Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Monthly report

The month ends with acceptable numbers in the log. I managed to ride on 16 days in April, anything more than half has to be considered a victory in this most unforgiving of Aprils.

The following weather facts for the month of April were compiled by a local TV weatherperson and published in the Pioneer Press:

Thirteen days with high temperatures in the 30 and 40s.
Eleven days with gusty prevailing northerly winds.
Thirteen mornings below freezing.
The normal high and low temperatures for this date are 64 and 42. This is an increase from 49 and 30 at the beginning of the month.

The mileage numbers are OK. April is the first complete month of what is a seven month season. Ideally one seventh of the annual mileage goal should be completed by the end of April. I am not quite there but I am close enough to not be alarmed. I am about 80 miles behind last year's pace but about 140 miles ahead of the '06 pace. '06 is the year I had to have the intervention of a Thanksgiving week warm spell to finally get to 4,000.

It was the nicest day in a while here, temperatures reaching nearly normal, low 60s, I think. It remained nice through the first half of my ride but clouded up and cooled rather dramatically on the ride back. I was also plagued by the TV weather site I used giving incorrect information about wind direction. I didn't pay much attention until it became apparent that I was riding home into a head wind. In retrospect, I guess I did feel awfully strong on the way out.

Today was the second sighting this year of the tall bike guy. I have only ever seen him on Como Avenue but today was the farthest east I have ever seen him, almost all the way to the park.This is the turn around point, the overlook at the Ford plant above Hidden Falls. I thought it was kind of interesting today because you can see things which are not visible after the foliage fills in.

There's the stone wall lining the path down from the overlook towards the actual falls. Then through the trees you can see part of the retaining wall on the far side of the gulch that the creek flows through below the falls. And if you look really, really carefully, there is a blue car down there in the parking lot of the picnic area down at river level.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Better

When I walked out to my car leaving work today I was pleased to discover that the sun had made enough of an impression that the inside of the car was stuffy.

But it wasn't really warm, just sunny. Still, sunny is good.

I rode over to the river. I hid from the sun behind a tree and got this photo of the monument at the end of Summit. I didn't go over to it but I have in the past and I am pretty sure it is a war memorial of some kind, either to the veterans or those lost in WWI. At least that's what I remember. I was photographing into the sun so I had to use the shade of the tree to block out the sun. Having done so it was pretty much impossible to not include the tree in the shot. I therefore went for artsy, trying to use the tree trunk to partially frame the shot.

As I was standing there a women's bike team went by. I see lots of training rides on the river road but this is the first time it was all women. There were about 7 of them, all with matching outfits, jerseys and shorts, all looking pretty fit and fast. They turned off of the river road and onto the uphill on Summit and easily swept up the incline. Fit and fast, to me they looked well in control. This was right after I met a club ride of some kind, about 40 riders, mostly road bikes, being led out by a guy on a hybrid. He was working pretty hard and was actually moving along at a fairly good clip but a substantial number of the road bikers did not appear to be on the rivet. 40 people of mixed equipment types and skill levels, all riding along in close proximity to each other. To me it looked dangerous.

No flat tire today.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Triple star crossed

It was only 40, dark and grey, wind NNE at 10, not a good day for a bike ride. But the season has started, I hate to miss a day when it isn't raining. I got all of my winter gear on and headed out.

I felt strong, really strong. I was riding fast, trying to get warmed up enough to be completely comfortable. The first 4 miles flew past.

Pssssscht. Flat, completely flat. Star crossed one.

My first ever bad weather flat. Star crossed two. It was going to be a cold repair.

I worried that the patch installed last week had failed but I figured I could look at it and I had a spare tube with me. I could repair the tube again or put in the spare. Tire repair was once again the order of the day.

Wrestling with the tire with really cold fingers is harder than the same task when temperatures are more reasonable. I quickly discovered that there was no reason to doubt the previous patch. There was a piece of wire about a half inch long still stuck into the tube. I got out the patch kit and went to work. As I was working I had a second neighbor encounter completely against type. A guy in a big pick up pulled over and asked if I needed a hand. I guess I am old enough that other guys of my age group feel compassion even though I am dressed in spandex. Whatever the reason, it was a nice gesture and I thanked him but indicated that the tire was nearly fixed. Boy, was I wrong.

I got it all back together and whipped out my CO2 pump and one of my 2 cartridges. For just a moment the tire seemed like it would inflate and then no. Still completely flat, repair attempt failed, CO2 cartridge kaput, empty. Triple star crossed.

I got it back apart again. This time directly to the new tube. While I was at it a woman in a car stopped and asked for directions. She said she had often wondered what she would do if she got a flat while biking as she doesn't carry anything for dealing with such a problem. I pointed her towards where she wanted to go without commenting on her lack of repair options. As she got back into the car she asked if I needed any tools. I thanked her but showed her the tube ready to go into the tire.

