Oh, hey! A month ago I rode in the 2013 Tour de Tucson. I did this ride in 2011 and did the 85 mile route. This time, I decided to do the whole enchilada which was 107 miles. While I'm glad I finished, it was the most miserable I've ever been on a bike. That's saying something since I rode the 2012 MS Bike in Arizona where it snowed and sleeted the entire first day.
This was the first year in 31 years that it rained for El Tour. And not only did it rain, but it rained constantly for about the first 7.5 hours of my 8 hour ride. It was cold and wet, and any thought of pace lines and high speeds were immediately put out of just about everyone's mind very quickly.
I finished the ride in a bit over 8 hours. I must say I was not happy with that time, but I was excited that I didn't give up. I will admit that there were times that I thought about it. I was also excited that I avoided saddle sores for the entire ride. Hooray!
Anyway, it was a miserable day until the last 30 minutes when the sun popped and it actually became a nice day. Too bad it waited so long. Oh well...
Showing posts with label cycling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cycling. Show all posts
Friday, December 27, 2013
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
New upgrades ordered
Well, I've finally scraped together enough StayFit money to upgrade my shoes and pedals. I've placed a special order at my LBS for a pair of Shimano SH-R320 road shoes and a pair of Shimano Ultegra pedals. Hopefully, they will be in any time and I can get them installed soon.
I was looking at a number of different brands of shoes, but I eventually settled on the Shimano shoes on the advice of the bike fitter. He suggested that since I have had great luck with my current Shimano mountain shoes (five year-old SH-M122s), I might consider sticking with the same brand. He felt that this would increase the likelihood of getting a good fit. Once I decided to go Shimano, I figured I might as well go all out on the top of the line R320s. After all, if your feet are not comfortable on a ride it can be really miserable, and every review I read about these shoes mentioned how extremely comfortable they were. I tried on a pair of Shimano R170s just to make sure we were in the right ballpark sizewise (we were) and then placed the order.
My LBS (Bicycle Ranch in Scottsdale, AZ) is set up to do the heat molding, so I will likely get this done after I've had them for a bit. Hopefully, between the custom fit, the stiff soles and the bigger pedaling platform will help address the pain the I get in the bottom of my left foot after riding long rides as well as result in less plantar fasciitis than I've been having.
I was looking at a number of different brands of shoes, but I eventually settled on the Shimano shoes on the advice of the bike fitter. He suggested that since I have had great luck with my current Shimano mountain shoes (five year-old SH-M122s), I might consider sticking with the same brand. He felt that this would increase the likelihood of getting a good fit. Once I decided to go Shimano, I figured I might as well go all out on the top of the line R320s. After all, if your feet are not comfortable on a ride it can be really miserable, and every review I read about these shoes mentioned how extremely comfortable they were. I tried on a pair of Shimano R170s just to make sure we were in the right ballpark sizewise (we were) and then placed the order.
My LBS (Bicycle Ranch in Scottsdale, AZ) is set up to do the heat molding, so I will likely get this done after I've had them for a bit. Hopefully, between the custom fit, the stiff soles and the bigger pedaling platform will help address the pain the I get in the bottom of my left foot after riding long rides as well as result in less plantar fasciitis than I've been having.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Moving to bib shorts
Anyone who has thought about trying a pair of bibs I say go for it. I recently needed a new pair of shorts and pulled the trigger on a pair of Cannondale bibs on The Clymb. Since they were only $50, I figured I wasn’t putting that much money at risk.
I’ve now been out on 4 or 5 rides in them and I love them. As a bit of background, here in Phoenix it’s very hot (duh!) and you can get very sweaty. Riding a lot combined with lots of sweat and a chamois that can move around a bit is a recipe for saddle sores, and I’ll admit that I started having problems in that area. The bibs seem to really hold the chamois firmly in place and prevent it from moving which in turn prevents the skin abrasion that can give bacteria which cause saddle sores a foothold. It may also be that my new bibs have a better chamois than my shorts, but whatever the case, the issues I was having seem to be solved and my butt has never been happier.
It took about 1 ride to get used them, and now I find them more comfortable than my regular shorts. This is because they don’t roll down in the front because of my gut. It was weird the first day because I felt the bib on my stomach as well as my HR strap and my brain seemed to put those two together making me feel like the bibs went up to my sternum. That weird feeling went away after the first ride.
Anyway, if you’ve never tried bibs I would say go for it; you may never go back to regular shorts again.
I’ve now been out on 4 or 5 rides in them and I love them. As a bit of background, here in Phoenix it’s very hot (duh!) and you can get very sweaty. Riding a lot combined with lots of sweat and a chamois that can move around a bit is a recipe for saddle sores, and I’ll admit that I started having problems in that area. The bibs seem to really hold the chamois firmly in place and prevent it from moving which in turn prevents the skin abrasion that can give bacteria which cause saddle sores a foothold. It may also be that my new bibs have a better chamois than my shorts, but whatever the case, the issues I was having seem to be solved and my butt has never been happier.
It took about 1 ride to get used them, and now I find them more comfortable than my regular shorts. This is because they don’t roll down in the front because of my gut. It was weird the first day because I felt the bib on my stomach as well as my HR strap and my brain seemed to put those two together making me feel like the bibs went up to my sternum. That weird feeling went away after the first ride.
Anyway, if you’ve never tried bibs I would say go for it; you may never go back to regular shorts again.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
My new ride...
Well, I finally upgraded my ride. I scraped together all my pennies and splashed out for a 2013 Connondale Synapse Carbon 3 with full Ultegra components.
Here is a photo of my new baby:
Here is a photo of my new baby:
And by contrast, here's my old bike (now fully kitted out as a commuter):
I've read some posts where people upgraded to a carbon fiber bike and didn't pick up any speed. Fortunately, that did not happen for me. My cruising speed has increased on the new bike by about 3 mph, and I've blown away every Strava segment I've recorded. This includes a top 3 time on a segment that's been ridden well over 1000 times. Hooray me!
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Is it just me or is cycling getting more popular in the US?
I got up at my normal 5:00am to watch the Tour, but when I switched to NBC Sports Channel, there was no Tour. It took me a bit of investigation to realize that they were showing the Tour on NBC. I'm pretty sure that this is the first time that NBC broadcast a stage of the Tour that wasn't the final one. This makes me wonder: is pro cycling getting more popular in the US, or is NBC just trying to make pro cycling more popular in the US?
Nowadays, either NBC Sports Channel or Universal Sports show pretty much every major pro race, including the 3 grand tours, the Tour of California, the Pro Cycling Challenge, the Dauphine, the Tour of Switzerland, and quite a few other races, either in whole or in excerpts. This could be because so many people in the US are clamoring for cycling coverage, or it could be a nefarious plot by NBC to try to get us hooked on the sport by feeding us a steady diet (kind of like a drug pusher!)
Either way, I did a bit of searching online to see if I could find out something about the ratings that all this cycling coverage is getting and couldn't find anything, so I guess the question will still remain in my mind: is NBC Universal showing so much cycling because of customer demand, or are they showing so much cycling to try to generate interest? I hope it's the first, but either way it's a great time to be a fan.
Nowadays, either NBC Sports Channel or Universal Sports show pretty much every major pro race, including the 3 grand tours, the Tour of California, the Pro Cycling Challenge, the Dauphine, the Tour of Switzerland, and quite a few other races, either in whole or in excerpts. This could be because so many people in the US are clamoring for cycling coverage, or it could be a nefarious plot by NBC to try to get us hooked on the sport by feeding us a steady diet (kind of like a drug pusher!)
Either way, I did a bit of searching online to see if I could find out something about the ratings that all this cycling coverage is getting and couldn't find anything, so I guess the question will still remain in my mind: is NBC Universal showing so much cycling because of customer demand, or are they showing so much cycling to try to generate interest? I hope it's the first, but either way it's a great time to be a fan.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Team Livestrong Challenge Davis Ride Report: Postscript
This post gives a little flavor of what I went through after I crossed the finish line at the Livestrong Challenge Davis. Note that it is not exciting and I don't recommend anyone taking the time to read it, but I wanted to get it down just so I could remember the entire crazy day...
After crossing the line in Davis, I rode straight to the Team Fatty tents (we had two because of our fundraising prowess!) Quite a few riders were chilling out, sitting or lying in the grass, including Fatty and The Hammer who both looked like they'd been there awhile (which I found out later they had with their ridiculously fast time).
