Clearly I've had other issues on my mind this year - haven't blogged here since July!
This year's results, as measured by my two Cannondale IQ 114 Cadence and AllSport GPS (for Blackberry):
Road Bike: 350km
Hybrid Bike: 619km
Kayak: 23km
Showing posts with label cycle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cycle. Show all posts
2010-12-28
2010-07-06
OK Computer
Thanks to a tip from fellow cycling nut @melamalie, I recently replaced my old (lost!) CatEye bike computer with a new Cannondale IQ 114 Cadence so I can work on improving my RPM. Apparently I do 55-65 RPM on average on my hybrid; possibly more on the borrowed road bike.
So far, it's pretty #awesome because - as a number-focused nerd - I can focus on my RPM rather than speed, and be less frustrated when going out w/ slower cyclists. Did 25K this morning as the mist was lifting off the lake. Great idea, SWMNBN!
UPDATE: Canondale no longer makes this computer, so, in the interests of providing data on how to configure it should you need to reset the computer (or put in a new battery), here's a link to the user manual.
The important part is as follows:
2010-07-03
Road Biking
Thanks to a loaned road bike and support from friends in the know, I've finally taken the plunge from hybrid bike to road bike... and while the first 7K to/from mom's were a bit scary, today's ride (12.7k each way - across the Lakeshore and up the Don trails) was a lot of fun.
Because the loaner has no computer and my Blackberry's battery was too weak to use, I drew this rough route map instead:
Because the loaner has no computer and my Blackberry's battery was too weak to use, I drew this rough route map instead:
2010-05-27
First 50K of the season
With the Ride For Heart just around the corner, it was high time I went out for a 50K ride.
Here's the route, with hills galore!
According to Trimble Outdoors' Allsport GPS, I burned over 3500 calories doing 51.5k in 2h52. My bike's computer claims 773 calories over 51.2k in 2h28. Not sure what causes this disparity but I'm going w/ the Trimble number because I suspect it includes altitude, not just revolutions of my front tire. And it's nearly 5x larger.
By the way, if you've got a few bucks to burn for a good cause, you can donate some tax-deductable money to the Ride For Heart via this page. Or, if you'd like to join our team, drop me a line.
Here's the route, with hills galore!
- 15k from Guildwood to DVP/York Mills
- 20K loop from DVP/York Mills to Yonge, south to Lawrence, east through The Bridle Path and north up Don Mills back to DVP/York Mills
- 15k home via York Mills / Ellesmere
According to Trimble Outdoors' Allsport GPS, I burned over 3500 calories doing 51.5k in 2h52. My bike's computer claims 773 calories over 51.2k in 2h28. Not sure what causes this disparity but I'm going w/ the Trimble number because I suspect it includes altitude, not just revolutions of my front tire. And it's nearly 5x larger.
By the way, if you've got a few bucks to burn for a good cause, you can donate some tax-deductable money to the Ride For Heart via this page. Or, if you'd like to join our team, drop me a line.
2009-08-02
50K
To and from mom's place to help her put eyedrops in her dog, 8K.
Grocery trip, 6K.
Out to Pickering along the waterfront, dinner at Subway, and home, 36K.
Burned roughly 3400 calories, according to Trimble Outdoors (and extrapolating the additional 14K not logged).
A few pics posted via UberTwitter are here, here, and here.
Grocery trip, 6K.
Out to Pickering along the waterfront, dinner at Subway, and home, 36K.
Burned roughly 3400 calories, according to Trimble Outdoors (and extrapolating the additional 14K not logged).
A few pics posted via UberTwitter are here, here, and here.
2009-07-20
31K
After a two-week hiatus from cycling/paddling due to work, wii, and general sloth, today I finally got out and mowed the lawm (second time this season!) and biked 31K - from home to Danforth/Victoria Park, south to the lake, across Queen, and home along Kingston Rd.
Disappointingly, my GPS took its sweet time connecting (probably due to cloud cover or SkyNet was busy elsewhere) so the route map is incomplete.
Disappointingly, my GPS took its sweet time connecting (probably due to cloud cover or SkyNet was busy elsewhere) so the route map is incomplete.
2009-07-05
Another 50K
Friday: 35K, including 4K with mom trying to get her back into cycling.
