I saw this cool bike basket while I was strolling down the street today. Not sure if its stock, custom, or home made.

Pretty awesome.






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It been a LONG while since I have had bike lust.... however, this has the potential to the the greatest bike ever build.

Ever.

Trek's new Carbon Fuel EX 9.8 29er.

Yes.

I said Fuel EX 29er.

They have also released a Remedy 29er. 

All the details can be found at Mellow Johnny's.

I need to save my pennies.  :)

So on my travels today, I stopped in a shop to check out the local flavor. I met the owner, and we talked about the local trails, group rides, 29er Crew, Tour Divide, and our advocacy organizations. It was a great conversation & a good time!!

While walking around I came across a few piles of these out on the floor:




29" IRC studded MTB tires.

It was just a great reminder how things can differ so much from place to place.

Just like with Diabetes. Yours may (read will) vary.

Studded tires.... LOL!! North Carolina this place ain't.

:)

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Welcome home my friend.  Special thanks to Glacier Cyclery of Whitefish, MT and Trek Bicycles of Raleigh for getting my Superfly back to me save and sound.

 I reassembled it, and road it around for a little while this evening.

It felt perfect, and brought a smile to my face.

And tears to my eyes.

And with that, the adventure that is, or was, Tour Divide 2012 has come to a close.

Man.

It was fantastic.  So far beyond what I expected it would be.  I learned so much about myself.

Truly the best cycling event of my life.

Keep Choppin' everyone.

Just.  Keep.  Choppin'.

Route maps with waypoints and noted have been created, and are currently being downloaded to my GPS device.

Map number 64 is the end of the line....




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Finally, finally, finally got the Superfly completely mechanically ready to go to Canada! It was in need of a little last minute love, so I took it to my good friend Rob Noti's new shop True Blue Wrenchworks.

In a couple of hours he bled the front brake and shortened the housing, adjusted the rear brake (so the constant rub stopped - who new? Extra training right? LOL)  trued the wheels, and located a busted rear derailer cable and housing that would have caused some issues on Tour Divide next week for sure.

I have known Rob for 14 years or so, and he is a great guy.  Super talented, and dedicated to cyclists everywhere. If you are in the Carrboro area and need some bike knowledge bestowed or your bike repaired, drop in and say 'Hey'!

I am feeling like a ton of weight is off of my shoulders as the last of my equipment is ready to go. Thanks for the help Mr. Noti!


Now I need to get the bike to a photo shoot in the next couple of days and then boxed up this weekend to bring it to Canada.

The clock is really ticking now.... ;)

I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to pick up an extremely inexpensive replacement for my fixie I lost a while back.

I had some carbon parts and new tires laying around so I mounted them up tonight.




Best of luck on the west coast James. Thanks!!

Still needs a single simple brake lever and a pedal change, otherwise it's good to go.

A great commuter and travel bike for sure. Will be bringing this with me to DC next week for some rolling around the city.

Can't wait!

Love my "new" bike.

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Received delivery notification this morning, and went home at lunch to grab a pair of very important shipments.

The first was a shipment of OmniPods from the good folks at Insulet.  ALWAYS, glad to see them in the FedEx box.  Thanks!!

The second, and slightly more exciting, was from REI.  I had ordered a replacement water filtration system for the Tour Divide trip.  Luckily they had it in stock and sent it out right away.

I use a product from a company called Sawyer.  The system is very dependable and very light (3oz total with the 16oz container) and compact. It consists of a small filter that screws onto one of 3 different sized bags that they include.  The water bags are 16, 32, or 64 oz.

You simply dip the bags into a water source, and let them fill.  Then you screw the filter on to the end of the bag.  You drink right from the end of the filter.

Another option, that they just moved forward with this year, is two "ends" that screw onto the filter to allow it to be fitted inline in a water reservoir tube.  Same idea... dunk 100oz water  reservoir into the water source, and then drink strait through the hose attached to the filter.

So simple and quick.  

