| (Long Distance) Ramblings |
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I like to ride my bicycle - for long distances. I have earned the California Triple Crown and finished the Furnace Creek 508. My goals include qualifying for RAAM and ...(read the blog to find out). "The bicycle has a soul. If you are able to love it as it deserves, it will give you emotions you will never forget." "Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride."
"The important decisions in my life I make while out riding my bike."
"Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever.” Lance Armstrong
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Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Weekend UpdateOregon Randonneur 200K Miles: 126.76 Elevation Gain: 6,004 August Miles: 407.4 YTD Miles: 5533.02 Four o'clock in the morning comes early, but that is the time you must get up if you want to start a ride in Eugene at 7:00 am. It takes 45 minutes for Joanne and I to get out of the house, a half hour to pick up Mark Janeba at this house, and an hour and 15 minutes to drive to Eugene. Still, we started a few minutes after 7:00 am. We took the Blackberry Bramble route out of town which means a steep climb. And this is where our Cannondale Tandem began to have rear derailleur problems. We stopped for an adjustment and watched Mark ride away up the hill. This was the first of many stops for adjustment as we could never get it tweaked in correctly. From Eugene, we headed south to the town of Drain, which was having their annual town-wide garage sale. As we pulled in, Mark was just leaving but he stopped long enough to ask me my shoe size. Yes, I was puzzled why he was interested in my shoe size. I the years that I have know him, he as never given me any indications that he may have a shoe fetish. So I felt safe in answering him, "43.5", I said. "Today is your lucky day! There is a lady over there trying to give away a pair of brand new Sidi Genius 5 road shoes size 44." I turned around and yes a woman was coming toward me with a Sidi shoe box. She asked if I could use them. Could I use them? Of course I could use them. She trust the box into my hands as turned a walked away. Apparently, she had purchased them in an estate sale and could not find anyone in Drain to sell them to, so she gave them to me, the first cyclist with the right shoe size that came by. They even fit in our large bag we use with the Cannondale tandem. Covered Bridge Century Miles: 99.29 Elevation Gain: 2,917 August Miles: 506.69 YTD Miles: 5632.31 Yes, after riding 127 miles on Saturday, we pull out the Meridian tandem and ride 100 miles on Sunday. We started easy and stay easy for the first half of the ride, but the hills in the second half, and the rabbits (a new Santana tandem and a couple of fast riders wearing Cycle Oregon jerseys) motivated us.
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