Epic Rides Make for Epic Tan Lines

Went for a ride with Team Sluggo yesterday around Lake Poygan. It was an unbelievable day; the weather couldn't have been any better until it got too hot, just before noon. By then it was near 90 degrees, and we were all ready for some shade. Nonetheless, the ride was fantastic.

We left Neenah at seven a.m., headed east to Borth, then pedaled southeast towards Red Granite. I'm not sure of the roads we took, be we certainly took our time winding our way through the country. It was beautiful. We stopped in Red Granite for snacks and fluids, then hit the road again, this time working our way straight north toward Poy Sippi, and another fluids stop. From there it was a beautiful jaunt northeast, to Fremont, along narrow, winding and rolling roads through gorgeous pine forests. As we neared Fremont, the forest gave way to farmland and frontage roads along the Wolf River. 

On the way to Fremont. Photo by Pauly

We stopped one more time in Fremont to top off the water bottles at the Wolf River Drive In - a place where I frequented as a kid. My parents used to rent a cottage across the river from "downtown" Fremont. Almost daily, when we'd stay there, I would ride my bike over the bridge and to the Drive In for a milkshake and french fries. I guess I wasn't the healthiest of eaters, but it's a fond memory. I went there last summer with my dad after a fishing session on Partridge Lake, and everything tasted as good as I remember. 

Stretching our legs in Fremont. Photo by Pauly.

From from there it was about another hour-and-a-half east by southeast back to Neenah for some beers at Captain Sluggo's place. 

Other than the early afternoon heat, the day was almost unbeatable. By the time we dismounted, we'd ridden 106 miles. I ended up with a pretty wicked tan line by the end of it all, but luckily not too much of a burn. There's no pain today from the skin, but I am a little tired. 

Beers at Pauly's After the Ride. Photo by Pauly.

With Oscar and Petar in the mix now, it means that after 106 miles in searing heat and a couple beers, there's no rest once I get home. The boys were sleeping when I got home, so I was able to take a shower and get cleaned up, but it wasn't long before they were hungry and it was time to go to work. Good thing is, I really like feeding and interacting with the boys. I do get frustrated sometimes, because obviously, it's hard to know exactly what they need, but I feel a great sense of accomplishment if I can get them fed and sleeping soundly. 

So far, in my quest to find some balance among family, work, and cycing, I've achieving a decent level of success. 

All smile. Photo by Pauly.

The Road Ahead. Photo by Pauly.

Flying Solo

Today is my first time flying solo with the little dudes. Rose has a meet n' greet with her new colleagues from the UW Colleges so I'm going it alone. I'm a little nervous, but I also think it'll be fun. We're going to do some dude things, I'm sure. Or we'll just sit around, sleep, poop, yell. I do have ambitions for a walk with the dog in the stroller, maybe down to Chain Reaction, but we will see how the day progresses.

So far it's going well, but Rose is still here. I have a feeling there's a lot that happens fairly easily when four hands are around compared to when there's just two. I think I'm about to find out what those things are...

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UPDATE - 11:26 a.m.

The boys got hungry again at 9:15. It looked like trouble as they both started crying at about the same time. Oscar was the louder crier, so I grabbed him first. But as soon as I gave him his thrush medicine, he went right back to sleep; he wasn't interested in his bottle at all. Petar was moving and groaning at that time, so I picked him up and fed him. Right as Petar was finishing, Oscar piped up. It was near-perfect timing. 

As soon as both dudes were finished eating, I hopped in the shower. When I got out, I put them in their car seats, and their car seats in the stroller. We went for a long walk along Brewster street up to Morrison, and then over to Wisconsin Ave. At the corner of Wisconsin and Morrison, I stopped at the Pasty Koop and grabbed a pasty to go. The women there was very helpful getting the boys and their big stroller in the door. She asked how many babies were in the stroller, and told me she thought there were three. I told her there's no way I could handle three. Betty waited patiently outside, tethered to the flower troughs out front. From there it was Wisconsin to Oneida, a left on Oneida and home via Summer and Harrison Streets and Wisconsin Avenue again. So here we are, sitting at the kitchen table -- the boys still in their car seats, me eating my pasty -- and all is well so far. 

Still more than half the day to go, though.

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UPDATE - 4:18 p.m.

Both boys are currently sleeping, or kind of sleeping. They were both supposed to eat around 3:30. Oscar took all of his food with vigor, but Petar wasn't interested at all. This could be bad, as it's now 4:20 p.m. and Petar is still asleep. If he can't make it another hour and forty minutes, their schedule is going to be all screwed up. I'm not sure how easy or difficult it will be to get them back in sync if Petar can't make it until then. 

So far though, this day has gone well. I had hoped to get to the library with the boys this afternoon, but the book I wanted to get is checked out. I thought without a plan, probably best stay home. It worked out though, because Oscar started crying that he was hungry a little early and right after I fed him, my Dad stopped over with some groceries and diapers. 

