Conference noted::bicycle

    Hi Graham,
    
    ...maybe I should  think about really doing this 23km up and the hell of
    23km down project....
    
    ...maybe I should give a prewarnig to the local hospital...
    
    ...or maybe the only thing is to be aware that using your muscles and 
    rhythm (spell?) going up and your brain going down? (I mean:  take no
    more risk (speed) than you can handle).....
    
    is that what you meant Graham?
    
    Karl
    
    

    
>>    ...or maybe the only thing is to be aware that using your muscles and 
>>    rhythm (spell?) going up and your brain going down? (I mean:  take no
>>    more risk (speed) than you can handle).....
    
>>    is that what you meant Graham?
    
    Yep. Because you don't have physical limitations going down it's easy
    to get carried away. Let your confidence build up gradually and ride
    according to weather/road conditions.
    
    Graham.

    No sympathy from me Graham.  I only do Hell to Leather ( a quaint
    American term ) descents on stretches of road that I really know.  Here in
    New England the rocks are hard and can kill a person so I try to stay
    off of them as much as possible.
    
    By the way how does it feel to hit a brick wall at speed?  The worst
    that I have had happen is to be hit by a relatively slow moving truck
    ( my body and mind freaked out - I could not touch a bike for one 
    month )
    
     AS

    
>>    By the way how does it feel to hit a brick wall at speed?
    
  	Sore...
    
    	I'd like to point out that I was 16 at the time. I can look back at
    it with a dry sense of humour now, but it did teach me a lesson. I
    think that it's something that every rider of that age that I know has
    gone through nad we're all a lot more careful now...
    
    Graham.

I've always enjoyed going as fast as I can on a bike and hated using brakes 
(brake pads are sooooooo expensive).  This is why I bought a tandem; the climbs
are tougher but the descents are wonderfully fast.

Fortunately, I haven't had the luck of Sir Goodman et al.  Most of my spills 
occur at stop lights when trying to clip out (very embarassing but harmless).

My next goal: ride the passing lane (for its true purpose) on Rte 2 eastbound
down the Belmont hill.

Eric

P.S.  I'm still looking for a stoker... and, maybe a 56+ chain ring (already 
have an 11 tooth cog)

re .7

> P.S.  I'm still looking for a stoker...

When you *DO* start riding with a stoker present, you'll go even faster
downhill!     ;-)

    re .7
    
    Eric,
    
         Do you have a deathwish.  Rt. at anytime is bad.  Good luck
    finding someone to ride a bike with you in such a situation. 
    Maybe I have had some terrible spills ( a crash which resulted in
    a hole all the way to the inner portion of my right knee ) and
    have reacted by holding back on descents, but I enjoy riding and
    especially enjoy climbing more now ( I prove my stuff going up
    the hill ).
    
      AS      

     I did hit 50mph going down Mt Wachusett Saturday! The really scary
    scary part was I hit speeds upwards of 5mph on the way up.
    
     I'll tell ya I had to change ma shots when I got home (not from the
    speed either)...
    
     Chip

    re .10 
    
    Chip,
    
         I have ridden Mt Wachusetts often and know the decents and climbs
    that you are talking about.  I also know that a medical student was
    paralyzed after a fall on the Wachusetts decent about 1 1/2 year ago.
    A fellow rider almost fell ( after his rear wheel was torn up by a bump )
    last year, I am glad that he did not because he would have surely
    gotten hurt very badly.
         There are concrete structures and stone walls on the Wachusetts
    descent not to mention a steep drop over rocks if a person does avoid
    hitting other structures after falling.  There are also hikers crossing
    the the road that makes that descent.
         Sometimes we never regret during something until either we or
    someone else has been badly hurt.  Please understand that I am not
    trying to show you up, but the situation that you created Saturday was
    not a good one.  I know that descent and you are lucky that yourself or
    someone else did not get hurt.
    
     AS
      

     Thanks for your concern, but let me add a little more detail...
    
     I too, have been riding it for years. I know every nook and cranny
    of the up/down roads. I do it at least once a week as a part of my
    training regimen.
    
     I would never - ever let it all "hang out" on the down road. I was
    referring to Mile Hill Rd... With the exception of a small bump near
    the maintenance bldg. near the road (tow rope is), the road is in
    very good condition. I would also never attempt any mach speeds
    unless I was sure of my machine's condition.
    
     Other than that, what can I say... Maybe I'm not all there, but I'm
    going to try and better my 55mph top speed this year for that descent.
    
     Chip

    re .12
    
    Chip,
    
         Sorry, the decent that you did is safer and there is normally
    little auto traffic if you time it right.  I thought that you was
    talking about the descent from the summit of Mt. Wachusettes, that
    descent is deadly ( by the way, I think that it is steeper than the
    ascent road - the Fitchburg race ascended up it last year ).  Again,
    sorry about the mix up.
    
      AS 

    correction on .13
    
         The was was a "were"
    AS

     Not your fault - I didn't mention it. You're right. The down road
    would be suicidal... I'm not that depressed.
    
     Chip