Was it the change to evilhippy all-black cycling kit?
Was it me going overboard with testing the new cleat position?
Was it the need to silence some inner demons with a little self-inflicted pain?
Or was it simply because I read SurlyBlog, FearlessGearless AND Dan’s ShifterBikes sites beforehand and NEEDED some singlespeed goodness?
Let me explain: My knee problem was really giving me grief. I don’t want to see a German sports doctor or physio because explaining this stuff to someone who doesn’t have English as a first language could take a long time and a lot of money. I tried raising the saddle to compensate for the bent seat, figuring if the seat was low on my problem right side, raising the seat would fix the problem with the right knee and cause problems with the left – which would now be too high. This didn’t work.
“Mick” from a.b suggested rotating the cleat. I doubted it could have moved but what the hell, it was the second easiest “fix” to try. After “unlocking” the ancient, rock-encrusted allen bolts (the cleat had not moved in a LONG time), I rotated the cleat about 1mm clockwise. This would bring my heel in towards the bike to some degree.
A ride along the Neckar River sounded like a good test. The start was mellow as I warmed up. The saddle was squeaking again so I tightened the bolt underneath – I was carrying my Alien multitool with me expecting to make adjustments. At an intersection I paused to look at my map so I could pick a suitable town to ride to. While I was looking, a local stopped and offered help. I explained I was just riding around for fun and for once I wasn’t actually lost and he suggested a few places. I had already made my mind up though – if there was one thing that would test the knee it would be busting a gut up the Konigstuhl. On the way back to Heidelberg, I passed an old guy, then a minute later he passed me, so I passed him again, but now we are doing over 40kph and he just flies by as I struggle over a “bump”! My unfit carcass just wont work! Oh the shame – hammered by a retiree with aerobars :S 😛 I console myself with the fact that I was faster than the ferry cruising along the river and ride on.
So, the hill. I rolled up geared in the middle ring and about middle-cassette (5th easiest – I don’t know teeth numbers – you know I can’t count anyway!). Without thinking, I decided to see how far up I could get without changing gears. After about 10m I was thinking about going to the granny ring! Fsck that! I have a dicky knee to test and bitterness to flush away with lactic acid! So I kept going.. and going.. and going. The gearie version of a singlespeed.
I’m not exactly at peak fitness right now so my speedo was having trouble reading low enough! We are talking <5kph here! But I kept going.
It was more akin to weight-lifting than cycling, but I kept going. I could feel the pain spot in my knee now and then, but there was NO PAIN! My back was frickin’ killing me, but the knee was fine. At some points I was going so slow I could briefly trackstand to catch a breath and then lurch forward with a few standing pedal strokes, sitting down when I had enough momentum to continue, standing up when I just couldn’t push the gear over. I kept going.
Oh yes, the shifter tempted me, but by now I was thinking “Don’t dare touch that shifter! You’re going to climb this thing in the gear you started in! Beefcake! Beefcake! etc..” 😛
I made it! I was a little bit happy about that as you can probably tell with the length of this blog entry. 🙂
I stayed in the same gear and rolled up and down, over the top of the mountain a few times, checking out the Max Planck Astronomy Centre (jealous TimC? :P) and the Radio Towers. Okay, so really I was lost up there but it was still fun to look around!
Renee called about dinner so I put it in the “Big Ring of Certain Death” and set off down.. 75kph.. and I hadn’t started pedaling yet! 😀 When I did get cranking I could only add another 10kph to my top speed. Taller gearing would’ve helped, along with knowledge of the road. There are some VERY tight switchback hairpins on the way down. Damn that was fun!
Anthony, who from now on is to have “The Enlightened” prefixing his name, told me to do some monos. I don’t know why but I took the barbag off and did some of the lamest wheelies in the history of one-wheeled riding! The Enlightened Anthony surely has a reason for making me do this but for now I know not what..
Bought and skulled some cheapass “high speed” sport drink from the Penny Markt, showered and then Nee and I went to nearby Palmbrauhaus for dinner. I started with a dark Altbier, then German pasta (yeah, apparently there IS such a thing??) with a side of fried potatoes. Yum! I left my salad for Nee (eew green stuff!) and washed it all down with a Weizen Radler (50% wheat beer, 50% lemonade) because I was still quite dehydrated . I also tried some of her traditional “pork knuckle” dish.
Back home and Nee packed for her trip while I burned cd’s with full of photos for both of us and played Windows Solitaire. A few months on the road and I actually enjoy playing computer Solitaire! :S
