Cycle Ti Thunder

This morning I was forced to divert from my normal path to avoid hitting a cyclist who was riding on the wrong side of the street.  It was dark and he did not have a light and if it were not for the lone reflector on his bike.  I noticed that he was not going to pass me on the outside to my left as he was riding in the gutter.  I merged to my left and ran my back tire into a huge hole that I avoid every day.  This event would set in motion my bike repair this evening. My failed 32 tire. I went on the group ride tonight and I noticed a wobble and bump in my rear tire.  At the 10 mile turn around I looked at my rear tire and to my horror it had two spots near the rim that looked like the casing was going to pop out.  I figured it would last until I got home, and it did. I decided to put the Gator Skins back on that I took off months ago because the brand new rear tire had a small chunk flap in it.  I took it of because I did not want to ride on a...

I was within eyesight of my mailbox and I saw this woman backing out of her driveway.  I knew she was not looking where she was going.  I pulled over to the far right side of the street and slowed down.  I started yelling for her to look where she was going to no avail.  She never looked my way.

Was it supposed to get colder on the first commute of spring?  I thought that my last commute with wool sweater and leg warmers was done, but nooooo, today it was quite a bit colder than last week. I tried to capture my ride in the dark with 1 image every 5 seconds.  It is a bit choppy.  Still playing around with the GoPro.  I think the battery went dead which is why it stopped before I got to work.

Today was the first time I used my GoPro Hero4 Black on my bike.  I have a temporary mount set up on my head tube. I am still waiting for the beefier Ram Mount to arrive in the mail.  I wanted to show how well my Busch & Müller Luxos U IQ2 lighting system performed on dark country roads.  I also wanted to see how the Hero4 worked with default settings in the dark.  Pictures for your enjoyment are below. GoPro Hero4 Black mounted to head tube. GoPro Hero4 Black mounted to head tube. GoPro Hero4 Black mounted to head tube. Here is my first GoPro Hero4 video.  Believe it or not but I have done a lot of graphics with computers, but video editing is brand new to me.  I know I will get better at this. My ride data.

I make up and play lots of games to keep my life interesting.  Below is an explanation of my cycling game that I play when I am bike commuting. This morning I found myself spinning into the wind.  Every direction I traveled on my morning commute seemed to have a head wind or a cross wind.  the wind was not too strong, just enough to be annoying.  I had my CycleMee playlist on to keep my pace up and just decided to get in the drops and move along. My CycleMee Play list I have a measuring point on my route that I use to gauge how fast I am going.  I usually like to ride fast a few times a week. The point that I always the end to my splits at the intersection of Lily Pond Road and Newton HWY. In the morning I my goal is to get there in one hour.  This means that I have to maintain an average speed of 18 MPH as this is 17.7 miles from my start.  Realistically I have never made this goal and most of the time I get to this point between one hour an...

On my bike commute home on Friday I rode really fast. I was trying to make it home on my 25 mile ride in under 90 minutes. I made it. I was feeling depressed at the slow commutes this month. It has been a cold stretch of weather, but I wanted to see if I could still ride fast like I do in the summer.

Tonight I was taking my short route home because my wife had some friends call and they wanted to go to dinner with us.  I was riding along listening to random songs from my offline playlist from Spotify and a selection from Handel's Messiah came on.  I played it twice as I rode home. I am the son of a African Methodist minister and a music teacher.  I was raised to revere theological thought and music.  I can remember learning to sing Handel's Messiah for a Billy Graham Crusade in Los Angeles as a young child.  On Sundays as a child I would listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on the radio and I loved to hear them sing.  I know this may surprise some of you who may be reading this that know me but I have a deep appreciation for classical music. So today when I was riding home and For Unto Us A Child Is Born came on my blue tooth speaker I was so happy.  I was spinning along and treated the song just like any other song to set my pace and pedal s...

