RoadSkater.Net - Comments for "roadcycling"

Add MA and CA for 12 of the United States for the 2010 Jersey

In reply to Get Your 2010 Roadskater.net Inline Skating and Cycling Jersey or Grab a Classic Version Now:

I'm always interested how this spreads around. It's fun to see how we are all connected. Add these states to the list who have signed up to support the 2010 edition of the Roadskater.net jersey:

California
Massachusetts

Thanks!

Jersey Viability Update, plus GA, NC, NJ, PA, SC, VA

In reply to Get Your 2010 Roadskater.net Inline Skating and Cycling Jersey or Grab a Classic Version Now:

OK we're getting closer but the 2010 jersey is in danger of not making minimums. Thanks to more orders from these states:

Georgia
North Carolina
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Virginia

At this point I have 4, plus 1 owed, plus 1 commitment, plus 11 prepaid, so that's 17. I know of 3-6 likely orders, which brings us to 20-23 orders. That's close. I hope we make it, and thank all of you for considering it!

I spent part of the afternoon comparing color mixes in various amounts of full sun, cloud and shadow. I have four mixes I like and will be mocking some of those up to look at them more closely, then check with the printer to see how these would come out in their process. I've seen some of these mocked up before. It's going to be good, I'm sure of that. If we make the numbers. If not, well, we tried.

Roadskater.net Jersey Orders from MI, NY, TN, TX

In reply to Get Your 2010 Roadskater.net Inline Skating and Cycling Jersey or Grab a Classic Version Now:

WOW THANK YOU to people from far away in time and space who have put in their adoption papers for a 2010 Roadskater.net jersey!

Thank you to skaters from:

Michigan
New York
Tennessee
Texas

Does this mean some of these folk may be considering the 25th Tour to Tanglewood? I hope so! See http://tourtotanglewood.org for more info and to join or team go to http://nmss.org/goto/rsn2010.

At this point we have 4, all from outside NC, plus 1 owed to NY, plus 4 for me, so that's 9, with 15 to go by Sunday night Monday morning. Hopefully we'll have a 2010 jersey, but if not, it's the people with MS that matter and we skate for them at the tour and the CarolinaCentury.com October 23, 2010.

Skateylove y'all, Roadskater

Another Story of Blocking the Bicentennial Greenway

In reply to Old Battleground Road at Guilford Battleground NMP: Easy to Fix Danger:

See if you can get someone to tell you about the time Guilford County had a paving crew at the north end of the parking area at the Guilford Battleground National Military Park (Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Greensboro, NC). The paving crew showed up ready to pave the gravel lot to improve the greenway and perhaps to provide more parking. This property was supposedly owned by the county according to my Guilford County source, but the crew were convinced by the acting park director in dramatic fashion that they could not pave that gravel area. According to my source some years ago in the Guilford County government, the paving was paid for, but never completed. Given the way the NPS has treated the Bicentennial Greenway I hope they never get their paws on the section of Old Battleground between New Garden Road and the south end of the park. It should be kept as a multiuse plaza even if it is closed off as is the plan. There's no need to destroy that asphalt unless all non-historic roads are to be treated the same. Just my opinion of course, but you knew that.

Reply to Why Use Old Battleground Road Instead of Rail Trail?

In reply to Old Battleground Road at Guilford Battleground NMP: Easy to Fix Danger:

This is a reply to something on a local list, and references the above article...

This has long been a problem, this section through the National Military Park at Guilford Battleground. They built a parking lot on top of the old rail trail greenway route, then set about a policy of discouraging through-use. I wrote about it in June 2006, and have talked with Greensboro, Guilford and Park Service people since 1999 or so, mostly giving up after it was clear they knew the problem or non-problem and were not going to do anything. My thoughts from 4 years ago are above.

In addition to those comments, here are some more...

I urge the City of Greensboro and County of Guilford to keep all rights of way they have rather than releasing them to the Department of Interior National Park Service. For a while there was a painted line tacitly acknowledging that this was in fact part of the historical rail line that existed BEFORE the national military park and even before the park was originally built by people from Greensboro, who rode the train up from Greensboro to enjoy the pleasureground, as I recall.

