and attach spears to kevin's handlebars.
Moon Shadows are Evil
- Thread starter stb222
- Start date
and attach spears to kevin's handlebars.
the deer is on MapMyFitness...so the 20,000,000 other people that use our service will see it, just none of you.
and to be honest, i checked his file and he had the right of way.
in all seriousness, glad you're ok man. and i think congratulations may be in order. unless my memory is completely gone, you're the first person on the site to get hit by a deer.
Wobbegong
Well-Known Member
http://www.mtbnj.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13879
Gone!!!
Actually, Alex hit the deer, so Kevin may in fact be the 1st to be hit.
http://www.mtbnj.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13879
Gone!!!
i didn't post in that thread so it never happened.
Last night I reassembled my Synapse, which was undergoing a handlebar painting experiment that was completed earlier this week. After straddling the bike to adjust the bars, I caught my leg on the seat while un-straddling it and in an attempt to not fall over like an idiot in my garage, I hit my tender ankle on my chain ring. After cursing the stupidity of such, I finished the task at hand in prep for a ride to day.
The fluid above my knee is now settling on the side of my knee and is also draining into my lower leg, as when I take my socks off, I have an accumulation of fluid above the sock line. Lovely. I had a similar result after a crash on the BMX bike where I pushed my knee cap back against whatever it is that is behind there. It resulted in fluid on top of my knee cap that could be best described as a jiggly boob and it stayed that way for the better part of a year. At night the fluid would makes it way to my knee tit and during the day is would venture down and collect in jelly donut form around the top of my sock. Apparently if I got it drained, it would have just come back, but it sure took awhile for it to go away. Too early to tell, but may be the case here as well.
In any case, rode my bike this morning. Mildly irritating around my knee but my ankle actually hurt worse since it is right around where my shoe hits. It was more swollen than yesterday, probably due to my garage dismounting mishap but holy hell was I stoked to ride this morning, however I hit the snooze a few too many times and got a shorter ride then I wanted. Iggy asked if I need to change it up, but that one day off the bike recharged my desire to ride the same roads. I was also motivated as I saw a rider that had more than his share of reflective stripping on jersey, which turned out to be some sorts of sport bra type thing that was over his jersey. Nothing says safety like some reflective man-tits. I will say that the thing surely made him visible and my headlight lite that shit right up. As I passed him, I said good morning and shortly after a one antlered buck walks across about 10 feet ahead of me. It was not a close call but the fuckers are taunting me now. I had to keep my composure because shiny tits was gaining on me and no way was reflecto breasts getting by. He was behind me for a few miles, like not on my wheel, but maybe 300 feet back until he went another direction.
Reflective Sports Man-Bras Keep the One Antlered Away
The fluid above my knee is now settling on the side of my knee and is also draining into my lower leg, as when I take my socks off, I have an accumulation of fluid above the sock line. Lovely. I had a similar result after a crash on the BMX bike where I pushed my knee cap back against whatever it is that is behind there. It resulted in fluid on top of my knee cap that could be best described as a jiggly boob and it stayed that way for the better part of a year. At night the fluid would makes it way to my knee tit and during the day is would venture down and collect in jelly donut form around the top of my sock. Apparently if I got it drained, it would have just come back, but it sure took awhile for it to go away. Too early to tell, but may be the case here as well.
In any case, rode my bike this morning. Mildly irritating around my knee but my ankle actually hurt worse since it is right around where my shoe hits. It was more swollen than yesterday, probably due to my garage dismounting mishap but holy hell was I stoked to ride this morning, however I hit the snooze a few too many times and got a shorter ride then I wanted. Iggy asked if I need to change it up, but that one day off the bike recharged my desire to ride the same roads. I was also motivated as I saw a rider that had more than his share of reflective stripping on jersey, which turned out to be some sorts of sport bra type thing that was over his jersey. Nothing says safety like some reflective man-tits. I will say that the thing surely made him visible and my headlight lite that shit right up. As I passed him, I said good morning and shortly after a one antlered buck walks across about 10 feet ahead of me. It was not a close call but the fuckers are taunting me now. I had to keep my composure because shiny tits was gaining on me and no way was reflecto breasts getting by. He was behind me for a few miles, like not on my wheel, but maybe 300 feet back until he went another direction.
Reflective Sports Man-Bras Keep the One Antlered Away
I thought of you last night. As I was flying around a turn at Stephen's in the dark, I came up on a big ass one antlered buck. He looked pissed. He eventually ran off, but not without giving me an "I'm not scared of your punk ass" look.
happy birthday!
