In the past two days, there have been many of these moments. There’s the ever so slight rise to the top of the Rusty Bridge over East West Boulevard. Three years ago, I was huffing and puffing to get up that minor hill. There’s a similar rise to the bridge over MD100 that used to nearly kill me. The Naval Academy Bridge once looked like a mountain that I’d never be able to climb.

And then there’s the satisfaction that comes with overtaking and dropping another rider. I’m not usually competitive on my rides. I’m not usually one to gloat either, but I’m going to allow myself to do so today.

I was about 25 miles into my ride yesterday as, I approached the Rusty Bridge headed south on the B&A trail. I noticed cyclist on a Cervelo coming down East West Blvd. Since the trail is closed just south of the Rusty Bridge, he went up Light Street Ave before getting on the trail. I had to follow the same detour, which meant slowing down to get though some switchbacks, and that put me about 75 yards behind the rider when I re-entered the trail.

A number of thoughts went through my head:

Should I sprint to catch up with him?

You are 25 miles in on this ride. You are getting tired. You might not have the strength.

If you do catch up and don’t want to talk with him, what do you do? You’d look like an ass if you couldn’t keep up with him.

I started peddling like mad and shifted into a higher gear. I was gaining on him pretty quickly and then I made the decision.

I’m gonna drop him.

And I did. And it felt great.

To be fair, my feat may not have been much of a feat at all. I’ve got no idea whether he is a strong cyclist. I have no idea where he was on his ride. He may have been out for a short recovery ride. Perhaps he was just stretching his legs.

And yet, there is still a certain satisfaction about smoking a guy on a bike that easily cost three times as much as mine.

The weather was just about perfect, with almost no wind, strangely warm temperatures, and some low December sunshine. I tweeted before we left that I was going to make some vitamin D. I’d forgotten just how low in the sky the sun is at this time of year. We’ve just entered the beginning of the lengthening of daylight for the year. We’re over the hump, rounding the bend.

As we crested the Naval Academy Bridge, you dropped the chain. I struggled with your derailleurs to right it without getting off, but that chain was stubborn. We had to stop for a mechanical. I worried that this might be a problem for the rest of the ride, but it turned out alright.

As we cruised into Annapolis, there was a fair amount of traffic which I hadn’t planned on. I debated the route. I’d thought we’d ride around the river through Crownsville when we left, but was second guessing that now. There would be more traffic than we wanted to deal with on MD450. So we took a short break at the City Dock.

Decisions made, we peddled off with the intention of heading back up the trail. Your gears gave us no trouble on the bridge, thankfully, and getting over the few short hills coming up to the trail was not a problem.

Riding up the trail, I found that I was suddenly smiling for no reason at all, and I knew it was because I was out in the open air with you. As we approached the usual turn off from the trail, I knew we weren’t ready to go home, and so we continued, with no planned route.

Something lead me to turn us toward Kinder Farm Park when we were on East West Boulevard. We’d never ridden through the park, but I knew that there was a nice paved bike trail. It was a little more crowded than I’d hoped, but we managed, and I’m sure we’ll ride there again some day.

By now, the sun was sinking low and I felt the need to get us home before long. We headed back down the B&A tail and took the right at Cedar lane. When we got home, I put you back in the shed without washing you. That was wrong, and I’m sorry.

Today, you’ll get a proper bath and some pampering.  You deserve it.

Well, honestly, I missed every goal by a mile.

I’m just as heavy as I was last year.  Nothing more to say about that.

On the cycling front, I had chosen three events which included the Six Pillars Century on the Eastern Shore, my annual MS ride, and the Seagull Century.  I missed the Six Pillars due to an injury.  My annual MS ride was a great ride, with amazing weather and I raised over $2800 for a good cause.  I never registered for the Seagull.

I didn’t take Mr. Grey to a park every week, but I did spend a lot more time with him in more meaningful ways.  He and I had a great year together and we’ll have another great one in 2012.