Plan will be to use the 100oz  reservoir stored in the frame bag as the main water source, and carry the 64oz bag and 32 oz squeeze bag to port more.

For a backup I am going to carry the usual suspects: Iodine and Taste-Neutralizer Tablets.  This way I am covered with the smallest and lightest setup.


I am still in need of getting my Superfly back with the Carbon rigid fork installed and the brake cable length adjusted.  Hopefully tomorrow.  This will give me a few days to finish shaking it down, before I box it up for it journey to Banff.

Will be going out for a ride on some sweet single track after work today on the HiFi, and get some goot interval work in.  Time is ticking fast, and although I am starting to over think (nearly everything), it really is all coming together. 


:)

Keep choppin'!!!!

It has been an absolutely crazy busy and hectic week here.  Seems SO much going on, and not all of it great.  However, I did manage to cross a bunch of items of the list in terms of Tour Divide preparation, and that is always a good thing.

I managed to get all the travel arrangements done, which, to be truthful, is no small feat.  Car to plane, to bus, to hotel - with a bike and gear.  It feels pretty good to have those logistics done, and the calendar is starting to get strung together quite nicely.

Air Canada is pretty cool with only a $50 charge for bicycles.  I totally dig that.  Flying through Montreal instead of Toronto this time.  Looking forward to it!!

I was also successful at getting in a bunch of miles, especially during long commute loops this week.  Went out through RDU airport (no, they don't get many bikes riding through the passenger pickup area of Terminal 2).  LOL!!

I was surprised at how to close to the planes you could get simply by pedaling up.  :)

Headed through Raleigh and Umstead State Park for some dirt gravel work as well.  Looked kinda like Tour Divide route for just a minute:

Got the Superfly to Trek Raleigh for the last time (hopefully) before it gets packed up for the trip to Canada. We weighted it with the rigid fork and all the bags (empty of course) and I was surprised to find it at 22.1lbs.  I love that bike.  :)  Given the gear list and equipment compared to last year, we will be riding near 8lbs lighter.  Dig that.

Looking forward to relaxing this weekend some, possibly getting the Superfly back on Sunday.  Going to enjoy some sun, some pool time, and be busy being a dad.  My FAVORITE job ever.  :)

Keep Choppin'!!!!!

Coming to a close of another fantastic weekend!  They always go by just way to darn fast....

After traveling back home to NC this morning, I stopped and picked up some parts for the Superfly as well as got the Superfly back from Trek Raleigh.

A great HUGE thanks to Dave and Ryan for getting the bike back on the road.  I appreciate it!  (Chubby's Tacos on me next time I am over).  :)

As far as the parts go..... you can never have enough carbon:

Saved just shy of two pounds on the bike with the addition of the carbon fork.  Was hoping to rock a Niner, but the funds just were not available.  I got this one on the cheap from someone local, and just need to order the tapered headset adapter for it.  As you can see I will need to trim the brake housing as well, but these are uber minor.  Before the weekend it should be all good to go.

With that, the bike will be ready to roll for TD.  I will have three weeks to shake it out before I arrive in Banff, but everything is coming together.  :)

Steerer length is perfect, and it's added length made the bar positioning a little better than the Fox F-29 fork that I had on there.

Sometimes, things are just meant to be....

I am stoked to report that the GPS is working as it should be.  After remaking my maps with "STOPS", not just "VIA", and recreating the Route file on the PC in the Topo Software, the ride in the gig was given with a countdown to the next turn.

Looking at the converted Tour Divide GPX files, it seems that is how they are set up as well.

So, we are 100% operational in that area.  I will carry the paper maps as a backup, but am planning on just using the GPS as mounted between the aero bars to be queued for turns and distances.

This should save a bit of time from looking at the map all the time, and I specific route information (altitude, distance to next point, etc) will all be quick to come by.

According to the device, I am only 2070 miles in a straight line from the end of the Canada route loaded.

LOL!!

SO GLAD this is done.  Now, to the next outstanding issue.  ;)

So after spending a few hours last night working on putting together my own local "route" to work in the DeLorme Topo software, and transferring it to my PN-60, we have success!!