Feel the Burn
Embrace the Pain
Pain Train
Suffer Fest
Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body*
Cliché: No pain, no gain
Explanation: 1. Everything worthwhile takes effort.
2. You have to endure some pain to gain something that has value.
Pain. We have all heard the above phrases and as dumb as the clichés sounds, they are all true**. The thing about the pain that comes along with riding a bike is also wildly addictive. To the average person you talk to, this sounds absolute ridiculous but no doubt some of you know what I am talking about. The endorphins that are released when you are pushing your body are what make it addictive to me. There are times after I do a hard ride that I simply feel invigorated, especially the shorter rides that I tend to do where I have not taxed my body enough to the point beyond where said endorphins are out-weighted by the pain. Also pushing yourself on a climb or something and beating your previous personal best feels rewarding and this cannot happen without pain. Do you ever get used to the pain? Some wise-ish person said, climbing never gets easier, you just get faster and I have found this to be absolutely on the money. Actually, climbing slower hurts more in a way because it prolongs the agony. I guess you do get used to the pain, or at least learn to accept it is probably more accurate, in any case, you cannot continue to progress without it.
So last week I had planned to take off to celebrate the day this earth was blessed with my presence and pain was on the menu for the day. My age is turning to the dark side of the mid-30’s, however I am certainly not one to complain about such as there isn’t a damn this one can do about it. Iggy had mentioned about being a creature of habit, which I am, so I decided to mix it up and visit some bigger climbs in the area, instead of making a larger loop of roads I already know. So I planned a route that included both Fiddlers Elbow, mentioned to be the hardest road climb in NJ and Iron Bridge, also one of the hardest in the state. I mapped out a 100+ mile route that would hit both of these around the 50-60 mark. I could have driven to start somewhere closer, but I had all day, so that seemed like a waste.
The weather looked to be perfectly clear, windy and what may turn out to be the coldest day of the month. When I saw 20’s on the hour by hour, I was less than excited as riding below 30 making dress right a must. I figured there was no way to be comfortable all day with lows in the 20’s and highs 40’s, so I just went with my 20’s clothing set.
The winds were out of the NW, which ment that literally the first 40 miles was directly into the wind (also note, mostly gradually uphill) and the next 10 to the foot of Fiddlers was a head/crosswind. I am not even gonna act like it didn’t fucking murder me the whole why out, because it did. I cursed the wind at least once out loud and many more in my brain. I wasn’t trying to light the road on fire this day, so it didn’t matter much, but I would have been just fine without it. I rode NJ 31 all the way to Ringoes because it was the most direct way and I ride all the roads on either side very often, so it isn’t like I was missing much. Along 31 in Pennington there was a dead deer that was literally riped in half and its heart was sitiing in the shoulder. Lovely. I thought about kicking it into traffic but then thought better as I figured it was frozen and would probably hurt my toe. So the first 20 miles was just getting out of my normal territory. Once on 579, there was a hill that caught me off guard a bit with the steepness, which was aided by that damn wind (this may have been where I cursed the wind out loud).
So fast forward to Fiddlers Elbow. Based on recommendations, I added Roxbury Hill before it as to not punk out on the experience. The second I turn onto Roxbury Hill I questioned what I got myself into as the grades were already much steeper than almost anything I have done. Stop to take a token picture of the sign and then turn onto Fiddlers. Note that I have compact gearing (34 x 25 is my lowest) and I didn’t even bother starting in my 50t. Start to climb and think it isn’t that bad***. Then I turn to the left and it is just straight up. But I just rode straight up it as I wasn’t completely bogged down and doing the paper boy thing just prolongs the agony and before I knew it I was at the top. It all seemed like a blur, probably because my brains reaction to that kind of grade was to just block it from my memory all together. However, maybe it is because of gearing, but I never thought once about stopping and I sure as hell wasn’t walking.
SO that was that, continued on my way and enjoyed the awesome long downhill on my way to Iron Bridge. I gained some confidence on Fiddlers and found Iron Bridge to be more of the same. I stayed in my 34 x 23 on this one though and almost had to stop because my tire slipped on a wet spot. After Fiddlers, Iron Bridge seemed like not that big a deal*** and I actually had more pain with the long lower grade climb I rode after I descended from Iron Bridge. After I climbed Tunnel Road back to the top of 579, I now had the wind at my back and was “home free”. After a few minor annoying “climbs” I got in the drops and just spun away. I stopped to fill up the bottles and look for a snickers. I never eat snickers but all I wanted was one and this convenient store didn’t have it. However they did have snickers bites, so I got them. They ended be good, however just like Stinger gummy things, I always feel like a fat kid eating a quarter pounder with cheese as I never open the bag enough and end up eating the bag in the process. Anyways, this energized me to make it home.
