My Last ride:
July 11, 2008: I started out around 6:30am with 20 to 30 mile per hour wind gust blowin from the south towards Nebraska... I rode 25 miles very slowly to the west in the cross wind. Then North with the incredible tail wind helping me over the hills you run into in Kansas if you try to go North or if you go South.... oops boss is back.... more to come : )
My goal was Alma Nebraska but after my hour break at Pizza Hut I walked out into an oppressive heat ( I Knew it was going to be hot but not this early) I had two "what the heck was I thinking?" back up routes, that would keep me closer to home. So I headed towards Paradise. Western Kansas Towns are 8 miles apart as a rule....They say the old Steam Engines needed water every 8 miles..... So every 8 Miles I would take a break in towns that had no services and maybe a coke machine at the local COOP. At least they had Ice.... I would take my water bladder full of ice and let it melt on top of my body or my head then I would drink it before the water turned hot... and it doesnt take long on asphalt to cook Ice....
I encountered Road work with a Pilot Car to Follow through the Road WOrk.... I always wondered how that would work for a bicycle? It doesnt, not at all and it shouldnt be tryed unless you are crazy.... I had to pull over 3 times when the pilot car was traveling against me... I kept waiting for a foreman to come and cuss me out.
80 miles into the trip I broke my bike. Just enough that I couldnt continue... Fatigue made me stupid and I tried to cross a bridge that said "NO BICYCLES" These bridges are made of steel and have no pavement on them and gaps wide enough for bicycle tires to fit into. You look at it and it looks simple enough but when you hit the currigatied steel panels your bike wheel go crazy and you lose control of your steering then you find yourself with a front wheel swallowed in between two panels... Then you realize that you just failed an IQ test.... (my IQ results: 0-35 range...Its hard to be humble in that range) I fixed the flat tire but couldnt fix the bent spokes and the bent spokes made the wheel spin into the brakes (if I had Disc Brakes the bike would have been Fine) I still had 20 miles to go to make it to the lake I was traveling to and then I would have to limp my bike back home in the AM for 40 miles ((((DARN))))
I was on my home turf now so I called my emergency back up folks to come pick me up. They said that they could come and get me at 9:00 pm. That was several hour wait so I limped my Bike to my Grandfathers house and talked, read newspapers and magizines with him for the rest of the evening. Sunday I will try to fix my spokes myself before I take it to the bike shop. I hope to get handy at fixing my own bike... so here is my chance...
Signs that prove your Fame
June 11, 2009 Present Day Kansas:
In just a almost a year I have not really rode my bike since July 2008... I fell into totally defeated mode. My work Place was discussing cut backs and lay-offs (I Love my Job) I started drinking bottles of Irish Whiskey. One a week sounds like too much but thats my poison.... (sad but true)
Then I started painting again after the Yearly "Art Bike Ride" and I slowly started to improve my outlook on life; I started Thumbing my nose at the Cut-backs at work. I am back in 100 mile bike ride Shape... but... That doesnt make you instantly skinny, I am so so fat right now: 225 pounds of pure lard.
My most recent ride worth a note:
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Peter Cochran I had time Yesterday So I Rode my Bicycle 100 miles yesterday. My body is not ready for this kind of ride, but I struggled through it ok... It was a slow Century...I started at 9:30am and finished at 4:30pm....
May 30 at 9:30pm · Comment · Like
Peter Cochran at 9:46pm May 30
I was in Jetmore, KS and had the whole day to myself. It was performance art. I rode the streets of Jetmore the entire 100 miles. Jetmore is a town that is 6blocks x 14blocks; at first no one would say hi to me by the end of my ride folks were waving and flagging me over to ask about my bike. The Police kept an eye on me for a very short time, but then they started waving also. Stranger in a small town and I was the strangest of the strange yesterday : )
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Back to the present:
I have been riding every night for two weeks now with my father for 10 miles, last night I increased the distance for him to 13 miles. Since I have my own Corner ; I will be attempting longer rides and writing about them... but with any corner that I occupy the odor will be pungent.
The Night Before: I went on a short ride tonight to test my new bicycle computer (never had one before) Down hill with very little effort I did 31 MPH. At the innersection of Wichita and Fossil I went through the innersection at 26 MPH.... My Bike is Excellent, but I am still out of shape... My goal is a traffic ticket on fossil street. In shape I think my goal can be reached.
