Searching for the National Collegiate cycling championships

[Patrick Moore]

A local news station reported yesterday (https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/new-mexico-to-host-usa-cycling-collegiate-road-national-championships-this-weekend/)  that, after the road race this morning there would be criteriums at the International Balloon Park, a nice ride on good paved trails easily accessible from my house. So early afternoon I rode out to see what I could find, which was no sign at all of any competitive cycling; only other Sunday recreational cyclists like me.

But it was a nice ride. Warm -- about 80* -- partly cloudy (you flatlanders don't know how strong the sun feels at mid day at 5K+ feet -- oven; with the shaded thermometer at the front door showing an air temp of 40*, I can sit outside on my back patio in the morning winter sun in a t-shirt if it's not windy), and I rode everyone's acknowledged best bicycle of all time, the '99 Joe Starck etc. Strong tailwind outbound so I could spin to warm up, then 9 miles home against the strong Southerly at 21 gusts to 32; 6+ of those in the hooks pushing the 76" gear (because we hard men don't bother to stop and move the chain to the 68' granny). 

But seriously, altogether a very nice ride: 18.14 miles averaging 13.21 mph with clock very much stopped for all the lollygagging and backtracking at the Balloon Park and elsewhere. Cyclemeter recorded 27.31 mph as my fastest speed, which with a 76" gear would be 121 r's pee em, but on the return much slogging in the hooks at 30-40 r's pm.

But even more seriously: I like riding into winds and up hills on fixed gears -- as long as the hills aren't too long or the headwind stretches too extended; 6-7 miles against the wind today was good; when it gusted, my left knee started to twinge as it has since 1970 when in complete and full ignorance I geared my very first from-scratch bike at 90". But thank God, the left (and right) knee remains healthy at 69. As for hills, I am too old to grunt a 70" (I've done 75") gear up 7 miles of Tramway, but I hope to get onto that hill again this year with the SA TF hub -- 75% underdrive for a 57" climbing gear and a direct with no last for comfortable spinning back downhill.

Pictures show it happened or that I'm very good at Photoshop. Pic 1: I meandered my way toward some tents hoping that they would contain criteriums but, nope. Pic 2: the main building and exhibit hall.

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

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When thou didst not, savage, know thine own meaning,

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I endowed thy purposes with words that made them known.

[Patrick Moore]

Oh, and Leah: you really must give a good quality, light, and well set up drop-bar road bike a try. Really, for modestly energetic riding there is, IMO, nothing like a well designed drop bar (ie: Maes Parallel). If your new road bike fit you as well as this bike fits me, you'd be twice as fast as I.

[Patrick Moore]

Sheesh. Clock running.

On Sun, May 5, 2024 at 3:21 PM Patrick Moore <bert...@gmail.com> wrote:

... 18.14 miles averaging 13.21 mph with clock very much stopped for all the lollygagging and backtracking at the Balloon Park and elsewhere.