Now for my last remaining CO2 cartridge. This time the tire held air so that part was OK. But as I reassembled the rear wheel I got the chain bound up between the derailleur wheel and the cassette. I had to take the wheel back off to get it freed. I am not even counting that as quadruple, triple is as far as I go.

About 45 minutes had gone by and it was getting too late to ride and besides I was feeling a little star crossed. I turned and headed for home.

At home I examined the tube to see if I could determine why the tire repair had failed. That piece of wire went all the way through the tube, puncturing it twice. I initially repaired only the spot where I found the wire. There was another puncture on the opposite side.I went ahead and repaired the other puncture for show but this tube will not actually be going back on the bike. The two patches together are tonight's double puncture, the other is actually about 8 inches away on the tube. It represents last week's adventure.

Hand modeling services provided by Bianchi Babe. Note that she is shy about and is hiding from view her surgically enhanced left index finger. Ask her.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

20 degrees below normal

It was very unseasonably cold today but the sun is high in the sky when it does break through the clouds and it retains great potential, particularly around midday, to quickly raise the temperature. The sun came out late this morning and the temperature got all the way up into the 40s by shortly past noon. I checked the radar weather and the next snow storm was still far enough to the west that I reckoned on a couple of hour window of opportunity.

I haven't worn some of the stuff that I wore today for a couple of weeks but I didn't have any trouble finding any of it. It was a full winter gear ride with the exception of cotton socks and road shoes as I was still determined to ride the LOOK.

The weather did indeed hold off for a couple of hours and I got in the desired minimum mileage. I rode to the 6 mile turn around point, threw in a loop to Lake Como, the Lauderdale loop, and the Erik the Bikeman loop plus a couple of neighborhood loops and got home without having ever having been very far from the garage and without getting frozen.

Here's Lake Como, pictured here to prove that the ice is out of the lakes. With the weather as it is, proof seems as though it may be necessary.Very shortly after taking this photograph I came across TOPWLH as she hiked along the back side of the lake. Although she finds it too cold for bicycling I suspect that she will be reprising her role as Bianchi Babe starting soon. This spring cannot, just cannot, last forever.

On the Lauderdale loop I rode past a dad and a couple of kids on bikes with training wheels out in their driveway. One of the kids exclaimed to his dad, "Whoa, that's the fastest bike I have ever . . ." I was going so fast that I didn't hear the last word. My only thought was that he hasn't seen many bikes yet.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Season suspended

The picture is a little dark because it was taken just shortly after sunrise. After the sun came up most of this melted.But it stayed cold, never getting over 40. It was windy and there were snow squalls off and on for most of the day.

Spring goes backwards yet again.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Nantes retrouve son rang!


from the FC Nantes website:

Nantes, le 25 avril 2008. Tout autre résultat qu'une victoire de Troyes permettait aux Canaris de retrouver la Ligue 1. Et Troyes a concédé le match nul... dès lors, qu'importe que Nantes ait concédé le match nul face à Montpellier ! Nantes est en Ligue 1.

Ils étaient venus à plus de 26 000 pour voir la montée du FC Nantes prendre réalité. C'est chose faite ! Nantes devait pour cela s'imposer ou attendre le résultat de Troyes. Les hommes de Denis Troch concédant le match nul face à Boulogne (2-2), Nantes était assuré de remonter, quelque soit le résultat de la rencontre qu'ils livraient face à Montpellier.

Les joueurs de Michel Der Zakarian entamaient néanmoins la partie pied au plancher pour décider eux-mêmes de leur sort. Mais face à une formation sudiste repliée à dix derrière, difficile de faire le jeu et de se procurer des occasions.

Aussi, malgré les bonnes intentions des joueurs de Michel Der Zakarian, le score restait vierge à la pause. Ni Guillaume Moullec (1'), ni Mamadou Bagayoko (8'), Jean-Jacques Pierre (10') ou encore Rémi Maréval (43') ne trouvaient le chemin du but.

Si en contre Montpellier manquait de surprendre les Jaunes - notamment par Lacombe (13') - les Héraultais étaient saisis dès le retour des vestiaires par une frappe à vingt mètres de David De Freitas qui s'offrait l'ouverture du score pour son 300e match en Ligue 2 : 1-0 (46')

Et Yoann Poulard aurait pu faire le break dix minutes plus tard en reprenant un corner repoussé, son tir étant dévié sur le poteau ! (56')

Finalement, à quelques encablures du terme - et alors que la rencontre à Troyes était terminée - Grégory Lacombe s'offrait un one-man-show dans la surface nantaise qu'il concluait par une majestueuse frappe du gauche qui allait se loger dans la surface opposée de Tony Heurtebis : 1-1 (84')

Qu'importe, Nantes est en Ligue 1 et le stade pouvait laisser exploser sa joie tout en célébrant les acteurs de ce formidable exploit. Chapeau bas, messieurs !

