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  • I had an awesome 2.2 mile ride this morning before getting a nasty sidewall flat. Now it's time to buy a new tire.

    We have an ElliptiGo dealer here in CLT but I haven't jumped on one yet. I'd like to see an endurance race between one of those and a Segway.
    I have nothing else to say at this time.

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    • I forgot to comment on my ride last weekend. Did a nice group ride into the hills just east of town. 42 miles with almost 3,000 feet of climbing, almost all of which was in a 9 mile stretch toward the beginning of the ride.

      We took it easier than usual on the climb, going at a steady rate rather than attacking in some of our usual spots.

      The payoff for the climb comes at about mile 22. Miles 27-29 were a blast as we were flying along at close to 35 mph.

      Beautiful day, as the temps at the start were close to 60 and up to 70 by the finish.

      http://connect.garmin.com/activity/222952809

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      • Our final tune-up before next week's Lighthouse Century was eventful, but not for cycling-related reasons. We rode 55 miles or so out Mines Road and our average was diminished because of various sidetrips and stops due to a lost cellphone. When we were way out of cell range, my wife's friend who was riding with us noticed my seat bag was open. When I checked it I could tell my iPhone had dropped out. Returning to the flatlands and cell coverage, using my wife's phone we called our daughter in Colorado. She went online, logged into my iPhone account, and told us within 100 meters or so where my phone was--unfortunately, it was apparently moving.

        But using the lost phone feature, she caused my phone to lock down, chime loudly occasionally, and create a screen message that said "This phone is lost--call [Mrs. PAC's number]." Within a minute, we got a phone call from a very nice (and very fit) Latina who had picked up the phone during her 14-mile (!) run. We proceeded to her apartment and picked up the phone; she adamantly refused my reward offer.

        Interestingly, I loaded the new iPhone operating system including the new location services, lost phone, etc. just two days ago. At that time, I almost took off the Otter case which is a little bulky and seemed unnecessary since I never drop my phone. Right. My phone was unscathed, and the location services stuff is great, if a bit Orwellian.

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        • Yet another weekend of not being able to ride my bike bc it's too dangerous here.

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          • I did the same 42 mile loop that we did 2 weeks ago on Saturday. Another gorgeous days in the hills. While our overall riding time was pretty close to our last effort, I can certainly feel my fitness level slowly sliding away as compared to even a month ago.

            We did the big 9 mile climb much harder and much faster than 2 weeks ago, but i was laboring something fierce. I was totally gassed at the top. My endurance seems ok, but I have lost a lot of pop in my legs. I got crushed on the last KOM point which comes at about mile 38.

            Still, a great day for a ride, as the weather has held out nicely this fall.

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            • I got a flat yesterday. At my turn around point I looked down and noticed the back tire was pretty low. I had just changed my tube because I found a hole in it after my last ride. I also found a small break in the tire but I figured the tire would be fine. Guess I was wrong. I also didn't have a spare tube because I had used my last one when I changed the tube before heading out. I used a friend's pump on the way back and would stop every mile to pump up the tire. By the time I got back to my house I was basically riding on my rims, which I'm sure isn't a good thing.

              I took off the tire and noticed another hole in the tire. The new hole is where the tube was punctured, and upon further inspection it looked like the tire was worn down to the point that in other places it was coming apart. This seemed odd since I've only put about 500 miles on the bike and I figured I'd get more miles out of the tires. I wonder if tires are cheap since they are the ones that came with the bike but in any case I went and bought some nicer tires and some more extra tubes and I'm ready to go for next Saturday. It was nice to get on the bike again after not riding for 4-5 weeks due to other commitments.

              http://connect.garmin.com/activity/240320918
              "Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We cannot expect to experience the blessing of faith by standing inactive on the sidelines any more than we can experience the benefits of health by sitting on a sofa watching sporting events on television and giving advice to the athletes. And yet for some, “spectator discipleship” is a preferred if not primary way of worshipping." -Pres. Uchtdorf

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              • Eager to burn off some of yesterday's calorie orgy, and needing a break from the Holiday Running Fest, the wife and I did an easy ride around the Livermore Valley with a few modest hills. It's a gorgeous fall day and the roads are pretty much deserted, so we had a fun time chatting it up as we cruised for 40 miles. I particularly enjoyed breezing through the vineyards where the heady scent of fermenting grapes gave me a nice post-Thanksgiving buzz.