Sunday: 15K in 38 mins, using both bike computer and AllSport GPS. Here's how the two compare:
CatEye Velo 8
Time: 38:31
Dist: 15.25km
Avg: 23.7km/h
Max: 44.5km/h
Cal: 262.0
AllSport GPS
Time: 38:08
Dist: 15.225km
Avg: 23.9km/h
Max: 45.6km/h
Cal: 1049
This says two things: it takes about 0.025km for the GPS to lock in, and AllSport has a much friendlier calculation for burned calories. No idea which is more accurate, however.
Sunday: 15K in 38 mins, using both bike computer and AllSport GPS. Here's how the two compare:
CatEye Velo 8
Time: 38:31
Dist: 15.25km
Avg: 23.7km/h
Max: 44.5km/h
Cal: 262.0
AllSport GPS
Time: 38:08
Dist: 15.225km
Avg: 23.9km/h
Max: 45.6km/h
Cal: 1049
This says two things: it takes about 0.025km for the GPS to lock in, and AllSport has a much friendlier calculation for burned calories. No idea which is more accurate, however.
2009-07-02
Three Days In Massey: Paddling, Cycling, Hiking, and Rockclimbing
Drove up with the wife and dogs Monday to visit friends in Massey, Ontario. On the way, we passed through thunderstorms powerful enough to knock out power for several blocks in Bradford.
Tuesday I drove over to the River House B&B to rent a canoe, then, with the dogs in their new Outward Hound PFDs, paddled from their put in to the beach at the mouth of the Riviere Aux Saubles (Sauble River) and back.
The trip down the Spanish River ended up being a beautiful 11K trip - the thunderstorm I was expecting at noon or earlier held off until about a half hour after we all got out of the river and back to Black Creek Equestrian where we were staying. Unfortunately, I'd been expecting a short run on the river and overcast skies, so I got rather badly sunburned. Ah, well, next time I'll bring sunscreen instead of leaving it in my duffel at the farm.
Wednesday I set out to go mountain biking, but with the rain the night before the trails behind the farm were pretty intractable for my road-friendly hybrid Specialized, so I parked it against a tree and went off the trail for some rock climbing instead.
I'm loving my newly purchased AllSport GPS for BlackBerry (@trimbleoutdoors), which helped me greatly find my way out of the woods after I veered off the path in search of the sounds of running water.
By the way, if you haven't seen the new features in Picasa Web Albums, check out the map of my paddling/hiking this week, which supports Google Earth & Google Maps.
Tuesday I drove over to the River House B&B to rent a canoe, then, with the dogs in their new Outward Hound PFDs, paddled from their put in to the beach at the mouth of the Riviere Aux Saubles (Sauble River) and back.
The trip down the Spanish River ended up being a beautiful 11K trip - the thunderstorm I was expecting at noon or earlier held off until about a half hour after we all got out of the river and back to Black Creek Equestrian where we were staying. Unfortunately, I'd been expecting a short run on the river and overcast skies, so I got rather badly sunburned. Ah, well, next time I'll bring sunscreen instead of leaving it in my duffel at the farm.
Wednesday I set out to go mountain biking, but with the rain the night before the trails behind the farm were pretty intractable for my road-friendly hybrid Specialized, so I parked it against a tree and went off the trail for some rock climbing instead.
I'm loving my newly purchased AllSport GPS for BlackBerry (@trimbleoutdoors), which helped me greatly find my way out of the woods after I veered off the path in search of the sounds of running water.
By the way, if you haven't seen the new features in Picasa Web Albums, check out the map of my paddling/hiking this week, which supports Google Earth & Google Maps.
2009-06-21
6+19
Friday: quick trip to and from Bellamy Ravine, including a brief catnap on the lake & a very brief swim just before dusk. Chilly but invigorating.
Saturday: beat Plants vs. Zombies. Rain sucks.
Sunday: Hiked up the Bluff w/ the dogs to test out Google Lattitude's accuracy. Not bad, but I think it's time to score a copy of Allsport GPS or Trimble Outdoors for my BlackBerry, if they work in Canada.
Quick 19km ride to and from Pickering in about 50 mins. Great speed on the way there (27km/h, terrible on the way back. Average 22.5km/h.
Saturday: beat Plants vs. Zombies. Rain sucks.
