Sunday's fixie ride in Columbia was nice. Great weather above all else but rather than riding the levee road the whole way we rode south to Valmeyer up on the bluffs. Riding up top offered some variety and made for a tougher ride for sure. Almost from the moment you leave the parking lot the little hills start hitting you. None of the hills are hard and could probably described as good sized rollers but on a fixed gear they take on greater degree of difficulty. There are some flattish sections of road but the hills keep coming. Each one saps a little more energy from your legs. By the time you reach New Valmeyer, you welcome the looong downhill into Old Valmeyer and the flats of the Illinois farmland.

Ride time: about 2.5 hrs

I just finished cycling.tv's coverage of Magnus Backstedt's attempt and the Derny Hour Record. He finished way off the record but I give him credit for doing the whole hour and not quitting when it was clear the mark was out of his reach. He gave the fans their money's worth. The most interesting thing I learned was that he used a 62x13 gearing. The chainline created by that huge pie plate up front and the tiny rear cog looked freaky. I'm surprised how quickly he got that gear up to speed. My knees would explode.