Another thing that was exciting about this recent Tucson trip is that I had planned a visit with legendary bike frame builder, Andy Gilmour. Andy has been building high quality bike frames since the early 70's and is based out of Tucson. I've been trying to identify my "mystery bike" that I recently finished restoring. All I really know about it is that it was built in the early to mid 70's based on the dates on the components, it has high quality parts, and is stamped with the letter "G" in several places. The previous owner told me that he bought the bike in Tucson from another owner. Some internet research lead me to Andy Gilmour and I sent him a few photos of the bike to see if he could identify it. He wasn't able to determine much from the photos but thought that it might be one of his very early builds.
I met up with Andy on Friday the day before the race at his studio. He was kind enough to see me with pretty short notice. Very friendly guy. He spent all of about 45 seconds looking at the geometry, tapping the lugs, looking at the stays before he said "Nope, not one of mine". Bummer :(
He did say that he thought the bike was built by Colin Laing, another Tucson builder of that era that now resides in Phoenix. I asked him what were some of the clues. He pointed at the mismatching lugs and the thickness of the seat stem as primary clues. I don't have the sophisticated eye or experience to know about that stuff yet. He was fairly certain so now I have another clue to follow up on. Well not much more to say. I was hoping for a tour of Andy's studio, but he looked pretty busy so we said thanks and left.
The good news is that I occasionally travel to Phoenix on business and will also be going there in mid January as Christine is going to be running in the Rock n Roll marathon there. I'll take the bike there and see if I can get Colin to look at it.
The mystery continues.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
The Numbers are In...
...for Team in Training's efforts at El Tour de Tucson. 25 chapters participated with a total of 450 riders. Total funds raised exceed 1 million dollars! Amazing.
Monday, November 24, 2008
El Tour de Tucson
Well the big day finally arrived, the culmination of 4 months of training. The goal was 109-miles in 6 hours. Further and faster than I had ever gone before.
The day started at 4:30 am when the hotel alarm went off and I got dressed for the ride. I had carefully prepared the night before and had done everything from pinning my race number to my jersey, laying out my clothes to prepping my breakfast. My group meets in the lobby at 5am where we munch away at the meager "early breakfast" hotel offerings and head out to the course.
Bright Eyed and Busy Tailed (Jeff, Me, Ashley, Brian, Donna)
By 5:30 am we are in the start corrals. We line up on the "fast" side. It is a balmy 53 degrees and I'm trying to contain my excitement. Several porta-pottie stops later, we're approaching zero hour. Christine meets us a few minutes before the 7am start and accepts our jackets, hats and other warm clothing that we won't be using for the ride. Jeff and Brian's wife are also there to see us off. It's an exciting moment.
Corrals Before the Race
The Chad
Donna and Ashley Ready to Rock
Jeff is Not So Ready to Rock
The gun goes off and hundreds of bikes are creeping forward inches from each other. Bunch starts are nerve wracking. Gradually space starts opening up and I can safely clip my second foot into the pedal and away we go. Here's a map of the route. Click on it for larger size.
Route
The start is chaotic as riders bolt off trying to get a jump on the field. Chad had prepped us for this and we let them run away, confident that we would catch up to the majority of them midway through the ride when they tired out.
Around mile 8, we get to the first river crossing.
First River Crossing
There are hundreds of riders that all dismount, pick up their bikes and make their way across the roughly 1/4-mile crossing. Some are rolling their bikes, others are running with them. People are darting all around, some are stumbling. I get across and am separated from my group. I see Chad and Brian up ahead in Team in Training jerseys so I put my head down and I start after them.
That's when it all went horribly wrong. I lose sight of them and after a few minutes I still don't see them. I'm convinced that they are ahead of me lost in the sea of other riders so I take off after them trying to catch up. I still can't find them and I'm starting to get very worried. I stupidly had decided to leave my cell phone behind as I have never had to use it in all my training rides or past Centuries and thought I might gain a small advantage by carrying less weight.
I slow my pace way down and let hundreds of riders pass me up and still don't see them. We're going for time, so I think that they wouldn't just stop. I stop and wait thinking maybe they are somehow behind me and they still aren't there. I'm also going for time so I half-heartedly start up again going 10 mph. What to do? If they are ahead of me, they will probably stop unless I take too long. If they are behind me, they will be riding as a group and will catch up to me. I could ride back but if I'm wrong, there is no way we make our goal. If I stop and wait and they are ahead, what if I'm wrong? They will have to come back for me. We have a scheduled stop at roughly the midpoint of the ride after the second river crossing so I just decide to ride and if worst comes to worse, we will meet there. If they are behind, they will catch me in the next 40 miles. If they are ahead of me, they will wait for me at the stop.
Flawed decision or not, I decide to ride ahead. It was a very strange experience, as I have never ridden a considerable distance without a team. It's a whole different world out there. I try to grab a wheel hoping to conserve strength by drafting but that doesn't go so well. The rider is purposely swerving around to make it difficult to draft off of him. I get the none to subtle hint and drop off and there I am, in the middle of two groups alone battling a headwind. Not good. My average pace was around 14 mph at that time a far cry from the average of 18.1 I need to hit if I'm going to reach my goal of finishing under 6 hours. I ride on trying to make up time. Average pace is slowly creeping up, 15.5 mph, then 16.1 mph and then we hit a downhill. 16.8 mph average! I give it a little gas and continue barreling down the hill and stumble unto a small group of riders being lead by a tandem bicycle. I ask if I can join on and there are no objections. Finally an opportunity to rest. I tuck in behind and it is smooth sailing. We eat up 20 miles with the tandem plowing through the air. Average speed is now up into the 17.2 mph range. Now we're talking. Somewhere around mile 45 they start to slow, I can't afford that so I give some heartfelt thanks and move ahead. I hit the second river crossing with an average pace of 17.4 mph, feeling good.
