This one is late too. I'm writing this Saturday AM, and we finished the ride Thursday at noon.
The last ride was amazing. Primm to Vegas 39 miles. The first 12 were slightly uphill, but with a strong tailwind. I left late with the last group, "The Speedy Boys". I felt amazingly strong that morning. It was as if new legs had been transplanted. I took the lead after about 5 miles, we always start slow to warm up, put in the headphones and turned up some Stevie Wonder. Soon I was pushing 27 mph. It was too fast too soon though. I forgot that we had picked up Sean's friend Eric that morning, and he hasn't been riding like this before. So I slowed down and rejoined the group. I also saved energy for the upcoming gradual descent, which was a good thing.
At mile 12 we had to exit the freeway to get onto Las Vegas Blvd. This is where the fun began. Initially there were some rolling hills and we were taking turns in the front of the pace line. We were cruising along at about 30 mph. After about 5 miles of this it became just a gradual descent with the wind at our backs. The first part of the "real" descent was a little bit steeper and I tried to beat my 44 mph max that I hit earlier in the trip. I matched it, but couldn't get 45 mph :(.
As I coasted recovering from my attempt I was passed by John, Mike and Travis. The were in a tight group and moving fast. I jumped on the pedals to join the group. It was the most fun I've had on a bike. The four of us took turns at the front and kept a tight group going about 38 mph for probably 6 miles. I really don't know how far we did it. We only stopped when we ran into construction and it got too dangerous to continue.
As we started to reach the outskirts of Vegas we started to catch the other riders who had started out earlier. We reached the rendezvous point, for all the cyclist to get together so we could arrive a the Flamingo together at about 10:45, only 2 hours after leaving Primm.
We waited around for an hour and then the group went the last mile or so, taking up a lane on the Strip. A big crowd and a news crew was waiting for us. An amazing end to an amazing ride.
My mom had shown up to greet us and provided some comic relief. She put her bike in the trailer before I left and rode the last mile with us. Unfortunately she put her tennis shoes in the trailer and flew into Vegas wearing sandals with heels. Of course Tim didn't know where her shoes were so she had to ride in her sandals, jeans, and with the pedal hitting her drooping kickstand every revolution.
Last night at the NAF reception Kyle presented a slide show with pictures from the ride. (I'll post more pictues later). All of the riders were recognized and given a medal of appreciation. Kyle announced that as of yesterday the ride had raised more than $110,000 for FA research! I want to thank everyone who donated to my part of the ride, it was much more than I expected.
A very special thanks to my friend Tim for helping make this ride possible. He pulled my camping trailer, with all of the rider's luggage in it, up and down the path for 6 days. He must have driven 600 miles while I rode 300. Thanks Tim.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Baker to Primm
OK, OK, I'm late with this post. Couple of good reasons. My last post was on Tuesday March 25. On that day we rode, mostly down hill for a total of 56 miles. In Baker there was Internet access at the Wills Fargo Motel that we stayed at. Very nice people running that place by the way.
Well on Thursday we had the 2nd big climb of the ride. Baker is in the bottom of a bowl and we started out towards Vegas by going up hill. Very gradual at first, but it got slowly steeper. This was not as steep, or as high as Woodford-Tehachapi Road, but it was long. It also featured 2 long uphills with a long downhill in the middle. That meant that we started at about 900 ft, climbed past 4,000 ft, descended past 4,000 again to about 3,500 ft, then climbed to 4,738 ft. All of this was over about 35 miles and before lunch. Which we ate later that day compared to other days.
After lunch we had a torturous descent to Primm, NV. This was about the worst shoulder I saw on the trip. Broken 2 x 6 lumber, large patches of gravel and debris, a wide rumble strip, and steep! I was on the brakes nearly the whole way down and I still hit 36 mph. I had to stop several times because my hands were cramping from trying to hold on and to brake. Oh, and don't forget the trucks with their burning brakes just off you're left shoulder and the intermittent gusts of wind trying to knock you over.
