Cycling post (for once)

I've been ranting about enough stuff on this blog I'm going to have to come up with a new name for it pretty soon. But until then, there are still a few cycling posts left in me.

I actually rode to work several days last week, and also today, despite unseasonably cold temperatures and depressingly gray skies. I even managed to ride for an hour last Wednesday night, when the temperature was in the upper 30s and it was starting to rain as I left. And if you ever wondered how I came up with the decidedly ironic handle that graces this blog post:


Notice the 497-yard stare that says, "I'm really glad I don't freeze my rumpus off every day of my life.

I also helped out at the hilarious entity known as the ISU Triathlon Club's Donut Run Sunday morning. The hole (har!) event is a hoot: eat a donut, get a sticker, be awarded with time bonuses at the end of the 5k based on how many donut/stickers you have (and no, you can't puke...until you cross the finish line). The (slightly nauseating) record for the race is 31 donuts. Blech.

To add to the woe-is-me nature of my life as a fat cyclist, two things happened related to the donut race. First, I rode down Saturday morning in snowy and sleeting conditions...to discover that the race was actually Sunday morning. Oops. I had to scrape ice off my dérailleurs when I got home. And Sunday morning, I decided to act as the advanced scout to see when the racers would be taking off. I rode a heroic pace on the trail to the starting line...hit a rock with the back tire in a turn, and ended up with a flat. I. Hate. Flats. Steve from Bike World was kind enough to drive the wheel to the shop, replace the tube, and bring it back to me (and adjust my rear brake with Approved Brake Adjustment Method #1: Beat on it with the palm of your hand).

Oh, and Steve's son, Jacob, did the donut run, consuming 15 donuts and finishing with his life and lunch reasonably intact. The next morning, having brought a couple boxes of leftover Krispy Kremes home with him, Steve asked, "Hey, Jacob, want a donut for breakfast?" I think that constitutes child endangerment.

Spin easy, friends.