33 miles, rather than 37; next Saturday's goal is 37 miles -- however, that's a flexible goal, since I'll be at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore enjoying a brief vacation with my roomie, who's on spring break this week.

There will be no Obsessing About Mileage on this trip. I haven't had a real vacation in ages, so I'm very much looking forward to kicking back, goofing off, and enjoying some new scenery. We'll be camping, and Indiana Dunes is a pretty short drive, which makes for a very cheap trip. Who knows? I may love it up there and decide not to come back :D

Last night I put in about forty-five minutes or so of work on his bike. I'm trying to make sure it's really well-tuned and humming along before we head up there, because we're planning on doing some riding. I'm having a little trouble getting his front derailer really perfect -- in the small/small gear (which, admittedly, he will probably never use, ever, at all), the chain lightly taps the some part of the front derailer. It's noisy and will probably eventually mess things up, so I'm trying to sort it out, though it doesn't render the bike unrideable or anything. The chain will also need replacement soon, but it'll be all right for this weekend.

I plan to spend a few more minutes with the Sproingbok tonight, trying to get the brakes and drive train as functional as possible. If I can't get things sufficiently tuned, I plan to drop in on Bike Couriers' bike-fixing class tomorrow night.

Swift is in really good shape, though I need to trim the outer limit stop a little bit on his front derailer -- it tends to throw the chain off the large chainring unless I shift very carefully, and since I'm using the large chainring more often these days, it's becoming a bit of a PITA (umm ... Pain In The Ankle? :D). Fortunately, throwing the chain off the large ring and onto the crank isn't all that horrible -- I had one bike that liked to throw it between the rings or, worse yet, between the small ring and the bottom bracket, which is a good way to wind up with road rash. Swift's over-eager shifting hasn't caused me any real problems -- it's basically just embarassing.