As I said, a few years back there was a clear strategy adopted to discourage and impede the flow of road cyclists and others on the greenway and to force all they could onto the city policed road through the use of gravel, mulch, fencing and in the case of skaters, threats of federal tickets, even for putting on skates in the parking lot just as a way to leave to use the greenway without entering the park loop. Even on organized bike rides I have been threatened with federal tickets as I skated through the parking lot on Old Battlegound Road with a hunderd or more cyclists.

Mary and others are right about the roots growing up on the pavement of the rail trail along the southern end of Old Battleground Ave. The city staff are aware of this and have been for at least 7 years. There's no evidence of any repair as of the last time I was there. It's much sexier to build new trail than to maintain current trail. And as you are responsible for your own safety, at some point you consider a place dangerous enough that you stop using it.

During one discussion seeking help with that pavement, a city parks employee suggested that rather than repairing the root problem they could put up signs disallowing certain uses for the multiuse path. This was a few years ago and the problems are still there.

But even with a perfect greenway, it's not up to one road user to decide how another road user will choose to travel any more than it is up to them to tell you not to choose Old Battleground to get home if you hate it so much. Separate but equal is fiction. The presence of one road (even one for bikes) doesn't force all road users to use that road. My parents often drive their car on roads other than the interstate as a matter of choice and prudence based on their experience and feeling of safety.

And if the city builds a multiuse path and the multiusers don't use it then they built the wrong path...they had a failure to communicate with the potential users of said path. Or they didn't build it wide enough for as many multiuses as they thought. Or they didn't count on the NPS splitting their rail trial in two. Or they didn't keep the multiuse path repaired. Or the trail starts nowhere and goes nowhere and connects to nowhere.

Surely you have not ridden from Strawberry Road to Lewis Recreation Center on your bike lately. I've skated much of it, and in addition to the roots near on the southern end, the path is getting worse with cracks in the direction of travel near "the culvert" at the beaver pond as well, not to mention that the culvert itself is practically a hazard, especially when it has collected gravel. And the connection at the old north end by the ponds near the barn to the newer section leading to Strawberry Rd is not the greatest. Double right angles around blind turns are not the best transportation management technique one would think.

If they want to discourage people from using their multiuse path, they're doing OK at that.

There's much to love about Greensboro and human transportation here, but there are certainly times we have to choose the safest, happiest route, and carefully. Hopefully someones in the city, county and National Park Service will read this and think it worthy of consideration.

I love Country Park! But can we get some soap in the bathrooms and some way of accessing a bathroom without a steep hill being involved? :o)

Cyclists' Gatorback

In reply to Mike Barry on Paris-Roubaix Bikes:

I'm not a bicycle enthusiast as such, but that was an interesting link, timv. I checked out the cobblestone cycling video Mike Barry linked to in that blog entry. Those guys are nuts! That section across the mines at Arenberg looks like fun bordering on insane. My first thought is you'd really need a throwaway bike for that stretch. I see also the motorbike support has a hard time staying vertical too.

I thought it was a long stretch to go to the trouble to lay down cobbles out in the middle of nowhere, then found out those stones were laid during Napoleon's time. The same wiki page says since they discontinued use of the mines under that path a few decades ago, the ground has started to subside and the path is now even worse! Another warped aspect of the whole race:

"Until 1998 the entry to the Arenberg pavé was slightly downhill, leading to a sprint for best position. The route was reversed in 1999 to reduce the speed. This was as a result of Johan Museeuw's crash in 1998 as World Cup leader, which nearly cost his leg to gangrene."

(From the Wikipedia Paris-Roubaix page)

Windy

In reply to Roadskater.net Carolina Century 21- to 102-mile Bike Ride & Roadskate for MS October 24 2009 Gospel Baptist Church Greensboro NC:

On the next gusty skate I will try to get that Bob Seger song to shove Everyone knows it's Windy out of my head, especially the tripping down the streets of the city part :-)

Glad to be a part

In reply to Roadskater.net Carolina Century 21- to 102-mile Bike Ride & Roadskate for MS October 24 2009 Gospel Baptist Church Greensboro NC:

Why thank you lassie. I was glad to be a part of it and look forward to CC #3.

I wouldn't mind hitting up all the Raleigh/Cary/Durham bike shops to promote CC3. It would be fun.

You were singing Llama Llama Ding Dong, and I kept humming the Bob Seger refrain:
"against the wind,
still skatin' against the wind,
I'm tired now but still skatin' against the wind."

So glad you made it !

In reply to Roadskater.net Carolina Century 21- to 102-mile Bike Ride & Roadskate for MS October 24 2009 Gospel Baptist Church Greensboro NC:

MikeB! I'm so glad you came out and skated this event! I'm sorry about the rain and after skating through it myself I don't blame you for not wanting to continue. I'm happy also that Alan got to skate with someone too. It's good that you posted here about it because the volunteer I asked back at the church at 5.30pm said she didn't see any other skaters.

So now I get to be all swanky...put me down for 121 miles last week ;-)

I'll write more details later, hopefully tonight!

3 @ 102? In those conditions? WOW!

In reply to Roadskater.net Carolina Century 21- to 102-mile Bike Ride & Roadskate for MS October 24 2009 Gospel Baptist Church Greensboro NC:

Dude, sitting hear contemplating 102.....I just can't. How in the world did you do that? People always tap out LOL on emails and such but sitting here I'm getting a side ache from laughing, in amazement and awe.

Plus you & Eebee went down a couple a few times. Yikes.
It was quite slick, especially on the inclines and the pavement stripes were wicked.

Alan and I started at the sleep-in start of 9am. By 9:10 he was outta site, chasing cyclists like they stole his last twinkie. Good for him though, putting forth a great effort to participate and put in a solid 31+.

Lake Brandt road was wonderful with wind aided downhills. Quite sweet. And for a brief moment a sunbeam hit me just before the rest stop at M12. That was the turning point - M12. Just as it was time to roll, the drizzle started. My wonderful Bike Response Team gave a look like: "ya know, 21 isn't a bad effort." At least I thought that's what the look was. Who am I to second guess the support crew? 21 it was, right from that moment.

Scalesville Road was the easterly cut back and it was a good roll, even in the rain. Mostly because it was semi-wind aided. Although there were curious short patches of chip-seal to keep me alert.

Once on Church St. heading back south to the finish, boy it was brutal. The point being, my Church St. stretch was only 4 or 5 miles long after putting in 16 or 17. How you made it in on an 8 mile stretch after putting in 94....I will never know.

Kudos to you for a million different things in getting the 2nd Annual Carolina Century to be such a wonderful success!

3 Skaters did 102 miles; 1 did 42; sounds like a 31 and 21 too!

In reply to Roadskater.net Carolina Century 21- to 102-mile Bike Ride & Roadskate for MS October 24 2009 Gospel Baptist Church Greensboro NC:

Hey. More later but yes Tom Blooming won the day for the 102 distance, facing winds alone for the last 35 or so miles. Eebee and myself made it in at over 10mph, which on this day was epic.

At 33 we had a really windy downpour. Two cyclists joined us, John and Ben, and Ben did the rest of the 102, waiting as needed to finish with us. John had time constraints and completed the 72, which is for what it is designed...a quicker way home when recalculations are in order.

Northinsouth had boot/foot interface problems made much worse by the rain, but toughed out a huge 42.5 miles.

Here's how wet it was. My current camera has always been out, during Tour to Tanglewood this year notably, which was considered two days of mostly rain. Today, my camera shut down and would not turn back on from 33 to 79. When it did come back on the lens had a blob of condensation inside the lens for most of the rest of the way home. Once it stopped raining I had taken out the battery and let air flow through the battery compartment by holding it as we skated.

Here's another example of how challenging it was: we haven't fallen in a year or two that I recall in any significant way. I fell 2 times, making Eebee fall 1 of the 3 times she fell. Both of my falls were rather dramatic if not causing any real pain...a hipslide in the road and a tumble in the grass at a soaked rest stop. What a day! Two of our falls were at rest stops, just simple mistakes, but odd.

The worst damage for us was Eebee's favorite sunglasses. More later as we recall it, know it, can report it.

There was a fatal cycling hit and run crash at the next intersection closer into town just as we finished. Our SAG guy went there to help but it was too late. The police still had the intersection completely blocked about two hours later. This was not related to our event or a participant in the Carolina Century, but we all felt it deeply just the same.

