Auckland rule

It probably gets worse than this on the Hauraki Gulf.  Today was warm enough, sunny enough and entirely too windy.

It's OK, I am a grown up and if I decide to go out anyway I am expected to just DEAL with it.  I made it home safely and not much the worse for wear.

Entirely too windy.

I ride past this on the downhill into the wind western loop.  I have looked at it quizzically a couple of times in the past and today I decided to share.

It's whimsical.  Is it a tree?  Or maybe a picture of a tree?  Or a tree seen in a mirror?

Futbol?  I picked Germany but no person on the planet could reasonably have expected 7-1.  It's like the Germans aren't even supposed to celebrate because it would be unseemly to be happy in the face of such complete devastation for the Brazilian fans.

Amazing game.

In TdF news, down goes Froomy, down goes Froomy.  Here's a quote from the CyclingNews story about Froomy's trip to the medical center after the conclusion of the stage:

"Doctors said that there was no break visible on the x-ray, but a further examination would be needed to confirm that diagnosis."

9 + 17 with rain in the middle

Part of the time the weather worked with me, but most of the time it worked against me.

I started in the sort of marginal conditions that I ride in all the time.  The sun was out but it was a little too hot and quite a bit too windy.  My standard response to strong west winds is downhill into the wind setting up the back uphill but with a tailwind.  This usually works pretty well.

An inevitable side effect of this approach is that having ridden a loop to the west I pass back fairly close to home after having ridden a few miles.

I was 7.56 miles into my ride and on the wrong side of Snelling when suddenly it was misty.  Misty means to me a fairly large amount of really small water particles but not really rain drops.

Still, 7.56 miles in I was less than 1.5 miles from home and mist seemed like a pretty good reason to turn back and get closer to the garage.

Sure enough as I got closer to home with something in the 8s on the odometer I was thinking about trying some near in loops to get to at least 10 when the mist turned to rain drops.  I got this photo from under the roof overhang of my garage with not quite 9 miles on the odometer.

I thought about getting out a lawn chair to just watch out there.  But I have technology inside the house for weather tracking so I locked up the bicycle and went inside.  I took off my shoes and helmet but stayed in my bike clothes and went down to the computer to view live weather radar.

I was looking at the radar thinking that the yellow and red stuff was all to my north and that there was a fairly good chance that if I just waited a few minutes I could go out and finish my ride.  Then the rain started to pelt against the window.

*sigh*

I hate a 9 mile ride.

I took my bike clothes off and moved upstairs.  After a bit though I noticed that it was unmistakably true that the sun was out and after a further small bit it was unmistakably true that it was mid-afternoon, the sun was out, the pavement was drying, the rain had slightly mitigated the heat and behind the rain the wind was abating.

So 9 + 17 with rain in the middle.

After I got home from the second bit it completely clouded up again and another kind of nasty bit of rain occurred.  At shortly after 6pm it was so dark out that it seemed as though night had arrived.

Then that passed and lo and behold it still really isn't night in the land of 15 hours days.  Day light returned yet again and TOPWLH is currently out enjoying a walk in what looks from in here like fairly pleasant conditions.

Contador and HIS team looked strong today.  My personal belief is that Froomy was sandbagging.  His medication program results start to look really, really suspicious if he is the absolute best rider on every single stage.  He doesn't need to and in fact can't afford to be THAT good.  He doesn't want to lead just yet.  Today he stayed near the front and lost no time without garnering significant camera time.

The race still has significant entertainment value.  To me this Kittle guy is lots and lots of fun.  Big German guy who absolutely shows up and absolutely produces in his situations.  Furthermore I think today's bicycle result absolutely foreshadows tomorrow's futbol.

I predict Deutschland dismisses the host country Brasil.  The combination of injury and suspension removing Brasil's two best players is just way, WAY too much for them to overcome.

Germany to the final.

Tour de France to France.