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Nice bike

I had a CLE today so I was downtown Minneapolis at the Minnesota CLE Center. The CLE center is kitty-corner from the IDS Center. This gave me an opportunity to have lunch with the person who used to live with us (TPWUTLw/Us). I had been inside all day but she walked over from her high rise place of employment and therefore had information about what an exceptionally nice day it was outside. We had a nice lunch and then quickly decided to sit out on Nicollet Mall for the few extra minutes before she had to go back to work and I had to go back to school.

It was exceptionally nice out and we had a nice chat. Over the course of the chat she conveyed to me the information that we had succeeded in an important aspect of raising her in that she has only two pairs, or perhaps only a single pair of shoes that the wearing of causes pain. Actually I was really hoping for zero pairs of shoes with this characteristic but she assured me that two pairs, or perhaps only one pair, was actually quite good. She said that most young women of her age have many pairs of painful shoes. As we observed footwear of the passing crowd she further pointed out that there is even a subset of women her age who as part of their employment costume wear painful shoes each and every day.

Well, a parent has to take his successes where and when they arrive so I guess I am proud to have imparted at least this one lesson. Now if I could only convince her to learn to play guitar.

I got home in plenty of time to ride. Did I mention that it was exceptionally nice out? I rode the LOOK and took for the first time this year the full southern route. The turnaround point varies somewhat but often is the overlook across the river from Fort Snelling. Here is a shot of the overlook with the fort and the Mendota Bridge in the background, LOOK for scale. There is also an airplane in there which may or may not be visible. I am not sure if it is a Northwest airplane or a Delta. Apparently in a very short time I won't be able to tell the difference.This picture is of the Mississippi River and the head, or upriver end, of Pike Island. I couldn't get any deer to pose for me. The river passes to what from this vantage point is the left of the island. That channel leading off to the right goes to the Minnesota River. This is "a" confluence point but "the" confluence is at the foot of the island. However, since Pike Island IS an island, there is a commingling of the waters at this end of the island too. All this by way of admitting that it isn't as cool as a picture of the actual confluence but it is the best I could do.This LOOK is a really, really nice bike and I was enjoying the ride. I think last year I bragged about not having had a flat tire for over a year of actual riding. Well, that claim isn't going to be made this year. First ride, first flat.

It was fairly disheartening when the increase in effort to pedal clued me in that something was amiss. I was only a couple of miles from home and I thought about walking home. But eventually I found a flat piece of somebody's lawn and started in on tire repair. I wrestled the tire off the rim and located a tiny piece of glass still lodged in the tire exterior. I couldn't find anything on the inside of the tire but with the location of the piece of glass on the outside of the tire as a guide I fairly quickly found the hole in the tube.

The repair was going OK and actually I am sorta glad it happened as the flat tire led to two really nice neighbor encounters. Now this wasn't actually the neighborhood where I live (remember, 2 miles from home). But I ride there a LOT and it is possible that the three people who stopped did so because they recognized me. Whatever the reason, it was nice.

The first was a lady walking her dog who came right over and asked if I was OK. I said, "Sure", told her that I had a flat and showed her that I was repairing the tube and that in fact at that moment I was waiting for the glue to set up for the patch. She got a pretty big kick out of the fact that I was doing maintenance. She remarked that I was completely contained. I thanked her for checking to make sure I was OK, that seems like a pretty good neighborly thing to do.

Then a really old guy and his wife riding by on bicycles stopped to chat. Well, hers wasn't actually a BI-cycle. She was on a 3 wheel recumbent, but he was on a 2 wheeler. He said he used to have a race bike but that he was 6'1" when he bought that bike and he was now 5'9". He wanted to chat and I was wrestling the tire back onto the rim so I had plenty of time for chatting. It was nice. I hope to be riding a bike at his age. I wonder how tall I will be and how many wheels I will have on my bike.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

TCF Stadium

The rain stopped overnight. Today dawned a bit on the overcast side but a clearing trend produced a pretty nice day. It was 63 when I headed out, albeit with a pretty brisk SW wind. 63 requires leg covering but I am out of the winter tights and into just leg warmers. I was going to go with just arm warmers on top but I stood in the driveway for a bit and faced the SW wind and went back inside for a jacket. I was warm enough.

I saw the tall bike guy today for the first time this year. I was in the left turn lane at the intersection featuring the Speedy Mart and the former Miller Drug so there was no chance this time to get a photo. I was way too busy getting myself out of the middle of traffic.