I couldn't finish a Team Fatty ride without having some pie, so I took a bit of the chocolate cream. It was exceptionally tasty, and I wolfed it down in a hurry. Unfortunately, I had a lot of stuff that I had to take care of, so I pretty much left after about 10 minutes.
The biggest rush item on my agenda was to return my rental bike to San Francisco before the shop where I rented it closed. Now a normal person would have checked up front or even called, but for some reason, I just decided in my head that they closed at 5:00 (the fact that my phone had died on the ride didn't help matters, by the way). That gave me about 3 hours to drive all the way to SF. Normally, this wouldn't seem like a big deal, but since it took me about 2 hours the day before to get to the shop from Pleasanton, and given the crazy traffic I'd hit on the way to Davis, I didn't want to take any chances.
Therefore, I headed straight to my car. I did the ever popular change-out-of-your-cycling-shorts-in-the-front-seat-of-the-SUV trick, put on a fresh T shirt and socks (over my absolutely reeking self), shoved the bike in the back and took off. I had a wicked case of helmet hair and an odor that could be smelled by drivers going to opposite direction on the interstate, but I had to get this bike back by closing time or die trying.
As I was driving, and especially after I hit the bad traffic trying to get over the bay bridge, I kept trying to think what I would do if the shop was closed. This is because I was flying out later that day. I'd have to call one of my coworkers and see if I could have them return the bike for me.
Anyway, I got into SF and was following my iPhone's navigation when all of a sudden I ran into the Pride Parade! Now I've got nothing against pride or anything, but you can imagine how messed up traffic was in San Francisco during this event. Fortunately, I figured I take The Embarcadero, and sure enough, even though it was slow it was at least open. I slowly made my way up to North Shore, and found Blazing Saddles after what seemed like forever.
It was about 4:15 when I pulled up in front of the shop, but for some reason it looked closed. I started to panic, but figured I'd driven all this way so I was not going to give up. This is when I noticed that parking on a Saturday afternoon with no Pride Parade is a completely different situation than parking on a Sunday afternoon with a Pride Parade just wrapping up. I could not find a freaking parking space to save my life. I drove up and down some of SF's huge hills until I finally found a spot about 4 blocks away and on a 45 degree slope.
I pulled the bike out of the car and walked/ran down the hill to the shop. I eventually found the place, and thank God it was open. In fact, they were going to be open for another 2.5 hours, so I guess I could have hung around in Davis after all!
I finished up the paperwork, then set out to find my car. Fortunately, I had noted the street I was on, and once I'd hired a sherpa as a guide to help me up the hills, I made it back to my car.
After that, I just needed to find a place to wash myself off before I took my red eye flight to Cleveland. My wife had the brilliant idea of going to a 24 Hour Fitness where I have a membership. I found one south of San Francisco, and got myself cleaned up with little drama except that I had to use my commemorative Livestrong T shirt as a towel!
After that I got some food, and since I'd burned close to 5000 calories, I treated myself to a turkey dinner at Boston Market, complete with mashed potatoes.
Finally, with literally nothing left to do I returned the rental car and went to the airport where I surfed the internet, drank some beer and waited for my flight to leave... 4 hours later.
As I was driving, and especially after I hit the bad traffic trying to get over the bay bridge, I kept trying to think what I would do if the shop was closed. This is because I was flying out later that day. I'd have to call one of my coworkers and see if I could have them return the bike for me.
Anyway, I got into SF and was following my iPhone's navigation when all of a sudden I ran into the Pride Parade! Now I've got nothing against pride or anything, but you can imagine how messed up traffic was in San Francisco during this event. Fortunately, I figured I take The Embarcadero, and sure enough, even though it was slow it was at least open. I slowly made my way up to North Shore, and found Blazing Saddles after what seemed like forever.
It was about 4:15 when I pulled up in front of the shop, but for some reason it looked closed. I started to panic, but figured I'd driven all this way so I was not going to give up. This is when I noticed that parking on a Saturday afternoon with no Pride Parade is a completely different situation than parking on a Sunday afternoon with a Pride Parade just wrapping up. I could not find a freaking parking space to save my life. I drove up and down some of SF's huge hills until I finally found a spot about 4 blocks away and on a 45 degree slope.
I pulled the bike out of the car and walked/ran down the hill to the shop. I eventually found the place, and thank God it was open. In fact, they were going to be open for another 2.5 hours, so I guess I could have hung around in Davis after all!
I finished up the paperwork, then set out to find my car. Fortunately, I had noted the street I was on, and once I'd hired a sherpa as a guide to help me up the hills, I made it back to my car.
After that, I just needed to find a place to wash myself off before I took my red eye flight to Cleveland. My wife had the brilliant idea of going to a 24 Hour Fitness where I have a membership. I found one south of San Francisco, and got myself cleaned up with little drama except that I had to use my commemorative Livestrong T shirt as a towel!
After that I got some food, and since I'd burned close to 5000 calories, I treated myself to a turkey dinner at Boston Market, complete with mashed potatoes.
Finally, with literally nothing left to do I returned the rental car and went to the airport where I surfed the internet, drank some beer and waited for my flight to leave... 4 hours later.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Stubble...
It's been a bit more than a week since I shaved my legs (see this post for all the gory details) and I have been getting more and more stubble. Man, is that stuff is itchy! When I'm going to sleep, I have to keep my legs apart since its uncomfortable when they rub against each other!
Last night I had decided I was going to let the hair grow back, but this morning I changed my mind. Instead, I'm going to wait until after I get back from France. I figure I went through all this trouble to shave; I should get some credit for being a cyclist while I'm at the Tour!
Last night I had decided I was going to let the hair grow back, but this morning I changed my mind. Instead, I'm going to wait until after I get back from France. I figure I went through all this trouble to shave; I should get some credit for being a cyclist while I'm at the Tour!
Team Livestrong Challenge Davis Ride Report
The ride started pretty much right on schedule at 7:30 which was much appreciated. Since Team Fatty was leading in the fund raising, we were first off the line, with the exception of the Texas 4000 group (see texas4000.org to donate). After the national anthem, the call was made to start and off we went. Of course everyone was excited and we got up to speed pretty quick. We swept around the first two left hand turns and sped up just in time to hit a red light. The weird thing was that there was no traffic coming, and there was a policeman standing there directing traffic.
Anyway, after that little hiccup, we really got started. The faster Fatties, including Fatty himself (Elden Nelson) and The Hammer (Lisa, Elden's wife) whipped up the pace for the rest of us and pretty soon we were screaming along at 23 to 24 mph. I did my best to keep up and did so for about the first 5 miles, but before long it became clear that this was not a pace that was going to work for me over the long haul. I was definitely over my LT and knew that that I'd be bonking toward the finish if I kept it up.
With that, I waved a bunch of riders by and fell off the back, resigned to riding by myself for the rest of the day. A couple that we had passed in the pace line passed me back and offered to give me a pull back up to the group but I told them thanks but no thanks; there was no point catching up to that group only to be dropped again! Shortly after that, we made a right turn to head north and came to the first rest stop. It was about 12-14 miles in if I recall, and I arrived there at about 40 minutes into the ride.
This would be a good time to mention that for some reason my iPhone which was running MapMyRide decided to die during the ride. This was weird because I've had it run for close to 8:00 hours before without dying, and this ride was barely over 6 hours. Because of this, all the times and distances are guesses as I'm too lazy to get out a map.
Anyway, I did a quick bit of math in my head and figured I must have been going at about a 20 mph pace for the first section of the ride which was shockingly good for me. Even after I left the pace line and was riding on my own, I was going about 17-18 mph on average. This was at least 2 to 3 mph faster than I normally ride. I attribute this to two things: the excitement of the event itself and the Specialized Roubaix Comp Compact that rented from Blazing Saddles in San Francisco. Let me tell you, this was my first time on a light carbon bike and it was freaking awesome. In addition, the geometry of the Roubaix was perfect. I was a bit worried going from a touring bike to something more aggressive, but the Roubaix was super comfortable, even after 6 hours. While I was glad to be done at the finish line, I could definitely have gone longer if I had to on this bike. But I digress....
I passed the first rest stop without stopping because I was making good time and because my water bottles (actually Gatorade bottles) were still relatively full. I had some Clif Shots and a few gulps of fluid and kept rolling. I rode solo through super flat farmland for about another hour and a half or so, stopping at rest stop number two to grab a PB&J, refill my bottles and use the Honey Bucket. I was still making really good time even by myself, and was loving the ride.
One good thing about the course was that there were enough turns on it to break up the monotony. Granted, a lot of the roads were alike, but at least making the turn gave you something to do! In addition, it was REALLY flat. This allowed all of us to really go for it, knowing we didn't need to save a whole lot of energy for a bunch of hills.
