CyclingNews.com: Lance Armstong Reveals He's Jewish!

...Actually, no he's not.

His real name is not really Levi Aronovich, he doesn't use a non-Jewish body double to race on Shabbat and Chagi'im, and Mellow Johnnys will not be opening up a shop in Tel-Aviv.

I've been getting smacked around all day by cycling-related April Fool's posting on the interwebs that I felt obliged to do one myself (Jewish-theme, of course). However, since today is a busy day for me, I did this post in, like, three minutes.

Here's a much better job of an April Fools post. This one is good also.

2009 First Ride

So here it is, and here we are.

It's January 1st, 2009. The cyclometer shows nothing but zeros; all of the numbers from a massive 2008 cycling season are now erased, and there is left to do is spend the next 365 stuffing as many new numbers in there as possible. Of course, they're not just numbers, but over the course of 2009, they will represent experiences and memories - pacelines, climbs, sprints, descents, breaks, chases, open-road cruising, and even relaxing recovery rides. They will be experienced alone, with team mates, Sunday morning group rides, and most of all, those riders we hook up with along the way out on the open road who's names we don't know, may not know, might not remember, but for a few miles will become friends in the our cycling world.

As for The Complete Jewish Cyclist, the new year is only Gregorian. I greeted fellow velojew Tom Jones (www.528k.com) this morning with a hearty "Shana Tovah", Hebrew for "happy New Year", though it was all in humor as shana tovah is reserved for Rosh HaShana rather than January 1st. He was one of a group of riders out in Washington, DC to turn laps on the 3.2 mile circuit of the Haines Point peninsula. Now of course, people called me everything from "brave" to "crazy" for venturing out this morning - it was 28 degrees with frigid northerly winds - and also strange since at 11:00 AM on January 1st, people are supposed to be in bed with a hangover.

Well, I may seem to be brave and/or crazy, which is understandable when you're just one cyclist rolling out of your apartment building. But when you join about 30 or 40 riders doing the same thing, then you find that normality comes in numbers, even if normality is defined by being brave and crazy. Actually, we are neither: we aren't brave because it really is quite pleasant riding on mornings like this (there were even people out golfing on Haines Point), and we are not crazy because we are highly prepared, geared, and practiced in riding on days like today.

As for today's ride, it was not what I was planning for. I usually make my first ride of the year an easy spin, simply working out the kinks of a month off the bike and starting off my base mileage. Instead, 17 miles of today's ride was like a Sunday morning A-paced ride. Pretty much all of the local teams were out on the Point, including Vday, Bike Lane, Squadra Coppi, NCVC, Kenda, Proteus, and myself as the sole Bike Rack DC rider. There was another team out there who's name I couldn't recall, but thier two guys had matching kits and bikes. Fair to say there were some guys (and gals) out there who live for things like upgrade points. The pace was fast and furious, the big rings came out the moment 2009 dropped, but the riding was still intense. Not how I planned today's ride to be, but I'll take it anyway since it was a lot of fun and a nice way to begin this new year.

All in all a good day on the bike, but there's still 364 days to go, so B"H it will be a season that sees success, prosperity, health, and happiness on and off the bike, a 365 day period to improve on the great 365 days that proceeded it.

Here's the stats from todays ride on the Giant TCR-C2:

• 2 1/2 hours of riding

• 42.06 miles

• ave. speed: 16.5 mph

• max speed: 28 mph

Happy New Years Ride

For The Complete Jewish Cyclist, the new year is already under way. It's already 5769, and that started back in September on Rosh Hashana. For cyclists and everybody else, though, the New Year on the Gregorian calendar begins tommorow at midnight. Of course this is reason to party, and as difficult as the world may seem right now (no reference to a particular issue), it's nice to know that we have a fresh, brand new year to write a new chapter in the continuing saga of our live - a clean slate in which we will try to author the best story possible.

So why not kick it all off on a high note and hoist a champagne flute at midnight, let out an exhuberant cheer, and kiss somebody special if you can, or at least give somebody a gesture of goodwill. And then start your year right with a January 1st ride.

