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Psychology
I’ve gone through my entire adult life so far in one of two conditions where physical exercise is concerned: I’m either in a “groove,” or a “rut.” A “groove” is a period of time where I’m exercising regularly, and generally feel “fit.” Conversely, a “rut” is a period of time where I’m slacking off, skipping…
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Allergy Time
It’s official: Spring Allergy Season has arrived in the Mid-Atlantic. I used to be mostly unaffected until early June when the grass pollen starts ramping up. But now the tree pollen seems to be getting to me earlier in May. During peak pollen season, the 24-hour Claritin I take doesn’t always do the trick. When…
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Another first..
Today my plan was to ride down Lawyers Hill Rd into the park, then through Oella and Catonsville. But I was stymied near the beginning of the ride by that rarest of rarities, a flat front tire. Flats on the front tire are so rare that this is the first one I can recall getting,…
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Soup
Just when the rides were getting boring, Mother Nature throws a curve ball. We had showers overnight, and a brief torrential downpour around an hour before my ride. Ordinarily it would be a no-brainer to wear full rain gear, but it was 70° out and insanely humid. Good thing the sun wasn’t out, or it…
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Spring Routine
One of the things that makes winter riding so much fun, is the daily challenge of figuring out what to wear, what equipment to ride with, what gear and clothing to pack, etc. When the weather warms up, the daily commute becomes much more routine, and dare I say, repetitive. It’s been hard to find…
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Slop..
The weather forecast was calling for a chance of rain late today, so I took my road bike with clip-on fenders this morning. What I wasn’t expecting, was a sudden cloudburst about 10 minutes into my ride. It wasn’t much rain, but it was enough to wet the roads and make the rest of my…
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Jinx
No sooner do I brag about a “perfect April,” when the dream is crushed. Had a late-afternoon emergency at work, coupled with a hard deadline of 5:30 to get home, so I had to call for a ride. Then the next day, I had to take the car so I could retrieve my bike. So…
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Tick tick tick
I biked to work every day last week, keeping my perfect April alive. Hopefully I can keep it going. Been feeling kind of loopy-headed, and lethargic, the past few days, although it seems better today. Not sure if it’s seasonal allergies, my BP meds, or a combination of both. I do remember having the same…
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Seven Hills Lite
After hitting College Ave. yesterday, I rode on Landing Rd. today, which is sort of a scaled-down version. Instead of seven steep hills, Landing Rd. has five somewhat less steep hills, and ends with a steep climb. I figured I’d get my hill riding out of the way before I switch to the fixed-gear bike…
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Summer Preview
We’re having a summer weather preview this week, complete with hot afternoons and overnight showers. We had a line of rain come through just before dawn, which gave me an opportunity to really put my new clip-on fenders through their paces. Except for a bit of spray on my shoes and ankles, the fenders do…