Once it flattened out it didn't get much better. The shoulder had huge ridges in it about every 10 feet. They are caused by the asphalt expanding and contracting from the heat of the desert day and cold of the night. Some of these ridges must have been 3 to 4 inches high. Not fun on a road bike at 20 mph.
The last 3 miles were smooth though and we all arrived safely at Whiskey Pete's in Primm.
I was beat and the WiFi wasn't working so good in the parking lot, where I slept in the trailer, so I didn't post that day.
Well on Thursday we had the 2nd big climb of the ride. Baker is in the bottom of a bowl and we started out towards Vegas by going up hill. Very gradual at first, but it got slowly steeper. This was not as steep, or as high as Woodford-Tehachapi Road, but it was long. It also featured 2 long uphills with a long downhill in the middle. That meant that we started at about 900 ft, climbed past 4,000 ft, descended past 4,000 again to about 3,500 ft, then climbed to 4,738 ft. All of this was over about 35 miles and before lunch. Which we ate later that day compared to other days.
After lunch we had a torturous descent to Primm, NV. This was about the worst shoulder I saw on the trip. Broken 2 x 6 lumber, large patches of gravel and debris, a wide rumble strip, and steep! I was on the brakes nearly the whole way down and I still hit 36 mph. I had to stop several times because my hands were cramping from trying to hold on and to brake. Oh, and don't forget the trucks with their burning brakes just off you're left shoulder and the intermittent gusts of wind trying to knock you over.
Once it flattened out it didn't get much better. The shoulder had huge ridges in it about every 10 feet. They are caused by the asphalt expanding and contracting from the heat of the desert day and cold of the night. Some of these ridges must have been 3 to 4 inches high. Not fun on a road bike at 20 mph.
The last 3 miles were smooth though and we all arrived safely at Whiskey Pete's in Primm.
I was beat and the WiFi wasn't working so good in the parking lot, where I slept in the trailer, so I didn't post that day.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Calico to Baker
OK, this one I'm writing the same day. Not a bad ride. I slept the best I have since starting this thing. Had some great oatmeal from the SAG crew and Tim suprised me with a big cup of coffee.
Mostly downhill today again, except for after lunch. Worst part was Yermo Road parallel to I-15 out of Calico. I almost called Tim and asked for my mountain bike. Sean nearly fell because he could barely hang on to his bars. All of this and a big tail wind pushing us a 20 mph and hardly pedaling. We finally had enough and jumped on the freeway, ignoring the No Bicycles Allowed sign. Awe bliss, smooth shoulder, down hill, wind at our backs. 25 MPH was easy. The lunch stop was too soon at the 26 mile mark. 10:30 AM, hardly knew what to do.
It was a good thing though. Last night I had decided to not be part of Los Rapidos today. I needed some recovery, even if it happened while sitting on bike for 56 miles.
So today Sean and I rode together for the most part. After lunch was harder. We had a fair bit of climbing to do and the wind shifted into our faces. We kept a moderate pace though and finished by 1:30. There where some good downhills in the mix, I hit a personal fastest speed on a bicycle of 44 mph.
4,000 feet of climbing to do tomorrow, I feel better about it today than I did yesterday. Here are some pictures from today:
Pictures to be posted later, got called to dinner.
Dinner at the Mad Greek's in Baker, very filling and good shakes, though I wish I had the strawberry, they looked real good.
Here are the pictures:
Breakfast
Mostly downhill today again, except for after lunch. Worst part was Yermo Road parallel to I-15 out of Calico. I almost called Tim and asked for my mountain bike. Sean nearly fell because he could barely hang on to his bars. All of this and a big tail wind pushing us a 20 mph and hardly pedaling. We finally had enough and jumped on the freeway, ignoring the No Bicycles Allowed sign. Awe bliss, smooth shoulder, down hill, wind at our backs. 25 MPH was easy. The lunch stop was too soon at the 26 mile mark. 10:30 AM, hardly knew what to do.
It was a good thing though. Last night I had decided to not be part of Los Rapidos today. I needed some recovery, even if it happened while sitting on bike for 56 miles.