As I road back to work at lunch today I was able to follow the turn by turn directions with map, time/distance to next way point, and speed, altitude, etc.

Hard to see in this pic, but so stoked that it is working....

It worked great for the first 6 miles, and then the waypoint markers dropped off.  The route was still on, and the mileage was right.... but not the waypoints.  I think this is caused by me setting the map up wrong, or forgetting to save all the waypoints before making the route.

So... we are good with the navigation system.  I have begun loading the Canadian sections of the TD map in, and will verify the waypoints on those when I get home.

OR, I just load the map, and watch it tell me there is 2085 miles to the start.  THAT should be enough right??

LOL!!!

I spent yesterday enjoying some short time at the North Carolina American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure event.  The event was amazing this year, and the weather worked out PERFECTLY for all the riders and the tireless volunteers.

The staff from ADA Raleigh were kind enough to have me speak at the awards ceremony down in Southern Pines.  I am honored and humbled to be invited down to share the day's experiences and stories with all those working so hard to try to find a cure and provide relief for those with diabetes.

Thank you very much Jim, Katie-Rose, Thomas, and rest of the staff and committee that was kind enough to invite me.

I CAN NOT wait until the 1st EVER off road Tour de Cure here in NC at Chapel Hill North this October, and then both events for 2013!!!

Today, I had a BLAST taking my boys to the New Hope Valley Railway for a steam engine ride.  We all enjoyed the spectacular weather and the loudness of the whistle.

They hook this engine up to a train made up of some open air passengers cars, and take a near 90 minute scenic ride.

The cars are converted flatcars from the US Army, and the volunteers here build the tops and added the rows of school bus seats.  Good stuff.

Although I am not overly a train person, Diane was playful teasing me a bit about who was more excited.... me or the boys.  LOL!!  :)

Hmmmm....... It's hard not to get all caught up in their "geekedness".

If you have little ones, or even if you don't, this is such a spectacular place to head to.  Very, very cool.

Tomorrow, it's back to work and back on the bike for more riding and training.  Hopefully I will learn what is the issue with the Superfly's rear wheel shortly, and I get back on that bike.

For now, on the CX for a while.

I also need to spend some time working on the Delorme Topo software to convert the .GPX files from the Tour Divide course to a route or track I can follow on my PN-60.

That seems to be my main outstanding issue (um, besides fitness and funds, Natch) that is on my mind right now.

It is what it is.

Keep Choppin' everyone!!!!

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It's the last day in May, and things sure have been moving at a quick pace. :)

Today I finished and submitted my contribution chapter for a book being published later this year. I will release more details as I am allowed, but it is a follow up to book released last year. I am super excited and honored to be part of this project, and can not wait to be able to discuss it further!

When originally contacted about it, I thought it would be a fairly easy task to write a 20 pages or so. Piece of cake. However, it turned out, to be MUCH more difficult than I thought. I learned a lot about how hard it must be for writers to really sit and be inspired to tell a story - even one they might know quite well.

Again, I am humbled and honored to be involved with this project, and I just cannot wait to see it in its competed form.

When I got home tonight I found a page of parts I ordered from RAM Mounts on my doorstep. I had been waiting for these in order to attached the GPS to my bike in a way that has it out of the way and easy to quickly glean information off of it.

Looking through their online catalog, and taking some measurements her at home, I made a guess.

Turns out to worked perfectly. I needed to make a little modification to make the mounting strap snug up on the aero bar, but my Delorme PN-60 fits right between the aero bars without touching me at all when I am in that position.

Better to be lucky then good right? :)




This shot makes the device look bigger than it is, but it was like it was made for this position. I will carry the paper maps as backup, and just be able use the GPX files for TD loaded into the device. Should save a good amount of time from fiddling with the maps.

I am still working through some of the usage issues since the upgrade to the new firmware. Nothing is malfunctioning, I am just not familiar enough with the features yet.

Back to the manual.....