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                • http://connect.garmin.com/activity/248231423

                  One nice thing about Houston is the winter weather. I took a quick ride yesterday in the 65 degree morning calm. It was nice to ride in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt and not really get cold, even on December 1. I wanted to go faster but having run the 11 miler the day before, my legs weren't up to it. At least I got around 17 mph for a solo ride, which isn't horrible for me.

                  I'm thinking that sometime over the Xmas break I'm going to take the bike a bit north into the hill country and do a longer ride.
                  "Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We cannot expect to experience the blessing of faith by standing inactive on the sidelines any more than we can experience the benefits of health by sitting on a sofa watching sporting events on television and giving advice to the athletes. And yet for some, “spectator discipleship” is a preferred if not primary way of worshipping." -Pres. Uchtdorf

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                  • We rode with a high school friend who took us around the Berkeley and Oakland hills and out to Orinda, Moraga, etc. I had a long run yesterday and my legs were dead, so I was kind of pathetic on the climbs, which were many. Over 3600 feet during our 38 mile jaunt. It was a cool but gorgeous day and the post-rain greening of the hills made for a spectacular ride. I was humiliated at the end, though, when I bailed out of a final 12% climb as my legs were toast; meanwhile Mrs. PAC cruised to the top.

                    Oakland in the foreground, SF in the background.


                    Later, looking east toward Mt. Diablo.

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                    • I'm shifting over from running (such as it was) to more cycling, and we kicked off the 2013 season with a pleasant ride in the hills above Calaveras Reservoir. There was only one car but probably 150 cyclists as we went 37 miles and climbed 2700 feet. I say "we kicked off" but with today's ride the missus already has 450 miles in the saddle this month.

                      I'm happy that a month away from riding didn't seem to have much effect, but I suppose if one stays active running and working out, cycling sabbaticals don't hurt much.

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                      • We got another foot of snow overnight - adding to the foot still there that hasn't melted since the last big storm. And I think the average high for the month of January so far is probably right around 20 degrees.

                        I'm having a hard time even imagining the day that my bike will see the outside of the garage.

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                        • My testimony of the power of drafting was strengthened today. Late in our usual 40-mile Calaveras ride, there's a three-mile fairly flat stretch where I usually pull the missus. I have to work hard to maintain 19 mph over that distance. Today, a small group of strong cyclists passed us while I was doing my usual labors and I decided to grab on, with Mrs. PAC along for the fun. We were cruising at 23 for a couple of miles and I wasn't working nearly as hard as when I pull at 19. I totally get why riding in a group of strong riders is a major adrenaline rush.

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                          • We had a fun ride today in cool and breezy conditions. It's a real rush to be able to ride at 20+ in the flats, and the wife likes to pull as much as she drafts. I'm happy to oblige.

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                            • Apparently I'm the only one riding weekends or, more likely, the only one narcissistic enough to report. Today's ride was very encouraging. We're attempting the 124-mile Wine Country Century in early May, and I haven't logged nearly enough saddle time to feel comfortable about that, but today's ride (roughly half that distance with a bit more than half the climbing) went very well. Our average (15.7) wasn't stellar, but a very long climb of around 7% pretty much kills any average. Most important, I feel just fine. I'm convinced that as long as one maintains decent cardio fitness and builds up one's core and overall strength during the offseason, the dropoff due to less cycling time isn't all that severe, even at my advanced age.

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                              • Keep up the reports, PAC. I enjoy hearing of your skinny tired exploits. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get outdoors yet this season. I still ride 3 days per week for about 45-50 minutes on the trainer. My saturday mornings still involve running 7-10 miles. I'll make the switch over pretty soon but I would like the mercury to rise about 5-10 degrees yet before I brave the roads.

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