This crossing is twice as long as the last one and even more chaotic. Some bikers are actually riding through the silty dirt screaming at those walking their bikes to get out of the way. I decide to take a short nature break as there are no lines at the portables located in the middle of the crossing. Back on the crossing, I make it back on to paved road and hop on the bike with some silt in my shoes. Not too bad, though. I climb up the short hill looking for our support stop and don't see them. I'm getting totally demoralized at this point. I can't have missed them as I have been carefully looking for them. I turn a bend in the road and see some friendly faces. Jeff and Brian's wife are there waving purple and green signs. I roll up and immediately ask, "how far ahead are the rest of the team"? I get a couple of confused looks and they say, that I'm the first to arrive. Somehow I've managed to ride the first half of the race alone and end up ahead of the rest of my team. I'm feeling like a major idiot at this point. About a minute later, the rest of the Team rolls up and everyone looks relieved. I say sorry, feeling like a total dolt. Chad makes a call to the coaches to let them know that we've been reunited.
Back to business, we swap water bottles, eat quickly and are back on the bikes in less than 2 minutes. I say sorry again, looking for some sort of absolution and everyone is cool with me and say that they are just happy to have found me.
We proceed on and encounter some rolling hills and then a steady climb. All of a sudden, my legs are protesting and I'm paying the price for my solo jaunt. I get dropped on the last climb and thankfully Chad is soft-pedaling at the top of the hill and leads me out to the rest of the group letting me draft behind him. Everything is ok on the flats. I take the opportunity to eat, and devour an energy bar and some salted almonds. The effect is almost immediate and I feel much better on the next climb.
We pass a couple of ambulances and there are at least two riders on the ground in a jumble of splintered bike parts. One has a neck brace on. It is a very disturbing sight. I read the next day in the paper that there was a hit and run incident where a car plowed into 10 riders, got out of his car to look for any damage to his vehicle, looked at the riders and then sped away. Hopefully there is a warm spot in hell for him after he's done rotting in jail. I say a little prayer for the downed riders and we move on.
We continue on at a fast clip of over 20mph, building the average speed back up. We pass a group of Team in Training Riders from New Jersey and one of them says, "there they go. You guys from San Diego are always mowing us down out here". We're famous :)
We hit the much anticipated downhill on Tangerine Road. It is roughly 16 miles of rolling, mostly downhill. Jeff and I take turns at the front and lead a train of about 20 riders down the hill at speeds over 30 mph. What a blast.
All good things come to an end and then we hit a some more hills and continue on over a long series of rollers. They are taking their toll on me, I'm tired and fading. Ashley is also struggling, which is strange as she is always so strong. We slow the pace trying to recover and are having trouble riding as a group. We've got 20 miles to go and need to average above 22 mph if we are going to finish in under 6 hours. Trouble in paradise.
We hit mile 95, and I'm feeling like crap. Every part of my body in contact with the bike is in bad pain. My hands are numb, my butt is sore and my feet are burning. I fidget around trying to find a position that doesn't hurt and am not successful. My quads start cramping bad. 14 miles to go. Hmm, that is looking like another hour on the bike at our current pace. I'm starting to doubt if I will be able to finish. The miles start passing slowly. Mile 100, only 9 more to go. Knee starts hurting from the strain of turning the cranks. I lower the resistance and spin a little more to reduce the pressure. I'm struggling to keep on a wheel. Chad is encouraging and motivating me. "Almost done", "It will hurt even more without the wheel", "C'mon". I eat my last energy bar and bit of almonds. I'm down to 1/2 bottle of water. The last 9 miles are pure agony and feel like all uphill. Down to 5 miles, and I start thinking, that 5 miles is really only two loops around Fiesta Island. Playing tricks with myself, setting short term goals to keep moving. Feet are burning and I lift them up in my shoes to relieve the pressure whenever we hit a small downhill. 2.5 miles left. That's just one loop around Fiesta Island! We turn the corner and suddenly the finish line is in sight. We bunch up and cross together as a Team. Awesome!
We cross the line, and our timing chip is removed and our race bibs are marked. Someone notices that Ashley's front tire is flat. Must have been a slow leak and explains her uncharacteristic struggles. I stagger away leaning on my bike to stay upright. I'm feeling completely and totally whipped. Feeling a little disoriented, I make my way to a nearby patch of grass and lay down and take off the shoes. Other finishers are milling around. Brian and Jeff's wife are there and there is champagne. We pop a couple of bottles and just savor the experience.
Someone looks up our time and it is 6hours 20 minutes. We didn't make it... Damn!
I hobble over to the medal tent and a collect my silver medal and then make my way to the Team in Training Tent to check-in and grab something to eat.
Medal
Sandwiches, watermelon, chips. I try to find a shady spot and gingerly sit down to eat. I'm still very shaken from my experience and a flood of emotions pass over me as I'm sitting there. Disappointment for not making the goal, relief of being done, fear of almost not finishing, guilt of getting separated from the group, respect for what I have just done. I start thinking of my family members who died of Leukemia and the pain is worth it. Disappointment turns to pride. I can honestly say I took myself to the limit and rode as hard and fast as I was able. I rode until it nearly killed me. I just finished riding 109-miles at an average pace of 17.1 mph! That is awesome!
I rejoin the group and we head back to the hotel. I take a quick shower and Christine babies me as I lay down to rest and recover. At 4pm, two hours later, I get the call. The next group of riders are coming in. I suit up, and we ride back out to escort them across the finish line as a show of support. We collect two groups and ride in as a Team. It's great.
We hang out for another hour or so and then head out for the next batch of riders. Our last rider comes in about 10 minutes shy of the 11-hour time limit. 11 hours on a bike and not giving up. That is dedication.
Totals for the day were
109-miles
3400+ feet of climbing
Average pace of 17.1 mph
Total Time: 6 hours, 20 minutes, 32 seconds
1491st place out of 4,539 century riders and 8,636 total riders.
More importantly, the total amount of funds raised by all the Team in Training chapters participating to fight blood cancers exceeded 1 million dollars.
The day started at 4:30 am when the hotel alarm went off and I got dressed for the ride. I had carefully prepared the night before and had done everything from pinning my race number to my jersey, laying out my clothes to prepping my breakfast. My group meets in the lobby at 5am where we munch away at the meager "early breakfast" hotel offerings and head out to the course.
