A glimpse of days to come

I just assumed that after my full blown rant about the weather in Saturday’s post that Mother Nature would get even on Sunday in a big way.  It didn’t happen.  Instead, she provided us with a glorious day on Sunday and I think everyone in Sonoma County was outside.  Yes, it was just that nice and just a glimpse of the days to come.

I was a little concerned at first.  I could see the heavy fog bank to the west.  I kept waiting for it to roll in and take away the early morning sunshine.  That didn’t happen either.  It was a little chilly, a balmy 38, but I’ll take cold sunshine over warm rain any day, so just before 8:00 I was on the bike and heading out.

I was meeting a group of folks in Larkfield for some easy hill climbing.  On the way, I was joined by 2 friends who were also coming along on the ride.  For some reason I felt like we were running late.  So as we started the 5.5 mile ride to meet the group I got into my TT position and lifted the pace.  Nothing crazy.  I wanted to add a touch of speed but still be comfortable.  Then I looked down and saw I was cruising at 22 mph.  My friends were still with me so I just kept going and we didn’t stop until we arrived at Larkfield 10 minutes early. 

Although it was just the beginning of the ride, I was feeling very strong.  I was surprised at how smoothly and almost effortlessly I was holding that pace.  I’m really starting to see the benefits of those indoor trainer workouts I despise so much.  It’s also a sign that I will be ready for the harder rides I know this summer will bring.

The ride was promoted as a “no stop” ride with the exception of fixing flats.  That means if you stop, the group keeps riding and you have to chase back on.  We held a nice steady tempo all the way through Healdsburg and out to Mill Creek Road, which would be our first climb of the day.  The route also called for climbing Pine Flat later in the ride.  Since I leave for San Diego tomorrow, I was self-imposing a time limit that meant I would not get to ride Pine Flat so I decided to test my strength and conditioning on Mill Creek.

Of course, I don’t want to be an ass and look like I am attacking off the front.  I also did not want to take the time to tell everyone why I was going to ride hard.  Instead, I took advantage of the “no stop” rule.  Just before Mill Creek I did stop to peel off one layer of clothing before the climb.  As advertised, the group kept riding.  By the time I was done they were quite a ways ahead of me.

Now it’s time to push the pace.  However, I need to ride smart because this my first time on Mill Creek so I don’t know to expect.  When I made the turn, I could see the group ahead already starting to string out on the climb as everyone settled into their own tempo.  One by one I pulled them back over the next couple of miles.  I was not going flat out.  Instead I selected a “lifted” pace and held it to the top.  In the end I caught 5 of the 8 people in front and was feeling incredibly strong.

By the way, Mill Creek is now one of my favorite roads, and climbs, in Sonoma County.  It is an out and back so their is very little traffic.  The road follows Mill Creek, which was simply stunning on Sunday, fresh with all that rain I was complaining about on Saturday.  It is a beautiful route that climbs through redwoods, vineyards and meadows.  On most days you’re much more likely to hear the cry of a hawk versus the sound of a car.  I will definitely being riding this road again.  A lot!

So there you have it.  A glimpse of the beautiful weather, strong riding, and new climbs that await me in the days ahead all wrapped into one awesome ride.  I can hardly wait.

Ciao!

Our first (non) ride

Damn rain!!!  We were supposed to have our very first official Team Revolution Presented by Fitness Journal ride this morning.  All week long there was supposed to be a big storm on Friday with only a few lingering scattered showers remaining Saturday morning.  HA!!!  I get up this morning at 5:00 am as usual and it is raining.  Strike that, it’s pouring.  To add insult to potential injury, there is also gusty winds swirling about.  It was almost as if Mother Nature was daring us to ride our bikes today.

It was time for action.  Not the good kind of action like pulling your bike out of the garage and rolling down the street.  No, this action was pounding the keyboard versus pounding the pedals in a desperate attempt to find some weather web site or satellite image that would give us hope.  It was not to be.

