10/15/2005 05:56:00 AM|||John Calnan|||

I don't plan on parking my bike this winter, but I don't plan on riding in any hurricanes, blizzards, or their weaker cousins. After having done some training rides in the spring of this year in the cold and wet, I'm eyeballing the following acquisitions for my winter riding (Dear Santa. I've been very good...):

• Headlight: Not necessarily bright enough to suntan by, but enough to see and be seen, and hopefully the batteries will last more than 2 hours.
• Fenders: Road spray is not my friend. Gets me wet, and the bike very gritty.
• Shoe Covers: Cold wet feet are no fun at all.
• Warmer Clothes: I'm intruigued by some of the wool offerings in the Rivendell catalog. I've got water resistant outers, but the "high tech" fabrics of my other clothes aren't all that warm.

As far as what I want to accomplish personally, I'm back to goal #1, weight loss. When we started cycling in earnest this year, the goal was to lose weight. The goal morphed into riding the RSVP two-day ride to Vancouver, B.C., Canada. I did lose 25 pounds between February and August 2005, but I've stayed right at that point since the RSVP ride. Being lighter will improve my riding abilities, in terms of speed and hill climbing. At this point, I can cruise along at a moderate pace all day long, but I'm painfully slow when climbing hills. Less lard will dramatically improve my power-to-weight ratio, and thus I'm looking to shed another 25 or so pounds in the offseason.

Spin classes take place at my gym on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. The Saturdays are a little harder to make, but I will try to make more than I miss. Mondays and Wednesdays are mandatory. In addition, I'll do another aerobic exercise 2 more days a week, and do strength or "core" training 2 to 3 times a week. Any outdoor riding I manage to do will be in addition to the gym time.

And please, if you see me about to put a french fry in my mouth, whack me upside the head with a bottle of Heinz.

|||112938313478084385|||Off-season goal setting10/15/2005 07:45:15 AM|||Jim Carson|||Last year Santa didn't think I was good enough for the ultra expensive HID systems (or that I'd ride - I didn't, but this year...) and got me one of these cateye lights held onto the front fork with one of these. Light output is okay, but not stellar. ("OK" defined as adequate for up to 10mph, marginal through 14mph, and useless for above that. If there are "STP nails" in the road, I'm going to hit them, but I won't hit the hubcap someone left on the side of the road.)

The light uses AA cells which the manufacturer claims will last for 20 hours. I've not tried it past six because I get nervous and want to recharge them, which is almost an afterthought with the 15-minute rechargable batteries. They rock

OTO, if I do venture into a "commuter" bike, I am giving serious consideration to a generator system.

Fenders: I have them on my bike all year. Can't recommend them enough.

Please let us know how your spin classes are.