My New Life

Single, unemployed and living at home with my parents. Just call me George Costanza.

Actually, life at home isn't all that bad.

Here's my routine:

Get up 8-9am, eat breakfast, do some reading, put on some stock positions/do some trading, head to the gym, grab some lunch, head back home to do some more trading/investing/reading, watch some DVR'd tv shows, have a great home cooked meal, head out for drinks with friends or watch some more TV/DVR, go to sleep.

REPEAT.

I also squeeze in some travel planning and thoughts on what's next for me. I definitely have some more clarity on the latter, which will more than likely affect the former.

Stay tuned.

NEWMAN!

Before losing my job , I was planning on moving to Brooklyn. The main reason was the city was grinding down on me. It seems as crowded as ever and the sensory overload had taken its toll. Additionally, the cache of my building was beginning to wear off as they cut costs and amenities. But there was really one final straw that made me want to move.

About nine months ago, I heard a pitter-patter of footsteps running across my ceiling. It sounded like a huge centipede. Once it started it wouldn't stop for 30 mins to an hour. I assumed someone was doing some sort of exercising. I asked what the situation was at the front desk and one of the doorman said coyly that sometimes the apt above me (#22C) has visitors and that may be the noise (didn't make much sense to me at the time but I figured I'd go with it). He said the next time I hear the noise to call him. Two nights later I hear the noise and I called him -- it stopped immediately. Great, I thought. Two nights later, same thing. I call the front desk and this time it doesn't stop. When I saw the doorman a day later I asked him what happened. He said the people said it wasn't them.

The footsteps haven't stopped but I finally figured out what it is. Some of my other neighbors have had issues with nightclub music from across the street (I don't really hear it because I don't face the street). My neighbor approached me one day as I left my apartment to find out if I had an issue with the music and wanted to join their fight. I told him I didn't have a problem with the music but told him the damn footsteps above were killing me. "You mean from the kid?" he asked as if I was a total d-bag for getting upset with a kid's footsteps. I kind of joked it off but knowing it's a kid certainly hasn't softened the annoyance factor for me.

As I was getting off the elevator today I passed a mother and kid in a stroller that were getting on. The kid looked up at me, smiled and said "BYE BYE". As I turned to say hello, the doors started closing and I noticed a cardboard box on the kid's lap with a big #22C written in magic marker.

NEWMAN!

$2 Italian

I haven't posted much about my semi-retirement plans because they have been a bit in flux. But thanks to some guidance from firSSt, I've narrowed my focus to one main goal: living in Italy for an extended period of time. I was originally planning to ride my bike in Asia in the spring but decided it was consuming too much planning time and would require intensive travel logistics.

So now I'm planning on doing some lighter trips in the winter/spring (heading to the Caribbean on vacation, visiting firSSt in Idaho, a buddy in LA, my parents in Fla, etc...) while I focus on the Italy move. The two biggest hurdles to living in Italy are learning Italian and getting a resident's visa (which would allow me to stay for more than 3 months). Getting the visa seems like more a paperwork issue than anything else. Learning Italian will be the biggest challenge.

I'm kicking around spending a month in Rome in April to do an "immersion" language program. I have some time before I need to commit to the language program so I'm going to give something else a try beforehand. I bought a used, older edition of the textbook they use in Italian level 1 at NYU. It cost me $2. It may be optimistic to think I can learn Italian on my own for $2, but at the very least, it will give me some foundation if I do the course in Rome.

I'll keep you updated on my progress.

Last Days of Disco

I'm winding down my last days in NYC and I'm having a blast. Wine, women and song. Well, not much song but plenty of wine and women.

People talk about how they feel like they'd always need to work. I used to feel the same way. But strangely enough, I think I can get used to this semi-retired lifestyle. People ask me what I do during the day. I'm not sure exactly what I do but I know it takes me all day to do it. I meandor a lot. A little of this, a little of that. I exist with as little purpose as possible, yet just enough to matter.

This post pretty much sums up the semi-retired lifestyle. There's lots of words but it says nothing.

End of An Era

For all intents and purposes, on November 13, 2008, my Wall St. career came to an end. I'll post more later with reflections on my career, but I wanted to mark this moment in time.

I do think I'll continue to actively manage a portion of my own money to take advantage of my unique insights and the skill set I have built over time. However, I don't see myself returning in a professional capacity for three reasons: 1) I believe the Wall St./wealth creation game is dead for many years; 2) I recognize and am no longer willing to make the quality of life sacrifices required to succeed in the business; and 3) I want to put my money where my mouth is and do something more beneficial for society.

Of course you can never say never, but I feel like I am ready for the next phase of my life.

Stay tuned.

Life Imitating Art

If you remember back to my comparison of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Wall St., I noted that Wall St.'s biggest weakness was that it had a bad ending.

http://thebullycockpit.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.html

Ironically, the real life Wall St. is going to have a bad ending as well. Here's a quote from my post about the movie:

"Wall St.’s ending is melancholy and anti-climactic. It’s also somewhat symptomatic and unavoidable."

Life imitates art.

A Great Trip with Lots of Ups and Downs

The Italy/Switzerland tour of 2008 was a huge success. Logistically it couldn't have gone any smoother. However, with 395 miles and 25,000 feet of climbing over 8 riding days, there were lots of ups and downs both physically and mentally:

UP: Fit(ness)
My bike fit was as good as it's ever been. I tweaked my touring bike fit to mimic my road bike and the results were awesome. Absolutely no arm pain this year (whereas my arms and hands were a huge problem last year). Additionally, while my fitness was put to the test, I was in good enough shape to have a fun trip (and survive physically).

DOWN: Climbing Passes Loaded
Climbing big mountain passes with packs on your touring bike is not easy. Nor is it fun. In fact, we had the hotel in Santa Maria, Switzerland drive our packs up to a hotel at the top of Stelvio where we could retrieve them after the climb (and just in time for my header picture!). While it's a bummer I didn't get to climb Stelvio fully-loaded, it would have been somewhat of a physical impossibility given that we rode 170 miles and climbed 12,500 feet the three days prior.

UP: Climbing Stelvio
Stelvio is a monster. It deserves all the hype it gets. It's the highest mountain pass in Italy and it's the most amount of vertical gain you can do cycling on any road in Italy. The total climb from Prato, Italy is 15 miles and it averages a 7.4% grade. But the first 4.5 miles are only roughly a 5% grade and the final 10.5 miles average 8.3%. There are 48 total switchbacks and each one is numbered. The first 24 are below the tree line. When you reach switchback #24 you get above the tree line and can see the road snaking up to the top in front of you. It's relieving to be halfway done but also intimidating to see the rest of the ride. This is when the altitude begins to impact you as well. The "teens" switchbacks were the worst. They were long and steep and you were in “no man's land” in terms of finishing. Getting to the top felt incredible and I celebrated with a traditional Bratwurst and a beer. The views along the route are stunning, as are the ones from the top. I bought a sticker that I'm going to put on my touring bike as a reminder of the climb. Even the Italians (who think everything is "flat") get impressed when you tell them you climbed Stelvio. "AHHHH, PASSO STELVIO!!!!" they say as they weave their hand into the air to mimic the steep switchbacks.

DOWN: Descending Stelvio
As memorable as the climb was up Stelvio, it was quickly erased by the descent on the other side of the mountain/into Bormio. Ed went ahead because he was cold. I stayed back to take pictures and thus I descended alone. The only way to describe the descent is cold, stark and eerie. I almost got vertigo as I weaved my way through the switchbacks into the misty, cavernous abyss of the Alps. The road was desolate aside from a random car or motorcycle that buzzed up behind me. Sometimes, I heard cars behind me that weren't there. I had to navigate through a half-dozen one-lane pitch black tunnels without any lights. There were sheer drops to my right with no guard rails. Often people would tell you not to look down when you are in the mountains. In this case I felt like I couldn't look anywhere. Everything was scary and intimidating. I had to center myself a few times. It was cold and it was getting dark fast. I couldn't "manage" my way down. I just had to do it. Roughly 13 miles at a 7% average grade of descent. I can't describe the relief I felt when I finally got into the tree line. I never expect the descent of Stelvio to have such an impact on me.

UP: Varese/World Championships
We stumbled on the World Championships of cycling in Varese on our first ride. We had no idea they were scheduled. It was a nice surprise and we even saw some NYCC members there.

DOWN: Maloja Pass/St. Moritz Arrival
Moloja pass is a mother of a pass, particularly when you are carrying your gear. I was dreading this day of riding before it even happened and it didn't disappoint: 80 miles and 7,500 feet of climbing. Maloja is basically two passes in one. It grinds you down for 17 miles at 4% and then the crescendo is two miles of exaggerated switchbacks at a 9% average grade. I felt like I had nothing left as we got to the switchbacks and the cold really starting kicking in. Putting my winter gear on gave me a nice excuse to take a break. About halfway up, Ed and I had a laughing attack from exhaustion as motorcycles and cars whizzed past us without a care. When we arrived at the top, there was a thick heavy mist that bordered on rain and it was starting to get dark. I convinced Ed to grab a celebratory coffee and when we started on our way again it was pitch black and the road was unlit. We had 10 miles left until reaching St. Moritz and it felt like it was 50 miles. I was holding up a flashlight in my left hand as our guide but it wasn’t doing much with the thick fog. There was a lake to our right and the water was lapping up toward the side of the road – I felt like the creature from the Black Lagoon was going to jump out at us. I was scared sh*tless. If Ed wasn’t there I would have curled up into a ball on the side of the road. We finally got to our hotel about 9pm. It was a long day.

