Top 10 annoying things that you can encounter on your ride (it's not as bad as you think!)

Heh. Sorry for the Buzzfeed-esque title. I couldn't help myself. As the title suggests, there just some things that fall under the purview of bike riding that, when they occur, make me just roll my eyes and sigh. Now, this is just my top 10 list. Obviously, yours may vary. But take a seat in the saddle, and let's go for a ride. That's the only pun I'll make. Promise.

1) Leaving the house on a ride, getting a couple miles in, and then realizing you forgot your bottles. That ever happen to you guys? Of course it has. And it's annoying, isn't it? I once had a 6 week stint where, at least once a week, whenever I left the house on a ride, I'd forget my water bottles. But I'd get like, 4-5 miles from home, realize my mistake, and just keep going. I mean, after all, I'd gone way too far already. There was no way I could turn around now. Obviously, I broke out of that habit eventually. But it still made me a bit paranoid about checking my bottles.

2) Speaking of forgetting things, ever forget your socks? Fortunately, this has only happened to me a couple times over the last few years. And, yeah, it's not that bad, compared to forgetting your water bottles. But man, it's just so annoying. Your feet get stuck to the shoes. They sweat. It's uncomfortable. You look silly. It's enough to make you wonder why bad things happen to good people!

Actual photo of me with no socks. What a sad, sad foot.

3) Salmons.

4) This is a two parter. I don't ride with headphones very often, instead choosing to focus on my ride (and also keeping with rule #62). But when I do, both of these things usually happen. First off, the cord running from my jersey pocket, under my jersey, and along my back manages to find the one uncomfortable place on my body, and sticks there. Which is, of course, also the one place I can't ever seem to quite reach. Second, have you ever looked around while wearing headphones, and they pop out of your ears? Ugh. If someone has come up with a solution for that, I'd love to hear it. Hook a brotha up. Because it happens to me all. The. Time. And it makes me sad, because it's usually at that one good part of that one song that I love.

5) Bugs. Yeah, bugs. There was a three month period over the summer where I had to contend with bugs at least once every other week. Once I got stung by a bee. Another time, I had one of these giant guys come up and hit me in the face. Then there was one time I had to deal with what I can only imagine was a metric ton of gnats buzzing around my favorite bike path. It was so annoying, and made me want to punch every bug in the face.

6) Forgetting your gloves. This is probably worse than forgetting your socks. Not just because it's uncomfortable, but mainly because it's uncomfortable. I mean look at it!

Look at his face. Doe he look like he's having fun? Of course not! Why? Because he's not wearing gloves.

7) Hills. Yeah, I said it. Climbing hills. I'm going to be honest. I am not a great climber. In fact, I don't think I even qualify as a decent climber. I'm no Andy Schleck, who's ability to release his tenacious grasp upon gravity and gently yet quickly float up hills is a constant wonder to me. The only reason I climb as OK as I do is out of sheer spite for the hill. Oh. And raw, unadulterated power. But mainly, just spite.

8) Saturday/Sunday Coffee Rides, without the coffee stop. I've been the victim of this exactly once, from someone whom I'm pretty sure was the embodiment of pure evil.

If you promise me a coffee ride, and we don't stop for coffee, then expect me to rummage through your jersey pockets for the rest of the ride, and steal any delicious snacks that you've been saving. You have been warned.

9) Those epicly awful crotch wedgies. That's all I'll say about that.

10) Phantom creaks. Or squeaks. Or any real mystery noise that your bike makes. Especially if it persists after cleaning your bike not once, not twice, but three times. And extra especially if it ends up being something unimportant that's making noise. I once had a bolt that came loose in my water bottle cage. But only such that the bolt would rattle when I had a bottle in the cage, which is hit and miss. This went on for 3 weeks. 3 weeks of the stupid water bottle cage squeaking and creaking for hours on end. And me not being able to find out what the problem was. Ugh. I still have nightmares about it some days. Fortunately, I discovered what the culprit was and fixed it. By throwing it away. Then lighting it on fire and melting it, before finally stuffing it into the jersey pocket of the no-coffee-having-Saturday/Sunday-riding evil person. And now my bike and I are all like,

So, I guess that those are my top ten most annoying things that happen on a ride. But what about you guys? What are some things that annoy you guys the most when you're out on a ride? Is there something that I missed? Let me know in the comments below! 

Remember, guys, keep the rubber side down, and your skin off the ground!