Bright Eyed and Busy Tailed (Jeff, Me, Ashley, Brian, Donna)
By 5:30 am we are in the start corrals. We line up on the "fast" side. It is a balmy 53 degrees and I'm trying to contain my excitement. Several porta-pottie stops later, we're approaching zero hour. Christine meets us a few minutes before the 7am start and accepts our jackets, hats and other warm clothing that we won't be using for the ride. Jeff and Brian's wife are also there to see us off. It's an exciting moment.
Corrals Before the Race
The Chad
Donna and Ashley Ready to Rock
Jeff is Not So Ready to Rock
The gun goes off and hundreds of bikes are creeping forward inches from each other. Bunch starts are nerve wracking. Gradually space starts opening up and I can safely clip my second foot into the pedal and away we go. Here's a map of the route. Click on it for larger size.
Route
The start is chaotic as riders bolt off trying to get a jump on the field. Chad had prepped us for this and we let them run away, confident that we would catch up to the majority of them midway through the ride when they tired out.
Around mile 8, we get to the first river crossing.
First River Crossing
There are hundreds of riders that all dismount, pick up their bikes and make their way across the roughly 1/4-mile crossing. Some are rolling their bikes, others are running with them. People are darting all around, some are stumbling. I get across and am separated from my group. I see Chad and Brian up ahead in Team in Training jerseys so I put my head down and I start after them.
That's when it all went horribly wrong. I lose sight of them and after a few minutes I still don't see them. I'm convinced that they are ahead of me lost in the sea of other riders so I take off after them trying to catch up. I still can't find them and I'm starting to get very worried. I stupidly had decided to leave my cell phone behind as I have never had to use it in all my training rides or past Centuries and thought I might gain a small advantage by carrying less weight.
I slow my pace way down and let hundreds of riders pass me up and still don't see them. We're going for time, so I think that they wouldn't just stop. I stop and wait thinking maybe they are somehow behind me and they still aren't there. I'm also going for time so I half-heartedly start up again going 10 mph. What to do? If they are ahead of me, they will probably stop unless I take too long. If they are behind me, they will be riding as a group and will catch up to me. I could ride back but if I'm wrong, there is no way we make our goal. If I stop and wait and they are ahead, what if I'm wrong? They will have to come back for me. We have a scheduled stop at roughly the midpoint of the ride after the second river crossing so I just decide to ride and if worst comes to worse, we will meet there. If they are behind, they will catch me in the next 40 miles. If they are ahead of me, they will wait for me at the stop.
Flawed decision or not, I decide to ride ahead. It was a very strange experience, as I have never ridden a considerable distance without a team. It's a whole different world out there. I try to grab a wheel hoping to conserve strength by drafting but that doesn't go so well. The rider is purposely swerving around to make it difficult to draft off of him. I get the none to subtle hint and drop off and there I am, in the middle of two groups alone battling a headwind. Not good. My average pace was around 14 mph at that time a far cry from the average of 18.1 I need to hit if I'm going to reach my goal of finishing under 6 hours. I ride on trying to make up time. Average pace is slowly creeping up, 15.5 mph, then 16.1 mph and then we hit a downhill. 16.8 mph average! I give it a little gas and continue barreling down the hill and stumble unto a small group of riders being lead by a tandem bicycle. I ask if I can join on and there are no objections. Finally an opportunity to rest. I tuck in behind and it is smooth sailing. We eat up 20 miles with the tandem plowing through the air. Average speed is now up into the 17.2 mph range. Now we're talking. Somewhere around mile 45 they start to slow, I can't afford that so I give some heartfelt thanks and move ahead. I hit the second river crossing with an average pace of 17.4 mph, feeling good.
This crossing is twice as long as the last one and even more chaotic. Some bikers are actually riding through the silty dirt screaming at those walking their bikes to get out of the way. I decide to take a short nature break as there are no lines at the portables located in the middle of the crossing. Back on the crossing, I make it back on to paved road and hop on the bike with some silt in my shoes. Not too bad, though. I climb up the short hill looking for our support stop and don't see them. I'm getting totally demoralized at this point. I can't have missed them as I have been carefully looking for them. I turn a bend in the road and see some friendly faces. Jeff and Brian's wife are there waving purple and green signs. I roll up and immediately ask, "how far ahead are the rest of the team"? I get a couple of confused looks and they say, that I'm the first to arrive. Somehow I've managed to ride the first half of the race alone and end up ahead of the rest of my team. I'm feeling like a major idiot at this point. About a minute later, the rest of the Team rolls up and everyone looks relieved. I say sorry, feeling like a total dolt. Chad makes a call to the coaches to let them know that we've been reunited.
Back to business, we swap water bottles, eat quickly and are back on the bikes in less than 2 minutes. I say sorry again, looking for some sort of absolution and everyone is cool with me and say that they are just happy to have found me.
We proceed on and encounter some rolling hills and then a steady climb. All of a sudden, my legs are protesting and I'm paying the price for my solo jaunt. I get dropped on the last climb and thankfully Chad is soft-pedaling at the top of the hill and leads me out to the rest of the group letting me draft behind him. Everything is ok on the flats. I take the opportunity to eat, and devour an energy bar and some salted almonds. The effect is almost immediate and I feel much better on the next climb.
We pass a couple of ambulances and there are at least two riders on the ground in a jumble of splintered bike parts. One has a neck brace on. It is a very disturbing sight. I read the next day in the paper that there was a hit and run incident where a car plowed into 10 riders, got out of his car to look for any damage to his vehicle, looked at the riders and then sped away. Hopefully there is a warm spot in hell for him after he's done rotting in jail. I say a little prayer for the downed riders and we move on.
We continue on at a fast clip of over 20mph, building the average speed back up. We pass a group of Team in Training Riders from New Jersey and one of them says, "there they go. You guys from San Diego are always mowing us down out here". We're famous :)
We hit the much anticipated downhill on Tangerine Road. It is roughly 16 miles of rolling, mostly downhill. Jeff and I take turns at the front and lead a train of about 20 riders down the hill at speeds over 30 mph. What a blast.
All good things come to an end and then we hit a some more hills and continue on over a long series of rollers. They are taking their toll on me, I'm tired and fading. Ashley is also struggling, which is strange as she is always so strong. We slow the pace trying to recover and are having trouble riding as a group. We've got 20 miles to go and need to average above 22 mph if we are going to finish in under 6 hours. Trouble in paradise.