About 3 or 4 miles from the 3rd rest stop, a group of 4 Fatties passed me on the road. They said hello as they went by, and as they weren't going way faster than me, I decided to hop on their back wheel. I asked if they minded if I joined them and they indicated they were happy to have me. This was my introduction to what eventually became the Big Orange Train (BOT).
We stopped at the 3rd rest stop which was located in a park in some small town somewhere near Davis (again, a map would be useful here!) where we refueled. We picked up at least one more Fatty at the rest stop when we rolled out. We were about 35 miles into the ride and had a good crew of 6 Team Fatty members taking turns pulling. We really started to make good time, rolling at about 18 to 20 mph or even higher on the flats.
We hit the turn off for the 100 mile route at 39.5 miles and got into the "hilly" portion of the ride. I put hilly in quotes because while there were some hills, it was pretty easy stuff, but I will admit there were a few places where I wished I had my granny gear. Still the Roubaix was great on the hills and with the BOT in effect we were all making good time. In addition, where there are hills going up there are hills going back down, and I the Roubaix doing well over 30 mph on some of the descents. I really would love to see what it could do on a steep downhill!
The Train skipped the 4th rest stop (which was basically a big tank of water on a pickup truck) but stopped at the 5th and 6th rest stops which were both in different towns near Davis (Vacaville was one, I think). This would be a good time to say how nicely spaced the rest stops were on the ride. They seemed to show up right when you could use one. Whoever laid things out should be commended!
After a few more hills we got back to the turn off and joined up with the 65 mile route. Throughout the extra 35 mile loop for the century course, we picked up a few folks on the train, but when we got back to the flat part of the course, things really started to pick up. The BOT was humming along, and as we passed riders, many of them took the opportunity to jump on the back of the train. The key thing for the BOT was that we were going quick, but not so quick that it was hard to keep up once you had gotten onto the back of the pace line.
Soon the BOT had swelled from 6 or 7 Fatties to about 20 or so various riders with about 9 Fatties. Team Fatty riders controlled the tempo, and I was even pulling some of the time. As before, we were rolling on the flats at around 18 to 19 mph and things were going great, with Fatties taking turns pulling up front then falling off to rest at the back.
Unfortunately, at one point, after 5 or 6 Fatties had each done their work at the front and handed the lead over to the next person in line, we found ourselves with a non-Team Fatty rider on the front of the line. Apparently, this person didn't feel the pace was high enough, so he (or she) decided to whip up the pace a bit. This was great for the stronger riders, but some of us just couldn't keep up and the BOT started to fall apart. At least 2 of us came unhitched and fell off the back. I was not too bummed since I'd manage to ride with the team for a good 45 miles or so which was a lot more miles more than I'd ever done in a pace line before.
However, the stronger Fatties of the BOT decided that it was more important to keep the Team Fatty riders together than it was to make good time, and they pulled out of the train to wait for the rest of us. Granted, I think they may have been waiting for the guy who drove them to the event, but still, it was a nice gesture! One by one, new Fatties pulled up to where we were standing on the side of the road until we had assembled a group of about 8 or 9 members of the team. One of these was a strong rider who had missed a turn and accidentally tacked about 12 miles onto his century!
With the team back together, we took off, and once again we started to pick up stray riders, including some non-Livestrong Challenge riders. After a while, the pace started to creep up as the riders in front started to get excited about finishing (and finishing strong). I figured that it was getting close to the end (maybe 15 miles from the finish line) so I worked hard to keep up, definitely riding well over my LT. There was less than an hour of riding to go so I didn't think I could bonk too hard in that amount of time, especially since I was feeling pretty good and was stuffing calories into myself as fast as I could.
Unfortunately, we turned south with about 12 miles to go, straight into the teeth of a pretty stiff breeze. Riding into the wind took my heart rate from the 160s into the 170s, and I knew that I wasn't going to be able to keep that up for long. After a mile or two, I pulled over and slowed down to let the rest of the pace line pass me, then continued my ride solo. While it would have been great to have finished with the group, I was still super happy to have gotten to ride with them for over 50 miles. I was hopeful that I would be able to catch them at the last rest stop, but when I got there it turned out that they didn't stop to refuel so close to the finish. Thus ended my time as a member of the Big Orange Train.
At the last rest stop, I had my first packet of Honey Stinger energy shot. I was surprised (although I guess I shouldn't have been) that it was basically honey with some flavoring! I was a little worried that it was going to upset my stomach, but fortunately it didn't. Still, I don't think I will be trying that stuff again; honey just isn't my thing.
While I was getting down my honey energy shot, Rob from Team Fatty rolled into the rest stop. He was another member of the BOT who had succumbed to the pace and the wind. He suggested that I give him a moment to rest and then we'd finish together, and I readily agreed. We left the rest stop shortly after that and almost immediately turned east again, so we were no longer fighting a headwind.
Rob and I finished the last 8 or so miles at a relatively relax pace, although with the wind at our backs we were often rolling around 18 mph. We went past UC Davis, then through the streets of Davis, finally making the left turn toward the finish line. Of course I had to kick for the finish line and came in second or two before Rob, doing my best Tour de France victory pose. (Side note: I'm pretty sure that Rob did not know I was racing him; if he had, I imagine the result would have been different!)
All said and done, I'd ridden 96.9 miles according to the computer, and had done it in 6:17. This works out to a 15.4 mph average speed, including rest stops. If I take out the 6 rest stops I did, assuming each stop was 8 minutes or so, I maintained an average speed of 17.7 mph. Not too shabby for an old(er) guy!
The Livestrong Challenge Davis was an absolutely awesome ride and I really hope I can do it again. I will make a few changes, such as making sure I'm able to spend a bit more time hanging out after the race and getting there early so I can see the Cycling Hall of Fame on Friday. Still, I couldn't ask for a better course, team or cause, and I look forward to riding again next year.
Anyway, after that little hiccup, we really got started. The faster Fatties, including Fatty himself (Elden Nelson) and The Hammer (Lisa, Elden's wife) whipped up the pace for the rest of us and pretty soon we were screaming along at 23 to 24 mph. I did my best to keep up and did so for about the first 5 miles, but before long it became clear that this was not a pace that was going to work for me over the long haul. I was definitely over my LT and knew that that I'd be bonking toward the finish if I kept it up.
With that, I waved a bunch of riders by and fell off the back, resigned to riding by myself for the rest of the day. A couple that we had passed in the pace line passed me back and offered to give me a pull back up to the group but I told them thanks but no thanks; there was no point catching up to that group only to be dropped again! Shortly after that, we made a right turn to head north and came to the first rest stop. It was about 12-14 miles in if I recall, and I arrived there at about 40 minutes into the ride.
This would be a good time to mention that for some reason my iPhone which was running MapMyRide decided to die during the ride. This was weird because I've had it run for close to 8:00 hours before without dying, and this ride was barely over 6 hours. Because of this, all the times and distances are guesses as I'm too lazy to get out a map.
Anyway, I did a quick bit of math in my head and figured I must have been going at about a 20 mph pace for the first section of the ride which was shockingly good for me. Even after I left the pace line and was riding on my own, I was going about 17-18 mph on average. This was at least 2 to 3 mph faster than I normally ride. I attribute this to two things: the excitement of the event itself and the Specialized Roubaix Comp Compact that rented from Blazing Saddles in San Francisco. Let me tell you, this was my first time on a light carbon bike and it was freaking awesome. In addition, the geometry of the Roubaix was perfect. I was a bit worried going from a touring bike to something more aggressive, but the Roubaix was super comfortable, even after 6 hours. While I was glad to be done at the finish line, I could definitely have gone longer if I had to on this bike. But I digress....
I passed the first rest stop without stopping because I was making good time and because my water bottles (actually Gatorade bottles) were still relatively full. I had some Clif Shots and a few gulps of fluid and kept rolling. I rode solo through super flat farmland for about another hour and a half or so, stopping at rest stop number two to grab a PB&J, refill my bottles and use the Honey Bucket. I was still making really good time even by myself, and was loving the ride.
One good thing about the course was that there were enough turns on it to break up the monotony. Granted, a lot of the roads were alike, but at least making the turn gave you something to do! In addition, it was REALLY flat. This allowed all of us to really go for it, knowing we didn't need to save a whole lot of energy for a bunch of hills.
