It's coming up awfully quick, and after this weekend's last-dicth effort to get mileage and training, I'll be on a nice, steady taper of easy rest rides. Mmmmm....tasty.
Unfortunately, I'll be drinking about a gallon a day of water and popping electrolyte tabs to stay hydrated for the onslaught of weather that awaits to the south of here.
I'm a lot smarter about it this year than I was LAST year - that's for certain -- and I'm really not that nervous about the prospect of riding for 12 hours with peak temperatures in the low 100's again, as it appears to be shaping up that way.
I've got a good plan - I just need to really stick to it this time around, and really minimize my time off the saddle.
Can't WAIT!!!
Had an EXCELLENT training ride with Ort last weekend -
This was the Weston Ride - formerly Andy's, now George's -- and either way, a first for me. I still consider this a little odd, especially after we drove up to the park where the ride starts, and I realized how close to home it really is for me. I shoulda done this ride a LONG time ago. Today was an off-day for the official ride, so it was just Ort and me, saddling up for 57 grueling miles of heart-pumping hills and thrilling decsents!
Wyandotte County Lake Park is a magical place -- if you are a cyclist, that is.
Nestled and still untouched by progress, this is a bigger lake park than Shawnee Mission Park, and why I always qualify statements about Shawnee Mission Park -- it's a tough ride, and (arguably) one of the toughest training venues IN JOHNSON COUNTY. Compared to Wyandotte County's park, however, the road circumnavigating Shawnee Mission Park might as well be flat. The seven-mile lake road at Wyandotte County Park is not only about 75% longer, but is at least twice as hilly, and each hill steeper than the last. It's a ridiculous circuit. Thankfully, today, we were only riding a short portion of it.
We leave the parking lot, and head northwest towards the exit, but we first climb a couple of nasty rollers, and enjoy some gnarly drops that curve and twist every which way, making it hard to remember which direction you're headed. Eventually, after a near-wrong turn on my part, we are on the way out of the park, and heading west towards Old K-5. K-5, or Wolcott Road, is a storied highway, part of the old Leavenworth Military Road, and it winds northeast for a while, passing under I-435 an along the Missouri River for a while, along the old Missouri Pacific rail-line - which I think is probably run by BNSF nowadays. There is a lot of history that has rumbled past these hills, as we roll past Lakeside Speedway, some abandoned DOT buildings, and old hills with livestock grazing.
We continue under the ever hotter sunshine until the hills begin, and they pitch up rather sharply and twist up around bend after bend - this is the way highways USED to be built, and it's a cyclist paradise. Very few cars interrupt our journey, as we click thru the gears and push up the stiff grades. With the wind at our backs, it's a perfect morning.
We pass thru Lansing, past an old prison, thru old neighborhoods with stunning late-1800's era homes, right turn to ride thru the VA hospital grounds and past the old governors' mansion - this is truly a city that time has not touched. Even the roads are quaintly 'out of date', with old rusty grates and crumbled curbs everywhere - occasionally there is a new patch of pavement, but not often.
We take a right at the church, and careen down a monster hill, past more houses, and then past a cement plant onto another flat at 2nd Street, and thru old Leavenworth's industrial area, with its old brick buildings and steep streets. We fly past the city market, and up another rise onto a old, high road that faces over the Missouri river into a massive valley. This is the western bluff of the river, on Esplande Street - 130 year old houses line only one side of the street here, all facing east -- can you imagine THIS being your front yard; a seamless view of the trees and valey over the river, and nothing in sight to the east for miles? I can imagine the original owners of these houses, sitting on the front porch at sunrise, seeing much the same thing I was marvelling at to my right, as I rode along. The modern safety bicycle hadn't even come along yet! Only inches under our tires, beneath carefully overlaid asphalt, was likely the original brickwork that paved these old roads.
A quick bend in the road, some climbing, and there it was: the Metropolitan Avenue bridge that crosses into Missouri, a gorgeous, simple double-span suspension deck, respendant in powder-blue. We rode hard to get across in good time, but the view was spectacular and I couldn't help staring off into the waters below, as a few cars patiently waited for us to cross safely - a far cry from Johnson County traffic!
Soon we were making our way east on Mo-45, towards the little town of Beverly, this time with the river on our left. This is the kind of riding I really look forward to - there were a few cars here and there, but they were simply on their way to somewhere else. To the left, right, and in front of me was nearly nothing - just endless fields of crops spreading across the fertile valley, and high bluffs and hills shielding the whole of the big valley. We traversed the RR tracks after about 4 miles of solid flat, good-shouldered - where I pulled out a decent pull at about 23 MPH. I hope I can bank on that in about a week!
