Track Stands are Hard

Old reliable is back in action, as is the Egg Brake (I'm not brave enough to go brakeless)

Monday I will hopefully get cleared to return to some form of training, but with the break in crappy weather we've had, I just couldn't resist getting out on a bike. Still, I'm a good patient, so I refrained from much "riding" and decided it was time to learn a new skill... Track Stands.

Much to my dismay, what hipster kids make look simple I seem to be having a hell of a time nailing down. After an afternoon (and another morning) of practice, I've gotten proficient enough to stop and hold it a few seconds... but still not red light length of time, nor reliably enough to try it anyways. Still, progress is progress, and hopefully I'll have it mastered in the near future, afterwards moving on to perfecting it on a road bike, which seems infinitely harder.

It was also good to be back on the Planet X Stealth, and it wears this new skin pretty nicely. I had forgotten just how solid this bike feels underneath me... It's a shame it's not a little more aerodynamic :( I also dug the old Egg brake out of retirement so that I'd have a way to stop other than my legs, and while I still have the same complaints about it that I always have (it's annoying to set up and fickle to stay put once you do have it set) it's still one of the most assured braking aero brakes out there... which is what I'm most interested in on this kind of ride, as I'm still working on stopping reliably without relying on the brake.

Hopefully the next time you hear from me I'll be back in the saddle "for real," and with good things to report from my blood tests. Until then, thanks for checking in!

- Christopher Morelock