Tonight I took my zigzag route home.  I had to stop by a local business to pick up a check for payment on a freelance project.  I wanted to still ride for at least 20 miles before going home so I did a zigzag through Albany.  I rode really fast on the leg from the office to my house.  I was inspired because I was listening to Taj Mahal's "YOU AINT NO STREET WALKER MAMA HONEY BUT I DO LOVE THE WAY YOU STRUT YOUR STUFF" on m y Spotify "let's Boogie" playlist.  I really felt like riding as fast as I could from the office to my house. My playlist. I hated spin classes on a stationary bike in a gym, but my outdoor spin class is a blast.

My commute home last night on February 15, 2016 was really windy.  A storm front was moving in from the south which means that it was time to do some training.  The wind gusts were so strong at times that my bike almost came to a stop as I pedaled forward.  Did I really want to ride 25 miles in this wind, or should I take the short route home? 2/15/2016 Wind Wind Speed 12   mph  (SE) Max Wind Speed 25   mph Max Gust Speed 33   mph Visibility 8   miles Events Rain Since my commute goes in all directions at some point in the route I can enjoy the benefits and the penalties of strong wind no matter which direction it is blowing.  My ideal day is for the wind to blow from the north west in the morning and from the south east in the evening.  Usually it is just the opposite as a weat...

Yesterday morning it was 22 degrees and I rode to work really slow. Today during my morning it was 52 degrees and I rode a tad faster. The biggest problem I have had this winter is the drastic changes in the temperature. I do not have a rack on my bike so I have to carry my extra clothes stuffed in my pockets in the afternoon when it is 30 degrees warmer than when I ride in the morning.  today I will not have to pack the extra gear as I rode in with just my arm and leg warmers on.  It was really humid as a warm front is pushing in from the Gulf.

I got a little crazy with the warm weather on my evening ride home.  For some reason my legs felt like sprinting for some short distances.  One of the things that is hard for me to deal with with southern winters is the fact that thee is no consistency in the weather.  Sometimes I wish it would stay cold for a few days and not jump around.  Today it was 45 degrees on the morning commute and 70 degrees on the evening commute. This is the first full day of commuting with my Note 5.  My Note 5 is about 1/8 inches narrower than the state owned phone that I turned last week.  The Note 5 fits perfectly in my top tube bag.  I can get the Note 5 in the front flap without pressing the power button. One my way home I took a picture of a typical sunset on Leary Road. Sunset on Leary Road at the halfway point of my 25 mile commute.

I have gotten off to a slow start this January by only commuting 12 days.  I only rode 458 miles this month, but I am happy to be riding my bike again this winter.  I have had a few mornings in the low twenties and some thunder storms in the mid thirties.  One thing that I have learned over the years is: "There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing."  -- Sir Rannulph Fiennes This is the first winter that I am wearing two pair of shoe covers to keep my feet warm on cold mornings.  So far it is working great.  My trick is to not only remain warm on my 25 mile one way to work in the morning, but to keep warm after I start to sweat.  I never want to get too warm when I am riding in the cold mornings where the temperature drops below 25 degrees. I like wearing my ShowerPass Elite because I can regulate my core body temperature by opening and closing the two zippers underneath my arms. I always were two pair of gloves during co...

I had a drizzly, clammy commute home.  I decided to take one of my shorter routes and cut 5 miles off of my normal ride home just to stay out of the rain.  I managed to find some really awesome rainbows on my way home.

My October 21st evening commute started as a slow relaxing ride b home. I was enjoying the evening sunlight listening to music on my Bluetooth speaker.  I stopped at the intersection of 8 Mile Road and Leary Road to test my skills at bike photography. I got my bike positioned. A guy in a truck stopped to make sure I did not need a ride. Every time I stop at this intersection, Peoria Station, I meet the nicest motorist. So I took the picture. Just as I was putting my phone away two cyclist on the PCP Race Team rounded the corner yelling my name. I knew it was the Tuesday night fast rider group. There may be others close behind. I pondered if I wanted to pick up my 14 MPH pace. As I got on my bike Chip Battle came round the corner. I started to ride. Soon I was in a 5 (including me) person pace line at 18-21 MPH. I lasted to about 1 mile from Gillonville Road. I pulled for a short stretch. I was not tired, I just was not use to the pace. At Gillonville we regrouped and I sta...