I wasn't sure how I'd feel being Mr. Mom today, but I feel really good about it. I'm tired, but the boys have been good and frustrations have been few. There's been time for things like a shower, emptying/loading the dishwasher, a nice long walk. And had the library had my book, we could've gone to the there as well. Of course I've had time to update this blog post as well. 

As I type this, Rose is on her way home, I'm enjoying a New Glarus Fat Squirrel and hoping Petar can hold out on eating for another hour and a half. 

All is well.   

So far.

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UPDATE - 11:50 p.m.

The boys are asleep, hopefully until 2:30 or 3:00 a.m. 

Today went really well for me. I wasn't sure how I'd handle it, but I feel like I came through. I don't know if I'm surprised at how I feel, but I really loved it. I loved hanging with these dudes. I haven't had tons of time to spend with them individually because I went back to work fairly quickly, and I have to say, it was a blast. Yes, they're just eating, sleeping, and pooping, but it was so fulfilling facilitating those efforts. I suppose I could get used to it. 

I know everyday won't be like today, and there would be great frustrations and challenges if I end up being the one who stays home with these guys, but today indicated to me that I, at the very least, stand a somewhat decent chance of being somewhat successful as a stay-at-home dad. 

Chain Reaction Ride

MJD showcasing Sideburnz's posterior. Very nice.

I did the Chain Reaction ride tonight. It was fast. But, I don't think it should've been. I can see exactly why the guys who push the pace on these rides can't do well in Cat 3 and 4 races. They waste all of their best efforts trying to prove to all the Freds that they're so strong. I mean, it's a Wednesday ride, the racing season is over, and there's really no reason to go balls out. I had no problem hanging on, pulling through, keeping up; so this complaint has nothing to do with getting dropped. It has to do with not being a meat head.

I'm not totally off the blame hook here, I did nothing to stop it, and in fact, I participated in the meat headery. Though I didn't start it, I definitely didn't stay out of the fray. I suppose I wanted to see what I had left in the tank this year after riding once or twice a week since early June. I have to say, I surprised myself a bit. But I digress.

I'm planning on racing next year, and I'm planning on doing well. One thing I've been reminded of being back here, is how not to train. Yes, group rides are fun, and I had tons of fun tonight -- especially consuming beers afterwards -- but doing four group rides per week that always, without exception, turn into meat head hammerfests is no way to train. And maybe that the season is over is a reason to go ahead and hammer; no one needs to be rested for a race, so why not let it all hang out? I don't know. I guess I'm from the old school here and I feel that Monday and Wednesday group rides should be easy and friendly. Maybe a few sprints here and there, but for the most part, they're recovery rides. But some people don't seem to get that.

I'm just saying.

Really though, I had fun, I just wondered why the ride got so out of control. I'm looking forward to the Sleeveless Jersey Road Ride next week. There will be no meat headery.

Third Anniversary

Yesterday was our third anniversary. Another good year in the books. Life is a little different here in Appleton than it was in Santa Barbara, but we're enjoying it. We have family and friends, and now Oscar and Petar. It's good. All of it. 

We went to Cannova's in Neenah for pizza, which was really great. It was our first time there, and we'll definitely go back. It was also our first time out leaving the dudes in the care of someone else. We both felt fine about it. I think maybe it's taking a little while longer for us to bond with these two little guys than it may take singleton parent to bond with their kids. Seems like we get to spend half as much time with each of them, so maybe it'll take a little longer. 

When friend of ours in Bellingham who had a newborn daughter left her with her grandmother for the first time and met of for drinks, they were freaking out after 45 minutes; worrying, wondering, wanting to get home to make sure everything was alright. We experienced none of this. Maybe it had something to do with us really trusting Rose's parents, but we were ok with spending a couple hours on our own. 

Hybrid City

Seems like all I did today was fix hybrid and comfort bikes.

Life Changes, But It Doesn't: Thoughts on Being Me Right Now

It's funny how life changes. And it's funny how it doesn't. The biggest events in my life so far - my marriage and the birth of Oscar and Petar - I thought would change me magically, drastically. I thought that on August 25th, 2007 there would be obvious and measurable changes in my life. There weren't. Of course, Rose and I had finally committed to each other forever, but I didn't feel different. I didn't look different, and I don't know that I acted different. But we'd been together for the better part of 10 years, so maybe the signing of the marriage certificate was just a formality. I think, though, that maybe it was the beginning of a different mode of loving on my part.

When I quit cycling, cold turkey in 2005, I experienced great changes, both physically and mentally. These changes were not good though. I gained weight, slowly at first, and then very quickly as I began drinking more and more beer (also a not-good change); I became deeply depressed, and I abandoned many good friends that I had made through bicycling. It was impossible for me to fill the void created by casting aside 10 to 15 weekly hours of rigorous physical activity and camaraderie.