A SW wind took me on the seldom traveled route over to the University. I know, seldom traveled but taken 2 days in a row. But really, I don't head that way often. As I neared the University I was passed by a young female commuter. She wanted to inform me that she had ridden the same route in the opposite direction this morning and that due to a wind shift she had faced a brisk head wind in both directions. I gave her the feedback that I am pretty sure she wanted by opining: "That's not fair." She agreed but I turned off before the conversation went any farther.

I turned off to get a better vantage point to try and show as much detail of the stadium construction as I could fit into a single shot.I fully tested the cotton sock scenario today. It turns out that 63 is plenty comfortable for cotton socks. This is significant because the wool socks don't fit into my road bike shoes. I am on the Axis (mountain bike shoes) until cotton socks are sufficient for dealing with the elements. That moment has definitively arrived so my next ride will be on the Look. Let the season begin.

Closed circuit to Michigan: I know it isn't a competition but I also know that if it was a competition it would not be a competition of most miles ridden except for miles ridden earlier in the year in Florida. I am pretty sure the competition would be most miles ridden in the year. And so I may be eating into your lead, but it isn't a competition and one thing I have learned is that if you surrender that many miles as a lead that it is going to be a long, long haul to make it up. I suppose it is still possible that I will ride more miles but it is far from a sure thing. I have stated my goal. If you don't get there I have a decent chance of passing you. I am pretty sure it is not a competition but if it were I wouldn't like my chances.

Ligue 2 fourth place Troyes was held to a tie in a make-up game today in Dijon. The result means that with only 4 games remaining that the most points Troyes can amass is 68. Nantes is currently on 67. This means that Nantes needs 1 win, or 2 ties, or needs only for Troyes to fail to win any one of its remaining 4 games and Nantes will be promoted to Ligue 1. The goal is not yet achieved but failure from this point seems not possible. Next up for Nantes is a Friday night game at home against Montpellier with a chance to secure promotion in front of the home fans.

Allez, allez, allez Nantes.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Hammer fest

It was warm today, mid-70s. I spent all day inside a sealed building looking out at the sunshine. Around 4pm a couple of lines of thunder storms started to roll through. The weather website said 50 percent chance.

I didn't bother to carry the camera. It was either going to get wet or else there was not going to be any time for stopping for a photo.

But I found a photo that I soon have to take. The University of Minnesota is building a new football stadium on campus and the superstructure is now going up. It is a pretty interesting looking site.

I had gotten as far as the University but I kept feeling sprinkles and kept turning towards home. I was on the Fairgrounds when it finally became serious. It was not raining hard but it clearly passed over a line from occasional sprinkles and became rain. I turned one last time and hammered for home, a bit over 2 miles.

I had forgotten how much fun it can be to be in full sprint, pushing absolutely as hard as you can, while your muscles scream out for you stop.

A little over an hour, 15 miles. It felt like fun. And I made it home before the streets got wet.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Ten percent - Amstel Gold

The spring classics continued today as Amstel Gold was raced in the Netherlands, sometimes also known as Holland. The winner was Damiano Cunego of Team Lampre. The 2004 Giro d'Italia winner was strongest of a nine man sprint towards the finish at the top of the Cauberg, the infamous hill which the Amstel Gold climbs three times. The climb is only about 1.5 kilometers long, but with a grade averaging 12 percent with a maximum of 16 percent.

I passed a key milestone in yearly mileage today. Every late fall when bicycling ceases the possibility always exists that it will never begin again. However, today I passed 10 percent of my annual mileage goal. Having ridden 400 miles it seems quite clear that the obsession has returned and that there will, in fact, be bicycling again this year.

At 400 miles I am pleased to report that a semblance of fitness is beginning to return. Today I felt strong, I felt fast, even on my low pressure and wide tire winter bike.

The day dawned with the remainder of yesterday's too cold weather still hanging on. It was 42 this morning and only 52 when I headed out at 12:30. But the change was clearly on and the weather website said 61 by 1pm. So I went in shorts, even at 52, although I did have arm warmers and a jacket to go with a short sleeved jersey. It was brisk at first but shorts ended up being the proper choice. By the end of the ride the temperature was nearly 70 and I was riding in short sleeves with the arm warmers pushed down. I felt strong, I felt fast.

The wind was mostly from the east with uncertainty about whether it would be NE or SE. There was divergence of opinion on the weather websites I use. I wanted it to be NE because I wanted to go north again. I was determined to check on this "ice out" thing at the most northern lakes. It was pretty much straight east at the start and stayed that way for most of the ride although it did end up coming around a bit to the SE towards the end making a slight head wind on the way home. But it was OK, I felt strong, I felt fast.

The ice was completely gone from Snail and substantially changed at Sucker. As you can see, Sucker Lake is not so much ice as it is slush.The ice sheet is coming apart.