Whether you live by the Hebrew calendar or by the Gregorian calendar, the cycling season truly begins January 1st for the serious cyclist. Just like you have the opportunity for a clean slate in life going into the new year, you also have a clean slate going into the 2009 cycling season. My recommondation for a New Year's ride is simply to enjoy it. Whether you are a recreational rider venturing out on an entry-level hybrid or a hardcore racer set to burn the road on your carbon fiber bling machine, this is a ride to simply enjoy. No pressure and no pressure yet. No goals and no agendas, just get out there, pedal, and enjoy the ride.

After all, hopefully you will have a very full and prosperous cycling season in 2009, and as it proceeds, so to will the needs, demands, and sacrifices to sustain such a season, especially for racers and high-performace riders. But on January 1st, 2009, there will be none of that, just a pure, clean, unhindered ride upon which to build on for another great cycling season, which B"H will be fun and safe.

Year-End Review

Well, Happy Chanukkah (or is it "Hannukah", or "Hanukka". Eh, don't bother - no matter how many ways you can misspell it in English, there's only one way to spell it correctly in Hebrew). Not that Chanukkah is a big gift-giving holiday, unless of course if you're a little child and a plastic dreidel and a chocolate coin mean the world to you, but if you are hoping for an awesomely cool present to out do your Xmas-celebrating neighbor, then I hope you get something light, blingy, and carbon.

As for The Complete Jewish Cyclist, I was hoping for some bottom bracket tools, but in reality, I'm not about gifts on Chanukkah. I prefer my festival of lights Israeli-style. Gimme the Chanukiah lights, a sufganiyot, and my family and friends, and I'm as happy as the Xmas-celebrating neighbor who just found a full Campagnolo Super-Record 11-speed gruppo under the tree.

And while I'm at it, for all of the non-Jewish cyclists checking out this blog, if it's your thing, then have a Merry Christmas. I hope you do get that Campy gruppo, but no matter what you get, ride safe, happy, and healthy anyway.

_______________________

As seems obligatory, a blogging cyclist has to do a year-end review post, and here's mine, which I'll make brief do to me having a lot of work to do:

2008 was the best cycling year of my life. Not only did I rack up more miles than ever before and post my best-ever race results, but I also reached the highest potential of my riding yet. I put less focus on bikes, and more on riding and training. My focus was on the cyclocross racing season, from September through December, and along the way, I concentrated on conditioning my body to go hard for 40 minutes. I spent a year doing intervals, hill work, speed work, and fast endurance riding.

Best of all, I also rode this year while also being a first time father. Like some of you out there, I am not a pampered Belgian pro with nothing to do but ride, train, and race, and get paid to do it. I'm married with a family and a full-time job, plus Jewish commitments which come with time restraints. I rode in the early mornings, I rode in the late evenings, I rode on Sundays, I rode whenever I could invent or create the time, and I paid my way throughout (but with some great help from my shop and team - The Bike Rack).

I did a lot, but I didn't do it alone. No cyclist really ever does, and I can't be proud of this season if I don't stop and thanks those who helped me do it. So here is, to the best of my memory, a list of those who helped me have the best cycling year of my life:

My Wife

Behind many a weekend-warrior cyclist is a spouse, and the spouse sometimes has a hard a job to do off the bike as we do on the bike. My wife has risen early in the morning with me to go to races, helping out on race days when it was below freezing in some god-foresaken field at some ungodly hour so I could live my cyclocross dreams. She has put in overtime watching our son while I was out on training rides, greeted me after the rides with patience and support, and allowed me the financial flexibility to pursue cycling. She has sacrificed for me, supported me, encouraged me, and even disciplined me. She helped make my training rides and race days reach their full potential, and I could not have had this season without her.

My Son

He's only one, and soon he may just be kicking ass on the lil' Belgians circuit. In the meantime he's made sure that I began my rides and races with a smile and a baby giggle, and I finished my rides and races with just the same and more. He's been up with us at the pre-dawn hours to go to races and he's been a trooper on race day, keeping the smile at 7:30 AM on a sub-freezing day at the race course. He never had a meltdown while a race was in progress, and he waved a rattle during the races in the same manner as others wave cowbells. He's my inspiration, and he makes me the happiest and proudest father in the world.