So, looking forward to 2012, here are some goals:

1. Shed the 30 pounds that I’d planned on last year.
2. Moderate my alcohol intake in such a way that I can still enjoy a beer or a glass of wine now and then, but not have a nagging sense that alcohol plays too great a role in my life.
3. Hit three cycling events, including a century.

There you have it folks, those are my 2012 goals.  With a lot of work and a bit of determination, I expect that I’ll be writing a different review of my progress in about 365 days.

Your heart beats faster than seems possible.

There is at once a feeling that you are falling from a great height combined with the sensation that you are being hurtled through thin air in the upper levels of the atmosphere.

Your shoulders tighten and jaw clenches.

Something in your stomach feels like it’s swirling around rapidly, like the blue water in the stainless steel toilet bowel on an airliner at 30,000 feet when you flush.

Limbs tingle, and feel like they might move uncontrollably.

There is a sense that the blood in your veins to flare up and rage in a violent boil at any moment.

Your breathing becomes short and quick.

A tingling sensation starts in your stomach and rises like the bubbles in a bottle of seltzer water, up through your throat and neck. Some of these bubbles seem to be released just below your nose — the rest rise up through your skull and are released out the crown of your head.

This is a panic attack.

Even in the middle of the day, the sun is low enough this time of year for everything to be cast in beautiful soft light. The leaves on the trees are still golden, orange and in some places red here in Severna Park. What more could I ask for?

I got to the end of the trail and turned around quickly to head home. (It was the middle of the work day and I did have some business that needed some attention.) As I peddled home, I marveled at the number of people who were out on the trail. The warm weather brought more than a few people out and I passed all kinds of cyclists — folks in spandex, folks not in spandex, folks on high-end bikes, commuters and hybrids, old skool schwins, and even maybe a huffy with a rusty chain. In my view of the world, all these folks are welcome on the trail.

As I neared the bridge over Round Bay road, I noticed someone riding ahead of me in jeans and a button down shirt on an older “ten-speed” style bike. As I moved over to the left, I was a good 75 yards behind the rider. Suddenly, he went down on the edge of the trail. He was separated from his bike, and he was under the split rail fence that borders the trail and the steep hill to the right. Instinctively I put on my breaks.

When I got to him, Paul appeared to be having a seizure. As he was coming to, I was dialing 911. My next call was to his wife, where I left voicemail. I kept asked him not to move and got some more information including his age for the dispatcher. Within 20 minutes the Ambulance had shown up and the medics were taking care of him. I stayed on the scene in case I could offer any details about his condition or the events to the medics. As they took him away, I was relieved to know that he was in good hands.

Today, I got a call from Paul’s wife thanking me for my efforts and help. She told me that he had suffered a broken collar-bone, and a few broken ribs, as well as a concussion. It could have been a lot worse.

Just the other day, there was a discussion on a listserv for the local peloton about what to do in the case of an accident. I was glad to have read that list of items. I’m including (blatantly stealing) them here, for reference.

1. To prevent secondary injury, assess traffic, assign someone to ensure cars/trucks get around everyone in the group.
2. Get all the people and bikes out of the way. Leave lights flashing.
3. Resist the urge to help an injured rider get up. Leave him there until the fog has cleared and he’s ready.
4. Look for injuries and decide quickly if it’s necessary to call 911 or a spouse/SO.
5. Know the signs of a concussion, ask questions, inspect the helmet.
6. Don’t let the injured convince you they are fine.
7. Others not responsible for watching traffic should check the bike (ensure it’s ride-able) and collect stuff that fell off.
8. Watch them closely for the next several miles, especially if riding in traffic.
9. If you make the call to a friend or spouse, be careful what you say. Not being on scene, they often assume the worst.

I’ve spent a few days moving from a wordpress.com hosted site to a selfhosted wordpress installation. Things should be back to normal now.

There’s strength in numbers.

