Privacy isn't what it used to be

 

Apparently, I'm dead.

As a kid when we would get a new phone book I would open it and find our name and phone number.   As an adult I went to the trouble to get an unlisted phone number.  Today I'm on the FCC do not call list.   

When the internet was fresh, it was interesting to type in your name and see what came up.   Now it is scary.  Name, birthdate, address, phone number, spouse and employers past and present all pop up.  Also showing up are former spouses, their spouses, kids, parents, former addresses.... all connected to me! Too much for my liking. 

It turns out that even when your data is taken from legal sources (tax records, public filings, etc.) it is still YOUR data and you have a say in how it can be shared.  But it takes action.

A tech savvy friend told me what it would take to get my info removed from the websites that collect and offer up our personal data.  I spent about an hour starting the process myself and was overwhelmed. I realized it would take me hours of effort spread out over weeks, no, months, no.... years!  

There were three things that struck me; first it would take a ton of one time effort to remove my personal information, second, I would need to learn how to do it as the rules keep changing and third, as new services pop up, or my data resurfaces I would have to search out my info and repeat the process again and again and again.

Knowledge, expertise and sophisticated tools, that is what makes something a business opportunity.  There must be a company that does this.

My Data Removal does this.  You confirm who you are and what data is yours (they can't remove incorrect data, only real data) and they remove your data from the sites that mine your data.  On an ongoing basis they use software to constantly look for your data to pop up again and if it does, they remove it again.  I'm at a point in my life where I have enough assets that I am someone who can be targeted and also someone who does not mind paying less than my coffee budget to keep my data safe.  No brainer.  I would strongly recommend you consider this.  

Castelli Thermal Pro Skully Cap Review

                                             This is what it looks like.

It sucks.  Really.  "How can such a thin cap keep you warm?"  It can't.  There may be some comically narrow temperature range where it is useful, but cycling clothing needs to be versatile and this fails the test.   Don't buy it and if you want mine, let me know and I don't like you, it is yours. 
 

Our Fondo has a bakery stop

Reloaded and ready for more

In 2014 I rode the Winthrop Fondo.  That year it was on the old course and the event was held in June.  It was hot, but the elevation kept the temperatures cool enough that only on the final climb up Lester road was it uncomfortable. In 2015 a handful of us did it and lived to tell the tail.  In 2016 many of us did it as a group and had a great, though predictably shattering, experience.

 El Jefe' in 2016

For 2017 we opted to assemble the same weekend as the Fondo, but instead did a five hour gravel ride as a group instead of seven to nine hours of hurt punctuated by cramps and cursing.

This is much better than killing ourselves.....

For 2018 we again chose the Fondito (little Fondo) option.  We still had a full day that left us spent, but the ride did not shorten our expected lifespan. 

McWoodie, Marcel and Einmotron came over on Friday morning and met at Cramps place.  They were all eating lunch when I arrived and before long we were in costume and racing along the trails on the valley floor. 

We had a rollicking good time that included single track with short steep climbs and winding ski trails that allowed for stinging accelerations and “look out ahead” cornering.   We hit some late summer duff and the resulting cloud totally obscured the heavily rutted trail.  Marcel went down and was lost in the cloud.  

Heading back to Mazama we were all down in the drops and drilling it as fast as the winding trail would allow.  I was fortunate to be able to anticipate the familiar twists and turns and felt bad for those who did not.  After our ride Cramps had to head back to the waiting perils of city life.

The next day The Punisher and Coz arrived and after some coffee and vittles were ready to partake in a heaping helping of gravel. 

Under grey skies we rolled out with food in our pockets and extra layers just in case the skies opened up.   We climbed Lester and then up and over to join Beaver Creek.  This was just the start of our riding and we topped off our bottles with some water we had cached for just this occasion.

Then the serious climbing started as we made our way toward Starvation Mountain.  Up road 4225, then up 4230.  The endless series of false summits would have broken our spirits if we didn’t have the beauty around us to remind us why we were here.   Then we reached the secret passage that took us to 4235.  Here we regrouped and put on more layers.  Instead of the day getting warmer as it had on Friday, it had gotten colder.  Soon we were climbing again as we now headed east. 

