Urban Biker

Four Weeks In, The Training Is Really Starting To Work

lkahney — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:30:42 +0000

Four weeks into training, and the work is finally starting to pay off. I’m beginning to feel like a bike rider again.

The first couple of TNT Saturday rides were miserable by the end. My ass hurt and my hands were numb. I just wanted to get off the bike and never get on again.

But Saturday’s 43-mile loop around Woodside and Menlo Park was great. It was mostly flat except one nasty little incline on Page Mill Road (which I suffered up, even though it’s not very long), and the hill up Old La Honda Road at the end, which wasn’t so bad. I’m starting to learn about pacing and proper nutrition.

Instead of hammering as hard as possible from the start until I blew up, I’m taking things at a much more manageable pace. This is the benefit of riding in a group. The group sets a sane, manageable pace.

And instead of eating and drinking nothing but plain water, I’m feeding myself on the ride. I used to go 30 miles flat out and wonder why I was shagged. I’m drinking some horrible endurance drink. It tastes like sewage, but makes a huge difference.

At the end of this ride I felt really energized. It was only 43 miles — but it’s great to start to feel a bit stronger again. There’s still a long way to go though.

About the Death Ride — "That Which Does Not Kill Us"

lkahney — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 07:20:58 +0000

The Tour of the California Alps — better known as The Death Ride — is 129 miles and 15,000+ feet of lung-busting climbing.

As they say, “That Which Does Not Kill Us.”

Racing to Save Lives

lkahney — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 05:14:45 +0000

For the first time since I was a kid, I am raising funds for a good cause: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) as a participant in their Team In Training program.

This July, we’re going to ride our bikes 130 miles through the High Sierras and over five giant mountain passes (15,000 feet of climbing). It’s called The Death Ride. Why? Because it’s a killer.

The Death Ride is a grueling sufferfest — a day of never-ending pain. But training for it is a great way to get in shape.

The pain of the the ride is nothing compared to the pain suffered by victims of blood cancer. That's why I'm trying to raise money for the Leukemia Society.

Can I ask you to help this year?

Please use this link to my Fundraising Page to donate online quickly and securely plus learn more about my progress. You will receive a confirmation of your donation by email and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation.

You can also send an old-fashioned check made out to the Leukemia Society, directly to me. Remember, all donations to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society are 100% tax deductible!

If you need any help, please don’t hesitate to contact me and I’ll walk you through it. I’ll even take your credit card number over the phone and enter it into the LLS system (no trips to Cabo, I promise).

Each donation helps accelerate finding a cure for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. More than 823,000 Americans are battling these blood cancers. I am hoping that my participation in Team In Training will help bring them hope and support.

On behalf of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, thank you very much for your support. I greatly appreciate your generosity.

Thank you, Leander Kahney

You can follow my progress here on my Death Ride Blog. I’ll be posting regular updates about my training for this challenging event.

P.S. I would appreciate it if you would forward this to as many people as you can to encourage them to donate as well. Thanks again.

Thomas Edison Rode A Fixie

lkahney — Mon, 07 May 2007 00:11:35 +0000

Inventor of the telephone, the light bulb, the stock ticker. Obsessive milk-drinker. Fixie nut. Here’s Thomas Edison doing some tricks on his fixed-gear bike, circa 1899. Watch it and wish you were this bad ass.

Track Biking in San Francisco

lkahney — Wed, 02 May 2007 14:54:48 +0000

This short video of track bikers in San Francisco is beautifully put together, with great shots set to lovely music,. It makes biking in San Francisco look extremely romantic and attractive. Watching it, you think to yourself, “I wish I biked there.” And then you remember, I do — and it sucks! There’s potholes and SUVs and idiots everywhere, and I almost get nailed every fucking day!

Gotta Love Small Town Japan

lkahney — Tue, 01 May 2007 04:15:39 +0000

My broheem lives and works in Japan’s Okayama prefecture, a calm little corner of the country next to the sea. On April 5, somebody dropped their key at the bike parking area. This is how they got it back.

Nerdy Vermont Wheelies

lkahney — Tue, 01 May 2007 04:10:57 +0000

This video was shot at my alma mater, the University of Vermont. A.k.a. “Groovy Youvee.” I don’t know what’s more Vermont about this guy — the obvious white boy clueless haircut-and-shades combo or the tricked out boom box MTB combo blasting the roots reggae. This guy pulls some serious wheelies all around the UVM campus. At one point, he flies by the very spot next to Redstone hall where I puked in the bushes and then got arrested by the dorm cops after getting drunk for the very first time at age 17. Good times!

Need a New Fixie?

lkahney — Tue, 01 May 2007 04:02:02 +0000

The Italians have you covered. I have to say, those arm warmers are freaking fantastic. Might want to consider something a little more substantial in the pants department, though. [pic via GIOS]

Bohemian’s Beauty Tandem

lkahney — Tue, 01 May 2007 03:56:11 +0000

I can only imagine riding this sick-looking machine on my morning commute. Makes me want to find a job where the wifey and I can work together so we’ll have a good excuse… From Bohemian Bicycles in Tuscon, Arizona. Full gallery here.

Grand Theft Bike Tokyo Style

lkahney — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 20:51:52 +0000

Pic by Joan Veldkamp/L.A. Times

Great story from the L.A. Times about the Tokyo police nabbing a bicycle thief, then tracking down the bike’s owner and returning it personally.

“But the guy who stole my bike from outside a Tokyo train station one recent Saturday night wasn’t looking for anything flashy. He was drunk — it was payday and he had over-celebrated. He had slept well past his stop and was kicked off the last train of the night at the last station on the line. It was a crime of necessity: Steal the wheels or walk.

My bicycle was available because I never lock it. Not even when I’m leaving it outside a busy train station overnight.

This is Japan. Nobody steals your stuff here. Safest place in the developed world. You can look it up in the guidebooks.”

Link