Why riding your bike is the best thing you can do with your time

Any of you guys seen this image pop up on your Facebook feed anytime in the last, oh, I dunno, ever?

If not, go ahead and look at it again. Finished? OK. Look at it one more time, just to be sure you bask in the simplicity of what it's telling you. Feel like you've got it? Alright. Let's continue.

It may come as something as a shock to some of you, but I'm something of a biking enthusiast. And for good reason. Beyond getting me outside to enjoy this gorgeous San Diego weather, there's a ton of benefits to riding your bike. I'll try to stay away from the obvious ones. Or if I touch on them, I'll expand on them, and hopefully you'll learn something new. Let's go for a ride, shall we? Pun intended.

First off, riding your bike improves not only your leg strength, but also improves heart health and strengthens your core. Yeah, that "core" thing that you spent so much time in yoga class developing? Go ride your bike. It'll help. But wait. I said that it also improves heart heath, right? It does. Just doing the equivalent of three, 45 minute rides per week can not only increase your hearth health by 3-7%, but you'll also be "biologically younger," which has even more benefits. In short, though, it makes your body more efficient at regenerating cells, fighting off illness, it keeps you looking younger, and it helps you live longer. And finally, it reduces the risk of heart disease by nearly 50%. Yeah, you read that right. That's 50%. Cheerios, your move.

Next, a fairly obvious one. Cycling reduces your stress levels. Now, first off, I don't want to claim that that's something only cycling does. Working out in general will help reduce your stress levels. I don't know about you guys, though, but I, personally, hate going to the gym. Mainly because it feels like a chore. I feel like it's something I have to do. It's hot, the A/C can't quite keep up, it smells like sweat, and some other person keeps hogging the machine that you need to use so you can just finish up and go home. But none of that applies to riding a bike! First off, riding a bike outside helps your body reset its internal clock, which helps you get a deeper, more restful sleep. Plus, it helps flush out the chemical your body normally produces when it's stressed, which is part of the reason you feel happier, more relaxed, and energetic after a ride.

Ride your bike. Get smarter. Don't believe me? Researchers have shown that a 5% increase in your cardiovascular health not  only helps out your heart (like I said above), but that it helps boost your brain by up to 15%! You see, by taking part in a low to mid intensity exercise, the added flow of oxygen to your brain helps it not only regenerate current cells, but also produce new ones. Most commonly, the largest increase was in memory retention, something that starts to deteriorate once ya hit 30. Ride your bike, remember more things more better!

None of this convincing you? OK. I've got one last argument. Save money by riding your bike. Now, numbers here are a bit tougher to calculate, simply because there's a lot of factors that come into play, so your mileage may vary (Hah! Another pun!). People in larger cities like New York and London see the biggest benefit here, but in numerous cases (and cities), commuting via bike tends to actually be quicker than travelling by car or public transit. Plus, because you don't have the gas, oil, and maintenance costs associated with driving, that's money that gets to stay in your wallet. 

Let's use me and my car for example. Round trip, I have a commute of about 16 miles. Assuming 25 mpg, that's $2.33 per day spent on gas, based on gas being about $3.65/gallon. (16/25=0.64. 3.65x0.64=2.33) Assuming I drive twice a week, obviously that's $4.66 a week (2.33x2). Let's multiply that times 52 (52 weeks in a year), and see what we get. $242.32 saved per year, and that's just in gas, assuming I ride my bike to work twice a week. Starting to sound more appealing yet? 

Obviously, there are a plethora of reasons why you should ride your bike. Frankly, I could probably triple the length of this post, and still not touch on all of them. But don't just take my word for it. Try it. Go out, and ride your bike. You won't regret it. Your wallet, your mind, your heart, legs, and many others will thank you. And hey, you may make a few new friends out there, too. So, as it was so elegantly put in the beginning of my post.....

Till the next one, gang! Keep the rubber side down, and your skin off the ground!

Some days, I really hate riding my bike

OK. So, I promised myself that I wouldn't make a post like that. But as I should know, my promises to myself are practically garbage. Mainly, I wanted to avoid this, because it's always controversial. Now, I know I'm not the only one with strong feelings about the matter. Typically, cyclists fall into one of two camps: either you agree with me, or you disagree. And while I know that only Sith tend to deal in absolutes, this is a subject that both sides feel pretty vehemently about, which leaves little to no room for a middle ground. Additionally, what I want to talk about has so many areas that seem gray, or unclear, that any time the subject is brought up, it sparks an argument.