I headed back up towards the Vadnais gate and discovered, as I expected, that the gate was still closed. But I noticed that a couple and 2 small children were walking down the road towards the lake. A closer examination revealed that the pedestrian gate was open. I had tried that once a couple of years ago and was rudely surprised to discover that it was only open at one end. But the worst that could happen to me was that I would have to ride down to the lake and then ride back out the same way. By now the temperature was surely above 60, the sun was out, in fact, it was such a nice day that young couples were taking their small children on long walks to Lake Vadnais. A ride down to the lake and back out didn't seem like a bad option at all.

It was a good choice. When I arrived at the lake the slightly freshening SE wind was breaking up the slush and piling it up on the NW shore. I could hear the tinkling of the ice chips as the wind pushed them into the shoreline. It was a wonderfully charming sound, well worth the ride.I continued on through and got this image which is the reverse of yesterday's photo.Clearly there is still some ice but the lake has large areas of open water and what ice there is is the consistency of slush. I am guessing that it will be all gone by sundown. The other bit of good news was that the pedestrian gate was also open at the bottom end of the lake.

I am officially declaring "ice out". I even noted it in my bike log.

I found this bit about "Holland" on Wikipedia:

Holland is a region in the western part of the Netherlands. A maritime and economic power in the 17th century, Holland today consists of the Dutch provinces of North Holland and South Holland.

The name "Holland" first appeared in the sources in 866 for the region around Haarlem and was by 1064 being used for the name of the entire county. By this time the inhabitants of Holland were referring to themselves as "Hollanders". "Holland" is derived from the Middle Dutch term holtland ("wooded land"). This spelling variation remained in use until around the 14th century, at which time the name stabilized as "Holland" (alternative spellings at the time: "Hollant" or "Hollandt"). Popular, but incorrect, etymology holds that "Holland" is derived from "hol land" ("hollow land") and was inspired by the low-lying geography of Holland.

But I bet everyone already knew that.

Finally, a couple of brief football notes. Carquefou today scored a 2-0 home victory over bottom standing Saint Brieuc in Group G of CFA2. The points moved Carquefou out of the relegation zone. In Ligue 1 yesterday, Paris Saint Germain, the Coupe de France conqueror of Carquefou, lost 3-0 at Caen. PSG is 3 points from safety, very firmly in the relegation zone, with only 4 games remaining to play.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Earth fails to move

There were no earthquakes here today. This is, of course, good news. Earthquakes are possible here. We have the Mid-Continent Rift. The Rift has hosted a significant earthquake in the history of European settlement. In 1812 an 8.0 quake centered at New Madrid, Louisiana territory (now Missouri) changed the course of the Mississippi River and is said to have rung church bells as far away as New England. No earthquakes here today.

Also no sun. I ranted a few posts ago that having once ridden in 60 degree weather that I was through riding in marginal conditions. I lied.

Today I headed out the door with the temperature at 16 degrees below the normal high for the day. But it did warm up a little while I was out. When I got home it was only 9 degrees below the normal high for the day.

I missed a chance to ride on Thursday due to out of town business but on the way back I drove past the west half of Lake Vadnais and found it mostly ice clear. Based on this I expected to be able today to ride to Lake Vadnais and produce the first photographic evidence of the 8 lakes tour.

The lakes south of 694 (Josephine, Island, Mud) were all mostly ice clear. And the first lake north of the freeway, Snail, had ice only in a bay at the south end, mostly ice clear. Sucker was the first to disappoint with open areas near the creek where it flows into the lake and again near where it flows out. But the majority of the lake was still iced over.

Next up, Vadnais and I was quite disappointed to discover that the gates are still closed, no access to the lake. I am guessing that they don't want people on the ice (city water supply and all), so they don't open up until the ice is gone. And the ice isn't gone.

I had to circumnavigate the lake to get this shot from a seldom seen angle, from the southeast side.So I was thinking I would have good news (the earth failed to move) and more good news (ice out of the lakes). One out of two is going to have to be good enough for today.

A special shout out to the Big Apple.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Shorts

Can you see it? This is last tiny bit of ice in our yard. Because we have mature trees and a north facing house we have the last bits of ice on the block each year. This tiny remnant is hiding from the sun in the shadow of the garage. Can you see it?It was in the 60s again today and I rode for the first time in shorts. It was pushing the season just a tiny bit but it was OK. At the last minute I stopped and put on a jacket figuring I could always take it off if I was too warm. I didn't take it off. But the shorts were OK.

I rode out to Owasso and the lake has some open spots but still has most of its ice cover. At least 3 of the ponds that I ride past (none of which are counted when you are counting lakes for the 8 lake tour, by the way) are now ice free. The lakes will lose the ice in a very short time, perhaps even as soon as tomorrow.

