Vermont to Switzerland
A month of extremes.
3/27 Lake Champlain, finally a chance to ride!
3/25 Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC
3/17 On the road for work near Winchester, VA.
3/10 View from our room at the Ritz Carlton St. Thomas with St. John in the distance.
3/9 Sailing in the Virgin Islands.
3/8 Snorkeling with Jen in St. Thomas.
3/1 Snowshoe with Jen and Maya.
I managed to ride my February century on the last day of the month. I left the office far too late and rode another slow century around Mt. Mansfield. It was sloppy slow ride of mechanical mishaps – I lost my rear blinkie from my Carradice twice (the second time over some railroad tracks killed it), the chain sucked into the chainstays twice, I dropped the chain once, the new saddle needed several adjustments, I fell (clipped in, landing on my knee) leaving a convenience store as an SUV doing twice the speed limit bore down on me, and my computer ejected itself from my stem 2 miles from home. I chalk the drivetrain mishaps up to the salty overspray that coated the entire bike – my chain was in trouble at about mile 50 and I listened to it chirping the rest of the way home. It took me half a day to do a proper cleaning – and for good measure I pulled the bottom bracket to find it filled with water (most likely from cleanings and last falls rain rides).
The middle third of this ride was wonderful – great views as I pedaled through Johnson, Hyde Park, and Stowe – the landscape very different from January – lots of snow on the ground and in the mountains. As I left Waterbury the sun set and the runoff started freezing. The last 20 miles was misery into the wind heading back to Burlington and dodging ice on Route 2.
A fountain or spring in Stowe that has frozen over and over… this was not here last month!
February 26, 2007
Waterfront, Burlington, Vermont
This afternoon I wandered out on the Surly for my longest fixed gear ride to date. I covered approximately 32 miles with 2,100 feet of climbing from the New North End to South Burlington around about ‘Reverence’ – the whale tails sculpture off I89 – and Hinesburg.
From Wikipedia:
Reverence is a sculpture created by Jim Sardonis in 1989. The sculpture depicts two tails of whales “diving” into a sea of grass and is meant to symbolize the fragility of the planet. The tails were made from 36 tons of African black granite and stand 12-13 feet tall.
Whales in Vermont
The Whale Tails are more than just fanciful. Fossils of marine invertebrates found in the Champlain Valley reveal that Vermont was underwater as well during the Paleozoic Era, more than 300 million years ago. the last glacier melted away about 12,500 years ago, and the sea poured in. This inland sea was inhabited by many of the animals that inhabit the North Atlantic today, including mollusks, sea urchins, squid, herring, cod, salmon, seals, and belugas. In 1849, while constructing a railroad, workmen uncovered the bones of a beluga whale in a swampy area in Charlotte, Vermont. The fossil beluga is housed in the Perkins Museum at the University of Vermont. By about 10,000 years ago, the Champlain Valley had risen above sea level. The Valley’s waters drained northward into the St. Lawrence River. This river flows north of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. Over 20 fossils of ancient beluga whales have been found around Lake Champlain.
I had hoped to get close to the sculpture – I’ve been curious about it since I first ventured to Burlington more than 6 years ago. They reside just off of I89 in Williston – approaching by bike I rode through a business subdivision – Technology Park. They were far off in a deeply snow covered field near the interstate – so I’ll have to make another journey this summer to get a closer look. The sculpture has found itself into several art history books, as well as onto Roadside America, and onto the cover of Weird New England. Reverence is not as odd as the Free Stamp which caused quite a stir in my hometown of Cleveland – but the tails are a bit surreal and oddly out of place the first time you come upon them from the interstate. Silhouetted against the sky, they are a stark reminder that the only constant in this world is change.
