Hopefully 2016 Will Be a Good Year

New Year’s Eve, and everyone is doing their New Year’s Resolution.  Of course, when I think about it, it’s usually about cycling … Well, I was going to do another Triple Crown for 2015, but that really turned bad.

In March, I had my bad crash … and on my precious Volagi.  I still don’t know what happened, and there were no witnesses.  Ironically, I had my Go Pro with me, but it wasn’t turned on.  Lot of good that did.  I think I hit the brakes so hard that I sheared the fork.

In the end, it was determined the frame was totaled … so I got a replacement frame, a Volagi Liscio 2, and while I was at it, might as well upgrade the disc brakes too, to hydraulic.  That was nice, going from mechanical to hydraulic … what a difference!

Getting back into shape was tough … I spent about 2 months off, due to cracked ribs, so those grandiose plans of a triple crown were nix’d right away. My plan was to do Solvang, then DMD (to complete it this time) … Plans scrapped.

My plans were re-focused to commuting as much as I can via bike. I was able to get myself in shape to at least to Bike to Work day, and that was awesome. I actually volunteered with SVBC to get all the material and goodies together, and that was a lot of fun.

I then got back into Photography, and bought an Olympic micro 4/3 camera, and loved it. I’m by no means a very artful photographer, but it’s nice to go back and fiddle with the equipment again, and this time taking advantage of the digital advances. I found out, right away, that I have a love for the scenes that nature provides us, especially sunrise and sunsets.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Golden Gate Bridge from Marin Headlands

Throughout the year I continued on with my bike commutes, and carrying my camera with me … yes, it’s bulky, but more compact than other digital SLR cameras out there.

The year didn’t go without a couple of extra falls .. I took a spill in the parking lot of my complex, going probably 5 mph … then, another as I was negotiating a hairpin on the bike path.  Needless to say, it was not a healthy year for me, to the point where I just want to stay upright.

Still, I was able to get respectable mileage for the year …. For the year, I got 6,205 miles.  [Revised] I got 251,528 feet of climbing for the year (according to the Strava Android app … why can’t the desktop site have that?)  That’s not bad, considering I had a bunch of time off the bike, and still sustained > 6000 miles for the year.  Commute miles do add up.

So what am I looking forward to in 2016?  Well, a lot of it depends on if I buckle to the pressure, and sign up for the Death Ride, in July.  I’d like to pursue more into digital photography, but a lot of that will depend on what I do cycling-wise.

Happy New Years everyone!  Oh, and keep the rubber side down … and I mean it!

Should you warm up before you stretch?

Good sound advise .. never thought of it this way. But then again, I always ride to the start of a ride, so at least I have some sweat built up

T-Mobile Performance Pretty Good Here in LA

Every month, I make the drive down to LA to visit my dad, and most of the time, I stay an extra day to work from here (just so that I can spend an extra day with dad).  The WiFi here in the complex is slow (about 1 mbit/sec), so with the 4G speed being so good, time to make use of the Hotspot feature on my phone.

Now this does get dead spots when I’m traveling on I-5 between Hwy 152 to Hwy 41, so that does suck … But as long as I get back to LA with a good signal, I’m happy.

Christmas in LA

Merry Christmas everyone.  Is your Christmas a “White Christmas”?  I have no delusions of having a white Christmas here, but man, look at this view from my dad’s kitchen window.

But look at this … It’s warmer on the east coast than it is here in California.  That’s sure a shift from last year.

Am I The Only One Who Hasn’t Seen the New Star Wars Movie?

So much hype for the Force Awakens.  Seems like every one of my friends have already seen it (at least according to Facebook and Google Plus). 

For those that has already seen it, thank you for not giving out spoilers (although I can see a lot of the movie through the trailers).  I don’t think I’ll get a chance to see it until maybe after the new years (if I do see it at all).

Personally, I’m more excited about the Dr. Who Christmas special … The return of River Song!

Freezing Temperatures in California?

Yes, it can get quite cold in California every once in a while.  Aided by a cold front from Alaska, we have been in a bit of a cold snap.  To all you easterners, go ahead, have your laughter. 

Now what do I mean by cold?  Well, freezing temperature.  32° F, or 0° C for all of my metric friends.  So will that mean I’ll stop riding during this cold snap?  Hell no!  I gotta prove that even though I’m from California, I can be bad ass too.

So what do I wear?  Well, I’ve got a 3/4 leg warmer (goes down to my calves), wool socks (which in combination with my 3/4 leg warmers covers all of my leg), fleece long sleeve jersey (which I absolutely love), skull cap (which I can pull down to my ears), toe warmers, light jacket, and wind resistant long fingered gloves.  It’s not cold enough to require a balaclava, but I do see others with it, and I chuckle seeing that.  If it was in the 20s, I could see wearing that, but it’s not that cold yet.

On my commutes into work, it has dipped to 32° F every day for the past 3 days for the while ride, so it’s not like I get into a small ravine … It is constant. 

Too bad there is no precipitation in the air.  Would have been cool to ride with some snow flakes falling.

Still Trying to Keep the Rubber Side Down

I haven’t been blogging much about my riding lately, and there is a good reason (although I’ve been reluctantly avoiding bringing it up).  This year has been a bit rough … First, my crash in March (right in the middle of my preparation for the double century season).  Then, another little spill, in the parking lot of my apartment complex.  About 4 weeks ago, another spill while making a hairpin turn on the bike trail.  The last two were while the ground was wet, and slick.

I’m almost back to normal riding shape.  The toughest part of being in these mishaps is loss of flexibility.  I  didn’t think it would be as big an issue, but it is.  I’ve been riding easily, taking mostly flat terrain of late (commutes help, as it is completely flat).  I would be riding in the most upright position as possible, and even though I’m not expending much power, or calories, at least it’s something.

It’s funny, that while trying to get back into it, you start learning to ride with aches in your body.  Then, all of a sudden, one day, you seem to get more flexible, and the enthusiasm of the ride in really shoots up.  I guess it is true … just give it time … time is such a great healer.

I guess this has made me a little more cautious of rain and wet weather, but as long as I’m upright, I’ll still be out there riding.  So last night, I kept debating on whether or not to ride in, since there was a big storm, dumping rain overnight, but knew it would be clear in the morning.  After much debate, I decided to go for the ride.  Then as I was about to get ready, I felt my rear tire, and it was soft, and had a slow leak over night.  Oh well, I guess that made the decision for me.  Guess I’m riding in.  Damn!

Christmas Shopping Season but Not Stepping into a Mall

Ok, so Thanksgiving came and went.  We stuffed ourselves silly, and then, there are those stupid Thanksgiving late night/Black Friday super sales.  If that’s not enough, then go for the Cyber Monday sale in front of your PC.  I don’t know … to me, that isn’t quite the spirit of the season.  Of course, being in California, it’s hard to get into the traditional Christmas season, because we don’t get snow (unless you’re out in the Sierras).

So what did I do?  Well, what every American single male would do … stay indoors and watch football.  Well, if I weren’t trying to take it  easy on my body, I would be out there … I figure I would rest up, and let my ribs heal (I had a silly little fall on a switchback MUT about 2 weeks ago).

I started surfing the web, and then I came across Oopsie Mamushka … they are in the UK, but they do a very entertaining rendition of Pachelbel’s Canon in D … instead of describing, I’ll just let you give it a view.

After seeing this, now I feel like I’ve been Christmas shopping in the mall.