Look who stopped in...

Today is Friday! The past week has been stressful at work. 2 guys short and lots of cars to get worked on means 11 or 12 hour days. It means little time for bike riding. That means a grumpy Brian. Arriving home this evening, all I wanted to do was relax. Sitting on the back patio and watching the birds was just the ticket. Feeling a tickle on my arm, I found this little guy crawling on me! A baby Praying Mantis.

How old could this little guy be?

Decompression is what I needed. Maybe next week will be better. Better= more time to ride! (Yes that is my hand)

First ride on the new bike!

Put 95 miles on the new bike this weekend. Gary Fisher Cronus Ultimate. A longer stem and my new Bontrager Aeolus 5.0's should be in this week. Hard to fairly compare the Madone and this bike with different wheels. My initial reviews are positive. The bike seems very responsive and stiff, but still a comfy ride. The Sram Red shifts good with the new Dura Ace chain. A few more tweeks to the saddle this week and I should be ready for the Cap 2 Cap Century next weekend! Hope to see you there.

Thanks to Rick Bartels. Thanks to Trek and Gary Fisher for getting me the bike so fast, and for making 2 top notch bikes. Thanks to Rick Young and BikeBeat for helping a brother out. Lots of paper work. For everyone who had to put up with my funk this week... deal with it!

I'll miss you... RIP... or : It's just a bike.

Even all smashed and broken, laying there in tangled mess, your were still beautiful. I miss you already. I remember like it was 8 months ago how I picked out your every cable housing color, wheel color, and many other things to match your frame. Meticulously pouring over every option and combination of paint schemes until I was completely satisfied. Please always remember that I was truly satisfied when I was riding you or even gazing upon you. The ride quality was magnificent. I am glad to have many pictures of us together. This separation is not what I had envisioned for our future, it was not done on purpose. Only a moment of absent mindedness to ruin it all. You were no match for that Suburban, not a fair fight I know. You went down with the most horrible screech imaginable. I don't wish anyone to ever hear that sound. I have started the healing process, it gets easier every day. I'm glad you won't be around to see my new bike arrive, that wouldn't be right. Rest assured no matter how much I enjoy this bike, I will always remember the good times we had together. Then again... you are just a bike.

I'm concerned...

I know we have lots of pressing issues in the world today. Things to be concerned about like: Obamacare, climatechange, and will K-fed keep the weight off? I would like to talk about one of the things that rank right up at the top of world affairs, the bike-wave-ignore. In my vast travels, ( all over Tidewater) I have found this ride-by-snub pervasive in every society. The young and the old, the newbies with cotton t-shirts, to the full on color matching, carbon everything types. This scourge on our biking community must be addressed!

We have all had it happen, you're riding along enjoying your ride, when you spot another cyclist. They are coming toward you, looking right at you. Since you have some things in common, the most obvious of which is riding a bike, you wave as they approach. Confusion sets in as they pass with out a return wave. Did they not see me? Are they mad because "Ugly Betty" has been cancelled? Is my carbon footprint too big? Or are they training so hard, pushing to the very limit, that the mear raising of the hand will cross that line, and cause immediate shut down of the body?

I don't expect every person in a group to wave, but I suspect the ones that don't, wouldn't have waved if they were by themselves. Maybe a lie detector would prove help full. It seems the most often afflicted with R.B.S. (Ride By Snubbing) are the lone riders. Maybe they are just anti-social in every aspect of life. Maybe they just heard the news that Larry King is divorcing his 8th wife.

Now I give the biggest Walmart greeter like smile and wave to every biker that passes my way. There is no denying that you saw it. You can't stare soullessly ahead like a runway model stares at a quart of Haagen Daz. I know you saw me wave! Don't make me go to counseling. It is acceptable to not wave at anyone without clipless pedals, or anyone on a "comfort bike".