We hit mile 95, and I'm feeling like crap. Every part of my body in contact with the bike is in bad pain. My hands are numb, my butt is sore and my feet are burning. I fidget around trying to find a position that doesn't hurt and am not successful. My quads start cramping bad. 14 miles to go. Hmm, that is looking like another hour on the bike at our current pace. I'm starting to doubt if I will be able to finish. The miles start passing slowly. Mile 100, only 9 more to go. Knee starts hurting from the strain of turning the cranks. I lower the resistance and spin a little more to reduce the pressure. I'm struggling to keep on a wheel. Chad is encouraging and motivating me. "Almost done", "It will hurt even more without the wheel", "C'mon". I eat my last energy bar and bit of almonds. I'm down to 1/2 bottle of water. The last 9 miles are pure agony and feel like all uphill. Down to 5 miles, and I start thinking, that 5 miles is really only two loops around Fiesta Island. Playing tricks with myself, setting short term goals to keep moving. Feet are burning and I lift them up in my shoes to relieve the pressure whenever we hit a small downhill. 2.5 miles left. That's just one loop around Fiesta Island! We turn the corner and suddenly the finish line is in sight. We bunch up and cross together as a Team. Awesome!
We cross the line, and our timing chip is removed and our race bibs are marked. Someone notices that Ashley's front tire is flat. Must have been a slow leak and explains her uncharacteristic struggles. I stagger away leaning on my bike to stay upright. I'm feeling completely and totally whipped. Feeling a little disoriented, I make my way to a nearby patch of grass and lay down and take off the shoes. Other finishers are milling around. Brian and Jeff's wife are there and there is champagne. We pop a couple of bottles and just savor the experience.
Someone looks up our time and it is 6hours 20 minutes. We didn't make it... Damn!
I hobble over to the medal tent and a collect my silver medal and then make my way to the Team in Training Tent to check-in and grab something to eat.
Medal
Sandwiches, watermelon, chips. I try to find a shady spot and gingerly sit down to eat. I'm still very shaken from my experience and a flood of emotions pass over me as I'm sitting there. Disappointment for not making the goal, relief of being done, fear of almost not finishing, guilt of getting separated from the group, respect for what I have just done. I start thinking of my family members who died of Leukemia and the pain is worth it. Disappointment turns to pride. I can honestly say I took myself to the limit and rode as hard and fast as I was able. I rode until it nearly killed me. I just finished riding 109-miles at an average pace of 17.1 mph! That is awesome!
I rejoin the group and we head back to the hotel. I take a quick shower and Christine babies me as I lay down to rest and recover. At 4pm, two hours later, I get the call. The next group of riders are coming in. I suit up, and we ride back out to escort them across the finish line as a show of support. We collect two groups and ride in as a Team. It's great.
We hang out for another hour or so and then head out for the next batch of riders. Our last rider comes in about 10 minutes shy of the 11-hour time limit. 11 hours on a bike and not giving up. That is dedication.
Totals for the day were
109-miles
3400+ feet of climbing
Average pace of 17.1 mph
Total Time: 6 hours, 20 minutes, 32 seconds
1491st place out of 4,539 century riders and 8,636 total riders.
More importantly, the total amount of funds raised by all the Team in Training chapters participating to fight blood cancers exceeded 1 million dollars.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Tucson Tune-up
We're here! Arrived yesterday early evening with no problems. Several bonuses with traveling eastward instead of my usual northward trips. Absolutely zero traffic the entire trip and the price of gas seemed to drop by a couple of pennies per gallon the further we got.
Checked into the hotel, and then went out for dinner at El Charro Cafe. Great eats. This place claims to be the where the Chimichanga was invented. I ordered a Sopa de Fideo, which I love and can never find in a restaurant. I also ordered a couple of chicken tamales with tomatillo sauce. Good stuff. Afterwards, hit the grocery store for some supplies. The usual stuff, bagels, peanut butter, bananas, apples, gatorade, energy bars, salted almonds. FUEL. Picked up a friend at the airport and then back to the hotel to catch the last bit of an impromptu room party.
This morning we had a tune-up ride to stretch the legs. We rode about 15 miles and the conditions were not too favorable. There was a very strong wind blowing from every direction making it difficult to control the bike. There is also major construction going on along the route with the highways being widened. Consequently, the road is in poor condition and the bike lane is all about 6 inches wide. I felt pretty nervous every time a cement truck would pass us. We rode out to get a look at the first river crossing and it looks like it is in pretty good shape. The soil is hard packed while it is usually very silty. This should help.
That's it for now. Next stop Bike Expo to get some schwagg, buy an overpriced event jersey, some electrolyte tablets. Later on, 1pm team meeting were we go over course specific items.
Also today, I'm going out to Andy Gilmour Cycles to meet Andy. I think he is the one that built my mystery vintage bike that I have been restoring. I'm hoping for a positive ID.
6pm is TnT Pasta Party where we carb up, and listen to inspirational and sometimes heartbreaking speeches from people with blood cancers.
Tomorrow is event day!!!!!!
Checked into the hotel, and then went out for dinner at El Charro Cafe. Great eats. This place claims to be the where the Chimichanga was invented. I ordered a Sopa de Fideo, which I love and can never find in a restaurant. I also ordered a couple of chicken tamales with tomatillo sauce. Good stuff. Afterwards, hit the grocery store for some supplies. The usual stuff, bagels, peanut butter, bananas, apples, gatorade, energy bars, salted almonds. FUEL. Picked up a friend at the airport and then back to the hotel to catch the last bit of an impromptu room party.
This morning we had a tune-up ride to stretch the legs. We rode about 15 miles and the conditions were not too favorable. There was a very strong wind blowing from every direction making it difficult to control the bike. There is also major construction going on along the route with the highways being widened. Consequently, the road is in poor condition and the bike lane is all about 6 inches wide. I felt pretty nervous every time a cement truck would pass us. We rode out to get a look at the first river crossing and it looks like it is in pretty good shape. The soil is hard packed while it is usually very silty. This should help.
That's it for now. Next stop Bike Expo to get some schwagg, buy an overpriced event jersey, some electrolyte tablets. Later on, 1pm team meeting were we go over course specific items.
