Exit171… it’s all about the journey

I was dangerously close to this blog being marked as “stale“. Over one week without an update on my main page! Shame on me. FWIW, I update my EVDO and Exercise pages pretty frequently.

Anyway, blame it on work and travel. I spent a few days in Manhattan at the SIA Technology Management Conference and the weekend in Montreal at the Canadian Grand Prix. Pictures coming soon on my Smugmug. Fun stuff!

Oh yeah, I’m freakin’ out due to the limited cycling last week (only 8.58 miles!). Even if I was in NJ, the weather wasn’t agreeing with any outdoor activities. Hmmm, I almost thought I could post a non-cycling related entry on my blog…

~44 miles on the Madone this weekend and I’m feeling great. I’ve discontinued using my Suunto t6 for rides. Yup, no more EPOC. The good thing is the Garmin Edge 305 GPS is a very capable replacement — excellent data capture and display, route tracking, screen, battery, etc. Sure, it could use some better map support, but I’m not sure if I’d really use that feature for cycling. I usually view speed, cadence, and heart rate when riding. On a secondary screen I view ride time, distance, elevation, grade, averages, etc.

I finally found some pretty good analysis software — SportTracks. It supports the Garmin (and a bunch of other devices) and can also export to Google Earth. SportTracks’ “built-in” mapping functions use the USGS online maps, which is convenient. Also, to top it off, the software is free. As I do with any free software I use a lot, I’ll be making a donation to the authors. Nice job SportTracks!

As for MotionBased, I’ve been checking it out with a free account and it looks very well done. Take a peek at my digest page. I’m not sure if I’d use their extra subscription-based services, but I plan to keep experimenting with it. It’s great to have choices.

20+ miles on the Madone today. My first “long” ride on it and I love it! What a world of difference from my Trek 7.5 FX. I’m still tweaking my fit, but everything feels pretty good so far. Man this bike can really move too… of course it doesn’t hurt that it weighs less than 18 lbs. (I think my son’s Trek Jet 16 weighs more!).
The last pic above shows my Suunto t6 and Garmin Edge 305 on my “dashboard”. I’m still addicted to the EPOC stats from the t6, but the data reported by the Edge is pretty extensive. Now if I could just find some really good analysis software… The Garmin Training Center software that comes with the Edge is pretty basic. MotionBased (now owned by Garmin) looks pretty good, but I’m not sure I want to subscribe to a service. I’ve also checked out CyclingPeaks WKO+ 2.0, but it really didn’t grab me. Any suggestions?

BTW, I know I need to paint my garage and patch my driveway!

22.48 miles on the Trek today. I’m loving cycling! Today must have been chipmunk roadkill day in Bergen County. I think I counted at least three dead chipmunks during my ride (in addition to a few birds and a possum). Thankfully I haven’t encountered any skunks yet. I’m sure that’ll happen when it’s >90 degrees and humid.

I recently did the right thing and bought some cycling shoes. Picked up a pair of Nike Altea II Plus. My first pair of cycling shoes, so nothing to compare them to, but very comfortable. I can definitely feel the difference when riding. My new Giro Atmos Lonestar 7 helmet is also working out well.

My buddies took me out for a nice 40th Birthday dinner at Flirt Sushi in Allendale this weekend. Awesome. Thanks guys!

Some post-dinner fun at Borders:

Thanks for the pic Javiso!

I knew it was inevitable… I just upgraded to a Trek Madone SL 5.2 road bike (with a 53/39 crank and Look Keo Carbon pedals). I still like my Trek 7.5 FX, but I’ve really been bitten by the cycling bug… it’s time for a real road bike. My Madone is due in to CycleSport this coming week. Can’t wait!

I also took the dive with the Garmin Edge 305 cycling computer/GPS. I still love my Suunto t6 wristop computer and Bike POD, but the lack of a cadence feature is disappointing. Unfortunately no EPOC with the Garmin, but the wealth of data it can track is amazing. Based on the reviews, it sounds pretty good. We’ll see…

Once again, special thanks to Chris Huller for sharing his cycling expertise!