It Was Good Riding with You Today Buddy

This past Saturday, a group of us were to meet for a gravel ride, leaving from the Bob Kerry pedestrian bridge at 10:30.

I was one of the group. I was excited about the ride. In fact, I boasted the day before on Munson's blog that I'd be there regardless of the weather.

Do your worst, old man winter. See you at 10:30

At 9:45 AM Saturday, I was kitted up and about to head out the door to ride to the bridge. That's when the work phone rang. It seems that there was a major issue at UP that the primary on-call support person couldn't handle. I was his backup. This was irregular indeed, so I quickly remoted into work, not even taking the balaclava off my head. The problem was a level one issue that required hot attention. It wasn't going to be a quick fix.

I sent a text to Shim and Leah to tell them I wouldn't be joining because of work, took the balaclava off my head and began digging into application log files. It wasn't how I wanted to spend the morning, but somebody's got to keep the lights on. I was disappointed, but rationalized that it was work and there would be other rides.

Later that afternoon, Mark Savery mentioned me in a tweet

Hey @BradyMurphy my ass was at the BK bridge at 10:30, where was yours?

I missed that tweet. Must have been still fixing problems at work.

Mark also wrote on my facebook wall:

Good riding with you today buddy.

Hey Mark: sorry that I couldn't join you and Rafal and Mike Miles and everyone else that was able to make it. Shim probably told you that I suddenly got called in for work.

Also on the facebook replies, Kevin wondered if Old man Winter was too much.

Hmmm. Maybe you guys thought I bailed because of the cold weather. But I had messaged Shim. And since I had never bailed on account of the weather in the past, why would anyone make that conclusion?

~//~

Well, Sunday was a new day. Weatherwise, it was nearly identical. Actually, at 12F, it was colder at 10:30 AM on Sunday than the same time Saturday, but why split hairs?

Apparently, Ryan Feagan had previously tweeted about a ride leaving midtown at 10 AM. Lucas and Jonathan Neve were game, but there was silence from the rest of you.

In fairness to you Mark, I did catch a post about you going out cross-country skiing in between the play-by-play account of the world championship cyclocross race feed that you retweeted for the entire Twitterverse to see. I mean, gosh, thank you for that wonderful service. I could hardly tear myself away from that feed.

And Rafal? Miles? Never heard from you guys Sunday morning.

And Shim? You canceled your gravel ride because, as you said, no one had any interest -- actually heart -- after yesterday's cold ride.

Now was that a fair account of how the group felt? Nobody had the heart? Wow, it really must have felt really cold yesterday to break the will of all you tough guys from going out for another ride today.

So at around 9:00 AM, I began tweeting Ryan, Lucas and Jonathan about where to meet for the ride. Jonathan promptly replied that he was out after a night of too many beers. Good for you. I can understand that. And thanks for the quick reply Jonathan.

By 9:45, I still had not heard from Ryan or Lucas, so I saddled up and rode to Askarben Village. Nobody at Scooters reported seeing any cyclists. I continued onward.

I did receive a reply from Ryan many miles down the road. Ryan's reply was short but sweet:

Not gonna do it, too few replies, too late. I gotta board a plane at 4. Missed you yesterday.

Thanks Ryan, I missed riding with you yesterday, too. Sorry that we couldn't hook up today. You must have been busy getting ready for traveling for work. Have a prosperous trip.

So with apparently too few replies, I was by myself. That was OK; a stretch of road awaited me. It turned out to be a nice ride, Sunday, spanning many hours and lots of miles.

I went along one of your favorite routes, Mark. Applewood Ave is beautiful this time of the year, by the way.

I had to stop and take a few pictures for you since you couldn't make the ride today. Enjoy:



Oh and I almost forgot the best part: I marked your territory.


Ah, now that felt good.

So Mark, to answer your question, while yesterday my ass was stuck in front of computer getting a fortune 500 company out of a mess, today it was crossing the Bob Kerry bridge at 10:30 AM while you were a tweeting fool.

It was good riding with you today, buddy.