Also today, I'm going out to Andy Gilmour Cycles to meet Andy. I think he is the one that built my mystery vintage bike that I have been restoring. I'm hoping for a positive ID.
6pm is TnT Pasta Party where we carb up, and listen to inspirational and sometimes heartbreaking speeches from people with blood cancers.
Tomorrow is event day!!!!!!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Looking Forward
Endurance training is mildly addicting. Ok, who am I kidding, it is incredibly addicting. I'm not even done with my current endeavor and I'm already looking ahead. I'll be resting most of December and January but have big plans for the coming year.
Dec 6th - Milestone Challenge (Metric Century)
This is worth a special mention. The proceeds for this metric Century (62-miles) go to Skip Gleavy, a local TnT triple-crowner, having completed a marathon, century, triathlon with the Team. Skip crashed during a century ride earlier this year and is now paralyzed from the waist down. Skip is an amazing person and did all his events while fighting Stage 4 Leukemia and after a heart surgery. The TnT alumni group and local bicycle club riders are getting together to raise money to help Skip and his wife, Denise out with their medical bills.
January 17th - Stagecoach Century (Ocotillo, CA) - Local Century ride.
February-June - Mentor for TnT for another run at the Lake Tahoe Century America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride (AMMBR). Time to give something back to the program that has been such a positive part of my life the last couple of years.
June - October- PacGrove Triathlon with TnT. Triple Crown, baby!
I had originally planned to do the Lavaman Triathlon in March to get my TnT triple crown but it just didn't work out with the rest of my year goals like mentoring for the cycle team. It would also have been 3 back to back seasons, which is exhausting and makes fundraising difficult. Pac Grove is penciled in for now.
Dec 6th - Milestone Challenge (Metric Century)
This is worth a special mention. The proceeds for this metric Century (62-miles) go to Skip Gleavy, a local TnT triple-crowner, having completed a marathon, century, triathlon with the Team. Skip crashed during a century ride earlier this year and is now paralyzed from the waist down. Skip is an amazing person and did all his events while fighting Stage 4 Leukemia and after a heart surgery. The TnT alumni group and local bicycle club riders are getting together to raise money to help Skip and his wife, Denise out with their medical bills.
January 17th - Stagecoach Century (Ocotillo, CA) - Local Century ride.
February-June - Mentor for TnT for another run at the Lake Tahoe Century America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride (AMMBR). Time to give something back to the program that has been such a positive part of my life the last couple of years.
June - October- PacGrove Triathlon with TnT. Triple Crown, baby!
I had originally planned to do the Lavaman Triathlon in March to get my TnT triple crown but it just didn't work out with the rest of my year goals like mentoring for the cycle team. It would also have been 3 back to back seasons, which is exhausting and makes fundraising difficult. Pac Grove is penciled in for now.
Final Prep
Saturday was final prep day. We did much shorter mileage with the ride just a hair under 40 miles. This week was a backdown (taper) week. Our bodies are trained to do this ride and now is the time to rest up before next weekend's big event.
The ride was a pretty standard out and back route from the LLS offices in Kearny Mesa out to Mission Bay and back. The only thing that was different is that we had a little "anarchy" the last mile. Anarchy means, abandon the pace line and race each other in to the finish. We hit the previously agreed upon start line and took off. Chad is the fastest but he really isn't in the race since he is the mentor. I was able to latch onto his wheel and follow his lead out. He was going pretty fast at over 25mph. I hung on his wheel for a while and then he rotated off and got behind me and I powered on trying to keep up the blistering pace. A few hundred yards from the finish, I came out of my left pedal and had to scramble to reclip in. Races are won and lost based on things like this and Jeff and Brian were able to take advantange and pass me up. Great fun.
Back at home base, we wait around for a bit for the rest of the Team to arrive and then we move indoors for our Final Prep party. Food and drinks, kind words from our mentors and coaches and final instructions on what to expect at the ride.
Some helpful hints
1) Expect cold weather as we will be starting somewhere around 5am.
2) Bring something to clean the dirt out of you shoe clips as crossing the river beds may gunk them up.
3) No bike riding the entire week! Rest the legs.
4) Get lots of sleep and hydrate the entire week.
Less than a week to go and I'm both excited and nervous. Excited to do the event, but nervous because it means going further and faster than I have ever gone before. There are some race conditions that we weren't able to simulate during our training that I discussed last week including the increase speed we will have from riding in a large group. We will also be "tapered" (i.e. rested).
My team is shooting for a sub 6-hr finish. This means 109 miles at an average pace of 18.1 mph. We are planning exactly one 2-minute stop to replace (not refill) water bottles at the midpoint. I'm planning on having a nice ham sandwich (with mayo!) and a Dr. Pepper (non-diet!) waiting for me at the stop. Stuff my gullet and then head out and do the last 50+ miles to the finish.
The ride was a pretty standard out and back route from the LLS offices in Kearny Mesa out to Mission Bay and back. The only thing that was different is that we had a little "anarchy" the last mile. Anarchy means, abandon the pace line and race each other in to the finish. We hit the previously agreed upon start line and took off. Chad is the fastest but he really isn't in the race since he is the mentor. I was able to latch onto his wheel and follow his lead out. He was going pretty fast at over 25mph. I hung on his wheel for a while and then he rotated off and got behind me and I powered on trying to keep up the blistering pace. A few hundred yards from the finish, I came out of my left pedal and had to scramble to reclip in. Races are won and lost based on things like this and Jeff and Brian were able to take advantange and pass me up. Great fun.
Back at home base, we wait around for a bit for the rest of the Team to arrive and then we move indoors for our Final Prep party. Food and drinks, kind words from our mentors and coaches and final instructions on what to expect at the ride.
Some helpful hints
1) Expect cold weather as we will be starting somewhere around 5am.
2) Bring something to clean the dirt out of you shoe clips as crossing the river beds may gunk them up.
3) No bike riding the entire week! Rest the legs.
4) Get lots of sleep and hydrate the entire week.
Less than a week to go and I'm both excited and nervous. Excited to do the event, but nervous because it means going further and faster than I have ever gone before. There are some race conditions that we weren't able to simulate during our training that I discussed last week including the increase speed we will have from riding in a large group. We will also be "tapered" (i.e. rested).