Contemplating the sculpture in the winter landscape as I pedaled along I came upon several snowmobiles at a trail crossing. While I was out keeping myself relatively warm in my wool layers and minimal gear, riding along on a simple machine powered by my legs and lungs – the snow machine operators were bedecked in goggles, helmets, and heated thermal suits sitting atop complex, noisy machines requiring significant inputs of energy not only to move about – but to transport and maintain. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for them as they tore about atop their cloud emitting two stroke machines – insulated from the environment they were traversing – and the friends they were out enjoying it with. A simple twist of the wrist and the whine of the engine would rocket them over the road and up the trail. In contrast I pedaled in relative silence listening to the occasional winter bird and the hum of wheels on the pavement and the sound of my breathing. The only clouds I created were those of my breath in the cold air as I blended the gearing on my machine and the strength of my body to power me through the local topography. The contrast between us became even greater when I approached a gas station with a parking lot full of SUVs and pickup trucks with attached trailers for pulling their machines to and fro. The operation of these rigs and the structure of the society which makes them possible are jeopardizing the very thing they are designed to help people enjoy – the world of winter. Culturally reinfoced addiction is a complicated beast – we can all battle it in our own lives in different ways – being aware of mindless consumption, needless fossil fueled travel (for work and play), the convenience of a car to run into town, eyeing the next latest and greatest bit of bicycle gear, fresh strawberries during a Vermont winter, and on and on and on. Questions like these tend to put my mind in a swirl – the choices I make seem so small relative to all the ‘big’ news of the day – yet millions of these small choices make up the world we live in – and I find myself guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The whales that once swam in Vermont didn’t have much choice in how their environment was changing – as I doubt their lifestyle choices could have affected the recession of the great inland seas. We may be headed for the same fate – if we don’t figure out what people are for – and what we want to do with our lives in relation to this unique place we find ourselves in the universe.
Winter’s arrival forced us to cancel our culinary Valentine’s Day plans at the Inn at Essex. Instead we enjoyed a home made meal – and stayed toasty warm and out of the blowing and drifting snow. An attempt was made to get out last night – but our road wasn’t plowed until this morning. I threw in the shovel and snapped the picture above about 5pm last night. We received another 6-8″ overnight – and the snow packed in so tight around the car it left Subaru prints!
I spent Sunday getting a start on two of my 2007 cycling goals. I undertook a 102 mile ride to log my first century in my century a month challenge, as well as my first miles in the UMCA Year Rounder. I’m still building my winter base and was planning on waiting until March to undertake my first century – but with a strong 43.5 mile night ride last week, warm temperatures, and a blue sky day in the forecast I set out for the longest January ride I’ve ever accomplished. I chose a route that allowed a bail out option that would have been a nice 60 mile ride – but as I neared the turn off I pressed on and enjoyed the day.
I left the house mid morning with the temperature near 39 degrees. Per the year rounder challenge I would be collecting receipts along the way – so I dropped in to the local donut chain for some early ride calories and a time stamp of my passing. I headed north into Colchester and Milton, then east to Cambridge where I stopped in at the general store to add a Luna bar to my jersey pocket and collect my second receipt. The morning ride through valleys and over rolling climbs had me constantly zipping and unzipping my jacket – my core was slightly cold or slightly warm – but my feet were always cold. Before heading out on the next leg of the route I added some toe warmers to my shoes – I felt the effects instantly and my feet were fine the balance of the day.
Leaving Cambridge I travelled east through Jeffersonville, the town at the turn off to VT Rt. 108 and Smugglers Notch on the north side of Mt. Mansfield. Smuggs was a sad site – most of the runs didn’t appear to have enough snow to ski. Cycling through the notch on 108 is on my to-do list – the scenery over the notch and along the Mountain Rd. to Stowe is inspiring.
Passing through Jeffersonville I travelled to Johnson, Hyde Park, and made a southward turn towards Stowe on VT Rt. 100 in Morrsiville. As I pedaled along the relatively flat valley I daydreamed about my first trip to Vermont. At the time I had just finished teaching my first year of design at the Cleveland Institute of Art, and I was spending part of the summer expanding my woodworking knowledge at the Heartwood School for the Homebuilding Crafts. During a weekend break in a timber frame class I drove nearly the length of Vermont along Rt. 100, terminating in two overnights at the original location of Smugglers Notch State Park. I rode the Gondola up Mt. Mansfield for a rainy hike, dined in Burlington and Waitsfield, and explored the heart of Green Mountains on forest service roads. I fell in love with the state on that trip and I convinced dear friends who were looking for a place to dig in and make a home to visit the following summer. They did, loved it, and moved here. It took me another 5 years before I was able to arrange work and life that allowed me to make the VT leap. They lived just off Rt. 100 south of Morrisville in a tiny over garage apartment. As I passed their old street I remembered hiking to beaver ponds near the current development of Spruce Peak, bagels and coffee in Stowe, and cooking for four on their tiny stove.