Image after image, site after site, told the same story.  It was going to keep raining.   Damn rain!!!

Really, my problem isn’t with the rain.  We need water to survive.  I get that.  I love my green hills and the lovely spring flowers.  I enjoy the beautiful streams and cascading waterfalls that form after a rainy winter.  No, my problem has more to do with scheduling and accountability.

We have already had some gorgeous spring-like weather in Sonoma County.  However, it has been improperly scheduled for Monday through Friday.  I want to know who the hell thought that was a good idea.  Why would you ever put the nice weather during the work week and then have it rain on the weekends?  Haven’t these people heard of Camelot?

So day after day I sit in my office and watch white fluffy clouds float by against the backdrop of a beautiful blue sky.  And while this may help the whole work-stress issue, it doesn’t help my cycling.  Then Saturday rolls around and the clouds turn dark and mean and nasty.  They bear down on you like you’re some little middle-Earther with a ring and a mission.

How do you know it’s been raining a lot during the prime riding times?  When you have more hours logged cleaning your bike then riding it, that’s how.  I mean, really!  Even on the days it wasn’t raining, it hasn’t been that nice.  We have started a few rides already this year with clear skies above while we rode in the cold, wet, soupy fog below.

Now, let’s change gears and talk about the weather people.  I purposely did not use the word meteorologist because that might imply there was some science behind their daily version of truth or dare.  You know what I mean.  This is when they tell you the forecast and dare you to believe it’s the truth.

What happens when these soothsayers are wildly wrong?  Where’s their accountability?   I realize that predicting the weather is not an exact science.  I know Mother Nature has the best curve ball in the business and is not afraid to use it.  But at 5:30 in the morning when I am looking at a web site icon that shows the sun while it’s pouring down rain outside I can’t help but think it’s time to bring back public floggings.

If you haven’t already guessed, we ultimately cancelled this morning’s ride.  As excited as we were to get the first official ride on the books it just wasn’t worth it.  One of the hallmarks of Team Revolution is having fun on the bike.  I haven’t met the entire team yet, but I feel safe in saying that none of them would say 3-hours of sucking down road spray from the tire in front of them is fun.

Ok, I’m better now.  I just needed to get that out of my system.  Before long, Wine Country will be bathed in that special brand of bright sunshine, gorgeous skies, and gentle breezes that makes our houses cost so much.  I’m sure I can hold out until then.

In the meantime, I leave for San Diego on Wednesday for 4-days of riding in sunny Southern California.  But I swear, if it rains while I’m down there someone’s getting flogged.

Ciao!

It’s not for the exercise

Right now I should be out on the trainer.  I don’t mean figuratively, I mean that literally as I am typing this I should be on the bike.  A very long work day made me miss Coach Tim’s class last night and I need to get back on track this morning since I have dinner plans tonight.  And yet, here I sit drinking coffee and writing a blog instead.

There’s a very good reason for this.  The one thing I’ve concluded over the last few years is that I hate to exercise!!!

Now, I can already hear the wheels turning in your head.  You’re asking how in the heck can a guy who averages 5,000 miles a year on the bike not like to exercise?  The answer is quite simple.  Riding my bike is not exercise.  After all, the name of this blog is Lee’s Life Adventure and not Lee Exercises on a Bike.

Maybe it would help if I provided my definition of exercise.  For me, exercise is any activity designed to inflict pain without the benefit of socializing or even post-event coffee.  Where’s the fun in that?  I don’t want to exercise.  I want to do things, go places, and laugh with friends.  That’s why I ride.  It’s not for the exercise.

Let me put just how much I loathe exercise in perspective.  Last week, I was going with the A-team on the Soup Spoons & Carbon Forks ride.  These guys and gals are strong.  We were only riding 45 miles but it would be fast.  I knew I would have trouble hanging on.  I knew that I would probably be dropped.  I knew it could be 3 hours of pain and that I will be exhausted when we arrived at lunch.  And I could hardly wait.