About 3 or 4 miles from the 3rd rest stop, a group of 4 Fatties passed me on the road. They said hello as they went by, and as they weren't going way faster than me, I decided to hop on their back wheel. I asked if they minded if I joined them and they indicated they were happy to have me. This was my introduction to what eventually became the Big Orange Train (BOT).
We stopped at the 3rd rest stop which was located in a park in some small town somewhere near Davis (again, a map would be useful here!) where we refueled. We picked up at least one more Fatty at the rest stop when we rolled out. We were about 35 miles into the ride and had a good crew of 6 Team Fatty members taking turns pulling. We really started to make good time, rolling at about 18 to 20 mph or even higher on the flats.
We hit the turn off for the 100 mile route at 39.5 miles and got into the "hilly" portion of the ride. I put hilly in quotes because while there were some hills, it was pretty easy stuff, but I will admit there were a few places where I wished I had my granny gear. Still the Roubaix was great on the hills and with the BOT in effect we were all making good time. In addition, where there are hills going up there are hills going back down, and I the Roubaix doing well over 30 mph on some of the descents. I really would love to see what it could do on a steep downhill!
The Train skipped the 4th rest stop (which was basically a big tank of water on a pickup truck) but stopped at the 5th and 6th rest stops which were both in different towns near Davis (Vacaville was one, I think). This would be a good time to say how nicely spaced the rest stops were on the ride. They seemed to show up right when you could use one. Whoever laid things out should be commended!
After a few more hills we got back to the turn off and joined up with the 65 mile route. Throughout the extra 35 mile loop for the century course, we picked up a few folks on the train, but when we got back to the flat part of the course, things really started to pick up. The BOT was humming along, and as we passed riders, many of them took the opportunity to jump on the back of the train. The key thing for the BOT was that we were going quick, but not so quick that it was hard to keep up once you had gotten onto the back of the pace line.
Soon the BOT had swelled from 6 or 7 Fatties to about 20 or so various riders with about 9 Fatties. Team Fatty riders controlled the tempo, and I was even pulling some of the time. As before, we were rolling on the flats at around 18 to 19 mph and things were going great, with Fatties taking turns pulling up front then falling off to rest at the back.
Unfortunately, at one point, after 5 or 6 Fatties had each done their work at the front and handed the lead over to the next person in line, we found ourselves with a non-Team Fatty rider on the front of the line. Apparently, this person didn't feel the pace was high enough, so he (or she) decided to whip up the pace a bit. This was great for the stronger riders, but some of us just couldn't keep up and the BOT started to fall apart. At least 2 of us came unhitched and fell off the back. I was not too bummed since I'd manage to ride with the team for a good 45 miles or so which was a lot more miles more than I'd ever done in a pace line before.
However, the stronger Fatties of the BOT decided that it was more important to keep the Team Fatty riders together than it was to make good time, and they pulled out of the train to wait for the rest of us. Granted, I think they may have been waiting for the guy who drove them to the event, but still, it was a nice gesture! One by one, new Fatties pulled up to where we were standing on the side of the road until we had assembled a group of about 8 or 9 members of the team. One of these was a strong rider who had missed a turn and accidentally tacked about 12 miles onto his century!
With the team back together, we took off, and once again we started to pick up stray riders, including some non-Livestrong Challenge riders. After a while, the pace started to creep up as the riders in front started to get excited about finishing (and finishing strong). I figured that it was getting close to the end (maybe 15 miles from the finish line) so I worked hard to keep up, definitely riding well over my LT. There was less than an hour of riding to go so I didn't think I could bonk too hard in that amount of time, especially since I was feeling pretty good and was stuffing calories into myself as fast as I could.
Unfortunately, we turned south with about 12 miles to go, straight into the teeth of a pretty stiff breeze. Riding into the wind took my heart rate from the 160s into the 170s, and I knew that I wasn't going to be able to keep that up for long. After a mile or two, I pulled over and slowed down to let the rest of the pace line pass me, then continued my ride solo. While it would have been great to have finished with the group, I was still super happy to have gotten to ride with them for over 50 miles. I was hopeful that I would be able to catch them at the last rest stop, but when I got there it turned out that they didn't stop to refuel so close to the finish. Thus ended my time as a member of the Big Orange Train.
At the last rest stop, I had my first packet of Honey Stinger energy shot. I was surprised (although I guess I shouldn't have been) that it was basically honey with some flavoring! I was a little worried that it was going to upset my stomach, but fortunately it didn't. Still, I don't think I will be trying that stuff again; honey just isn't my thing.
While I was getting down my honey energy shot, Rob from Team Fatty rolled into the rest stop. He was another member of the BOT who had succumbed to the pace and the wind. He suggested that I give him a moment to rest and then we'd finish together, and I readily agreed. We left the rest stop shortly after that and almost immediately turned east again, so we were no longer fighting a headwind.
Rob and I finished the last 8 or so miles at a relatively relax pace, although with the wind at our backs we were often rolling around 18 mph. We went past UC Davis, then through the streets of Davis, finally making the left turn toward the finish line. Of course I had to kick for the finish line and came in second or two before Rob, doing my best Tour de France victory pose. (Side note: I'm pretty sure that Rob did not know I was racing him; if he had, I imagine the result would have been different!)
All said and done, I'd ridden 96.9 miles according to the computer, and had done it in 6:17. This works out to a 15.4 mph average speed, including rest stops. If I take out the 6 rest stops I did, assuming each stop was 8 minutes or so, I maintained an average speed of 17.7 mph. Not too shabby for an old(er) guy!
The Livestrong Challenge Davis was an absolutely awesome ride and I really hope I can do it again. I will make a few changes, such as making sure I'm able to spend a bit more time hanging out after the race and getting there early so I can see the Cycling Hall of Fame on Friday. Still, I couldn't ask for a better course, team or cause, and I look forward to riding again next year.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Team Livestrong Challenge Davis Ride Report: Preamble
First off, I have to say that this was an incredible ride. The support was amazing, the rest stops plentiful, the village area exciting, and the cause worthwhile. But the best part about it was riding with Team Fatty: Fighting Like Susan. Being a part of a great team really made the event for me.
Things didn't start well for me. Getting to the bay area was difficult to say the least (see my previous post). After getting about 5 hours sleep, I was up at around 9:00 on Saturday morning to pick up my bike and get out to Davis/Sacramento. This ended up being a rather long and involved process as I had to:
Because Team Fatty led the most fundraising categories, Elden Nelson (fatcyclist.com's eponymous blogger) got us all invited to the Fundraiser/Volunteer Appreciation Dinner the night before the ride. This was a really nice event where many of the Team Fatty riders were able to get to know each other and also listen to some very inspirational speeches from people either battling cancer or who had battled cancer in their past.
Elden and Team Fatty took home three fundraising awards that night, and we all got up on stage to accept the award and listen to Elden's speech. It was really a nice event, and I thank the Lance Armstrong Foundation for allowing all us Fatties to attend.
I made it an early evening on Saturday since I'd not gotten a whole lot of sleep the night before. I set the alarm for early to make sure I had time to get all my stuff ready, pack up, check out of the hotel, drive the 20 minute drive to Davis, and be on the starting line for pictures at 7:00.
After final preparations at the car, I headed over to the rider's village. In the village there was an area where people who were riding in memory or in honor of someone could hang a card. I hung up the two cards I'd created, one in memory of my cousin, Christie Truelock Devitt, who died last year from breast cancer, and one in honor of my father-in-law, Ron Siegel, who successfully battled prostate cancer last year. It was sad to see so many In Memory Of cards hanging, but it was also an inspiration to see so many In Honor Of cards for people who had beaten cancer.
After that, I headed over to the starting area where Team Fatty was getting its pictures taken. I was looking good in my Fat Cyclist jersey and freshly shaved legs. I was also feeling good, having eaten a good breakfast and having spalmed my Assos Chamois Creme in all the right places!
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Things didn't start well for me. Getting to the bay area was difficult to say the least (see my previous post). After getting about 5 hours sleep, I was up at around 9:00 on Saturday morning to pick up my bike and get out to Davis/Sacramento. This ended up being a rather long and involved process as I had to:
- Return the Hertz rental car
- Pickup the Avis rental car
- Drive to the North Shore area of San Francisco to get the bike
- Drive out to Davis to pick up my race packet
- Drive to Sacramento to check into my hotel
Because Team Fatty led the most fundraising categories, Elden Nelson (fatcyclist.com's eponymous blogger) got us all invited to the Fundraiser/Volunteer Appreciation Dinner the night before the ride. This was a really nice event where many of the Team Fatty riders were able to get to know each other and also listen to some very inspirational speeches from people either battling cancer or who had battled cancer in their past.