And Shim: Screw you too, you backstabbing wheel sucker. You of all people should appreciate being accountable to job responsibilities. No, I guess you chose to disregard this value when you piled on me yesterday. Hypocrite.

And another thing: you could have ridden today, Shim. But instead of admitting that you too didn't have the heart, you blamed it on the rest of them for canceling today's ride. Oh no, we all know that you're tough. You can take the cold. It was them I'm sure. Not you.

It was good riding with you today too, buddy.

So to be clear, I may be a lot of things, but two things I am not: 1) a slacker and 2) unable to take cold weather.

Revenge is a dish best served cold. See you jerks out on the road.

post-edit: if you liked this, there's a follow up here
--wscg

Commuter Cowboy

This past Monday morning, while the city was besieged by a 48 hour snow storm, I decided to opt out of taking the bus and took it directly to the streets.

I snowshoed into work.

Snowshoeing as a means of commuting has been a work in process that began when I left the car at home and started taking the bus to work six years ago. At the time, I had little idea how much fun I'd have. In fact, I mistakenly thought that hitching myself to public transportation meant giving up a personal freedom. But I quickly discovered otherwise: I could take the bus for one leg and commute by my own power -- running or biking -- for the other. This is what's called being a multi-modal commuter.

Being a multi-modal commuter was initially exciting, like being part of a counter-cultural revolution or something. At first, it meant simply commuting to/from work by public transportation or my own power. Later, I used the bike & bus for errands and such. I never went cold-turkey on my car. But I began trying to find ways to be efficient without it. In my mind's eye, I was like a commuter cowboy and damn proud of it.

Over the years, I've learned the best routes to run and bike. In that time, I have also witnessed the growth of alternative commuting in Omaha, as city streets were transformed overnight into bicycle-friendly roads with newly painted bike lanes.

I have also learned how to dress appropriately for the cowboy commute. I picked up a skiier's backpack to carry a change of clothes. During winter, I discovered: wool, running in yaktrax, and how to outfit my bike with fenders for the slop.

And for a long time, I was satisfied, and it was good.

But inevitably, those paths that were once vibrant became dull and well-trodden to me. Many of the routes I discovered independently had become painted bike lanes, and later faded, and re-painted once more. Some lanes were abandoned, some new lanes were added, and some even became sharrows.

Something was amiss. What was once exciting had become commonplace. The thrill was gone, baby.

So I began seeking new adventures. I've considered: unicycling, street-luge, roller blading and swimming the Missouri river from the North Omaha railroad swing bridge. Adventurous yes, but all impractical.

I had all but given up hope when local weatherman and avid cyclist CT Thongklin posted an early warning forecast on his Facebook page last Friday. A forecast promising a 48 hour snow event culminating in bad roads during Monday morning's commute.
Looks like about 8"-9" for the Omaha metro...forecasting a significant snow event a couple days in advance.

When I read significant snow event a couple days in advance, the idea to commute-by-snowshoe crystallized in my numb skull like water vapor depositing into a snowflake.

As CT predicted, Monday morning was a snowy mess. While others likely fumbled for keys and cursed digging out their car from the snow, I laced up my running shoes and strapped on the snowshoes. Car tires spun in futile attempts for traction while my snowshoes settled into a light clippity-clop rhythm. A little while later, someone shoveling his driveway paused to catch his breath and remarked, "you've got the right idea."

I thought so, too.

I plodded along as the snow fell softly, snowshoeing through neighborhood roads and alleys, a roundabout, two city parks, and one green space downtown. In all, it took about an hour to cover the five or so miles from home to work.

And with that, I can now ink "snowshoeing" to the cowboy commuter list I had sharpied to my cinder block basement wall.

Perhaps swimming the Missouri will join that list one day...

Snowshoeing Season

With up to eight inches of new fallen snow in Omaha, it's time to break out the snowshoes.

For the uninitiated, there's a great snowshoeing primer in the latest edition of Subaru Drive magazine. It's a quick read. Even Shim could probably have the patience to trudge through the entire story. There's lots of pictures!