My Family

My Mom and sisters were there with me all season giving support, as were my wife's family as well. Amongst Orthodox Jews, it's not easy to explain leg-shaving, expensive bikes, and 40 minute plus one-lap races in muddy fields, but they supported me none-the-less. Special thanks to my Mom for going the extra distance in the past and the present, and also to the memory of my father who long ago mutter those most important cycling words in my presence: "face it, he's obsessed".

My Friends

Sure they may have poked fun at my lycra and shaved legs, and made sure that I was missing a great Saturday night party because I was asleep early to race in the morning, but they also supported me and encouraged me in this. In particular, I want to thank my best friend Barry from Holland for his support, my Summit Hills crew for mixing good-natured ribbing with real and serious support, and to Andrew Matranga for keeping my work day velo, no matter how much productivity we sacrificed in pursuit of the best that two cyclists on IM can offer.

My Sponsor and Teamates

I've said it before, and I'll say it again; The Bike Rack DC, and in particular, John Bavier, opened the doors of cyclocross to me. Racing CX has always been a dream of mine, and Bavier initiated the grassroots effort on behalf of Bike Rack to start a CX team and give riders like me a chance to race. The Bike Rack itself has been a great shop to ride and race for. They're a new shop in the DC area, but they hit the ground running and reached out quickly and passionately to the local riding and racing scene.

Special thanks to Chuck Harney and Wayne Lerch, the owners of Bike Rack. Chuck helped me this year with the selection and purchase of my Giant TCR-C2 road bike, which made all of the difference in my training. Wayne is always a fun support, but was also a very real support at the DCCX cyclocross, where I had my best race of the season. David Fike is probably one of the smartest bike shop guys out there, and was extremely helpful in helping me with the wheel selection on my road bike. He also gave me technical support at the Tacchino Ciclocross. Also thanks to all of the great guys I've ridden with on the Sunday morning shop rides and at the cyclocross races, in particular Richard Murby, Seth, and Skinny Dutch Guy, for allowing me to keep at least one lung on the climb up Angler's Hill.

And of course, special thanks to the people who make the sport so special - the people I meet along the way. In particular, they are the people whom I spend plenty of time with from the end of September to the beginning of December. During the cyclocross races, I aim to tear them to pieces, but more often than not, they do that to me. And if I'm not racing in their races, then I am proud to cheer them on. Most of all though, it's before and after the races, where I enjoy their company and humorous banter about this very serious velo lifestyle of ours; Matthew Bartlett, Mike "Blue Dog" Giancoli, James "Unholy Rouleur" McNeely, Steve Riskus, Ryan Dudek, Tom Jones, Jim Ventoso, all of the cool Proteus, NCVC, HUP United, and Squadra Coppi folks, and so many other racers, many who's name I don't know but faces and competition I eagerly await every cold, muddy Sunday.

And Finally...

...Baruch HaShem. I wouldn't be The Complete Jewish Cyclist if I didn't acknowledge the Big Directeur Sportif above. Jewish Cycling is about more than keeping a riding and racing schedule around Shabbat and Chagim. It's about more than riding powered by kosher drinks and supplements. Jewish Cycling and Jewish Life are both about discipline and structure that bring about a great life worth living, and I feel blessed to be a student of the bike and a student of the Torah.

'nuff said. Thanks to all, and I won't go into what I'm thinking about for 2009. I'm just thankful for 2008, and for that, I say thanks to so many people out there, thanks to cycling, and most of all and above all, Thank G-d.

Year-End Mileage

This is the cyclometer from my singlespeed road bike. About 120 miles of this is from Sunday training rides and playing around, but the rest of it is from riding to and from work and using those commutes as training rides. I live nine miles from my office, but depending on the route, the morning rides could be up to 30 miles, and the ride home could be up to 15 miles. Through it all, my little Specialized Langster suffered only a broken spoke and no flat tires, though it took a beating and kept on ticking.

This is from my road bike, which I bought in August and only got to ride on a few Sundays plus one weekday ride. However, being that the bike is full carbon fiber, those were 507 fast, comfortable, and confident miles. If you're thinking about buying a carbon bike, I highly recommend the Giant TCR line.

BTW, no mechanicals or punctures on this bike either, plus no flats on my 'cross rig, so that makes 2008 a flat tire-free season for me. Yes, 2,633 miles for 2008 and the only damage was one popped spoke and no flats. Sweet!