Yesterday, a group of concerned alumni turned their concern into a grassroots movement in support of a RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual assault organization. The goal set by these alumni was to raise $500,000 for RAINN, about $1 for each person in the Alumni Association.  Ninety-two percent (92%) of every dollar goes directly to programs to help victims and prevent sexual violence.

Penn Stater’s responded. In less than 24 hours, over $64,000 has been raised.

Donations don’t make up for the mistakes and atrocities committed members of the faculty and staff at Penn State, but they does show that we are not them.

We are Penn State.

Ever feel like you’ve been kicked in the gut, and then kick in the teeth while you’re down? That’s how it feels to be a Penn State graduate right now. It’s awful. The Sandusky situation has been such a distraction. The entire situation is unthinkable. I had to get out on the bike today and unplug.

So, I did.

I left the house at about 2:30 and rode for an hour. The leaves are in all their glory right now. The air is crisp. You need full finger gloves. This is my favorite time of year to ride.

Taking a break from the hum-drum of the day is vital. If you’ve got something nagging at you, I advise you to get outside and go like hell. Make sure you’re getting some really deep breathing going.

It helped me today.

We are not defined by the actions or inactions of a few members of the faculty and staff of the university, no matter how ugly the traditional media, the blogosphere, or other outlets may paint us in this time of crisis.

If you are like me, the news thats come out of University Park over the past week has been disturbing, confusing, and frightening. The news horrifies us because it runs counter to everything we believe in about our schools traditions and our heroes.

Lets not forget that our heroes can still be honored even if theyve been dismissed by the Trustees. Whether you believe that Joe Paterno was rightfully or wrongfully dismissed, we all agree that he did more for the students and the university than any other person in the history of our institution. None of us can imagine Penn State without Joe and we will miss him.

Ive been shocked to see some of the comments in the twittersphere which have called for everything from not sending kids to Penn State, to employers rejecting resumes with Penn State on them. Im sure some people may in fact choose to take these actions. If so, this will be unfortunate.

Penn State is more than football. Penn State is more than Joe Paterno. And Penn State is damn sure more than the pedophile, Jerry Sandusky.

Penn State has produced some amazing people who have given touched our lives: Mark Parker (CEO of Nike), Steve McCurry (National Geographic Photographer) and Richard James (inventor of the Slinky) to name only a few.

Penn State helps mankind. Penn State students raise millions of dollars each year at THON to benefit the Four Diamonds Fund. THON is the largest student run philanthropy in the world!

Fellow Penn Staters, we have many reasons to be proud. Please dont give up. Please wear our colors and support our school in these trying times.

We Are Penn State.

I’d planned to get up this morning for the group ride with the peloton. I’ve got to say that when I woke at 6:00 and it was pitch fucking black outside and 39 F to boot, I could only roll over, turn off the alarm set for 6:30, and go back to sleep. It was a pretty simple decision I have to say. Sure, I’d have liked to make the group ride but I’ve been riding solo for months, so whats another day?

In truth, I do kind of wish I’d have gotten up for that ride because it would have been good to sync up with some faces that I’ve not seen in a long time. However, I had a great ride on my own this morning.

I left around 8:45 and while it was only 42 F, at least the sun was up. This was the fourth day in a row of riding and I could feel it in my legs as I started out. Today’s ride wasn’t going to break any land speed records, and it didn’t. I averaged 14 and change and my max speed was in the range of 19 mph. Still, it was a great ride.

There is something magical about riding in the fall. The low angle of the light, the leaves rattling under your tires, the colors on the trees and the crisp air make for a very enjoyable ride.  I rode for about 13 miles before heading home.  Thee little man and I were headed to Kinder Farm Park to meet up with my long time friend and her girls.  I felt like I could have easily gone for another 13 miles today despite the fact that my toes were starting to go numb, and if I’d made that group ride, I probably would have.

I’m still trying to work out how to keep my feet toasty warm.  Today, I wore a thin wool base layer sock, some thick wool socks, my shoes and neoprene covers lined with micro fleece.  If anyone has any recommendations on a change in gear, I’d appreciate hearing them.