After that, we motored north for more of the same, flat, good roads -- it really reminded me of Mississippi Valley 24-hour race back in Illinois - farms, and really long flats. It was easy to transport myself back to 2003 again, hammering along a perfect road, with a little help from the wind. Ort and I were making excellent time, and really enjoying the endless supply of sun, and just plain-ole good riding.
The days of the flats would not last, however - after passing under the main highway and thru the little burg of Beverly, we were once again climbing. We made our way farther north, and past Weston Bend State Park, which Ort tells me makes WYANDOTTE park look flat (yeeeesh!) - and on up to the intersection of Mo-273 and SR JJ, the latter of which we take west, towards Weston. It's a tough series of narrow roads later, which took us up, up, up into Weston proper, and then DOWN, fast into downtown -- and WHAM, we were there: the Weston Cafe.
This is an OLD building, which used to be a saloon at one point in the late 1800's, but was now a burgeoning local eatery. The place was about half-full of locals, sipping coffee, talking about the weather, the crops, the neighbors. It was instantly relaxing, aside from the fact we were both dressed rather garishly compared to the jeans and t-shirts around us. Still, the locals didn't pay much mind - I got the impression that cyclist were not uncommon up here - good hills, and not that much traffic.
We ordered out breakfast, and I was surprised at the sheer quantity -- I ordered the #6, which is the vegetarian hashbrowns, with a side of a biscuit. Ok, I'm thking hashbrowns - like maybe a 6" around side order of hashbrowns. I got TWO POUNDS of steaming potatoes, mixed with onions, peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms - all fresh, and mounded with melted cheddar cheese. It was AWESOME..... but it would have made a better POST-ride meal!
Afterwards, I was ready to ride.... ride right home for a two-hour nap.
I was FULL, and I felt it with every pedal stroke, every climb after we got back in the saddle.
Yikes.
We made our way back out of town, and after nearly an hour off the bikes it really may not have mattered what we'd eaten. We were stiff, completely cooled-down, and all just before the biggest of the hills leading out of town again -- torture!
We made it back to the main highway, and then had to fight the headwind that was waiting for us all morning - we struggled and pushed until I was practically out of gas, and not very convincingly I managed to pull Ort for a bit on the way back to the RR tracks for the turn west towards the river again. Another rest as we waited for a fully-loaded coal train to pass by, and then we picked it up again.
Ort, obviously not as affected by his breakfast of one pancake and a two-egg omlette, was pulling strongly, all the way back to the main road, up and over the bridge, and through a green arrow left-turn back to the Kansas side, and K-7. I burped up a few different variants of breakfast, fianlly getting past the fullness of it all by the time the first of the big hills was upon us again. Thankfully!
We wound our way back south and west, and eventually even the wind didn't seem that bad as we both got warmed back up and into a rhythm again. My legs seem to have found themselves, too, on a a few of the hills winding back into Lansing, up to the church again, down thru the VA hospital (where we passed up some kids riding their bikes, too - a good day to be out), and back out onto K-5. This was gonna be the hard part, as Ort announced out altitude and what we had yet to achieve for the day. Whoof...
I shifted, and settled in for a few hundred feet of UP at a steep pitch, then down again at top speed, then up, down, up -- curve left hard, then right, up, down -- this is a GREAT road, but Man the heat was coming up, and the headwind wasn't helping much. Fully unzipped, sweat dripping, It was time to get some benefits out of this ride.
I managed to get past the very last of the hashbrown coma and started to tempo climb the last of the big hills, going into red-zone a few times, feeling the burn and pushing past it when I could. Exciting downhills provided a little rest, and then repeat - HARD. This was tougher than any 22-mile loop Tinbutt had to throw out at us, so it was time to make it hurt now so we didn't have anything to complain about later. After the hills were past us, and sooner than expected, we were back on the long straight flat leading back towards old K-5, and back to Wyandotte Lake Park again, where more hills awaited us. With temps up in the 90's again, this ride was ending JUST in time, as we flew over the last of the big hills in the park, and ended up back at the lot again.
A GREAT ride.... and excellent training - I'm defintely coming up here to do this again!
But I'm skipping the hashbrowns.
