Being sick sucks. I've had some kind of mucus fest going on in my body for the past two weeks, and I've just felt horrible. This stupid illness has, of course, coincided with a break in the cold and a return to warmer weather. I've had to watch days go buy where there was nothing but sun and 60* weather while I was curled up under a blanket wondering how my body could produce so much snot. It was torture.
Today I said "the hell with it." I woke up at 7a, ate some oatmeal, threw on my medium-cold gear (it was 48*), pumped up my tires and left. I was storming out of Bridgeport at a blistering 14mph. I was struggling to keep that pace too.
I made it halfway to Conshohocken when my nose just started leaking. I brought tissues, but I was moving and didn't want to stop, so I fired off a snot rocket. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but before I knew it, there was a snotsplosion and my face was covered with it. Looks like I was going to have to stop after all.
Back up to speed, I reached Conshy at exactly 8am. Per usual, Isaac didn't show up until 8:15. I don't know why I keep leaving on time. On the plus side, he was actually dressed in gear that was appropriate. He finally splurged on some tights and a vest. To my surprise, he was rocking brand new S-Works shoes, which he got for free, from our Specialized Rep. I'm never there on the days this kind of shit happens.
I wasn't feeling so hot, but we had reached Umbria St. and the only way to really get into Manayunk from there is to go up the hill, so I soldiered on. I actually felt pretty good climbing. I didn't lose as much strength as I thought I was going to over the winter. Isaac is now on a standard crank and he wasn't to thrilled about it.
As we entered Manayunk Isaac made a last second turn onto a street that takes you in the opposite direction of where we were headed... after I was halfway through the intersection. In honor of Paris-Roubaix, He decided we were going to hunt down every cobbled street in Manayunk and ride them. The idea was so stupid I had to do it.
The first cobbled street was a hill, and thankfully a short one. If you've never ridden on cobblestones before, don't start. There isn't anything comfortable or confidence inspiring about it. Especially with 23 width tires. And going downhill is just terrible because braking is just a suggestion.
The funniest part about cobble hunting in Manayunk is that there aren't as many full cobbled streets as you would think. At one point on our search, we did find a road that had been torn to shit and was half under construction. We deemed it was close enough and rode up. It was a pretty steep climb that lasted about four blocks, but I managed it without problem, even though it was half dirt and lumpy like spoiled milk. It was an absolute blast though. Way more fun than just going down to the Art Museum.
After The Great Cobble Hunt of '11, we stopped at Mug Shots. It's my favourite coffee joint in The Yunk. It's off on a side street, away from traffic, it's cozy, they have good food and the staff are nice to cyclists. I have no idea how their coffee is, because I think coffee is disgusting, but Isaac never has anything bad to say about it.
After a delicious cranberry muffin and some o.j., we headed back. We decided to keep the Roubaix spirit and took the towpath back to the trail. If you've never been on the towpath, I highly recommend it. It's half gravel/rocks/dirt and half wooden planks, but it runs along the canal and it just beautiful. Plus, there's just something wonderful about riding a road bike on a damp, unpaved road that it wasn't designed for. It may kill the tire life on my bike, but it makes me smile ear to ear every time I do it.
If today's ride was any judge of it, this year is going to be a good year for riding. I feel pretty good on the bike. If I can get over this plague thing I have and ride more, I should be plenty strong by May. I've also made some huge changes this winter to improve my comfort. I flipped my stem from -8* to +8* and jacked my saddle all the way forward in an attempt to not feel as stretched out on my Tarmac. So far, so good. I only got a tiny bit of shoulder pain toward the end of my ride, but nothing like I have been experiencing for the past few years.
I also got new insoles for my shoes to cure the hot spots I was getting. The soles have a metatarsal button to prevent the bones from pinching together and flattening. I also, through sheer luck, realized that the sharp knee pain I was getting was caused by my feet rotating too much to the outside. I used the -1.5mm shim that came with the insoles to tilt my feet slightly more upright and I can say that both changes have been amazing. No hot spots, no knee pain for the first time ever. The downside? a thicker insole plus a 1.5mm thick shim have taken away the already cramped toebox on my Sidi shoes. My toes are absolutely crushed. And since I wasn't there for the free fucking S-Works shoe give-away, I'm going to have to buy a pair. However, If I'm buying shoes, even at close to cost, I'm not buying S-Works. So a Pair of Elite shoes will be in my future.
Okay, only two more things, I promise. First is Isaac is going to give me a full BG fit. I've been asking him for a while, but it looks like he'll have some time in the next two weeks to take care of it. He and I established long ago that Specialized, who does more for fit on a bicycle than any other major company, hands down, doesn't do shit with their top tubes. Cervelo did a test of all the major bike companies and how they build their bikes, and one of the things they found on Specialized bikes is that they don't really change the top tube length from bike to bike, they just change the seat tube angle. A 48cm bike and a 54cm bike from Specialized, in Cervelo's test, had a top tube length difference of 1cm. If that's true, that's just horrible, but completely explains why I feel so stretched out on a 56cm frame. So, if I can't be completely comfortable on the Tarmac after the BG fit, It's gone. I'm selling it.
Finally, you may be wondering how it is I know about a test that Cervelo did on other manufacturers bikes. Well, High Road Cycles is now a Cervelo dealer. I've already got my eye on an R3. Probably in white. If EP prices are fair enough, the bike will be built up with either Rival with a BB30 S900 crank, or a full Force group with BB30. But only if the Tarmac can't be comfortable. We'll see.