(update: just did a quick 12-miler before Shabbat. No flats, no mechanicals. Made it through the year safely - B"H. Shabbat Shalom to everybody, and I'll see you on the roads January 1st, 2009).

Battleing a Cold to Battle in the Cold.

Achoo. Sniffle. Sneeze. Achoo. Ugh...

Oy Vey! I've got a cold. A nose running, power-sneezing, worn-down feeling cold. I've gone through a whole box of tissues today, probably a whole tree's worth of Kleenex. Either way, I'm self-medicating with lots of sleep, hot chocolate, and that most Jewish of medicines - Chicken Soup. Luckily, there's all of one kosher restaurant here in DC, and it is right near my office, so The Complete Jewish Cyclist can stroll over during lunch for a bowl.

Final 'cross race of the season is this Sunday, the Capitol Cross Classic in Reston, VA. Looks like it's gonna be real cold, and maybe some snow on the ground, but after an intense season focused solely on riding and racing cyclocross, it all comes down to this. Afterwards, I hang up the bikes for a month (maybe) and focus on other things, starting with a season review and our first installment the bikes of the New Jewish Peleton, starting with of Niel Fiet's sweet new Specialized Roubaix Comp.

In the meantime, it's off to bed I go to flush out this nasty little cold so that I can bring the pain (to somebody else's legs) this Sunday.

Oy!

Just a little more Tacchino...

...The real Tacchino, that is.

And with that, Happy Thanksgiving ("Yom HaMo'edim" to all of you Hebrewphiles).

As for The Complete Jewish Cyclist, he took a back seat to his wife, whom today became The Complete Jewish Runner, busting out a very respectable 10k early in the morning. I was thinking about doing the run myself, but didn't want to risk some nasty running injury like a shin splint with just one week to go until the Capitol 'Cross race in Reston. Besides, can you picture a cyclocrosser like me doing a family fun 10K? It would be all fun and games until the gun goes off and I start elbowing and shoving people to get a good line into the first corner.

Also, cheering fans are way more fun at 'cross races than at running races. Fans at a running race call out a delightful "you can do it - go go go!". Compare that to the abuse a 'cross fan can dish out; "C'mon, get on that wheel - take him man, make your move - HUP HUP HUP!".

Yes, if I'm running, there better be a bike on my shoulder and a muddy ground with barriers underneath.

Then I prepared the stomach with a strong afternoon training ride, busting out a fast thirty miler with a good deal of climbing and fast, big chainring riding. Had a great moment when I passed a kid on a BMX bike. About a few moments later he sprinted past me, fell behind, and did it again. He turned out to be the Maryland State BMX champion - an fast rider and a nice guy. I told him I'd better see him in the next Olympics. When you read about how much power those guys can generate on a BMX bike, don't underestimate that - those guys can crank. Want proof? Consider the exploits of two former BMXers; Robbie McGewan and Sven Nys.

So we finished off the day feasting on all sorts of hearty and heavy, yet kosher fare. We had the traditional Thanksgiving turkey, plus the traditional Jewish brisket. Nothing dairy, but we did have some awesome parve desserts and finished it off with some good single malt scotch and some strong coffee.

'Nuff said. I'm a bit fat now. I'll burn if all off next week when I throw down some training rides in advance of the Capitol 'Cross.

Dude, Seriously, Update Your Blog (Part 2)!

Oy!

Life can get very busy, even for The Complete Jewish Cyclist. I'll admit to right now to not being the most prolific and productive blogger out there. OK, so here are my excuses:

1. I'm knee-deep in the cyclocross season. Granted, this is only a six-race season for me, but a lot of training has gone into this season, and it continues this Sunday with the Tacchino Ciclocross. I finished something like 42nd here last year, but this season has been going well, with consistent top-thirty finishes and a dip into the top-20 with a 19th place at DCCX. I just need to keep the focus and concentration going, and still remember to have a good time because cyclocross is pure madness - the most painful fun you can have on a bike. After that race comes the season-finale; The Capitol Cross in Reston, VA.

2. The temperature is dropping here in the Mid-Atlantic region, but the Bike Rack DC Sunday morning shop ride still goes on. When I'm not racing 'cross, I'm on this awesome ride, even into the cold weather.

