I just wanted to let everyone know that I am feeling better. My throat isn't sore any more, but my nose is still stuffy and green when I blow. I took today off from riding, and I'm taking tomorrow off too.
Updates to the Mission Century Page
I just wanted to let everyone know that I made some updates to the 2006 Mission Century page.
No Riding Today — ARG!
I have a summer cold. I woke up Saturday for my ride feeling great, rode 50+ miles, then started feeling bad in the afternoon. Sunday, I stayed home from visitation at church and took a nap (unheard of). Last night, I woke up about every 2 hours because of a sore throat. So, I decided to drive to work today and tomorrow to let my body heal.
Weekly Ride Stats
I finished up the week over 100 miles, again. I went out and did 53 on Sat. to get my total up; however, that distance work is good preperation for the 2006 Missions Century.
Bike Ride Route — 5 Aug, 2006
Wallace and I did another Saturday Ride. If you want to see the route, click here. We rode the Riverside Trail in Richmond, VA. That was a great ride. Nice hills, no traffic, and there are signs to boot showing you where to go. The worst part of the ride was riding down Cary St. to cross the Robert. E. Lee Bridge….I didn't care for that too much once we got to Carytown.
We got lost a few times, but still ended up and made good time. My overall avg. speed was lower than I wanted, but we were pulling up some hills and taking it easy.
Just heard that Landis B Test Was Positive
I got up to get ready for a ride. When I turned off my alarm, it sounded like they were talking about Floyid Landis on the radio. I turned on CNN Headline News. They are reporting that Lansis' B test came back positive. I didn't find any references on the web yet; however, when I get back from my ride…I'll link to a few.
In the meantime, try this Google News search for Floyd Landis.
Floyd Landis and Doping
I just wanted to let everyone know that Floyd Landis’ B Sample is scheduled to be tested Saturday (5 Aug). We’ll see how it comes out. I’m rooting for a negative test (or one that can be explained naturally). We’ll see. I rooted for FLoyd from when I found out he had his dead hip….
[Update 2013-01-18 06:48:27] As we all know, that sample came out positive.
Wrecked
Well, I wrecked my bike today. I was riding home, saw this person getting ready to make a left across my path, I kept going, she made a u turn, when I slowed down to avoid hitting her then accelerated, my chain slipped, I got off balance, and fell. No real damage to my bike. I skinned up my left elbow. My pedal (yes, my new pedal!) broke….I've got to come up with a way to replace the strap on my clip.
Anyway, I was very worried I was going to get ran over, but I didn't. I wasn't even seriously hurt.
God was watching out for me, and I am truly thankful!
HOT
Yesterday a coworker and I road from an office we have outside of Richmond back to the main office (well, he peeled off and went home). It was so so hot yesterday. Officially the temp in Richmond never broke 100 (it got to 98); however, it felt like 105-110.
When riding while it was this hot, my water in my bottle got very hot very fast (imagine nice warm bath water and you get the idea). Any ideas on how to keep it cool?
Update on Roady 2 PAS and Bike Riding
When more than one person asked me about my Roady 2 PAS, I realized I had never posted followup on my article about purchasing the PAS. So, here it is:
I don't use the stock headphones that came with the Roady 2 PAS. They have foam coverings on the ear pieces, and I was worried that they would get clogged with sweat. Nevermind the fact that VA law doesn't allow both ears to be covered while riding a bicycle (except in certain circumstances).
I went to Wal Mart and bought the cheapest pair of earbuds. I split the cord so I can leave one in the pocket of my pack and put the other in my ear.
For an antenna, I use the vehicle antenna that came with my Roady 2. I just purchased a big washer so I could magnent mount it to my pack. Reception is good. I only have a few (3-5) places where I drop out for 1-3 seconds. I think that is because of trees. Overall, this yields good reception.
I had to turn the volume up way louder than I thought to compensate for the wind noise. I tried listening to Fox News on XM, but decided music was better. I usually spend my ride time listening to "The Message" XM32 (Christian "Pop" is what they call it).
Battery life is good. I have spent 3.5 hours on my bike and it was still going. As the battery gets weaker, I think reception gets a bit poorer, but I haven't tested it enough to be sure.
Overall, I think this is a very good solution. I only wish the battery pack were lighter and lasted longer and that it had a belt clip so I could use it without having to carry it while I'm off my bike.