Friday

Friday I rode down town to meet Mrs. Fisher when she got off work at 7:30 pm, have a beer and get a ride back.
It's warmed up pretty nice for this time of year, that's good and bad, the sun feels good and motivates you, but you cant do the things you really want the way your use to.
So I headed out from home to the city.
I take White Hall rd. To the N.C.R trail to Hunt Valley then flat roads to Timmonium rd, that's my first climb,then and there I new I was gonna bonk.
The trail was a little wet not really slow but I was working, the following day it warmed up even more and was ridiculously wet, I was trying to conserve energy but I am out of shape.
First destination was Brewers Art for resurrection's and food, but the closer I got to Balt. The more I felt I should move destination closer.

Fraziers on the avenue in Hampden was a good alternative, once I got off Falls rd and the crappy rush hour traffic , I felt better ,I took some jib roads, passed up some photo ops due to time and energy,went in had three resurrection's for the price of four twenty each and ate a killer burger! Watched the strong man comp on the tube, listened to the Doors and enjoyed the empty bar.
I was full and rejuvenate,had a half hour to get to Shock Trauma, and syked to get back on the cross check. I had to squeeze past two big fences on Falls rd, in Clipper Mill due to rd. Work,big orange signs saying" Do Not Enter violators Prosecuted",nomally this wouldn't bother me but it was creepy, that with the ankle deep stink mud it was like a scene in a movie.

Any way I arrived early ,met the girl threw the bike in her car and went to the Camden Pub because its there, again it was kinda empty and that's great cause I was in the mood for a chill scene. A couple sierras and home for some stone crab claws and a dungenus crab I got at Gibby's earlier and some drafts from the keg o rator.
Its like thirty two miles to Baltimore on this rout and not much climbing, a great way to end the week.

Wednesday night ride

After two weeks of either mechanicals or bad weather I made the "Patapsco boy's" Wednesday night ride, something I fight heavy traffic and shitty conditions to do, this time of year for me it's out of desperation to find anything to do,ride my bike at night on unfamiliar city streets with a group of people who know them is always alluring, but this time of year it goes from sitting on the couch to sitting on the saddle going thirty plus.
There are outlets this time of year; indoor skate parks(old school night), local ski hills,...... Squash?
But I like the bike,
more than that,
I like riding with passionate bikers, it makes it worth while in any weather.
It might be the last wed night ride, that I get to do with the guy to my knowledge originated the Wednesday night ride from exit 47 off 95,
Maryland m.t.b Eden and general great beer drinking, bike mixing ,heavy spinning rides, Joe .
Man it was nice to breath frozen air, we rode busy streets, back roads following a river, saw a car that had rolled getting winched to a flat bed, forded a stream due to a bridge repair, ended up in old town Ellicott City and drank a bunch of Anchor Steams, ate good food and road paved\gravel paths and mellow nieberhood roads back to the park & ride,where by then I was sober enough to drive the distance home.
This should not be an unusual night for anyone.

Wednesday night ride

Last Wednesday I met up with the Patapsaco crew for their weekly ride,no matter how shitty it gets these guys always seem to ride.
I like it,riding in the elements, at night it is so much more on the senses.
Their is always a beer stop,or maybe that's the reason for riding, it's a combo, a sweet combo.
Bike with other people in conditions that some might think unusual ,drink beer with people you don't know but just shared a cool experience with, then ride back in the elements whatever they may be.

So I went again this week, I was excited too, I had been thinking about it through out the week, I don't get to ride with other people much this time of year,the weather sucks, you get limited to the road and the days are short.

We were crankin up to a big intersection,lights green but its a really long light ,and long crossing,like four lanes on a diagonal, I'm pouring it on to stick with Jay and Mark,then the light turns yellow, I hit some bumps and my chain rolls off ,I have plenty of speed and make it through , but man that was sketchy, my chains dragging and gets bound up, a loud noise and I think it broke.
I put the chain back on and, off it goes. I couldn't keep it on. I know the chain line was much less than straight but it wasn't hopping off earlier.

I had put different cranks on, I wanted to try a longer crank, that's why the chain line wasn't so good.
Anyway....We all looked at the situation and I said just go, I am like four miles out, I can limp back to my vehicular. So they split, and it was working better since I tweaked some things, but it wasn't cutting it.
fortunately for me, and many other people when he's around them, a cyclist was riding by and asked if I needed a hand, It was the S.S. outlaw , usually a leader on this ride, he was busy with business and would meet up at destination.

It's good to have another eye to look at things, especially when its dark and your frustrated. Closer examination showed a bent and twisted chain, I was able to remove a couple links and that seemed to do it, but I was still skeptical, the outlaw could tell and asked if I was up to it, something to the effect of"wana try something stupid?" I wasn't up for the gamble, I should have.
I started to head back and things felt pretty sound, I wanted to chase down the outlaw but I waited to long and its not my part of town. He was gone.
Man I just wanted to ride drink ride, Max's on Broadway was the destination tonight ,tons of draughts!!!