This afternoon was beyond gorgeous. After a long winter and a series of gray, gloomy days, an afternoon ride in the sparkling sunshine is almost more than I can bear.
This was my first ride of the year on Turkey Hill Rd. and Ellis Hollow territory. A student today told me that his mom was crazy because she gets up some insane hour to ride up Quarry Rd. (the steepest section on the elevation profile). I tried to explain that folks of a certain age desperately need to do such things, but he'll just have to wait a while to really understand! Anyway, I took mom's advice and did the Quarry climb, which is the first time I've gone up that hill. It certainly won't be my last. It's not as challenging as Yellow Barn Rd. and Ringwood Rd. in Dryden, but it does get the heart pumping.
The last four days have been bookmarked by epic stomach bugs experienced by both boys, who were absolute angels throughout their ordeals. Smack dab in the middle, a brash and bratty Spaniard won Paris-Nice, so even more bad news. I don't begrudge Contador for winning, but he just lacks class. I would have been so nice to see Jens Voigt on that podium, but oh well. That ridiculous finger banging gesture is so lame, and that stupid cap is just too much.
Anyway, all that suggestive gesturing and wretching aside, it was sure nice to see some road biking on the teevee, and it really made me want to get out and ride. Fortunately, after a day of minding the most compliant and sweet little patient, I got to sneak out for a quick ride. I chose the Cornell Plantations as my destination, and was reminded just how steep that climb up Cascadilla Place, through the cemetery, and through campus really is. The Plantations still has large snow piles melting onto the pavement, but spring is really in the air, even on a gloomy low-40s day.
It was an off kilter day, with one boy in survival mode after a nasty tummy bug, and half the family awake through most of the night and stumbling through the morning. Luckily I at least got some sleep. Though I wasn't planning on riding today, two days of rest had me itching to go.
Somehow the inevitable rain was slow to arrive, so I hopped on my trusty ride for a quick Lansing climb. What lucky timing! The gusts in Lansing nearly knocked me off the bike, and halfway to Searles Rd., I started to get pelted with rain. Fortunately the heavy rain held off long enough to not make the final descent too worrisome, especially considering the state of my rear tire. It was one of those memorable rides that almost didn't happen, and turned out to be a pretty fun and intense ride, battling fierce winds and rapidly changing weather conditions. It was gratifying to see the odometer click up to 105 miles...good to be ahead of my expected pace for this time in the year.
This pattern of tire wear is partly the result of just so many miles on hill climbs and spinning my rear tire on some climbs. The trainer did equal parts damage as well, and I was waiting to replace the rear tire until indoor cycling season was clearly over.
After a thorough cleaning, I struggled mightily with the cursed new rear tire, and kept pinching my superlight butyl tubes. Three patches and two wicked thumb blood blisters later, the bike is ready to go again. Sometimes I feel like a total fool when I keep messing up a simple tire and tube change. You'd think I'd learn something after so many years of this, but these Vreds are such a tight fit.
My lucky streak continues with yet another gorgeous early March day. Here's where I rode yesterday and today. Roads are in pretty good shape, overall, and I'm feeling fine.
Bonus ride today! You can't beat two days of road biking in the finger lakes region on the first weekend in March. This was an errand ride, dropping the car off at the shop and then riding home the long way through Trumansburg. Check out the elevation profile. A relatively short climb followed by 15 miles of downhill can't be beat. All in all, a sparkling weekend.
The off-season has been quite a trial, but if I lived in Hawaii, there wouldn't be an off-season, and you know what they say about the importance of yearning! My strategy of combining once or twice-weekly rides on the trainer with daily workouts with EA Active (for Wii) has really worked out well, and now I really understand the value of cross-training. I was really strong on the hills today, and felt in as good a form as mid-summer last year.
The roads were in surprising good shape for early March, even before the heavy rains have come to wash away all the salt and grit from the shoulders. I was reluctant to take my precious bike out, given the destructive power of the road salt, but a quick bike bath put things back in good order once again.
Without a doubt, the highlight of today's ride was seeing the brilliant sun reflecting off of vast fields of snow in Lansing. This time of the year, as the sun's angle shifts, the snow fields rapidly melt in angled patterns, resulting in almost blinding shimmery seas of snow. The Cayuga lake views are equally stunning without the foliage to obstruct roadside views.
I'm so thankful that I'm back on the road again. There is no substitute for cycling outside, and all of the unknown variables like sun, rain, wind, unexpected roadkill, and oblivious drivers who are too busy texting to notice you. No close calls today, just some to-be-expected obliviousness from drivers who aren't expecting to see human powered transportation on the roads.
Today was my first road test of my upgraded drivetrain and new helmet, and I'm happy to report that my new shoes and pedals exceeded my expectation. The Shimano 105 pedals and Louis Garneu road shoes were incredibly comfortable and stable. What a difference it makes to have a larger and less wiggly pedal platform. It makes standing on the pedals so much easier, though the toe box is a bit looser than I want it to be. Thicker socks might be in order.
Now I need to convince Chuck, Jean, and Karl to smash their piggy banks and buy an entry-level road bike. Come on guys, it's SO worth it, and I'd love some more riding partners! I'll be your personal bike mechanic, and that's a promise.
It's stats time...I'm really happy with my ride today, given the stiff headwind as I headed north. It will only get better!
Excuse me, Accuweather. "Dreary" is a very subjective adjective. If the high temp on March 12th is actually 48, I'll call it "Dreamy." I'm targeting this date as my first hill climb of the year. Remington, here I come.
Armin Heurich is an educator and sustainability advocate based in Ithaca, New York. He has served as a Teacher-Librarian at Ithaca High School within the Ithaca City School District since 1997. He promotes youth engagement in climate justice, in partnership with educators, school Board of Ed. members and administrators, and integrates information-literacy-based climate education into the curriculum. Before his 30 year career in education, Heurich studied at the Center for Media Study at SUNY Buffalo, graduating with a BFA in 1985. He actively engaged in the early Western New York independent media scene, exhibiting his single channel experimental video work and participating in media collectives such as the Media Coalition for Reproductive Rights and the 8mm News Collective. In the ‘80s and into the 1990s he served as Technical Director for the media arts center Squeaky Wheel in Buffalo. In recent years, Heurich has shifted significant focus toward systemic climate optimism, municipal accessibility, and youth environmental outreach. He partnered with fellow educators, school board leaders, and students to co-draft a comprehensive Climate Action Plan for the Ithaca City School Di
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