My team is shooting for a sub 6-hr finish. This means 109 miles at an average pace of 18.1 mph. We are planning exactly one 2-minute stop to replace (not refill) water bottles at the midpoint. I'm planning on having a nice ham sandwich (with mayo!) and a Dr. Pepper (non-diet!) waiting for me at the stop. Stuff my gullet and then head out and do the last 50+ miles to the finish.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Big Miles
Today was the last big training session of the season. 91 miles of fun. The plan for today was to work on speed. The pre-ride stuff was kept very short so we could get on the road earlier. 7am start time!
There are "two" fast groups on the Team and Coach David pulls us aside from the rest of the riders for a quick pep talk. The difference between the two groups is that mine is has a Tucson goal finish time of under 6 hours and the second group has a goal of 6.5 hours. Our group will make minimal stops, and those we make will be limited to 2 minutes stops. The other group will have luxurious 10 minutes stops. David says we are all capable riders, and having ridden with each of us is confident that we will meet our goals provide we ride "smart". We need to not only ride as a team with good pace line, but we need to take advantage of other non Team in Training participants who are willing to do all the work fighting the wind. He described several scenarios, one of which the lead person in our pace line sees a large group of other riders up ahead. If that situation arises, the lead person needs to speed up to reach the next group and latch on to them. Do 5 minutes of hard work to reach them and then let those riders cut a huge swath through the wind to make the rest of our ride easier. There is a very noticeable and dramatic effect of riding in a large group. It is much, much easier not to mention faster.
The ride today was a "simple" out and back ride up the coast to San Clemente. One other highlight is that we get to ride through the Camp Pendleton Marine base and avoid riding along Interstate 5. Cyclists are free to ride through the base provide they wear a helmet and have photo ID. This ride is one of the annual rituals for the cycle team and the midpoint rest stop is a Carl's Jr where salty fries are available in abundance.
Running out of water during the ride has been an issue for me the last couple of rides so I brought along an extra bottle and kept it in one of the back pockets of my cycling jersey. It felt really strange to have a 2 lb bottle of water tugging my jersey back. One unexpected complication from this was that I actually got some chaffing during the long ride.
Mentor Chad indicates that besides the regular stop at Carl's, every other stop is limited to 2 minutes. On ride day, Chad has a plan where someone will meet us at mile 55 of the 109-mile ride with pre-filled water bottles and our stop will be limited to quickly swapping out our empties with these replacement bottles and eating a quick bite before heading out. The two minute stops were a killer. There was barely enough time to fill water bottles and eat anything. One other key to successful riding is being able to eat and drink while riding. This is no small feat when you are moving at a constant clip of 20+ mph.
The ride went pretty well and I felt strong for most of it. We were keeping a very quick pace thoughout the session. I didn't eat much at Carl's which was a mistake. Halfway back to our start line about 70 miles into the ride I was fading fast, lacking energy. Chad had a plan to skip the last support stop and ride through to the end. A couple of us protest and we make another 2 minute stop where I cram a PB&J down my gullet, fill all three water bottles, eat a handful of trail mix and back on the road. Feeling much better. Along the way, several of us were suffering at different times. The disruption to the normal eating pattern on the ride is taking it's toll. Then all of a sudden when the energy hits, everything is back to normal. It is pretty strange to be able to feel the effect of food you just ate boost your energy levels. Mile 8o or so I start struggling again and am getting some cramping in both my thighs and my butt is killing me from so much time in the saddle. I eat my last energy bar and just soldier along. I start taking shorter shifts at the front of the line which makes me feel guilty but it's for the good of the overall team. The bar kicks in and I'm almost back to normal.
The ride ends with another climb up Torrey Pines. I take it a slower than usual pace as my legs are protesting and start to cramp every time I make a big exertion. Instead of 7mph up the hill, I'm at 5.5 mph. I grunt it out and make it to the top. Well since we are going for time, we forgo the normal stop at the top and complete the last two miles back to the start point. Not a lot of climbing on this ride which I think actually makes it harder. There is little opportunity to get out of the saddle and there is no coasting downhill so you are constantly pedaling.
Totals were 91 miles in 5:34 hours of ride time with an average pace of 16.8 mph. Very fast. The goal for Tucson is 109-miles in 6 hours which is an average pace of 18.1 mph. It will be...challenging.
Here is a map of the ride courtesy of Google Earth.
There are "two" fast groups on the Team and Coach David pulls us aside from the rest of the riders for a quick pep talk. The difference between the two groups is that mine is has a Tucson goal finish time of under 6 hours and the second group has a goal of 6.5 hours. Our group will make minimal stops, and those we make will be limited to 2 minutes stops. The other group will have luxurious 10 minutes stops. David says we are all capable riders, and having ridden with each of us is confident that we will meet our goals provide we ride "smart". We need to not only ride as a team with good pace line, but we need to take advantage of other non Team in Training participants who are willing to do all the work fighting the wind. He described several scenarios, one of which the lead person in our pace line sees a large group of other riders up ahead. If that situation arises, the lead person needs to speed up to reach the next group and latch on to them. Do 5 minutes of hard work to reach them and then let those riders cut a huge swath through the wind to make the rest of our ride easier. There is a very noticeable and dramatic effect of riding in a large group. It is much, much easier not to mention faster.
The ride today was a "simple" out and back ride up the coast to San Clemente. One other highlight is that we get to ride through the Camp Pendleton Marine base and avoid riding along Interstate 5. Cyclists are free to ride through the base provide they wear a helmet and have photo ID. This ride is one of the annual rituals for the cycle team and the midpoint rest stop is a Carl's Jr where salty fries are available in abundance.
Running out of water during the ride has been an issue for me the last couple of rides so I brought along an extra bottle and kept it in one of the back pockets of my cycling jersey. It felt really strange to have a 2 lb bottle of water tugging my jersey back. One unexpected complication from this was that I actually got some chaffing during the long ride.