On the other hand, the marriage was a good thing for me. But the changes weren't as obvious. The same is true about having kids. Or, maybe the changes just aren't obvious to me. Committing to Rose forever was truly the best decision I've ever made in my life. But, I didn't exactly feel like a new, or better person after we said, "I do." I felt like I wanted to be those things, or maybe I felt more complete; I'm not sure. I do remember feeling like we were entering a new phase in our lives and relationship, which is obvious. And it just felt good and right to show all of our friends, family and loved ones that after 10 years, we still loved each other, and had come to the point in our lives where our individual pursuits were secondary to our relationship. I felt really good about that, and maybe that was the biggest change. Maybe I did the dishes more, too.

With the kids, it's different, too. I've gone back to work, and I don't feel any different. I miss two more people now, but I don't act any differently. My boss's wife recently had a baby, too, and he hasn't skipped a beat at work. He seems no different. I wonder if that's how people see me. "He doesn't seem any different." I'm more tired than I was two months ago. I think more about the future, I suppose, but I didn't undergo any changes commensurate with that whole, "having kids was the greatest thing that ever happened to me" cliche. Which is not to say it isn't the greatest thing that's ever happened. It's just, how am I supposed to feel after the greatest thing to ever happen to someone happens to me?

One thing I have noticed, is a strong desire to achieve balance. I want to care for Oscar and Petar and not  fuck them up before they can even walk or talk (my parenting bar is set pretty low right now...). I want to be a good husband to Rose, and I also want to ride my bike and spend time with my friends, many of whom, for me, are like family. Can I do all that? Should I?

Maybe the changes will come slowly but surely and before I realize it. Or maybe they won't come at all. It's a strange feeling, being a husband and father.

Old Fuji

Got this old Fuji in the shop yesterday for a tune up. Kinda cool. I like the machining on the cranks, and that Fuji apparently made their own Groupo. I don't really know when this bike was made, as I not an expert in such assessments, but I'm guessing early 70's(?). Anyway, it's kinda cool.

Race the Lake

I went out to High Cliff this morning to try and feed some water bottles to friends who were participating in Race the Lake. I've rebuked the Wisconsin racing scene for having a plethora of shitty road races, and for starting and ending the season way too early. Why start racing in April when there's at least a 75% chance there'll still be snow on the ground, and end, for all intents and purposes, in June? I just don't understand. Not too mention the boring office park crits, and exorbitantly-priced "stage" races that feature crits almost exclusively. What gives?

I mean, where are the cycling promoters in the Southwestern part of the state? La Crosse has some of the most amazing road riding I've ever done, anywhere. Bar none. But the only race you'll find there is a crit. Though this year, there is the Dairyland Dare, which looks plenty awesome. But overall, for all the cycling that happens in this state, the racing is really paltry. 

Granted, I only took part in three races this year, but it's pretty hard to get excited about Great Dane Velo's Office Park Crits  Numbers One and Two, when A) At least one of them is likely to be cancelled and, B) There couldn't be more boring races, anywhere, and C) The last time you raced, it was in totally fun races like the Ballard Twilight Crit, or the Cascade Classic.

Enter Race the Lake. This thing looks pretty cool. I've ridden around Lake Winnebego plenty of times, but never at a 27-mph average. The great thing about this race is that it's open; meaning everyone from pros to Cat. 5's races together. I participated in several races like this in the Northwest, and it's so much fun because often you don't know the categories of those you're racing with until after the fact. If you're going well and get a good result, you learn later that you were up there with Cat 1's and 2's and maybe even some pros. 

It would sure be nice, though, if there were more races leading up to Race the Lake. More road races, maybe a real stage race. In any case, if Rose and I are here next year, I plan on riding in this event. It looks like a blast. 90 miles at 27 miles per hour is Tour De France-like. If for no other reason, I'd want to do it just for that experience. 

6:40 on a Saturday Morning

It's 6:40am. I've been up since quarter to five. With Rose's help, the babies were fed, I've had coffee and half a scone, and I'm about to head over to Glo Tube's house for a Sluggo ride.

As I've said before, these rides are a blast. I'm a little bit tired, but I'll be fine. I'm shooting for 60 miles and being home by noon. We'll see. Though these rides are a blast, they can sometimes take a while. Usually that's not an issue, but now that Oscar and Petar are here, I can't be spending all day on the bike. I feel really lucky to get two rides per week, so I want to try not to abuse the privilege.

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UPDATE - 8.22.10: This ride was great. A much smaller-than-usual group showed up, probably due to the clouds and mist, but there was no shortage of fun. I love these rides because I know what to expect: smooth, steady double pace lines, and no shenanigans. The only surprises are usually impromptu coffee stops, like this one:

There was a sign in the other window that read: Waitress Wanted. Come on, man. It's 2010! Dudes can't wait tables here?

Three cups of java, and a cinnamon roll later, we were on the road again for another hour-or-so of pedaling, chatting, and good times. 

The thing I love about bicycling, is that often times, the people and conversations aren't any different than ones you'd hang and chat with at the bar. The difference, of course, is that you're doing something healthy. The mid-ride cinnamon roll notwithstanding. But at least you don't have to feel too bad about eating it, or drinking a couple beers afterward. Velovelo. 

