What a miserable day for a bike ride.
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Ken
Dec 14, 2009, 10:56:00 AM12/14/09
to Houston Randonneurs
What a miserable day for a bike ride. I had been meaning to do this
perm since Edward approved it back in August. The tire problem that
prevented me doing the brevet on Saturday, was an impetus to getting
this perm done on the last available weekend before the year ended.
The forecast for Sunday promised sunny skies and temperatures in the
70’s, much better than the rotten weather expected for Saturday. As it
happened, the sun never made an appearance at all on Sunday and the
day turned out to be damp, drab, dreary, drizzly and very cold.
A flat the other side of Bellville was not an unusual occurrence,
although I suspect had I changed the tire on the front as I did on the
back, I might have escaped that ditch side interlude of cold fingers
struggling with a damp tire.
But the high point of the ride was the collision with a large dog on
the return side of Bellville. Cresting the first ridge out of
Bellville a golden retriever came roaring out of seemingly nowhere and
charged in front of my bike, mouth open, yellow fangs dripping with
saliva and clearly annoyed at my presence on its stretch of road. I
braked hard and expected the dog to pass in front of my tire, but
instantly it turned and placed itself directly in front of me.
Consequently I ran over it then crashed onto the roadway cracking my
already messed up left knee hard on the pavement leaving me sprawled
in the middle of the road. Had any kind of vehicle been following
behind me I would have been a gonner.
The pain in my knee was intense and for a few moments I was incapable
of any movement. But the realization quickly asserted itself that
spreading myself across the path of any truck that might barrel over
the ridge at any moment was a trifle hazardous. I managed to crawl to
the side of the road, drag my bike behind me and eventually get myself
into a leaning-on-the-bike self pitying sort of mood but in an upright
position.
The words I used on the dog and its unseen owners are not to be
repeated in this family forum. But had the owners dared to show
themselves from their trailer shack, I believe I would have committed
an assault on them. I was 55 miles from home and there was no way I
was not going to finish this thing, so there was nothing for it but to
get back on the bike and get myself moving – painfully.
I am somewhat through a book titled, ‘The Road’. You don’t need to
read it, I’ll give you a synopsis. For some reason unexplained by the
author, a dreadful catastrophe has befallen the world. The world is
covered with a blanket of mist, there is no sun – rather like my ride
– and all plant life and all animal kind have been extinguished,
nothing lives except a few hungry humans preying on whatever other
humans are left for food. The author treats us to an image of a convoy
of humans trudging along a road searching for other humans to capture
and eat. Yeah, I know, happy times.
This convoy is preceded by a gang of knuckle dragging executioners
carrying improvised weapons such as lengths of pipes with chains
threaded though and lumps of iron dangling on the end, all the better
to smash the heads in of the next meal. Behind the knuckle draggers
are slaves pulling a cart carrying the leaders of the gang. Behind the
cart are a group of shackled pregnant women and behind them a bunch of
yoked catamites.
As I was nearing Brookshire on the return trip of the perm and
approaching a junction where a beaten-up pick hauling a large camper
caravan was waiting to enter the main road. I was about ten feet from
it when the grinning peg toothed driver decided to gun his engine and
pull the rig out in front of me. As it roared out onto the, raw sewage
gushed from the uncapped drain plug of the camper spewing its contents
everywhere, including directly in my path. It was at the instant that
I was attempting to lift my feet from the pedals in order to avoid
some of the disgusting mess getting into my shoes, that I thought of
the book and realized there a plenty of recruits around waiting to
take the part of the knuckle draggers portrayed in the ‘end of times’
scenario portrayed in book.
I am hobbling today, a visit to the orthopod would be of little use, I
know that a new knee is somewhere in my future anyway. The bike will
need some attention but 130 miles is 130 miles and I feel good about
having got it out of the way on so rubbishy day. I’m probably off the
bike for a while, but I’ll see everyone in the new year.
Ken.
perm since Edward approved it back in August. The tire problem that
prevented me doing the brevet on Saturday, was an impetus to getting
this perm done on the last available weekend before the year ended.
The forecast for Sunday promised sunny skies and temperatures in the
70’s, much better than the rotten weather expected for Saturday. As it
happened, the sun never made an appearance at all on Sunday and the
day turned out to be damp, drab, dreary, drizzly and very cold.
A flat the other side of Bellville was not an unusual occurrence,
although I suspect had I changed the tire on the front as I did on the
back, I might have escaped that ditch side interlude of cold fingers
struggling with a damp tire.
But the high point of the ride was the collision with a large dog on
the return side of Bellville. Cresting the first ridge out of
Bellville a golden retriever came roaring out of seemingly nowhere and
charged in front of my bike, mouth open, yellow fangs dripping with
saliva and clearly annoyed at my presence on its stretch of road. I
braked hard and expected the dog to pass in front of my tire, but
instantly it turned and placed itself directly in front of me.
Consequently I ran over it then crashed onto the roadway cracking my
already messed up left knee hard on the pavement leaving me sprawled
in the middle of the road. Had any kind of vehicle been following
behind me I would have been a gonner.