Elden and Team Fatty took home three fundraising awards that night, and we all got up on stage to accept the award and listen to Elden's speech. It was really a nice event, and I thank the Lance Armstrong Foundation for allowing all us Fatties to attend.
I made it an early evening on Saturday since I'd not gotten a whole lot of sleep the night before. I set the alarm for early to make sure I had time to get all my stuff ready, pack up, check out of the hotel, drive the 20 minute drive to Davis, and be on the starting line for pictures at 7:00.
After final preparations at the car, I headed over to the rider's village. In the village there was an area where people who were riding in memory or in honor of someone could hang a card. I hung up the two cards I'd created, one in memory of my cousin, Christie Truelock Devitt, who died last year from breast cancer, and one in honor of my father-in-law, Ron Siegel, who successfully battled prostate cancer last year. It was sad to see so many In Memory Of cards hanging, but it was also an inspiration to see so many In Honor Of cards for people who had beaten cancer.
After that, I headed over to the starting area where Team Fatty was getting its pictures taken. I was looking good in my Fat Cyclist jersey and freshly shaved legs. I was also feeling good, having eaten a good breakfast and having spalmed my Assos Chamois Creme in all the right places!
(I put on that paunch in honor of Team Fatty!)
Team Fatty had about 40 riders, most of them resplendent in their black, orange and white team kit:
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(Team Fatty at the starting line...)
After getting the standard safety talk and singing the national anthem (led by a member of the Texas 4000 team), we were off...
Friday, June 22, 2012
Am I a real cyclist now?!
Last night, as part of my Livestrong Challenge Challenge, I shaved my legs. It was actually not that difficult, but I do see how women could get tired of doing it after a while.
Before starting the process, I thought it would be a good idea to do some research. It was a good thing, too, as I probably would have tried to just go right in and start shaving with a razor. I can see now that that would have been a disaster.
Instead, I bought a cheap hair trimmer at Walmart (Always Low Prices: $13.97!) and began by using that to do the first round. I decided to do the deed in the garage as there was going to be significant fur flying once I got started. This was both a positive and a negative. The positive was that I avoided making a big mess inside my house. The negative was that I started sweating (it's hot in a garage in Scottsdale in the summer!) which caused the trimmer to want to stick to my skin as I sheared myself.
Anyway, here is a photo of the before:
Pretty sweet, huh?! I finished that leg and took this nifty side by side shot:
After that it was into the shower for the detail work. Well, actually, I had to take Jordan to drum lessons and then into the shower, but close enough.
I basically broke things down as follows: left calf, left knee, left thigh, right calf, right knee, right thigh. The calves were super easy, just shave against the grain and make sure you get it all by feeling for stubble with your hand. The knees were the hardest part because of their knobbiness. I had to be pretty careful here and actually suffered my only cut on my left knee. The thighs are easy to shave, but hard to make sure you got it all.
After I finished the process, I put on a little moisturizer (that's what the Internet said to do, and Cheryl agreed!) and viola! shaved legs, ready to impress everyone on Team Fatty!
And here they are for your viewing pleasure:
(Bonus points for anyone who can tell me where this photo was taken!)
I've learned several things since I joined the shaved leg crew:
Before starting the process, I thought it would be a good idea to do some research. It was a good thing, too, as I probably would have tried to just go right in and start shaving with a razor. I can see now that that would have been a disaster.
Instead, I bought a cheap hair trimmer at Walmart (Always Low Prices: $13.97!) and began by using that to do the first round. I decided to do the deed in the garage as there was going to be significant fur flying once I got started. This was both a positive and a negative. The positive was that I avoided making a big mess inside my house. The negative was that I started sweating (it's hot in a garage in Scottsdale in the summer!) which caused the trimmer to want to stick to my skin as I sheared myself.
Anyway, here is a photo of the before:
Don't worry, I was wearing shorts, but do check out that cyclist's tan line! Notice I put down some newspapers to catch the debris...
I started at the bottom and worked my way up. Here you can see me with just my calf done:
Pretty sweet, huh?! I finished that leg and took this nifty side by side shot:
One thing that I noticed after I had removed most of the hair: I have some pretty messed up legs! I've got scars, veins, wierd discolorations and all kinds of other stuff going on on my legs that is not pretty! The hair does a pretty good job of camoflaging these oddities.
Anyway, after the shearing, I had a bit of a mess, but thanks to the newspapers, it was a simple matter of wadding things up and dropping it in the recycling bin (perhaps I should have put them in the trash, but I want to be a friend to the earth!) Here's the debris:
I basically broke things down as follows: left calf, left knee, left thigh, right calf, right knee, right thigh. The calves were super easy, just shave against the grain and make sure you get it all by feeling for stubble with your hand. The knees were the hardest part because of their knobbiness. I had to be pretty careful here and actually suffered my only cut on my left knee. The thighs are easy to shave, but hard to make sure you got it all.
After I finished the process, I put on a little moisturizer (that's what the Internet said to do, and Cheryl agreed!) and viola! shaved legs, ready to impress everyone on Team Fatty!
And here they are for your viewing pleasure:
(Bonus points for anyone who can tell me where this photo was taken!)
I've learned several things since I joined the shaved leg crew:
- Your legs get cold when they don't have any hair on them
- The bed sheets and your clothes feel a lot different with shaved legs
- Your legs don't look as tan without a cover of dark hair on them
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Team LIVESTRONG Challenge Davis this Sunday
Tomorrow I will be travelling up to Northern California to participate in the Team LIVESTRONG Challenge Davis with Team Fatty: Fighting Like Susan, the brainchild of Elden Nelson, the Fat Cyclist. This will definitely be my first century, unless my crappy preparation over the past week and a half doom me to failure. Long story short, with all the travel, etc. I've been doing, I did not get my long ride in last weekend, and really have not done any riding in about 8 days.
I've raised over $750 ($771 to be exact), so in accordance with my challenge, I will be shaving my legs tonight. That should be quite an ordeal.
If you want to donate, please visit http://laf.livestrong.org/goto/bill.canning. Thank you!
I've raised over $750 ($771 to be exact), so in accordance with my challenge, I will be shaving my legs tonight. That should be quite an ordeal.
If you want to donate, please visit http://laf.livestrong.org/goto/bill.canning. Thank you!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Team LiveSTRONG Challenge Davis
The Livestrong Challenge Davis is coming up in 21 days. I'm riding with Team Fatty: Fight Like Susan. This is the team organized by Elden Nelson of the Fat Cyclist blog. I'm planning to do the 100 mile route which will be my first century.
If you are interested in supporting me and want to help Livestrong in the effort to help people battling cancer, please visit http://laf.livestrong.org/goto/bill.canning.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
My first accident...
First off, I did not get hurt at all, and my bike was undamaged. That said, it was still pretty scary as it happened. Here's the story:
Last Saturday I was out for my long ride and heading back home. I was coming to an intersection and had to stop for a red light. I was in my bike lane, and everything was normal.
After a minute or two, the light turned green for me, so I checked both directions and headed across the intersection. As I was approaching the center of the intersection, I noticed a car in the right hand turn lane that looked like it might not be stopping for red light before making the turn through my lane. I tried to slow quickly but was did not want to leave the bike lane as I did not have any idea what was coming from behind in the regular traffic lanes.
Sure enough, the old lady in the car apparently didn't see me and rolled right on through the red light and turned straight into my lane. At this point I had no choice but to either get hit by her or veer out of the bike path to avoid her, which is exactly what I did. I was now pretty much right next to her, and thinking that she would surely see me and slow down to avoid me, but I was wrong. Instead, she kept coming through the bike lane and into the right-most car lane, basically barging into me from the side.
At this point I was really scared that she was going to push me over to my left into a lane of traffic to get run over by another car, so instead I figured I'd lean into her car to stay upright. My right pedal surely dented her door as she continued to push me into the right-most car lane. I actually watched as my whole bike skidded diagonally sideways, but I managed to grab onto the roof of her car and stay with the wheels under me.
At this point, I was basically 12 inches from her, clutching the top of her car with my right hand for dear life and rolling along at the same speed she was going. It was at this point that she finally noticed my and came to a stop. I got off my bike and got my composure, but I was surprisingly less freaked out than I thought I would be. I had not been hurt, and a quick inspection of my bike showed that it was unharmed as well. I was most concerned about the wheels since my guess is they were not designed for this sort of thing, but they both spun true.
