Sunday Club Rides

Yea, brothers and sisters, welcome to the flock of  SBRA open now your books to Revolutions, gear ratio 53:12. When Sunday morning rolls around you know it's time to pray to lord bicycle, and this is no false idol. Lord bicycle will get you 100 km down the road aided only by a breakfast burrito. Today's ride is rated a C, meek riders shall not grovel before the wheels of the strong, for they shall not be dropped.  Halleluiah! Amen!

Country Roads

What a beautiful Saturday. Rode 4 miles to meet the SBRA group at the Riverhead Water Front. The good weather certainly accounted for the large group. Interestingly though can it also be the reason for so many polite drivers stopping at intersections to allow us to pass, and pleasent wait staff at the deli stop. Some SBRA ride leader named their ride a de-stress ride. After a week of rain and work stress this ride certainly qualifies. With a leisurely C pace, a timely stop for lunch and the company of SBRA members it was icing on the cake. However it was not 100% stress free, at least for one person. Halfway into the ride that member experienced a 'Wardrobe Malfunction', as their bicycling shorts decided to split apart exposing a full moon before lunch. I'm no bike snob but I'm one who believes in security and a new pair of shorts every season.

Tour de Jamesport

What a weekend of bicycling. Denis Mechov won The Giro d'Italia by a close margin. Lance Armstrong finished despite a broken collar bone. Inspired by their accomplishments I rode my version of the Giro, despite my flating at the beach fans waited patiencely to cheer me on.

Fat Tire To Mattituck

Memorial Day, the unofficial first day of Summer. Unofficial as it may be, it's the first long weekend of the warm weather season. I officially reset the odometer on my bicycle and my log entries. It's a method I've used over the years to gauge my century readiness. The rainy weekends have set my training schedule back. I decided to ride my fat tire bicycle which is usually reserved for used for cold temperature training. My logic may be wrong but the increased rolling resistance and heavier weight seems to make me work harder thereby increasing the training effect. My fat tire stats 42.8 Miles, Average Speed 11.5 MPH Max Speed 19.2 MPH.

The Lighthouse Ride

Eight o'clock, not the best weather to start my ride. The fog was so thick I couldn't see the steps to my deck. I decided to start later. I didn't want to be invivsible to some idiot driving their SUV while using a hand held cell phone. Though it's against the law, too many SUV owners treat traffic laws as suggestions. An hour later the fog finally lifted. Rolling smoothly out I rounded the bend over Meeting House Creek. If a picture is worth a thousand words. This is the biggest fishkill I have seen in 22 years. The Seagulls having gorged themselves were just bobing in the creek amid the dead fish. The DEC released a short memo saying it was a natural phenomena. Which reminds me of another natural phenomenal experienced last June. I'm glad this pehnomena didn't try to mate with me. As I sat unexplicably relaxed on a nearby bench staring transfixed by the site, and with the Horton Point Light House still 20 miles away, I started to make excuses to sit and relax. The weather was threatening. It was getting cold. As I was about to make up my mind a pack of riders passed by, I heard someone yell "alle, alle" urging me to join the peleton. I left the pack, more correctly they left me at mile ten. I continued alone on Sound Road, away from the Bay and warmed by the late sun, I clocked forty two miles round trip with an average speed of 17.3 MPH, and max speed 23MPH. Riding with a group is alway more motivating. I needed that motivation today.




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Bicycle Lancaster, Pa.

'Experience Intercourse' was how the New York Chapter of AMC boldly titled a bicycling trip. As you can imagine, it got my attention and my lustful imagination. But in much smaller letters just below was 'Pennsylvania' which I, somehow did not notice until I had already registered. However it was a wonderful weekend of bicycling. I met some great people, ate some Penn Dutch food and got sticky buns from Intercourse Pennsylvania.

Aquebogue and Jamesport

Out in the east end of Long Island the summer rental crowds are gone and everything seems to return to its bucolic state. The trees, compared to the Catskill Mountains are not as showy with their colors, the sandy beaches and the gold brown seagrass of the salt marshes all add to the tranquility. These photos were taken along my bicycle route from Aquebogue to Jamesport and Mattituck.

Cars and Bicyclists

After reading this article Bicyclist and Cars I was not as surprised as the writer seem to be, by the conflict between motorist and bicyclist. Another article in which an SUV owner harassed a bicyclist was reported in the Seattle PI. The attitude of "I own the road" appears to more prevelent of SUV owners, yet in the same breath they are the first to to whine and cry about the rising price of gasoline. Hopefully gas prices will continue to rise so more drivers will become riders and maybe understand what "share the road means."

Another Rainy Saturday

This is possibly the 5th or 6th Saturday since April that the weather forecast called for possible thunder showers. Spring in New York is so undependable. Despite the forecast I decided to go out for an early "quickie" before the rain. The rain came down simultaneously with my stepping out the door. I sat on the deck depressed fully outfitted, shod, gloved and helmeted. Thirty minutes later the sun came out and the roads dried. Halfway through my "quickie" thick clouds rolled in. I continued my ride praying that the Bicycling Gods would be kind to me. Come to think of it, whose names would be on that list?.














High tide was above normal. The bridge over Meeting House Creek was about an inch above the water.













The seat with the best view in the house.


















Trek's newest model. The E.T built for the 2008 Tour De France.

Riverhead to Cutchogue #3 and "Sophia's Choice"

Saturday, Memeorial Day weekend an opportunity to ride 3 consequetive days. More importantly our ride leader received an e-mail from Sophia Loren promising to join the ride. At 9:30 AM about 19 Sophia Loren groupies gathered with their bicycles at the Riverhead Town Marina, many whom would remember Sophia Loren. But by 10:00 AM the group was ready to leave "Sophia-less". As we started off everyone quietly acknowledged "Sophia's Choice" was Carlo and not our ride leader.
The complete set of photos are here.

Farm Stand Vegetables

Farm Stand Vegetables
Originally uploaded by bicyclistken

Bayview Farms in Aquebogue. One of the many bountiful Farms along the main Road in the North Fork. A good place for bicyclists to stop for roasted corn, home made pie, apple cider or lemonade.

My Bicycle

My bicycle it's almost my constant companion. Some one once said to me, 'I'm surprised you don't take that thing to bed with you!' I replied 'I don't need to, when I'm asleep I have a 'dream bicycle' and I am smugly bypassing gas stations, and SUV's waiting at the traffic circle in The Hamptons.

Profile of my custom built Tesch. First generation lugless design.

Seat stays blending into the seat tube and seat bolt binder.

Ishiwata oversized fork and lugless fork crown.

The jewel-like finish of the Campagnolo Crank.

The compact Simano 13-22 9 speed cassette. A smooth shifting and quiet combination, the only sound is the beating of my heart at 145 BPM and the buzzing of the 110 PSI kevlar tires on the macadam road.