Randoboy in the News

Although I sound like an elitist smart-a$$, Randoboy's alter-ego, the mild-mannered Robert Hendry, is on the cover of the Williamson AM Sunday section of the Nashville Tennessean:

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008809280365

Just in case you're wondering, I do not recall saying that "I felt a sense of glee" about watching them change the price at the gas station. It sounds like the kind of thing that I might say, but having said it and seeing it in print, I regret saying it because it makes me sound like a dork. Normal people don't say "glee." It's one of those words that you would not want to say in a bar full of ex-Marine biker construction workers, particularly if you were wearing spandex. Although in many southern states the spandex alone is enough to make it justifiable homicide.

The article also makes it sound like I'm a man on a mission -- a rolling billboard pushing the "bike there" lifestyle. Although I do tend to proselytize (hence this blog), it's really secondary to the fact that I like riding my bike. I could probably use my commute time to send the cycling message in more effective ways, but that would not be as much fun.

And Randoboy is all about the fun.

Finally, a couple of other points about the picture:

1. Yes, that is a Baggins bar bag on the front.
2. Yes, I'm wearing sandals.
3. Although I'm wearing a Gran Fondo Fixies jersey, the Salsa Casseroll that I'm riding is actually a singlespeed right now. It's just still too hot in the afternoon to go fixed.

So Randoboy commutes as a Retrogrouch.

I love those bar bags. I don't use them on the Bianchi, of course, because that's my light fast bike, but for everything else it's very handy. You can put food in there, the camera, cell phone, wallet, brevet cards -- basically anything small that you might want to be able to get to fast. The laptop is in the backpack (you can see the straps). And there's a big bag on the rack for other stuff, like a frame pump and tools and change of clothing, or groceries if I need to pick up something on the way home.

As to the sandals, I wear those unless it's freezing outside. Again, for the Bianchi I have some nice light stiff Shimano shoes for my Speedplay Zero pedals, but for everything else it's Shimano A520 pedals, and I wear shoes (or sandals) that I can walk around in.

I wore those sandals yesterday riding Six Gaps in Dahlonega, GA, with the Randowife. I was on the Masi, complete with the big Nigel Smythe seat bag on the back stuffed full of spare tubes, my jacket, and my wife's wind vest and arm warmers, and a bar bag on the front full of gels and drink mix and whatnot. A guy rode by and couldn't believe I was doing that ride -- which now has over 11,000 feet of climbing -- with sandals and all that stuff on the bike, so I explained that the Randowife and I were taking our time and just enjoying it. Maybe I would have been faster on a light bike with stiff-sole shoes, but then it wouldn't have been as much fun.

By the way, this was the Randowife's first Six Gaps, and she did great. She's been training for it during the last six months, and I was very proud of her.

Finally, why do I ride singlespeed (or fixed in the winter) to and from work? Because I have two really steep hills and they hurt more when you can't downshift.

And Randoboy is all about the pain.