Mile 39:A post-Thanksgiving Urban ride

I'm only at mile 39 because I bought a new odometer for the Surly and lost a few miles between flipping to mile 1000 on the Grey Goose and getting the odometer installed. I'm officially 3.9% of the way towards mile zero (2000 mod 1000).

Thought I'd throw up some pictures I took from a 25 mile ride I took in Seattle last Friday. The route was fairly easy, but the weather was just about perfect: right around 45 degrees and mostly sunny. I was working off the steaks and stuffing from Thanksgiving, so I really pushed it, speed wise. Here are some pics from the beginning of ride, including some from the ferry and along the water.

The ride took from the ferry terminal, along the waterfront, through Olympic Park, around a Magnolia scenic loop, and up into Ballard through the locks, through Fremont and back down to the ferry. All parts of Seattle that I really love and that feel like my hometown.

I find myself struggling to stay fit this winter. After 25 or 30 miles relaxed cycling, I hit a wall that requires some serious rest and fuel. If I'm going to start doing some real touring in the spring, that's completely unacceptable. I joined a gym and have been doing spin classes and stationary biking for an hour every day or so, but it doesn't seem to help. My legs are bulking up, but the endurance isn't there yet.

The new Surly continues to perform admirably, and have zero complaints, other than that it hasn't fixed my "Two Numb Toes" problem. When it's cold and I bike for longer than 15 miles, my two left small toes go completely white and numb. When I take my socks off, it looks like two tiny corpses hanging out in bed next to their 3 larger brothers. Freaky.

In the event that any ever reads this blog (if I ever send someone a link), let it be known that I just finished this book and loved it: Odysseus' Last Stand. Just an entertaining travel book about a guy riding his bike around the world.