Since I’ve begun blogging, one of my inspirations has been the Fat Cyclist. Despite the funny name, he’s been engaged in serious business — caring for his wife Susan, who is terminally ill with cancer.
While trying to look after her needs, along with those of their four children, Fatty (Elden Nelson) writes entertaining posts about his biking exploits and raises tons of money for cancer research.
His posts have been funny, sad, angry, hopeful. He writes one of the few blogs that can make me laugh out loud.
But the laughs will be muffled for awhile. Susan is slipping away.
They are in my thoughts.
Ignominy.
Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium at the University of Texas.
Lined up (sort of) at the Texas State Capitol.
Bike fitting is part art, part science. Traditional fitting involves static measurements and some basic tools, like a plumb bob and ruler. My local shop sized me for my bike; later, another shop graciously fine-tuned things like cleat and seat position. Still, I never felt completely dialed in. Some of my issues may have been due to past injuries, including an ACL reconstruction and herniated disc. Others, however, were just my obsessive-compulsive wonderings, like why I never felt comfortable riding in the drops, or why my left leg often brushed the top tube. Eventually I went looking for an advanced bike fit. After all, even the priciest bike is no good if the owner doesn’t feel comfortable riding it.
Hemmel, wired.
Paul Williams with the Zin.