UP: Iseo/Day 7 Ride
The ride to the town of Iseo was awesome. It was basically a downhill shot as we retraced the slow grind we did up Maloja Pass earlier in the week (and much further east). We found a bike path that trailed the lake for 5 or so miles and rode with a local group of riders for a bit. The town of Iseo is right on the lake and had a great vibe.

DOWN: Day 8 Ride/rain/flat
Day 8 was brutal. After the ease of our Day 7 ride, I had a feeling we were in for some trouble. The ride was described as “flat” but you quickly learn that “flat” to Italians isn’t the same as the flat we are used to here. It ended up being a 60 mile grind with a decent amount of climbing. We got lost several times and got caught in three huge downpours. I told Ed early on “this is just going to be one of those days”. “It’s fine” he said “as long as we don’t get any flats.” UGGGGGGH – you never mention flats. NEVER. Rookie move I told Ed. An hour later I got my first touring flat from a thorn.

UP: Italian people
The people are what make Italy so great. It’s hard to describe unless you’ve been there. They are so down to earth and accommodating. They will do anything to help you and they take an interest in what you are doing. They truly live in the moment and live for life’s experiences vs. material things.

DOWN: Swiss people
The Swiss are just plain strange. Maybe it was partly because I was comparing them to Italians but the Swiss are so darn quirky. They’re anal and uptight. Borat needs to work his way through Switzerland with a rubber fist to loosen them up a bit.

UP: Not Burned out
Unlike last year, I’m not burned out on cycling after this trip. I think part of the reason is because I had less anxiety about the trip logistics given the huge buildup of buying equipment and planning I had last year. I feel pretty fresh and am looking forward to getting on the bike again soon.

DOWN: Season winding down
The season is winding down but hopefully I can get in some more solid riding before it gets cold. I’d also love to continue riding through the winter but I don’t want to pressure myself too much at this point.

One Last Spin...

I did my final ride preparation for the trip tonight -- 8 hill repeats on Harlem Hill. I had a great ride Sunday, which was really my first long distance ride since my meltdown a week and a half ago. Between Sunday and tonight, my confidence is rising and I feel ready for the trip. I could be in better shape, but I'm fairly happy with where I am. The meltdown I had recently was very real...it wasn't made up or imagined. It scared me a lot but I realize we can't be "on" every day in life and beat myself up too much over it (the fact is, there were definitely a few mitigating factors).

As far as the overall training goes, I was able to get in the 15 rides I had hoped; although they varied somewhat from what I outlined originally. I ended up doing 531 miles, which is just shy of the 575 I had planned. I didn't get as many hill repeats in as I was hoping for. But overall, I think I did pretty well considering that it was slightly aggressive and things always come up in "real life" that create conflicts. Here's the final report:


As you can tell, I stopped posting the mountain pass overviews. To be honest, I feel like I was tempting fate a bit too much. These mountain passes are pretty serious stuff. I don't want to diminish the challenge or mock them in any way and piss of the cycling gods. I want to respect the challenge. If I finish the passes, I'll write about them afterward.

I realized today that it's likely to be colder than I was expecting on parts of the trip. I need to be prepared for cold weather riding. Better safe than sorry in this respect. The good news is I don't think it will add much weight to my load.
I was planning on doing some pre-packing tonight but I came up with a better idea that will actually benefit me on the trip. I'm going to wake up at 6am tomorrow morning to start packing. I'll finish tomorrow night, go to bed early and wake up on Thursday at 5am. This will ease me into acclimating to European time and give me a better chance of sleeping on my flight Thursday evening.

I may post one more time before I leave, but more likely not.

Ciao.

Tale of the Tape #2: Pass dal Fuorn (Ofen Pass)

Pass #2: Pass del Fuorn (Ofen Pass)
Date: 9/28/08, Day 3
Distance: 21.6km (13.4 miles)
Vertical climb: 676m (2,218 feet)
Average grade: 3.1%
Difficulty rating: 78.75



From Wikipedia:

"Fuorn Pass or Ofen Pass (el. 2149 m.) is a high alpine mountain pass in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It connects Zernez in the Engadin valley with Val Müstair. It was here that a brown bear was seen and photographed in July 2005 - the first sighting of a wild bear in Switzerland since 1923."

Fuorn pass is the easiest of the mountain passes we'll be doing as it ranks 4th in terms of difficulty. But it's also harder than it appears on the surface. While it's only a 3.1% average grade, that statistic is skewed by a long steady downhill dip in the middle of the pass. Essentially, this pass is two relatively steep climbs interupted by a downhill. The first climb is 4 miles at a 6.3% average grade; the downhill is 3.5 miles with a 3.3% grade; and the final ascent is six miles at a 4.7% average grade. The good news is it's all downhill from the pass to our desination of Santa Maria. The bad news is this pass is a lot more difficult than I was expecting before I did this analysis. The trip is going to be brutal.

Trouble Brewing

I could be in trouble for my upcoming trip. I've been keeping to my training program for the most part. Yet, my fitness and stamina are horrible. Yesterday, I did a 55 mile ride and bonked halfway through. It was one of the first legitimate times in my life I didn't want to be on a bicycle. I made it home fine but the psychological impact is lingering. I felt like it was my first ride of the season and I'm concerned right now. There are a few potential reasons why I had a rough day but regardless, I need to build my confidence back. Dr. Ed was with me on the ride -- I wonder how much he's concerned about me being ready for the trip? I know I am.

Tale of the Tape: Passo del Maloja

I'm going to periodically profile each of the big mountain passes we will be climbing on my upcoming Italy trip. There are four in total and I'll tackle each one in chronological order.


Pass #1: Passo del Maloja
Date: 9/27/08, Day 2
Distance: 32.0km (19.9 miles)
Vertical climb: 1490m (4,888 feet)
Average grade: 4.7%
Difficulty rating: 113.47

Maloja pass is in the Swiss Alps near the Italy/Switzerland border. Of the four mountain passes we'll be doing, it ranks 3rd in terms of difficulty but we will be climbing the pass on our longest riding day (80 miles) so it may end up being our most difficult ride. Maloja is really two separate climbs. Starting in Chiavenna, Italy (alt. 325m), we'll slowly ascend 29km (18 miles) to just past Lobbia, Switzerland (1,436m) at an average 4.3% grade. Then, the final 1.9 miles are at an average 9% grade til we reach the pass at 1,815m (x feet). This will be brutal but the views should be worth the work. Then it's a nice easy cruise to the ritzy mountain town of St. Moritz, Switzerland.

A Wasted Trip Worthwhile

Last night I rode my bike to Dr. Ed's apartment in Brooklyn to install my new crankset. Turns out he didn't have the right tools. While it was a waste of a trip as far as fixing the bike went, the experience was worthwhile for several reasons.

1) I got to "commute" by bike for the first time. I was cruising the streets of NYC at rush hour. You not only have to watch out for cars and pedestrians, but other bikes as well. In a word, it's insane. But exhilarating as well. I got to ride the 9th Ave dedicated bike lane for the first time. It's separated from the rest of the street by a median (similar to Amsterdam). It's pretty cool but only lasts for like 20 blocks.

2) Brooklyn rocks. It's a cycling paradise. Spacious bike lanes, lots of other bikers, and respect from cars. It was the total anti-Manhattan. Brooklyn has jumped up to #1 on my list of places to move.

3) Riding over the Brooklyn Bridge is awe inspiring. I was unsure whether I was going to take the subway home but brought my head and taillights just in case. I decided to give riding back a whirl. I crossed the BB at 9pm and was blown away by the lights of the Manhattan skyline. Oh, and apparently it's romantic as well. I spotted about 20 couples making out on the bridge.

4) It confirmed my belief that Manhattan is way too crowded. I know I live right next to one of the most crowded areas (Times Square), but it's crowded all over the place. Brooklyn has a great neighborhood feel in comparison. The biggest drawback to moving to Brooklyn is that it puts me very far away from my traditional rides up into NJ, etc... But there a tons of positives.

Chasing Stelvio

I did a lot of training this weekend. While I deviated a bit from my schedule in terms of destinations, I did longer and harder rides than I had scheduled. While riding I had a lot of time to contemplate my trip. In short, it’s going to be a beast.

Riding Maloja, Stelvio and Gavia passes in a five day span is going to be comparable to running a few marathons. I can’t ride anything here remotely close to these passes for training purposes, nor would I want to because of the physical toll it would take. I’ve never climbed anything close to any of these passes but having done a few difficult mountain passes last year I know what it’s going to require. Most important (and obvious) is leg strength. You need them to feel like pistons firing in an engine. I’m not quite there yet but I can feel them starting to gel. I need to keep the momentum going. One less obvious consideration is hand strength. Applying brake pressure while coming down the backside of a mountain pass can cramp your hands pretty quickly. Once your hands cramp they are toast. I’m going to get some of those hand exercisers to use during the day at work. Finally, every pound counts. I brought way too much gear on my trip last yea r and need to be more efficient this time around; however, it will be easier now that I have some experience. I also need to lose weight on my body. My goal is 205-210 lbs, down from 220 lbs. I’ve gotten down to the 215 lb range already but each incremental lb is going to be a challenge because I will be adding muscle mass during training.