The temperature at the A&W was 62 and it is definitely open. Four tables were occupied with customers contentedly enjoying outdoor dining. I don't know for sure what they were having but the A&W? I'm guessing burger basket and root beer float.

Pictured last Saturday in Harbin, China, are 2 current Gopher women's hockey players and a former star. Pictured left to right are current player Rachel Drazan, former star Natalie Darwitz and current sensation Gigi Marvin.The three played for the gold medal winning USA hockey team in the World Championships. The USA captured the World Championship for only the second time by defeating the many time champions from Canada by a score of 4-3. Darwitz scored 2 goals in the championship game as she led the tournament in scoring and was named Most Valuable Player.

And today in Nantes the dream Coupe de France run of Carquefou came to an end. Carquefou enjoyed fanatical support from a sell-out crowd at Nantes' home stadium, which is just down the road from Carquefou. The amateur side succeeded in holding Paris Saint Germain scoreless until the 76th minute but it the end it was PSG who got the goal and PSG who prevailed by a score of 1-0.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Found whimpering by the side of the road

Today was finally warm but the change in temperature brought along gale force winds. I don't really know but I saw one website report that was saying 25mph with gusts to 41. I think even in Auckland such conditions call for a rest day.

So I was resting but I decided to at least take a walk. In the field across from where I live a baseball game was under way so I wandered over to observe my second outdoor game in as many days. This time it appears to be Saint Bernard's against Saint Rose of Lima. These are two local Catholic grade schools.I am completely in the dark about whether they are heated rivals but I do know they are both diocesan grade schools (K-8) so I doubt if there were any major religious implications. I watched long enough to conclude that the level of baseball was abysmally low.

But as I was standing there I convinced myself that the wind wasn't THAT bad, that it was really only bad when it gusted. So I walked back home and went for a bike ride. As I came out of the garage to be begin the ride there were people in the field flying a kite. I probably should have considered that to be an omen.

But I started to ride. And it was THAT bad, except for that one direction where for some reason I felt really strong. At one point I was in an exposed area spinning along in my 36x21 (for those keeping score this is a really, really low gear for riding on level ground). I was making fairly good headway and congratulating myself on so doing when one of those gusts came up and nearly knocked me off the bike by halting forward momentum and bringing me to a complete halt.

I have occasionally accused TOPWLH and rides with me of being insufficiently hard core, of whimpering by the side of the road about how hard the ride is. Today I called her up on my cell phone and announced that I was whimpering by the side of the road and required that she come and get me. But I was kidding and eventually I made it home.

On the last block before home I crossed Fairview from a side street and fell in behind a couple of young people, college student looking, who were barely making any headway into the wind. Here's how windy it was. For those who are familiar with the route away from my house, at the end of the street the ride turns south and inclines slightly upwards for a block. Very slightly upwards. Today the wind was blowing so hard that those college students could not make it to the top of the hill without stopping to rest.

Too windy to ride but I did anyway.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Outdoor baseball

Taxes done? Check.

Copies made? Check.

Checks written? Check.

Correct postage? Check.

In the mail? Check.

Two hour bike ride? Check.

The image on my weather bug for tomorrow's forecast is of a tree bent over from the wind. Hmmm. Today was better, the temperature actually rose to within a couple of degrees of normal.

I read an article in the sports news over the weekend about some Saint Thomas baseball player complaining about how few many games have been postponed so far this spring. I was riding into the wind (south) anyway when it occurred to me that Saint Thomas would almost certainly be playing and that there was a 50 percent chance they would be playing at home. The route takes me near to their field so I swung by to take a look.Not only was Saint Thomas at home, they were playing Saint John's. Ah, the Tommies and the Johnnies. That's Saint Thomas batting with Saint John's in the field, Saint Thomas leading 5-3 in the 6th. Also visible, although just, is the Saint Thomas outfield fence sign touting their Division III national championship in 2001. A national championship in baseball is quite a significant accomplishment for any team from the northern tier of states.

For those looking in from Michigan my stumbling onto this game is almost exactly the same thing as one of you swinging by the Hope field without any previous information, without even any assurance that there would be a game, and discovering not just a game, but Hope-Calvin.

So I watched for a while. The Saint Thomas pitcher was overpowering during the brief time I was there.

So there you go, outdoor baseball. Spring is definitely trying to make an appearance.

From France today, FC Nantes 3 Boulogne-sur-Mer 0. Promotion is now but 5 points away with 5 games to play. The big news for the week, however, will be Wednesday when Carquefou plays host to Paris Saint Germain at Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes.

Allez Carquefou!

