bike race

did a race today. a shorter one, only around 20 miles. 4 checkpoints, costumes, scavenger hunt, 4 optional checkpoints, teams.

3.30 - 5.30.

I partnered up with this nice girl I had met before, but she was a little slow.

We got 4 checkpoints, but only 3 of them where the non-secret checkpoints. At each CP there was candy and a clue about a secret CP. I knew the first one (the theater where whats his name was shot) but we didnt go, and then at the 2nd CP I knew it was at the cemetery up on sheridan, so we went up there, and actually ran into others and tagged along as we hauled down ashland. Eventually we dropped because of our pace and a red light. We kept going south to 18th and then realized we only had a half hour to get to wicker park. So we made one more CP on the way to the end. If i had been with a faster rider we would have made at least 5 or 6 checkpoints, but oh well I had a good time. she was nice, and cute, so that makes up for riding fast with an ugly dude.



mapped out

pedal pedal pedal

Got up early today, made breakfast (two entamins donuts, bacon and orange juice). met up with a friend then we rodeto a breakfast FEAST organized by some cyclists at someone elses house. then went to a skate park down at grant park (near the huge fountain featured in the opening credits in Married With Children). Rode around and did tricks at the skate park for hours. Then came home. Lots of track stands and skids. The pavement at the park is super smooth so we could skid for days. We took Michican ave to Chicago ave home and rode through traffic and on the sidewalks. Its pretty fun, but a bit dangerous and made me a little uncomfortable. I had to hang back quite a bit and play it safe.

I haven't eaten since before I left the house, so I'm starving and tired. Its also REALLY windy so my lips are chapped. Its so windy.

rough diagram of todays route.

Phil McCaleb has a posse

The owner and founder of scooterworks and genuine scooters, ultimately my boss (my bosses boss) did a little podcast, well he was interviewed and they turned it into a podcast.

He even mentions me around 23 minutes in (although he is really too gracious with his description)

listen here.

work

I made this image. It's viewable in context here.

google street views, chicago

I can see my car!

my boss

my boss is pretty cool. he is a really really nice guy, and i think we're mostly on the same page when it comes to communication and personable stuff. He's about 40 and has two kids.

He's also a former pro BMX rider.

Since I've met him he's told me about a few stories. today he was talking about some of his injuries. I think he's broken pretty much everything.

hes had 13 concussions. one time he was unconcious for 6 hours. hes broken all his toes. both his hands, multiple times. he had a cadaver tendon used on his thumb when he damaged it, and when he damaged that again he went to canada to have an artificial tendon surgically installed. broken both collar bones, 2 and 3 times, dislocated his knees, broken both his legs, broken his arms, he's torn his urethra when he got caught between the frame of his bike and the tire (he only brought this up today because vasectomies were brought up during a meeting...thats the kind of place I work). he's been to the first two X-games. During practice at the 2nd x-games he passed out mid-air (hypoglycemic) and crashed to the ground, compacting his kidneys and liver and other internal organs, which took him around 6 months to heal, if i recall correctly. Thats basically when he retired from competing.

I broke my elbow once.

On Embarking

This year seems to be the year of leaving. Leaving my ex girlfriend / room mate. Leaving my first leased apartment. Leaving my best friends. Leaving my parents. Leaving San Francisco. Leaving a good job. Leaving my car (for sale). Leaving my favorite bike (never thought I'd live without it, now selling it).

Why? Why did I leave everything? Where am I going? Why not stay comfortable? Stay at home. Stay warm...

A couple years ago I did a small fundraiser and bike ride from San Francisco to LA. 7 days, 600 some miles. I only made it half way (geographically) but that doesn't matter. I trained and trained and got money from people for the event. And then the big day came. Woke up early, Jenn and I drove to the Cow Palace in SF, walked around, scared and nervous, and really excited. A whole week on a bike, with other cyclists and only one agenda - to have a great week on a bike...

These days I'm riding a bike that only has one gear and the gear is fixed with the wheel. There is no back pedaling - the wheel turns, the chain turns, the cranks turn, my feet turn - and the other way around. Builds good cadence, very simple to maintain, less stuff to break. Makes your legs stronger since using a "Granny Gear" isn't an option. Really the only option is to go or slow down. Since there is only one gear, its kind of a tough gear to start off on, not like on a car or a 10 speed, where you can start spinning easily and change gears as you go down hill. You're always in that big gear...

And because of this slow cadence that you start off with, there is something about getting on the saddle of this bike with one foot in the pedal, and the other foot on a step or curb or ground, and just slightly pushing yourself forward, gracefully and slowly. Like...watching an astronaut let go of the space station, and drift out into nothing, or when there is a funeral at sea, and the first and last initial contact with the casket boat is made, just a gentle, ominous shove into the unknown. Its the beginning of an adventure for that vessel.

We all have goals, we aim high, and sometimes we fall short. Sometimes the path is the goal.

Pushing off on a fixed gear is a lot like the morning of my trip to LA. Amazing and always bitter sweet. I am leaving my friends and family. Who knows if I'll arrive at my intended destination - anything can happen. Amazing things, and unspeakable accidents. I remember, very emotionally, how I felt when I went back to my bike after the warm up ceremony, and I was alone, Jen went outside or back to the car and we (2000 of us) rolled outside into the fresh july san francisco morning air, all of a sudden I had 2000 families clapping and waving me and all of us good luck, most importantly I saw Jen in the corner of my eye and I just smiled and wanted to cry.

That was just a week on my own and just one, very important person in my life.

This year seems to be the year of adventure.

Every time I take off for a ride on this machine, even if its just to ride to work, or to ride to the lake, its a ride through Chicago. I'm in Chicago, all the way out here, like some satellite in the middle of nowhere, going farther than I've ever gone before in my entire life. Its an allegory for this stage in my life. I'm shoving off on my own, and really, who knows where I'll end up. Who knows how my body will handle what the road dishes out. Who knows how my heart will behave.