Ouch, this is going to hurt

Let me start by saying that yesterday’s ride kicked my ass.  It was a combination of monster climbs, big pace lines, and a little too much testosterone that got to me.

Yesterday, 15 of us headed out from Freestone for a 60 mile ride that started at the Wild Flour Bakery.  The plan was to ride part of the Grasshopper Adventure Series road course. Next Saturday is a road race from this series and I have few friends who will be riding and wanted to scope it out.

While this ride was not particularly long by our standards it was by no means going to be easy.  You see, we would be climbing the strong side of the Marshall Wall.  If you don’t cycle, let me just say that the slang “wall” simply stands for one long, steep, bad-ass hill climb.  For a glimpse into our day, here is the profile of our route.  The Marshall Wall is the section that goes straight up at mile 20.

As we start rolling, I immediately get the impression this will not be the moderate pace ride as described.  There are just too many people who can hammer the pedals.  Still, as we head off at a brisk pace, I am feeling very strong and relaxed.  At this point I’m thinking it’s going to be a good day.

We hit the first little climb, which is short but steep.  I go over 4th or 5th which is a little unusual.  As we head for the coast, we start our second climb and things changed.  I was not feeling good at all.  My stomach was getting upset and I started to overheat.  I backed way of the pace, dropped of the back and tried to recover.

I stayed this way all the way to the town of Tomales.  A couple of folks starting asking how I was doing because they could tell I wasn’t quite myself.  Out of Tomales, we followed Tomales Bay until we turned onto the Wall.   The pace was very brisk on the road to the Wall so once again I hung back and did my own thing.

Actually, that’s not entirely true.  I was riding with Carmen who was being very disciplined with her training.  Her coach wanted her to stay at L2 for the entire ride.  So between her discipline and my stomach we managed to hang together and just chat away.

The climb up the Wall actually went very well.  Carmen and I dropped to our lowest gears and just spun our way to the top.  Surprisingly, the more I climbed the better I felt.  We bombed down the descent and once again the lead pack takes off and this time I purposely choose to let them go.

Finally, we finish the major climbs and start back towards the bakery.  There were 4 riders off the front so some of us went after them.  As we caught them I stayed at the same speed and simply went around them.  Now the race was on as the group started to chase me down.

Honestly, my intent was to start a nice pace line.  Instead I inadvertently instigated a series of attacks.  There was some hard riding as people attacked and others tried to grab wheels.  After a couple of miles I looked down and we were doing 29 mph.  That’s when my lights went out.  So I sat up, watched them ride away, and waited for Carmen, who was still sticking to her plan.

Carmen and I basically rode the rest of the way back to the bakery together.  The true hammerheads had quit regrouping and the rest of the riders where going further. Although tired, the vision of freshly baked scones kept us going.

Everyone made it back to the bakery where we enjoyed scones, coffee and laughs.  I think my stomach problem resulted from too much effort up the first climb and once I recovered I was fine although, some of my fellow cyclist didn’t buy that excuse and suggested I should be tested for doping.

How do I feel today.  I actually feel great.  I was going to go out for a 2-hour recovery ride but it is all wet and foggy so I decided not to.  Besides, Sherry made french toast and that’s all the recovery I need.

Ciao!

PS – Thanks to Carmen for the photos.

Not your normal day on a bike

Last Sunday’s ride actually turned into an event for me.  It was the first day in weeks without rain, I was riding with one of my good friends to watch another friend race, and it had that “your crazy” factor I look for when telling non-cyclists about my plans.  It also ended up being similar to the week before in that it occurred in three parts and ended with me time trialing home.  But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

The plan?  Brian and I were going to ride from his house in Sonoma over to Napa to watch another friend race in the Cherry Pie Criterium and then ride back.  It’s only 25 miles each way but to non-cyclists it seems like an impossible distance. 

We take off bright and early from Brian’s.  The sun is out and even though it was quite chilly at 34 degrees, we didn’t really notice.  We left early which meant we could ride at a sensible pace through the vineyards of Carneros where the mustard plants are in full bloom.  About half way there another rider from our group, Adam, caught up with us and we finished the ride together.