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Paris-Roubaix, l'enfer du Nord (Hell of the North)

Paris-Roubaix produced a sprint finish, as Tom Boonen bolted past his 2 escape companions inside the velodrome in Roubaix to claim his second victory at the spring classic. American George Hincapie lost contact with the front pack of eight with about 50 kilometers to race and was never again a factor.

Nice produced a stunning comeback at a sodden Parc des Princes to beat PSG 3-2 and put a severe dent in the capital club's hopes of Ligue 1 survival. PSG had rallied with two second half goals of their own and looked to have sealed a precious victory as they led 2-1 with 8 minutes to play. Instead Nice produced two strikes in the final moments to spoil the Paris party. With only 5 games remaining PSG is still firmly in the relegation zone.

I last rode on Wednesday. We had rain turning to heavy duty slush on Thursday, more rain on Friday with very cold. The normal low for yesterday was 35 but instead we got an actual high of 33. Today started out looking like more of the same. I was outside for a bit around noon today and it was still way too cold.

But at about 2:30 it had warmed to 42 and the sun was out so I gave it a shot. I deliberately tried to overdress and ended up being just warm enough.

This is another view of Lake Owasso, this time from the main public access. There is some open water starting to appear around the shoreline but as you can see, the ice hasn't gone anywhere. It does appear that the Sheriff has formed the opinion that the ice is very thin, so that's a promising sign, I suppose.I rode back up the hill and rode down Rice Street for a while. The temperature at the A&W was 44 but, in something of an upset, the drive-in was open. Well, at least, it sure looked open. There were those red and yellow squeeze bottles of catsup and mustard on all of the outdoor tables. I think they were open.

I didn't stop but turned down South Owasso Boulevard to complete the circumnavigation of the lake. The new road alignment has opened up that end of the lake by requiring the removal of some trees along with the reconfiguration of the swamp at that end as I suspect was required by the wetlands conservation law. As I rode down to the spot a white heron rose from the reeds and headed out towards the main lake.

So even if spring is seriously delayed, today produced enough positive signs to make a cold weather ride seem like a pretty nice ride.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Signs

The sun came out this afternoon and for a while there it looked like it was going to be a nice day. The temperature started to rise and one website that I use regularly changed its predicted high for the day from 45 to 51.

Well, sun shining and 50? I was going to be there. It seemed vaguely possible to me that the ice might be out on the lakes. It rained all day Sunday, that usually melts some ice. It has been above freezing, almost all of the snow piled next to my driveway has melted. Ice out on the lakes would be most promising.

So I hustled for home. There were troubling signs almost immediately that 51 wasn't going to happen. It was about 43 when I headed out the driveway and the sun was still shining.

Cue the haze.That's Lake Owasso. Fairly obviously the day is no longer sunny and fairly obviously the ice has not gone out.

But I rode for about 2 hours as temperatures stabilized in the low 40s. The forecast for tomorrow is 1-2 inches of snow, snow continuing possibly through Saturday, accumulation amounts not generally specified but at least one source suggests 8-12 inches. Well, that would be fun.

Signs of spring: My street has been swept. As has Hamline Avenue where I ride a lot, and as has a big part of the NW quadrant of Shoreview which includes a lot of my northern route. I spent a lot of time on swept streets.

Another sign: I saw outdoor baseball practice at Saint Odilia's school (in Shoreview).

Perhaps sometime soon it will be sunny and warm and I will be riding in shorts and jersey, no jacket, no pants, no wool socks, no gloves. Perhaps sometime soon.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Wireless photos

Ms. Wireless gave me access to her picture folder yesterday so that I could use her picture of TOPWLH at Harry's New York Bar.

I saw all of her pictures at around the time that they were taken. Looking at them again yesterday and today from with the perspective of time I am struck by what a good eye she has.

Here are some of her Paris pictures that deserve another look.

This is from Eglise de la Madeleine. Clearly visible in the distance is the Obélisque at the Place de la Concorde. The obelisk appears to loom in front of the National Assembly facade. The National Assembly meets at Palais Bourbon which is actually across the Seine. Also visible is the even more distant dome at Invalides.This is a view of Place Vendome, with Napoleon's column framed against a blue sky.The awnings on the left of the photo are the Ritz Hotel. This is where the paparazzi where gathered when Dodi and Di and left from the back entrance. They had to scramble to their scooters in order to catch up to the fleeing plutocrats near the Place de la Concorde. The limo took a turn to the right and entered the tunnel at Pont de l'Alma. The rest of the story is well known to all.