It didn’t happen if it isn’t on strava, there isn’t a selfie AND it isn’t in black and white or some other annoying effect.
Hit the Sourlands on the way home and the climbs just seem silly*** compared to those ones up north. So even after 100 miles, I could spin up those as 90 rpm in my 50t***. Just short of home I stopped to take a picture of a straight out flag; the wind can suck me.
All in all, 108 miles and just short of 10k climbing. Elevation probably isn’t right, but more climbing then I would normally do. I also didn’t die, which is always a plus.
Iron Fiddles Can't Be Heard in the Wind
So yesterday I did a hilly loop yesterday and enjoyed the warm weather in the AM. Rode Federal Twist as Fiddlers and Iron Bridge were fresh in my mind and it really isn’t anywhere close to the league of those climbs***. But all in all felt good. As you see from the elevation profile, I got to MP 35 and burrowed underground for the rest of the ride and then took the elevator under my house back to the surface.
Ostrich Twists in the Morning Fog
As of now the only goal I have it to make it to 9,000 miles for the year. The century with Fiddlers and Iron Bridge took my over the 8,000 mark, so as of now, I am right on track.
*this one is just stupid
**reference*
***I will touch on that in another post
Embrace the Pain
Pain Train
Suffer Fest
Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body*
Cliché: No pain, no gain
Explanation: 1. Everything worthwhile takes effort.
2. You have to endure some pain to gain something that has value.
Pain. We have all heard the above phrases and as dumb as the clichés sounds, they are all true**. The thing about the pain that comes along with riding a bike is also wildly addictive. To the average person you talk to, this sounds absolute ridiculous but no doubt some of you know what I am talking about. The endorphins that are released when you are pushing your body are what make it addictive to me. There are times after I do a hard ride that I simply feel invigorated, especially the shorter rides that I tend to do where I have not taxed my body enough to the point beyond where said endorphins are out-weighted by the pain. Also pushing yourself on a climb or something and beating your previous personal best feels rewarding and this cannot happen without pain. Do you ever get used to the pain? Some wise-ish person said, climbing never gets easier, you just get faster and I have found this to be absolutely on the money. Actually, climbing slower hurts more in a way because it prolongs the agony. I guess you do get used to the pain, or at least learn to accept it is probably more accurate, in any case, you cannot continue to progress without it.
So last week I had planned to take off to celebrate the day this earth was blessed with my presence and pain was on the menu for the day. My age is turning to the dark side of the mid-30’s, however I am certainly not one to complain about such as there isn’t a damn this one can do about it. Iggy had mentioned about being a creature of habit, which I am, so I decided to mix it up and visit some bigger climbs in the area, instead of making a larger loop of roads I already know. So I planned a route that included both Fiddlers Elbow, mentioned to be the hardest road climb in NJ and Iron Bridge, also one of the hardest in the state. I mapped out a 100+ mile route that would hit both of these around the 50-60 mark. I could have driven to start somewhere closer, but I had all day, so that seemed like a waste.
The weather looked to be perfectly clear, windy and what may turn out to be the coldest day of the month. When I saw 20’s on the hour by hour, I was less than excited as riding below 30 making dress right a must. I figured there was no way to be comfortable all day with lows in the 20’s and highs 40’s, so I just went with my 20’s clothing set.
The winds were out of the NW, which ment that literally the first 40 miles was directly into the wind (also note, mostly gradually uphill) and the next 10 to the foot of Fiddlers was a head/crosswind. I am not even gonna act like it didn’t fucking murder me the whole why out, because it did. I cursed the wind at least once out loud and many more in my brain. I wasn’t trying to light the road on fire this day, so it didn’t matter much, but I would have been just fine without it. I rode NJ 31 all the way to Ringoes because it was the most direct way and I ride all the roads on either side very often, so it isn’t like I was missing much. Along 31 in Pennington there was a dead deer that was literally riped in half and its heart was sitiing in the shoulder. Lovely. I thought about kicking it into traffic but then thought better as I figured it was frozen and would probably hurt my toe. So the first 20 miles was just getting out of my normal territory. Once on 579, there was a hill that caught me off guard a bit with the steepness, which was aided by that damn wind (this may have been where I cursed the wind out loud).