More Baby Birds

Bike Computers: I Hate Them

Today a man bought a bicycle computer from the shop that employs me. For this -- and for several other reasons, one being that it took him a full week to decide what color bar tape he wanted -- he is a douche nozzle. (Another being he made his bar tape decision based on his desire to keep his bike "factory" but then didn't want to keep the "factory" bar plugs even though they were far superior to the ones that came with the new tape. But I digress.)  The fact that he already had a computer mounted on his bicycle didn't stop him from wanting a new one, with cadence.

This is not an issue of installation difficulty, as 1) Bike computers aren't really that hard to install; 2) They've gotten pretty easy to program in recent years; 3) This particular computer was wireless, making it the simplest of computer installs. What I don't get is the weekend warrior's fascination with bike computers. With the exception of power meters, I think every piece of information a bike computer provides is useless. Ok, maybe not every piece; I will concede that time of day and ride time are useful data. But that's what watches are for, right? The rest is "negative information" as some like me are wont to say.

That's just my take on it.

Really, I'm probably more annoyed because this guy came in as I was about to go home, "needing this stuff installed now," and not keeping his annoying self out of my work shop. "Can I come back there?" he asks, as he's already standing next to me, hovering.

"Uhhh... Ok."

"You're going to put the black [non-factory] bar plugs in there, right?"

As a matter of fact, I wasn't going to do this because I was told he wanted to keep his ride looking as "factory" as possible and it had taken him a week to conclude as much. In a somewhat subtle attempt to remind him of his ridiculousness, I told him, "I can do whatever you want. The original bar plugs are much better than the black ones, though." (They're those Cateye ones that feature a simple compression mechanism that keeps them from falling out.)

"Well, maybe you can put the black ones in there, and I'll take the original ones with me in case I don't like the black ones."

"Uhhh... Ok."

Bar plugs. Seriously. What a wanker.

Mama and Baby Birds

Rose and Peter Andrew sleeping the morning away.

Cyclocross?

I've never done a cyclocross race. I almost did one, once, but it didn't work out. That's another story. I've done cyclocross "practice" on several occasions, and it was a blast. Just never done a race. But I have a crazy itch to race cross this year. I don't have time, I hardly have the energy to do any kind of training, and I don't even have a 'cross bike. So, what the hell, right? I'm going to race cross.

My kids and bikes really have me inspired right now.

More on this as it develops.

A Visit From Big Petar

Sideburnz' Mavic VW Jetta Sportwagon. Badass. 

This week we were lucky to be graced with the presence of my great, great friend, Sideburnz. Sideburnz' real name is Petar, and yes, he is Petar's namesake. Or is it vice-versa? I'm not sure how that works. Anyway, since our little guys were born, Sideburnz Petar has become Big Petar. 

We didn't necessarily choose the name Petar solely because we love Big Petar so much we wanted to name one of our kids after him. But we do love him so much we had almost no qualms about naming one of our kids after him. Really, the only issue I had was concern that Sideburnz might be weirded out by it. So, when Oscar and Petar became the top two names on our list, I called him and told him: Dude, there's a chance we might name one of the boys Petar. You cool with that?

Yes. He was cool with that. 

The impetus behind Petar's name was a desire, on my behalf, to connect the names somehow. But not in a super-obvious way, like with a rhyming, historical-biblical or alliterative scheme. (Larry and Jerry; Peter and Paul; Franky and Freddie; etc. Although, Cane and Able might have been pretty cool.) So as I was thinking about "Oscar" as a name -- how it's spelled, how it sounded -- the "ar" ending kind of stuck out to me. 

Surprisingly, when I told Rose my idea, and how I had come to it, she liked it. I couldn't believe it. Although, thinking about it, of all my friends, Big Petar is probably the one she gets along with the best. She's usually even excited to see him when he comes to visit. So, with two very important people on board with "Petar," it just seemed right. 

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Big Petar was here for two days. I got to ride with him on Tuesday's SJRR, and he spent the entire day with me at work yesterday, on "official" business. (He was building two Mavic neutral support bikes for a race in Sillinois this weekend.) I'm not sure if he really needed to do that, or if he did it for my sake, but it was really great to have him working in the stand next to me all day. It was just like the good old days of Valley Bike. 

When he came to visit us in Cali, I had a Sideburnz Hangover when he left. I think that's because it was so good to have him visit me at a time when I wasn't really having that much fun in life, that when he left, I got sort of depressed. Not this time though. Life is good, and while a visit from 'Burnz makes it better, I'm feeling good this time around. 

Bikes of Yore

I found this folder on my desktop the other day called, "Bikes of Yore." In it, as one might have guessed, are pictures of some bikes I've owned previously. I don't recall when, exactly, I made the folder, but it's fun to look back on these old bikes.

