cycling « Kenny Smith | A remarkable thing happens …

cycling

cycling / IU / photo / Wednesday — Comments Off
31
Aug 16

Just what do you think you’re doing, Kenny?

I’ve been trying since mid-July to get this shot since I saw one like it on a cycling site.

First, the one I saw, was shot by a stationary photographer. Second, it is hard to frame this just right while pedaling myself and holding my phone. Third, The Yankee is moving really fast.

You know, every building just about has closed doors. No signage, no one going in or out, just locked door knobs. And that makes me curious. Today I saw inside one of those at the office:

It is just a small server room with some wiring and routers and whatnot. I looked inside and left quickly, before Hal 9000 could take over. That’s just not something you need mid-week. He starts running A/B testing on you and the locks and your whole weekend is “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that, Kenny.”

cycling / Friday / IU / Monday / photo — Comments Off
29
Aug 16

Pedal to work

Today someone built up some bike racks in the sub-basement.

You can literally ride in off the street, up a sidewalk ramp and then walk your bicycle through three doors to an indoor, climate controlled storage room. A camera will be going up at the door. There will eventually be a digital lock on the door. They’ve put some thought into this.

Not pictured: My bicycle. I need a chain, I suppose. Until then, I’ll just stow it in my office after my four-mile ride in.

cycling / photo / Thursday — Comments Off
18
Aug 16

Snap! Ting, ting tong, ting

On today’s ride I broke a spoke. It wasn’t a big deal, everything worked out after I wrestled it away from the rest of the machinery. Here it is at home, after I eased my way home:

Mass and wear are the most likely culprits. My mass wore it out. So I’ll get that fixed tomorrow. Before all of that, according to my app, I hit 45.6 miles per hour. I assure you that was going downhill, so score one more for mass.

cycling / photo / Tuesday — Comments Off
16
Aug 16

Pedal harder

We had a 26-mile ride today. I forgot to take pictures:

So that’s the front fork of the bike in the house. Anyway, four categorized climbs, and I descended at 41.9 miles per hour.

I forgot to take pictures because I snuck off the front of the group in the first neighborhood. There are two stop signs through there and I figured someone would come catch me at the second one, at least, given that it has a weird little climb involved. But when I got there, I was still alone, and then I caught a break with oncoming traffic at the next two intersections.

By then I was off the front and apparently out of sight. I figured on some of those climbs someone would catch up, but it turns out most of them had forgotten about me. I rode the entire ride out front and by myself and made it back to the starting point all alone. I’m seldom ever strong enough for a good breakaway, but I guess the timing was right and the makeup of the group was all wrong to catch me. It was a great feeling. I’ll coast on that feeling for a good while, I’m sure.

cycling / IU / photo / Tuesday — Comments Off
9
Aug 16

Turn right at the corn

I helped install one of these today:

Sadly it was in a classroom and not in our house. But it’ll look great in the class nevertheless. Except for the fingerprint smudges I left on it. That might sound passive-aggressive, but smudges can be cleaned, so don’t think of it that way, OK?

On our bike ride this evening:

We’ve been this way a few times now and I like this site. You hang a right and then you have the corn on your left. You go up the hill, take a big curve and a punchy little roller and then a long straight up to stop sign that means you’re almost done. It is a nice four miles and 15 minutes.

Here’s the next leg in that final stretch, where The Yankee and Stephen are pacing me home:

I think this should be a thing: Where were you the last time you heard The BoDeans?

Because you never forget Closer to Free. (Or most any of the rest of their catalog, really.)