Winter Trail Riding

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Originally uploaded by hav2thnk

This past weekend Jesse and I managed to get in some trail riding before the big winter chill arrived. We ventured along the Appleton trails along the river and then checked out various parks. The photo shows a playground with several snow banks that school kids turned into a fun bike park. We also checked out a sled hill that we cautiously went down to avoid the ice.

Eventually we stopped for a coffee downtown and then headed back out for the rest of our ride. The dam in the flats was steaming and ice covered at the same time. The ice and river was beautiful as the sun started to set. We rode around for a bit longer and then parted ways to head back home. Overall, a great ride and good to be outside again.

Note to self: This ride I wore hiking boots with thin and thick socks on platform pedals. Hard to tell how much this helped, but in general I think this helped circulation and may be my sub-freezing footwear in the future.

Training

Well, I can't say I have done much training, but I did manage to ride the CyclOps trainer this week and even did a CompuTrainer ride with some fellow racers. I have been using a Suunto Heart Rate monitor since last season. It's nice to measure the intensity of rides, especially in comparison to race days which I can never come close to in my training. While on the trainer I decided to hook up the HR monitor to the laptop for some real-time graphing. It made the session a bit more fun, which is desparately needed when confined to a trainer versus the thrill of trail riding.

Today my new (used) SuperFly should arrive. I am looking forward to moving to 29" wheels while maintaining an overall light bike. I also think the fit will be better for me; slightly less reach and a bit more rise on the handlebars. I hope to convert it to single-speed and give that a try and a few races, but for now I am looking forward to just getting it ready to ride.

It's a new year. Time for some reflection. As is probably obvious, biking (and racing) will continue to be a big part of my life. It is my source for physical and mental health, and provides a comradery between my friends and fellow cyclists. I'm still torn between my desire to return to the city and my current ability to escape to singletrack after work. My desire for a simple condo with no yard work versus not sharing walls and having a garage and basement. I'm also not sure about the potential job change that would be required. I look forward to seeing how the year unfolds and what changes lie ahead.

Finally, I look forward to moving on in relationships. The last year had ups and downs as was to be expected, but overall it was clear that hurt, anger, and confusion remained. At the same time, I have had a glimpse of what could be a better match for me, and the potential such a relationship could hold. I look forward to see if 2009 is the time for my heart and fate to come together...with a bit of hard work of course. Only time will tell...

Published

My first photo has now been published in Schmap (<-- not this photo). Sure, it's an online travel guide with tons of other photos too, but mine is still in there if you look really hard :-)

I can't believe it has been so long since my last post. So I apologize in advance, this means that my thoughts will probably bounce around to all the various things I thought about writing but apparently never captured.

In some ways, not much has changed, I have been getting out and enjoying the snowy winter...this is definitely a "good" winter from my perspective. I cross-country skiid (sp?), snowshoed, went sledding and went snowboarding. Of course, I also managed a bit if winter road riding (on the bike) and also checked out CompuTrainers at the local bike shop.

I will digress for a moment. Not sure what is good or bad, but my CompuTrainer numbers were an average of 225 watts and 90 rpm. I have to go again before I know how these numbers will compare, but thought I would capture it now for future reference.

So, all in all I am getting out and enjoying the season, and I really enjoy the time with family and friends. I have a very large relation, and this year seemed to be a return to big family style gameplay. I am fortunate, since most people will never experience getting together with 30 of their cousins and playing broom ball - it's a blast. I hate to admit that some of the cousins I would probably botch their name, but there is still a wonderful sense of family and it was a really great time (see photo - and no, this is not ALL of my cousins).

Despite all this wintery goodness, lately I have been feeling a pull back to the metro lifestyle. I think I would like to return to Milwaukee, possibly an East side condo. No more yard work, suburbs, car-oriented living. I want to go jogging along the lake, riding the river trails and paths, walk / bike to shops, and being surrounded by a population and culture that I seek. I want to see more people out on the street, hit up the corner coffee shop, and just feel a part of the urban scene. Can I have all that and still cross-country ski by moonlight in the woods? Could I still get my fix of singletrack riding? What about job changes? Still some sorting out to do...

Regardless, today I will be returning to the East side...to visit. I am excited to check out a movie at the Oriental, eat at Maharaja's, and eventually close Wolsky's with my wonderful cuz-in-law Johnny serving up some Lakefront brews.

10 in 10, twice

Tonight I went for a winter night ride (the pic is borrowed from my winter day ride last weekend). I decided I would bike to the mall to pick up a sternum strap for my camelback. I lost mine years ago, but it never really bothered me until I went x-country skiing and it kept falling off one shoulder. Anyway, it was mostly just an excuse to get out, so I hooked up my lights and hit the road on my fixie. I decided to go with three layers on top and bike shorts and tights on the bottom and brought along some extras just in case.

The ride started out nice. I was a bit chilled but figured I would warm up after a few miles. A few miles later I decided to put on the second pair of tights. I thanked myself for bringing an extra pair as I pedaled away with noticably better wind protection. From that point on I was comfortable except for the usual trouble areas - my feet and stomache. Yep, my stomache. I need to get a windproof vest or jacket, but I already agreed to let Santa make the purchase...so I am now really looking forward to xmas :-)

Once I got to the mall I realized I didn't bring a lock, so I ditched the bike in a snowbank near a few dumpsters. I figured people wouldn't want to ride it and probably b-line straight to their cars anyway. Once in the store I discovered that the sternum straps sold out in the last couple days...go figure. I attempted to find battery-heated socks that I heard about, but alas I did not find those either. A young woman did say I inspired her to get out on her bike, so I guess all was not lost. I put in a plug for WORS, so we'll see if she sucks it up buttercup.