Here they are:

Parlee Z3c, Medium (54cm)

This was actually my second Parlee Z3c. The first, I broke in half going into the final turn of the 2005 Collegiate National Championship criterium. Not cool. This is probably the best bike I've ever had. I sold it to finance my failed career as a rock drummer. At the time, it seemed like a good idea. Note the marvelous brown extension cord in this photo.

2004 Bianchi San Lorenzo (55cm)

This bike, I didn't actually own. I demoed it when I was working at Kirkland Bikes in Kirkland, WA. Back then it was called Montlake Bikes in Kirkland, which, if you know anything about the geography of the Seattle area, makes no sense. Anyway, this bike was made of scandium at a time before Bianchi got all weird with their marketing jargon, and was really surprisingly smooth and stiff. A great bike. I almost bought one at the time, but instead, I got the Parlee. Behind it in this photo is my 2001 Trek 5200. Note Rose's hand bag and shoes, and my Interbike badge in this photo.

2001 Custom-painted Trek 5200 (56cm)

I got this bike in 2001 when I was working at Valley Bike and Sport in Little Chute, Wisconsin. It was originally painted with the U.S. Postal Service colors. That paint began to crack around the bottom bracket, so I got the paint warrantied. When I sent the bike to Trek, I taped a piece of paper on the seat stay that said, "Please paint Starry Night with grey 5200 decals." To my complete surprise, they found this piece of paper and painted the bike to my spec. So it ended up being the only 5200 of its kind. It lives on between the legs of a good friend of mine from high school. Notice my parent's spectacular basement decor and my collection of cassette tapes in this photo.

2002 Trek 5500 (54cm)

I owned this bike for like, a week. The summer of 2002, I worked for Trek in their Show Bikes division. If you're into bikes working for Trek, as one can imagine, has its benefits; one being mega discounts. Especially on close out bikes. I won't say what I paid for this bike, but it wasn't much. Problem was, at the time, I didn't think a 54cm was my size (I know better now), but it was all they had left. So, I bought the 54, swapped the DA parts and Bontrager Race-X-Lite wheels with the Ultegra parts and Rolf Vector Comp wheels from my 5200, and sold the 5500 with Ultegra parts for about $250 more than I paid for the 5500 to begin with. So, if you're doing the math here, I outfitted my 5200 with full DA and a brand new set of Bontrager Race-X-Lite wheels, and made $250 on the deal. Sweet.

2003(?) Surly Pacer (54cm)

This was actually one of my favorite all-time bikes. I got this bike to use as a commuter on my 20-miles-each-way commute when I lived in Seattle. I spec'd it out with full 105 components, and wheels I built from parts lying around the shop. Since it was Seattle, I put full-wrap fenders on it. Really, this bike exceeded all my expectations. It was just a 4130 Co-Mo frame that weighed something ridiculous, like, six pounds. But the ride quality was great! I ended up trading it for a set of stereo speakers. Come on. It's a Surly. I currently own a silver Pacer. Easy come, easy go. Note Rose's shoes and the rear wheel of her Specialized Sirrus, and my bicycle pump in this photo.

Not Pictured: a vintage-of-some-seventies-ish-era Motobecan made of Reynolds 531 steel. I got the frame from ebay and built it up as a single speed in 2003. I used a Surly rear hub and that thing went to shit in no time. Seriously. I love Surly's shit, but don't ever waist your hard-earned scratch one of their single-speed hubs. Complete tripe, they are. I tried to sell the bike on Craigslist in Bellingham by insulting hipsters with the description, but alas, no one bought it. I ended up leaving it behind in the shed behind the last house Rose and I rented in Bellingham. Sorry, landlord.

Ahhh, "Bikes of Yore." Of course, now I feel I need to do a "Bikes of Now" post to detail my current bikes...

Sleeveless Jersey Road Ride - 08.10.10

SJRR at the top of High Cliff. Probably the best SJRR of the year.

This ride was spawned by myself and MJD. After we'd completed our last race of the season, we had a strong desire to not ride with/like meatheads. So, we decided to create the Sleeveless Jersey Road Ride. Sleeveless jerseys are generally taboo among roadie circles, as are other things such as, toodlling around, goofing off, living a little, fun. Those are all things this ride is all about. And we do it on Tuesday nights as a little jab at the typical Tuesday night hammer-fest. The meatheads in this area have turned every weekday ride into hammer-fests; then they wonder why they don't have any snap come race day. But I digress.

This ride is all about goofing off and having fun. This last week, we raced up High Cliff Hill in our 53x12, we coast-raced down into Sherwood, we one-legged sprinted to one Stop Ahead sign and sprinted in our 39x25's to another. Then we took our jerseys off, hiked up our shorts to look like Speedo's and rode home down College Avenue. Really, most uppity roadies would've been offended, but we laughed for about two hours straight. It was simply marvelous.

 It looks that way on purpose. It's a joke. Mr. Knapp really is a great graphic designer!

Mikey (far right) was taking a leak when the photo was snapped, so our team graphic designer, Mr. Knapp Photoshopped him in. I must say: Brilliant work, sir!