Mentor Chad indicates that besides the regular stop at Carl's, every other stop is limited to 2 minutes. On ride day, Chad has a plan where someone will meet us at mile 55 of the 109-mile ride with pre-filled water bottles and our stop will be limited to quickly swapping out our empties with these replacement bottles and eating a quick bite before heading out. The two minute stops were a killer. There was barely enough time to fill water bottles and eat anything. One other key to successful riding is being able to eat and drink while riding. This is no small feat when you are moving at a constant clip of 20+ mph.
The ride went pretty well and I felt strong for most of it. We were keeping a very quick pace thoughout the session. I didn't eat much at Carl's which was a mistake. Halfway back to our start line about 70 miles into the ride I was fading fast, lacking energy. Chad had a plan to skip the last support stop and ride through to the end. A couple of us protest and we make another 2 minute stop where I cram a PB&J down my gullet, fill all three water bottles, eat a handful of trail mix and back on the road. Feeling much better. Along the way, several of us were suffering at different times. The disruption to the normal eating pattern on the ride is taking it's toll. Then all of a sudden when the energy hits, everything is back to normal. It is pretty strange to be able to feel the effect of food you just ate boost your energy levels. Mile 8o or so I start struggling again and am getting some cramping in both my thighs and my butt is killing me from so much time in the saddle. I eat my last energy bar and just soldier along. I start taking shorter shifts at the front of the line which makes me feel guilty but it's for the good of the overall team. The bar kicks in and I'm almost back to normal.
The ride ends with another climb up Torrey Pines. I take it a slower than usual pace as my legs are protesting and start to cramp every time I make a big exertion. Instead of 7mph up the hill, I'm at 5.5 mph. I grunt it out and make it to the top. Well since we are going for time, we forgo the normal stop at the top and complete the last two miles back to the start point. Not a lot of climbing on this ride which I think actually makes it harder. There is little opportunity to get out of the saddle and there is no coasting downhill so you are constantly pedaling.
Totals were 91 miles in 5:34 hours of ride time with an average pace of 16.8 mph. Very fast. The goal for Tucson is 109-miles in 6 hours which is an average pace of 18.1 mph. It will be...challenging.
Here is a map of the ride courtesy of Google Earth.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Maiden Voyage
Today was the official maiden voyage of my newly restored bicycle. I was happy to learn that a local rider had planned a vintage bike ride for today. This appears to be a semi-monthly event where classic bicycle enthusiasts get together for a ride.
Today's 25ish mile route began in Balboa Park winding through Hillcrest, down Presidio Hill (!), skirting Old Town and down the bike path to Ocean Beach and finally ending up with a long steady climb up to Cabrillo National Monument. Then we turn around, ride along Harbor Blvd before making our way back to Balboa after stopping in Little Italy for lunch.
There were about 9 total riders each riding a vintage steel steed. Besides my mystery bike there were some beautiful bikes there including:
50's Hetchins Magnum Bonum
Masi
early 70's Schwinn Paramount
Mercian
Mondia
Early 70's Colnago Super
The Hetchins is worth a special mention. It is a fixed gear "Path Rider". Path is what the English call the track. This bike was built as a track bike racer. The interesting thing is that there are frame eyelets for fenders and generator lights to be mounted on the frame. Even though they were built for racing, there were used as all around commuter bikes. The racers would ride to the track, remove the fenders and lights, race and put it all back together before heading home. Here are a couple of photos of this beauty.
Hetchins
Hetchins Head Badge
Mercian Fixed Gear
Mondia Speciale
The Mondia was equipped with a hodgepodge of components including a modern rear deraileur but note the lever action Simplex Front Derailleur Lever!
Colnago Super
Gorgeous
The riders were all very strong and the pace was faster than I expected. One thing that troubled me was that they don't obey all the stop signs, which I guess isn't that unusual for a casual ride. Obviously they would stop if there were cars present but if the way was clear, they would roll right past signs and through red lights.
My bike performed very well and I found myself getting used to shifting with the friction levers located on the downtube of the bike. This is very different than current bikes with the shifters located on the bars. The front derailleur was slighty out of alignment and consequently was a bit noisy in some gear combinations where the chain was rubbing. Should be an easy adjustment. My front brake was also a pretty squeeky was caused me some slight embarrassment coming down the hills.
We had a great ride and then stopped for lunch at Pappalecco's in Little Italy where we were warmly greeted and set up with a large table for lunch and refreshments.
One of the riders, strapped a small video camera to his helment and filmed parts of the ride and posted it on YouTube. Take a look, it's cool.
Today's 25ish mile route began in Balboa Park winding through Hillcrest, down Presidio Hill (!), skirting Old Town and down the bike path to Ocean Beach and finally ending up with a long steady climb up to Cabrillo National Monument. Then we turn around, ride along Harbor Blvd before making our way back to Balboa after stopping in Little Italy for lunch.
There were about 9 total riders each riding a vintage steel steed. Besides my mystery bike there were some beautiful bikes there including:
50's Hetchins Magnum Bonum
Masi
early 70's Schwinn Paramount
Mercian
Mondia
Early 70's Colnago Super
The Hetchins is worth a special mention. It is a fixed gear "Path Rider". Path is what the English call the track. This bike was built as a track bike racer. The interesting thing is that there are frame eyelets for fenders and generator lights to be mounted on the frame. Even though they were built for racing, there were used as all around commuter bikes. The racers would ride to the track, remove the fenders and lights, race and put it all back together before heading home. Here are a couple of photos of this beauty.
Hetchins
Hetchins Head Badge
Mercian Fixed Gear
Mondia Speciale
The Mondia was equipped with a hodgepodge of components including a modern rear deraileur but note the lever action Simplex Front Derailleur Lever!
Colnago Super
Gorgeous
The riders were all very strong and the pace was faster than I expected. One thing that troubled me was that they don't obey all the stop signs, which I guess isn't that unusual for a casual ride. Obviously they would stop if there were cars present but if the way was clear, they would roll right past signs and through red lights.
My bike performed very well and I found myself getting used to shifting with the friction levers located on the downtube of the bike. This is very different than current bikes with the shifters located on the bars. The front derailleur was slighty out of alignment and consequently was a bit noisy in some gear combinations where the chain was rubbing. Should be an easy adjustment. My front brake was also a pretty squeeky was caused me some slight embarrassment coming down the hills.
