Fixies into the wind are always pedaling uphill. With the wind isn’t necessarily pedaling downhill (the pull of gravity is stronger & more consistent) but into the wind is always uphill. Lacking the ability & hence the inclination or habit of down-shifting to make into the wind seem easier I consistently passed one geared rider today in particular & was passed by him once we turned with the wind. Ironically I credited my better wind with my passing him, since I must necessarily keep pedaling.

Still a long way from Season Ready but today was a good day.

Had today inked-in as a cold riding day but among the landscaping clutter-work came the kitchen faucet’s annoying running despite having been touched. These Delta Faucets are as addictive as iPhones & once you’ve grown accustomed to Touch On Touch Off you irk heap & rankle at having to use the toggle – which is on the right side illogically as most of us are right handed & don’t want to hold something needing washing in the non-dominant hand just to engage the damn water.

Turns out the Solenoid needs cleaning; the modern solenoids can be opened with some tugging, cleaned, & replaced in minutes. It took me over an hour just to figure out where to look for the decoupling clamps on mine. Then I found it’s not designed to be cracked open & cleaned.

So I’m getting Delta to ship me a more advanced solenoid* so this perhaps every 5 year task will be easier next time. Delta is not charging me a penny for this & im assuming this is the new Cancel Culture normal. Build excellent relations & sustain them.

*By now it ought to be Clarion that I’m enjoying my Soul Annoyed pun just a bit damn too much

Short Winter ride with the electric gloves & socks. I was doubtful at first but now I’m a convert; inexpensive & tremendously useful

My old saw that it takes 5 weeks determinedly to get into sufficient cycling shape but 5 days to lose it stands, & I’m months out of shape.

Looking forward to getting it back.

A late start with lights designed more to get me seen than to let me see cut my ride short, but I’m glad to be back out there

I left 8,000 miles out there unridden

I have to break out of this funk before it becomes Normal.

Goals

A bit of late December cycling does a body good. I’m surprised the mid 60s weather didn’t bring all the boys to the lane but I was mostly alone. It doesn’t seem so long ago that there were 20 of us improving our wind at the Air Port on a good Winter day, but perhaps the bridge repair & detoured Greenway havé frustrated most of the Old Regulars. [I’ve chosen what will be my standard Work-Around for next year]

If I can get out of my funk this ought to be a good season

Clearly I went with the New Year’s Eve outfit

My regular Winter Malady consists of clogged nose, watery eyes, sore throat, sore joints, & yearning

Time off the bike always means more kettles in the basement; I like the enforced honesty. I could do without the flu-like symptoms tho. I make a bad invalid

It’s always sad for me when cycling season is actually over – usually in late November – even when I’ve had a 10,000 mile year (I’ve had 5 of those in a row), but in an off year (2 of those in a row now) the season’s end is comforting. Basement kettlebells & traditional weights plus the heavy bag are off season ways to recover focus & get hungry for actual cycling again. I have the AirBike to keep my wind in shape and it’s often more taxing than outdoor hill repeats.

Yet, still, the end of calendar labeled rides means this gambit is over, & one wants to have performed well. Even if it’s just for personal interior bragging rights.

I’ve managed to tweak my good shoulder – too much Boken – in an effort to rest my tweaked knee. Less Bike turns out to be equally debilitating as Too Much Bike. Looking for an easy rhythm in the off season; aluminum rods & the heavy bag are starting to look like it.

I never thought I’d be this old.

After a couple years of orphan-hood i figured I’d have gotten the hand of most of the regular things my parents did – like paperwork & just how it relates to actual things – but I’m still pretty much confused & therefore irked most of the time. Spent the day unknotting Insurance payments from Mortgage payments, which I noticed were tangled only because of two nearly impenetrable letters I nearly tossed ass trash.

They made this look simple.

I’m about at the halfway point in making the yard livable but it’s taken 2 week longer now than it was supposed to take; it looks lovely, but it has taken much longer. I find myself vacillating between anger & indifference. A year from now all will be well, but getting through that year is often no fun; the Romance of Home Improvement is on the outside.

Last year was a terrible cycling year. I ended up not even counting up my total miles. I just missed my folks & stopped caring. This year was supposed to be better but the former single mindedness* I had (mostly anger at the illnesses taking my parents) has dulled in sadness. I’m more easily tired & I find other things to do instead of riding. I figure I’ll find my form again when I find it.

My slow contractor has given me screened-in porches on two levels, which will be fine things to enjoy this Fall perhaps reflecting on improvements to next season’s routes.

*Just noticed the Fixed Gear pun in this