My Commuter Bike: 2007 Raleigh One-Way

I've started commuting to work by bike. This isn't my first stint as a bicycle commuter -- I used to regularly commute 20 miles each way when I lived in Seattle -- but it is my first foray into commuting in Appleton. What' kept me from doing it so far has been weather, and lack of safe roads. Plus the length is that strange, tweener length that isn't long enough to justify special bicycle clothing, but is too long to do with platform pedals. You know what I mean? Oh, and there's no shower at work. So on days like today when it's already 85 degrees and 90 percent humidity at 8:30 a.m., such weather can be a real motivator to hop in the car. Nonetheless, I am committed to commuting now, if for no other reason than it's about the only consistent riding I'll be getting for some time now that little O & P are here.

Here's my bike:

One-Way. And I got all artsy with the photo.

It's basically a stock 2007 Raleigh One-Way, which I bought new when I lived in Bellingham, WA and was working at Fanatik Bike Co. Stock that is, except for the old-school 105 crankset, a longer (for this 52cm frame) 110mm stem, and rear rack. Living in hilly B-hams, I swapped the original cranks for a set with a 104mm bolt circle diameter so I could run a 32-tooth chain ring. Don't ask me why I didn't just put a larger freewheel on the back. I had the crankset laying around, and actually, I liked the way it looked. But somewhere along the way, I lost the original crankset. So when I wanted to go to a 42-tooth chain ring because there are no hills in Wisconsin, I dug up this old 105 set. It's cool, right?

I like this bike because put simply, or as professional football player may put it, "it is what it is." This, I believe, was the bike's first year in production, and it wasn't designed, like Raleigh's newer One-Ways, to be all retro-looking, or all made-by-a-custom-frame-builder-in-Portland-looking. It's just a simple 4130 Cro-Mo bike with simple graphics, sensible geometry, and a very useful set of fenders (yes, they came with the bike).

The pannier is a Tecco Too, by Detours, which I purchased at Chain Reaction Cyclery, here in Appleton. It's a great grocery-getter, as hidden away under that zipper are two back pack straps. It easily fits my lap-top, street shoes and a set of clothes to change into when I get to work. It's especially nice that the back pack straps are always there as part of the bag, as opposed to an add-on accessory.

The Tecco Too doesn't make the most comfy back pack, due to the hard, square edges on the bottom -- you wouldn't want to go for a hike with it -- but it definitely does the trick for quick off-the-bike jaunts from the bike rack/storage are to the store/your office/shop/what-have-you. I was a bit worried that there is no anchor point to attach the bottom of the bag to the rack, but it really doesn't make a difference. Gravity works just fine here and the bag is much more stable than I thought it would be.

Hey, this thing gets me to work and back. I dig it.

Again, all artsy and whatnot. 

Listening to Music Again

Again, it was The New Pornographer's Together. Rose caught this moment on camera.

B-Day as Best I Can Recall, Part II

Part I is here.

Her rest was short-lived, though, as the contractions began coming on closer together, and more intensely. Even though the Ambien was powerful, before long, Rose was unable to sleep between them; soon she was in severe pain. This seemed like the first stage of labor. She wasn't going to need an induction.

As I recall, at about three a.m., due to the pain Rose was experiencing, the world's least gentile nurse decided she should check to see how dilated Rose's cervix was. As Rose cried in pain, the nurse guessed she was all the way dilated, which was kind of shocking since it seemed that only an hour earlier, she was at five centimeters.  The nurse decided to call in the on-call doctor for a second opinion, and another painful check of Rose's cervix.

The on-call doctor estimated that Rose was only eight centimeters, but still, it was time to bring in our regular doctor. After receiver a phone call, Dr. Meier was at the hospital seven minutes later, fleece-zip-up-clad, and as calm as could be. Rose and I on the other hand, were getting anxious.

I think that by five a.m., it was seriously time for Rose to push. For the previous hour, or so, the contractions had subsided and things seemed pretty calm. When her contractions started again, this time it was intense. It seems that the doctors had given her so much medicine to stop her uterus from contracting, that when it was really time for it to do so, it didn't want to. After several tries, Rose got into a rhythm of pushing and breathing, but it seemed like nothing was happening. Her uterus was too weak. We tried new positions, but the more she tried, the less pushing seemed to work.

A couple hours went by and the whole process became more and more difficult for me to watch. She was in so much pain, and under so much stress. I've never seen someone in that condition before, let alone someone I love. After awhile, I kind of lost it. I didn't want to see her cry or hear her scream any more. But we had to keep trying.

Besides the medicine weakening Rose's contractions, Oscar was stuck behind Rose's pelvic bone. Apparently, Rose wasn't made to have babies with big heads. But, put those two things together and we had two stuck babies.

I think it must've been a little before eight a.m. when Dr. Meier told us that she was going to try suction. I was thinking, yes, let's do it, let's get these kids out here. Rose was scared. For one, this was really, really going to hurt. First, the doctor had to put what looked like a miniature toilet plunger inside Rose, then pull out it and the babies. Second, since labor wasn't progressing at all, it was suction or Cesarean. The doctor would give Rose three tries at pushing with help from suction, and that was it.