My first snowshoeing experience came a couple years ago when my younger brother Brendan took me out for a run just outside of Keystone, CO. Yes, run. On snowshoes. Brendan's a little nutty that way. In fact, he's more than just a bit eccentric. Afterward, he told me that he once experienced the mercurial taste of blood in his mouth during a sprint finish at a snowshoe race in altitude.

Perhaps he should have shared that before inviting me to go snowshoe running.

But alas, there was no blood-spitting at the end of that run. It turned out to be a good time as we attacked fresh powder on a forest service road with his dog Jack.

With last year's huge amounts of snowfall, I decided to invest in a pair of snowshoes. I did some research discovered that the magic price-point for a good pair of snowshoes is around $200. Now, you can buy some entry level ones for around $100, but you might as well duct tape Billie Jean King tennis rackets to your feet for a comparable snowshoeing experience. Admittedly, $200 is a little steep for a few months of use per year. But a good pair should bring enjoyment for many seasons.

Whether you're running or walking, there are many benefits to snow shoeing. Research shows that it's one of the best ways you can find to burn calories while exercising (I stole that ditty from the Subaru Drive Magazine article with pretty pictures that Shim didn't read). But the the real benefit is that it offers a superb cross-training option when the snowy streets make cycling or running otherwise impractical.

Turns out lots of people around Omaha have a pair of snowshoes. In fact, last winter many local cyclists met regularly to snowshoe Jewell Park. You'd be surprised at how different the trails look when the trees are barren and powder covers the single track you once thought you knew like the back of your hand.

Consider picking up a pair. Local bike shops often carry them (eg: Trek Omaha), sporting goods stores like Canfield's and on-line retailers like REI the Sierra Trading Post typically stock them in winter months.

Some places also rent them. Locally, UNO's venture center has some very nice hiking snowshoes for rent. And on the cheap. Just make sure to call ahead to reserve them as quantities are limited.

Otherwise, you and your best duct taping skills can make Billy Jean King proud.


Hope to see you on the trails soon.

A Wish for Christmas

The elderly of Council Bluffs are in need this season.

Yesterday, the Real Wes J and I were out riding the CB trails during the lunch hour. At 22F, it was brisk outside, but bearable without much wind. Anyway, on our return trip, we exited the Manawa trail, went through a CB trailer park and continued west along 34th Ave to connect to the Riverfront trail. As we approached 24th St, we moved to the turning lane to allow a car to pass. A second car suddenly pulls in behind us in the turning lane. This car's driver was impatient and was getting really close to our bicycles. With a car in the center lane, and this one now behind us, we had nowhere to go. Fortunately, at the traffic signal, we were able to give way to allow the car to turn right.

As we made way for the car to pass, the driver of the vehicle, an old woman, rolls down her window, points to our bikes, then the sidewalk, and opens her mouth:

Granny: There's a place for that

She's not at all happy that we were holding her up from very important business.

Now it was my turn to open my mouth:

Me: What's your hurry, lady? Did you leave your iron on back home or something?

She merges her fat Buick into traffic, then sticks her bare hand out the window and extends the middle finger.

I was flipped off by somebody's grandma.

But rather than be bitter, I chose the higher ground and offered a plea for help. So I got out my Big Chief tablet and scratched out the following note:

Dear Santa,

Times are bad, especially for an elderly woman of CB this Christmas season. Could you kindly provide a new clothes iron for her? It doesn't have to be deluxe model, just one equipped with an auto-shutoff feature.

And while you're at it, how about also throwing in a nice pair of Isotoner gloves? That way, she wouldn't have to suffer the indignity of frost bite on her middle finger after giving the bird to another cyclists who asks her if she left a major appliance on -- like her oven -- while every timber of her house is consumed in total fire loss.

Times are bad, but I know I can count on you, Santa. Thanks in advance for bringing good holiday cheer.

Sincerely,
WSCG

Easy Friday -- My Bike Has Been Sullied

Someone has defiled my cyclocross bike with a Hawkeyes Club sticker. For Shame, for shame!