3. With the cold weather and short days, I'm only getting in one, maybe two commutes to work a week. I love cycling and this has been an awesome season for me, but I'm just looking forward to finishing it on a high note and finishing it. I've hit most of my goals for the year, so now I'm concentrating on placing as high as possible in these last two races for the year.

4. And of course; family, friends, and work. No to demean any of those - I'm very thankful for all of them B"H. Still, they command a lot of time, which means that velo time is limited, and that time is best spent pushing pedals and not computer keyboards.

That's all for now. Thanks for taking the time to read this post, and all of the other posts, and for those closer to me, thanks for being patient and understanding of my cycling lifestyle. Don't worry - in just a few weeks time, I can go out on a Saturday night instead of staying home to shave my legs and prep the bikes and gear for a Sunday-morning hammerfest on the roads and in the fields (the latter usually requires a 5:00AM wake up call).

Enough with the words. Blog posts without pictures suck. Here's the rear derailleur on my road bike:

Cold Morning Commutes

A true cyclist is not a fair-weather cyclist. After the summer fades, warm breezes give way to cool winds; blue skies turn grey, and the foliage loses its green lushness revealing skeletal forests, a more defined community of cyclists take command of the roads and trails. They are known by many names, but most common are terms like "hard-core roadies", "cyclocrossers", and "die-hard commuters".


They're also called "nuts", "crazy", and "ridiculous", but the cycling world is sustained over the off-season by these riders, and for these particular riders, thier cycling lives become sustained by riding well into the weeks and months when many a rider has traded bikes for skis or simply a saddle and waterbottle for a couch and mug of hot chocolate.



Such are things I think about when riding to work on cold autumn mornings. Yesterday's commuting weather was in the upper 30s with relentless cool breezes, the kind that present a wall of resistance to a hard working rider and slices through all forms of cycling clothing, no matter how technologically advanced. I could simply take the Metro train to work, sit in a cushy seat, read the paper, and nod off in a heated car watching a cold, morning world blur by.


But I can't. I race cyclocross. I have two races left this season. I still need to be training, still need to be pursuing top results for myself and my team, Bike Rack DC. This season began January 1st, and after 2500 miles of training, many in the form of my morning and evening commutes, it's nearly over but not over yet. The Tacchino Ciclocross in Leesburg, VA and the Capitol Cross in Reston, VA, are the final objectives for me this year, and I plan to max this season out to the very end. I've turned my commutes into training rides; nine miles door-to-door became 20 miles of speedwork here, 30 miles of intervals there, and still more after work in the form of strength training or hill work. For me, these lonely rides on frigid mornings late in the year as as crucial as warm summer commutes at the height of July.

With that in mind, I took one final look at the weather, and matched the right layers of clothing to 37 degrees with a cool northwest wind. Truth be told, I enjoy cool weather riding. While warm sun on skin is a wonderful feeling during the dog days of summer, being bundled up in layers of lycra, polypropeline, and wool has an enjoyable coziness all its own. And as a single speed commuter, I can wear the thickest, warmest gloves possible since I don't need to worry about tapping at small shifter paddles tucked behind a brake lever. So with backpack stuffed and bottles filled (hydrating is as important on cold mornings as it is on warm afternoons; you can cramp in either one), I rolled out.


Hitting the road midweek in the early hours of a cold day is a very different feeling than a Sunday midsummer ride. The blast of cold is evident immediately, though the warming efforts of a strong ride are incentive enough to go hard. That's just the physical factor, but the psycological factor is a much bigger element; the bike paths and roads look, seem, and feel much more deslolate. There is a feeling of loneliness, vunerability. But then it pans out to this; in this solitude, cycling is not longer "hip", "trendy", or "popular". Withouth the fair-weather masses and warm weather buzz, this is when cycling becomes real. In solitude on rides like this, the cyclist is just that; not lost in a crowd, but blatently identified. At this point - mid-November on a cold weekday morning - the riding is the product of, the show of serious love and passion for the sport, a commitment to this lifestyle, which at times has people labeling us as "nuts", "crazy", or "ridiculous".

Savlinut, Bevakasha...

...that's Hebrew for "patience, please".