So today Sean and I rode together for the most part. After lunch was harder. We had a fair bit of climbing to do and the wind shifted into our faces. We kept a moderate pace though and finished by 1:30. There where some good downhills in the mix, I hit a personal fastest speed on a bicycle of 44 mph.
4,000 feet of climbing to do tomorrow, I feel better about it today than I did yesterday. Here are some pictures from today:
Pictures to be posted later, got called to dinner.
Dinner at the Mad Greek's in Baker, very filling and good shakes, though I wish I had the strawberry, they looked real good.
Here are the pictures:
These are some of the neccesities
Breakfast
Bunkhouse
Sam Leading the way
Lunch!
On the Road with Sean
Boron to Calico
55 miles today (Monday, March 24, 2008). Lets see. Bakersfield to Tehachapi 38 miles, Tehachapi to Boron, 50 miles. Total so far 143, 'bout half way there. Rode with the "Speedy Boys" again today, but I'm trying to change the name to "Los Rapidos". I'm to old to be a "boy" and Tess, well she's just not a boy. So maybe Los Rapidos will stick, but who knows. I don't think I can keep up with them much longer any how.
I promised a picture of Tim and me so here ya go:
Notice Kyle's mug in between us.
Notice Kyle's mug in between us.Pretty much down hill today except for a couple of stretches. The tough parts were a narrow bridge to get into Bakersfield and then climbing within the town itself. I was just beat. We jumped onto Interstate 40 and the pace line was going 30 mph. It was all I could do to hang on. A sign on the freeway directed us to get off, as in No Bicycles, so we got onto Route 66 parallel to the freeway. Travis got a flat on Route 66:
Then Tess wanted a picture of her riding on Route 66:
Route 66 was a bit rolling and could use some repaving, but nothing compared to what was ahead for the next day. We did have to climb the last mile or two into Calico Ghost Town. I couldn't have gone another 100 yards. I finished with Luke and Tess, but it was all I had. The SAG crew provided hot dogs and beans for dinner and of course beer, for rehydration purposes.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Day 10 (my day 3)
Today is day 10 for Ride Ataxia II, but it's my third day. The planned ride today is mapped out at http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=8551 Mostly downhill today as seen by this image. Well gotta get saddled up.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Tehacahpi to Boron
Very tired now must sleep. 50 miles first 30 down hill, then a suprise bonus climb. Finally 20 miles into the dry desert wind.
Water please...
Some nice pics for the day though.
Tehacahpi Pass
I made it through the first day with the major climb. So far that was the hardest physical thing I've ever down in my life.
The first 9 miles were flat and easy. Then we started to climb and climb and climb. After about 30 minutes we reached the first high spot. Took a breather then headed down. Steep, fast, and not too many turns. It was fun. At the bottom was the turn onto Highway 58 and the start of the second climb. I was riding with Tess, but eventually I couldn't keep up. When I'm working that hard I need to take a 2 minute rest every 10 minutes. (I'd like to take one every 2 minutes, but I'd never reach the top.) Tess likes to keep pushing to get it over with. The other young riders were long gone.
After another 30 minutes or so we reached the lunch spot. Sweet, a chance to sit on a chair and rest.
At this point a deviation from plan. We were told that it might be better to take beautiful scenic Woodford-Tehachapi Road instead of continuing on 58. So, myself, Mike, Luke, Travis, John, Tess, and Sean (see rideataxia.beenup2.com) took off on the alternate route. All the remaining riders, who arrived at the lunch spot after we left stayed with the original plan.
About 5 miles later Sean and I were way back of the leaders and keeping our own pace. We could see Highway 58 wayyyyy below us. We had no idea that this route had more climbing than the original. Turns out it was 5 miles longer and had, I think, 800 feet more elevation. Reaching the top and looking over Tehachapi was a short lived relief. The down hill run had a quartering wind to fight against. Even worse, once we reached the bottom we had to turn directly into the wind for the final 5 miles. Estimated wind speed was about 30 miles an hour. Pure misery.
But, we finished. All the riders finished the ride and made it over Tehachapi Pass.
