James Pearl Thinks Blogging is Dead

So two were Phil Gaimon books - Pro Cycling on $10 a Day, and Ask a Pro.

Then I got more serious and checked off a book that I've been wanted to read for a while: The Martian. Loved it so much and got so excited by it that I went to the library and grabbed Packing for Mars by Mary Roach. She also wrote Bonk and Stiff, about sex and cadavers, respectively. I had heard good things about Stiff from a friend, so I might move on to that next if I like this one. Also reading a textbook on fracture mechanics for grad school, but it's a textbook, so that can't count, right?

I like non-fiction a little too much. Will accept book recommendations.

Norm said:
Clif bars are to portable nutrition, as Budweiser is to beer.
Click to expand...

Change this to Coors so that we can make the new nut-butter filled Clif Bars the Blue Moon of portable nutrition. More expensive per ounce and marginally better. Doesn't mean one still can't enjoy the occasional Banquet Beer, if only to walk around trying to talk like Sam Elliot for 20 minutes.
 
MissJR said:
am i the only one who actually likes clif bars?
Click to expand...
i get jiggy with the chocolate chip clif bars.
35095-DEFAULT-l.jpg
 
Speaking of Sam Elliot, I have been binging on The Ranch on the Nflix. I like because it's a funny conservative based show in Colorado and has that 70s show cast members.

M&Ms came out with coffee bean m&ms. Mmm mmm! Too bad I can't have any but certainly will with an OH when I hit 220.
 
MissJR said:
am i the only one who actually likes clif bars?
Click to expand...
Mrs. G and I always have crunchy peanut butter Clif bars in the house. They're pretty much the "In case of emergency, break glass" food for us in general.
 
Chocolate Brownie, Sierra Trail Mix and PB. More so on longer endurance rides do I grab one.
 
After my daughter and I were turned away at Allaire by park police yesterday, in a scene eerily similar to the movie Vacation, it came to me. Chris Christie should take a flying fuck at a rolling doughnut, in fact he should take a flying fuck at the moon!
 
James Pearl thinks blogging is dead.

As soon as I started this thing, the 31 day challenge came around and I jumped in. I thought about skipping July 1 in an effort to take myself out but I said screw it, I'm going to do it. I wanted to support @jdog and promote his shop. As a race promoter that is going through a down year, I understand a little bit about the cycles in the bike world. I want to help get the word out about his shop. I tossed in a comment about riding more than me but nobody took the bait. I don't know if nobody takes me seriously, or people actually think I still have it in me. Or some people are going to drop an 80 on July 31 and call me out. I'm hoping that happens.

So I have ridden the fuck out of my bike this month. Most of this has been on the mountain bike. I wanted to try and make this month as loaded with quality rides as I could. So here it what it has ended up as, by date:

1. 40 mile road ride to KVSP and a BBQ
2. MTB ride in Bear Brook SP (New Hampshire)
3. MTB ride in Franklin Falls Dam (New Hampshire)
4. Kingdom
5. Kingdom
6. Kingdom
7. Kingdom, Burke DH Park
8. MTB ride in Bromont (Quebec)
9. Urban MTB ride in Montreal
10. White Clay
11. White Clay
12. White Clay
13. Nockamixon
14. Chimney Rock
15. Stewart SF
16. Stewart SF
17. Chimney Rock
18. 44 mile road ride with the MAFW.

The summary here is as such: mountain bike rides in 7 states/provinces over the course of days 2 through 16, plus some road rides thrown in there.

Here is today's number: 98.

I am pretty tired right now. As much as I could talk about race promoting and stuff like that, I don't have the energy. And I guess I could talk about what the number 98 means and where I think that may or may not go. But I'm too tired.

So for now, I think I am going to have some ice cream then go to bed. Thanks for reading.
 
Norm said:
As soon as I started this thing, the 31 day challenge came around and I jumped in. I thought about skipping July 1 in an effort to take myself out but I said screw it, I'm going to do it. I wanted to support @jdog and promote his shop. As a race promoter that is going through a down year, I understand a little bit about the cycles in the bike world. I want to help get the word out about his shop. I tossed in a comment about riding more than me but nobody took the bait. I don't know if nobody takes me seriously, or people actually think I still have it in me. Or some people are going to drop an 80 on July 31 and call me out. I'm hoping that happens.
Click to expand...
I sorta took the bait, or at least earmarked it, but like you said, stating your goals online make one not complete them. In any case, your bike vacation week sunk my ship as all you need to do is cover the rest of the month. I am still in it for the days, but I had 2 big rides planned and both fell through so after you covered my hours last week, I checked out on riding more hours. I also want to ride the remainder of the year where on August 1st, you'll likely go back to 6 hours a week.

