98% of the time I ride a fixed gear.  Be it Charlie or Mercutio – this is most of my bicycle life.

However, I also have a bike with gears, gasp!  She is a Bianchi Veloce with a Campagnolo groupset – 9 speed.  She only comes out for nice weather, she is a fast, saucy minx. She goes by either Bumblebee or Princess Buttercup depending on the day of the week – did I mention she’s yellow?

Hub on Wheels

This year I was actually able to do the 8th annual Hub on Wheels ride – about six thousand cyclists choosing either a 10, 30, or 50 mile route.  I chose to undertake the 50 mile route.  The Bandit Man was also doing this, so it worked out all the better.  The Bandit Man has done this ride many, many times and has copious wisdom of its nuances.  I was grinding my teeth and planning on taking the fixed gear, he pointed out that there would be hills.  I thought, I can take the hills! Fixed gear or nothing!

Then I remembered, that now instead of anything close to a training- or exercise-length commute to work, I have a paltry 3 some-odd miles.  And no hills.  Except for Prospect Hill once and awhile, and that does not count.  (And I haven’t even been riding far enough, often enough as it is, even though all I do all day, every day has something to do with bicycles.)

I do ride every day, but it’s mostly flat.  Recent rides of Nashua River Trail and Minuteman, also flat.  Hills and I are odd companions at best, awkward strangers to be more accurate. There’s a line in the song “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast that goes “flabby, fat, and lazy/ you walk in and upsy daisy!”.  And while “flabby, fat, and lazy” may be an overstatement, my hop-skip-and-a-jump commute has made me the cycling equivalent of this, or at least in my own estimation.

So I took the geared bike. (After swapping out for a Brooks saddle, pedal clips, adding a bell, an extra bottle cage and some other tweeks the night before.)  And for the first 15 or more miles realized I had forgotten how to shift.  Yes, I can press the levers and all, physical ‘can’; but-the-what-gear-to-use-and-why and ow!-why-did-it-do-that?-is-my-derailleur-broken? thought process prevailed.

With some reminders, by the time the 50 miles were complete (actually I think closer to mile 30), I didn’t have to think about it quite so much.  By mile 40 it was more second nature.  And, by the end I was glad I had taken the geared bike.  I want to get to the point where I can do something like this on a fixie, like some completely impressive-awesome-stubborn-strong-inspired people can, but perhaps I’m not there yet.

The moral of this story: riding 50 miles straight, which I had never done before*, is a pretty wonderful way to celebrate a birthday (mine is today).  Especially when you get to spend the day with wonderful people, make new friends, and are not defeated by ridiculous hills or industrial-sized staples popping your tire in the first couple of miles.

I wrote more about the plot for the work blog, and will give the most necessary gratitudes in another post near to come.

At the end:

Pronto and Princess Buttercup return in triumph to Government Center, only to find the Beer Garden closed.  A rear flat to the tune of a massive staple on Storrow Drive on the Princess set us near to the back for the rest of the ride…. more on that tale will be saved for another time.

Many thanks to all those who rode, sent encouragement, came to aid, smiled, waved, rode together, shared their wisdom, supported the ride as marshals, sweepers, mechanics, first aid…I can’t think of all of the roles, but thank you! Thank you! Thank you!