The lady said she saw the two cyclist that were standing on the sidewalk waiting for the walk sign (that seems like a description of pedestrians with bikes), but she did not notice me actually riding my bike through the intersection. I guess that just goes to show that there can be more than one group of cyclists out at any given time and at the same intersection, so don't stop looking after you see the first group!
After I got home, I noticed that I had finished my ride with the grime from her filthy car door all over my leg:
And looking at this photo, I realize there was one thing was damaged during my "crash": that dark smudge of dirt on my brand new Smartwool sock didn't come out completely in the wash. I guess I should have gotten her insurance information.
Oh well...
Last Saturday I was out for my long ride and heading back home. I was coming to an intersection and had to stop for a red light. I was in my bike lane, and everything was normal.
After a minute or two, the light turned green for me, so I checked both directions and headed across the intersection. As I was approaching the center of the intersection, I noticed a car in the right hand turn lane that looked like it might not be stopping for red light before making the turn through my lane. I tried to slow quickly but was did not want to leave the bike lane as I did not have any idea what was coming from behind in the regular traffic lanes.
Sure enough, the old lady in the car apparently didn't see me and rolled right on through the red light and turned straight into my lane. At this point I had no choice but to either get hit by her or veer out of the bike path to avoid her, which is exactly what I did. I was now pretty much right next to her, and thinking that she would surely see me and slow down to avoid me, but I was wrong. Instead, she kept coming through the bike lane and into the right-most car lane, basically barging into me from the side.
At this point I was really scared that she was going to push me over to my left into a lane of traffic to get run over by another car, so instead I figured I'd lean into her car to stay upright. My right pedal surely dented her door as she continued to push me into the right-most car lane. I actually watched as my whole bike skidded diagonally sideways, but I managed to grab onto the roof of her car and stay with the wheels under me.
At this point, I was basically 12 inches from her, clutching the top of her car with my right hand for dear life and rolling along at the same speed she was going. It was at this point that she finally noticed my and came to a stop. I got off my bike and got my composure, but I was surprisingly less freaked out than I thought I would be. I had not been hurt, and a quick inspection of my bike showed that it was unharmed as well. I was most concerned about the wheels since my guess is they were not designed for this sort of thing, but they both spun true.
The lady said she saw the two cyclist that were standing on the sidewalk waiting for the walk sign (that seems like a description of pedestrians with bikes), but she did not notice me actually riding my bike through the intersection. I guess that just goes to show that there can be more than one group of cyclists out at any given time and at the same intersection, so don't stop looking after you see the first group!
After I got home, I noticed that I had finished my ride with the grime from her filthy car door all over my leg:
And looking at this photo, I realize there was one thing was damaged during my "crash": that dark smudge of dirt on my brand new Smartwool sock didn't come out completely in the wash. I guess I should have gotten her insurance information.
Oh well...
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Bike upgrade
I bought some new tires for my bike last week, and finally got them on my bike yesterday. I replaced a set of Continental Contact tires 700x37 with a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Racer 700x35 tires. These new tires have a really thick thorn resistant layer built in, so I removed the thorn-resistant tubes and went with standard tubes.
I got them mounted yesterday (after one tube got ruined after it was pinched between the tire and the wheel) and went out for a short ride last night. I was really happy with them. I checked them out on the scale and they actually shaved 1.1 lbs. off each wheel, and that lower weight, combined with less rolling resistance let me go about an extra mile per hour at least.
I am pretty happy with this upgrade. Not only is my bike faster and more fun to ride, it gives me hope that on a true lightweight bike I would really be able to go.
I got them mounted yesterday (after one tube got ruined after it was pinched between the tire and the wheel) and went out for a short ride last night. I was really happy with them. I checked them out on the scale and they actually shaved 1.1 lbs. off each wheel, and that lower weight, combined with less rolling resistance let me go about an extra mile per hour at least.
I am pretty happy with this upgrade. Not only is my bike faster and more fun to ride, it gives me hope that on a true lightweight bike I would really be able to go.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Bike MS Day 2 Report
I guess I never gave a rundown of day 2 of the Bike MS, so I suppose I'll do it now. Basically, it was a pretty low key day, just 50 miles, not super hilly, and just a good fun ride. The weather was considerably nicer the second day, although it started a bit cold and cloudy, it got much nicer as the day went on.
I think a lot of the day 1 riders chose to sit out day 2, so it was a much smaller crowd on the start line on Sunday than it was on Saturday. It was also a pretty relaxed send off, as the organizers pretty much said "Go" while a lot of riders weren't even at the start line, but I don't think anyone was too upset about it. I certainly wasn't, and took a few extra minutes getting ready before I rolled out.
The course was MUCH better marked the second day, I suppose because they weren't playing it by ear so much. The first day I spent a lot of time wondering where I was, but this was not a problem on day 2. We rode north out of Cottonwood, and did some climbing at the beginning, but then turned east and rode down into Oak Creek Canyon. After hitting the bottom of the canyon (it's pretty, but I'm not sure it's a canyon!), we did some moderate climbing for a while until we got to the turn off for the 50 milers.
I fueled up there and turned north again. It turns out this was a section of road that I'd been on the previous day, but this time in clear weather and going the other direction. We climbed for about 5 miles, then the road turned down and we flew down about another 5 miles or so. These were the longest descents of the day, and I knew that I would have to climb them later, so while I was having fun going down, I kind of worried about going back up.
After a bit of additional climbing, we hit the third rest stop and the turn around for the 50 mile route. I grabbed some food, used the Honey Bucket (as we call it in Seattle) and got back on the road. I'd met a woman earlier who was about my speed, so we rode along together for a while chatting, but after we hit the hills she left me behind as I hauled the Long Haul Trucker slowly up the inclines.
I was really pleased that I was really handling the hills well, so I guess my training must have paid off. In addition, while I was a bit sore at the beginning of the ride, I was nowhere near as bad as I was after day 1 of my last Bike MS in 2009. I guess I'm getting a bit more fit.
After a few more miles, we came back to the second rest stop where we'd turned north for the long route. I loaded up on Whoppers (hooray, Whoppers!), topped off my bottles and set out. Not long after this we hit the steepest climb of day 2, and while it was pretty steep it was not very long. When we crested that hill, we came out onto a long flat stretch where you could really see quite a ways. It looked a bit like this:
I think a lot of the day 1 riders chose to sit out day 2, so it was a much smaller crowd on the start line on Sunday than it was on Saturday. It was also a pretty relaxed send off, as the organizers pretty much said "Go" while a lot of riders weren't even at the start line, but I don't think anyone was too upset about it. I certainly wasn't, and took a few extra minutes getting ready before I rolled out.
The course was MUCH better marked the second day, I suppose because they weren't playing it by ear so much. The first day I spent a lot of time wondering where I was, but this was not a problem on day 2. We rode north out of Cottonwood, and did some climbing at the beginning, but then turned east and rode down into Oak Creek Canyon. After hitting the bottom of the canyon (it's pretty, but I'm not sure it's a canyon!), we did some moderate climbing for a while until we got to the turn off for the 50 milers.
I fueled up there and turned north again. It turns out this was a section of road that I'd been on the previous day, but this time in clear weather and going the other direction. We climbed for about 5 miles, then the road turned down and we flew down about another 5 miles or so. These were the longest descents of the day, and I knew that I would have to climb them later, so while I was having fun going down, I kind of worried about going back up.
After a bit of additional climbing, we hit the third rest stop and the turn around for the 50 mile route. I grabbed some food, used the Honey Bucket (as we call it in Seattle) and got back on the road. I'd met a woman earlier who was about my speed, so we rode along together for a while chatting, but after we hit the hills she left me behind as I hauled the Long Haul Trucker slowly up the inclines.
I was really pleased that I was really handling the hills well, so I guess my training must have paid off. In addition, while I was a bit sore at the beginning of the ride, I was nowhere near as bad as I was after day 1 of my last Bike MS in 2009. I guess I'm getting a bit more fit.
After a few more miles, we came back to the second rest stop where we'd turned north for the long route. I loaded up on Whoppers (hooray, Whoppers!), topped off my bottles and set out. Not long after this we hit the steepest climb of day 2, and while it was pretty steep it was not very long. When we crested that hill, we came out onto a long flat stretch where you could really see quite a ways. It looked a bit like this:
After taking this picture at Mile 34, it was back on the bike and heading toward home. After about another 3 miles I met up with some other guys going about my speed, so I grouped up with them and got in some pretty fast (for me) group miles.