We had a great ride and then stopped for lunch at Pappalecco's in Little Italy where we were warmly greeted and set up with a large table for lunch and refreshments.
One of the riders, strapped a small video camera to his helment and filmed parts of the ride and posted it on YouTube. Take a look, it's cool.
Toughie
Yesterday's ride (Nov 1) was the second hardest ride I've ever done. The weather forecast was for cool temperatures with some clouds and possibly some sprinkles. Our head coach told us that we were going to work on speed and the the majority of our climbing work was behind us and that we were going to climb less than 3000 ft.
LIES. It was 90+ degrees with no breeze or shade and the climbing was more like 4,000 feet.
Only six of us again (Chad, Jeff, Brian, Ashley, Donna, Me) with Angel being MIA again this week. He's missed the last few training sessions. We started out fine and made our way from Carlsbad up to Oceanside along the bike path clocking and impressive average speed of 23+ mph. We turned inland and that's when it got ugly. Hills, hills, hills and it got hotter and hotter the further east we went. We keep a tempo and try to stay together but we are suffering. I'm doing poorly and Chad asks that I stay behind Jeff save energy until I recover. I swallow some pride and comply. Much better.
10 more miles and we are at our SAG stop. I wolf down a PB&J and slam a large Gatorade and then head into the Wendy's and soak my head in the sink. I plant myself in the shade of the building and the sidewalk just sucks the heat out of me. The next thing you know there are 10 people sitting with me cooling off. A few people are having a hard time. One rider was somehow having severe chills, most are overheating. Back on the road.
About mile 67 after a brutal, unforgiving climb up Champagne road, a few people abandon and get driven back to their cars. I strongly considered joining them but I found a bit of shade, removed my helmet and shoes, doused my head with cold water and just cooled off. My head was pounding but after about 10 minutes I felt much better. Only 10 more miles to the next SAG stop and less than 20 miles left in the total ride. Go for it. I refill my water bottles and even add some ice and we head off for the last 10 miles.
Back on the road and I immediately start to second guess my decision as somehow we miraculously started climbing again! Luckily, the climb was short and we were rewarded with a screaming downhill on Del Dios Highway. Beautiful countryside, Lake Hodges to the left and the breeze from the 30mph downhill made up for the lack of shade. I had soaked my jersey before leaving so got a very good evaporative cooling effect. We are heading back to the coast and it is getting cooler so I'm doing better.
Mile 75 and we are at our final support stop. We were jamming so fast that we beat the support truck and have to wait a couple minutes for it to show up. More water, more PB&J. Decision time again. Only 10 more miles to go but I'm not feeling that well. I make a quick assessment and decide to go for it. Only 10 miles, I've just refueled, the route is along the coast, it's cooled off. Off we go and all of a sudden I'm feeling like Superman. Unfortunately, two of my teammates are suffering. We slow the pace down a bit and let them rest by drafting off of us. Teamwork, you know. We make our 85 miles and blow right past our exit back to our starting point. It seems that the "fast team" as we are known are special and get to do an extra 5 miles! 5 Miles isn't that long of a distance but it's tough when you mentally prepare for the 85 and then have to do 5 more. Grumble, grumble and at long last we are back to the start.
Tough ride but we hung as a team.
Here's the route.
Totals were 91 miles, lot's of climbing and 5 hours and 43 minutes of ride time.
One more big ride next week then a backdown week and then TUCSON!
LIES. It was 90+ degrees with no breeze or shade and the climbing was more like 4,000 feet.
Only six of us again (Chad, Jeff, Brian, Ashley, Donna, Me) with Angel being MIA again this week. He's missed the last few training sessions. We started out fine and made our way from Carlsbad up to Oceanside along the bike path clocking and impressive average speed of 23+ mph. We turned inland and that's when it got ugly. Hills, hills, hills and it got hotter and hotter the further east we went. We keep a tempo and try to stay together but we are suffering. I'm doing poorly and Chad asks that I stay behind Jeff save energy until I recover. I swallow some pride and comply. Much better.
10 more miles and we are at our SAG stop. I wolf down a PB&J and slam a large Gatorade and then head into the Wendy's and soak my head in the sink. I plant myself in the shade of the building and the sidewalk just sucks the heat out of me. The next thing you know there are 10 people sitting with me cooling off. A few people are having a hard time. One rider was somehow having severe chills, most are overheating. Back on the road.
About mile 67 after a brutal, unforgiving climb up Champagne road, a few people abandon and get driven back to their cars. I strongly considered joining them but I found a bit of shade, removed my helmet and shoes, doused my head with cold water and just cooled off. My head was pounding but after about 10 minutes I felt much better. Only 10 more miles to the next SAG stop and less than 20 miles left in the total ride. Go for it. I refill my water bottles and even add some ice and we head off for the last 10 miles.
Back on the road and I immediately start to second guess my decision as somehow we miraculously started climbing again! Luckily, the climb was short and we were rewarded with a screaming downhill on Del Dios Highway. Beautiful countryside, Lake Hodges to the left and the breeze from the 30mph downhill made up for the lack of shade. I had soaked my jersey before leaving so got a very good evaporative cooling effect. We are heading back to the coast and it is getting cooler so I'm doing better.
Mile 75 and we are at our final support stop. We were jamming so fast that we beat the support truck and have to wait a couple minutes for it to show up. More water, more PB&J. Decision time again. Only 10 more miles to go but I'm not feeling that well. I make a quick assessment and decide to go for it. Only 10 miles, I've just refueled, the route is along the coast, it's cooled off. Off we go and all of a sudden I'm feeling like Superman. Unfortunately, two of my teammates are suffering. We slow the pace down a bit and let them rest by drafting off of us. Teamwork, you know. We make our 85 miles and blow right past our exit back to our starting point. It seems that the "fast team" as we are known are special and get to do an extra 5 miles! 5 Miles isn't that long of a distance but it's tough when you mentally prepare for the 85 and then have to do 5 more. Grumble, grumble and at long last we are back to the start.
Tough ride but we hung as a team.
Here's the route.
Totals were 91 miles, lot's of climbing and 5 hours and 43 minutes of ride time.
One more big ride next week then a backdown week and then TUCSON!
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