New Bikes and Big Rides: Day 11

Okay, so this is probably going to be a rambling post, but I'll throw in some pictures to break up the monotony!

The last couple of days have been a bit of a roller coaster for me.  For those of you close to me, you know I've been struggling to find a job.  I've applied at every place that I'm qualified for, as well as some that I am not, and I've had zero luck in even landing an interview.  I had finally found a job that I was very excited about as an Office Manager for a local property management company.  I had all of the qualifications desired and the fact that I currently manage an apartment complex was, in my eyes, something that would put me close to the top of the applicant pool.  When I brought my resume in, I noticed that the mean age of folks in the office was about 35-40 years old, but I was pretty sure the position was for one of their other offices so I didn't think my age would be a problem.  About a week went by and I hadn't heard from them, so on Monday I gave them a call.  I was told that about 35 people applied for the position, but that while my resume was "probably great," I just didn't make the cut.  I managed to make it off the phone before I started bawling, but only barely.

Now, I'm not saying that this place was discriminating based on my age, but I have gotten the feeling at the last couple of places where I hand-delivered cover letters and resumes that the potential employer thinks I look too young.  I know I look like I'm twelve.  Right after I turned 21 I got carded for an R-Rated movie.  I was once carded two separate times at a bar after getting in the door because they suspected my ID was fake.  But in the workplace I am well-dressed, clean, and professional, and I think the people working with me can attest to the fact that even though I have a case of babyface, I can hold my own with most adults.

Working is something that I've always enjoyed doing, and we could really use the money right now, so it's frustrating and depressing that I'm submitting so many cover letters and resumes and not even getting called.  Ugh.

Okay, unemployable recent grad rant over.  Back to the bike stuff.

Yesterday we went on an evening ride since it was far too hot during the day to go out.  I was feeling a little depressed from my earlier failure, but I knew it would be nice to get out and do something.  I got ready and headed out with Bern to do a quick ride to Moscow, ID and back.  By the time we got to Moscow, the sun was beginning to set.  Here's a picture I grabbed on my phone right before we headed back towards Pullman:

The above picture really doesn't do the sunset justice, but hopefully you get a good idea of how beautiful it is out here!

Once we got back to Pullman, the sunset was well underway.  We averaged somewhere between 18 and 20 miles per hour on the trip back (about 6-7 miles), and then slowed down a bit as we headed up the big hill to our apartment.  I got a fantastic view of the pink and orange clouds as I climbed the hill, and snapped this picture at the top:

After I crested the hill, I coasted to the bottom with the intention of heading for home.  Bern met me at the bottom and talked me into adding a couple of miles by doing what we call the "apartmentland loop"--there are a ton of apartment complexes crammed into one area back behind our apartment complex (actually, you can see them in the background of the picture above), and you can ride a loop with a big hill and a nice descent as a nice add-on if you want some extra distance.  We ended up going through the loop and making it home just as it was getting dark.  To get our mileage up to 20 miles, we decided to just do some loops in the parking lot and practice our corners--the change of pace and the cool air were the perfect way to finish the ride!


Today we went 40 miles, a personal best for me!  We rode the usual way out of Pullman and headed down the Latah Trail towards Troy, ID.  We'd gotten up early to beat the heat, and I noticed that a lot of other people seemed to have the same idea as us.  Lots of super serious-looking bikers as well as a few more leisurely folks, and quite a few people who appeared to be commuting (yay!).  We didn't make it all the way to Troy, because I was getting pretty tired and Bern's leg has been giving him a little trouble.  At the 20-mile mark, we decided to turn around and head home.

Nothing particularly exciting happened on today's ride, but I do have a few pictures that show off our new bikes!

Here's Bern with his new 2012 Giant Defy Composite 2 (for those of you interested, it's a carbon fiber frame with SRAM Apex components, which are a little weird but pretty cool):

Action shot!

No close ups of me with my baby yet, but here is one Bern snapped after I made it up a hill:

I will have to post a better picture so you all can see my bike soon!  It's technially a Raleigh Revenio 3.0, but there is a bit of a backstory.  You can skip the next two paragraphs unless you're really interested...There are four models of the Raleigh Revenio, going from 1.0-4.0.  The 1.0 is the basest model, with an aluminum frame and fork and lower-end Shimano components.  It would make a decent commuter or leisure bike but it wouldn't be great for racing or performance.  The 2.0 has an aluminum frame, carbon fiber fork (more flex and lighter than aluminum), and Shimano Sora components.  Sora is a decent set of components, they can be a little bit rough at times but overall are okay once you get used to them.  My one gripe is that the shifting isn't integrated, so you have to go up to the brake hoods to tap a button to gear up/down (depending on whether you're changing the front or back rings) and the other up/downs are a paddle on the brake lever.  When you're flying down a hill at 25 or 30 miles per hour and realize you want to up your resistance, the last thing you want to do is move your right hand from the bottom of the handlebars to the top to press the little button.  Boo.  The Revenio 3.0 and 4.0 are much the same; the 3.0 sports Shimano 105 and the 4.0 has Shimano Ultegra, but the only real difference between these two is weight.  They are an integrated shifting system so you use a paddle on the brake lever to go up/down on either side, and then you move the brake lever inward to shift the other way.  It's a lot easier to shift when you're in the drops, which is what I wanted.

At our local bike store, I test rode a Revenio 2.0 and loved the fit and ride on the frame, but hated the components.  The owner of the store told me I was in luck--I could get a Revenio 3.0 from last year for a significant discount.  I put my down payment on it that very day.  A couple of days later, we came into the shop and were pulled aside and told that there had been a slight mix up and they did not have the frame that I had put the down payment on.  They told me they could get me a 2012 frame, but it would be white instead of black.  In the store, I was like, yeah, sure, I just want a cool bike.  Then I got home and got reallllllly sad because I wanted the 2011 Revenio's black matte frame with green accents, which I had already set as our desktop computer's background and had spent considerable time drooling over.  Bern, being the wonderful friend and husband that he is, got on the phone with the owner at the LBS and told him exactly that.  He ended up calling back and saying that he could get a warranty frame (brand new) for a 2.0 and he could swap over the 3.0's components.  I wouldn't be getting the matte black and green frame, but a glossy black and red frame with some white.  I could deal.  The frame says it's a Revenio 2.0, but with the better components, it may as well be a 3.0.  I call it a 2.5.  So, there is the bike saga and if you read this I owe you a cookie or something.

For those smart enough to skip that BS, you can start reading again.  Here is the bike that I ended up with:

I haven't named it yet, so if anyone has suggestions, I'm open.

So that's everything up to today.  We ended up getting a full 40.28 miles in, which brings us to 95 miles in the last 3 days.  I don't think I've ever even come close to that performance.  Tomorrow is a recovery day, so we may ride to Moscow for cookies at the Co-Op and then home at a nice relaxing pace.  That will give us 3 more days to get in another 90-100 miles so that we can stay on track for the big finish!  We have already discussed the possibility that we won't be done on the 22nd, and we're okay with that.  We already set a couple of rewards that don't expire with the end of the challenge: taking ourselves out for sushi at halfway and a big fancy date night at the end of the whole thing!

Progress as of 7/10/2012

Miles Completed Since 6/30/12: 203.26

Miles to Go By 7/22/2012: 340.74

Days Left in Challenge: 12

We are holding steady at a 28 mile-a-day average to complete the challenge on time...if we keep up like this we might actually make it!