Not to mention, I realized this morning on my ride that July is my least favorite month for riding.

Also, while I am riding every day, I am not posting about it, at all, which is pretty shitty.
 
Last edited:
stb222 said:
I also want to ride the remainder of the year where on August 1st, you'll likely go back to 6 hours a week.
Click to expand...

Hmm, is this a passive aggressive gauntlet you are throwing down to take the glorious Johnny Utah Challenge? I'll be away on vacation (family, not bike) in August so I'll ride minimal hours for ~8 days. If you are going to play that one I can see what I have left in the tank there. I think August is worse for me because of the residual sweat-loss effect that I totally unscientifically believe contributes to summer burn-out.

Your point is taken and well-understood before you even say it. Here is a graph of my last 13 months of riding. I know you're not into numbers as such. But can you spot an obvious problem with this graph?

Screen Shot 2017-07-19 at 9.22.50 AM.png
 
Norm said:
Hmm, is this a passive aggressive gauntlet you are throwing down to take the glorious Johnny Utah Challenge? I'll be away on vacation (family, not bike) in August so I'll ride minimal hours for ~8 days. If you are going to play that one I can see what I have left in the tank there. I think August is worse for me because of the residual sweat-loss effect that I totally unscientifically believe contributes to summer burn-out.

Your point is taken and well-understood before you even say it. Here is a graph of my last 13 months of riding. I know you're not into numbers as such. But can you spot an obvious problem with this graph?

View attachment 54905
Click to expand...
Hours per month is one thing I can relate to but as with my road riding, it is very steady state. The main problem is your lack of riding in the fall months, which are arguably the best months to ride. That would be a good place to change. F august though. The good thing about August is the end of heat and humidity is near. So ride less in August, more in sept/oct.

In any case, even though you are 5 years removed from 40+ hours every month, for some reason I still look to see it.
 
Today's number is 100. Those observant in the sequence of numbers and things like this will notice an increase of 2 over yesterday's number. If tomorrow pans out as I expect it to, I will tell you a story. If it does not, I may or may not tell you a story. I will tell you a story eventually. This much I can promise you.

The thing about plans is that with my work schedule being what it is, things so rarely go to plan. Here is what I am hoping tomorrow will turn out like:

6:00 - wake up & work
8:00 - somewhere around here bring Julia to camp
8:30 - drive to Six Mile
9:15 - ok now that I spell this out this may go to hell before it starts. Ride the full Six Mile loop
11:30 - conference call that I told these dimwits to cancel, while driving to Halters
12:00 - drop D's bike off at Halter's, buy some gloves or something else. I like buying gloves.
1:00 - get back home, shower, work as normal the rest of the day

Pearl quoted my footer in his Strava ride today. I remember when I used to think Nugget Nectar was good. I no longer really think NN is good, but I really don't have much else to replace the quote with. I think that's one of those things when you try to hard, you can't nail it. Maybe my footer should be, "James Pearl thinks blogging is dead."

On that note, I may be going down to visit JP soon. By "visit JP" I mean "go to Duke for work". I figure everything in NC is close enough. Or he'll come to where I am to hang out. Knowing our luck, I'll go down there when he is here. We can high five while we fly by each other.

I forgot to post this last night. During the 3 days I rode White Clay and the Nox day, I totalled up 51 personal records in Strava. While many of you may think Strava is bullshit, this must mean something, no?

Here is what I think:

1. If you are free to ride Six Mile tomorrow at 9:15am, meet me at the Canal Lot and know that I have been having bad gas lately, so you better go faster than me. I need to be on a call by 11:30am. The gas may or may not be related to that project.
2. I want to ride Ringwood, very soon.
 
Last edited:
Is it being lazy on my part to ride nothing but road July and August. No way any enjoyment with mtb in the humidity. Mostly because the biting flies are at their peek around here. Is it just this area or are they down south also? I ask because they drive me bat shit crazy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom