Row for the Cure 2010

Row for the Cure 2010 in Seattle was Sunday September 19.  Crews from 22 boat houses participated, more than 660 rowers in total!  I rowed my Pepe in the M1x Masters category.

The master category is tricky, I've learned after only 3 competitions. You get a handicap which is roughly 1.6 second/year/km, with year being computed relative to the youngest competitor in the class. At 39 years, I turned out to be the youngest, so I would get no handicap at all.

In the end I ended up as 4 out of 6 participants on raw time, and 6 out of 6 in handicap time, as I wasn't able to keep the old-timers at bay. Definitely need to get faster and control the check better.

The race is interval 3 in the map below. I did reasonably well staying around 26 spm for the duration of the race, although the speed went down a bit. But at least I have something to compare to now for future races.


Vis stort kort

Oars!

All mine: A brand-new pair of Croker S2 Superlights with standard stiffness, 288 cm median length, Slick blade, Mk3 asymmetric sleeves, adjustable carbon handles and standard grip size. Yay!  Only problem: How do I get them to the boathouse…?

New bike coming up...

Paid the money for a Redline 925  a week or so ago but don't have it in my hands yet as the shop and manufacturer were out of 2008 models so I'll get a 2009 model in the next 1-2 weeks. Anyway, this is what the 2008 looks like and the 2009 will be the same, but green (according to the store).  Can't wait to get on this thing for my commute!

Aw, uh, oh

Ooh, aw, uh – I had a spectacular crash this morning on my way in to work, at the bottom of a rather steep hill, so I was going somewhat fast.  At the bottom was a slight bend to the right, the pavement was slightly moist and there were a few leaves on the road.  WHAM! – I skid out on the wet pavement and tore up my new! $99! bike shorts and my new! $15! RUSA socks and my new! $70 high-visibility bicycle jacket.  

It was a textbook crash.  I was in the midle of the turn at th bottom, leaned to the right and suddenly BOTH tires started to skid.  I just had time to think 'Oh noes, I'm going down, I don't want to!!' - WHAM! First my right pedal hit the ground, then in fast order my right foot, right handlebar (had a chunk taken out of it!)  right hip and right elbow, so the bike took a big part of the impact, as it should. I then slid a 5-10 meters or so sitting on my butt on the pavement into the oncoming lane (I was on the bike path so no heavy traffic!)  When everything stopped I laid there for a few seconds, making sure that I could still feel everything (oh yeah, I could feel a lot!)  After having completed the all-systems check I got up, with some difficulty.  I was pleased to note that my knees were virtually unharmed because I kept them together 'inside' the frame when I crashed.  My hands were also in great shape even though I was riding without gloves.  But I had kept my hands on top of the handlebars while going down, so they never touched the ground.  

I was in some pain after pulling myself up, and noted a roadrash on my right elbow and that I had a very sore right buttock where I had landed... After I got up I walked up to the next intersection (25 m away), got back on the bike and continued into work, very slowly at first but getting better after 10 mins or so.  The shower did hurt a bit when the hot water hit the spots where my skin had been stripped off... Now it hurts when I sit down, and I have to be slanted to the left, to remove the pressure from my butt. What’s worse, I’m having problem drinking coffee as it hurts when I bend my right elbow... 

I'll be OK in a week or so, in the mean time I hope to ride the pain off on the SIR 600 km brevet this coming weekend.  Also, my gorgeous red and white Roberts was fine. Very fine actually - after the crash I just picked it up and rode on. Nothing bent or our of alignment or adjustment. The wheels were both fine, the shifting worked as it should. Everything worked, which was really pleasing having spent the better part of $6K on it back in 2003.

A night with PZ Myers

Pharyngula's master, PZ Myers, gave a talk at the Pacific Science Center last night.  The topic of his talk was "On Science, Blogs and Intelligent Debates."

The main message to take home from his talk was that scientists should let their passion and excitement about their science shine through whenever they are communicating it to the public.  Nothing makes the general public go cold as a talking head with a labcoat. I hadn't though too much about that before but I think he is right - sometimes it can be hard to figure out if you're watching a commercial for hair shampoo or if it is a Nobel Laureate talking about her latest discovery.  

