Thoughts on helmets/racing wheels/why are all the #*$& stores closed on EASTER?

First...Thank you EVERYBODY for all your nice words and helpful weigh-ins. It's awesome.

Courtenay - your point about looking down was interesting based on a post Joe Friel made. He said that John Cobb, a guy he did a clinic with, said that you are actually more aero when you are looking down (and the alien tail is up) than when you are looking straight ahead, which has to do with the vents.

So therefore, you could control that by putting tape on the vents. But then you risk overheating. Yuck.

GEEZ, SO COMPLICATED! Maybe I WILL save the $$ for wheels. Mmm, race wheels. So much fun and I have to admit - those look WAY cooler than an alien helmet. I ride with 700s, to answer your question.

So even though Saturday was a really crappy day, Sunday turned out to be GORGEOUS and I got a fantastic easy early morning ride in with a short little push up a hill that I clobbered (until my legs wanted to fall off...just kept my eye on the prize and told my legs they had to keep pumping as hard as possible and it was only like, 30 seconds longer - they couldn't be wimps). I wish I had a smaller camera that I could take with me and demonstrate the gorgeousness of Sonoma County. It's a big reason I moved up here, actually. The cycling is just...incredible. Posting a picture of my ride on MapMyRide just doesn't do justice. Sigh...oh well.

So anyway, then after coffee and making myself a delicious post-ride scramble, I was all set to run my errands. New bike helmet, drop bike off at bike store for tune-up/fix other things, REI to return stupid Native sunglasses that broke on me AGAIN (had bought a pair in 2005 that broke on me about a year later; these ones broke 1.5 years after purchase) and get something different, and generally make it a get-stuff-done kind of Easter Sunday.

Apparently, we are all supposed to be celebrating the rebirth of Jesus Christ no matter what religion we are (me, I'm a recovering Catholic)...and of course dyeing eggs and eating chocolate bunnies. All the stores were CLOSED!!!!!!! Ugh...

Around noon Matt wanted to go out on his ride. It was an absolutely brilliantly beautiful day, and since I heart my bike so much, I said "you know, I'll go out and keep you company and just spin along with you." We headed west as I'd done earlier, but went north out to Forestville. Along the way we stopped in Graton to have a drink at the Underwood (the main super-tasty restaurant in town), but it being Easter Sunday and all, they were closed. Rather dejected and feeling like heathens, we went across the street to the Graton market and grabbed some beer to go (mmmm, Racer 5!) and sat on a bench and drank beer and soaked up the sun. When was the last time I was out on a ride just to meander and stop and smell the flowers (and drink beer)?

We just sat for awhile and then decided to head out and making it a loop, we went from Forestville out to Guerneville Road then to Vine Hill Road, which is one of my most FAVORITE roads in the entire county. A really magical little road; I can't say why...just is. The views as you ride along, the short little descent you don't have to hit your brakes on, the vineyards you roll through; even on a winter morning, I've seen the most gorgeous views of the entire valley from that spot. It's heavenly.

(This picture comes courtesy of the Santa Rosa Cyclists, where they wrote about the Wine Country Century)


So...we made it back and I hadn't gotten a damn thing done all day except riding my bike, eating and thinking about all the things I didn't do. But I sure was happy. :)