Let’s compare that to riding the trainer.  Let’s say it’s Thursday and Coach Tim’s plan calls for a 45 minute L2 recovery ride with a few L3 efforts thrown in to mix things up.  I see that on the training plan and my first thought is that he’s insane.  How am I ever going to  last for 45-minutes.  I mean, really!  That’s almost an hour.  There’s no way I can last that long without losing it mentally.

That’s when the anti-exercise Lee shows up on my shoulder dressed as the devil from the Tour de France.  “You don’t have to ride the trainer today” he says.  “You don’t have any big rides coming up soon so why not sit down, relax, and have another cup of coffee.”  I only need to hear this little voice once and I am reaching for the coffee pot.

This is not just a cycling thing.  If you’ve read this blog in the past you know I can’t stand core workouts.  There is no way to do a core routine without calling it exercise.  It’s the same with running and swimming.  Put me in a pool with a group of people engaged in a rowdy game of keep away and I’ll swim all day.  But after 10-minutes of swimming laps in that same pool I’m ready to shoot myself (or the person who suggested swimming laps).

Now, before all you exercise nuts out there get started, let me tell you that I totally understand the benefits of exercising.  It makes me stronger.  It can help me ride faster and blah, blah, blah.  I know all of that but I still don’t have to like it.  And since I am adult, at least in terms of age, I get to make my own decision, which this morning is coffee 1 – trainer 0. 

There is good news on the horizon.  The days are getting longer and soon my “exercise” routine will take me out of the garage and onto the open road.  That’s when I can leave the anti-exercise Lee sitting in a comfortable chair as I go do 90-minutes of power intervals, speed drills, or hill repeats.

Until then, I think I’ll just pour another cup of coffee and hit the publish button. 

Ciao!

Soup Spoons & Carbon Forks

For me, there is nothing quite like clipping into the pedals and starting a ride with 40 or 50 other riders.  To me, the sound of all those shoes clipping in says it’s time to go have fun.  Yep, there’s nothing better.  That is unless you know that the ride is going to end with a 3-course meal at one of our finest restaurants. 

That is the concept behind the Soup Spoons & Carbon Forks rides.  A group of like-minded cyclist all get together for a little riding, a little chit-chat, some great food and a lot of laughs.  It’s hard for me to imagine a better way to spend a Saturday.

The latest rendition of this monthly ride was last Saturday.  We were starting in downtown Santa Rosa since lunch would be at Bistro 29.  As we gathered at Peets Coffee, you got the feeling this was going to be a great day.  By the time we rolled at the appointed 9:15, there were close to 50 cyclists of varying degrees heading out to enjoy a beautiful morning on the bike.

We roll out of the city along the bike path on our way to West County, which by the way is the same name of the bike shop that host these rides.  Ok, it’s really the West County Revolution Bike Shop but let’s not get caught up in the details.

We roll along chatting, laughing and enjoying the ride until we hit our first climb of the day on Graton Road.  Everyone settles into their own pace and starts to climb.  Since I know we are regrouping at the top, I feel there is no need to get there quickly.  I am actually riding with Coach Tim so we decide to do low-cadence power intervals up the climb and that worked out quite well.

Side note – I tried to hold Tim’s wheel to the top but he has been mountain biking a lot lately and that always makes him a kick-ass hill climber.

At the top, we are splitting into 2 groups.  As we are waiting for others to finish their climb, I notice my rear wheel is very soft.  Just then our SAG wagon appears.  So as everyone else heads out, I am pumping up the back tire.  Then Tim and I chase down the group to start the next big climb.

I was about a half mile up the climb when I notice the rear wheel going soft again.  Damn!  I tell everyone to keep going and start to change the tire.  Once again, just as I was starting to pump it up, a cyclist in a car stopped and offered his floor pump.  Sweet!

Then things turned ugly.  As I was remounting the rear wheel I noticed the chain had a loop in it.  WTF!!!  Ok, don’t panic.  I solved that problem and try remounting the tire again.  Now the tire will not completely slip into place.  No matter what I try, the tire is sitting at an angle and rubs the frame with very revolution.

