Indeed.

I don't really know what's going on (I've felt no urge to be personally tested) but over the weekend at select spots in the state they were offering testing to whoever came by designated testing spots, suggesting it's more available now that it was.

I don't know how public health stuff normally works, but the fact that the rules seem to haphazardly vary from one jurisdiction to the next is doesn't make sense to me.

I wrote that while having my coffee on a particularly fuzzy morning, so it likely wasn't clear.

You can do a long steady climb course, but you can also set an intervals workout to slope. So for example, on my FTP test, it's 5' at 0%, 5' at 1%, 5' at 2%, 5' at 0%... then 20' at 4% and another 5/0-20/4. Because it's intervals, it's time-based rather than distance-based, but you can put out as much power as you have the legs for. In erg mode, I'd have to set the 20' intervals to 300w and hold it, or use the +/- keys to go a little harder. Especially for FTP testing, slope mode lets you see what you can really do instead of following a specific prescription.

See? Anxiety based over-achieving never crossed my mind(Bah Hunbug excepted). Never having had a real world job, it's a foreign concept. The jobs I did have were mostly manual labor, and thus the competition with myself was moot. If I had the energy to ride at all. Farming can be very hard work, especially if the gathering of winter firewood is included in the mix
​​​

My 84 Schwinn Letour Luxe has a french sized quill stem. Odd.

Where did you farm?

I think that the anxiety reduction was in reference to the physical work/exertion, not necessarily the competitive aspect. I go through the same thing. If I don't exercise, my anxiety levels go up. I suspect that most humans are the same but a) some people work in jobs that are physically demanding and get in their necessary work that way and b) those with more sedentary jobs/lifestyles (you know, a big chunk of America) have simply gotten used to feeling ****ty and snippy and full of anxiety.

Definitely odd on a bike that new.

Even stranger, my 76 Motobecane takes a standard quill, but my 77 Japanese-built Super Le Tour has a French size quill and handlebar clamp :foo:

I am going to confess that last Monday I woke up feeling crappy. Fatigue, G.I. issues, muscle and head aches and a flush feeling. Never had any breathing problems. Emailed my PC at Jeff. He said you "probably" have the virus, but we are not going to bother testing you unless you need to be hospitalized since it doesn't matter and we want to save tests. Ultimately, I think he was incorrect and that what I rally had was a stomach bug because each day I felt better and better and was felling no ill effects as of Friday morning at the latest.

Agree. The role for testing YOU as an individual is weak, you should assume you have it and self-isolate for 7 days from onset of symtpoms. That works great when we are all more or less in lockdown.

The BIG problem is testing for asymptomatic carriers. If we don't start doing this, when the restrictions are lifted there is a big chance of a second surge. Sad.

It sounds like Velo Vol's region is already set up. Mine is not and no plans to do so. That's ******** (stupid).

Competitive overachieving is a dirty job, but someone's got to do it.

This

And this.

My immediate metro area has a population of 350k and has no general testing centers. You can only get tested at a clinic or hospital if you show symptoms or if you are in healthcare or a first responder.

My wife was saying that the heath officials in MN were pretty confident that the U of MN had come up with a method of testing that could realistically be rolled out state-wide and that they hoped to do so soon-ish. Being an avid avoider of news, I don't know any more specifics, but that would be encouraging, if correct.

I agree. You can talk about "re-opening" all you want, but you won't find me running out to see a movie or go to happy hour any time soon.

I'd go to a movie, but I've always preferred going solo to a weekday matinee, so I wouldn't be within sneeze-range of anyone, anyway (and I'd wipe my armrests, etc).

Until/unless they really ramp up the testing, you will have to either have everyone wear a mask OR face recurrent surges in illness.

Wearing a mask can put quite a damper on a happy hour.

BTW, wife's PPP loan application was revived by tech support at the bank. She signed the papers today. I had thought it was approved and she had blown the acceptance, but I'm still cautiously optimistic.

In other news, an elite athlete in SoCal requested to follow me on Strava today. :innocent:

Depends on your goals. Could act kinda like beer goggles.

You can still drink with goggles on.

I hear gasoline is under a dollar per gallon in some places, still over $3 here but I haven't purchased any for weeks. I haven't started my car in a week but tomorrow I need to get groceries again. Mrs John hasn't started her car in a month.

Yesterday I took the mountain bike out for a spin and while I was climbing a rocky fire road 5 men on horseback joined me from an equestrian trail. It was weird, like a group ride but I was the only bike. One of the guys to my left started chatting and we had a nice conversation until they turned off on a different road.

Damn John where are you @? I have several stations around me that are $1.08 some lower but they vary up and down. A couple have been @1 08 for over a week.

I saw 99 cent gas over the weekend in rural WI. I was floored. The last time I saw gas at less than a buck was prolly 20 years ago.

Me either.

I mean, I didn't do those things before, but it's a sacrifice I will continue to make. :D

I get anxious just thinking about it. My wife and I went to Aldis this morning and spilt up our list to get done faster and minimize our exposure time. Five minutes in, my wife found me and said she just wanted to leave. I can't say that I blamed her one bit.

I live in a suburb of L.A., about 25 miles north of downtown. The thing about California is the oil companies always gaff us mercilessly and many people believe the high prices are due to high tax or winter blend fuel or something.

Why did she want to leave? Was it crazy busy? Last week we shopped and it wasn't bad.

Wear a fenestrated mask? Can fit a drink stir type straw through it.