Going to try and get the Superfly to Trek Raleigh tomorrow so they can determine what the blazes is all the racket from the rear wheel. Probably going to need new bearings for the bottom bracket, but maybe that can wait just a little bit longer.

Hopefully.

Keep Choppin'!



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Training Hours: Ride: 04:08 Run: 00:00 Other: 00:00

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 31.65 units
Bolus (37%) 11.60u
Basal: (63%) 20.05u

I woke up with two thoughts today....

The first was that I was low and needed some carbs.  The other was how was that was going to affect my ride I was planning on today.

I decided that the best course of action was to use one of my Kryptonite foods - cold cereal.  For me, it's kinda like pizza or ice cream. A bowl of raisin bran with some Soy Milk does it everytime.  Regardless of how many carbs I bolus for.  A few hours after eating it and a spike comes booming through.

Perfect.

I was up to a 61 at 08:56 when I set a temp basal of a 65% reduction.  Figured to be out the door by 10:00 or so.

I was rolling with the Superfly by 10:20.  Not to bad for a holiday.  :)

By 11:31 I could feel my BG was a little high.  Stopping to test I was indeed a 224.  I did make a slight bolus (about half as much as indicated) and rolled on.

I was amazed at just how HOT it was today.  It was only supposed to be in the 80s, but while on the road in the sun it was baking.  Just baking.

Along my chosen route I passed the very famous Durham Bulls Park:

and found this war veterans monument being cared for on UNC Chapel Hill:

The ride was fun, but SO hot.  When I reached the woods, single track, and fire roads is was much much better.

About 40 miles in, I began to notice a constant noise coming from the drivetrain.  It continued to get worse as the miles ticked on. It was very loud with a short amount of time.  I couldn't tell if it was coming from the rear wheel, the frame, the bottom bracket, or all three.

I slowed down and nursed the bike back to the barn.  Seems to be a re-occurring theme this week. :(

I arrived back home at 15:27 with a BG of 98.  Perfect.  I performed a standard post ride bolus of 2.25u.

Spent the rest of the afternoon working on the chapter for the book, making a little lite dinner, and then getting ready for the commute into the gig tomorrow.

Was running low before bed, so I jammed in some carbs (juice actually) and set a post ride over night temp basal of 70%.

Looks like with both mtbs in need of repair, I will be making a trip to my good friends at Trek Raleigh during the week.  :)

Training Hours: Ride: 03:24 Run: 00:00 Other: 00:00

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 38.00 units
Bolus (37%) 13.95u
Basal: (63%) 24.05u

Weird day on the bike today.  Not a bad day, just a weird day.

I was planning on riding the Tour Divide prepared and loaded S'fly today, but then just had an urge to go and play.  No training, no HRM, no GPS, nothing.  Just wanted to go and rip around and listen to loud music on my iPod.

I set a temp basal of a 65% reduction at 9:36 in hopes to be out the door by 10:45.

Since I was leaving the Superfly at home, I headed out on the deck to grab the HiFi. I opened the door and walked out and was immediately surrounded by a cloud of wasps.  I was stung on the back about 5 or 6 times before I got back into the house and slammed the door.

OUCH!!

I snuck out the other door on the other side, and grabbed the bike from the other direction.  Seems that a couple of families of wasps moved in over night.  I just let this whole incident slide... and will get Orkin to work on it on Tuesday.

Since I got waylaid slightly by the wasps, and changed bikes (repair kit, water bottle, fast acting, etc) I didn't get out the door on the bike until nearly 11:25.

No worries.

It took about 15 minutes and I was thinking to myself.... dang.  My legs are tired today.  What is the problem?

The whole ride kinda went that way.  Just off.  Tired legs.  Bike felt slow. I was slow.  Etc....

Weather was amazing however, and I took a few minutes to ride through UNC Chapel Hill campus.  I say it all the time, but I love this place!!

Well, about 3 hours later I discovered the problem with the bike. I was descending a hill heading into town, and, without touching it, the rear wheel simply began locking up. Releasing. Then locking up. Seems the rear caliper was grabbing the rotor the entire time.