Training Schedule Set

Here's the training schedule I've created to prepare for the tour next month. I'm going to do roughly 575 miles over 15 rides with several hill repeat sessions. I'll try to update my progress as we move through next month.


Ride #1 is 60 miles to Nyack tomorrow.

Gearing Up and Down

The Italy mountains tour is basically a month away and I’m far from optimal riding shape. I’ve been hobbled by a busy work travel schedule and both of my bikes being out of commission. I’ll have both bikes fixed today so it’s time to focus on gearing up for the trip. I’m going to put together a training schedule this weekend. I also plan on only riding my touring bike for the next month so I can get my body back in tune with the Black Beast.

I also need to gear down for the trip. The climbing on this trip is going to be legend…wait for it…dary. I’m going to need all the help I can get so I’m going to swap out my crank set in order to get easier gearing for the looming battles with Majolo, Stelvio and Gavia passes. I plan on doing the bottom bracket and crank set swap myself (with Dr. Ed’s oversight). This will be my first major mechanical project since the maintenance class. I’m assuming there’s a better than 90% chance I end up bringing it to a bike shop to complete.

Italy 2008: The Proposed Route

After many hours of research, I've come up with a route for our tour next month. I've sent it to Dr. Ed for his review. When I sent him a first cut last night, he responded "man there are some serious nutbusters on that route". He was alluding to the mountain passes. We would be doing the two most famous mountain passes in Italy, Stelvio and Gavia. I'll be back with an update when I hear back from Ed.

All for Wobble-Naught

My bike fit has gotten so out of control I needed to go back to the basics and have the bike refit by Wobble-Naught. I could try and explain it myself but here's how they describe the fit on their website:

"Everybody is custom, the bicycle must be a continuation of the cyclist. Using a quantitative scientific method we match the bicycle geometry to the cyclist. Maximum performance will be achieved with a precision custom-fit bike."

I originally had the bike fit by Mike Sherry using the Wobble-Naught system back when I got my bike. But I've gone through so many part changes and fitting iterations I decided to go back to him in order to have my bike refit. He chuckled at how out of whack it was. Further, he told me I really didn't need a custom bike -- that I could fit on most stock bikes (although I should shoot for a bigger headtube).

Riding home my fit felt awesome. It was sooooo out of whack. Back to the drawing board on the new bike but I'm still game on trying to get a custom Pegoretti while in Italy.

Italia Una Volta

I'm pretty sure my blog post means "Italy Once Again" in Italian. Yes, that's right, I'm heading back to Italy next month and I couldn't be more excited.

I'm heading back with Dr. Ed and possibly a few other people. We are going to tour the Lakes District and head up into Switzerland through the Dolomites and Alps. In the words of Costanza "I'm BUSTING Jerry, I'm BUSTING!". The scenery on this trip is going to be mindblowing. The climbing will be numbing.

Best part of the trip is that we are passing through the town of legendary framebuilder Dario Pegoretti. He is on my short list of custom steel framebuilders and I may have the chance to meet him in person for a custom fitting. He built frames for Miguel Indurain in the 80s and was named Framebuilder of the Year in 2007. I'm working on figuring out how to contact him to make sure he'll be around when I'm visiting. Did I mention that I'm BUSTING?!!

Cake Takes the Cake

I'm not sure I ever made it an official "contest" but I've been on a quest to figure out the best music for cycling. It's a no brainer. It's a piece of Cake. Cake takes the cake. Yes, you can have your Cake and listen to it too. Here's the icing on the cake, I'm out of word plays.

Johnny D

I was so tired while blogging Sunday, I forgot to mention an instant classic rider that was on our ride. By way of background, I was co-leading the ride with Maggie -- a woman I met through the club that did a cross-country ride two years ago. Maggie was in front of the pack and I was sweeping in the rear. At a stop light about 10miles into the ride, she veers into a gas station and the group stops. One of the riders had to go to the bathroom badly. Maggie pulled me aside and asked me if I would tell the guy who went to the bathroom to take off his headphones (wearing an ipod is against NYCC rules). "Sure" I said.

After the guy emerged from the bathroom and got back on his bike I casually introduced myself. "Johnny D" he replies in a thick NY accent. He goes on to tell me that he's not listening to music. That he has the headphones on because he has an earache from being seasick all night on a Tuna fishing trip in Montauk. He also tells me this is an easy ride for him because he isn't feeling well -- that he usually does long and fast rides. Confused by both how the headphones were helping his earache and how he was riding 80 miles after being out all night on a fishing trip, I just said okay and moved on.

Johnny D is a strong rider and he's not afraid to show it. At random times he'd just shoot out in front of the pack as if he had a motor on his bike. We climbed a tough unexpected (albeit short) hill and I tried to make small talk about how steep it was. He fired back with a story about how he rode his stumpjumper up a 30 mile hill one time. He was constantly making quick movements around obstacles on his bike -- on one hand it was dangerous but he was clearly in control of his ride. To this point I thought the guy was mildly entertaining. What came next made him downright intriguing.

Waiting at a light about 40 miles into the ride I smelled smoke -- cigarette smoke. I assumed it was coming from a stopped car but it was pretty strong so I turned around to look behind me. Low and behold, Johnny D is cranking on a Marlboro red. Yes, he was smoking cigarettes on the ride. He held back to finish the smoke. I saw at least 3 or 4 other times when he light up. Then on the way back to the bridge 75 miles into the ride and who knows how many cigarettes, he just blows past me as I'm trying to go as fast as I can. Incredible. And so begins the legend of Johnny D.

Two Down

Rode the second century of my career today. Best part is it was completely unplanned. I was leading a ride that was scheduled to go 82 miles but we got lost a few times which put us on pace to do 85 miles. At lunch we had 45 miles down and I was feeling great, despite climbing a bunch of hills. I asked the people on our ride if anyone would be interested in doing laps in Central Park when we returned in order to make it a full 100 miles. Two guys agreed. I ended up doing 102.1 miles, my longest ride ever. I actually feel pretty good -- not nearly as beat up as the first time I did it, which was on a much flatter route. Granted, I do have 6k more miles under my belt since my first century.

A few observations. I've always thought the difference between doing 80 miles and 100miles isn't just 20 miles. I mean, it is mathematically, but as far as effort, those last 20 miles are painful. In fact, the amount of physical degradation from miles 80 to 100 is incredible. Let's put it this way. At mile 70 I felt like a million bucks. At mile 80, probably about $900,000. By mile 100, I felt like 50 cents. Parts of your body just start failing. For me today, it was the bottom of my feet. They felt like they were in fire for the last 10 miles.

Anyway, I'm pretty pumped up about the feat. I'm going to kick back and relax now. In fact, I'm not even going to think about the fact that I'm having second thoughts about Waterford now. I'll save that for another post.

Waterford, Full Circle

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I've been spending a lot of time researching bikes because I want a change. I like my Felt 4C but it's not a proper fit. I've learned more about my riding style over the past few years and prefer a more relaxed geometry that will provide more comfort on longer rides.

As firSSt can attest to because he's seen it firSSt hand, I can be quite analytical when it comes to decision making. And there's more than meets the eye. I've pretty much gone through a trillion iterations in my mind regarding brand of bike, bike shop, frame material, etc...

I've decided to go with a custom Waterford steel frame. It's highly regarded among steel junkies and has a great history. Waterford is co-owned by Richard Schwinn, who is the grandson of the original Schwinn founder. Richard bought the Wateford, WI facility out of bankruptcy in the 80s and has been cranking out custom steel frames ever since.

I pretty much set my heart on steel from the start. I have a steel touring bike and like the ride a lot -- also, I love the old-school nature of steel. In making my decision, I thought about Colnago, custom Serotta, custom Independent Fabrication, etc... But you see a million of these bikes on the road. I want something special. Something different. Waterford fits the bill. Their bikes aren't flashy, but they are well made and have an understated elegance. The most interesting part of my choosing Waterford is the very first time I complained publicly on a ride that I didn't like my bike and wanted a steel one, a guy on our ride ask me if I wanted to try his bike "it's a Waterford" he said. I haven't seen one since. I know him pretty well and see him a bunch. He loves the bike.

It's strange Waterford didn't enter my mind earlier but I guess I was approaching things from what the good local bike shops could offer. When I tweaked the search to start from the manufacturer end, they jumped off the page. I'm trying to schedule a fit appointment with a local bike shop Waterford uses. I'll update the blog afterward.

I Want A New Book

I want a new book.
One that wont go away.
One that wont keep me up all night.
One that wont make me sleep all day.

Apologies to Huey Lewis for ripping off his lyrics, but I do want a new book. Not just any book. I need an inspirational book. A game changer. Something along the lines of King of the Club or Shadow Divers. (If you haven't read Shadow Divers, it's a must read). Of course those two books are only pseudo game changers because nothing changed after I read them. But I thought about changing things and that's a start.

Any suggestions?

Running Back to the Bike

Last night I did the unthinkable. I went for a run in Central Park for the first time in about 10 years. I'm still doing my long Saturday rides but I've been diversifying my exercise lately, playing some tennis on Sundays and running started to enter my head somehow. It was everything I remembered it to be (painful and boring). The best thing I can say about it was it was over relatively quickly. It doesn't take long to run 2 miles.