Sadly, this was probably the last ride Ort and I will have together (unless we ride THIS weekend, that is) before he moves to Texas. It's been a good run, man.
See you in Oklahoma!
Hope everyone had a good 4th of July -- mine was pretty relaxing, and ended the day with clear skies, a little less humidity, and some great fireworks with the family. Ahhh..... always a good time.
Talk to you all soon!
The next report should be the Tinbutt Ride Wrapup report when I get back!
July 6, 2006
June 28, 2006
Dude, at elevation zero.
It's called decompressing -- after several years with no real vacation, it was time to get the heck outta Dodge... and even though I don't live in Dodge City, I do live in Kansas, so I can say that. So there.
Getting in a few good sessions of sleep-deprivation training was on the menu for the first part of the vacation, resulting in a marathon 26-hour drive from dawn, to dusk, to midnight, and back again, through Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and both Carolinas - until the mighty Atlantic Ocean was in view. It'll be a while before I'm ready to dive into those waters from the pier at Atlantic City, but the view was still marvelous!
Nine days later, I'm back -- fully rested, having NOT taken a bicycle with me. Again, gunshy of overtraining, I got some solid speed work in, some distance, and a good mix of recovery and 'other' rides in before the vacation commenced, and then I let the body rest completely. It worked..and now that I'm back, and back on the bike for commuting, I can feel that spring in my legs again, that snap. Freshness... able to push, and not feel like the tank is empty.
So, looking on the horizon is the reason for all this preparation -- The Larry Schwartz Memorial Tinbutt 12-Hour Meltdown Ultra Distance race in Stillwater, OK.
As I write this, it's a mere 17 days until the race clock starts at Lake McMurty, and for once the trepidation, nervousness, and jitters are gone. For once, I feel like I'm operating with a cooler hand and a steadier will. Could I really have been drinking THAT much coffee???
I think so.
On to race strateg-ery:
Number-one: Don't pre-mix anything. Bring an extra bottle, but not hte arsenal of 15 water bottles like in previous years. No fueling strategy plays out that long for me.
Number-two: mandatory stop at the end of each lap. Fresh liquids, fuel, and vitamins.
Multiple laps haven't helped in years past, and have ended up putting time against me as fatigue set in, and fluids ran out at the end of the second lap. In tangent to that, the heat will be a factor, and hot Sustained Energy is simply not drinkable for long. Seen it too many times, and experienced it a few, too. Not worth it. Stop - refuel - roll out -- if time off the bike can be minimized, it will be like not stopping at all.
Basically, it’s gonna be about speed, I think – between stops, and consistant speed - not the endurance popping speed of years past, trying to make up time lost only to blow even harder.
Five minutes off the bike to refill water bottles, grab food, etc. – 9 stops, 5 minutes off per lap for a 10-lap/220 mile attempt, taking back the 15 minutes of extra time at the end equals about 30 minutes total off the bike. That’s a tall order for 12 hours, and an on-bike rolling average of over 19 MPH. I’m not saying that 220 is my goal, but I’ve certainly done the math.
My official goal of 200 miles, via 9, 22-mile laps for 198 officially, and 2 extra miles for myself at the end, is a little easier -- but not by much. There’s only about a 1.8 MPH average difference between lap totals, so 198 miles is still in the 18’s, and so on. But, I also figure I got 177 miles with a solid 45 minute break off the bike between my last two laps in 2004. I didn’t keep track of off-bike time, and it came out fine – I had enough to get 198 if I hadn’t stopped, so it’ll be more about quelling fatigue and staying motivated and hydrated and fueled.
I'm certainly not going to run this race by the numbers entirely, though -- at least I'm in a position now that I won't let the numbers get inside my head anymore. I've done faster times without really even thinking about it that much, and that's the mode I plan to be in. The only thing I'll worry about are how fast I get the stops handled, and the rest will take care of itself.
With visions of the beach in my head, I won't have any problem finding a "happy place" to put myself if the fatigue and duldrums set in! I'll be able to bank on the sleep deprivation training later in the year, at Tejas --- but for now, my only goal is Tinbutt.
I'm not abandoning later goals -- but they aren't worth thinking about right now.
Focus is about the NOW, not the later. My task is Tinbutt - and I'm really ready this time!
A couple more weekends left for training and tapering, and then I'll be southbound to my homeland... Oklahoma, here I come!