Sunday: Hiked up the Bluff w/ the dogs to test out Google Lattitude's accuracy. Not bad, but I think it's time to score a copy of Allsport GPS or Trimble Outdoors for my BlackBerry, if they work in Canada.
Quick 19km ride to and from Pickering in about 50 mins. Great speed on the way there (27km/h, terrible on the way back. Average 22.5km/h.
2009-06-06
2x8
Finally slept enough to have the energy to get out paddling today, after a brief paddle a couple weeks ago that ended when I discovered a capsized kayak a little way out from me.
Altruistic thoughts aside, I towed it in to shore thinking, "hey, free boat!" only to discover that its owner was on the shore wondering how he might ever recover his boat. I lent him my Wheeleez so he could lug his leaky boat up the hill to civilization and back to the store from whence it was acquired.
So, today was the first time this season I actually managed to cover some distance on the water: from Bluffer's Park to my close-to-home put-in at the bottom of the big hill south of Galloway Rd, in under 2 hours.
After dinner I cycled the 8K back to Bluffer's to retrieve the car.
Altruistic thoughts aside, I towed it in to shore thinking, "hey, free boat!" only to discover that its owner was on the shore wondering how he might ever recover his boat. I lent him my Wheeleez so he could lug his leaky boat up the hill to civilization and back to the store from whence it was acquired.
So, today was the first time this season I actually managed to cover some distance on the water: from Bluffer's Park to my close-to-home put-in at the bottom of the big hill south of Galloway Rd, in under 2 hours.
After dinner I cycled the 8K back to Bluffer's to retrieve the car.
2009-05-11
66K as I turn 33
Last week: 10K quick trip around the neighbourhood.
Friday: 31K trip to Pickering and around Scarborough.
Sunday: 6K from Gerrard/Coxwell to Bloor/Sherbourne, then 19K back home.
Friday: 31K trip to Pickering and around Scarborough.
Sunday: 6K from Gerrard/Coxwell to Bloor/Sherbourne, then 19K back home.
2009-04-26
2009 Season Opener
After a total slacktastic winter, involving only a single use of my bike trainer, followed by a trip to California for EclipseCon '09 + meetings w/ my new teammates from Red Hat, JBoss, and Exadel, and then being sick for most of April, I finally got myself outside for my first ride of the season. There's nothing as exhilarating as a ride in the rain!
Unfortunately, I seem to have misconfigured my bike computer, so pushing myself as hard as I could, I only managed a reported average speed of 11.7km/h over 13km in a 66min period. Google Maps clocks the ride as being more like 21km.
If you ever want to inspire/motivate/depress yourself, try setting your computer to a larger tire size.
Unfortunately, I seem to have misconfigured my bike computer, so pushing myself as hard as I could, I only managed a reported average speed of 11.7km/h over 13km in a 66min period. Google Maps clocks the ride as being more like 21km.
If you ever want to inspire/motivate/depress yourself, try setting your computer to a larger tire size.
2008-08-31
August Wrap-Up
Last night: took mom out for her second foray into cycling this year. Afterwards, did another 25K or so.
Today: paddled 6K from Galloway to Bellamy and back, in about 80 mins.
Tonight: 20K along Kingston Rd to Danforth to Bloor to Sherbourne; stopped for dinner and a couple beers with Jakub & Lori, and then after a half-hour Comedy Central fix (South Park's "Bloody Mary" episode), 20K home. W00t.
Including some short trips around the neighbourhood, that's another 92K on the odometer since 08/23, for a total of 652K this season by bike and 78K by kayak.
Today: paddled 6K from Galloway to Bellamy and back, in about 80 mins.
Tonight: 20K along Kingston Rd to Danforth to Bloor to Sherbourne; stopped for dinner and a couple beers with Jakub & Lori, and then after a half-hour Comedy Central fix (South Park's "Bloody Mary" episode), 20K home. W00t.
Including some short trips around the neighbourhood, that's another 92K on the odometer since 08/23, for a total of 652K this season by bike and 78K by kayak.
2008-08-21
Sourdough Starter
Back from Alaska, exhausted, enraptured, and espoused. Had a great time: great people, great food, great scenery, great adventures... great everything.
But because we collectively shot over 9G of images and video over the 15 days out west, it's going to be a while before I get everything online.