When I think about all the  excursions and trips I went on as an (under)graduate, every single one of them was a hit with virtually all the students.  And the reason was that it was obvious that the teachers were excited about the stuff they were showing us, and it showed all the time; 24/7.  That is something that rarely is seen in the media these days, the excited scientists.  But the fact is, we're actually quite excited about the work we're doing most of the time, so it's just a matter of getting it to show and then people will start to take notice.

SIR 202 k permanent #401: Leschi-Auburn-Redmond

I rode this permanent on Saturday April 26 in *great* weather - although it was a wee bit chilly in the early morning when I set off from home to the Starbucks start at Lakeside Avenue. 

ETA June 3, 2008:Incredibly, I managed to take the wrong turn on to Lakeside Avenue and thus getting lost even before I had started the ride!  After 5 mins or so of fooling around on the road I realized I was going in the wrong direction and arrived at the Starbucks around 7.20 am; bought a banana loaf, got my receipt and off I went - but not before I had said hi to Todd, another newcomer to SIR who was going out on another permanent.

Off towards the south and Maple Valley; got a bit tricked by the roads down around Renton Airport (municipal, not international!) and spent 10 mins or so figuring out where to go.  When I finally found myself on Maple Valley Hwy I was delighted to discover that it had a bicycle path all the way to Maple Valley - sweet.

A bit before Ravensdale I passed a citizen walking a couple of enormous black dogs, who obviously hated cyclists.  At least that's the only conclusion I can think of after spending a minute or so frantically sprinting away from the Hound of Baskerville while hearing its owner's panicky yells to 'Stop! Come back! Sit' quickly fade in the distance.  I assume it was meant for the dog and not for me - I was certainly not going to stop for anything.  I managed to get a few metres ahead of the dog, whip out my water bottle and squirt it right between the eyes.  That was a trick I learned in Nova Scotia and it had never let me down before.  But this was  a first! The evil creature kept barking and running after me, so I had to take aim and fire another volley of Gatorade against the fierce creature.  This time apparently it had enough and stopped its pursuit while I settled down and let my heart return to normal randonneuring beat...  I do hope the dog was on its way to a show and that everything now was ruined because of the Gatorade!

Not long after I found myself at the Ravensdale control, had an energy bar and a coke and then off again, now towards Auburn and the control there.  The ride between Renton and Kummer was probably the nicest of the day, in the valley, in sunshine, and a slight breeze behind me. Lovely! I also suddenly found myself in the middle of a time trial which added some excitement to the entire ride - I was not alone. (In fact, I was never alone; I was truly amazed by the number of fellow cyclists I met on my way - very neat!).

From Kummer it was on to Cumberland and a nice, quick lunch at the control there, then turning towards the north and towards Hobart and Issaquah.  From there up along the East side of Lake Sammamish and up towards Redmond and the familiar terrain of the Burke-Gilman trail upon entering Bothell.  From there it was smooth sailing all the way back to Lakeside avenue and the Starbucks, although the traffic on Burke-Gilman made the going a tad slower than it could have been, but that doesn't matter - it was a great day to be out!

95 mi around Cougar and Tiger mountains

Commute week of 18 Feb 2008

6 commutes in total; 0 potentially rainy commutes, 0 actually rainy commutes.

Total commute distance for the week: 82 km (51 mi).
Total commute distance for the year: 765 km (475 mi).

Potentially rainy commutes for the week: 0 out of 10 (0%).
Actually rainy commutes for the week: 0 out of 6 (0%).

Potentially rainy commutes for the year: 8 out of 70 (11%).
Actually rainy commutes for the year: 8 out of 56 (14%).

Had to rent a car Tuesday so didn't ride. Too lazy to go home and pick up the bike on Wed morning upon returning it - took the bus all the way...

Getting a driver license in WA - don't bring a gun!

First of all, that is how it is spelled here in the Pacific NW.  In Nova Scotia the same thing is called a driver's license. But anyway, once I had located the local licensing office it was a breeze to wait in line for 4 hours on a sunny Saturday morning before I got permission to take the theoretical test. (I had somewhat hoped that they could just swap my Danish license, but also knew from my Canadian experience that it was unlikely to happen).