I can't believe how great the Carolina Century volunteers were all day. They didn't seem to mind we had fewer folk out there, and did what they did just as if we had doubled our previous numbers. We will finish with a profit to give to the MS Society, and the volunteers seemed to really enjoy the special things we were trying to do as best we could. I know we were treated like the fastest, when we were in fact the slowest!

Carolina Century stats from MikeB

In reply to Roadskater.net Carolina Century 21- to 102-mile Bike Ride & Roadskate for MS October 24 2009 Gospel Baptist Church Greensboro NC:

Roadskater, you thought some stats would be neat, so here goes: Age: 45; Distance: 21m; Rolling Time: 1:47:37; Avg Speed: 11.7mph; Top Speed: 34.4mph; Avg HR: 180bpm; Max HR: 198bpm; weight at start: 153; weight at finish: 151: weight leaving the venue: 157 -- thanks to your Mom's awesome chili and Margaret's grill cheese sammiches. YUM!

Hope the marathon was out of state

In reply to Roadskater.net Carolina Century 21- to 102-mile Bike Ride & Roadskate for MS October 24 2009 Gospel Baptist Church Greensboro NC:

She should do well with those fancy shoes. I hope she did. And hopefully it was in good weather. The "CC" weather was a tad moist and blustery. I quit at 21, Alan from OH went 31, and I believe Roadskater and Eebee went for the full 102; not sure about that.

But Roadskater put on a tremendous event. I mean it was amazing. Everything was SO well planned and executed. Really, it was awe inspiring. Can't wait for the 3rd annual Carolina Century!

Good luck everyone!!!

In reply to Roadskater.net Carolina Century 21- to 102-mile Bike Ride & Roadskate for MS October 24 2009 Gospel Baptist Church Greensboro NC:

I wish I could be there with you all, but I'll be cheering on my girlfriend as she runs her first marathon.

Be safe and have fun, everyone!

- SM -

These animations are pretty

In reply to Carolina Century 102-Mile and Athens to Atlanta 87-Mile Route Elevation Profile Comparison:

These animations are pretty cool for comparison.

GO TEAM F.A.S.T.

Terrific Photos of 2009 TTT

In reply to Photos and Maps for Tour to Tanglewood 2009 Bike Ride & Inline Skate for MS Greensboro to Clemmons NC:

Thank you for such a comprehensive photo log. Perhaps an 8gb memory card s/b on your birthday wish list??

Some of the finish line gallery mentioned they got good pics of 5 triumphant Roadskaters coming across the line on Day 2. Hopefully those photos will make their way to you for a later posting.

Speed Data vs HR Data

In reply to Elevation-Speed Profiles and Speed-Heart Rate Profiles for Tour to Tanglewood 2009 Bike Ride Inline Skate:

Awesome data figures. Speed is obviously consistent from one skater to the next, but I found it really interesting how heart rates can vary wildly per person over the same stretch of roads. While some were maintaining 160s, other skaters were 20 bpm higher or lower in the same pack on the same hills.
Knowing your body's personal tolerances is vital.

Carolina Century 51, 102 Better Than Last Year

In reply to Photos and Maps for Carolina Century 2009 Recon 51-Miler Greensboro NC Tour to Tanglewood Training Bike Ride & Inline Skate:

Hey. Well thanks for pointing out the brief section that was really bad, ha, instead of the other 101 miles! :o) But yes last year they put that stuff down on late in the week when it was too late to change anything. I had to compete just to get the markers down and make sure they weren't painted. So it was brand new with gravel on top, chipped but not sealed I think. Even the middle of the road, which was indeed smooth still, had tiny gravel bits. However, when there was no traffic I was able to actually recover a bit on this section. But I figured I'd have to change the course this year, and reserve that option, however...

We went up there for my birthday skate (thanks timv, northinsouth and skatey-mark) the street crews had covered over the gravel with the sealant stuff and it had smoothed out over the year. Even last year I don't think it was any worse than some years at A2A, but it was depressing that it happened the week of the event.

They also did another mile or two of the favorite roads around there with the stuff, but it has been sealed too. We did fine on that, but it wasn't as fast of course, and not quite as fun, but still fast and fun.

The really good news is that one of the roads I considered eliminating has been repaved with smooth stuff and it will be much easier going.