So, here's a 'by the numbers' account of the trip:
Date married: 08/08/08
Guests/relatives in attendance: 12
Ports visited by ship: 5 (Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait Point, Seward)
Cities visited by land: 4 (Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali, Fairbanks)
Cities visited by air: 2 (Coldfoot, Wiseman)
Distance from Hubbard Glacier at closest approach: 0.3mi (by ship)
Distance from Norris Glacier at closest approach: 0.0mi (by foot)
Days on ship: 7
Hours on train: 10 (2hrs + 3hrs + 5hrs)
Hours in air: 15 (helicopter x 1, twin-engine plane x 2, commercial plane x 12)
Number of reindeer meat meals: 4
Number of Tex-mex meals: 5
Number of times I ate halibut, salmon, or other seafood: too numerous to count (highlights being halibut quesadillas, salmon tacos, scallops on the Millennium & smoked salmon on the riverboat)
Net weight gain (lbs): 5
Methods of transportation used: 20
* car (relatives', rentals, hired), taxi (first time in a hybrid!), limo, shuttle bus, motorcoach bus, city bus
* helicopter, twin-engine plane, commercial plane
* cruise ship, tender/rescue boat, kayak, stern wheeled riverboat
* train car (2-level glass-domed Wilderness Express), train car (White Pass)
* climbing harness on belay (up a climbing wall), climbing harness + zipline (between trees)
* horse-drawn trolley
* cablecar (tram)
* feet (walking, hiking, swimming, spinning in the gym on the Millennium)
And a quick overview by map:
View Larger Map
But because we collectively shot over 9G of images and video over the 15 days out west, it's going to be a while before I get everything online.
So, here's a 'by the numbers' account of the trip:
Date married: 08/08/08
Guests/relatives in attendance: 12
Ports visited by ship: 5 (Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait Point, Seward)
Cities visited by land: 4 (Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali, Fairbanks)
Cities visited by air: 2 (Coldfoot, Wiseman)
Distance from Hubbard Glacier at closest approach: 0.3mi (by ship)
Distance from Norris Glacier at closest approach: 0.0mi (by foot)
Days on ship: 7
Hours on train: 10 (2hrs + 3hrs + 5hrs)
Hours in air: 15 (helicopter x 1, twin-engine plane x 2, commercial plane x 12)
Number of reindeer meat meals: 4
Number of Tex-mex meals: 5
Number of times I ate halibut, salmon, or other seafood: too numerous to count (highlights being halibut quesadillas, salmon tacos, scallops on the Millennium & smoked salmon on the riverboat)
Net weight gain (lbs): 5
Methods of transportation used: 20
* car (relatives', rentals, hired), taxi (first time in a hybrid!), limo, shuttle bus, motorcoach bus, city bus
* helicopter, twin-engine plane, commercial plane
* cruise ship, tender/rescue boat, kayak, stern wheeled riverboat
* train car (2-level glass-domed Wilderness Express), train car (White Pass)
* climbing harness on belay (up a climbing wall), climbing harness + zipline (between trees)
* horse-drawn trolley
* cablecar (tram)
* feet (walking, hiking, swimming, spinning in the gym on the Millennium)
And a quick overview by map:
View Larger Map
2008-07-12
New crank & pedals
I'm lovin' my new crank & pedals. Also trying out a helmet-mounted rear-view mirror, which is... difficult to get used to.
Biked over to Ten-Ichi on Sheppard between Markham & McCowan tonight for some AYCE sushi.
Only 8K to get there, and tons of great food. After dinner we drove over to the theatre at 401/Morningside to see HellBoy 2.
Biking home was another 8K, for an average speed of 23 km/h, max 47 km/h. The hill-valley-hell that is Morningside is great on the way down... less fun on the way up, and the road's pretty badly in need of repaving.
Biked over to Ten-Ichi on Sheppard between Markham & McCowan tonight for some AYCE sushi.
Only 8K to get there, and tons of great food. After dinner we drove over to the theatre at 401/Morningside to see HellBoy 2.
Biking home was another 8K, for an average speed of 23 km/h, max 47 km/h. The hill-valley-hell that is Morningside is great on the way down... less fun on the way up, and the road's pretty badly in need of repaving.