At mile 42, we basically turned right into town and I thought they'd measured the course wrong because it seemed we were heading to the fairgrounds. However, we rode right past and tacked on extra 8 miles in order to hit the magical 50. By now, the layers I'd worn for the cold morning were starting to be come to heavy, so I shed some clothes. On top of that, the whole outbound part of the loop was a long false flat that just kept going and going. Every intersection, we were looking and hoping for the sign that said we were done going out and were heading back, and after a number of disappointments, we finally did make the right hand turn.
We headed back into town up and down a rollers, and eventually made our way back to the fairground and the end of the ride. It was very exciting to see the finish, and I was pretty happy to have finished for the day. I wasn't super tired, but my legs were starting to feel the effects of the last couple days, and it was starting to get way too hot for what I was wearing.
So that is it: I'd ridden 130 miles in 2 days which was not my record, but still pretty good considering. In addition, I'd survived day 1 of the 2012 Bike MS which will surely go down in history as one of the most remembered (and hated) days in Arizona cycling history.
I did learn one very important lesson at my last Bike MS: bring a towel. This is exactly what I did, and was able to use the portable showers to get myself cleaned off after the race. Then I went to the food tent, got a hamburger and a hot dog (thanks, Sam's Club!) and actually sat outside enjoying the weather and talking to some of the Discount Tire riders. Finally, I packed up and drove back to Scottsdale and the big weekend was over.
Will I ride the Bike MS again? Yes, definitely. I might do this one, or possibly do the one in Texas with people from my company who ride there. We'll see. Either way, I can say that the 2012 Arizona Bike MS was definitely a ride that I will not soon forget.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Bike MS Day 1 Report
Last weekend I rode the Bike MS Arizona. This ride started and ended in a town called Cottonwood, AZ which is located in the Verde Valley of Arizona, about 15 miles south of Sedona. The first day of the ride was supposed to be my first century, the route scheduled for 105 miles. The second day was scheduled for 49 miles.
A couple days I checked the weather for Sedona and was informed that Saturday (Day 1 of the ride) was going to be unseasonably cold. In fact, some freak storm was going to be coming through that day with morning temperatures forecast in the 30s and a 60% chance of rain. While I was disappointed that the weather wasn't going to be perfect, I was actually somewhat happy that it wasn't going to be too hot.
I stayed in Prescott which turns out to be 15 miles as the crow flies from Cottonwood, but 50 miles to drive. Therefore, to make the 7:00am start, I had to be up at about 4:45am. When I woke up, I looked out the window and saw that it was a) still pitch black, and b) snowing like crazy. I was sorely tempted to go back to bed for another hour and just plan to ride the 68 mile route instead, starting an hour late. However, I bucked myself up, got ready and headed out.
As I left Prescott, I was happy to see that as I got further from Prescott, the snow thinned out until by the time I was halfway to Cottonwood, the snow was gone. As the sun started to come out and the thermometer on my care started to inch up above the freezing mark, my morale improved. Perhaps things would warm up a bit and the ride would be cool.
I checked in at about 6:30 and learned that the long route had been shortened to 94 miles. I was slightly disappointed as this would not be a century, but on the other hand I was really worried about the massive climb that they had cut short, so I was also relieved. I got myself bundled up (long sleeve polypro undershirt, cycling jacket, Smartwool socks, Smartwool knee warmers, and running gloves over my cycling gloves) and headed to the starting line. I'd estimate there were about 300h people ready to ride, but I'm horrible at estimating this sort of thing so don't take my word for it.
They started the ride at 7:20 and off we went. I'd been training with my heart rate monitor for the past 4 months, so I planned to keep a close eye on my HR to make sure that I was not getting into the red zone. I was therefore pretty unhappy when I saw that my HR was not registering on my watch. I was even more unhappy when nothing I did could get it to start working. Oh well, I'd have to ride without it. Just one more little problem for a day filled with problems. The first 15 miles of the ride was pretty easy, and got us to the first rest stop with little drama. The sky was overcast and there was some rain, but it was not too bad, and we were hopeful that we might have a decent ride after all.
At the first stop, I refilled my bottles with Gatorade and scooted out in a hurry. One thing I tried to do was keep consuming calories constantly in a concerted effort to avoid bonking, a problem that I had in the Tour de Tucson in Novemember. In addition, I was making it a point to not dilly dally in the rest stops. Instead, I'd get in, grab a bite, refill my bottles, use the Honey Bucket, then hit the road.
At about 20 miles the road started going up, and we were approaching the beginning of the big climb. This thing made me nervous as it was about 11 miles of climbing with an average grade between 4 and 5%. At about 24 miles, we came to the second rest stop. This didn't seem to be too surprising as the last Bike MS I did had rest stops about every 10 miles. I did my rest stop routine (food, bottles, Honey Bucket) and then headed out. That's when I learned that this rest stop was the turnaround, and not a stop before the big climb. It turned out that there was snow and ice on the road not too far ahead, and the race had been shortened again. It turned out that they chopped about 14 miles off the already shortened ride because of the snow.
I bombed back down the hill, at one point hitting 38 mph. I turned north and made it to the 3rd rest stop. Things were going well with the exception of the ocassional rain and temperatures in the 30s, but overall, not too bad. After the 3rd rest stop, we made our way north and west, at one point riding on Interstate 17 for about 3 miles. There was some climbing, but nothing too difficult, and made it to the 4th rest stop. This was about 50 miles into the ride. This is where things started getting ugly.
After this rest stop, we turned north and started climbing up to Sedona. The wind started picking up at this point, blowing at about 20 mph, and it started to rain steadily. It was about 15 miles to Sedona, and each mile it got colder and colder. Soon, the rain turned to sleet, then as we entered Sedona it turned to snow. It was becoming a miserable death slog, and we were about 20 miles from the finish.
The 5th rest stop was at a bike shop in Sedona, and stood out because you could actually go inside and sit down in the warmth. It was here that we ate lunch, the classic PBJ with chips and Gatorade. After eating, it was time to head back out (reluctantly), but the organizers actually stopped us from leaving because the snow was coming down so hard they must have been worried about visibility. After about 10 minutes wait, they let us leave and the death slog continued.
We headed west to West Sedona, riding mostly up hill for about 5 miles in a steady rain/snow mix. Finally, we made the turn south which meant we were finally heading back to Cottonwood. In addition, I was excited because the last 15 miles was mostly downhill. Unfortunately, this is when the wind really made things difficult. Yes, I was riding downhill, but with a 20 mph wind right in your face, there was no relaxing. In fact, on the downhill ride to Cottonwood, I found I had to pedal to keep from slowing down, even on the downhills. Not much relaxing there. In addition, the sleet picked up, and the supercooling effect of going 15 mph into a 20 mph wind made things REALLY cold.
At one point it was so bad that I pulled into convenience store and just stood in there for 15 minutes just to get out of the elements. It took a herculean effort to get back on my bike and make the push to the finish line. It was at this point that I rode right past the last rest stop without even seeing it. I finished the last 10 miles or so wondering where the last stop was!
Finally, after about 7 hours or so, I finally arrived back in Cottonwood, and thankfully had a relatively short ride to the Verde Valley Fairgrounds where the finish was located. I pulled into the park a tiny fanfare of 5 or 6 volunteers who drew the short straw and had to stand out in the cold and hand out medals to the riders as they came in. The area where the post-ride celebration would be was nearly deserted as no one, and I mean no one, wanted to stick around unless they had no other option. I went straight to my car to get the heck out of there and put the whole fiasco behind me.
I finished after about 7 hours and 20 minutes, with a significant amount of time standing around in rest stops and convenience stores. I don't know how many calories I burned because of my HRM malfunction. In addition, my iPhone went dead, so I didn't get a MapMyRide out of it. However, here is someone else's route: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/83901123.
On the whole, it was the most miserable experience I've ever had on a bike. That said, it was certainly an adventure. Would I have done it if I'd have known what it was going to be like? Probably not. On the other hand, it's unlikely that a ride will ever be any worse than that. In addition, I now know I can suffer through some pretty aweful stuff and keep on going.
A couple days I checked the weather for Sedona and was informed that Saturday (Day 1 of the ride) was going to be unseasonably cold. In fact, some freak storm was going to be coming through that day with morning temperatures forecast in the 30s and a 60% chance of rain. While I was disappointed that the weather wasn't going to be perfect, I was actually somewhat happy that it wasn't going to be too hot.