Too muggy

We tried to ride a bit after Stage 2.  Incidentally I would like to revise my answer for the Contador or Froome question.  Froomy looks way suspiciously like he has his medication program back in order.  That easy acceleration at the top of the 33 percent grade while still seated looked just way to much like the Froome of old.

Froomy.

Definitely Froomy.  Did you see Porte coming from a minute behind to rejoin the lead group?  The whole team seems to be back on whatever it is they are on.  Definitely Froomy.

So we tried to ride even though it was nearly 80 and quite humid when we started.  We did discover some orange flowers at my favorite rain garden, more tiger lilies.

That rain garden is an attractive look, we should try to get something like that going in the weed patch growing at the bottom of the storm runoff pit next to the house.

We eventually got enough miles to qualify as a ride but it was just plain too dang muggy.  Breathing is compromised when the air is that thick and after a while we gave it up and got ourselves home before we were going to have to call for assistance.

Before we did we rode through the Fairgrounds as the GRider wanted the see the impound lot and the new gate construction.

EG:  87
CB:  For the first time that either of us can recall the sign was not working.
WG:  89

Also probably too hot.

Cross blog?

I almost think this should go on the cooking blog.

Has anyone else seen these?

3 for a buck.  Which is pretty dang expensive for kraut, even "Quality Kraut".  But TOPWLH and the P-ster were going to go to the track today (I begged off, futbol don't ya know).  The deal at the track on the Fourth of July is free hot dogs.  The dogs are free but the condiment selection is severely lacking.  Our family tradition is to bring our own mustard (although anyone who knows me will know that I always maintain that the cheap yellow mustard is a GOOD mustard) and kraut.  Packing a tupperware container of kraut isn't THAT difficult but geez, singles?  Way, way easier.

Convenience rules.

I admit to fairly significant disappointment with the results of both futbol games today.  But at least I was able to get in a ride between games.

Something is going on, I feel like there is climate change or something.  Today was plenty warm for May and actually even OK for July but really totally not what my DNA says July 4th should be like.  The sun came out for about 0.4 miles at about the 17.56 mark of the ride.  Otherwise, complete cloud cover.

Ugly.

But I did find something that I am pretty excited about.

The last time the temperature clock at the east Grandstand at the Fairgrounds was featured on this blog was September 17, 2011.  It should be apparent from the photo taken that day that something was out of order.

Today after almost three years without a display on that board here is what I came across today.

So in the spirit of many, many posts of the past I can today report:

WG:  77,  CB:  74,  EG:  77.

Isn't that fun?

It was a little strange over there today, this must be the only weekend of the relatively temperate season when there are no events scheduled anywhere on the grounds.

Le Tour starts tomorrow.  Boy oh boy, tomorrow is going to be a busy, busy TV day.

The TdF TV broadcast kicks off at 5am (6 eastern) but according to the VeloNews official Tour de France guide the race actually starts at 6 (7 eastern).  It's Leeds to Harrogate (yes, ANOTHER start for le Tour in a country other than France).  There are 3 categorized climbs (2 cat 3 and a cat 4) but 60km from the last climb to the finish.  It looks like a sprinters' stage.  A start in England has lots of folks declaring Cavendish the favorite.  I like that big German fellow, Kittel.

The Wimbledon women's will be on during at least an hour of the race, I don't know what to do.  I really like this new Canadian kid, Eugenie Bouchard.  She is 20, was the Wimbledon "Girls" champion (under 19) two years ago.  Furthermore her mother is some sort of royalty geek so Eugenie and her twin sister Beatrice are named after those crazy hat wearing princess daughters of Andrew.  And incidentally 7th and 6th in the line of succession to be monarch.  Obviously the Brits are fans.  I am too, she doesn't scream like Sharapova or Serena or Azerenko or Kvitova for that matter.  The time has come for the cheaters to be ousted from the game.  Deliberately distracting your opponent by making a loud noise IS cheating.  I am certain I am going to have to watch at least some of that.

And then comes the futbol.  Holland and Argentina.

If anyone needs to contact me I will be in front of my television.

