International Adventures

The dog days of August are upon us. I'm a little tired ...the Bianchi is a little tired. All I can do is R & R. That's Rest and Repair. I've backed down a little on intensity, by adding a few more rest days along with a couple of easier rides and the Bianchi is undergoing some much needed repair. I still enjoy riding everyday, although it is not always practical.
RIDES
I've completed the hard stretch of events By cycling in the Niagara Frontier Cycling clubs CAN AM Invitational . This is a neat Ride that crosses the border into Canada at the Peace bridge in Buffalo, then recrosses into the USA at Lewiston. Cheryl and I Rode the first 30 miles together. The morning was so beautiful weather wise. We strolled along the Niagara river stopping at the Falls to witness its amazing feel of power. We met a woman and her child from France. Then on to the Whirlpool rapids. A short time latter we re-entered the USA and after some confusing directions we parted ways with Cheryl opting for the metric ride. The first 30 were great with a slight tailwinds and mostly a slight downhill. Unfortunately after crossing badck into the USA we had a direction mishap in which Cheryl was climbing back up the escarpment which she would have avoided.
The next 20miles were familiar ground having ridden this a few times before with the FANY and TDC. Tailwinds made this an easy ride. After the turn south the combination of a gradual upward incline along with the fury of the SW winds came into play. The next 25 miles were a real workout culminating with the climb up the escarpment which was about 1 mile long at a pretty good grade. After riding a basically flat course the legs did not like having to encounter a real climb. Once over the top we rode mostly bike paths along the Niagara river back to the start. As we rounded Grand Island and were pointed SW, the FULL FURY of the winds came into play. " Hills make you stronger...Wind makes you mean", make let me tell you there were a few hundred mean people pedaling on Sunday. Latter when I was home I looked up the winds on Weatherbug, and they stated that the average winds in Buffalo yesterday were 17 mph with gusts up to 29mph. They were tough!!!!
It was nice to see so many people enjoying the riverside, from picnics to bike ridding, skate boarding, even one couple practicing Ballroom dancing. There were a few thousand people in a 5 mile stretch.
I ran into MIKE & MIKE, a couple of guys that I meet on the FANY ride. One is from Grand Island the other from PA. What a couple of cutups these guys are. We rode for a few miles and had a blast at the picnic at the end. All the fun is here.
Hmmm, 2 centuries under 7 hours and a metric in 9 days....Not bad for an old fart.
REPAIRS
The poor old Bianchi is showing signs of wear and tear from the 4300+ miles this season. The day after the FANY the left shift lever broke.It must be a defect in the carbon, for there appears to be a bubble were it broke. Bianchi Warranted this 2 years ago, but not this time, so BOB (from Peddalers) suggested an alloy lever. Replaced the chain and now see where the middle sprocket has to much wear on it. Even the Garmin Edge 305 needed some TLC. After speaking with a rep from Garmin I shipped it back to them, and they will ship me a new one seeing as it is still under warranty.

Camaraderie is so abundant in cycling. As I attend these various rides and events, you see and meet people whom you've ridden with at other events. Mike & Mike , Mike and Barb from RBC, at Tioga Karl, Denny, FANY Tom, Mike & Mike, and many others.
Because at the end of the day we have all ridden the same miles..climbed the same hills...Have a few good stories to share....