On the way home I thought I would swing by Jesse's house and give him a hard time for not joining me...although I had only left a message. On the way a car pulled over and flagged me down. He had to know where I got my spoke lights and offered to buy them now. Admittedly I love them - they are fun, artsy, and ultimately help me be visible. Warning though, they do tend to get random shout outs, so be prepared!

I have been watching videos and reading about Milwaukee's bike culture, such as the Milwaukee Messenger Invitational. I miss East Side Milwaukee and being in an urban environment with a strong bike culture. I am seriously thinking about making my move back. For a while I pondered a move out of state (ideally for mountains, ocean, or both), but I think I could be happy hear. I just need a bit more of the yuppie life I guess; I don't want to get lost in the burbs yet. I would love to commute to work via bicycle, have my morning coffee at the local shop, jog along the lakeshore, and in general see more people out and about. Interesting events, restaurants, people, etc.

For today, I will settle for 10 miles at 10 degrees and back - not a bad day.

Winter Ride

We have been fortunate enough to get a good amount of snow already this winter, so of course that means it was time to wax up the skis...and then take out the mountain bike. What can I say, the two wheels were calling...

I think my face froze in the first minute, and my camelback water tube froze a few minutes after that. The wind was bone chilling, but I tried to trust that I would be just right once I was warmed up...or at least once I ducked into some wooded trails. I turned up the tunes and continued on.

I trail entrance off of the paved path was buried in virgin snow. As much as I love first tracks, I knew my bike wasn't necessarily the best tool to carve them. I veered in and was maintaining just enough traction to cut my path. Of course, I had to zig and zag as the snow continued to have its way with me. I spun out and put my foot down after 20 ft or so and questioned whether I could carry on for several miles of winter single track. I backed up a bit to utilize my pre-cut track to get a running start. A few moments later I was making tracks again and rediscovering my center of gravity. There was no turning back.

Last day in Venice

It was my last day in Venice and in Europe (other than travel). We bought a 12 hour vaporetto pass and took the boat to Murano island. Once there, we checked out the various glass shops and eventually had lunch. Lunch was very reasonable on the island, so it was necessary to have a bottle of wine, dessert, and cappuccino to accompany lunch :-)

The "free entrance" to the glass blowing factory is not too informative, but it is still neat to see some glass making in action. Apparently around 200 pieces are hand made each day by one person. After our tour we went back to the main island of Venice.

Our goal turned to souvenir shopping. I was amazed at how quickly this sucked the joy and energy out of shopping. I vowed to only buy souvenirs along the way in the future...when you know it is something someone will enjoy. Regardless, shopping was mostly done and it was time to refuel. I ordered another pesto dish; this time with spaghetti. I need to make pesto more often...okay, I need to try making pesto for the first time when I return.

After dinner we suddenly had another boost of shopping energy, so we hit up the Rialto area. We then headed back to the hotel to confirm travel plans; primarily ensuring I could meet up with the Kopfelsbergers again to get my passport. Plans were confirmed, so I could now comfortably ride the vaporetto around for some final night sightseeing along the grand canal. What a beautiful city! The vaporetto headed to Lido island and then turned around for one final pass along the canal before arriving at the train station.

We boarded the night train back to Munich. The following morning we arrived in Munich. We ate breakfast at Marienplatz in Munich with a fellow traveler we met on the train. We then parted to take the S-Bahn to the airport. At the airport we met up with mama and papa Kopfelsberger. I now had my key to re-enter the US. I had one last cappuccino with Katie, mama, and papa and began the series of checkpoints for my flight.

Just a 9 hour flight, a layover in Washington DC, a couple more hours, a layover in Chicago, another hour, and 30 hours after leaving Venice I was back. Brian and Jess picked me up from the airport and honored my request for some late night sushi before hopefully settling in for a long sleep. A nice end to a wonderful trip.

Venice: Day 2

Still no word on the passport, but not going to let that ruin my vacation. If anything, it will only extend it :-)

It was another day of perfect weather in Venice. Frankly, I could not have asked for better weather for the entire trip. We went to the local shop to get some rolls and cheese to combine with our salami leftover from Germany. It was a nice breakfast. Of course, I had to stop for a cappuccino at an espresso bar as well. In typical style, I stood at the espresso bar to refuel and then went on my way.

We headed back to San Marco square and checked out some shops south of there. Lots of beautiful Murano glass, but some things get old after viewing at each shop. We attempted to watch glass blowing, but it was only open for scheduled group tours. Still plenty to see though. We eventually stopped for our first pizza in Italy; the pesto pizza was excellent!

We continue south along the grand canal and just took everything in. I bought a canvas oil painting of Venice that I look forward to hanging up at home. Eventually I had my late afternoon gelato and headed back to the hotel. Upon my return, I found out that my passport was indeed left in the Kopfelsberger's car seat pocket (which I stowed because my backpack had a hole and I didn't want to lose it). So, although I must inconvenience them, I look forward to seeing them again and knowing that I will be able to re-enter the country (and to a country with Obama as president-elect...yeah!)

For dinner, I had a seafood pasta followed by a scallopini with mushrooms...good eats! We then headed to an opera concert that was quite impressive. The opera is really amazing in person, which include baroque period wardrobe this time as well. I especially like the barotone...wish the pamphlet had the names of tonight's performers.