Anyway, after passing the theoretical test my practical test was scheduled and I was given this folder with advice on how to pass, what to do and what not to do or bring!

Only in the US (I hope!)

Chilly Hilly 2008

So, today was the annual Chilly Hilly bicycle ride on Bainbridge Island off Seattle in the beautiful NW. A colleague had told me that it was a big event but I hadn't anticipated seeing a few 1000 other cyclists at 7am in the morning queuing up for the first ferry to Bainbridge Island and the 33mi loop around it.


The ride didn't quite live up to it's name, I think. I wasn't too chilly and the hills were definitely manageable, even if it was the beginning of the season.

Regardless, it was a very nice day and an excellent outing. The views of Seattle across the bay are spectacular - I'll be back next year for the 2009 chilly hilly.











And here's the course:

Commute week of 11 Feb 2008

10 commutes in total; 2 potentially rainy commutes, 2 actually rainy commutes.

Total commute distance for the week: 137 km (85 mi).
Total commute distance for the year: 683 km (424 mi).

Potentially rainy commutes for the week: 2 out of 10 (20%).
Actually rainy commutes for the week: 2 out of 10 (20%).

Potentially rainy commutes for the year: 8 out of 60 (13%).
Actually rainy commutes for the year: 8 out of 50 (16%)

Commute week of 04 Feb 2008

10 commutes in total; 3 potentially rainy commutes, 3 actually rainy commutes.

Total commute distance for the week: 137 km (85 mi).
Total commute distance for the year: 546 km (340 mi).

Potentially rainy commutes for the week: 3 out of 10 (30%).
Actually rainy commutes for the week: 3 out of 10 (30%).

Potentially rainy commutes for the year: 6 out of 50 (12%).
Actually rainy commutes for the year: 6 out of 40 (15%).

Commute week of 28 Jan 2008

6 commutes in total; 0 potentially rainy commutes, 0 actually rainy commutes.

Total commute distance for the week: 82 km (51 mi).
Total commute distance for the year: 410 km (255 mi).

Potentially rainy commutes for the week: 0 out of 6 (0%).
Actually rainy commutes for the week: 0 out of 6 (0%).

Potentially rainy commutes for the year: 3 out of 40 (8%).
Actually rainy commutes for the year: 3 out of 30 (10%).

Didn't ride home Mon evening, didn't ride in Tue morning, didn't ride Wed. (All due to flats)!

Commute week of 21 Jan 2008

6 commutes in total; 0 potentially rainy commutes, 0 actually rainy commutes.

Total commute distance for the week: 82 km (51 mi).
Total commute distance for the year: 328 km (204 mi).

Potentially rainy commutes for the week: 0 out of 10 (0%).
Actually rainy commutes for the week: 0 out of 6 (0%).

Potentially rainy commutes for the year: 3 out of 30 (10%).
Actually rainy commutes for the year: 3 out of 24 (13%).

Didn't ride Wednesday & Thursday as I had rented a car for my driving test (96/100 so passed!).

Commute week of 07 Jan 2008

10 rides in total, i.e. rode each way every day.
Total commute distance 86 mi (138 km).
Got rained upon on 3 rides, i.e. 30%.
Total rainy rides for the year: 3 out of 10 actual rides; 3 out of 10 possible rides.

Commuting...

Having moved from the UK to Seattle, US I have decided to try to live in the US without owning a car. I lived in the UK for almost 3 years without one and that worked out just fine; even lost 20-30 pounds in the process (weight, not money!). My bicycle commute is below; an 8.6 mi (13.8 km) trip each way. The first 1/3 of a mile or so is on a road, the rest of the distance is on bike lanes or bike paths, which makes it super-easy to get to work.

The wetness of Seattle weather in the winter is exaggerated. Commuting on a daily basis; 40-50 minutes each way (actual riding time depending on mood, wind and choice of bicycle) gets me wet approximately 30% of the time I spend on the road. I expect it to be less in the summer. So really, no big deal at all.