So fast forward to Fiddlers Elbow. Based on recommendations, I added Roxbury Hill before it as to not punk out on the experience. The second I turn onto Roxbury Hill I questioned what I got myself into as the grades were already much steeper than almost anything I have done. Stop to take a token picture of the sign and then turn onto Fiddlers. Note that I have compact gearing (34 x 25 is my lowest) and I didn’t even bother starting in my 50t. Start to climb and think it isn’t that bad***. Then I turn to the left and it is just straight up. But I just rode straight up it as I wasn’t completely bogged down and doing the paper boy thing just prolongs the agony and before I knew it I was at the top. It all seemed like a blur, probably because my brains reaction to that kind of grade was to just block it from my memory all together. However, maybe it is because of gearing, but I never thought once about stopping and I sure as hell wasn’t walking.
SO that was that, continued on my way and enjoyed the awesome long downhill on my way to Iron Bridge. I gained some confidence on Fiddlers and found Iron Bridge to be more of the same. I stayed in my 34 x 23 on this one though and almost had to stop because my tire slipped on a wet spot. After Fiddlers, Iron Bridge seemed like not that big a deal*** and I actually had more pain with the long lower grade climb I rode after I descended from Iron Bridge. After I climbed Tunnel Road back to the top of 579, I now had the wind at my back and was “home free”. After a few minor annoying “climbs” I got in the drops and just spun away. I stopped to fill up the bottles and look for a snickers. I never eat snickers but all I wanted was one and this convenient store didn’t have it. However they did have snickers bites, so I got them. They ended be good, however just like Stinger gummy things, I always feel like a fat kid eating a quarter pounder with cheese as I never open the bag enough and end up eating the bag in the process. Anyways, this energized me to make it home.
It didn’t happen if it isn’t on strava, there isn’t a selfie AND it isn’t in black and white or some other annoying effect.
Hit the Sourlands on the way home and the climbs just seem silly*** compared to those ones up north. So even after 100 miles, I could spin up those as 90 rpm in my 50t***. Just short of home I stopped to take a picture of a straight out flag; the wind can suck me.
All in all, 108 miles and just short of 10k climbing. Elevation probably isn’t right, but more climbing then I would normally do. I also didn’t die, which is always a plus.
Iron Fiddles Can't Be Heard in the Wind
So yesterday I did a hilly loop yesterday and enjoyed the warm weather in the AM. Rode Federal Twist as Fiddlers and Iron Bridge were fresh in my mind and it really isn’t anywhere close to the league of those climbs***. But all in all felt good. As you see from the elevation profile, I got to MP 35 and burrowed underground for the rest of the ride and then took the elevator under my house back to the surface.
Ostrich Twists in the Morning Fog
As of now the only goal I have it to make it to 9,000 miles for the year. The century with Fiddlers and Iron Bridge took my over the 8,000 mark, so as of now, I am right on track.
*this one is just stupid
**reference*
***I will touch on that in another post
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that road scares me. i guess i will have to ride to fiddlers on my SS with another SS on my back, switch bikes, hopefully climb to the top, then switch bikes again.
nice job, thats a solid time for a solo windy hilly century. they seem to switch the dates up a little every year for Hillier Than Thou, hopefully next year you can make the date. It would be great to ride it together and give each other a handy at the end.
wow kev, that's a solid roll. and the story telling isn't bad either.
I thought about you last night (no homo) when I was walking home in the dark, on the tow path and saw my shadow.
I also thought about you (no homo) at 5 AM this morning when the wind was threatening to lift up my house and carry it to OZ. I said to my self, "there's no way ShitTheBed Kevin is out riding in this" But sure enough, Strava confirmed you were. You've got to be the most dedicated, non-competitive cyclist I know. Kudos to you.
I know that climb on 579. The approach makes it look so much bigger than it is but then you're at the top of it before you know it. Usually hit 50+ MPH going down doe.
Great post - I read it while I was poopin'.
I also thought about you (no homo) at 5 AM this morning when the wind was threatening to lift up my house and carry it to OZ. I said to my self, "there's no way ShitTheBed Kevin is out riding in this" But sure enough, Strava confirmed you were. You've got to be the most dedicated, non-competitive cyclist I know. Kudos to you.
I know that climb on 579. The approach makes it look so much bigger than it is but then you're at the top of it before you know it. Usually hit 50+ MPH going down doe.
Great post - I read it while I was poopin'.