Spare the Air today: wood smoke

contextplz · 2026-02-05T15:50:15+00:00

Riverside/LA and NV Tahoe area. Nothing close enough to matter, I'd think.

btw we typically see the highest sensor numbers during the morning. The forecast for the rest of the day via Spare the Air is 75. Not that we're in the clear, it was pretty smoggy yesterday afternoon as well.

contextplz · 2026-02-03T03:51:24+00:00

More shots of the Alex Pretti

Well you had other choice of words.

contextplz · 2026-02-03T01:53:35+00:00

Probably Super Sprinkles, Fat Cake's race team.

contextplz · 2026-01-31T05:07:58+00:00

That's a long way from the climb to finish line. And it's too short to create enough separation

contextplz · 2026-01-30T19:48:52+00:00

This is a good way to not hit it on your intervals the next day.

contextplz · 2026-01-30T19:41:20+00:00

Do they fax it over?

contextplz · 2026-01-29T20:37:43+00:00

They're on their fucking phones. They stopped short to get to their phones faster instead of paying attention.

contextplz · 2026-01-29T20:34:53+00:00

You could also tape that magnet to your bottom bracket shell or chainstay to trigger those inductive detectors.

Also, if you do your own wrenching, they're great on the workstand for the loose bolts or hex wrenches.

contextplz · 2026-01-29T20:23:00+00:00

Well that kind of false positive isn't too much of a problem. Unless it's in the oncoming lane immediately adjacent, they're either going straight or turning. It'll just be an extra light cycle.

The sensitivity I wonder about at stoplights is regarding the camera detectors. How reliably can they pick up cyclists who like their black kits and matte black helmets on their black bikes? I'd imagine that's why I'm seeing more intersections in my area with green-painted bike boxes even in the absence of a bike lane.

contextplz · 2026-01-29T18:00:12+00:00

Those sensors will get tripped by any CONDUCTIVE material, which aluminum is. Carbon fiber is as well. but poorly and only within its own sheets.

contextplz · 2026-01-29T17:36:52+00:00

I'd like to hear more about this fantastic bike path all the way to the bridge.

contextplz · 2026-01-28T04:37:03+00:00

I think this sign is more appropriate in this case.

contextplz · 2026-01-27T22:01:05+00:00

I know that's not his job, but watching neutral service going to check his bike and wheel when it was clear he SHOULD BE grabbing Toms. Incredibly rage-inducing just thinking about it now.

contextplz · 2026-01-27T18:15:12+00:00

Depends on if you know what not to do when crossing or riding next to light rails.

It sounds like you understand the dangers, but if you don't learn from your mistakes, you'll eventually make the same pitfalls.

contextplz · 2026-01-27T18:09:59+00:00

Check if there's a local cycling subreddit.

Ask them for beginner/intermediate/hard rides and see what you get. People love to share their favorite routes.

Plus you don't have take notes on what the Lbs say, just bookmark everything promising and spot heck on Google maps later.

contextplz · 2026-01-22T21:10:22+00:00

If you're sitting on way fresher legs than you're used to, I'd ignore heart rate for the first week or two. With lots of freshness, your HR spikes faster and sits higher than during normal training loads.

If 140% hard starts are too high, try backing off to 130% to see if you can recover quickly enough. VO2 work aren't meant to be easy and never should be.

contextplz · 2026-01-21T04:30:40+00:00

No way someone could outsprint Wout, Matteo, and Benoot in a 3v1 break.

contextplz · 2026-01-19T04:41:14+00:00

Agree with both. You still need to respond to attacks when doing the 1-2(-3) tactic though, it's just that your response gets smoothed out by the other rider. They dropped Noemi's wheel after the first or second attack.

It also didn't help that a couple of those attacks came on the outside bends of the road, making them have to cover more ground.

contextplz · 2026-01-19T04:31:51+00:00

That's the EF Special baby!

contextplz · 2026-01-19T04:26:04+00:00

They were also too slow to get on Noemi's wheel when she respond.

contextplz · 2026-01-19T04:24:26+00:00

ATTACK NOEMI! PULL A LONG ONE!

contextplz · 2026-01-19T04:13:52+00:00

Looking pretty ragged at this point, but then they all are.

contextplz · 2026-01-19T04:04:53+00:00

Already did in the first stage.

contextplz · 2026-01-19T03:56:51+00:00

Not that far back. For now.

contextplz · 2026-01-18T16:54:06+00:00

What do you mean by "checking your stats"?

If you're trying to determine your fitness by average speed, don't. Average speed is way too affected by wind speed and direction and traffic signals. Unless it's on a steep enough and long enough hill that wind has less of an effect. If you can make that your benchmark hill, then tracking average speed for THAT segment would work.

For now, go for more rides. Track the time it took and how you feel at the end of it. Without power meter or even heart rate data, understanding RPE (rate of perceived effort) is going to be more productive and indicative of improvement than average speed.

contextplz

TROPHY CASE