Getting in a few good sessions of sleep-deprivation training was on the menu for the first part of the vacation, resulting in a marathon 26-hour drive from dawn, to dusk, to midnight, and back again, through Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and both Carolinas - until the mighty Atlantic Ocean was in view. It'll be a while before I'm ready to dive into those waters from the pier at Atlantic City, but the view was still marvelous!
Nine days later, I'm back -- fully rested, having NOT taken a bicycle with me. Again, gunshy of overtraining, I got some solid speed work in, some distance, and a good mix of recovery and 'other' rides in before the vacation commenced, and then I let the body rest completely. It worked..and now that I'm back, and back on the bike for commuting, I can feel that spring in my legs again, that snap. Freshness... able to push, and not feel like the tank is empty.
So, looking on the horizon is the reason for all this preparation -- The Larry Schwartz Memorial Tinbutt 12-Hour Meltdown Ultra Distance race in Stillwater, OK.
As I write this, it's a mere 17 days until the race clock starts at Lake McMurty, and for once the trepidation, nervousness, and jitters are gone. For once, I feel like I'm operating with a cooler hand and a steadier will. Could I really have been drinking THAT much coffee???
I think so.
On to race strateg-ery:
Number-one: Don't pre-mix anything. Bring an extra bottle, but not hte arsenal of 15 water bottles like in previous years. No fueling strategy plays out that long for me.
Number-two: mandatory stop at the end of each lap. Fresh liquids, fuel, and vitamins.
Multiple laps haven't helped in years past, and have ended up putting time against me as fatigue set in, and fluids ran out at the end of the second lap. In tangent to that, the heat will be a factor, and hot Sustained Energy is simply not drinkable for long. Seen it too many times, and experienced it a few, too. Not worth it. Stop - refuel - roll out -- if time off the bike can be minimized, it will be like not stopping at all.
Basically, it’s gonna be about speed, I think – between stops, and consistant speed - not the endurance popping speed of years past, trying to make up time lost only to blow even harder.
Five minutes off the bike to refill water bottles, grab food, etc. – 9 stops, 5 minutes off per lap for a 10-lap/220 mile attempt, taking back the 15 minutes of extra time at the end equals about 30 minutes total off the bike. That’s a tall order for 12 hours, and an on-bike rolling average of over 19 MPH. I’m not saying that 220 is my goal, but I’ve certainly done the math.
My official goal of 200 miles, via 9, 22-mile laps for 198 officially, and 2 extra miles for myself at the end, is a little easier -- but not by much. There’s only about a 1.8 MPH average difference between lap totals, so 198 miles is still in the 18’s, and so on. But, I also figure I got 177 miles with a solid 45 minute break off the bike between my last two laps in 2004. I didn’t keep track of off-bike time, and it came out fine – I had enough to get 198 if I hadn’t stopped, so it’ll be more about quelling fatigue and staying motivated and hydrated and fueled.
I'm certainly not going to run this race by the numbers entirely, though -- at least I'm in a position now that I won't let the numbers get inside my head anymore. I've done faster times without really even thinking about it that much, and that's the mode I plan to be in. The only thing I'll worry about are how fast I get the stops handled, and the rest will take care of itself.
With visions of the beach in my head, I won't have any problem finding a "happy place" to put myself if the fatigue and duldrums set in! I'll be able to bank on the sleep deprivation training later in the year, at Tejas --- but for now, my only goal is Tinbutt.
I'm not abandoning later goals -- but they aren't worth thinking about right now.
Focus is about the NOW, not the later. My task is Tinbutt - and I'm really ready this time!
A couple more weekends left for training and tapering, and then I'll be southbound to my homeland... Oklahoma, here I come!
June 9, 2006
My every-two-years wake up call
Another year, another visit to the doctor's office.
Yeesh -- this pretty much put the kabash on the notion that all I need is 'one' -- I need to get back to what made 2003 so successful, in SO many ways, and that's cardio - true cardio.
Low muscular effort, high cadence -- yeah, kinda like Lance, I guess.
I've always been more of a Jan Ullrich in my approach, I suppose -- getting fit, feeling like I'm 'fixed', and promptly falling back into dietary distress, gaining weight, losing fitness and then questioning everything. Repeat.
So, the tally THIS time out is higher-than-it-should be blood pressure (again) -- the scary part about it THIS time, is that I'm not heavy anymore.