I reached a glum Stowe. The picturesque ski / resort town with bed and breakfasts, art galleries, coffee shops, and out of state traffic was a bit less busy than usual with the current weather. I continued south on Rt. 100 to Moscow, VT and collected a few more calories for the ride home and my third receipt of the day. Sitting outside the Moscow general store I snapped a photo of their gas pump which apparently hasn’t been used since premium unleaded was $1.39 a gallon!
I continued south past the Ben & Jerry’s factory and during a quick stop to check my phone in Waterbury I was accosted by a local shouting “Hey Lance Armstrong” from across the road. He asked me if I knew it was winter and wondered why I was out riding. Thanks Lance, for becoming a household name and dragging us quiet types out of anonymity and into the spotlight. Over the traffic he made some reference to playing frisbee at the beach and the weather, and I nodded and packed up, pretending to be in a hurry before he walked across the road and started a conversation. Heading west on US 2 towards Burlington I found the bright blue sky as the sun and temperature started to drop. I caught great views of Camel’s Hump somewhere between Waterbury and Richmond, and enjoyed riding alongside my shadow on the shoulder and in the fields.
I returned to Burlington at dusk, making quick work of the traffic along US 2 in Williston and stopping for my final receipt at a local store just a mile from home. I ordered up a hot chocolate and chatted with the clerk, who was amazed at the distance I just rode. He followed me out and promptly lit a cigarette while I sipped my cocoa and prepared for the final mile. The smoke and I didn’t agree – so I handed him my cup and finished the ride.
I covered 102 miles. Ride time was 7:20. Time off the bike was about an hour for a total time of 8:20. Climbing was approximately 6800′ with several grades at 6-9% and one topping out at 13%. My average speed was slow – but this is historically a time of year when I am not riding, so while I grimaced at my cyclocomputer, I know that this is the time to be building an aerobic base in preparation for the spring and summer.
Temps drop, roads get icy, and for some good base miles after dark I will often ride inside. Last winter I logged most of my weekly base miles on a CycleOps Fluid 2 Trainer. This season I’ve added a set of Kreitler Poly-Lyte rollers to the mix. I chose the smaller drums of the Poly-Lytes for a base of resistance without adding a fan or flywheel. The small drums add just enough resistance to work on my cadence in a lower gear – but when turning a big gear I can work intervals or strength drills – and while rolling I automatically increase my bike handling skills and work on smoothing my pedal stroke.
The small diameter of the rollers takes a bit of getting used to – I’ve started riding in a doorway in case I need a hand hold – but after a few minutes of spinning the bike is easy enough to keep upright. Steering is certainly faster on the rollers – the contact patch of tire to roller is very small – a quick move of the handlebars will have me drifting from one side to the other – the rollers thus far are making me aware of how sloppy I ride – drifting from side to side, bouncing a bit in the saddle when spinning high RPMs, and sliding left or right when I change hand positions or grab my waterbottle. I’ve heard horror stories of folks running off the rollers and crashing into big screen TVs (not really a problem for me, as I’ve been TV free for the better part of 5 years), furniture, walls, or running over the dog or cat – but I can’t imagine the physics working out – seems as soon as I stop pedaling on the rollers it takes maybe a few revolutions before my wheels stop, and I need to balance or look for the wall. I added some Continental Home Trainer tires to a spare set of wheels to ease the transition from an inside ride to an outside ride. The yellow orange compound was specifically designed to resist the high heat build up from the aluminum drums of rollers and trainers, prevent tread seperation of conventional road tires, and offer consistent grip to the roller through all gear ranges. I shredded 2 Bontrager slicks last winter – I hope the trainer specific tire will last me a season or two.
Better than riding indoors most of the winter might be a job with UPS. Seven Days, our local news and arts weekly here in Burlington, Vt., is reporting that UPS is using mountain bikes and light weight trailers to deliver packages on some of its routes in Rutland, White River Junction, Barre and Burlington. UPS is even working with local Green Mountain Bikes to outfit its current fleet of thirteen bikes. The full story is here.
Frost lines near Camel’s Hump…