I stayed in Prescott which turns out to be 15 miles as the crow flies from Cottonwood, but 50 miles to drive. Therefore, to make the 7:00am start, I had to be up at about 4:45am. When I woke up, I looked out the window and saw that it was a) still pitch black, and b) snowing like crazy. I was sorely tempted to go back to bed for another hour and just plan to ride the 68 mile route instead, starting an hour late. However, I bucked myself up, got ready and headed out.
As I left Prescott, I was happy to see that as I got further from Prescott, the snow thinned out until by the time I was halfway to Cottonwood, the snow was gone. As the sun started to come out and the thermometer on my care started to inch up above the freezing mark, my morale improved. Perhaps things would warm up a bit and the ride would be cool.
I checked in at about 6:30 and learned that the long route had been shortened to 94 miles. I was slightly disappointed as this would not be a century, but on the other hand I was really worried about the massive climb that they had cut short, so I was also relieved. I got myself bundled up (long sleeve polypro undershirt, cycling jacket, Smartwool socks, Smartwool knee warmers, and running gloves over my cycling gloves) and headed to the starting line. I'd estimate there were about 300h people ready to ride, but I'm horrible at estimating this sort of thing so don't take my word for it.
They started the ride at 7:20 and off we went. I'd been training with my heart rate monitor for the past 4 months, so I planned to keep a close eye on my HR to make sure that I was not getting into the red zone. I was therefore pretty unhappy when I saw that my HR was not registering on my watch. I was even more unhappy when nothing I did could get it to start working. Oh well, I'd have to ride without it. Just one more little problem for a day filled with problems. The first 15 miles of the ride was pretty easy, and got us to the first rest stop with little drama. The sky was overcast and there was some rain, but it was not too bad, and we were hopeful that we might have a decent ride after all.
At the first stop, I refilled my bottles with Gatorade and scooted out in a hurry. One thing I tried to do was keep consuming calories constantly in a concerted effort to avoid bonking, a problem that I had in the Tour de Tucson in Novemember. In addition, I was making it a point to not dilly dally in the rest stops. Instead, I'd get in, grab a bite, refill my bottles, use the Honey Bucket, then hit the road.
At about 20 miles the road started going up, and we were approaching the beginning of the big climb. This thing made me nervous as it was about 11 miles of climbing with an average grade between 4 and 5%. At about 24 miles, we came to the second rest stop. This didn't seem to be too surprising as the last Bike MS I did had rest stops about every 10 miles. I did my rest stop routine (food, bottles, Honey Bucket) and then headed out. That's when I learned that this rest stop was the turnaround, and not a stop before the big climb. It turned out that there was snow and ice on the road not too far ahead, and the race had been shortened again. It turned out that they chopped about 14 miles off the already shortened ride because of the snow.
I bombed back down the hill, at one point hitting 38 mph. I turned north and made it to the 3rd rest stop. Things were going well with the exception of the ocassional rain and temperatures in the 30s, but overall, not too bad. After the 3rd rest stop, we made our way north and west, at one point riding on Interstate 17 for about 3 miles. There was some climbing, but nothing too difficult, and made it to the 4th rest stop. This was about 50 miles into the ride. This is where things started getting ugly.
After this rest stop, we turned north and started climbing up to Sedona. The wind started picking up at this point, blowing at about 20 mph, and it started to rain steadily. It was about 15 miles to Sedona, and each mile it got colder and colder. Soon, the rain turned to sleet, then as we entered Sedona it turned to snow. It was becoming a miserable death slog, and we were about 20 miles from the finish.
The 5th rest stop was at a bike shop in Sedona, and stood out because you could actually go inside and sit down in the warmth. It was here that we ate lunch, the classic PBJ with chips and Gatorade. After eating, it was time to head back out (reluctantly), but the organizers actually stopped us from leaving because the snow was coming down so hard they must have been worried about visibility. After about 10 minutes wait, they let us leave and the death slog continued.
We headed west to West Sedona, riding mostly up hill for about 5 miles in a steady rain/snow mix. Finally, we made the turn south which meant we were finally heading back to Cottonwood. In addition, I was excited because the last 15 miles was mostly downhill. Unfortunately, this is when the wind really made things difficult. Yes, I was riding downhill, but with a 20 mph wind right in your face, there was no relaxing. In fact, on the downhill ride to Cottonwood, I found I had to pedal to keep from slowing down, even on the downhills. Not much relaxing there. In addition, the sleet picked up, and the supercooling effect of going 15 mph into a 20 mph wind made things REALLY cold.
At one point it was so bad that I pulled into convenience store and just stood in there for 15 minutes just to get out of the elements. It took a herculean effort to get back on my bike and make the push to the finish line. It was at this point that I rode right past the last rest stop without even seeing it. I finished the last 10 miles or so wondering where the last stop was!
Finally, after about 7 hours or so, I finally arrived back in Cottonwood, and thankfully had a relatively short ride to the Verde Valley Fairgrounds where the finish was located. I pulled into the park a tiny fanfare of 5 or 6 volunteers who drew the short straw and had to stand out in the cold and hand out medals to the riders as they came in. The area where the post-ride celebration would be was nearly deserted as no one, and I mean no one, wanted to stick around unless they had no other option. I went straight to my car to get the heck out of there and put the whole fiasco behind me.
I finished after about 7 hours and 20 minutes, with a significant amount of time standing around in rest stops and convenience stores. I don't know how many calories I burned because of my HRM malfunction. In addition, my iPhone went dead, so I didn't get a MapMyRide out of it. However, here is someone else's route: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/83901123.
On the whole, it was the most miserable experience I've ever had on a bike. That said, it was certainly an adventure. Would I have done it if I'd have known what it was going to be like? Probably not. On the other hand, it's unlikely that a ride will ever be any worse than that. In addition, I now know I can suffer through some pretty aweful stuff and keep on going.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Bike MS coming up soon...
The Bike MS in Sedona is fast approaching. It is coming up on April 14th and 15th. I am planning to do the longest possible route which is 105 miles the first day and 45 miles the second day. The first day will be my first century, if I can finish.
I would feel pretty confident about my being able to finish the ride except for the fact that there is a pretty ridiculous hill climb right at the beginning of the ride. While I feel that I should be able to get up this climb, my concern is that I'm going to have to use so much energy getting up the hill that I'm going to be totally burned out later in the ride.
If you have any interest in sponsoring me as I ride in the Bike MS to help fight multiple sclerosis, please visit my fundraising page here. Thank you!
I would feel pretty confident about my being able to finish the ride except for the fact that there is a pretty ridiculous hill climb right at the beginning of the ride. While I feel that I should be able to get up this climb, my concern is that I'm going to have to use so much energy getting up the hill that I'm going to be totally burned out later in the ride.
If you have any interest in sponsoring me as I ride in the Bike MS to help fight multiple sclerosis, please visit my fundraising page here. Thank you!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Training setback
Training was going along very well until Saturday when I came down with some kind of bug. Since I had ridden 3 times already that week, I told myself I'd just recuperate on Saturday and go for my long ride on Sunday. Well, Sunday came around and I felt even worse than Saturday, so there was no riding that day either.
Long story short, I got in no long ride last week. I don't think this is going to kill my training plan, but still, I hate to suffer setbacks. I'll be back on the bike tomorrow night, but Wednesday is a travel day, Thursday night looks like I've got a client event (going to a hockey game it sounds like!), and Friday will be another travel day. It looks like the best I'm going to be able to do is 3 rides this week, but I should have a good chunk of time for a 4-5 hour ride on Saturday.
Long story short, I got in no long ride last week. I don't think this is going to kill my training plan, but still, I hate to suffer setbacks. I'll be back on the bike tomorrow night, but Wednesday is a travel day, Thursday night looks like I've got a client event (going to a hockey game it sounds like!), and Friday will be another travel day. It looks like the best I'm going to be able to do is 3 rides this week, but I should have a good chunk of time for a 4-5 hour ride on Saturday.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
First 100 mile week in a while
Last week I had the first of what will be many 100 mile+ weeks. I rode 5 times, including a 44 mile long ride on Friday. This was pretty impressive considering I was travelling every day last week except Sunday and Friday.
This week I'm scheduled for a 4.5 mile long ride, so the ride lengths are starting to get up there...
This week I'm scheduled for a 4.5 mile long ride, so the ride lengths are starting to get up there...
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Ouch!
Over the past few days, I've had a really painful toothache that has kept me off my bike Friday and Saturday. Most important is that I missed my long ride that was scheduled for yesterday.
I think I will be able to get back in the swing of things tomorrow, but this set back has been a bummer.
I think I will be able to get back in the swing of things tomorrow, but this set back has been a bummer.
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