Well, not GIGANTIC -- I can still stand to lose 15 lbs, but I don't think that I'm horribly overweight, and THAT was (along with the diet that made me that way, and the lack of activity) what made my BP high. Today, I feel like I'm getting enough exercise, and the number is back up. So, now what? Ugh -- back to diet and exercise, rather, changing up what I've been doing and getting BACK to what I was doing right before.
I was in really good shape, and I got lazy for a couple years. At this point in my life, however, I really need to STOP getting lazy - because I'm going to reach a point where I don't bounce back as well, or as fully, as before.
I have to pull the phrase cited in "American Flyers" -- RES FIRMA NITESCERE NESCIT
Which, literally means a "firm resolve never weakens", but in the film was paraphrased as meaning "once you got it up, keep it up."
I need a t-shirt like that. As a reminder.
But, I've gotten past the "wallow in self remorse" phase of my year. I pretty much already knew what I was going to do with this year, and now I have more fuel for that fire. I have the numbers from where I've been before, and this new push back towards fitness will drag them along with it. I'm confident, and I've got that 'fix it' attitude back again!
Another, bigger part of my call to arms is on the mental front, and finally putting to rest all the equipment demons, and just riding -- I've been a lot calmer about stuff lately, a lot more focused, instead of feeling anxious, flustered, and flip-floppy. More than anything, once again I return to the "mind over mileage" philosophy. We're all just here to ride and have fun, maybe push ourselves -- but that's about as complicated as things should get.
With this new attitude, and a little help from the doc, my BP is now down to where it should be, only about three weeks after the appointment. Sadly, I had to let my good friend coffee go away - but it's a small sacrifice considering what I could be in-for in 20 years if I kept things up. Granted, the occasional coffee ride is still in the cards - but it'll have to be decaf for me. It sorta tastes the same... I guess. BAH! It's worth it. I'm much easier to live with now! Shocker!!!
Also, this will REALLY help in October -- at MV24 in '03, I was wondering why the caffiene wasn't working at 1am! This year, I'll have been caffiene-free for nearly FIVE MONTHs before the event -- I'll lift my personal caffiene-ban, and will use it where it can really help me: at Tejas! Duh. The more I look at this latest lifestyle change, the more it's a win-win.
I don't even miss it anymore, after three weeks - and my health is better for it.
Looking forward for another dial-in session on the new steed this weekend, assuming I can beat the rain home -- another chance of storms enters the forecast, but considering it's gonna be like 95ºF during the ride, I don't think I'll mind that much! Just not sure if I wanna get things dirty just yet -- but if I fall into that trap, I'll just ride the one with the fenders. Problem solved!
I love the Cidermill rides -- the route is good, there are little surprises along the way, and the reward at the middle of the ride is ALWAYS worth the trip. I almost hope it DOES rain, to add a little epic-ness to the end of the long journey -- it's been a long time since I've had a good rain ride: about the closest I've gotten of late was a quick dash thru some lawn sprinklers that had been knocked out of asjustment and were spraying into the street. That felt really good.
Only 35 days until Tinbutt 2006!!!!!!
Wow -- it's coming up fast --- am I ready? I think so -- considering I didn't manage to build as impressive of a base this year, I'm feeling pretty good about going long. I only have three 200K rides in, honestly, and a couple centuries as well -- but compared to years past where I'd have a 300 and 400K thrown in there as well, I feel a little short in the legs -- but the flip side of that is the fact that the speed is coming up quick, I can probably arrange a peak at about a month out from now, and I feel rested and not like a bag of hamburger, like I did last year at this same time! Got my old friend Sustained Energy back in the pantry, too, so I won't have any surprises on the road during the long day in the sun -- barely a month away.
Bring it on!
Yeesh -- this pretty much put the kabash on the notion that all I need is 'one' -- I need to get back to what made 2003 so successful, in SO many ways, and that's cardio - true cardio.
Low muscular effort, high cadence -- yeah, kinda like Lance, I guess.
I've always been more of a Jan Ullrich in my approach, I suppose -- getting fit, feeling like I'm 'fixed', and promptly falling back into dietary distress, gaining weight, losing fitness and then questioning everything. Repeat.
So, the tally THIS time out is higher-than-it-should be blood pressure (again) -- the scary part about it THIS time, is that I'm not heavy anymore.
Well, not GIGANTIC -- I can still stand to lose 15 lbs, but I don't think that I'm horribly overweight, and THAT was (along with the diet that made me that way, and the lack of activity) what made my BP high. Today, I feel like I'm getting enough exercise, and the number is back up. So, now what? Ugh -- back to diet and exercise, rather, changing up what I've been doing and getting BACK to what I was doing right before.
