How am I almost five inches shorter than before?

I just came back in from the backyard, the scene of my latest bike-related wuss-out. It began last weekend when I took out the singlespeed Chameleon for my first mountain bike ride in, count 'em: one, two, three months. I'd found myself unable to get on top of my 34:18 gear on the only slightly inclined, paved bike path on the way to Greasewood Park. My performance once on the dirt was similarly lackluster. Between that, and memories of screaming quads and hike-a-bikes on my last SS ride at Starr Pass (yeah, the one I did three months ago), I decided it was time to take some gear inches off my bike; 4.9 of them to be specific.

Now, after a bit of grunting with a long-handled wrench and a freewheel remover, I now find myself running a 34:20. This is the same gear combination I used four years ago in nearly sea-level Sacramento, when I weighed a good 25 or 30 pounds more than I do now and where the steepest ascent I rode was a 100-meter section of the Granite Bay Trails at Folsom Lake State Park. If I've backslid to 2003, then I truly am a waste of skin.

Coincidentally, after having cleaned up from the wrench session, I dug through my mountain of clothes and innocently selected a black, NorCal-brand t-shirt. I only just realized this while typing up this post, but I think my subconscious mind chose to wear black in order to mourn the race-ready fitness I've lost since early '06, the date my last hard-effort bike race. Like the song says, "Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft." I must not have left soon enough, because I'm pretty damned squishy. And now, I have the loud clicking of my old 20-tooth ENO freewheel to remind me of that fact.

But there's hope. In another fortuitous coincidence, I popped a spoke in the rear wheel of my cyclocross bike last week. This followed two weeks after I pulled the sole off of one of the shoes that I use with my road bike. These rides had become my go-to commuting bikes in early summer, when triple-digit temperatures and relentless headwinds made commuting on my SS commutant too arduous. Of course, these bikes also have gears, and I used them to their full advantage, downshifting the pain away on every climb. I may have arrived back at home less fatigued, but it didn't do much for for my singlespeedability.

Well, after gearing down the Chameleon, I gave my singlespeed Cummutant a quick tune-up and tomorrow, I'll be back to mashing that one, too-tall gear up the hills on my rides too and from work. If I can stay with it, I may regain some of my lost strength. I'll also be able to take part in the long, climby road rides that are once-again possible now that I've replaced the ripped-apart road shoes. Lastly, and despite the fact that those triple-digit temps still loom, autumn is knocking at the door, which means the SS mountain bike rides can be completed without experiencing heat prostration.

And yes, I'm aware that prefacing every one of my bike-based aspirations with "Someday..." is getting old. If someone out there is muttering "Just quit your bitching and ride, dammit", my response is this:

Word.