My intention here isn't to make people argue. I want to get that out of the way right now. My goal here is to, in a way, vent about some misconceptions, on both sides, while simultaneously encouraging a discussion along the way. If you agree, OK. If you don't, that's cool, too.

But first, if I may, I'd like to tell you a story.

So, earlier this week, after picking up my lunch (a bean and cheese burrito, if you're interested), I was driving back to the office along a two lane road. I was in the left lane, and to my ride was a Benz. As we approached a red light, I saw a blue SUV change lanes from behind the Benz, to behind me, to the turn only lane next to me. As we came to a complete stop, I looked at the SUV and noticed just how strangely close to my car he was. In fact, his SUV was juuuuuust barely in the lines for the turning lane.

And then he accelerated and cut over into my lane. Through a red light. The guy deliberately chose an unoccupied lane, just to run a red light and cut me off. Just so that he could get in front of the Benz and I. I'd just like to point out that the Benz and I were going the speed limit, and didn't slow down until the light turned red in front of us. Just wanted to mention that for complete transparency.

Anyway, being the upstanding citizen that I am, as soon as he punched it through the red light and cut me off, I did my due diligence to let him know what I thought of his (highly) illegal maneuver. With my car horn. He responded by flipping me off. But I shrugged it off. There was a good chance that I'd never see that guy again, so when my light turned green, I resumed my drive to the office.

At least, until the next light turned red, catching him again. This time, he was in the rightmost lane, right up front. This crossroad, though, was way busier than the last one. There was no way he'd pull the same stunt here, I thought to myself. Then I watched in shock as he pulled forward a bit. Then some more. Then a little bit more. Then punched it again. Riiiiight through the red light. What a douche, amirite? I mean, who does that? I wished immediately after, and still do, that I'd had sense enough to memorize his license plate and call the cops. 

I think it's safe to say that my reaction was similar to this.

Except that I'm way better looking than this guy. Plus, that jacket he's wearing? Really?

Aaaaanyway....later that day, I went out for a short, sunny bike ride. You know, because SoCal refuses to acknowledge seasons. I mean, seriously, check this shit out. This was just from a few days ago.

So anyway, I was out riding my bike, and came up on a red light. Because I'm a law abiding citizen, I braked, then unclipped, then stopped and waited for it to turn green again. As I waited, I saw a pair of other bike riders slow down, look both ways, and then blow through it. I looked at the car next to me and met the drivers eyes, and each of us shook our heads. Especially because a car came flying through the intersection just a few seconds after the riders ran the light.

The sad thing is, I saw about half dozen riders perform this very act during my short 1.5 hour ride. And what was just as surprising was my own subdued reaction. Oftentimes, I ignored their actions, instead focusing on my own. At most, it caused me to shake my head. Why was my reaction to the driver so strong, yet not so when witnessing essentially the same thing amongst my cycling brethren? 

It's just my theory, but I think it's the general attitude of cycling. I can't speak for other states, but I know that in California, bicycles are treated as vehicles. We can't drive on sidewalks, nor are we (technically) allowed to ride on them. Both cars and bikes need to utilize a turn signal when changing lanes. And, yes, we both need to stop at stop signs and red lights. 

I can just imagine all my cycling friends doing this right now.

The ironic thing is, we, as cyclists, get angry at drivers who are angry at us for running red lights and stop signs. It's a self-perpetuating cycle, and one with no winners. They yell at us, telling us to get out of the street, and we yell back, saying that they bought a car, not the road. I'll admit it. I've been on the receiving end of the yelling. And I've yelled back. To the driver, I'm nothing more than a slow pain in the ass lawbreaker, delaying him by that precious 20 seconds before he can floor it past me. 

I don't know about others, but I don't like the stereotype. It's why I've vowed fight against it, in my own way. It's why, if I come up to a red light or a stop sign, you'll see me stop. Because it's the law. And because I want to show drivers that we aren't all rogues who ride bikes just to break a law that, to us, may seem stupid. The thing is, I've seen the difference in the way drivers treat me. Hell, a driver actually rolled down his window during one ride to compliment me on stopping at a stop sign. Then he made an offhand comment about how every other cyclist he'd seen would just blaze through the stop sign. I see the difference my actions make when I come up to a 4-way stop, and yield to the car that stopped before me. 9 times out of 10, they'll wave me through. I like to think that it's out of respect for the fact that I respect them. 