I was in really good shape, and I got lazy for a couple years. At this point in my life, however, I really need to STOP getting lazy - because I'm going to reach a point where I don't bounce back as well, or as fully, as before.
I have to pull the phrase cited in "American Flyers" -- RES FIRMA NITESCERE NESCIT
Which, literally means a "firm resolve never weakens", but in the film was paraphrased as meaning "once you got it up, keep it up."
I need a t-shirt like that. As a reminder.
But, I've gotten past the "wallow in self remorse" phase of my year. I pretty much already knew what I was going to do with this year, and now I have more fuel for that fire. I have the numbers from where I've been before, and this new push back towards fitness will drag them along with it. I'm confident, and I've got that 'fix it' attitude back again!
Another, bigger part of my call to arms is on the mental front, and finally putting to rest all the equipment demons, and just riding -- I've been a lot calmer about stuff lately, a lot more focused, instead of feeling anxious, flustered, and flip-floppy. More than anything, once again I return to the "mind over mileage" philosophy. We're all just here to ride and have fun, maybe push ourselves -- but that's about as complicated as things should get.
With this new attitude, and a little help from the doc, my BP is now down to where it should be, only about three weeks after the appointment. Sadly, I had to let my good friend coffee go away - but it's a small sacrifice considering what I could be in-for in 20 years if I kept things up. Granted, the occasional coffee ride is still in the cards - but it'll have to be decaf for me. It sorta tastes the same... I guess. BAH! It's worth it. I'm much easier to live with now! Shocker!!!
Also, this will REALLY help in October -- at MV24 in '03, I was wondering why the caffiene wasn't working at 1am! This year, I'll have been caffiene-free for nearly FIVE MONTHs before the event -- I'll lift my personal caffiene-ban, and will use it where it can really help me: at Tejas! Duh. The more I look at this latest lifestyle change, the more it's a win-win.
I don't even miss it anymore, after three weeks - and my health is better for it.
Looking forward for another dial-in session on the new steed this weekend, assuming I can beat the rain home -- another chance of storms enters the forecast, but considering it's gonna be like 95ºF during the ride, I don't think I'll mind that much! Just not sure if I wanna get things dirty just yet -- but if I fall into that trap, I'll just ride the one with the fenders. Problem solved!
I love the Cidermill rides -- the route is good, there are little surprises along the way, and the reward at the middle of the ride is ALWAYS worth the trip. I almost hope it DOES rain, to add a little epic-ness to the end of the long journey -- it's been a long time since I've had a good rain ride: about the closest I've gotten of late was a quick dash thru some lawn sprinklers that had been knocked out of asjustment and were spraying into the street. That felt really good.
Only 35 days until Tinbutt 2006!!!!!!
Wow -- it's coming up fast --- am I ready? I think so -- considering I didn't manage to build as impressive of a base this year, I'm feeling pretty good about going long. I only have three 200K rides in, honestly, and a couple centuries as well -- but compared to years past where I'd have a 300 and 400K thrown in there as well, I feel a little short in the legs -- but the flip side of that is the fact that the speed is coming up quick, I can probably arrange a peak at about a month out from now, and I feel rested and not like a bag of hamburger, like I did last year at this same time! Got my old friend Sustained Energy back in the pantry, too, so I won't have any surprises on the road during the long day in the sun -- barely a month away.
Bring it on!
May 31, 2006
Catching up again
It's been a while since my last post, so I figured it'd be a good time to get myself back up to speed. In more ways than one, it seems, actually.
I don't even think I wrote much about the Lone Star century, which was like two weeks ago!
Wow -- I need to get back on the horse here... but that just shows you how busy life has been lately.
Anyways -- the Lone Star Century went REALLY well, considering the tumble and roll that spring has been to date. It turns out that, yes - even if you're just slogging along on a century back in April, you DO get something out of it, if you rest up. Rest I did, and I came back a little stronger. Started out simply enough, with a ride over to Ort's place to meet up, and then we both departed for the ride start a few miles away. The parking lot was CHOKED with riders, and the registration line was long -- a good sign for the club! I renewed my membership right there at the stand, while I was at it!
A quick reveiw of the map saw some interesting changes to the route, but nothing any worse than what I'd ridden before. Saw K-man, Atul, and Akil in the crowd, a lot of familiar faces, shook a few hands, and shortly after that we were off and riding! The sky was grim looking, but compared to last year I don't think anyone was complaining -- it was nearly 90º at the ride start last year!!! THIS was gonna be MUCH better already!