The first 9 miles were flat and easy. Then we started to climb and climb and climb. After about 30 minutes we reached the first high spot. Took a breather then headed down. Steep, fast, and not too many turns. It was fun. At the bottom was the turn onto Highway 58 and the start of the second climb. I was riding with Tess, but eventually I couldn't keep up. When I'm working that hard I need to take a 2 minute rest every 10 minutes. (I'd like to take one every 2 minutes, but I'd never reach the top.) Tess likes to keep pushing to get it over with. The other young riders were long gone.
After another 30 minutes or so we reached the lunch spot. Sweet, a chance to sit on a chair and rest.
At this point a deviation from plan. We were told that it might be better to take beautiful scenic Woodford-Tehachapi Road instead of continuing on 58. So, myself, Mike, Luke, Travis, John, Tess, and Sean (see rideataxia.beenup2.com) took off on the alternate route. All the remaining riders, who arrived at the lunch spot after we left stayed with the original plan.
About 5 miles later Sean and I were way back of the leaders and keeping our own pace. We could see Highway 58 wayyyyy below us. We had no idea that this route had more climbing than the original. Turns out it was 5 miles longer and had, I think, 800 feet more elevation. Reaching the top and looking over Tehachapi was a short lived relief. The down hill run had a quartering wind to fight against. Even worse, once we reached the bottom we had to turn directly into the wind for the final 5 miles. Estimated wind speed was about 30 miles an hour. Pure misery.
But, we finished. All the riders finished the ride and made it over Tehachapi Pass.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
A letter to the donors
First of all, thank you so much. I've been overwhelmed by the generosity. According to the guidelines for the ride I was expected to raise at least $750. I thought that for 300 miles of riding and 8,000 feet of climbing I should do better than that. Heck, I'd pay more than that not to do it! So, I doubled it and set the goal at $1500.Well, thanks to all of you that goal was passed in the first 2 days! So, I doubled it again and let it ride, sure enough $3000 is now in the rear view mirror and we are a bit north of $4000!
Well, now it's time for me to follow up on my part of the deal. As I write this I'm sitting in a hotel in Bakersfield. Tomorrow morning the local support group is providing breakfast at 7:00 and at 8:00 we shuttle over to where the riders ended yesterday.If it wasn't clear, my ride is part of a larger effort. The riders started in Sacramento last Saturday, and have ridden about 300 miles to Bakersfield. The goal for the entire group is to raise $50,000. Last year Kyle Bryant, the ride oganizer, raised $40,000 for FA research. At dinner tonight Kyle announced that we have surpassed the $100,000 mark!
There are some great sites to keep track of the ride in progress. http://rideataxia.beenup2.com/ has a lot of pictures of the ride in progress. Click on the activity link for a better organized view of the pics. There is already a Tim Towers sighting in one of the pictures, kinda blurry though. Seanbaum is one of the "Speedy Boys" and key ride organizers. I met him today and found out that he was diagnosed with FA less than a year ago. Travis and Mike are 2 more of the Speedy Boys and are friends of Sean. Another one of the Speedy Boys is their friend Luke who has flown out from Germany just to participate in the ride.
Kyle's blog has more of a narrative. Check it out at http://rideataxia.blogspot.com/
Finally, be sure to check out Linda and Andy's blog. Linda is 44 and was diagnosed with FA a couple of year's ago. They have come from New York to participate and seem to be having a great time. http://www.lindasride.org/Thanks again.Bart
Well, now it's time for me to follow up on my part of the deal. As I write this I'm sitting in a hotel in Bakersfield. Tomorrow morning the local support group is providing breakfast at 7:00 and at 8:00 we shuttle over to where the riders ended yesterday.If it wasn't clear, my ride is part of a larger effort. The riders started in Sacramento last Saturday, and have ridden about 300 miles to Bakersfield. The goal for the entire group is to raise $50,000. Last year Kyle Bryant, the ride oganizer, raised $40,000 for FA research. At dinner tonight Kyle announced that we have surpassed the $100,000 mark!