2008-07-07
26.050K
Friday/Saturday: 20K. With my other half's bike, went to and from my mom's house twice, including taking her out for her first ride of the season.
Sunday I did my usual 6K paddle from Galloway Rd to Bellamy Ravine and back, plus a short swim in the still *very* cold, but refreshing lake at the midpoint.
Sunday I did my usual 6K paddle from Galloway Rd to Bellamy Ravine and back, plus a short swim in the still *very* cold, but refreshing lake at the midpoint.
2008-07-01
A broken pedal
Clearly I'm not handy-capable. Sunday I reinstalled the pedals I removed in order to get my bike home from Ottawa, but they didn't want to go on properly, so I ... forced it. While it worked for a 25K ride w/ Paul that day, it seems like that was a bad idea.
4.5K into my ride today with Andrew, my right pedal fell off. I tried to make it work, but there was nothing holding it on, so every revolution it just fell off again. After another few K of one-pedal-action, we gave up and headed back to Lawrence Ave to await a lift home.
On the second attempt we did about another 13K, this time using my fiancé's bike. Aside from the over-zealous seat (it's just too soft and springy!) her bike rides like a dream. Mine is going in for service tomorrow, since it's Canada Day today.
On the plus side, as of today I've done 400K by bike this season and just over 40K by kayak (covering about 18K of lake shore). Woohoo!
4.5K into my ride today with Andrew, my right pedal fell off. I tried to make it work, but there was nothing holding it on, so every revolution it just fell off again. After another few K of one-pedal-action, we gave up and headed back to Lawrence Ave to await a lift home.
On the second attempt we did about another 13K, this time using my fiancé's bike. Aside from the over-zealous seat (it's just too soft and springy!) her bike rides like a dream. Mine is going in for service tomorrow, since it's Canada Day today.
On the plus side, as of today I've done 400K by bike this season and just over 40K by kayak (covering about 18K of lake shore). Woohoo!
2008-06-27
Ottawa Cycling Trip: Day 2
Day two began with coffee & a Vector energy bar, then 17K of biking with about 30lbs of clothing and hardware on my back, to retrace my route from the night before and get back to the Eclipse Foundation office by 10am.
Stopping a few times to snap pictures (and seriously consider jumping in the river to cool off), it took me about an hour to get to the office... drenched in sweat. New to the area, I overshot Woodroffe and added a couple K to the trip.
Luckily, since I had everything with me, I was able to change quickly, and the workshop began with Denis chairing things while I attempted to cool down.
Bjorn offered to drive me to the train station to save me another gruelling 15K trek -- the added bonus being I missed the afternoon thunderstorms & rush hour traffic.
VIA was reasonably accommodating to my need to get home with my bike, and rather than forcing me to use Purolator and to maybe get my bike back on Monday, if not Wednesday (because of Canada Day), they instead allowed me to transport it on the train for $20 + taxes.
I thought I was adhering to the "only two articles" rule:
But digging through the site further, their site DOES state which trains and trips allow checked baggage, that bikes must be checked, and that checking a bike as baggage is $20. However, I had to dig through a number of locations before I found this information, so perhaps it's really a usability issue.
Or I'm just stupid, and misread the statement that bike BOXES are free to mean that the contents would also be free.
Still, it seems odd that the Toronto-Ottawa corridor wouldn't provide a baggage car given all the traffic that line apparently gets.
Ah, well, live and learn.
Stopping a few times to snap pictures (and seriously consider jumping in the river to cool off), it took me about an hour to get to the office... drenched in sweat. New to the area, I overshot Woodroffe and added a couple K to the trip.
Luckily, since I had everything with me, I was able to change quickly, and the workshop began with Denis chairing things while I attempted to cool down.
Bjorn offered to drive me to the train station to save me another gruelling 15K trek -- the added bonus being I missed the afternoon thunderstorms & rush hour traffic.
VIA was reasonably accommodating to my need to get home with my bike, and rather than forcing me to use Purolator and to maybe get my bike back on Monday, if not Wednesday (because of Canada Day), they instead allowed me to transport it on the train for $20 + taxes.
I thought I was adhering to the "only two articles" rule:
But digging through the site further, their site DOES state which trains and trips allow checked baggage, that bikes must be checked, and that checking a bike as baggage is $20. However, I had to dig through a number of locations before I found this information, so perhaps it's really a usability issue.