Ort and I hooked up, and started our assault. This was training - nothing more. For some reason, tho, our legs and spirits didn't get the message -- speeds were already up, and we felt surprisingly comfortable doing it --- the tailwind was helping, of course, but even a tailwind is useless if you don't have the push in your legs.
Motoring along, remembering and promising against the events of last year's ride, Ort and I spun the cranks and enjoyed the scenery, climbing a few hills and spinning out the long stretch of 151st Street near New Century Air Center, watching the marathon runners run their race. It was a rare day - the legs feeling fresh, the air fresher, and the skies opening up to a crystiline blue hue. Awesome time to be a on a bike.
A quick stop at Vinland after some more miles and some amazing vistas in the clear air, we were off again, this time into uncharted territory - the new part of the route! That hill to the west of Vinland is just as long and steep as it looks! Yeesh. It seriously reminded me of Colorado, and as I was recalling those days in 2002 climbing some mountain pass, I shifted and found myself out of gears! Dang.... spin! Spin! You have gears -- use them! It's hard to get out of "single-speed" mode, sometimes, but the recent conversion BACK to gears was beginning to pay off.
Up and over, I was actually enjoying the hills again, and revelling in the chance to enjoy the other side of them as well, with a nice rest and a little coasting.
I may not be as pure as the purest purist, but I'm enjoying my riding again - and that's all that matters!
After a few, maybe five, miles on US-59 highway (yeah..... THAT one) we finally turned onto the continuation of DG460 toward Clinton Lake -- this is a great piece of road here, but it's frequented by many cars, and it seems that in the only third year of riding this ride, the traffic count has gone WAY up out here. Frustrating, but understandable, as not just people on bicycles have cabin fever this time of year. After a few more miles, Ort and I pulled into the Clinton Lake SAG for another break. Stiffness was setting in, and my previously 'favorite' new saddle was beginning to give me some issues. Hmmm. The good news, I was finally learning from all of those past lessons, and was drinking PLENTY of water, supplemented with electrolytes. Further, a return to a successful formula always throws hindsight in my face. Fig Netwons? Well, they work great on brevet, but today my old friend Sustained Energy was along for the ride, and I felt AWESOME.
After our break, we were off again, this time to the splendorific hilliness of the Lone Star Lake area, about a dozen miles to the west. This, last year, was the deciding point --- there is something about popping, bursting, bonking, simply reaching a point of absolute fatigue that is quite dramatic when viewed from the outside. Not unlike a supernova in deep space, something that should burn steadily and brightly suddenly runs out of fuel, and several chain reactions begin to collapse. When this occurs, a rapid outward expansion of gasses causes the dying star to burn even brighter for a short time, before the conversion is finally complete and the giant globe of gas simply explodes. This is pretty much what happened to me last year -- I had a miracle moment on some of the hills leading up to Lone Star park, leading a strong pack for a few miles at a terrific pace, and shortly after I collapsed into my saddle a heap of gribbling goo - staying pretty much that way until the end of the ride, 50 miles later.
This year was quite different. Instead of imploding, I was actually feeling quite good, using the gears, using my breathing, feeling the terrain and calling on cardio to take up what the legs would normally be doing ALL of on a fixxie. With Ort close by, we traversed a few hills, and slowly made our way up,up,up to the entrance to Lone Star lake, and my favorite downhill -- and my least favorite stop sign -- in the whole of Douglas County. After climbing for nearly 15 minutes, it seems, this is the first major downhill and a good chance to rest, but resters beware of the T intersection with stop sign and blind run-ups at the bottom! Making matters worse, even if you are lucky enough NOTt to encounter crosstraffic, there is that ever-present patch of sand at the corner. Ugh. It's a 40+ MPH downhill, and a slam-on-the-brakes stop at the bottom!
After that, we're inside the park! Like every lake-park around here, it's HILLY. Seven or Eight good rollers later, we're at the rest stop, perched at the top of a big hill. Thanks! :)
In keeping with our solid schedule, I was ready to work at a little refuel, micturation, and a quick return to the highway to keep the legs fresh. My saddle wasn't feeling as good as it probably should, but I was ready to get back to work! Part of my problem was the deadline I had set for myself, which was providing a good motivation -- last year I would have been calling for a ride at this point!
