Monday, January 19, 2009
35 Miles - Attempt Number 2
Well, I decided to try the same route that I attempted last weekend. However, my bike is now outfitted with a spare inner tube and an air pump. Fortunately, I didn't need either of those today. In spite of a very strong 20 mph wind from the north, I managed to finish the route after a fun ride of 2 hours and 45 minutes. Click the map below for the route!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
32.3 Miles And A Nice Walk!
Q: Whats the origin of the word "tire"?
I started out this morning with a plan of riding 35 miles, my longest ride so far. This didn't work out quite as planned, but I still did manage to ride longer than my previous best of 20 miles. The weather was a bit chilly with some wind, but all considered, it was a nice, relatively easy ride....But then, less than 3 miles from the finish, I heard a POP and my otherwise smooth-riding bike became noticably not-so-smooth! My first flat tire! That's OK, by this time, the temperature had warmed up a bit....perfect walking weather!
A: The earliest tires were strips of metal placed around wooden, spoked wheels. The metal was heated and wrapped around the wheel and then both ends of the strip were fastened together. As the metal strip cooled, it would shrink and tighten around the wheel, serving the purpose of "tieing" the wooden spokes into the wooden wheel. In spite of metal tires not surviving the ever-changing progress of technology, the original name of tire did surive the test of time.
I started out this morning with a plan of riding 35 miles, my longest ride so far. This didn't work out quite as planned, but I still did manage to ride longer than my previous best of 20 miles. The weather was a bit chilly with some wind, but all considered, it was a nice, relatively easy ride....But then, less than 3 miles from the finish, I heard a POP and my otherwise smooth-riding bike became noticably not-so-smooth! My first flat tire! That's OK, by this time, the temperature had warmed up a bit....perfect walking weather!
A: The earliest tires were strips of metal placed around wooden, spoked wheels. The metal was heated and wrapped around the wheel and then both ends of the strip were fastened together. As the metal strip cooled, it would shrink and tighten around the wheel, serving the purpose of "tieing" the wooden spokes into the wooden wheel. In spite of metal tires not surviving the ever-changing progress of technology, the original name of tire did surive the test of time.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Auld Lang Syne! It's 2009!
Q: January 1st has not always been the date recognized as New Year's Day. What was the original date?
Ok, so I've done my part to begin a trend of staying fit in the new year...but just barely so! I biked just a short 5.4 miles today. I will likely have less time for riding during the next 6 weeks due to my involvement in First Robotics. However, I'll get in as many rides as possible and I'll let all of you know about it right here on this page. So check back here when you can!
A: The old Roman Calendar recognized March 15th to be the beginning of the year. Seems a bit strange until you realize that March 15th signifies the time of year when warmth is returning, trees are starting to turn green again and farmers would soon be planting new crops. So that seems like as good a time as any to recognize the birth of a new year! However, that all changed in the year 153 BC, when New Year's Day was officially moved to January 1st. For more weird calendar trivia, check out the entry for October 6th at one of my other webpages HistoryByTheDay.com.
Ok, so I've done my part to begin a trend of staying fit in the new year...but just barely so! I biked just a short 5.4 miles today. I will likely have less time for riding during the next 6 weeks due to my involvement in First Robotics. However, I'll get in as many rides as possible and I'll let all of you know about it right here on this page. So check back here when you can!
A: The old Roman Calendar recognized March 15th to be the beginning of the year. Seems a bit strange until you realize that March 15th signifies the time of year when warmth is returning, trees are starting to turn green again and farmers would soon be planting new crops. So that seems like as good a time as any to recognize the birth of a new year! However, that all changed in the year 153 BC, when New Year's Day was officially moved to January 1st. For more weird calendar trivia, check out the entry for October 6th at one of my other webpages HistoryByTheDay.com.
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