Eventually, I walk the half mile back down the hill to Occidental.  I get there just as the group is finishing their loop and Tim heads over to see what’s up.  Embarrassingly, the spring on the skewer is backwards but since I have had the tire on and off numerous times, I never thought to check that.

So tire fixed and humble pie consumed, I get to head out with the group once more.  The rest of the ride was awesome.  We powered back up over Graton and then bombed down Harrison Grade.  The  lead-outs and attacks for the city limit sign started early and resulted in all of us pushing a solid pace to the end.

Then we got our just reward.  A scrumptious 3-course meal prepared specifically for our group by Brian Anderson, an accomplished cyclist himself, of Bistro 29.  Although the main course was simply divine, I think the real winner was the salty frites already on the table when we arrived.

So there you have it.  Another Saturday of cycling and eating my way through the best Sonoma County has to offer. 

Ciao!

PS.  Once again I would like to thank Carmen who is becoming the semi-official photographer for this blog.  Thanks for the pictures Carmen!

Better then sitting on the couch

Last night was my weekly trainer ride in Coach Tim’s ESP Fitness Training Studio.  Ok, it’s really his garage but fitness studio sounds so much better.  Anyway, I have written before about how I enjoy the social aspect of these weekly workouts.  Last night promised to be a great time, with a great workout and I didn’t want to go.

Yesterday was one of those hard work days.  You know, nothing out of the ordinary, it just seemed harder then most.  Mentally, I was fried and wanted nothing more then to sip a little wine while trying to become one with the couch.  Fortunately, I decided that the idea of chatting with friends while getting stronger on the bike as a better option.  So no matter how much I tried to convince myself to go home, I found myself driving to Tim’s studio.

Even on the drive my mind kept creating scenarios that allowed me to skip the workout.  Maybe there wouldn’t be enough room for me even though Tim can handle up to 8 riders and we typically only have 4 or so.  Or, even better, maybe no one else would show up and I could convince Tim to skip the workout and open wine.

Alas, as I pulled up, I see the other three regulars already setting up. Damn!  As I walked up they all said hello and I think I grunted back some response.  Then they start teasing me about my cycling attire.  I have to go to Tim’s straight from work so I was still in my business suit.  Some of the comments were pretty funny but I don’t remember laughing.  During all of the this my mind was telling me that since the bike wasn’t set up yet it wasn’t too late to head home.

Less then 10 minutes later I was changed and on the bike warming up.  We start the intervals Tim has planned and I do not have it.  Physically, I am fine, maybe better then fine.  These weekly workouts have made a much stronger rider.  Mentally, well that’s a whole different issue.  Normally I can easily spin away all of day’s stress and grind but not last night.  I just couldn’t shut down the work side of my brain.  Plus, this is shaping up to be a tough week so I can expect more of the same.

It’s time to make a command decision.  Either get off the bike and go home or man-up and get on with it.  I choose the latter without ignoring that I wasn’t mentally into the workout.  Ultimately, I decided to keep going but drop everything down a notch.

This meant riding at a lower cadence and heart rate then everyone else.  Tim would tell everyone they should be at L3 and I was at L2.  Next we would hear go up to a cadence of 90-95 and I would stay at my comfortable 85.   I started to bonk thanks to a healthy dose of dark chocolate hearts consumed earlier in the day (another indicator of stress) but I was able to ride through it and persevere.

Finally, the cycling part was complete and we started our strength and core workout.  Honestly, I was still looking for excuses to leave but at least I know we are almost done. I am also finally starting to feel a little better.  During the core workout we were joking that there is not as much chit chat now as there was in November, which is directly related to increasing toughness of Coach Tim’s plan.

Once we were finished, Tim and I were chatting about the adjustments I had to make to get through the routine.  In the end, it was decent, but not great, workout.  However, although it may not have been the workout I had originally planned, it was better then sitting on the couch.

Ciao!