spring, dare we err?

Just 100 yards from the Eisenhower is a world that the vast majority of the single person per car commuters never even think about-- except in their worst nightmares. Heaven forbid they might have to exit the safety of I290 and enter the adjacent neighborhoods. Its the "west side", after all. The sentinels along the way were all there to greet us this morning as three of us rode into the rising sun. The newspaper sellers, the couple at Laramie and Harrison always sitting by their burning barrel, who often yells to me "where every body at?" We next encountered the mellifluous one on Kostner as Harrison dives south of I290, who always yells "ice-screammmmm" even though Bob is not with us to ring his bell. Next we see the vendor on "da boulevards" a more taciturn fellow who waves to us and only occasionally has something to say. Finally we saw the most mobile of the newspaper sellers, now usually positioned in the middle of Sacramento, just south of I290--he always has something to say. I've seen him at Laramie and also in Oak Park on a bicycle. As I rode by him once I asked if he lived in Oak Park and he said "nooooooooooooo" which meant-- as if! While I have now returned to the daily commute, these hardy souls have remained at their stations through the whole winter, arriving to work at 3 AM and making pennies per paper. What a life. The homeless folks at the shelter on Harrison just east of California are equally hardy, but not working-- just surviving. In the few rides I had in January and February, their numbers had dwindled to less than 10-- always the same ones. Now as the weather warms there are 20 or more, and many of them very familiar figures to me. One guy yelled to Cliff on Wednesday-- "hey, we haven't seen you for three months!" Which of course meant that they haven't gone anywhere to winter over. Kind it may not be, but I think of these folks as feral humans-- once tame, now wild. Living on the streets of Chicago through the winter requires the skills and instincts of a wild animal, and by that I mean no disrespect.

I rode to work all four days I came in this week-- and it was wonderful. I feel in near mid-season shape already. The spin sessions on my trainer at home, riding in place while looking out at the falling snow have paid off. I didn't do much else though this week. I am working my way back up. An hour a day on the bike has taken its toll, and takes some getting used to. But today I managed to also get a good 30 minutes on the AMT while reading a grant I had to review. The temperature is not an issue with the ride and the road is clear. The most significant feature of riding in March is the wind! Tuesday and Thursday I rode home into 30 + mph head winds. Who needs hills, we have Da Hawk. Today the winds were from the west in the morning, blowing the lake chill east of here and speeding us along the way. Now the winds have shifted and the temperature is easing back down from the mid-50s. This will be to our advantage as we head home, riding back to Oak Paradise.

Fat tires and ski helmets

We made an informal pact, to ride every month of the winter-- at least one day. February was a very tough month for bike commuting, at least for me. Its not the temperature but the road conditions and precipitation that thwarted my effort. But as the month drew to a close, I decided to give it a go I actually rode my bike to work on February 28th. That means I rode my bike to work each of the last 12 months! 3 1/2 days in January and 1 day in Feb. It was quite a challenge though. Ice and snow are not compatible with two wheels. Columbus park which I go through as soon as I leave Oak Park was my biggest barrier. The path was plowed and generally clear up the hill and around the bend-- but then on the descent I hit a large expanse of trail, ~1/4 mile, that was unplowed and barely tracked. I had to dismount and push my bike through the calf-deep snow. By time I remounted I was overheated but had frozen ice blocks for feet. The cold-- 15 degrees was not a problem, except when I stopped at intersections, my glasses steamed over. My hands got a bit cold, but my feet were painfully cold. By the time I rode home it was 22 degrees. I made it to the park and took the path around the other way, which was 90% clear. I skidded and slipped a bit on some of the hard pack snow and ice, but remained up-right. I was whipped when I got home-- but pleased to have ridden in February.

This Monday was a day off school for Ryder so we drove up to Wisconsin to Cascade mountatin for a day of skiing. His third season and he is really doing well. We skiied until noon then connected with our old buddy Bob Bell, runner and resident ski instructor. Ryder and Bob spent the afternoon together, Ryder getting a private lesson. I joined them for a few runs now and again, and was pleased to see how well Ryder was doing. Fearlessly heading straight down the mountain, then turning into the hill to slow down or stop. He even graduated to using poles which afford him some more independence. It was a great day, cold but sunny. I skiied on the "blacks" which of course by Wisconsin standards means something entirely different than in Colorado . A bit steep, some soft snow on the edges and a few bumps, but very short. I averaged 5 minutes a run and managed about 10 every 45 minutes. I did get a bit of a workout and had a lot of fun. At day's end we visited the ski shop where they were having a big sale and I scored a ski helmet for 50% discount. A helmet? I succumbed to the mounting pressure to wear one, which now seems to be the norm. The nice thing about this helmet is the that it is much like a bike helmet with vented top and a visor-- and built in ear flaps.

It occured to me that this helmet might indeed be useful for winter bike riding. So this morning when the temps reached a balmy 25 degrees, I mounted my trusty bike wearing my new ski helmet and polypro sock liners, also purchased half-off at Cascade. Warm and toasty toes and ears-- delightful! I avoided the ice-lake on the south side of Columbus park and skirted the lagoon to rejoin the usual route. I had a lovely easy ride and was quite comfortable, luxuriously so.

This was my second ride on fat tires (37). I now better appreciate the difference in these tires compared to the 28s I replaced after 33oo miles and my first flat tire. I bought the same tire, Continental top touring 2000, just fat boys. What a difference going over pot holes, cracks in the road and bumps-- not jarring at all, rather cushy in fact. And the traction is good too on the ice patches I did encounter. But all this comfort at a huge cost-- it is so much harder to push the bike on the fat tires, it was tough to sustain 18-19 mph. Though difficult to gauge due to the winds, my lack of bike conditioning and wearing all those clothes, but it was evident how much more resistance the fat tires offer. I plan on switching to some 25s in a few months when I start riding longer. In the mean time I figure the added energy I will have to expend to push the big rubber down the road will benefit my conditioning-- as well as save me from the jolting of the road. I love my Cannondale and the stiff aluminum frame buy wouldn't mind if it was just a little softer sometimes.