Or I'm just stupid, and misread the statement that bike BOXES are free to mean that the contents would also be free.
Still, it seems odd that the Toronto-Ottawa corridor wouldn't provide a baggage car given all the traffic that line apparently gets.
Ah, well, live and learn.
2008-06-25
Ottawa Cycling Trip: Day 1
Ottawa-Gatineau, for those who don't live there and already know this, is freakin' beautiful -- especially by bike.
Ottawa Train Station to Gatineau to Eclipse Foundation to Gatineau
Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com
Unfortunately, VIA doesn't provide checked baggage service on its Toronto to Ottawa trains... so while I was able to bring my bike onboard because there was an empty train car (and their staff sympathized w/ my predicament), it's looking like I'll have to courier it home w/ Purolator for $40 or so.
So, after arriving at the train station, I biked the 7.6K to my hotel, showered, changed, and found some bike shops in Ottawa and Gatineau from which I could get the tools I'll need tomorrow to remove my pedals and twist my forks around so I can put it in a box. Yet another service VIA could offer, but doesn't, is to stock $25 work of wrenches to enable customers to adjust their bikes for transport.
Since there were 3 bike shops on my way to the Eclipse Foundation's Ganymede Release party, I decided to detour from the Google Maps route I'd brought and trek across Carling. Of the three, Cycle Power (with an actual website linked from Google Maps) came first and were friendly & helpful. I learned that bike prices are going up 15-20% over the next year due to rising fuel costs and rising demand for bikes. Until the supply catches up to the demand, expect to pay more.
Got to the party fashionably late, but with my return travel plan solved. Missed the food, but caught the dunk tank festivities.
After clocking 38K on an empty stomach, I walked over to the Thai restaurant across from the Museum of Civilizations on Rue Laurier, and ordered the special/sampler. Great soup. Nice, spicy chicken curry. Tasty, but unimaginative pad thai w/ two large shrimp. Despite the slow service (a table for 1, with one one beer, one dish, and desert took 90 mins), I'd go back. Unfortunately I didn't have time to hit the hotel pool... ah, well, next time.
Ottawa Train Station to Gatineau to Eclipse Foundation to Gatineau
Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com
Unfortunately, VIA doesn't provide checked baggage service on its Toronto to Ottawa trains... so while I was able to bring my bike onboard because there was an empty train car (and their staff sympathized w/ my predicament), it's looking like I'll have to courier it home w/ Purolator for $40 or so.
So, after arriving at the train station, I biked the 7.6K to my hotel, showered, changed, and found some bike shops in Ottawa and Gatineau from which I could get the tools I'll need tomorrow to remove my pedals and twist my forks around so I can put it in a box. Yet another service VIA could offer, but doesn't, is to stock $25 work of wrenches to enable customers to adjust their bikes for transport.
Since there were 3 bike shops on my way to the Eclipse Foundation's Ganymede Release party, I decided to detour from the Google Maps route I'd brought and trek across Carling. Of the three, Cycle Power (with an actual website linked from Google Maps) came first and were friendly & helpful. I learned that bike prices are going up 15-20% over the next year due to rising fuel costs and rising demand for bikes. Until the supply catches up to the demand, expect to pay more.
Got to the party fashionably late, but with my return travel plan solved. Missed the food, but caught the dunk tank festivities.
After clocking 38K on an empty stomach, I walked over to the Thai restaurant across from the Museum of Civilizations on Rue Laurier, and ordered the special/sampler. Great soup. Nice, spicy chicken curry. Tasty, but unimaginative pad thai w/ two large shrimp. Despite the slow service (a table for 1, with one one beer, one dish, and desert took 90 mins), I'd go back. Unfortunately I didn't have time to hit the hotel pool... ah, well, next time.
2008-06-23
By The Numbers
Paul suggested I keep track of my elapsed transit, so here's a quick recap of 2008 so far:
| Bike Odometer Reading, Last Season: | 1917km |
| Bike Odometer Reading, Currently: | 2214km |
| Elapsed Cycling Distance This Year: | 297km |
| Est. Distance Travelled By Water (5 trips): | 30km |
| 2008 Transit Distance: | 327km |
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