Oscar and Petar were fine in there, just stuck, so that made having a C-section seem unnecessary. Let's just keep pushing until it works, right? It added a lot of pressure and drama to the situation. I tried calming her down by reminding her that she had prepared herself for nearly every scenario over the last year and half, and that each path leads to the same result: safe, healthy babies. That only helped a little bit as the pressure and exhaustion were getting to both of us. Rose tried pushing on her own a time or two more while the doctor prepared the suction device.

Of course, it didn't work.

One Month

These here kids of mine are one month old today. Amazing. Still more amazing to think they should be inside their mother for another week yet.

Raising Kids and Working is Tiring

I feel tired like I haven't felt tired since the last time I posted about being tired. I went back to work this week past, and while I can sort of go and leave as I please, it still makes for a long-ass week when I'm up at, or until, two a.m. feeding babies, and then up again at seven to start my day.  It's just getting harder and harder to wake up.

I'm wondering how I'm going to be able to balance work, riding, husband...ing(?) and child rearing.

Funny, I hear the phrase, "child rearing," and I think of mooning my kids. You think someday they'll think that's funny? I hope someday so.

Anyway, it's worth every second, even if it is tiring and difficult.

We Were Listening to Music.

Early this evening, Oscar and I were listening to The New Pornographer's Together, which is a fantastic album through and through. He was a little antsy at a time when he and his brother normally fall fast asleep. So I took him out to the living room to listen to music with me. Of course, I'm sure he had no clue what he was hearing, but he stayed awake and calm the whole time; looking around, grabbing things. Maybe he liked it. I know I did. I snapped this picture with my phone.  

Connecting With My Own Dad

There's a polaroid picture that I think about constantly. It haunts me. In it, I'm four, maybe five years old, and my dad and I are sitting on the kitchen floor playing with one of those Hot Wheels car sets they used to make in the 80's. This one was a parking garage with several floors and a spiral exit ramp the cars could be run down. What gnaws at me, though, is in this photo my dad is sitting next to me, leaning on his right hand, his legs bent and out to the side, and he is laughing like I've never seen him laugh. And I mean that, I don't ever recall seeing my dad laugh like that. Ever.

Did I make him laugh like that? I don't ever remember being able to do so, even though most of my friends would say I am a funny person. But for whatever reason, I've never felt like I could connect with my dad on a humorous level, and for me, that mean it was very difficult for to connect with him on any level. Of course, now that I'm older, this really worries me. I want to know my dad, and I want him to know me. Just as importantly, I want Oscar and Petar to know their grandfather.

I spent quite a bit of time as a young kid at my dad's parent's house in Michigan during summers of my childhood. I felt, at the time like I got on pretty well with my grandparents. But, the older we all got, the less and less we saw each other, and now, it's almost as if we're estranged. I haven't seen my grandparents in several years, much less talk to them. My dad and I see each other often, now that my family is back in Wisconsin, but it's been so difficult to make any real connection because every conversation, every interaction, has to do with Oscar and Petar. But I have a plan.

I want to create a record of my dad for Oscar and Petar, and for myself. My plan is to interview him on camera; to learn about his life and keep his stories to share with future generations. I have this feeling my dad is an amazing person, and as I gather snippets of his past, I get confirmation that my feeling is right on.

I am anxious to see where this goes. If it successful (why wouldn't it be?), I would like to take it further. I really want Oscar and Petar to have some sense of the people they're related to. So, making a record of stories of my dad's past will likely lead to recording stories from my mom, and hopefully my grandparent's too. Although, they are really getting old, so time is against me.

Although my dad is going to be here for quite some time - hopefully, thankfully - I want to get going on this project soon. I'm excited. I really hope we laugh together.

Baby Birds

Oscar and Petar at feeding time.

My Bicycle Racing Season Review, 2010 Edition, Part 2

As winter gave way to spring, I began shifting from long, slow rides to shorter, higher intensity rides. Ingenious, right? With such an innovative training regimen, how could I not be the fastest dude at the office park training crit? Tuesday nights, our team ran a non-sanctioned, somewhat non-competitive practice crit east of town, which was another great thing for me in that it was non-pressurized reintroduction to racing. For one, I didn't have the speed or power to keep up with some of the fastest guys in the Fox Valley, but no matter. I could fall off the back, recover for a lap or three, and jump right back in. In my opinion, there is no better introduction to racing for someone who's never done it.

I did a lot of two-a-days during this time. I know the Cyclists Training Bible recommends this, but I never really thought it was a good idea. Especially since I don't have time to nap between rides. But, a group here in town does "Rooster Rides" at 5:45 am, almost every day of the work week. They're only an hour or so, so it's the perfect wake up ride. It didn't drain my energy for the day, and when I plopped the Tuesday Night Crit on top of my day, it made it pretty easy to get three hours of ride time, total.