My goal is to give you fast, safe, smooth roads for as many of the 102 as possible, with very few technical challenges, and those only requiring moderate skill and not for long periods of focus or intensity...and to let you know where these places are at the route discussion the evening before and on the turn sheets and on the road.

I hope you'll be back this year and bring more pals...and your family! (Off topic, and start a new thread if you're up to it...the world wants to know...how is the Silver Comet after the floods?)

Questions

In reply to Photos and Maps for Carolina Century 2009 Recon 51-Miler Greensboro NC Tour to Tanglewood Training Bike Ride & Inline Skate:

Same route as last year, for this portion of the course?

The really bad pavement, recently chip sealed when we skated it last year, is better?

Come on down if you can

In reply to Paul's Cycling & Fitness, Winston Salem NC Tour To Tanglewood for MS Free Bike Training Ride Inline Skate: August 22, 2009:

I think I'll be there but weather could have an effect and if I were to skate too hard the day before that might zap me too, ha. But it's great stuff and free too, so I'll try to be there to see the team at the start and the tour folk afterward.

hmmm - let me think about it - may want to try it

In reply to Paul's Cycling & Fitness, Winston Salem NC Tour To Tanglewood for MS Free Bike Training Ride Inline Skate: August 22, 2009:

Sounds like it could be a skatey-good time. I sure would like to partake, but always the driving time and possible weather issues play in the back of my mind.

Can I leave it as a "we'll see?"

But man, 6+ skaters would be really cool, and I owe JonathanS a ton of pulling for bringing me in at Tour de Lions. He pulled the last 7 since I was gassed.

I plan to be there

In reply to Paul's Cycling & Fitness, Winston Salem NC Tour To Tanglewood for MS Free Bike Training Ride Inline Skate: August 22, 2009:

I think at least 2 of us should be there, but it's possible the 4 who were there at Clemmons may show up too. That'd be 8 skaters at least. This one's a good one once you get away from the shop a bit. In the old days there were some tricky road surfaces, but last year we went out with a police escort and that was cool (for those who started on time at least). Coming back in it was a busy road yes but better to be on that road than coming down a hill into it. Everything went fine. I remember there was a really sweet roll going out of town too...a nice long smooth fast safe one. Of course we got to climb later, but OK.

any one going

In reply to Paul's Cycling & Fitness, Winston Salem NC Tour To Tanglewood for MS Free Bike Training Ride Inline Skate: August 22, 2009:

Any guess on the distance for this one? Or maybe last years distance? Also, who all is planning on going? I should be there. Hope to see any and all there.

Ha! No problem. I'm

In reply to Get Your Roadskater.net 2009 Inline Skating and Cycling Jersey or Grab a Classic Tangerine or Iris Version Now:

Ha! No problem. I'm wearing my sky blue roadskater jersey as I type this, and I love it. I have too many jerseys already but I don't have any in that "safety yellow" (y'know, the kind that almost glows in the daylight). Just an idea for next year maybe...

If that's the color and someone hates it you can get one!

In reply to Get Your Roadskater.net 2009 Inline Skating and Cycling Jersey or Grab a Classic Tangerine or Iris Version Now:

Hey dreeves. I'm not falling for mystery color poking around tricks, ha! It will be a bright color from nature that will be visible on the road, but it might be a color you hate...or love.... Yes it's ridiculous to buy a piece of commissioned clothing you can't see first! Hopefully for a small few, it's part of the fun. It solves a lot of problems for it to be a mystery. Last year I had signed proofs and got a call from the color mixer who said the salesperson didn't know what they were doing when they said they could do that color accurately, so past the last minute we went with the backup mix. In fact, there never was a signed proof for the final color I think. Had it been a promised color, I would have had real problems with the whole deal, especially since most people don't have a Pantone book or care enough to look one up, and a computer monitor is not a good place in most cases for looking at colors. Also, this way, I can leave it up to inspiration and response to mockups and staring at Pantone color chips in different kinds of shadow and light and times of day, and feel less constrained if I know I can go as I react. Those are my excuses! I can promise I worry over it lots, ponder lots, want it to be incredible.

dayglo yellow

In reply to Get Your Roadskater.net 2009 Inline Skating and Cycling Jersey or Grab a Classic Tangerine or Iris Version Now:

If you could get it in that dayglo/safety yellow that you can see from a mile away, I'd get one.