There are some great sites to keep track of the ride in progress. http://rideataxia.beenup2.com/ has a lot of pictures of the ride in progress. Click on the activity link for a better organized view of the pics. There is already a Tim Towers sighting in one of the pictures, kinda blurry though. Seanbaum is one of the "Speedy Boys" and key ride organizers. I met him today and found out that he was diagnosed with FA less than a year ago. Travis and Mike are 2 more of the Speedy Boys and are friends of Sean. Another one of the Speedy Boys is their friend Luke who has flown out from Germany just to participate in the ride.
Kyle's blog has more of a narrative. Check it out at http://rideataxia.blogspot.com/
Finally, be sure to check out Linda and Andy's blog. Linda is 44 and was diagnosed with FA a couple of year's ago. They have come from New York to participate and seem to be having a great time. http://www.lindasride.org/Thanks again.Bart
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Catch Up post
Time slips by...
I have kept up my training as much as possible since my last posting. On Monday Feb 11th I got it together to commute to work by bike. It went very well. I'll plan to do that every day that I can.
ike
Unfortunately, I had to travel to Denver the next day for work. I stayed at an Embassy Suites with a gym that had stationary bikes and other equipment so I managed to get in a one hour workout Tuesday night. Wednesday was a long day, but I made it back into the gym on Thursday morning for 1/2 and hour.
Friday I was our departure day for Flagstaff, AZ for a friends and family vacation. I strapped the bike to the roof of the van so I can try and keep up the training while on vacation. Part of the drive was along part of the route that I will be taking on the trip to Vegas. Let's just say that the training must continue...
We reached Flagstaff on Saturday evening and on Sunday I went for a short, but difficult ride. Flagstaff is at 7000 feet. I went a bit over 9 miles, up and down hills, dodging the icy patches and trying to keep my toes from freezing.
Here's the route I rode:
http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=7831
The elevation map doesn't look right to me, but the total gain of 900 feet seems about right. After the ride we went to Sedona for the day.
Monday we went to the Grand Canyon, and yesterday my "training" coninued with a day of snowboarding at the Arizona.
It's supposed to snow off and on for the rest of our time here so my training will probably be more snowboarding.
I have kept up my training as much as possible since my last posting. On Monday Feb 11th I got it together to commute to work by bike. It went very well. I'll plan to do that every day that I can.
ike
Unfortunately, I had to travel to Denver the next day for work. I stayed at an Embassy Suites with a gym that had stationary bikes and other equipment so I managed to get in a one hour workout Tuesday night. Wednesday was a long day, but I made it back into the gym on Thursday morning for 1/2 and hour.
Friday I was our departure day for Flagstaff, AZ for a friends and family vacation. I strapped the bike to the roof of the van so I can try and keep up the training while on vacation. Part of the drive was along part of the route that I will be taking on the trip to Vegas. Let's just say that the training must continue...
We reached Flagstaff on Saturday evening and on Sunday I went for a short, but difficult ride. Flagstaff is at 7000 feet. I went a bit over 9 miles, up and down hills, dodging the icy patches and trying to keep my toes from freezing.
Here's the route I rode:
http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=7831
The elevation map doesn't look right to me, but the total gain of 900 feet seems about right. After the ride we went to Sedona for the day.
Monday we went to the Grand Canyon, and yesterday my "training" coninued with a day of snowboarding at the Arizona.
It's supposed to snow off and on for the rest of our time here so my training will probably be more snowboarding.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Commute to work day
This is it going to ride to work for a commute today. Except...forgot my shoes in the locker room yesterday. %$&#! Well, there's always Monday.
Lunch Time
Went for a lunch time ride from work today. Got a chance to check out the showers at the gym and get a little ride in before a meeting. Only went about 11 miles, but it was good to keep the saddle time going.
Here's the route I took.
http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=7593
Here's the route I took.
http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=7593
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Bike instead of Car
I went to the coffee shop this morning and I didn't drive the car, I rode my bike. Round trip was 5-1/2 miles, not much but it's more than I would have done if I drove.
Until I broke my ankle surfing last summer, that's another story, I was a regular at a Saturday morning basketball game. After playing hoops we'd head off to a local coffee shop to BS for an hour before heading off to do whatever needs doing on a Saturday. I've been doing this for at least 7 years, maybe longer. Needless to say a broken ankle changed my participation.