It seemed we got a lot of rain this spring and summer. So I also spent a fair amount of time on the trainer. Plus, on days when I had very limited time, it made it easy to get in 45 minutes to an hour of really intense training. Actually, I think short, intense trainer sessions did more for quickness that anything I did on pavement.

As for actual racing, I couldn't really have been more pleased with my results, consider the rust I had to shake off. I only did three races, but I place top ten in all of them. I did my first masters, non-USCF race, which was a blast because I got to race with two good pals, one of whom was Glo Tube. He's quite a bit older than me, so it was the first, and maybe only time I'll ever get to race with him. I tried to get all agro in this race, though, and it backfired on me. I launched an attack and created a break I couldn't stick with.

In the end, I led out a team me who took the field sprint and I followed right behind him for fifth place. It as an omnium, so finishing fourth helped my teammate secure second overall. So really, I couldn't complain. Plus, the guys who made the break stick were both Cat. 1's, as was the guy who got away for third. I didn't know that until afterwards.

I did my first crit in five years this year, too, at Ripon for the Wisco' State Crit Championship. Really, it was one of the easiest 3's races I've ever done. I'm not sure if that says more about my fitness or the strength of this year's Cat 3 field. If I hadn't been stupid, I probably would've finished better than seventh runner up to the State Champ. But alas, when you dare to be stupid, you dare to fail. I was happy with eighth place though, considering the whole first-crit-in-five-years thing. Plus, despite the relative slowness of the race, I was very impressed with my competitors' bike handling skills. Seriously. The race really only got hairy once, and everyone did an amazing job. I'd rather race a little slower, but a little more thoughtfully and carefully, than balls out with tons of crashes. And believe me, I've done that, too, and nearly died.

The highlight of my season was my final race: the Appleton stage of Tour of America's Dairyland (ToAD). At the beginning of the season, when I was thinking that I would only do one race, this was it. ToAD has supplanted Superweek as the premier road racing event in Wisconsin, and this crit was the first downtown Appleton has seen in twenty-some years. So, naturally, I wanted to race, and do well. 

Racing ToAD. Photo by Beth Ann

Again, the race was fairly easy if your goal was to just hang in there. And I was really surprised that it wasn't that much harder than the State Crit Championships, if at all. I remember Superweek races being quite a bit faster than your basic local crits. This was a cinch. But my plan was, since I didn't have much racing in my legs, to sit and hide until the end. I kind of did that. I got pretty antsy at the beginning and did too much work. Then I remembered my plan and backed off, extending only as much effort as was necessary to stay near the front of the race most of the time. 

My goal going in was a top-five finish. While watching the 4/5's race, I saw that the first guy through the last corner was able to hold everyone off for the win. That seemed, for me, as good a bet as any. I wasn't sure if I could win from that position, but my cornering is pretty good, so I was pretty sure if I came out of that corner hot, I could hold on for fifth. So, with one to go, I made my move on the back side of the course - a long, dead flat straight away. I got to the front, put my head down, took the last two turns with reckless abandon, and came out of the final one standing.

I had created a decent gap with about 300 meters to go, but I brought two guys with me. Needless to say, after sprinting to the front of the field on the back side of the course, I didn't have enough to hold them off, but we held our three-bike-lengths gap and I ended up finishing third. The dissapointment of seeing two riders fill in the gap between me and the finish line wore off quickly. I don't think I could've expected more out of this race.

ToAD Sprint in Appleton. Photo by Beth Ann

So, this season was a successful one for me. I really couldn't have asked for any better fitness, or to have had more fun. But back in March, I really didn't know if I could do it; I was so out of shape. I may race more next year, I may not; it all depends on how things go with the kids and moving and whatnot. The one thing that really drove me to ride this year, outside of personal goals of fitness and having fun, was being with friends and meeting new people. I did both, and it really reiterated why, out of all the places I've ridden, the Fox Valley is one of, if not the best: it's the people I get to ride with here. 

How to Have Fun Riding Your Bike

Me & Glo Tube. Photo by Pauly K.

Today I did a Sluggo Ride. It was the first I've been on in quite some time, maybe since April. I did a lot of these rides during the early season; they're great long base mile rides, and they're the some of the most fun rides I've ever done. So, here's how to have fun on your bike:

• Get together a bunch of great people who are fun to talk to, who know how to keep a steady pace, and who don't feel like they have to try and show everyone how "fast" or "strong" they are, all the time.
•  Choose a long, interesting route, preferably between 50 and 100 miles. 
• Ride. Ride steady. Take your pull, or don't. Whatever, it's fun. 
• After the ride, gather for beer and chocolate. Talk about whatever; laugh, eat, drink, be merry.

And there you have it. That's how you have fun on your bike. Of course, there are many ways to have fun on your bike; really any time you're on a bike, it's fun. But this is a guaranteed riot, every time. Follow those simple steps and if you don't have fun on your bike, it's your own dang fault.

Having fun on my bike on the Sluggo Ride. Photo by Pauly K.