The pain in my knee was intense and for a few moments I was incapable
of any movement. But the realization quickly asserted itself that
spreading myself across the path of any truck that might barrel over
the ridge at any moment was a trifle hazardous. I managed to crawl to
the side of the road, drag my bike behind me and eventually get myself
into a leaning-on-the-bike self pitying sort of mood but in an upright
position.
The words I used on the dog and its unseen owners are not to be
repeated in this family forum. But had the owners dared to show
themselves from their trailer shack, I believe I would have committed
an assault on them. I was 55 miles from home and there was no way I
was not going to finish this thing, so there was nothing for it but to
get back on the bike and get myself moving – painfully.
I am somewhat through a book titled, ‘The Road’. You don’t need to
read it, I’ll give you a synopsis. For some reason unexplained by the
author, a dreadful catastrophe has befallen the world. The world is
covered with a blanket of mist, there is no sun – rather like my ride
– and all plant life and all animal kind have been extinguished,
nothing lives except a few hungry humans preying on whatever other
humans are left for food. The author treats us to an image of a convoy
of humans trudging along a road searching for other humans to capture
and eat. Yeah, I know, happy times.
This convoy is preceded by a gang of knuckle dragging executioners
carrying improvised weapons such as lengths of pipes with chains
threaded though and lumps of iron dangling on the end, all the better
to smash the heads in of the next meal. Behind the knuckle draggers
are slaves pulling a cart carrying the leaders of the gang. Behind the
cart are a group of shackled pregnant women and behind them a bunch of
yoked catamites.
As I was nearing Brookshire on the return trip of the perm and
approaching a junction where a beaten-up pick hauling a large camper
caravan was waiting to enter the main road. I was about ten feet from
it when the grinning peg toothed driver decided to gun his engine and
pull the rig out in front of me. As it roared out onto the, raw sewage
gushed from the uncapped drain plug of the camper spewing its contents
everywhere, including directly in my path. It was at the instant that
I was attempting to lift my feet from the pedals in order to avoid
some of the disgusting mess getting into my shoes, that I thought of
the book and realized there a plenty of recruits around waiting to
take the part of the knuckle draggers portrayed in the ‘end of times’
scenario portrayed in book.
I am hobbling today, a visit to the orthopod would be of little use, I
know that a new knee is somewhere in my future anyway. The bike will
need some attention but 130 miles is 130 miles and I feel good about
having got it out of the way on so rubbishy day. I’m probably off the
bike for a while, but I’ll see everyone in the new year.
Ken.
Michael Butler
Dec 14, 2009, 6:44:58 PM12/14/09
to houstonra...@googlegroups.com
To add to the weekend riding stories;
I opted out of the Saturday brevet due mainly to the wet weather forecast ( with glasses and hearing aides in each ear...which are removed in the wet...being blind and deaf does not make for a safe ride).
I followed Ken's idea of a Sunday ride, but alas the weather was not much better. I rode from my house to Bellville and back (111 miles) so I was probably following Ken on my way to Bellville and ahead of him on my way back. However I had none of his problems and enjoyed my day out. I will need to add a few miles to the route to make it a Perm. The good thing about the route is that 60 of the 111 miles are either on a bike trail or on a wide shoulder; also 22 miles out I pass a MacDonald's which is just when I need a toilet, a refill of my water bottle (and a $1 sausage sandwich); and on the way back the same except a $1 hamburger fits the bill!
Of interest, I was on 359 near the junction with 529 at about 10.30am when a tandem passed me heading south; I did not occur to me that the Randonneurs would be out again on Sunday, but I guess on the tandem were Gary and Dana!
Mike.
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Michael Butler
Dec 14, 2009, 7:33:11 PM12/14/09
to houstonra...@googlegroups.com
PS; a couple of equipment issues
1) I purchased a bottle holder that clips to the handle bars from Spring Valley Cycles . I used it this weekend and it works OK. Will be useful in Summer for those not using CamelBaks.
2) Where can I purchase reliable brackets to mount front lights on the forks? I have two Cat Eye EL 500 lights that I would like to move from my handlebars. --- On Mon, 12/14/09, Michael Butler <butl...@sbcglobal.net> wrote: |
Ben T
Dec 14, 2009, 9:31:59 PM12/14/09
to houstonra...@googlegroups.com
Hostel Shoppe Recumbents has a very nice mounting kit for about $15 each or a 2 pack about $25. They are very versatile and I use 1 on the back fork of my bike to mount my rear light. I've put about 400 miles on it so far on some very bad roads and it's very stable. I now leave it on 24/7. I put old intertube between the mount and fork to absorb the shock. Just google Hostel Shoppe and you'll find them. They are very C/S oriented.
later,
Ben
later,
Ben
From: Michael Butler <butl...@sbcglobal.net>
To: houstonra...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Mon, December 14, 2009 6:33:11 PM
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Ann Stiles
Dec 17, 2009, 3:42:15 AM12/17/09
to houstonra...@googlegroups.com
I bought mine at Bikesport (but it's been at least 3 years) - and I
also use old tube to keep the assembly in place.