Some observations compared to cycling:

1) You can't "take it in" running like you can cycling. It's too intense. All I kept thinking was "when is this going to be over?" and had no time to enjoy the beauty around me (in all forms).

2) Granted I only ran 2 miles, but the feeling afterward is totally different than cycling. It's hard to explain but cycling seems to make both your mind and body tired/depleted whereas running really only your legs. It could be because during cycling you are constantly expending mental energy being aware of traffic and your fellow riders.

3) I'd rather ride 100 miles than run 5 miles. Running is painful and not fun.

4) Running kills your feet. They hurt more than my legs right now. Interesting how running hurts your feet and cycling your head. Ok, maybe only interesting to me.

5) I may actually run again despite all the negativity because it's a much more efficient workout.

6) Way too many people have cycling blogs at this point. Granted, most of them aren't sprinkling in posts about Deleveration. But still, it doesn't feel too unique. Not sure there's a point here.

Get Well FirSSt

I haven't posted in a bit because I'm still in a state of shock over my buddy firSSt's cycling accident. It hits home, hard. I'm hoping the road to recovery is as painless as possible for him. The fact he's already thinking about cycling again is awesome.

I haven't been on the bike since his accident. To be honest, it kind of dulled my interest in cycling. I didn't want to ride while my buddy was suffering. It didn't feel right.

But tonight I'm getting back in the saddle. It's going to be my firSSt tribute ride. I'll be thinking of our time riding together in Idaho.

Get well soon firSSt.

Idaho Summer 2008 Top 10

Top 10 moments from my 2008 Idaho vacation:

10. Secesh Summit

This was a fun and challenging ride but the real highlight came when firSSt blazed past me holding out a Cliff bar as I yelled out “MECHANICAL!!!” because my front brake was rubbing as we started our descent. Who knows what he thought I yelled but I sure let him know he broke ride etiquette when I finally caught up to him at the bottom of the mountain 30 minutes later. I wasn't mad - or so I thought - he claims he snapped a picture that proves otherwise but I'm yet to see it.

9. Two golf shots

I had two tremendous golf shots. First, drilling a 3 wood to within 15 feet of the flag from 300 yards out on a par 5. Yes, it was a bit downhill...yes, it was at elevation -- but 300 is 300. Second, a near hole in one on a 190 yard par 3 with a ripping wind. Rolled it to about 4 inches from the stick. In golf they call that shot a Mexican (one more revolution).

8. Ida-hello

I spent a week trying like crazy (unsuccessfully) to get someone to respond to the supposed “insider” Idaho wave (index finger raised casually from the steering wheel while driving). firSSt thinks I was unsuccessful because my finger raise was unnatural. Guess I'm used to raising a different finger in NYC.

7. Finding the real Wall St.

I mentioned to firSSt the possibility of driving to Stanley one day to check out the Sawtooth Mountains (the Alps of Idaho). No way, he says -- too long a drive. Wednesday morning at 8am I hear a light knock at my door. "Stanley, today?" he asks eagerly. He was right. It was waaay too long a ride -- three hours each way. But it was worth it -- partly because he drove. But mainly because the Sawtooth Mountains are incredible looking. Oh, and I also found the real Wall St:


6. Kayaking (sort of)

On the last day of the trip, we decided to kayak up the headwaters of Payette Lake. firSSt and his wife shared one kayak and I got my own. We debated whether to do a half day (four hours) or just an hourly rate. We decided on an hourly rate and I set my watch timer for two hours. After 30 minutes, firSSt's wife and I were complaining about the amount of physical effort required. We returned the boats in about 45 minutes to the shock of the woman who rents them. In Seinfeld-esque fashion I made up an excuse about my back. Halfway through lunch (after visiting firSSt's store and then renting a DVD at the video store), my watch alarm sounded to return the kayaks. We burst out laughing. (This doesn't sound as funny in writing.)


5. A Fishing Hole in One

I tried fly fishing for the first time and I can see why people get addicted to it. It's definitely a fun sport. I think Ross enjoyed it too but he didn't catch anything which is a bit of a bummer. I got lucky and landed a big one. A 22" wild Idaho Rainbow Trout. "This is like getting a hole in one playing your first round of golf" our guide explained right before we tipped her. Hmmmmmm.


4. Boulder Dash

One of the great treasures of McCall is the abundant mountain lakes that surround it. But you have to hike to find them and firSSt and I have a horrible hiking track record together. Last summer, we ventured on a supposed "beginner" hike to Lake Josephine. After a treacherous 5 mile drive, we hiked up what seemed like a neverending incline through snow, slush, mud and frustration only to find a frozen lake. This year, it was the Boulder Lake fiasco. FirSSt was told you could "practically" drive right to the lake. Wrong. You can practically drive to the reservoir. The lake is a two mile hike from the reservoir. However, the McCall hiking guide author writes "I've encountered families with preteen children hiking this trail and fishermen carrying float tubes and all their gear". How bad can it be? we think as literally two minutes after we read this, a family with preteens and fishing gear passes us (chuckle chuckle). Well neither firSSt nor his dog nor I were chuckling after we made a wrong turn on the trail and were scaling huge rock faces and near cliffs to approach what we assumed was the lake. Luckily firSSt has hiked a lot before and was able to find a ridgeline, etc... The reward was worth the effort (for me at least since I didn't have a dog pulling my arm off all the way up the mountain). For the record, you ascend 700 feet in about a mile for this hike (if you go the correct way -- I'm assuming our ascent was steeper because we got off track).


3. Ross Toss

No matter how you slice it, Ross falling off his bike down a cliff was just plain funny. I mean it was only funny because he wasn't hurt. Of course I had no idea he wasn't hurt when I rolled up next to him bellylaughing as he moaned and attempted to climb out of the bush that stopped him from plunging another 30 feet. Add in the fact that some local watched the whole thing from below and yelled out "hey, you guys have an extra pump and tube?" after Ross emerged bloodied and bruised from the fall. I guess we missed the "hey, are you allright?" part. Idahoans -- gotta love 'em.


2. Just Riding

Riding in McCall was serene and highly enjoyable. It was also great to finally do some riding with firSSt. We pounded out 165 miles over five days of riding. I was impressed with his road cycling skills -- particularly considering he just started road biking in the middle of last year. The elements are pretty tought out there. We had some fierce headwinds and the roads can be spotty at times. But there are a bunch of routes with almost no vehicle traffic. That's a thing of beauty.

1. Riggins

Ahhh, Riggins. How do you put it exactly? It has a certain redneck charm. I love Riggins (or Riggo as I call it). Ross loved it too. Of course I didn't actually drive Ross into the town of Riggins -- we just checked out the rugged scenery and main fork of the Salmon River. This drives firSSt crazy because of all the people I've shown Riggins over the years, I haven't actually driven anyone into the town itself. Then when we return and the person starts chatting up Riggins I interject that firSSt hates Riggins. Of course he means the town and not the scenery -- still, it's fun to watch him tapdance a bit.

Screaming Babies

I forgot one vital part of the Secesh ride. As I turned around at the summit, I realized my front brake was rubbing so I stopped on the side of the road. As I was fixing the brake, the wind starting picking up and clouds started forming. I started hearing the sound of babies screaming in the woods. I felt like I was in a horror movie. The hairs were standing up on my neck. Secesh is a creepy spot -- It's in an area where forest fires hit years ago so all the trees are dead. I couldn't fix the brake fast enough.

When we returned to town, firSSt was talking to a woman who climbs the summit a few times a year. "Did you hear the voices in the woods?", she asked.

Secesh Christ

We did the big ride of the week yesterday. Starting in downtown McCall, we rode to the back of Payette Lake and ascended into the mountains. The ride's midway point was the Sesech Summit (pronounced sea-sesh...i.e., ryhmes with Jesus -- sort of). This is a classic McCall ride that most people on do only a few times a year. It was definitely a challenging ride -- 50 miles and several thousand feet of climbing.

I'd write more but I'm pretty pooped from today because firSSt and I played golf this morning and then just did a 20 mile recovery ride. The days are long here (it gets dark at 10pm), which is great -- but it makes for lazy evenings.

Here's a few pics from the Jug Mountain Golf Course we played today:

Idaho Update

I'm on an extended vacation in Idaho that has two parts. First, I was joined for five days by a good buddy of mine, Ross. Next, I'm spending a week with firSSt riding around the McCall area on our bikes.

I dropped Ross off in Boise today. We had a great time and I think he came away pretty impressed with the area. We arrived Thursday afternoon and played golf at Tamarack on Friday. Ross is a great athlete. He crushed me for the first 12 or so holes but I came back to even the score by the end. Tamarack is a beautiful course. On Saturday, we had a local outfitter take us flyfishing on the north fork of the Payetter River. It was the first time fly fishing for both of us -- I had a blast. I can definitely see how people enjoy it. It helped that I caught a huge fish -- a 22" wild idaho rainbow trout. Ross is forwarding me the pictures later and I'll post them here. Saturday afternoon we took a ride up to Riggins, headed east onto the main fork of the Salmon River and ascended back up to McCall through some windy mountain roads. On Sunday, we rode mountain bikes on Tamarack. It was intense. We took the lift up the mountain and rode some treacherous trails down. Ross took a huge digger, falling off his bike along a steep drop. Luckily he was stopped by a big bush about 10 feet down or he might have been seriously injured. He was still pretty banged up though with lots of scrapes and bruises on him. He perserved like the 25 year old he is.