We arrive at the race just before 9:00, which is perfect since Scott races at 9:20.  While Brian was calling to find out where he was warming up, I watched the juniors who were racing.  It was awesome and our local team, Team Swift, was performing very well.

On the way to meet Scott, I saw many of my cycling friends such as Dan, Kashy, Michael and others who had already raced of were racing later.  We find Scott and just start chatting away while he is warming up on the trainer.  Then we pack everything into his car while he heads to the start line.

At 9:20 exactly the Elite Cat 4 race is off.  Scott has a simple goal.  He wants to stay in the lead group for the first 20-30 minutes to get an intense workout and get into the racing season.  However, as they start counting down laps to the finish, Scott is with the lead group.  On the final lap, Scott is sitting 6th wheel and has a legitimate chance at a top 3 finish. 

The peloton comes across the finish line about 30 strong.  Scott wasn’t in the top 3 unfortunately.  In fact, we didn’t see him cross the finish line at all but with a big pack it’s hard to pick out individual riders.  So Brian and I head back to the car since Brian has his car keys.

This is were things got interesting.  We get to the car but no Scott.  No worries, he’s probably just cooling down.  So we wait.  And we wait.  I ride back to the start line and still no Scott.  It’s now 30 minutes after the race and he’s still not around and Brian and I need to start heading for home. 

We asked the announcer if there was a crash and he says no.  As we are pulling away he then calls Brian’s name over the microphone.  Uh oh!  He tells Brian to go see the guy at the start line with a white truck.  As we roll up I see Scott’s bike in the back.  That is definitely not a good sign.  Long story short, Scott crashed on the final lap, broke his clavicle and was in route to the local hospital.

We go back to Scott’s car and load both his bike and Brian’s into it.  Brian then drives to the hospital and I head for home.  My ride home was going to be another sensibly paced ride but now I am running late.  I had called Sherry and she was completely understanding but I still wanted to get home as soon as possible.  So just like the Sunday before, I was back in the time trial position and hammering the pace.  It was a strong ride that felt really good so I know my interval training is really paying off.

The update on Scott is that he is in good spirits and recovering.  I actually have never known Scott not to be in a great mood.  He is also planning his next race and asking when he can start spinning on the trainer.  I know he will be back soon stronger then ever.

The rest of my fellow cyclists survived their races just fine.  In fact Soda, who I ride with regularly, took third in her race.

There you have it.  I am so glad we rode over to watch Scott race.  His crash was unfortunate, but it was great that we were there to help out.  Brian also got some great stories about what a crazy guy like Scott says when he’s feeling no pain.

I hope everyone had a chance to get out and ride last weekend with perhaps just a little less adventure.

Ciao!

Beware of Bibendum

There are a lot of opinions in the world of cycling but only a few truths.  For example, a Roadie and a Dirt Rat can argue all day about their opinions on whether road cycling is better then mountain biking but at the end of the day they both agree to the truth that it’s harder to go uphill then downhill.  And here’s another truth.  If you ride a bike at some point you are going to get a flat.

Here in Sonoma County it’s flat season.  This is when Bibendum, the official name of the Michelin Tire mascot and God of Flat Tires, is at his busiest.  Don’t get me wrong, I deal with flats all year but it’s always a little worse in winter.  I once heard Paul explain why to Phil during the Tour de France.  Paul explained that when it rains “all of the bits of stuff from the road actually stick to your tire like flies to paper. . .” (you should have read that with a British accent).

Cyclists who think they will never get a flat are a lot like people on their way to catch a flight and hoping they won’t have to go through security.  That’s not going to happen and neither is riding without the occasional flat.  It’s kind of funny in a way.  They’ve seen other riders flat and still don’t think it will happen the them.  Then one day they hear that unmistakable pffffff.  The expression on their face tells you they just saw the security line.

I have many, many stories about flats.  There was the time I rode through thorns and my rear tire flatted and as I was changing it I heard the front tire go pffffff.  Are you kidding me?  A twofer?  I flatted a third time less then 2 miles down the road and Mr. Fitness Journal, Chris,  gave me his spare tube.  Just to show us that Bibendum has a sense of humor, Chris flatted a week later and that’s when he remember giving me his spare tube, which he never replaced.