Ann
Ben T wrote:
Ann
Ben T wrote:
Hostel Shoppe Recumbents has a very nice mounting kit for about $15 each or a 2 pack about $25. They are very versatile and I use 1 on the back fork of my bike to mount my rear light. I've put about 400 miles on it so far on some very bad roads and it's very stable. I now leave it on 24/7. I put old intertube between the mount and fork to absorb the shock. Just google Hostel Shoppe and you'll find them. They are very C/S oriented.
later,
Ben
From: Michael Butler <butl...@sbcglobal.net>
To: houstonra...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Mon, December 14, 2009 6:33:11 PM
Subject: Re: [Houston Randonneurs Mail List] What a miserable day for a bike ride.
From: Michael Butler <butl...@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Re: [Houston Randonneurs Mail List] What a miserable day for a bike ride.
To: houstonra...@googlegroups.com
Date: Monday, December 14, 2009, 5:44 PM
From: Ken <kenje...@gmail.com>
Subject: [Houston Randonneurs Mail List] What a miserable day for a bike ride.
To: "Houston Randonneurs" <houstonra...@googlegroups.com>
Date: Monday, December 14, 2009, 9:56 AM
perm since Edward approved it back in August. The tire problem that
prevented me doing the brevet on Saturday, was an impetus to getting
this perm done on the last available weekend before the year ended.
The forecast for Sunday promised sunny skies and temperatures in the
happened, the sun never made an appearance at all on Sunday and the
day turned out to be damp, drab, dreary, drizzly and very cold.
A flat the other side of Bellville was not an unusual occurrence,
although I suspect had I changed the tire on the front as I did on the
back, I might have escaped that ditch side interlude of cold fingers
struggling with a damp tire.
But the high point of the ride was the collision with a large dog on
the return side of Bellville. Cresting the first ridge out of
Bellville a golden retriever came roaring out of seemingly nowhere and
charged in front of my bike, mouth open, yellow fangs dripping with
braked hard and expected the dog to pass in front of my tire, but
instantly it turned and placed itself directly in front of me.
Consequently I ran over it then crashed onto the roadway cracking my
already messed up left knee hard on the pavement leaving me sprawled
in the middle of the road. Had any kind of vehicle been following
behind me I would have been a gonner.
The pain in my knee was intense and for a few moments I was incapable
of any movement. But the realization quickly asserted itself that
spreading myself across the path of any truck that might barrel over
the ridge at any moment was a trifle hazardous. I managed to crawl to
the side of the road, drag my bike behind me and eventually get myself
into a leaning-on-the-bike self pitying sort of mood but in an upright
position.
The words I used on the dog and its unseen owners are not to be
repeated in this family forum. But had the owners dared to show
themselves from their trailer shack, I believe I would have committed
an assault on them. I was 55 miles from home and there was no way I
was not going to finish this thing, so there was nothing for it but to
I am somewhat through a book titled, �The Road�. You don�t need to
read it, I�ll give you a synopsis. For some reason unexplained by the
author, a dreadful catastrophe has befallen the world. The world is
� and all plant life and all animal kind have been extinguished,
nothing lives except a few hungry humans preying on whatever other
humans are left for food. The author treats us to an image of a convoy
of humans trudging along a road searching for other humans to capture
and eat. Yeah, I know, happy times.
This convoy is preceded by a gang of knuckle dragging executioners
carrying improvised weapons such as lengths of pipes with chains
threaded though and lumps of iron dangling on the end, all the better
to smash the heads in of the next meal. Behind the knuckle draggers
are slaves pulling a cart carrying the leaders of the gang. Behind the
cart are a group of shackled pregnant women and behind them a bunch of
yoked catamites.
As I was nearing Brookshire on the return trip of the perm and
approaching a junction where a beaten-up pick hauling a large camper
caravan was waiting to enter the main road. I was about ten feet from
it when the grinning peg toothed driver decided to gun his engine and
pull the rig out in front of me. As it roared out onto the, raw sewage
gushed from the uncapped drain plug of the camper spewing its contents
everywhere, including directly in my path. It was at the instant that
I was attempting to lift my feet from the pedals in order to avoid
some of the disgusting mess getting into my shoes, that I thought of
the book and realized there a plenty of recruits around waiting to
scenario portrayed in book.
I am hobbling today, a visit to the orthopod would be of little use, I
know that a new knee is somewhere in my future anyway. The bike will
need some attention but 130 miles is 130 miles and I feel good about
bike for a while, but I�ll see everyone in the new year.
Ken.
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When in doubt, ride your bike!
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Houston Randonneurs" group.
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When in doubt, ride your bike!
--
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�
�
When in doubt, ride your bike!
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Houston Randonneurs" group.
To post to this group, send email to houstonra...@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to houstonrandonne...@googlegroups.com
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�
Visit our homepage at:
http://www.houstonrandonneurs.org
�
Michael Butler
Dec 20, 2009, 8:09:49 PM12/20/09
to houstonra...@googlegroups.com
Ben and Ann; thanks for the information, I will follow-up.
Mike.
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