FirSSt and I did a warmup ride today. Cycling here is awesome. We took a back road that runs along farmland with cows and horses. The views of the mountains in the background were serene. I'm pumped up to do some more riding.

You Will Be Happier

I'm sitting at home sick with a splitting headache watching the stock market meltdown on CNBC. One thing I've been saying for years now is once our economy resets and all the excesses are wrung out, you'll be happier. The ridiculous materialistic societal pressures will subside. Most of us will be working different jobs. Jobs where we actually produce something instead of trying to outthink the person next to us. You'll spend less time thinking about how to make enough money to secure your next purchase. Instead, you'll take in more of the beauty in the world around you -- the sun, fresh air, water and mountains. You'll find people acting more like human beings were originally intended to act -- with compassion, consideration and respect. In short, what's truly important in life will once again become most important.

On a more mundane note, I'm praying my headache subsides by tomorrow because I haven't ridden my bike all week. I want to get a few more rides in before I visit firSSt in Idaho next week.

Twin Peaks

I’m definitely a fundamental investor when it comes to dissecting financial markets and securities. However, I’ve grown to appreciate technicals as a nice complimentary tool. One basic chart formation is called a “double-top” , which is defined as a bearish reversal pattern characterized by two highs at roughly equal value. If you look at the S&P Index monthly chart above, it appears we have put in a double top. Fundamentals would also argue for a double-top or twin peaks as I like to call them. The first peak in the S&P was caused by the Internet bubble and the second peak by the real estate bubble. While at first blush it may seem the Internet bubble was more troubling, the real estate bubble is in fact much more troubling and will cause more collateral damage.

Why you ask? See while the Internet seemed much more frenzied and speculative, etc…, it spawned a whole new wave of innovation and productivity for our economy. Sure it was a bubble and a big one at that, but it was funded mostly with equity and had little leverage attached to it other than some margin debt. So after the speculative investment bubble popped, only equity values were impaired and we still had a continuing beneficial impact from innovation/productivity gains.

However, the real estate bubble is a completely different story. Bigger houses and more home improvement centers don’t make our economy any more efficient or competitive. The real estate bubble is reflective of the golden age of financial engineering driven by the Fed’s high octane mix of negative real interest rates and lax regulation on financial instruments. Excessive risk, speculation and leverage were the name of the game and housing was the poster child. We are now paying the price for these excesses. The leverage is being worked out of the system but the problem is that there is more than meets the eye. In addition to vertical leverage (debt), there’s also a lot of horizontal leverage (counterparty risk).

The great money machine of Wall St. is now closed for business and likely so for several years. The benign growth environment we have enjoyed for the past 25 years (e.g., low inflation, low interest rates and low tax rates—both personal/corporate and capital gains) is in the rearview mirror. These factors were unsustainable and are now reversing, which will cause a reversion to the mean in economic growth and household wealth. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out but I predict a long slow grind down to the 1,000-1,100 level for the S&P Index. Few people comprehend the tremendous wealth effect these benign growth factors have had on the New York area. NYC real estate is in the cross-hairs.

On a different but somewhat related topic, lately I’ve been questioning how “economic” our growth really is considering 70% of our GDP is based on consumption. The government gave tax rebates in order to reinforce our bad consumption habits and the market rallied when retail sales were up 1% last month. This is good, how? The government is stretched and so is the consumer. The tax rebates were the equivalent of a financially unstable drug dealer giving away dope for free to an addict in the hopes it revives his/her appetite for drugs to drive revenues – yet the addict can’t afford anymore drugs nor can the dealer afford to incent growth. Something’s gotta give.

In With The Old

For the past few days, my ears have been ringing with the unsolicited fit advice I got after Tuesday morning laps. I decided to skip laps this morning so I could ride on my own tonight and test out my old fit again. I zipped home after work and adjusted my bike back to the original fit measurements I got when I was custom fitted 18 months ago by a local racer who uses the Wobble Naught fitting system.

As I was cruising up 8th Ave toward Central Park, I checked myself out in the reflection of storefront windows and liked what I saw. My back was flatter and I appeared more stretched out. Further, I didn't feel as much pressure on my hands and arms. My old fit, which felt uncomfortable a month ago, suddenly felt more comfortably. Why? Who knows.

As I started my first lap in the park, I ran into a buddy from the SIG. He was in the middle of a warmup lap before hill repeats. I agreed to join him. This guy was kicking my ass in the SIGs. But now I was roasting him on the hill repeats. It wasn't even close. My new old fit feels great. We did 10 Harlem Hill repeats and headed home. I could have done 20 or 25. A year ago, 6 or 8 was my max.

I'm feeling good on the bike again.

Thinking back, I'm not sure why I took Eric's advice on fitting and new parts. He's a freaking mountain biker. What does he know about road bike fit? Not much. But he sure knows how to perk up sales after hours by playing on people's insecurities during maintenance class.

Unfit for Cycling

Shortly after my post this morning, I got an unsolicited e-mail from a racer that does the morning laps critiquing my fit. Turns out all the fine-tuning I did has created a butchered position. Just call me the Dr. Frankenstein of cycling.

Here are the two main issues she pointed out:

1) My upper body is very high.
2) My feet point out, very much. Which will affect my knees (eventually) -- although this may be natural for me.

Man, back to the drawing board. I may need to go back to the guy who originally did my fit. I do have all the key bike measurements from when he did my fit two years ago -- I think first I'll try to move my setup more toward these figures to see how it goes. Adjustment number one will be to move my saddle back on the rails. Fingers crossed.

The Art of War

Perhaps Sun Tzu's most famous quote from the Art of War is "every battle is won before it is fought". Today I lost the battle at 5:40am.

Last week between rain and scheduling conflicts I wasn't able to make either of the Tues/Thurs morning A training rides in Central Park. Today I made my first appearance since I finished all three laps roughly two weeks ago. As soon as I got up this morning I had it in my head I wasn't going to finish. I thought to myself "my legs feel sluggish...I didn't sleep well...man is it hot out"...you name the excuse and I had it ready in my head.

Even as I rolled up to the meeting spot at Tavern on the Green I told a few people I know "man...I'm not finishing today". Guess what? I didn't finish. I did however make 1.5 very fast laps before fading into the distance. The first lap was 16:20 - which is almost a full minute faster than the fastest lap from two weeks ago (17:10). I haven't decided if I'm going to do the Thursday laps or not -- it really depends on whether I decide to do a distance ride tomorrow or not.

Peak to Trough

Yesterday was one of my worst days on the bike. It felt like my first day riding. I’m still mulling how or why it happened.

As I’ve written previously, now that the SIG is over I need to find my own weekend rides. My preference is to ride with friends/people I already know. But the New York Cycle Club has ride listings posted every day (by people who volunteer to lead them). Yesterday I decided to do a recurring NYCC ride I’ve tried once before. It’s a hilly 62 miles starting with River Road and continuing into the Nyack/Piermont area.

I have a true love/hate relationship with River Road. It is my cycling nemesis. It is arguably the most beautiful ride experience near NYC. The road runs along the NJ side of the Hudson River and is carved out of the Palisades rock. The views are awesome, as is the foliage – at times you feel like you are riding through Jurassic Park. Here’s the rub. It’s an incredibly hilly road and you don’t really get much of a warmup beforehand considering it starts right over the GWB. It’s pretty much a nightmare for cyclists like me who need a nice long warmup before tackling hills.

I broke off after we completed 20 miles (just after finishing River Road). I think I pushed it too hard on one of the hills and “bonked” early on. Every pedal stroke was feeling like a struggle and I had no power in my legs. I decided to just ride around NY/NJ for a while. I went to Piermont to visit the bicycle shop there. I then rode to a bagel shop about 10 miles away in NJ. I doubled back to Piermont and up to Nyack and rode along a trail that is right next to the Hudson – very pretty.

In retrospect, continuing my ride after I felt bad initially was a mistake physically and mentally. I took route 501 home into a huge headwind. I was hurting. Then some jerk comes up behind me and starts drafting my wheel. I can barely pedal and someone is using me to their benefit. It was too much to take. I broke off and climbed a long hill to 9W in order to shake him.

As I was riding on the west shoulder of 9W heading south a tan car going 90-100mph came up from behind and passed the car on my left. It was the one lane section of 9W so he passed by heading into oncoming traffic. It struck me as strange at first but I didn’t pickup on the magnitude of the situation until several cop cars also doing 90-100mph came whizzing up as well. About a mile up I saw 10 or so cop cars stopped on the side of the road. I smelled burnt rubber and plastic. The suspect’s car was up on the grass on the west side of the road. The front of the car was completely smashed in and the airbag was engaged. Somehow the driver was able to get away from the car and was on the loose in the woods. The cops were trying frantically to contain the area. It was a full-on manhunt reminiscent of the move Fugitive. Cop cars were blaring up and down 9W. It was bedlam. I’m still trying to figure out what happened. I struggled home and looked at my odometer – 70 miles ridden. I collapsed on my bed and am still struggling a bit physically today.

It amazes me how I had my best and worst days of cycling back-to-back. I can’t do the A training laps tomorrow morning. My spirit is too broken. I’m going to rest a few days and then do a long ride on Wednesday in preparation for next weekend.