Well THAT made me feel MUCH better. About the everything.

I cancelled my temp basal rate, detached the rear brake, and limped the bike back home.

When I got there at 14:45 my BG was a 65.  I waited 30 minutes, and then administered the standard post ride bolus.  I figured 2 units should cover it.

 By 15:56 I was 137.  Perfect.

I spent the evening working on the GPS and getting the Tour Divide maps loaded into it.  To do so I needed to download and install a new DeLorme Topo application, and I fiddled with that for a while.  I haven't quite figured it out completely yet, but, hopefully, before next weekends Tour de Cure ride I will have it down.

Went to bed running a pretty normal post ride overnight temp basal rate of 85%.

Training Hours: Ride: 03:47 Run: 00:00 Other: 00:00

Insulin Delivery Summary:

Daily Insulin Totals: 44.05u
Bolus (47%) 20.85u
Basal (53%) 23.20u

After driving the kids to school in the morning, and checking in at work for a few hours, I raced home at lunch to grab the Superfly. Last night I loaded up the bag and the pack, and figured to get in a good 4 hours of riding in today.




I set my first 65% reduction temp basal of the day at 11:00am as I was in the office and preparing for my noon time return trip.

Once I got home I grabbed a quick lite bite just to have something in my stomach, and bolused at the normal pre-ride ration of 1:20 (instead of the normal 1:15).

The ride back to the gig was perfect, and the weather could not have been any better. When I got back to the office, my BG was a solid 88 at 13:14.




I have been using the GPS extensively lately, and it showed a decent pace of 13.78mph on the way back in. Fully loaded on the mtb, I was pretty pleased with this.

The post work training ride was pretty much the same. I set my 65% reduct temp basal a little late, only around 15:55, and it caught me out a few hours later during the ride with a BG of 57 at 18:21.

I did find a pleasant place to stop and correct that BG though.



After a slight delay (extended by the work emergency on-call pager going off) the rest of the ride home was perfect.

I arrived back at my place with a BG of 84, and it was 19:34.

Averaged just at the 13.5mph mark for the 47 miles or so I covered today. Travels included road, single track, fire road, and bike path with just shy of 3K of vertical in total.

Once I got changed I was, however, just overcome with exhaustion. It's been a fairly busy couple of weeks.

Good weeks... but busy.

I shut it all down and was in bed with a standard post ride overnight temp basal of 85% at 20:43. My BG was a 175, and although I follow the 150 rule during a situation like this, I just left it uncovered.

Thinking more about TD lately. My hip is coming along, and I am trying very hard to stay relaxed about the situation from last year. I am in someways WAY more prepared than last year, and yet, in others, not quite as prepared.

I need to focus simply on starting, just like all of us with diabetes do each and every morning, and enjoying the fact I am riding my bike.

Which I have done for MILLIONs of miles before.

Which I enjoy more than almost anything.

Which never gets old.

Keep Choppin' everyone.

JUST. KEEP. CHOPPIN'!




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It's been a busy day. Baseball, playground, the removal of a certain 4 year old's training wheels from his 16" bike, and dusting the Canadian dirt off of some old friends for a little "packing".

;)




I would call it a very good day so far. Just one geographic change would make it spectacularly perfect.

Now to go for some ice cream sandwiches with the kids. :)

Keep Choppin'!

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Great ride in on the bike this morning.  BGs where running a tad higher than normal (150-180s) overnight, but after the correction and 50 minute ride in, I was at a perfect 100 before heading down to grab my latte (a MUST today by the way!).

Today was the the first chance I had to ride with my my new LifeProof Bike & Bar Mount device.  I set my LifeProof protected iPhone in it, and activated the Starva Cycling application that I had downloaded for free from the iTunes app store.

It worked GREAT!!  The application seems very accurate, and the mount made it simple to use.  The Biek & Bar Mount held the phone in the spot I set it too, even over the curbs and stair jumps that make up parts of my commute.  

I totally love this new tool!

Keep Choppin Everyone!!!