The views opened up to our right.  Bear Mountain and Loup Loup stood tall and green.  Beyond them, the Sawtooth range.  This was what made the ride worthwhile.  I knew there wasn’t much climbing left, and my eyes kept searching for the road to flatten out. 

After peaking out we zipped up and braced for the cold descent.  The descent was fast and loose. We hunted for better lines as the washboard bucked us around like we were riding jackhammers.  My hands were numb by the time we reached the pavement which didn’t last long.  

On the punchy lower slopes of Balky Hill my left adductor cramped.  “Oh good,” I said out loud to no one.  I stopped and Marcel passed me.  I had been carrying a small bottle of the product “Pickle Juice” which had been recommended by Fatty who has all kinds of cramping problems as a miracle drug. 

I swigged the two ounce jar and yes, it tasted like pickle juice.  I restarted and my left adductor seemed a bit better but less than a minute after swigging the juice my right adductor joined the party.  I soft pedaled for five more minutes then realized my legs felt okay now.  I ramped it up.  No cramps.  I really ramped it up.  No cramps.  I am a believer.

We arrived at our planned stop of the Cinnamon Twisp Bakery.  We ordered sandwiches and salty chips.  We were in good spirits with only one big climb remaining.  Someone asked if we were in town for the Fondo. We replied that we were doing our own Fondo.

After eating our fill we slowly remounted.  I had to take the short way back to let out Tux who had been alone in the cabin for too long.  The rest of the group went up the Twisp River Road and when they turned onto Little Bridge Road they were met by a member of the fire crew who told them they could not pass.  After some conversation and bonding sprinkled with an outpouring of charm the guardian discreetly waved on the men in black and orange.  They then climbed the winding gravel road to Thompson Ridge and then partook in the reward of descending Bluebird and Radar Creek and tempting fate along Patterson Lake only to cap off the day with a ripper down the Winthrop Trail.

After showers there were heaping plates of salad, pesto bread and spaghetti to be devoured. 

We capped off the weekend with a Sunday ride up and around Sun Mountain.  A final lap of the descent down Radar Creek and the Winthrop Trail was the icing on the cake.  After showers the group packed up and left as the rains started.  You can hope for this kind of timing, but you should never expect it.

Sometimes you get lucky!

Hey everyone, meet Adam.  Our newest grandchild.  He is smiling at Hottie in the photo

Myth # 10 Riding on Rumble Strips is Bad

Some people think that riding your bike on rumble strips is normal....

Schwalbe Tire Booster Review Tubeless Inflator

 

We all knew these were coming.  It is here and it is awesome.  Everyone should have one.

From my reading it seemed the tubeless inflator and floor pump all-in-one combos worked well enough but were expensive and when used just as a pump they appeared to be less than ideal.   I held out and am glad I did. 

Operation of the Tire Booster is simple. Attach your floor pump to the presta valve and pump up the canister.  Pull the valve core from the wheel you are inflating and attach the Tire Booster hose.  Then flip the lever that opens the air flow and whoof-bing-bing; the tire inflates and the bead pings into place.   Flip the lever closed, remove the hose, replace the valve core on the wheel and pump it to your desired pressure.

Gone are the days of getting sweaty pumping as fast as you can pump waiting for fatigue to overtake denial.  No more clinking sounds as spent CO2 cartridges bounce off each other in your trash can after trying and failing to inflate your tubeless tires.  No more driving to the bike shop/gas station/friend’s house to use a compressor.   No more risking physical injury with some contrived inflation device hack.   No more puddles of orange sealant.   

Contrived device

Perhaps the best news is that since changing tubeless tires is suddenly (and for the first time) easy I’m less inclined to skip a ride because I don’t want the hassle of swapping tires or go on a ride with inappropriate tires because I am too lazy to swap.

I’ve used this on about a dozen tires and it has worked perfectly on road tires, 40mm gravel monsters and 29er mountain bike tires.   It is small enough that it lives in the back of my car so it travels wherever I do.   

There are two paths forward here.  First you can carry on and spend your money on spilled sealant, CO2 cartridges and gas used driving to use a compressor and then throw up your hands and buy one of these.  Or you can just order one and be done with it and spend the money you would have wasted on sealant, gas and CO2 on more tires.

Highly recommended.  Five out of five Evos!!!