House on Fire

This morning’s training laps were like a house on fire. Three laps in 52 minutes, which equates to a 20.7mph average. The lap splits were 17:30, 17:10 and 17:20. How do I know all this info? I finished the ride is how. I feel like a billion bucks right now.

Today’s ride had an interesting dynamic. We had a relatively large group (say 9 or 10 people) and the overall mood was ornery – my guess attributable to still tired bodies and legs from the Berkshires. The park was crowded and there was a palatable tension in the air – we had two verbal altercations with other riders – one of them almost became physical. I’m sure the amped-up tone had something to do with the speed of the ride. We lost roughly half of the group by the end. It’s especially gratifying to finish on such a fast day.

I’m trying to contain my enthusiasm because I want to make sure this wasn’t a fluke. The Berkshires definitely strengthened my legs tremendously and I got lucky in my preparation due to the fact it rained on Tuesday night. This forced me to ride my trainer and I luckily decided to do a recovery workout which was a great move because it removed all the lactic acid from my legs. My legs felt spry this morning while others were still hurting from the weekend. I also had a great night’s sleep. All that said, I don’t want to over think things and ruin the awesome feeling I have right now.

Now that the SIG is over I have to plan my own Saturday rides. There are several options for “A” rides this weekend (70 miles to Bear Mountain, 60 miles to Nyack, and 100 miles to LI). I’m thinking of doing the most difficult one to keep the momentum going.

Steep Learning Curve

The final ride of my trip to the Berkshires culminated with a climb to the famous Bash Bish Falls in Massachusetts. According to the state park website: “Bash Bish Falls is located next to the 4,169 acre Mount Washington State Forest which offers 30miles of trails, including the South Taconic Trail and wilderness camping. They both adjoin New York's 5,000 acre Taconic State Park”.

The route called for us to climb from Taconic State Park on the New York side and descend the Massachusetts side. I was warned beforehand to conserve energy at the beginning of the climb because it became extremely steep at points. I wasn’t prepared for the fact that I would have trouble pedaling several times. The approach starts with a long steady 7-8% grade which crescendos to 18-20% before flattening at a parking lot, which is the rough mid-point of the climb. After some modest rollers, three vicious switchbacks arrived. The switchbacks claimed many victims as cyclists dismounted their bikes and begrudgingly trudged up the incline on foot.

When you attack a hill/climb for the first time, the most difficult thing to overcome isn’t the pavement currently under you, but the fear of what is to come. As I like to say, hills are 90% mental and the rest in your head. The fear of the unknown can have a overwhelming and powerful effect on your psyche. Many people broke down on the switchbacks but I held strong and attacked them on a diagonal akin to “ripping off a band-aid”. This was despite the fact that I literally had problems turning the cranks at some points, even standing. Turns out I have very aggressive gearing – most people had two lower gears than I did, which allowed them to turn their cranks more easily. I’ll definitely be purchasing a new cassette before next year’s trip.

Tomorrow, I’m resuming the early morning “A” training laps with Christy and his pals. I feel the pressure to make a good showing since I met most of the people this weekend. I’ll report back afterward.

No Joke

Just got done with my first ride up in the Berkshires and it is no joke. Today was supposed to be an "easy" ride but turned in a shift at Kenny Rogers Roasters. My legs are toast from all the hills.

A group of eight people set out from Sheffield to ride into the hills and end up at the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge for lunch. We got lost no less than five times, partly because Dr. Ed had to stay in Sheffield to be on call for a patient and Christy wasn't unconfident about the route. Stockbridge, on a straight shot is 14 miles from Sheffield. It took us 35 miles to get there. Granted, we were intending to take an indirect route but we ended up about 10-15 miles off course. Each time we asked Christy how far away we were, he responded "about 5-6 miles". I bantered back "we should have been there three times already".

I want to write more but my eyes are fading a bit. It's really beautiful up here.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Deleveration

In simple terms, our current society and economy is based on the velocity of transactions and money and leverage (aka financial engineering). We are now in the process of experiencing deleveraging and deceleration or "deleveration" as I like to call it. The ease of credit and increased transactional velocity created by the internet created an unprecedented boom in real estate. People were just passing easy $ back and forth very quickly and using creative financing to create more and more explicit and implied leverage. The music has stopped and the greatest fool has been found. The real estate game is done until fundamentals (rental incomes, etc...) come into play -- but this is a long way off. Unfortunately, this real estate game was also driven by another factor that is coming to a head: cheap oil. Thus we may be entering stage two of the great real estate plunge. People who bought vacation homes near and far rely upon cheap oil to drive and fly to their paradise. Suddenly, it's not so attractive to make the trip -- this is going to kill values for vacation homes and resort/tourist areas. This also puts another nail in the NYC real estate coffin as many foreigners have been fueling the boom here -- I wonder how they are going to feel about 50% higher airline tickets?

I could go deeper into how our whole society, culture and urban planning are predicated on cheap energy/oil into perpetuity (which ain't happening) -- but it's a beautiful day out and I don't want to depress anyone. Let's just say it could be a long painful process but the Bully has a cure: Go ride a bike.

Off the Back

Cycling has been pure bliss for me lately. My bike fit and fitness are as good as ever. Last weekend we completed our training group (aka, the SIG or Special Interest Group) with a graduation ride to Bear Mountain and it was like being in cycling heaven – 70 degrees, big puffy white clouds, bright blue skies and a gentle breeze to keep you cool. The route was challenging but fair (80 miles with 5k feet of climbing) and the scenery was beautiful. Now that the SIG is done I have more flexibility in my ride schedule – this is a blessing and a curse as I need serious self discipline/regimen to maintain my fitness. More on that in a bit.

As most of you know, I am a member (and Treasurer/Board Member) of the New York Cycle Club (NYCC). The NYCC has a rich history and like most clubs a hierarchy of venerable members. Arguably one of the most revered members is Christy Guzzetta who served as President for many years in the 1980s and generated huge momentum for the club through his creation of the SIGs in 1986. In summary, Christy started a progressive ride group as a way to court his wife and named it a Special Interest Group (or SIG). His special interest was trying to get in good with a woman (you can read the full story here: http://www.nycc.org/rides_sig_a3.shtml). Today, there are SIGs for 4 different ride levels that hundreds of participants do over a 12 week period starting in the beginning of March.

I’ve met Christy a few times briefly but got to know him pretty well on Saturday sitting next to him at an outdoor patio bar in Cold Spring after our graduation ride (he has a summer house up there so he stopped by with his wife to meet some of the elder statesmen in our group for a drink). Christy has a real natural charm to him -- it’s easy to see how he generates momentum for cycling. There’s a big club sponsored ride weekend up in the Berkshires this weekend and we’re both headed up a day early so we agreed to meet up and ride on Friday with my friend Dr. Ed (another venerable member of the club and good friend of Christy). Christy and I exchanged e-mails on Monday to firm up plans for Friday and exchanged cell phone numbers, etc…

I’m leaving for the Berkshires on Thursday night to ride Friday through Monday and was thinking about my ride schedule for the week as I was surfing the NYCC message board. I came across this post:

Author: Christy Guzzetta
Subject: Training Rides, Central Park

6:00 AM
Tues and Thurs
Meet at Tavern on the Green
A paced laps around the park.
All are welcome.
Leave 6:00 AM sharp.

Perfect, I thought to myself. I love riding in the morning but just need motivation. I e-mailed Christy that I planned to meet him for laps this morning. Waking up at 5:30am was a bit of a chore (as it usually is) but I made it there in time. 6AM sharp, Christy rolled up on a bad-ass custom Richard Sachs frame and was all business. He barely acknowledged me and I wasn’t even sure if he remembered who I was. There were about five other riders there and I was trying to size them up. After about 2 minutes of blasé chit-chat, Christy gave a “ready?” and started to pedal away. I rode next to him for a bit and he asked me a few questions: Where do you live, Jeff?”, etc… I glanced around and noticed everyone in a tight paceline behind him and told him I was going to drop back in line – he nodded in approval. The paceline started to accelerate and weave through the park like a slithering snake picking up steam. We were ripping the flats in the low 20s and steamrolling up hills in the high-teens – the paceline was supersmooth and everyone had a quiet confidence. There was almost no chatter or signaling of obstacles. There was a clearly implied “keep up or be dropped” riding policy. I kept up for ¾ of a lap but was dropped at the top of Harlem Hill after ascending at 16mph (I can only usually accomplish this after a few warmup laps on my best days). I didn’t feel defeated or deterred – I loved the “take no prisoners attitude” of the ride group and was thinking I’d like to join it again and try to keep up. I finished a total of 3 laps on my own and cruised home with some roasted legs but a pretty good spirit nonetheless.

At around 10am I received an unsolicited e-mail from Christy:

The ride got off to a rocket start this morning.

Here’s the deal, you come out 4 or 5 times, try like a
sonofagun to keep up, by the 5 th or so time, you’re in the
middle of the group.

Honest. That’s how it happens. Always.

It takes a bunch of times to get the flow of it.

Right now it probably seems impossible to ever be able to
keep up.

I swear, 4 or 5 or 6 times, you are right in the middle of
it.

Swear.


This guy has me totally motivated – I can’t wait for Thursday morning to get here...