As you can figure out by now, I am a passionate cyclist, and passionate about sharing the sport and lifestyle, which is one of the reasons I do this blog. And just like on other cycling blogs and websites, I eagerly await new content and new pictures on a daily basis. However, this being a blog by an observant Jew, and this being the holiday-laden Hebrew month of Tishrei (think a very busy Jewish December), new content is on hold until after the chagi'im/holidays.

To give you a better idea, this has been my October so far: ride, work, holdiay, ride, Shabbat, race, work, ride, holiday, work, Shabbat, race, work, ride, holiday...

Mondays feel like Fridays, Holidays feel like Shabbat, Shabbat feels like Sunday, Thursdays feel like Mondays, Shabbat feels like holidays, and my whole riding/racing schedule feels like Swiss cheese.

So bear with me through to the end of the month, then I'll post more on a regular basis. In the meantime, Shana Tova u'Metukah, Chag Sameach (we're up the Hoshana Raba/Sh'meni Atzeret/Simchat Torah at this point), and keep riding.

Dude, Seriously, Update Your Blog!

Sorry Everybody. The Complete Jewish Cyclist has been lying stagnant for a little longer than I would like it too. Busy right now with riding, parenting, riding, work, riding, sleeping,riding...you get the picture.

Cyclocross season is just around the corner, though. I will be racing at the Charm City Cyclocross and the Ed Sander Memorial 'Cross for my first two races, so I'll update the blog with those as well as something I'm cooking up, which is a training program for the upcoming Chagim, or better known as "How to deal with the High Holy Days as if they were bike races".

You need pictures, though. Don't have any new ones, so here's an old one. It's the 'Dale after a particularly muddy ride last February. Hopefully this 'cross season will be a muddier, messier one that last year, which turned out to be one big grass and dust fest. For all of the Jews out there who will be praying for a good rainy season this Sukkot, please keep this in mind (after thinking about the agricultural cycle in Israel first, of course).

Overheard on Today's Shop Ride...

"When we get to the hill, the skinny Dutch guy will tear the lungs out of your chest"

- Chuck

"Watch out for the twitchy Jew and the spastic Sicilian"

- Andrew

"It's Sunday morning, everybody's in church, so this is when the Jew boy goes riding"

- Me

"Ah, studying the 'Velorah'"

- Andrew (and thus, the sketchy Sicilian gives Jewish cycling its first official term)

License to Thrill

Well, I may not have shmita to disseminate rabbinical discourse, and I do not have certification from the OU to designate kashrut, but there is now one thing I sure as heck to have:

My racing license!

It's my first USA Cycling/USCF license in almost 15 years, so I'm back to the beginning: cat. 5 on the road and cat. 4 in 'cross. I raced unlicensed last season, so this year I don't have to deal with one-day license registrations and fees (though I did have to pay for the license, which is standard). The best part, in not having to do the day-of-race license, which includes a usual lengthy wait on line in addition to filling out a form and digging around for cash, is that I can pre-register at bikereg.com, then show up to the race venue and start warming up once I get my race number (sometimes you can pick your race number up the day before the race, but that means Saturday - a no go for The Complete Jewish Cyclist).

BTW, I'll be racing again with the 'cross team from The Bike Rack out of Washington DC. Check out the team and the shop at www.bikerackdc.com.

Crushed: New PR for the pre-Shabbat Time Trial

32 Minutes over 9 miles at 16.4 mph.

Now of course, that isn't actually fast at all. In an actual time trial with roads closed and aerodynamic bikes, a nine-mile time trial would be ticked off in less than half an hour, twenty for the true speed merchants. But this is no ordinary time trial; this is the Pre-Shabbat time trial, a uniquely Jewish cycling discipline.

In fact, it's not really a time trial at all.

It's actually just my Friday commute home. The commute itself is brutal; the nine miles include a good deal of climbing - everything from a long, sustained climb to a series of short, steep walls, near-gridlocked traffic sections and the usual inconsiderate DC drivers, wearing a loaded backpack, and doing it all on a singlespeed with 42x17 gearing. Also challenging is that there is no time for this to be a leisure ride. As Shabbat beckons on the whims of the western horizon, this ride is a mad dash home where a litany of pre-Shabbat preparations await. Once off the bike, it's a matter of vacuuming the apartment, setting up the hot plate and timers, making the pre-Shabbat phone calls ("Hello Grandpa, nu, gut Shabbos"), taking a shower, and trading lycra for formal wear.