Perfect evening

The weather sites said mostly sunny.  Instead during the time I was riding it was mostly cloudy.  But I am not complaining, it was a little bit warmer and occasional sun sure beats leaden overcast.  After I finished up the sun emerged and it is holy heck really nice outside right now.

Just now checking the Bicycle 14 picture file it dawned on me that I had not been out to Vadnais since June 3.

A month.

A light northwest wind today made Vadnais the logical place for me to ride.

See, mostly cloudy but with some sun poking through here and there lighting up parts of the scene.

I was a bit surprised by how many people were out in public on a work day.  Maybe they were getting an early start on the holiday weekend.  I am also a little surprised by how the use pattern is working out out there.  For example, there is lots of fishing, as expected, at the lower parking lot.  But there are lots of people walking down from the upper parking lot rod and tackle box in hand.

Vadnais is always a great destination.  I was surprised to find it had been a month.  When I got home I discovered that I had posted my highest average speed for any ride so far this year.

I am starting to feel just vaguely strong.  I love my bicycle.

Jacket weather in July

It was too cold to ride in the morning and, in fact, still too cold at noon.  Eventually we got started about 1:30pm but even at that time it was still jacket weather into the wind.

Independence Day is two days away and almost every July 4th weather memory that I have is of hot, hot, hot and sultry, sultry, sultry.

It was jacket weather into the wind and the wind was pretty strong.  We got to a suitable turn around just about the time the temperatures must have been peeking above 70.

There is a really pretty park on the shores of Island Lake.  As soon as we stopped we both pulled our jackets off.  It seemed pretty evident that the return trip with the wind at our backs was going to sans jackets.

That's the GRider zipping the sleeves off her removable sleeve jacket.

On the other side of the camera I was practicing my jacket folding skills to get the new orange Specialized jacket down to a size manageable in my jersey middle rear pocket.

This was another stretch ride for GRider and as we neared home she announced that she had, indeed, had enough.  No running up and down the stairs necessary for the rest of the day, she is sufficiently exercised.

Me too.

Two days without futbol?

But Friday!  France v. Deutschland and Brasil v. Columbia.

The Germans are not without flaws.  They play a back four composed solely of players who for their club teams all play center back.  That leaves the left and right backs playing out of position and it sometimes shows.  They are undeniably strong on the attack with many options, each and every one a very good player.  On the other hand France is very, very solid, a legitimate quarter-finalist.  The primary French striker Benzema plays that same position for the European and world club champions Real Madrid.  He is clearly an absolute first rank talent.  France is missing due to injury their midfield stalwart Ribery (plays that same position for last year's European and world club champions Bayern Munich) but the 5 or sometimes 4 midfielders France has been putting on the pitch have performed very well to this point in the tournament.  This is why they play the games, it is the only way to find out for sure who wins.  Any guessing before the game is only guessing.

In the other game I am going to go ahead and guess Columbia.  This kid James (apparently pronounced Hahm-ahs) has already scored one of the greatest goals of the tournament and Columbia has already completely clinched the award for best team celebrations after scoring a goal.  These guys can d-a-n-c-e.  Against Brasil in Brasil is a big ask for ANY South American side but after having seen Chile take Brasil to penalty kicks to decide Brasil's previous game I find myself liking Columbia's chances.  This kid James may just show us all something special.

I am not a plumber

It wasn't a terribly unpleasant day.  It was quite cool for July 1 and it rained two or three times.  Bicycling never ever seemed like a good option.  That's OK, my legs have been feeling like they need a day off and it turned out to be a great day for futbol.

Thanks to everyone who took notice of my plumbing woes.  Special thanks to those who were able to take an active role in doing something about it.

I only had to do the things I am comfortable doing, which is to say, pretty much nothing at all except for holding the pipe and stuff like that.

There is a pleasant side effect to the whole deal.  The old arrangement was pretty noisy.  A new pump and some rubber attachments in the pipes have rendered the whole thing fairly silent.  It used to occasionally startle me alert.  Now I have to really pay attention to hear if it is running often.

*smile*