Year end mileage, final ride of 2007

Motobecane: 3481
Commuter: 2872
'87 Cannondale: 815
Total: 7168
Finished off the year with a quick 20 around Antioch. Then Joyce called and wanted to hit the Diablo Junction, so we did... almost... (that's her in the yellow.) It was so windy we stopped before we got there and went for beer and burgers. Still, a good way to end the year.

Money saving tips for cyclists

I've been asked "How do you get so much bike junk?" I'm going to share my techniques here.

The trick to getting more bike stuff is to endlessly expand your available rationalizations.
As a bike commuter every tank of gas I don't get is $50 for bike stuff. BUT THAT'S ONLY A START!!
The expensive gym around here is about $100 a month. I'm not a member because I cycle. Therefore, that's $100 tax free savings to me! Every month! See where I'm going here?

Everything I buy as a Performance Bike member gives me a 10% credit. Now, I'm saving that to get my sweet cycling wife a present. Do I want to look cheap, or get her something nice? That's right-- something nice.
And how can I get my Performance credits up? Only by buying more bike stuff. It's a win-win!

Do you have a neighbor that water skis? Every dime they spend on their boat counts as money you save by not spending it on YOUR boat that you don't own!
If you do it right, it turns out you can't afford NOT to have a bunch of new bike stuff ALL THE TIME!

Send me $27.50 for my new book on how this works, or better yet, don't send the money and you save $27.50 to spend on your bike. Not enough? Then don't buy copies for your friends and save $27.50 on each friend you didn't buy for! Tell your friends not to buy it for you and in no time they'll be rolling in bike swag too!

Christmas report

I had a great Christmas, with the Tricia, the kids and my Dad. Trees, presents, too much food; We had perfect traditional Christmas. Santa (in the guise of Tricia) gave methe gift of music: CD Box set, USB Turntable and iPod. Pretty amazing! But though I gave her all kinds of bicycle swag, I got no bike stuff myself. Until I opened my Dad's gift of $$$. I jumped on the performance.com 20% off Christmas day special and ordered a new pair of Pearl Izumi shoes. The arrived today, and I put the cleats on. Testing and cleat alignment begins Saturday if it isn't raining too much.

Dog day afternoon

I think I may hate dogs. Not your dog, with an actual name and a responsible owner, just dogs in general. Especially the ones that are pitbulls and loose on the streets. Especially the ones that chase Tricia and I when we are out on an otherwise delightful ride. I think anyone who has a dog that bites someone should go to jail, just as if they'd stabbed them with a knife. Maybe a permit and insurance should be required of all dog owners.

UPDATE: What's with this page? It has 1000's of more visits than any of my other pages.

Davis Double

I've read PrincessZippy's ride and training stories at tandemhearts.com. I've read the info at the Davis Double site and Bob's tips for surviving the ride. I'm thinking that I need a goal for 2008. I'd like to do something big before I get so old I can't (and that's getting closer all the time.)
The question is: Can I do it? Can I possibly get ready to ride 200 miles in one day? How much commitment would it take to train? Heck, how much pain would it take? Could I even finish before they drag the stragglers off the course? What is the true meaning of fear? I hear my Mom whispering "If Jimmy jumped off a roof would you jump off ?" How long can I think about it before i actually have to decide? Why am I asking all these questions and who do I think will answer them? I guess sometime before January 1 I'll need to make the call. Devote half of 08 to riding, or get a clue and figure out something a lot easier to aim for.
Take my poll on the right and help me out!

Garmin 305 and Ascent GPS extravaganza

I went nuts and bought a Garmin 305 GPS unit with speed, heart rate, cadence and auto flat tire fixing. Then I got Ascent, a cool Mac program that makes it all useful. But what's even better is that I can send the GPS data from Ascent to Google Earth and watch my ride like I'm flying over it.
I don't know if I really need this stuff. I have notions of training and becoming stronger, faster thinner and younger. Maybe that'll happen. Maybe I'll just have fun. At least it came with rebate coupon.