The goal? Ride home as hard and as fast as possible, get the chores and preparations done as quickly as possible, and then there is time left over to run out and stock up on good Belgian beer (Leffe makes for both a very good kiddush wine and a nice way to sooth the sore legs on an erev Shabbat). And of course, there's nothing like having those sore legs durirng Kabbalat Shabbat as a sense of accomplishment and pride of being a Complete Jewish Cyclist.

A Night for a Sport Other than Cycling

Putting cycling to the side for an evening (and riding for today, including the crucial Thursday interval session - bad Jason!), The Complete Jewish Cyclist became The Complete Jewish Baseball fan; our company took us out for an evening to the new Nationals Ballpark in Washington, DC to see the Nats take on the New York Mets.

Now of course a baseball game is a far cry from a Belgian Classic, and the Nats and Mets are not CSC-Saxo Bank or Caisse D'Epagne, but it was still an enjoyable time. The ball park was absolutely wonderful - clean, well-lit and appointed, very convenient to fans, and lots of fun. My company treated us to a buffet dinner, and they brought in special kosher meals for me. However, the beers were still ballpark beer, so The Complete Jewish Cyclist had to drink Budweiser instead of a fine Belgian Ale commonly preferred by pure cyclists.

The game itself was interesting. Being Jewish, it's no surprise that I am originally a New Yorker, though it is surprising to most non-New Yorkers that I am not a Yankees fan. I grew up going to Shea stadium with my father, and I was a Mets fan, Baseball fan, and little-leaguer until I discovered cycling. That was back in 1985, one year before the Mets won the World Series, and the same year Greg Lemond won the Tour de France. Still, the kid and New Yorker in me endured the joking displeasure from my local coworkers as I cheered on the Mets to their 9-3 victory (though the Nats do have a player named Ryan Zimmerman, also a Jew, whom played a nice game tonight and I gave him his due). The most interesting part of the night is that the Mets fans at this DC stadium outnumbered the Nats fan; blue and orange reigned supreme over red and white.

But now the baseball is over, and it's back to cycling. The Langster, revived for some more riding, is propped-up near the front door and ready to go tomorrow. The morning ride will be an easy spin, and the afternoon ride will be my pre-Shabbat time trial - 9.5 miles of pure violence and speed, with a significant climb in the opening miles, and undurlating tear through Rock Creek Park, and three leg-burning sprints up the final three climbs. If I make it home in time and get the pre-Shabbat preparations done, the hopefully I'll have time to run out and restock the Belgian Ale (Leffe makes for both a for a fine kiddush wine and a post-cyclocross beer). The riding is critical, though; Sunday is a 40-mile group ride with the Bike Rack, and the last 20 miles are at race-pace, so it's pedaling and miles on Friday to keep the legs fresh and carbs on Shabbat to keep the engine revving.

But for tonight at least, it was kosher hot dogs and cheap beer at the ol' ball game. Go Mets!

In the Beginning...

Better something more than nothing. No, it's not some Talmudic bit of wisdom nor pivitol lesson of this week's Torah portion. Rather, it's just that: something more than nothing, merely, something to kick things off on this blog which aims to explore and enjoy all than happens when the Torah lifestyle meets the Hardcore Cycling lifestlye.

I'm in the progress of typing up real, content-laden entries for this blog, but not tonight. Tonight, I have a beat-up, over-worked, horribly abused Specialized Langster to breath yet a little more life into for tomorrow's commute/training ride. It's late, yet the strong coffee is poured and the teflon dry-lube is on the ready. The Park stand is set up and the tool box is open with a motley assortment of Park and Spin Doctor surgical tools. The Langster is creaking and groaning, grimacing and moaning. The poor thing has 1520 harsh miles on it this season and takes the abuse of it's dual role as commuter and trainer for the upcoming cyclocross season. It's seen rain, it's seen snow, it's seen speed and it's seen the ground. Yet, the valiant thing soldiers on with the fighting spirit of any serious road bike out there. A Colnago it may not be, but a trustworthy steed for The Complete Jewish Cyclist it is.

So a little coffee for me, some teflon dry-lube for the Langy, and eventually, lots of Jewish Cycling all of you out there.