April 2, 2007

  • Today I was a little tired and I had a lot of work to do and Mimi was missing Jeff and being very clingy so I took a bunch of short walks around town. Mimi isn't the only one missing Jeffery. I hate it when he's out of town.

    I took my road bike over to Lombardi to get worked on and I'm hoping it's not going to be super expensive but the fact is that I've put 5,000 miles on that bike since the last time it was in and a few of the parts are going to need to be changed. The Chain, which should be changed every 2,500 miles, is a given. If I'd changed my chain 2,500 miles ago I wouldn't also be worried about my cassette, but I didn't and I am. I'm hoping the wheels aren't an issue yet because that's a big ticket item but I think they should be ok for another season. I'm hoping to switch to Mavic Ksyrium wheels next season..... although I might also be getting a new bike. Ritchey Break Away Bikes are about the coolest thing. The frame is held together with these special couplings that allow the entire bike to be broken down and stored in a piece of regular sized luggage that comes with the bike and then you don't have to pay the bike box fee which is $75 on some airlines. This would allow me to take my bike with me wherever I go because you can easily assemble and disassemble it yourself. Stay tuned!

    Mr Poe finally made it back from his business trip at 11:30 and the universe is right once again.

    Saturday, March 31

    I subbed in for Kurt's Schade's bride of the cat series and the route was over the bridge and out to fairfax, skipping camino alto on the return and doing Paradise Drive to Trestle Glen instead. Kurt wanted to to point at the Trestle Glen turnoff so I hurried up to there. It seemed to me that a lot of riders weren't doing paradise drive at all and had instead just gone back over camino alto. So I did more sunning and less pointing:

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    Don't we have the best looking riders??

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    When the sweeps came through we got the word that one of the ride leaders had collided with a parked car and had to go to the hospital with probably a broken collarbone. I had that same injury back in 2004 and it's the worst. Your shoulder gets so stiff when you stop moving and for months it's impossible to get a restful sleep because everytime you move it hurts. Poor baby! I hope JR gets better really soon.

    Saw David Gaus on the way back he's just done Alpine Dam and Mount Tam and was wiped out as he should be. That's a tough ride! Good for him.

    At the end of the ride instead of going back over the bridge I went and did Marin Headlands out to Point Bonita and then back through the tunnel. My training really seems to be paying off because that hill's getting easier. Still not easy, but easier. The descent into Point Bonita scares the hell of me because the drop off is so steep that you can't even really see where you'd end up if you went over the guard rail but a good guess would be water. When I got back to the bridge I caught up with six of our riders who's left the ride at Fairfax and had gone onto Lagunita, a fifteen mile addition to their day. It killed me to inform them that they hadn't beaten the sweeps in. I should have lied.

    When I got back into the city I went through the Presidio to the Palace of the Legion on Honor and then back home through the park. And to make me work a little harder I came home up over seventeenth street through cole valley which is a very very steep hill.

    When I got home I snapped this pic of the Wisteria in our garden. Mr Poe has been working very hard on it and it looks spectacular

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    Friday, March 30

    I slept in a little and wanted a short scenic little ride. I came down Market from my house and took Scott to Post to Grant to Clay and then into work. I got a pretty picture of peace plaza in Japantown

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    and then some of the Macy's building in Union Square. They have this huge banner up for a flower show they've got on. I can't wait to see it!

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    Then I went to work via chinatown. I defy you to find someone with a prettier commute than me. Well maybe the pope.

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    I had to go into REI over lunch to get my new tires put on my road bike. I could have done it myself but I'm glad I didn't because the mechanic noted three spokes that were poking throug the rim tape so he had to retape it. That's where all those flats were coming from, and I would have kept getting them if I hadn't got the rim tape swapped out. So I'm glad I took it in. Whilw I was waiting for my bike, I was petting this puppy, named Mato, who was tied up in the front of the store. Border Collie mixed with something. So unbelievably sweet.  I can't wait to get my new dog in June!

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    After work I did the lake Merced loop and snapped this lovely pic of the windmill on the way:

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    After Lake Merced I made my way over to West Portal and then came up over Clarendon, a hill I haven't done in a while. Long biking day but I felt great and it was a lot of fun.

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