The Great American Blame Game

Here’s the American dream in a nutshell. Do nothing for 40 years, retire and do less. We’ve lost our competitive edge as a nation because we produce nothing. Our whole society is based on paper pushing (sorry, I mean financial services) and consumption. In order to consume as much as we do, we import goods and export debt. Someone explain to me how this is sustainable? In order to fix the imbalance, we are going to either need to work harder, consume less or some combination of the two. The forces to drive this change are in motion (falling dollar, higher inflation, etc…) – it’s unfortunate we weren’t able to proactively change them on our own terms. It’s very likely a massive redistribution of labor is on the horizon.

Call it what you will but we are clearly having a fall from grace in this country and I believe it stems from one main indomitable trait we hold as U.S. citizens: ENTITLEMENT. Nobody wants to look themselves in the mirror and take responsibility for their own actions – it’s always someone else’s fault. Everyone faults George Bush for attacking Iraq but at the end of the day he did it to secure the oil our country consumes. When push comes to shove, every president is a populist – he’s going to pursue policies to get the American people what they want. George Bush attacks the Middle East, while Obama will shake their hands – all in the name of oil. If you want to blame anyone for attacking Iraq, blame yourself as an oil consumer.

Last night in our maintenance class I couldn’t contain myself when Eric was complaining how the government’s stupid decision to use ethanol as a gas substitute was driving up food prices. With his permission to speak candidly, I hauled off on him (just to clear the air, we’re cool now -- he was just busy the day I came in the store/The Morning After). I told him I found it laughable that a guy who drives 100 miles a day round trip to work and consumes tons of oil would complain about the very problem he is causing. I couldn’t script a better example of the American Blame Game. Of course he went into a story justifying how he can’t take the train because he’d miss time with his kids, etc… I’m not trying to sound insensitive but there’s always a way to justify the habits created by our momentum. This also highlights another absurdly irrational mindset we have. Every person I speak with agrees we consume way too much as a country yet nobody thinks they consume too much themselves – this is a mathematical impossibility.

The Bully has a cure all for what ails our country: Go ride a bike.

Not so Fast

Took the Brooks out for a ride last night and it just plain doesn't fit. The front/nose of the saddle is too flat. I compared it to my current saddle and noticed the Brooks nose doesn't slope down which is a function of its design. In short, the saddle was nosing around my genetalia. On the bright side, it's been a while since my genetalia's been nosed. I digress.

So the saddle is for sale on ebay right now. There's a slim chance I may profit from the sale as I found a place in England that had a killer about $100 lower than anywhere in the U.S. Assuming there's at least one idiot bidding who doesn't know how to use froogle to search for best price, I will at least break even.

I only got 10 miles in last night due to my saddled mind. I'm not sure I could have done much more as my legs were still roasted from the difficult weekend riding. I'm taking off tonight and will do a longer ride tomorrow night (25-30 miles), but with a nice easy pace. Saturday is the big graduation ride of 100 miles culiminating in the climb of Bear Mountain.

Dialed-in

I know it’s going to upset at least one of my readers who was rooting for my back wheel to fall off (just in the name of good blog content), but my ride on Saturday actually went well. I decided to use my backup wheel to remove one controllable variable. The other variables (my riding shape and the bicycle fit) also held up surprisingly well. I was shocked at how well my conditioning held up. I have to give some credit to the better fit, which is giving me more power and ultimately stamina because of better comfort. I really dialed-in the fit at the halfway point when we broke for lunch – I moved the saddle up a bit and tilted the nose. Final stats for the ride were 85 miles and 4,500 vertical feet of climbing.

On Sunday, I rode my bike to my brother’s house in CT for Mother’s day. I was originally intending to ride my touring bike so I could pack some clothes, etc... in the panniers but I ended up using my road bike with a backpack because I was so pumped about the fit/feel of the bike. I took the 6 train to Pelham Bay Park, the last stop, in order to cut down on the overall mileage since this was going to be a recovery ride. This is the first time I’ve done this route and I definitely underestimated the hilliness. I’m not sure there were any flat sections – I was either going up or down. I ended up logging 40 miles, which was the perfect distance but there was too much climbing and I also underestimated the extra work associated with 10-15 lbs on your back. As far as the route quality, about 50% of very scenic – the other 50% was the exact opposite and in fact, some of the route was through ghetto areas. It’s amazing how quickly the terrain changes from beautiful Greenwich to crack houses.

Just got my new Brooks racing saddle in the mail. I was cautious about putting it on my bike since I had everything so perfect but I think this will be the cherry on top. We have our training graduation ride this weekend. It’s a 100 mile ride culminating with a climb to the top of Bear Mountain (not for the faint of heart). I’m going to ride the Brooks saddle this week and see how it goes – typically there’s a 500 mile break-in period for a Brooks but out of the box it doesn’t feel any less comfortable than my current saddle. First impressions are good – I got the titanium rails which cut down on the weight – I was surprised by how light it felt – it’s only 100 grams heavier than my current saddle. That’s a lot for a weight weenie but only ¼ lb in the real world. I’ll just skip a few potato chips today at lunch to make up for it.

The Morning After

Remember back in college when you hooked up with the hot girl you always had a crush on and you thought it was the start of a storybook relationship? Then when you saw her at the bookstore or on campus the next day she acted like she barely knew who you were and it sent daggers through your heart?

Well, I just had that experience with Eric, our maintenance class instructor. When he made the fitting adjustments for me on Monday, he asked me to e-mail him with how it felt after I rode. I e-mailed on Wednesday that it felt great but that I was coming over the top a bit and maybe it was that my cleats needed to be moved forward on my shoes – I asked for his opinion and also if they had cleat replacements since mine were shot. No response. I called the shop the next day to ask if they have the cleat replacements. Yes, we have one more they say. They begrudgingly agree to hold them for me (in the back area where Eric works) after I tell them I’m in the maintenance class.

When I visited the shop on Thursday to get the cleats it was like Eric barely knew me. He is so animated during the class and now he was like a robot. I asked a few questions about the fit and he was going about his business giving me a few “uhu”'s and “right”'s. Pure blowoff lingo. I felt used but then again, it may be a bike shop, but it’s an NYC bike shop.

Last night when I rode the fit suddenly felt awkward. Was it a reflection of my interaction with Eric? Who knows. What I do know is my shifting started getting weird and I was losing power. I moved my seat around a bit. Still issues. This sucks. BANG. My cassette (back wheel gear sprocket) explodes into pieces. I replaced my cassette on Wednesday and apparently I didn’t tighten the lockscrew enough. I fixed the wheel when I got home but who knows if it’s defective/will come off again?

Now I have three issues for Saturday’s ride, which is a brutal 85 mile climbfest. First, I haven’t had a serious ride in two weeks (I was in Vegas last weekend for a bachelor party and have been super busy at work). Second, I’m still not 100% confident in my bike fit. Third, I have a potentially defective untested back wheel that could come undone at anytime.

Ain’t cycling grand?

Stroke of Genius

I’ve really been thinking about the fit of my bike lately as I’m not getting as much power as I think I should be. Further, I don’t see or feel as much muscular development in my legs this year, which indicates I’m not positioned correctly.

After some self reflection, self-measurement and triangulation, I definitely think the top tube of my bike is too long (the top tube is the bar on the bike that is below your crotch when you are standing over the bike). It’s 58cm but should likely be 56cm. While bike posture is a complex interaction of many measurements and angles, the basic impact of a longer top tube for someone like me who is inflexible (muscle-wise) is that you are more stretched out which can impede your leg stroke bc you feel too compressed in your hip area.

Unfortunately, top tube length really can’t be changed. I was convinced I needed a new frame to accommodate my measurements. However, Eric from my maintenance class has made some genius revisions and recommendations that have really improved my posture and power. Basically, he gave me a steeper angled stem which brings the handlebars higher and has recommended shorter reach handlebars. Effectively these changes will give me the feel of a shorter top tube.

I had my first ride with the new stem last night and it was incredible how much more comfortable I was. Also the power was back in my legs and I could feel my muscles working more directly. I felt a little pain in my kneecaps but that should be easily fixable by tweaking my saddle position. Now I just need to change my handlebars and my problems should be solved.

Suffer-O-Rama

Suffer-O-Rama is the story of my life lately. Work has been brutal -- stockpicking is no easy task these days and the hours have been long. This creates a huge conflict for my cycling training. In order for me to get an effective ride in outdoors, I really need to leave work no later than 5:30pm given that it gets dark just after 7pm. That's a near impossibility.

So, I need to resort to unusual measures and last lines of defense. Yes, I need to use the trainer. Oh man. Talk about mental torture. The trainer SUCKS. Actually, maybe it's not the trainer. Maybe it's Coach Troy who SUCKS. See, for the 50% of my audience who don't cycle, Coach Troy is the instructor on the cycling training video series Spinervals. Coach Troy is an enigma -- you respect him because he pushes you hard but you despise him because he is so damn glib about it. The bottom line is the trainer is a necessary evil if you want to maintain a consistent workout regimen. I realized tonight it's a great compromise because I can get a full days work and a great workout in the same day. I own about eight spinervals DVDs -- each one has a different focus with a catchy title (e.g. Spinervals 7.0 The Uphill Grind). When I got home tonight and perused the titles, the choice was pretty clear: Spinervals 3.0 Suffer-O-Rama.

The Bully’s Fab Five

***Programming Alert***

Over the next few weeks I’m going to be posting my top five favorite rides in and around NYC.

Please resume your normal daily activities.