I have run over thorns, glass, nails, you name it.  Perhaps my most interesting flat was when I ran over a utility knife razor blade one day on the single speed.  There was no pffffff.  The blade sliced open the entire rear wheel and the air was gone in a second.  In this case, just to show he can be merciful, Bibendum allowed this to happen close to home.

I’ve even had flats when riding the trainer in the garage.  If it happens to the front tire who cares, unless you are on rollers.  If it happens on the rear wheel then you have to deal with it.  My method always involves giving up on the training session and going back inside for a cup of coffee.  I just assume it’s Bibendum’s way of saying he doesn’t want me on the trainer that day.

Can you avoid flats?  No!  However, you can minimize them somewhat by paying attention to your tires.  It cracks me up when people complain about always getting flats and then you look at their tires and wonder how they even get out of the parking lot.  I mean really, if your tires have so many deep nicks and gouges that you get flats rolling your bike from the garage to your car then for Bibendum’s sake buy some new ones.

Like all Gods, Bibendum requires that you pay homage.  The cool thing is he gives you a choice.  You can either spend a little money replacing your tires when necessary or you can pay the equivalent sum in tubes and CO2 cartridges.  Being preventative also means you get to choose between replacing your tires in your warm garage with a cup of coffee nearby or changing a flat on the side of the road while cars go flying by and your fellow cyclists stand around taking deep breaths and telling you it’s ok that your flat just broke up the best pace line of the season. The choice is yours.

Now, go out and inspect your tires before your next ride.  After all, if you decide to chance it, Bibendum will be happy to join you on the ride and say hello.  It sounds a lot like pffffff!

Ciao!

A tale of 3 rides

Well, here is the first semi-serious ride report for 2010.  And not just any ride report but one that talks about three different rides.  The funny thing is that all three of the “rides” I am going to write about happened on a single ride on the road.  If you read further, I promise it will all make sense.

This weekend was shaping up as something special because my new best friend NOAA was saying that there was no rain in our forecast.  We’ve been dealing with a ton of rain and everyone was anxious to get off their trainers and out on to the open road.  They weren’t wrong and I think every cyclist in Sonoma County must have been on the road.

On Saturday, we dealt with a lot of fog, some overcast clouds, and just a little sunshine but no rain!  It also warmed up and at one point on the climb, which was the second “ride”, I was able to push down the arm warmers and enjoy the warmth.

So how did I end up doing three different rides in the same day?  Well, it was one part feeling great on the bike, one part monster climb, and one part completely misjudging when I would be home.

Enough chit-chat!  Let’s talk about the ride.

The “No Chain” ride
We started with pre-ride coffee in Windsor.  There were five of us heading out to ride the Geysers followed by Pine Flat.  These are both big climbs.  We took off at a moderate pace and I realized very quickly that I was having a “no chain” ride.

If you are not familiar with the term, it refers to turning the pedals so easily that you feel like you don’t have a chain on the bike.  I can also tell you it doesn’t happen very often for me.  As we rode along, I actually lifted the pace a bit too strong and dropped one of our riders.  So we regrouped and settled into a pace that allowed for plenty of socializing along the way.

At this point, I was comfortably cruising along at a nice L3 heart rate level but that all changed when we hit The Geysers.

The Climb
As soon as we turned onto The Geysers climb I knew my no chain pedal turns were done.  Since the season is just starting I decided not to push this climb since there was a second climb coming.  So when it got steep I went straight to the triple up front and the 27 on the back, found a rhythm and just kept rolling.

I was enjoying the climb when I started having trouble with the back cog.  The chain kept dropping off the 27 and into the spokes.  Finally, I decided to stay in the 25 and deal with it when I got home.  Now, the difference between the 27 and 25 from a physical  strength standpoint is not that great.  I should easily have the strength to turn the pedals even in the 25.