But whatever the reason, I'm just glad that they're not running me down with their 2,000+ pound death machine. Because when it comes down to it, we cyclists are protected by little more than air. Cars? Yeah, they're a big steel box. I don't think I need to paint a picture of what happens when your air bubble comes into contact with a steel box, but suffice to say, that air basically throws out the deuces, and gets out of the way. I, personally, haven't known anyone be seriously hurt by a car, I'd like to keep those injuries to a minimum.

Now, I know that it's tough, being a law abiding cyclist, and being hassled by car drivers who hate us. But honestly, guys, this is a long term fight that we simply can't afford to lose. Prior to the installation of its bike share program, New York nearly lost most, if not all, of it's bike lanes. Toronto's mayor, yeah, Rob Ford of crack smoking fame has also publicly admitted his disdain for the humble bike. I don't want us to lose this fight.

Now, there's a lot of common arguments for why we (we=cyclists) shouldn't have to stop. But whatever they are, I'mma let you finish, but I just wanna say, it's the law that we stop. You may not agree with it. But it is what it is.

The fact of the matter is, riding a bike is a simple, beautiful pleasure that gives back to the community, often times in subtle, subliminal ways. So let's go and show drivers that we're here, we're ready to play nice. I love my bike. I'd just love it more if I knew that I won't be on the receiving end of an unwarranted insult and being honked at.

Sorry for the long, kind of rant post, guys. I promise, something happier and more light hearted for the next one! In the meantime, I'll finish this up with some exclusive footage of me, the first time I climbed onto a mountain bike. My skills haven't exactly improved since then, sad to say.

Till the next one, guys, keep the rubber side down, and your skin off the ground!

NRSS

I've gotta be honest here, folks. I hate the off-season. Well, OK. Maybe I don't hate hate it. As race season comes to a close, and then for the first few weeks, the off-season is great. I get to relax on the couch. Eat just about anything I want. Drink as much beer as my liver can handle (and then some). I get to sleep in on the weekends, and can let some of my bike cleanliness and maintenance fall by the wayside.

Then 2 weeks of laziness turns into 3. 3 into 4. 4 into....well, a whole lot more than I'd like to admit. See, I get caught up in something that I like to call "NRSS," or "Not Race Season Syndrome." It's that feeling you get when you know that you can skip a ride here or there, because it's the off-season, and that you'll make up for it eventually. You sit on the couch, and start counting the weeks until the first race of the season. Obviously you count weeks, because if you counted months, then it'd seem like race season is coming up quicker than you'd like (which it is). So, you count weeks, so that you can be lazier, longer.

I sit here now, with 4 weeks until my first real race of the season. And man, I gotta tell ya, the weeks of the off-season flew by. Flew. By. But that's NRSS for ya. You get so caught up in not racing, that the thought of getting up off of the couch to go train just sounds so...exhausting. Like, you know you should. But man, does it sound like a dumb idea.

Know what helps me? Looking at photos like this:

And one's like this:

And do ya know why? Because I know that in a few short weeks, I'll be toeing the line again with a bunch of guys who are gonna go out there and crush it. With guys who's sole purpose is to make everyone suffer. And man, I'll tell ya. That not only sounds terrifying, but it makes me want to get out there and race.

I think about looking around the peloton, cranking out the watts, watching for moves, keeping an eye on the pace, looking out for hazards, and judging my own efforts. Just thinking about it makes my heart rate pick up. Like, as potentially unprepared for race season as I am, it gets me excited. Then, suddenly, I'm eager to race and to train again.

But, ya know, what if I'm looking at this NRSS thing all wrong? What if, instead of NRSS being indicative of laziness caused by knowing you don't need to race soon, NRSS is what makes you want to race, even when you know that racing season is weeks, or even months, away? I'm not gonna lie. I've been watching race videos on YouTube. Stuff like this:

And this:

Every time I watch one of these, it makes me long for race season. I can feel adrenaline in my system, and I get restless. Like my legs and my body know what they need to do. They can see it happening on the screen. So why aren't they out there doing it, too? We should be. We need to be. It'll happen soon.

So, what do you guys think? Is NRSS more about what causes you to be lazy, and not care about training? Or is it all about that feeling you get when it's the off-season, and you want to race? Let me know what you guys think in the comments. Keep the rubber side up, and your skin off the ground.