The basketball guys have been very generous in supporting my ride and I wanted to stop by and chat. I was right there they were.
No map this time, got a busy Saturday, but at least I got a little bit of riding in and a cup of coffee.
Until I broke my ankle surfing last summer, that's another story, I was a regular at a Saturday morning basketball game. After playing hoops we'd head off to a local coffee shop to BS for an hour before heading off to do whatever needs doing on a Saturday. I've been doing this for at least 7 years, maybe longer. Needless to say a broken ankle changed my participation.
The basketball guys have been very generous in supporting my ride and I wanted to stop by and chat. I was right there they were.
No map this time, got a busy Saturday, but at least I got a little bit of riding in and a cup of coffee.
Friday, February 1, 2008
The First Climb
Well, I didn't really look closely at what I was getting into when I signed up for Ride Ataxia II. I was a bit suprised to find out that I will be do a 4,000 foot climb on the first day. The only way I'll be able to do that is if I do some of my training in the hills.
Today I took my first trip into the hills. Luckily we have some good hills nearby to ride on.
I forgot how hard hill climbing can be. The first part of the climb was easy enough, but the near the end the climb got steep. It was hard just to keep going forward. Lungs started burning, legs turned to rubber.
Mileage was less then the previous rides, but with 1500 feet of climbing, I think I'll feel this one more.
Map of the ride.
Today I took my first trip into the hills. Luckily we have some good hills nearby to ride on.
I forgot how hard hill climbing can be. The first part of the climb was easy enough, but the near the end the climb got steep. It was hard just to keep going forward. Lungs started burning, legs turned to rubber.
Mileage was less then the previous rides, but with 1500 feet of climbing, I think I'll feel this one more.
Map of the ride.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Riding in the Dark and Cold
Stupid weather forecasters. It was supposed to rain all day today. It was pouring last night and on the drive in to work. I'm pretty lucky at work, because my cubicle is on the top floor right next to a huge window with a nice view of the San Francisco Bay.
Just as I got to work the rain tapered off. From the window I could see bands of rain over the bay. It looked like more, much more, coming our way. Oh, well no ride today. The bands of rain just passed on by to the north. By the time I headed out the door at 4:20 the clouds were only on the perimeter of the sky.
Got home by 4:40, nice short commute, which I plan to start doing by bike soon, brought in the garbage cans and checked in on the kids. Katie's homework, done. Matt's big ataxic fall at school, no big deal, even though it scared some teachers and resulted in a call to me at work from the principal. Nothing broken or bruised.
Dinner in the oven by 5:00 and on the bike at 5:20.
Wow, it's cold, but plenty of light as I leave. I'm heading for the San Tomas Creek Trail. It promises to be an easy way to work by bike. But it's about 2 miles through heavy commute traffic to reach the head of the trail. I've got the super bright tail light flashing away and a day-glo orange wind breaker on. You'd have to close your eyes to not see me. And if you do see me, you'll close your eyes! :~)
The cold is not too bad, except for my ears. Biking helmets do not keep your ears warm. I reach the trail without incident and cruise along. At the major roads the trail dips down under the road and close to the water level. Now, we've had a lot of rain lately, and I was wondering what the shape of the trail would be close to water level. They close the trail when the creek rises, because it rises over the trail. It's surprisingly dry in the low spots and it looks like someone has cleared the debris.
I set a goal of 10 to 12 miles. Once I hit mile 5 I knew I was going for 12. I wanted to reach Baylands park and I was close. I reached the park just past the 6 mile mark.
Getting dark and time to turn around for home. Feel good, but even on the trail with no cars I'm glad for the headlight and tail light. The oncoming bikes that pass with no light are just a bit scary. It's hard to see them, so I wonder if they can see me. Silly.
I get home at 6:10, hang up the bike and in comes the wife. Dinner is ready and it's time to write the blog.
Map of the ride.