This is, I think, a wonderfully composed shot taken from the first outdoor level at the Pantheon. The tower on the right is well known to all. The tower on the left is la Tour Montparnasse, the only rival on the Paris skyline for Eiffel, the only skyscraper in Paris.This is the Place at Eglise St. Eustache, near les Halles.
These are all really nice photos, all deserving of another look.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Morning flurries

TOPWLH has a birthday today. Happy Birthday TOPWLH. Her day got off to a rocky start as there were flurries in the air this morning although no snow has actually stuck to the ground. The same storm deposited more than 2 feet of new snow in parts of northern Minnesota, including Bemidji and Hibbing. No bicycling today, once having ridden in 60 degree weather, I am not riding in 40 degree weather anymore.

Here is TOPWLH pictured in a celebratory mood at Harry's New York Bar in Paris.The story has been posted, I think on her Xanga, about our excursion into Harry's. If the story isn't posted there it is nonetheless one that her family and friends are familiar with. I was looking at Google Earth earlier and found another Harry's Bar story. As the excerpt concludes, the best story belongs to Papa.

Originally posted by "Dorseyland" on Google Earth.

Harry's New York Bar on Rue Daunou had Ernest Hemingway as a regular (one wonders which Paris bars did not). Its website says the place was founded in 1911 and is "the birthplace of the brilliant Bloody Mary", but the best story belongs to Papa.

In 1950 Ernest told A. E. Hotchner, his later biographer, that an "ex-pug" used to come in with his pet lion, which was well-behaved except that he sometimes shit on the floor. The owner, Harry, would tell the owner to get out and never return, but he kept coming back.

"Realising it was do or die for poor Harry's business, this time when the lion let go, I went over, picked up the pug, who had been a welterweight, carried him outside and threw him in the street. Then I came back and grabbed the lion's mane and hustled him out of here. Out on the sidewalk the lion gave me a look, but he went quietly."

Hemingway reckoned that if he was "getting that aggressive with lions, time had come to put my juice into a book instead". The result was "A Farewell to Arms".

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Full ride

I couldn't ride yesterday because of the weather.

It was 60 by mid-afternoon and a ride loomed on the schedule. But in an outcome which would have seemed extremely unlikely as recently as Monday, I got rained out. A brief but intense cell passed through and the streets were deemed too wet for riding.

Today reached 61, I think. The winds were light enough that I declared them to be out of the north despite clear evidence to the contrary. I needed north because I wanted to ride up to the lakes. I had not seen even Owasso for at least a week and I was curious about the status of the ice.

I passed 2 riders on the way north. It wasn't a fair race in either case as they both had the look of less than 100 mile per year riders, one on a 1970s Schwinn (10 speed) and the other on a department store mountain bike (huge knobbies). On the big hill going down to Snail Lake I achieved a new high speed for the year. But before I could get the idea that I was fast I came upon a bike club ride waiting to start at Snail Lake. They had about 40 people milling about the parking lot. It occurred to me that probably about 2/3 of them were going to be faster than me and that if I didn't get out of there immediately the entire group would probably emerge from the parking lot and "on your left" me to despondent distraction. I hit the big ring and hammered.

I rode the full 8 lakes tour and discovered that all of the lakes still feature complete ice coverings. I also encountered a bit of other ice. I rode across a patch of ice probably 50 yards in length on the entrance road to Sucker Lake, an area where the road is in deep shade. I was then further surprised to find that Vadnais is not yet open for the year. The gate across the road is still locked.

With the Vadnais road not available, I ended up having to ride back down to Rice Street. I crossed to the west side of the double lake allowing this seldom seen view of the western lake to be photographed.This is the view from Rice Street. The grove of trees in the right center of the shot is where the parking lot where we usually stop is located.

I passed the time and temperature deal next to the A&W on Rice Street as the temperature changed from 61 to 60. The weather was changing, a cooler wind rising from the south. Still, 60 is pretty OK and I finished the ride without my jacket, a first for this year.TOPWLH was preparing to go for a walk when I got home so I pressed her into service as a photographer. I did the composition of this photo intending to show that there is snow and that there is flowing water in front of our house. I then turned the camera over to her and at the moment of the photo the front yard tableau also featured a satisfied bicyclist.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Exeter and Otis

Well, actually it is a bit closer to Exeter and River Road. This was my turn around point today. It is also the corner of Saint Thomas and the universe. That's O'Shaugnessy Stadium on the left, and I think Albertus Magnus Hall behind the parking lot. The parking lot is the future site of the new student center.As I say, turn around point.

It was 54 when I headed out. As predicted the snow is gone, our picnic table is completely bare again. 54 is even a tiny bit above the average high for this date so perhaps a nice trend has begun. I would say, however, that it cooled rapidly while I was riding and I was glad to get home before I caught a chill.

Nice day, nice ride.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Water

Here are two pictures taken of the accumulation on top of our picnic table.

April Fool's morning, about 9am, just before the sun peeked through the cloud cover.About 8.25 inches.

April Fool's evening, about 6pm, an hour and a half before sunset.
Slightly less than 4 inches.