Welcome Mickizrollin and Thanks

In reply to Get Your Roadskater.net 2009 Inline Skating and Cycling Jersey or Grab a Classic Tangerine or Iris Version Now:

Thanks for joining and for commenting. Just to be sure to make it clear, those are the previous versions of the jerseys, and the MYSTERY color is still that, EVEN TO ME AT THIS POINT. I have some various schemes that are competing to be the one for 2009, though I have leanings toward one setup. I never know until I have to make the choice (at the last minute of course, standing in sun then shade with the Pantone color book in my hands, looking up close, looking from far away, looking in midday, looking at sundown, looking in twilight, basically obsessing).

As for Atlanta shops there's Skate Escape near Piedmont Park, and for some hardware and such, Sun & Ski Sports at Duluth, just off the A2A course, in fact. I don't know what they carry an doubt they have those wheel sets. You might check Dick's Sports locations. It's hard for stores to make it on skate stuff because so many of us buy online.

As far as online goes, eBay still has some good deals (use the roadskater.net search box any time you buy anything on eBay if you want to help the site in a tiny way and give eBay a tiny bit less since they give it to the site!). eBay is a good way to try speed boots if you're needing a bargain. You can try other people's mistakes and if you buy on auction, you know there was someone (ok maybe the seller cheating I know) who wanted them for a dollar less, and you can sell them later for close to what you paid.

OK I have to go right now and work on these jerseys! Thanks for signing up and tell us more about yourself and your skating if you like, even use create/blog entry to start a new thread if you want. Either way, welcome.

New Guy

In reply to Get Your Roadskater.net 2009 Inline Skating and Cycling Jersey or Grab a Classic Tangerine or Iris Version Now:

Hey everybody...new jerseys look good! I am in the Alpharetta area and am new to GA and also this site. Just wanted to say hello to everyone. Do most of you order your wheels...or is there any place in the Atlanta area that carries good gear? I am looking for 104/105mm wheels.

Oh and I will definitely be ordering a couple of these jerseys.

Post here or members can email me here...
http://roadskater.net/user/430/contact

Mick Kruger

4 Roadskaters Planning to Be at Paceline GSO Free Skride

In reply to Paceline Bicycles, Greensboro NC Tour To Tanglewood for MS Free Bike Training Ride Inline Skate: August 8, 2009:

It looks like eebee will be here, plus two escapees from indoor will be starting their roadskating season in earnest. One of our roadskater.net t2t team members has recently won age group gold in the nationals in the five lap and ten lap races, I believe, setting an age group record for the fiver methinks. We'll have to see what we can hear about it all this weekend. Paceline uses a good route and has had good police support even to the end when coming back onto Battleground for a brief sprint stint at the end of the ride. Come on out! It's free and support is always awesome.

Can any of you guys share measurements?

In reply to Get Your Roadskater.net 2009 Inline Skating and Cycling Jersey or Grab a Classic Tangerine or Iris Version Now:

[No worries if those who have jerseys already don't want to share measurements, but could any of you who have the previous jerseys share chest measurements and the size you get, how you like things to fit (tight or loose), and how the tangerine/pyrocantha or other jersey fit relative to that? Again no worries if you aren't up to it!]

The measurements show that last year's sleeveLESS ran a little larger...about a half inch to maybe an inch in the XL size compared with the Iris and Sunlit Leaves. It's tough to measure stretchy fabric but it seems the Sky edition in 2005 was about the same size as the Tangerine.

The SHORTsleeve ran a little larger by about an inch by my measurements than the Iris or Sunlit Leaves, but again about the same as the Sky edition.

That's why I say if you're on the border between sizes, go DOWN a size this year to account for the difference. I'll put up a size chart when I can check on it with the manufacturer but at this point the above is what I know.

One point to say is that these are CLUB FIT (RELAXED) NOT PRO FIT. In Pro fit I'd be XXX or some such. These have always run about like sizes you'd find for Starter or Champion or Nike "active this or that" jerseys you'd find in Wall of China Mart and elsewhere, but NOT the ones that mimic Under Armour.

More on this as SOON as possible, including maybe some measurements if I can humble myself...chest only and you can imagine the rest...now where's that tape measure?