Just as I got to work the rain tapered off. From the window I could see bands of rain over the bay. It looked like more, much more, coming our way. Oh, well no ride today. The bands of rain just passed on by to the north. By the time I headed out the door at 4:20 the clouds were only on the perimeter of the sky.
Got home by 4:40, nice short commute, which I plan to start doing by bike soon, brought in the garbage cans and checked in on the kids. Katie's homework, done. Matt's big ataxic fall at school, no big deal, even though it scared some teachers and resulted in a call to me at work from the principal. Nothing broken or bruised.
Dinner in the oven by 5:00 and on the bike at 5:20.
Wow, it's cold, but plenty of light as I leave. I'm heading for the San Tomas Creek Trail. It promises to be an easy way to work by bike. But it's about 2 miles through heavy commute traffic to reach the head of the trail. I've got the super bright tail light flashing away and a day-glo orange wind breaker on. You'd have to close your eyes to not see me. And if you do see me, you'll close your eyes! :~)
The cold is not too bad, except for my ears. Biking helmets do not keep your ears warm. I reach the trail without incident and cruise along. At the major roads the trail dips down under the road and close to the water level. Now, we've had a lot of rain lately, and I was wondering what the shape of the trail would be close to water level. They close the trail when the creek rises, because it rises over the trail. It's surprisingly dry in the low spots and it looks like someone has cleared the debris.
I set a goal of 10 to 12 miles. Once I hit mile 5 I knew I was going for 12. I wanted to reach Baylands park and I was close. I reached the park just past the 6 mile mark.
Getting dark and time to turn around for home. Feel good, but even on the trail with no cars I'm glad for the headlight and tail light. The oncoming bikes that pass with no light are just a bit scary. It's hard to see them, so I wonder if they can see me. Silly.
I get home at 6:10, hang up the bike and in comes the wife. Dinner is ready and it's time to write the blog.
Map of the ride.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Training Ride 2
It's supposed to be raining. I should have an excuse, but have you seen the profile of the ride? I got to get into shape. The wind is blowing, it's cloudy, but no rain. Off we go, the goal is 10 miles, a 25% increase from the first ride. I am an engineer, aren't I?
Wow, I did ride 2 days ago. Is that a bruise where I sit? Ouch!
I think I'll head towards Saratoga, get a little bit of climbing in if I can. Lawrence Expressway, heading slightly uphill, but the wind. A steady 17 miles an hour right in my face. Keep it in a low gear. I need to work on spinning. If I turn to big of a gear I hurt my left knee. It's one of the reasons I stopped riding. Low gear, fast spins, only doing about 12 to 15 miles an hour.
The red lights are welcome rest stops. An overpass, there's a way around it. I can exit, cross the street, then get back on the expressway. NO! Have you seen the 4,000 foot climb on the first day of my ride?
Not too bad, put it in a very low gear and over the top I go. Down the other side, but still into the wind. 5 miles down, should I turn around? That would make the trip 10 miles total. I feel pretty good though, the wind is brutal, but I haven't reached Saratoga yet. I at least need to reach Saratoga Avenue.
Saratoga Ave, mile 6.5. I can't just turn around here I have to head towards the hills, at least to West Valley College. It's still slightly uphill, still into the wind, but finally Fruitvale Ave. That's the turn for the college and the 8 mile mark. Good enough.
5 minute rest and head for home. Downhill with the wind at my back. Cruising at 20 mph, pushing it to 26 at times. Hit a peak of 28. Much easier. Strange though, my odometer on my back which said 8 miles at the turn around only say 14.9 miles total. Lost a mile somewhere.
Time to ice the knee and start that blog thing while I rest...
Map of the ride.
Wow, I did ride 2 days ago. Is that a bruise where I sit? Ouch!
I think I'll head towards Saratoga, get a little bit of climbing in if I can. Lawrence Expressway, heading slightly uphill, but the wind. A steady 17 miles an hour right in my face. Keep it in a low gear. I need to work on spinning. If I turn to big of a gear I hurt my left knee. It's one of the reasons I stopped riding. Low gear, fast spins, only doing about 12 to 15 miles an hour.
