I got another donation today for the ALC!
Aids LifeCycle that is.
I’m registered to do the ride next June, just scant weeks after I graduate with my Masters degree in Psychology.
That’s going to be one hell of a month, let me tell you.
I suspect though, that the riding and training are going to be just exactly what I need to not be too focused on school, graduation, my internship, all of that.
The exercise will be good for me.
Aside from fine tuning my legs and ass.
I miss by bicycle commuter legs and derrier, let me tell you.
Yoga is nice and I’m totally loving my increased flexibility, but my bicycle behind has gone the way of my one speed parked in my garage since I started doing all my commuting on my scooter.
Aside.
It fucking rained this morning!
I heard it and registered it while I was sitting and wrapping up my morning writing.
I remember thinking, “that’s weird, it sounds like it’s raining.”
But I didn’t really think it was raining.
It was raining.
I got to ride my scooter to work in the wet and I was not anticipating that this morning.
It ended up being fine and the rain ceased a bit when I got to the Inner Sunset and Laguna Honda was dry, it did rain a little bit in Glen Park, but it passed by the time I was done with work.
Thank God.
I don’t like riding when it’s wet.
I didn’t like it on my bicycle.
I don’t like it on my scooter.
I can do it on either, although I have not tried riding my one speed to my job in Glen Park.
I could.
But man.
It would be a haul.
I would have to avoid the hills, I couldn’t make it up the big hills.
I would have to go around.
Making the 6.6 mile commute to work about 8.5 miles.
This means heading all the way up Lincoln, cut through the Pan Handle, take the Wiggle, hit 17th to Valencia, Valencia to 30th and Church and I would still have to climb Chenery to Fairmount.
It would likely take me 50 minutes on my bicycle.
On my once speed, on a road bike I bet I could winnow it down to 45 minutes.
I can scooter it in 20 minutes and I am not sweaty when I get to work.
If I had a geared road bicycle, which is what I will have soon, I thought I was going to buy one while I was on break from the family, but stuff just kept coming up and the press for the bike was never very heavy on me.
Now that I have two donations under my belt and I am starting to get emails from my ALC representative I’m starting to feel itchy for a road bike.
It’s been seven years since I had my road bike.
It was a Felt 45, 56 cm.
I got it for $500 from a rider on the tour who had upgraded to a nicer ride, he totally gave it to me for such a deal. Here is the most recent version of the bike that I had on the ride in 2010. Only about $2900. No sweat.
Ugh.
The Felt was great, sturdy, I was able to do all my training rides on it, but it didn’t have the top granny gear, which I want this go around my knees are ten years older, and there were a couple of hills on the ride when I did it in 2010 that I had to stop on and rest.
I didn’t walk a single foot.
I didn’t push my bike.
I never took the sweep vehicle for a ride to the next rest stop.
Although one time the van passed me and the driver told me that she almost pulled me out, I was in an active bonk.
A bonk is what happens when you’re on a long ride and you haven’t eaten enough to fuel the ride, it generally happens on long rides.
I remember well that it was a long training ride that day, I was some where out past the Nicasio Reservoir on my way to Pt. Reyes, it was a century ride I’m pretty sure (100 mile ride) I think, I don’t recall exactly and I was very much looking forward to stopping and eating and my brain was loopy and I was slow and I couldn’t figure out why it was taking me such a long time to climb the hill I was on.
I was totally bonked.
I got off my bike and just about fell over.
My friend saw me and ran inside the deli and got me a loaded baked potato.
I literally was sitting on a parking lot cement curb marker in the middle of some supermarket parking lot in Point Reyes with sweat and tears running down my face eating a hot potato so fast I can still feel what it felt like falling down into my tummy and when the food hit I got high.
I am not joking.
I bonked once on the ride to L.A.
Again.
Thank God for my mentor and riding partner, he saw it happening.
I had agreed to run a meeting on the beach and instead of going to dinner had hustled down to do the hour on the beach at sunset and I am super glad I did, it was glorious, but then standing in line for dinner I began to faint, like weaving on my feet as I stood there waiting for my turn to queue up to the steam tables.
And the line was long.
My friend saw another friend and hustled me over to her and told me to stick my head between my knees he’d be right back.
He came back with two pints of milk.
“Drink this now!”
I didn’t argue, just sucked down the milk, the effect was electric.
I almost threw up, then the milk sugars roared through my blood.
While I was getting re-calibrated my friend hopped back into the dinner line and brought me back a tray which was basically a pile of mashed potatoes.
“I can’t eat this for dinner!” I exclaimed.
“You will eat all of that and then you can have some protein, you have zero blood sugar, you got to get it back up or you’re going to the med tent.”
He was quite right.
Anyway.
I had a lot of adventures and misadventures.
The four flat tires and getting stung by a wasp on a training ride to Petaluma and back.
Now that’s a story.
For another blog.
The point is.
It’s time for me to get the road bike.
I might wait until after Burning Man.
I might not.
If I end up having to do the rental car, which is what it’s looking like, I may eschew the cost of getting a playa bike, as I’ll have to get a bike rack and that’s another couple hundred and I don’t know, I’m thinking maybe I just fucking walk the event like I did my first year.
The road bike has to be and I will invest in a good one.
I have done a little research and I’m getting it narrowed down.
But.
Yeah.
It’s time.
I can feel it in my bones.
Time I got my bicycle on again.
Thank you so much to my two donors!
You rock.
And if you want to donate.
Just click here.
I’ll update you as things move along.
Be assured.
You’ll probably get hella tired of reading about my bicycle adventures.
But.
They’ll be fun.
I promise.
Auntiebubba 