Two Wheel Blogs

My version of sprinting with Campy shifters is an invigorating trip. Make no mistake, I am an average sprinter at best when compared to your typical cat 5 field...and I know it. Sometimes it is fun to fantasize and live like a kid (you know you roll into sight of a sprint sign and imagine for a moment that you are Mario, or Robbie)

Like I said, I am not a hardcore sprinter, but I can hold my own against other hacks like myself. A typical ride for me involves a fair amount of trash talk and ego fluffing, so it should come as no surprise that challenging another rider to a sprint is common place on a ride.

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I set out from St. Girons with no idea what to expect. I have learned that the green-highlighted highways on the Michelin maps (scenic roads) won't disappoint me and today was no exception. I took the road to St. Croix Volvestre and it was the totally-unexpected highlight of the whole trip. If I were to recommend a trip to someone interested in biking but not touring, I would recommend heading for a base in St. Girons. It is the center of a wheel, with beautiful rides like spokes heading out in every direction.

I am typing for the first time on a French keyboard, which makes me realize that I really can touch type. There is absolutely nothing familiar about this keyboard, most especially the position of the A and M - and you must hit the shift key to type a period. I admit I find myself a little bit nostalgic for Spain. I didn't realize it was easy there until it wasn't easy anymore. The landscape of France is truly spectacular, but the people are so much more dour. Those Spaniards are some of the most laid-back, fun-loving folk this side of the Himalayas.

The name says it all.

For whatever reason, I have been doing a bunch of slow rides lately. Not really *that* slow, but they are a bit slower and longer than typical for me.

I have been taking more time to enjoy what riding a fine bicycle has to offer...and it is a great thing.

Instead of slamming through the gears and hammering only to hear the sounds of wind in my ears, blood pumping, and tires grinding against pavement, I am taking more time to appreciate the sound of a perfectly tuned drive train, the sounds of the nature that lies slightly beyond the roads edge, and the voices of good friends. These are the things that give me passion towards cycling right now.

My morning began with a key slipping into the lock of my hotel room door, and a strange man walking into my room at 6:30am. He whispered "Pardon!" and backed out into the hall, tiptoeing down the hall as quiet as a mouse. What the heck? Hard to sleep after that.

Sorry, it is true. I have not had much to say lately. I refuse to drone on about my road riding that I have been doing a lot of lately. There is just not much exciting to say about what I do.

I have not had electronics on my bikes for a couple years now, so I can not really talk about distance, average speed or power. The only thing I can say is how long the ride is in minutes and hours (pretty boring).

I live in central Missouri, so I can not boast about ancient landmarks that I pass as I ride. In fact, I tend to pass the same things every week. I could talk about the historic monuments that I pass (underground railroad refuges, State Capitol, Governor's Mansion, farms, railroads, other neat stuff that is hardly legendary).