The red lights are welcome rest stops. An overpass, there's a way around it. I can exit, cross the street, then get back on the expressway. NO! Have you seen the 4,000 foot climb on the first day of my ride?
Not too bad, put it in a very low gear and over the top I go. Down the other side, but still into the wind. 5 miles down, should I turn around? That would make the trip 10 miles total. I feel pretty good though, the wind is brutal, but I haven't reached Saratoga yet. I at least need to reach Saratoga Avenue.
Saratoga Ave, mile 6.5. I can't just turn around here I have to head towards the hills, at least to West Valley College. It's still slightly uphill, still into the wind, but finally Fruitvale Ave. That's the turn for the college and the 8 mile mark. Good enough.
5 minute rest and head for home. Downhill with the wind at my back. Cruising at 20 mph, pushing it to 26 at times. Hit a peak of 28. Much easier. Strange though, my odometer on my back which said 8 miles at the turn around only say 14.9 miles total. Lost a mile somewhere.
Time to ice the knee and start that blog thing while I rest...
Map of the ride.
First Training Ride
The bike is ready to go, but the rider needs some work. Also, there is no backing out now. I've been overwhelmed by the response to my ride donation website. According to the guidelines for the ride I'm supposed to raise at least $125 per day that I ride. So, 6 days would be $750. Sounds bit meager, so I set a goal of $1500 and crossed my fingers. That was just a couple of days ago and so far the donations total $2325!
OK. Running out of time, so let's get to it. Thursday night after work, cold a bit wet, and an out of practice rider. Put on the layers, new batteries in the head light, and set the Super Flash to flash mode. 8 miles later and 40 minutes later, I'm done. Not too bad. I stayed close to home, riding laps around small portion of Calabazas creek.
Map of the ride.
Of course when I got back from the ride, there, in the entry way, a wind trainer. You know it looks like this. My friend Ben dug it out of his garage so I could train indoors during the inclement weather we are experiencing. It does rain in California! He dropped it off about 5 minutes after I left for my cold ride.
OK. Running out of time, so let's get to it. Thursday night after work, cold a bit wet, and an out of practice rider. Put on the layers, new batteries in the head light, and set the Super Flash to flash mode. 8 miles later and 40 minutes later, I'm done. Not too bad. I stayed close to home, riding laps around small portion of Calabazas creek.
Map of the ride.
Of course when I got back from the ride, there, in the entry way, a wind trainer. You know it looks like this. My friend Ben dug it out of his garage so I could train indoors during the inclement weather we are experiencing. It does rain in California! He dropped it off about 5 minutes after I left for my cold ride.
Getting Ready
I have a road bike. It's not top of the line, but it's good enough. I used to ride at lunch time with some friends at work, but stopped a few years ago. The bike has been hanging in the garage for a while. So, if I'm going to do this ride, the wheels are going to need some fixing up.
I'm pretty handy with tools, and mechanical things, but I'm short on time and it's got to be right. Luckily there is a mobile bike mechanic who comes to my work place once a month. I only found out about this by chance on Tuesday and he was scheduled to come on Thursday. Funny how sometimes when you need something, it just appears.
So I made an appointment with the bike doctor. Wow, what a difference. The shifters work better than new. The new Super Flash tail light that he suggested is crazy bright. Cars will notice you in the daytime when you set it to flash mode.
I'm pretty handy with tools, and mechanical things, but I'm short on time and it's got to be right. Luckily there is a mobile bike mechanic who comes to my work place once a month. I only found out about this by chance on Tuesday and he was scheduled to come on Thursday. Funny how sometimes when you need something, it just appears.
So I made an appointment with the bike doctor. Wow, what a difference. The shifters work better than new. The new Super Flash tail light that he suggested is crazy bright. Cars will notice you in the daytime when you set it to flash mode.
Going for a Ride
I've decided to join Kyle Bryant and company for the 2nd Ride Ataxia. For now, I plan to use this blog to keep track of my training progress. Since I announced that I'm doing the ride I get a lot of questions about what I'm doing to get ready, hopefully it will help answer those questions. It probably won't help with the, "What are you crazy?" questions though...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)