However, the psychological difference was huge.  Of course, this happened in the steepest part of the climb so I quickly found my L5 heart rate.  I felt myself really struggling with the bike to get up the hill.  Ultimately, I told myself to man up and ride.  So I found a new rhythm and continued to the summit.

The Time Trial
At the top, I realized it was 11:00.  I told Sherry I expected to home around noon.  What the hell was I thinking?  After we go bombing down the descent, I decided to skip the second climb and head home.  After all, husband points are more important then miles at this point in the season.

After saying my goodbyes, I got into the time trial position and start hammering.  I managed to mostly hold a strong time trial pace and cadence all the way back to the car.  It was a pretty intense work out and by the time I reached the car, I was toast.

There you have it!  On just a single rode without a chain, worked my way up a monster climb, and then time trialed to the car.  Not too bad for an early season training ride.  Of course, the rain is scheduled to return this week.  Hopefully, it will be clear by next weekend and we can do it all over again.

Ciao!

Things are getting serious

Things are starting to get pretty serious around here.  At least in regards to the role that cycling is starting to play in my life.  Seven years ago when I first started cycling I never imagined it would come to this. I just thought I would be this dude who went out on the bike now and then and did things like half ironman distance triathlons that made all his couch potato friends think he’s crazy.

I am not sure what qualifies someone as a serious cyclist but I am going to assume that cycling over 10,000 miles in the last two years counts.  I now have 4 bikes and have to wear matching kits on all rides.  When Sherry catches me alone late at night with my laptop she assumes I am looking at new bikes.  I have socks that say I “heart’ bike porn. Yes, you could safely say I am consumed by this sport of cycling and all it has to offer.

So, where’s the serious part?

Let me start with riding.  I am coming out of the off season and starting to ramp things up a bit.  Nothing crazy.  A little higher intensity and a little more climbing.  But the real indicator is that I have switched back to my sports drink versus just drinking water.  I am also “practicing’ eating on the bike so it becomes second nature on harder rides. Like robins returning in spring, this means the season has changed and it’s go time.

I also have my writing.  In addition to this blog, which I am committed to updating more frequently, I am seriously contemplating writing a book.  I have had some tremendous adventures and it might be interesting to get them recorded in a single place.  Coming back the blog, I have set an unofficial goal of at least 6 or 7 posts per month.  I am also creating a logo for the blog that Coach Tim is putting on the cycling kit he is designing.  This might pose quite a challenge but with a little extra sports drink I think I can do it.

I am also a guest contributor to the West County Revolution Bike Shop’s newsletter Power to the Pedals.  My final bit of “writing” is helping Coach Tim with his FB fan page and his website.

I am thrilled that Santa Rosa will once again host a finishing stage of the Amgen Tour of California.  My friend David, who works for the city of Santa Rosa, is the Chair of the committee making this go smoothly.  I have agreed to Chair the sub-committee on merchandising and I am busy contacting local merchants to place Tour of Calendar stuff in their shops for sale.  So basically, I am contacting every bike shop in Sonoma and Marin county.

Wow!  That all sounds like a lot of work so let’s get back to riding.  As I mention recently, West County Revolution is starting a new cycling team, Team Revolution.  I will be on that team not only as a rider but as a ride leader, sponsor-getter, route finder, and just about anything else they need help with to get his team up and running.  It sounds like a lot of work, but they hooked me by holding the team meetings at Flying Goat Coffee.

This will be a great group of guys and gals to ride with and I can’t wait until we hit the open road.  Our first official ride is scheduled for February 27th but many of us have ridden together before.  I am getting so serious about this team that yesterday I officially became a licensed cyclist by the US Cycling Federation.  Now don’t get too excited.  This was really just a $60 charitable contribution to the cycling federation with the option that allows me to race.  Surprisingly, the only qualification necessary to be a licensed Cat 5 racer is the ability to navigate PayPal.

So there you have it.  As you can see, cycling is keeping me very busy.  And it’s not just riding.  Although it may seem like a lot of work I am having a blast with it all.  Who knows, maybe someday I’ll even make my living connected to cycling in some fashion.

Until then, I have to go write my article about the last Soup Spoons & Carbon Forks ride.

Ciao!