Bullying NYC Traffic

Unlike most NYC cyclists, I love riding my bike in the city. It's a true adventure and definitely more art than science. The biggest mistake most people make is that they are too timid when they ride in the city -- it's much better to be assertive than passive. Most vehicles respect aggression, even from a bike.

There are exceptions to the rule though. Buses and cabs are the alpha males on the streets of NYC. Buses are to be feared and respected. I never mess with a bus because a bus can phuck you up good. Riding next to a bus is like swimming next to a whale. When the bus turns, it creates a huge tide of movement and you can get whacked out of nowhere. Repeat, I steer clear of buses.

Taxis on the other hand...well, there's a lot of friction between cyclists and cabdrivers in the city. They are trying to make a living and we are an inconvenience. Unlike buses, I will pretty much take on a cab at anytime in terms of road positioning. I'm pretty much on code red/high alert at all times. If a cab disrespects my rights as a cyclist, I will make sure he pays the price. Taxis are like children -- they are always pushing their boundaries and they need to be disiplined. While some of the things cabdrivers do are grey area and up for individual interpretation, there is one pervasive annoyance I won't tolerate. When a taxi sees a fare on a crowded street, he will dart across three lanes at full speed and stop short at a 45 degree angle cutting off the bike lane. This is so dangerous for everyone on the road, including cars and pedestrians. When a cab does this to me I go around the drivers side and pound the living shit out of his back door. I've probably given a half dozen dents so far this season. I will also jawbone the living sh*t out of him. I consider this preventative medicine as hopefully next time he'll think twice about trading a $10 fare for a $500 dent in his cab.

Class One Review: Two Wrenches Up

The first maintenance class started pretty slow and didn’t hold much promise. It was raining all day so only 5 of the 8 participants showed and only one brought their own bike. This guy Oz brought his brand spanking new Cervelo C3 CSC tricked out with Dura Ace components and Mavic SSC SL wheels -- FirSSt would have loved it. (PS, if you tried to picture what an Oz would look like you’d be 180 degrees off – this guy was 60 years old, milkbred and no streetsmarts).

The class takes place after hours in the back of Bicycle Habitat, a bike shop in the village. We all pulled up stools around the bike stand where the Cervelo was perched and our teacher/mechanic, Eric, asked everyone their level of knowledge in bike mechanics. Everyone but me said they basically knew nothing. Ugghhhh – I’m thinking this may be even more painful than I was preparing myself. “Anyone ever change a flat?” Eric asks. Everyone shakes their head no. Oh man, bring on the pain. Noone has changed a flat here? Have you RIDDEN a bike before, I thought to myself?

After the flat changing exercise things started to crank up. Eric started wheeling through the bike components explaining how to fine tune derailleurs, set brakes properly, lube the chain, etc…Some of it was very basic but altogether it was hugely informative. I always have problems getting my brake centered over my wheel and now I know how to fix it myself. That piece of info alone was worth the two hours. We also got to ask questions freeform and Eric explained that we will be building a customer’s bike from scratch during one session. AWESOME. He encouraged us to bring in our bikes so we can fine-tune them as part of the class. Additionally, he’s going to fit us to our bikes at the end (a second opinion to Wobblenaught can’t hurt). We’re also going to tackle wheel truing as well.

I’m pretty pumped for this class now. I was going to bring my bike this week but the rain prevented me. I think next week I’ll be bringing it rain or shine because the benefit is huge.

I also predict a stint as a bike mechanic in my future. I love the whole setup back there – the badass bike stands, the classic rock humming over the speakers, miles of tools and a tool chest for each mechanic. I ask Eric which tools he likes. He looks at me funny…”Park of course – why would you buy anything other than a company that stakes its reputation on making tools?” Dumb question I guess. I look forward to asking more of them next week.

Maintaining Some Balance

You can never have too much balance in your life (who’s writing this blog, Yogi Berra?). About two weeks ago I realized that I was spending too much time thinking about the stock market and economics. Every night I would come home and watch three hours of CNBC after work – no wonder I was tossing and turning at night with so many opinions running in my head. So I made a rule that I can’t watch or read anything about economics or the stock market during non-work hours. Man has it helped my peace of mind.

One outlet for my increased free time will be to improve my bicycling maintenance skills. I’ve signed up for a 6-week class at a local shop here in NYC and tonight is the first meeting. Here’s how the schedule shakes out:

Week one - Introduction to the course. This class focuses on tires and tubes, the relationship between comfort/speed/flats in selecting tires. Hands on: fixing a flat. Troubling shooting the causes of flats.

Week two - The different types of brakes are covered. Hands on: Brake cable and brake pad replacement and adjustments, and lubricating key brakes parts. Trouble shooting brake problems from squeals to poor braking.

Week three - Introduction to shifters, front and rear deraileurs. Hands on: Cable replacement and gear adjustments and lubricating key gear parts. Trouble shooting gear sounds and worn cogs, chainrings and pulleys.

Week four - Introduction to Bottom brackets. Hands on: overhaul and adjustment of the bearings Trouble shooting shot bearings and poor adjustment

Week five - Introduction to hubs. Exploration of front hubs, rear hubs and the types available. Hands On: Replacing and adjusting hub bearings. Trouble shooting loose or tight hubs.

Week six - A chance to ask questions not covered, review problem area and discuss properly sizing and fitting you to your bicycle.

The course may be a bit basic overall for me but I’m sure I’ll pick up some interesting info. I’ll report back on tonight’s class later in the week.

A Record Week

I crushed it on the bike this week, cranking out 170 miles. My legs are feeling it though. Outside of Italy, this is the most amount of mileage I've ever pumped out in a week -- surprassing the 145 miles I did the first week of July last year.

Yesterday was the highlight of the week. I rode 70 miles with my training group and we were blazing. We got done in under 5 hours, including two rest stops for food and slower mileage in and out of NYC. We were blasting out 22-23 mph on the flats for a good part of the ride. I was dead tired yesterday though.

Today I went for a recovery ride into NJ to one of my favorite bagel shops -- Ronnie's Bagels in Northvale. It's 40 miles round trip -- I tell people I go there to get my Sunday bagel. I wore new bib shorts which were a bit too small so the padding (chamois) was in the wrong place and I felt uncomfortable all ride. Wow did I learn my lesson on picking the right cycling shorts. This is one area I'm no longer skimping on. Only the best from now on. In fact, I got a pair of Assos winter knicker hand-me-downs from a buddy two weeks ago. I rode them last weekend and was in awe with how good the padding felt. I'm trying to muster up the strength to pay $200 for cycling bib shorts as we speak. It's a tough hill to climb.

Ride on.

Repeat After Me

Hill repeats put hair on a cyclist's chest and should be a staple of any respectable riding diet. In case you are not familiar with hill repeats, here's how they work:

1) find a long, fairly consistently sloping hill.
2) ride up said hill.
3) turn around and ride back down said hill.
4) repeat steps 2 and 3 until you can't feel your thighs.
5) ride home gingerly.

In the words of John Cougar Melloncamp, it hurts so good. The first time you do hill repeats you can't imagine ever doing them again. But when you start blowing away your fellow group riders on hills, it becomes strangely addicting. Almost like taking a legal form of steroids and only you have the secret potion.

After six weeks on the bike, I'm starting to hit my groove and I'm feeling great. So now I'm mixing in hill repeats and I'm loving it. Bring on the pain.

Human Footprint

National Geographic Channel is broadcasting a show tonight called Human Footprint, which highlights the quantity of the world's resources each American consumes. I've been anxiously waiting for it to air ever since I heard about it earlier this week. I'll report back with interesting tidbits.

A Craning Skyline (Abatements Gone Wild)

The NYC real estate market is in for a rough ride. The Manhattan skyline is one big row of cranes. Call it Murphy's law or just sheeple being sheeple, but there's a ton of supply coming online at exactly the worst possible time. It's much cheaper to rent than own -- and it has been for a while. With confidence waning, most will be waking up to this reality (sheeple have been denying it for years to justify their purchases).

New developments on face look reasonable compared to renting bc the taxes are so low from tax abatements. But noone reads the fineprint to see how much the taxes will be jumping up in 10 years when the abatements expire because they expected to be flipping. Well now they'll just be flipping out.

Here's a quick sketch on how much cheaper it is to rent than own using midtown west as the example:

Purchase price for 700 sq foot apt @ ~$1,200 sq. foot: $850k

Money Down: $170k
Mortgage: $680k
Monthly Mortgage Payment @ 7%: 4,500 or $2,700 tax effected @ 40% tax rate
Maintenance: $1,100 or $880 tax effected @ 40% tax rate assuming 50% of maintenance is tax deductible..
Opportunity cost of $170k downpayment: $700 of tax-free interest a month invested in a 30-year muni bond @ 5% coupon.

Total monthly tax-effected ownership cost: $4,280
Rent for 700 sq foot apt: $3,400

So it costs you over $800 more a month to own than rent and that doesn't take into consideration upfront and backend closing costs, which would probably run about 10%of the apt price or $84k in this case. If you plan on living in the apt for 5 years; however, you would have paid down principal by $41k and thus, assuming no appreciation, the net costs would be $43k or $8k per year or $666 a month.

Clearly, in order to justify purchasing at today's prices you have to be assuming there will be some nice price appreciation since the renting proposition is much more economical.

In other words, look out below.