I rode to work in one of my new Bicycle Commuter Cabal jerseys. I was watching it all weekend as it lay on a sofa in a bedroom. It kept begging me to put it on and go for a ride. I did no ride much this weekend. I usually sleep late so I miss morning group rides on Saturday and Sunday was filled with home projects.  For me the main advantage for bike commuting is that I get to ride my bike during the week and I can chillax on the weekends with my wife and friends. When I do ride on weekends it is usually an organized charity ride or a staycation century+ to a hotel. Today the lion roared at 3:45 AM. I got up suited up and headed out to do the Leary Loop. My goal was to see if I could get to work in under three hours. I saw one live armadillo and one live Zombie Raccoon. This is the third armadillo that I have seen this month. I made it to work in three hours plus a minute thirty seconds. Riding strong in the morning when it is in the seventies is easier than riding in the ...

Yesterday on my ride home I decided to follow a route in Lee County that I rode recently on the previous Thursday evening club ride. the road passed by some beautiful corn fields that called to me to stop and take pictures, but alas I was riding with a group so I did not stop. On my Friday evening commute home I decided to take this route and I was rewarded with some beautiful rainbow images. It was hot so I stuck around and rode through the water when it hit the road. Corn field rainbow on Palmyra Road Corn field rainbow on Palmyra Road Irrigation water hitting Palmyra Road Corn field rainbow on Palmyra Road I spend a lot of time in the saddle during the weekly commute to and from work.  On an average day I ride 50 miles which consumes about four hours.  Sometimes riding my bike can start to turn into a grind of just getting from point A to point B and I sort of forget to enjoy the scenery as I pass it by.  My ride yesterday was refreshing and reminde...

After spending two days riding through the city with lots of stop lights I am glad that most of my bike commute is through a forest.  I decided to take a closer look at a recent clear cut from late last year. The rain started as I turned up Mud Creek Road. Funny thing with rain when it is hot and humid. It rained lightly the whole time I was riding on Mud Creek. The road never got completely wet as the moisture evaporated almost as soon as it contacted the pavement. My arms stung with the wind whipped rain. The air was cool as long as I kept moving. This evening ride home was very relaxing.

On my ride home last night I saw a dead Gator. At first I thought it was a tire but when I got closer I saw it was a gator. I could not tell if it was alive so I swerved to the middle of the room to make sure. When I was sure it was dead I decided to take a picture. I see Gators often on my rides in southwest Georgia. Usually when I get my camera out they're gone.

Today's ride home is dedicated to my friend Trey Griffin .  Trey is on the PCP Race Team .  Last week during the Thursday evening club ride I found myself riding 20-24 MPH right on the back tire of Mr. Griffin as he rode south on 8 Mile Road.  At the time I was still running the cyclocross tires which held up pretty fine. So on my way home I found myself riding really strong with the Gator Skins so I decided to really push myself to ride fast for about one hour.  Riding with the PCP race team taught me a few things about how to ride full out.  I like to maximize my 25 mile commute by mixing in some training techniques.  Some of these training methods do not make sense to most cyclist, but they work for me. One of the things that I use to do before riding with the race team is I would slow up on the "hills".  What I learned is that on these little hills is where I struggled to keep up and I would get dropped.  So what do I do to train to get st...

I was thinking about a newspaper article telling the story of police getting tickets to black cycles in Tampa Florida.  This is a picture of my bike at the civil rights near downtown Albany Georgia. Earlier on my bike commute this morning I will pass by a black man on a bike on his way to work. I was stopped with other cars at a busy intersection facing a red light. The black man rode through the red light. we exchanged pleasantries and wished each other a good morning. I wondered if there was a police present  would either of us have been asked to prove that we owned our bikes. I thought the civil rights struggle was over apparently its still going on for cyclist.