Maiden Voyage on a Ship of Fools....

Sunday April 26, 2nd Voyage

 

Maiden Voyage on a Ship of Fools.... 

I can hear it in my head crisp and clear, well as crisp and clear as a Jerry recording could be on any given night at a Grateful Dead Show, and the lyrics just kept pumping through my head on Friday afternoon as I was out on Phantom for her Maiden Voyage:

"Ship of fools sail away from me

It was later than I thought when I first believed you

But now I cannot share your laughter, ship of fools"

It didn't start that way, but it sure became the way really fast.  Rule number 1 of riding a bike with electronic gears.  Make sure your gears are charged.  Crazy we have come to a world where it is hard to be smarter than the bike you ride.   The gearing is quite sophisticated these days and power is required to make them work.  I was lucky, I was doing a thirty minute easy ride, and that I was doing low power, low HR, and high cadence and my bike was stuck in the granny gear.   For feeling like a fool, and having Jerry crooning in my head about the Ship of Fools, it was still a nice ride.  It was really good to get out on Phantom and give her a test ride.

300!  This is not Sparta!

Saturday was a major achievement.  300 lbs... I don't remember the last time I was 300 lbs.  So close to being under it.  Yet, still so far away.  75 pounds since joining WW.  That is an accomplishment.  I got close on WW back in like 2003, I got within spitting distance at 306.  In the summer of 2024 I got to 309 or was it 311.  Again, close enough to spit at it.  Now here we are.  Finally, after what seems like a lifetime and next even thinking I would smell it again, I am right there.  I could not be prouder of myself.  I have worked hard.  I have tired everything.  However, coming how to WW and here I am.  So close to the next step.  

It is not all numbers on a scale though.  I feel good. I feel confident.  I feel like I am learning and growing each and every day.  I feel my joy going up.  I feel good!  I am in 3 x shorts again and 3 x shirts.  I have moved into a smaller bike jersey and smaller bike shorts.    

And my socks are just cool!

I feel so excited for life right now.  I feel like I am at the beginning of a journey.  I accepted my 75 lbs award with gratitude.  I have it sitting on my desk, where I can use it as a reminder of how far I have come.  Gratitude is our most precious gift.  If you want to re-write your brain, practice gratitude.  

2nd Voyage of Phantom

The bike was charged on Sunday morning.  It had been on the charger since early Saturday.  We would not have a repeat of Ship of Fools.  I made sure my gears were shifting.  Unfortunately, the speed shifters were the only thing not working.  The bike is registered to a Ruby.  Ruby has a password.  I don't know Ruby or her password, so to get speedshifters working I will need to reset the whole system.  That was a job for another time, I wanted to ride, and all I was trying to do was give the bike a fair shake and it would be good for me to learn how to use the proper shifters.  

So, 9 a.m. or so yesterday morning I was off.  I learned a few thing about Phantom on Friday.  1) Always charge my gears, I have ridden electronic for 3 plus years, I know better, 2) her seat needed to be tightened otherwise it was going to tilt back, I did that, and be patient with the speed sensor for some reason for the first few miles it likes to drop off and come back on so my bike is beeping like a truck in reverse.  So, by the time I got to Winslow the seat was holding fine, the bike was shifting, and the speed sensor finally decided to stay connected.  God, I hate that beep!  However, I told myself we would look into when we have a minute.  

My mind tells me now that riding Phantom is like riding on air compared to Cylon.  However, I think that is just how memories work sometimes.  I remember thinking on Friday the two bikes felt no different.  However, they actually do feel different.  However, I am different now too.  75 lbs pounds will do that to a man.

I wanted to ride hills.  I just didn't know what hills I wanted to ride.  I need to ride hills.  Kentucky kicked my ass and Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have similar pain in store for me.  There was  moment of madness where I thought I should go to the lake and try to ride those monsters and that time will come, but yesterday was not that time.

I wanted to go to Vernal Pike.  Vernal was my first climb in Bloomington since the return.  I hated every minute of it, and thought it was the hardest thing I could do.  I remember wheezing like an old goat.  i remember my HR spiking.  I remember thinking I am going to die.  Oh the drama!  HR came back down, wheezing subsided, and well I am still here. I have climbed up and over Vernal multiple times and it was always a challenge.  So, I figured we should go back to where it all started.  Climb there first, and go from their.  However, instead of going all the way to Elletsville after the climb, we were going to turn around and go right back over the damn thing.  Do a little repeating.  Work those legs out.

I took the B-line out to 17 where 17 becomes Vernal.  I went up with ease.  Heading that way towards Eville on Vernal, was not crazy hard.  I had a decent cadence and decent speed for me.  I was not sure where i was going to turn around and I still had about 10 minutes before I hit the hour mark, so I decide to ride to the Karst Farm Greenway but instead of turning on that, at the light I turned left and did a little more uphill basically by going left on Loesch and taking it to the end.  When we got there we had hour marker and stopped for a quick lunch and photo (see above at very top).  

After a 5 minute break for lunch.  Who doesn't love an Uncrustable.  I got back on and headed back to Vernal.  This time it was not as easy.  It is steeper going from Loesch to B-line than vice versa.  However, while I did breath heavy, I nailed it.  It was hard, but not impossible.  I grounded myself in the moment and kept pedaling and before I knew it I was up and over.  The first time I did that i remember getting to the ramp over the freeway and stopping and leaning over the handlebars and sweat just dripped from me.  This time, no need to stop, just kept on going to the trail and headed back.  

This is where I noticed a difference between Cylon and Phantom.  Especially going through Switchyard Park and getting back to Winslow.  Phantom road so smooth and I was was cranking out cadence.  I felt so good.  I felt like I was riding air.  She was a fast machine, I kept  her motor clean, and she was the best damn wom.... wait, wait, that is AC/DC not me riding the bike.  Sorry... I noticed a difference there.  It could be in my head but it felt easier to come back up winslow to home as well.  Overall it was a great ride!  The 2nd Voyage was a success!!!!  20 Miles, 1,175 climbing, and 2 hours on the bike.  Loved it!  Can't wait to go back out.  I am heading to Gem Bikes this weekend for a fit, hopefully Saturday afternoon.  They are great people and have gone above and beyond with me on the bike!  If you are thinking bike I would reach out to them!

Here is to another great week!!!!