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State Bird
I think I’m going to start a petition to change Maryland’s official State Bird. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen a Baltimore Oriole, in the wild, in Maryland. Wouldn’t it be better to use a bird that is much more commonplace? I’m thinking that a more appropriate choice would…
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Happy Bike-To-Work-Week
So it’s national bike-to-work week. Bike-to-work week is intended to encourage first-time bike commuters, and unfortunately, the weather in Maryland this week has not helped the cause. I rode in a steady drizzle Monday morning, Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning. By Tuesday afternoon the rain had stopped, but it was still damp and chilly. This…
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Week in review
This week’s weather was nice through Tuesday morning, then the rest of the week was damp, overcast, and alternated between cold/clammy and warm/muggy. There were a couple more-or-less rain free days, but it still seemed like a week that called for full fenders. So I rode my fixed-gear every day this week. Monday I rode…
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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…