disoriented

Nine miles on my Fixie

The dis-oriented author is a bicyclist. I have always wanted a fixed-gear bike and last Fall, my wife bought me one. A fixed gear bike is has only one gear and cannot glide, anytime the bike is moving the pedals are turning. Eventually, I want to get S&S couplings put on the bike so that I can pack it into a suitcase and take it with me in my travels. Unfortunately, I got the bike right before the snow began so I only rode it a few times last fall.

This week a took it with me (in a rental car) on a business trip to the Chicago suburbs. I got out this afternoon and rode it for about nine miles — my longest fixed-gear ride to date.

It was a 70 degree day the son was out and there were a few clouds in the sky. It was absolutely beautiful out, except for the 30-35mph winds. I drove over to the bike trail in the Busse Preserve near Schaumburg, Illinois.

I may be old and out of shape but I am not a newcomer to cycling. I knew enough to start my loop ride with the longest upwind leg first. I got the bike out of my car and headed into the wind. I had not gone more than a few hundred feet before I realized that I am not nearly as aerodynamic as I was 30 years ago. Between a slight incline and a monster headwind, it was all I could do to not turn around, go back to the car, drive to the hotel and soak in the hot tub.

But after a little while, things got better. Bu the time I reached Higgins Rd (about 2 miles) I was feeling better. The next few miles were diagonally into the wind and I was able to up the pace and get into a rhythm. When I made the next turn it became a side wind and the bike really began to hum.

My other bikes all have old school Selle Italia Turbo Special saddles. These were the saddles that nearly all pros rode during the 1980s. I have ridden them since the 80's and they are great. One of the strange phenomena about fixies is that everybody customizes them. One of my daily reads is Dennis and Katy's excellent Fixed Gear Gallery. It is nothing but pictures of fixed gear bikes submitted by their owners. My bike is black so I accessorized it in red. I re-wrapped the bars with red tape, I bought a red water bottle cage and I replaced the stock saddle with a red one.

The red saddle is a Selle Italia Flite Gel Flow with titanium rails. I was concerned about the saddle because on the previous rides it seemed uncomfortable. This time it felt better and I think the problem is seat height. I'm going to try raising the seat a little bit.

At the end of the ride I felt great. I could feel in my legs that I had ridden but there was no pain or strain. Nine miles on a fixed gear bike without ever gliding was a great experience. I still love my road bike but I love my fixie as well.

The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944, by Rick Atkinson

The dis-oriented author has a special interest in World War II. I read the first installment of Rick Atkinson's Liberation Trilogy, Army at Dawn. I bought Day of Battle the day it was released. Army at Dawn chronicled the war in Africa and Day of Battle follows up with the war in Sicily and into mainland Italy.

After reading this book I wonder how we won the war.

After achieving success in Africa, the allies were at an crucial juncture. The British wanted to make sure that America remained focused on Europe. At the same time Britain was not prepared for a cross-channel invasion The army that had defeated Rommel's Afrika Korps was sitting on it's hands waiting for something to do.

Eventually, the British convinced the Americans to undertake an invasion of Sicily and then mainland Italy. Churchill suggested that this would be a short campaign that Hitler would be forced to pull resources away from the Eastern Front, relieving the pressure on our ally, Stalin. Stalin pointed out that while Russia was fighting the majority of the German army, America and England were not fighting the Germans anywhere.

This book describes the characters and events that led to Allied victory in Italy. It starts with the invasion of Sicily and follows with the landings on the Italian mainland. I could not put down the book when I read about Anzio and Monte Cassino. The conflicts between individual commanders played a big role in the campaign. It was also interesting to see the conflicts between the forces of the different allied countries.

This is an excellent book and I recommend it to anyone with an interest in World War II.

The Day of Battle gets 5 of 5 dis-oriented smileys

Purchase The Day of Battle  from Amazon.com.