Almost 15 minutes to the nose, Ort annouced his readiness, and we mounted back up and headed out.
It was gonna be a long slog back into a steady, but thankfully light, headwind - but I was still feeling fresh and strong (for once) and the water bottles were now filled with a fresh, cold dose of Sustained Energy in one, Carboplex in the other. I was ready to work, and for the first time in a long time, my body was ready, too.
Pulling into the wind - another first in a while - I led Ort and myself back east on a quest for steady and controlled speed -- speed being relative, as I still managed to get swept up by quite a few small pacelines with hard-core equipment and riders in them. Still, I was not concerned, because compared to where I was only a couple weeks eariler attempting the 400K, this was a HUGE improvement. Much like the long slow bloom of spring occuring around me, I felt like I was finally coming to life again. The push was there when I needed it, my HR was controlled, and my legs felt just a steady burn from the effort. It was starting to feel like old times again, as the miles ticked by and the pace remained fairly constant - all the way up to US-59 again.
At some point along the way, I had lost track of Ort, but I was not really wanting the feeling to drop, so I motored on, uphill, into the wind, back up the long downhill that I'd flown down about 90 minutes earlier. Steep, but not unmanagable, I chose my gearing and started to turn it over. A little ego hit, a fast paceline passed by on the left, making me long for a lighter bike, lighter body, DC motor, something... but I was managing okay. Eventually, the hill crested, and the rather dangerous intersection of US-59 and DG458 was upon me. I'm certain many people wrote letters of disdain about this particular part of the ride -- this is a dangerous turn to attempt in a CAR - bicycles are legal here, but I've never seen anyone attempt it, and now, here I was. Just like anything else - be calm, be predictable, and make your turn quickly and safely. BE SEEN. If you don't think they see you, they DON'T.
Turn completed -- whew....
Back towards Vinland, at last, and down the Colorado hill into the Vinland Valley below, I managed to catch up to a guy on .... I can't remember ... some race bike or another, with newer components, who was kind enough to exchange a few pulls with me here and there, but then turned up the heat right at the end near the rest stop -- I was feeling pretty good, but not nearly good enough to pull off a mock sprint to the SAG. Maybe in a few months. Yeesh... another stop to release some toxins, and refill bottles -- the hydration was finally becoming second nature, and it was making a difference in everything - energy, outlook on the ride, etc.
A quick scan of the horizon for Ort, and I was off again - under the clock again. Time to try and work it out.
Back in very-familiar terrority of eastern Douglas and western Johnson County, it was time to possibly cut this thing short and make that deadline -- after all, I was not terribly concerned with the landmark of the start/finish line, and I was getting a century-plus either way -- chomping up the last of 458, and even getting a little rainfall, the big steel steed and I made it to 151st Street, and then cut off near New Century Air Center, to 159th Street via the north loop road or the airport, and back east until I was home again, with about 15 minutes to spare! Most notable, the finishing push was not - again, for the first time in a LONG time - a death march. I felt a push all the way into the driveway, and was even off my bike and ready to put things away quickly, grab a recovery drink - instead of just laying prone on the garage floor, wondering when my heartrate was going to come back down. A welcome change, and definitely a feeling that I'm starting to catch up to the rider I was only a few years earlier.
It's official -- it's gonna be a GREAT summer!
Next steps: rest off the 111 miles from the Lone Star, start the commuter platform on gears and get more cadence training, and begin the ramp up for Tinbutt in July.
I don't even think I wrote much about the Lone Star century, which was like two weeks ago!
Wow -- I need to get back on the horse here... but that just shows you how busy life has been lately.
Anyways -- the Lone Star Century went REALLY well, considering the tumble and roll that spring has been to date. It turns out that, yes - even if you're just slogging along on a century back in April, you DO get something out of it, if you rest up. Rest I did, and I came back a little stronger. Started out simply enough, with a ride over to Ort's place to meet up, and then we both departed for the ride start a few miles away. The parking lot was CHOKED with riders, and the registration line was long -- a good sign for the club! I renewed my membership right there at the stand, while I was at it!
A quick reveiw of the map saw some interesting changes to the route, but nothing any worse than what I'd ridden before. Saw K-man, Atul, and Akil in the crowd, a lot of familiar faces, shook a few hands, and shortly after that we were off and riding! The sky was grim looking, but compared to last year I don't think anyone was complaining -- it was nearly 90º at the ride start last year!!! THIS was gonna be MUCH better already!
Ort and I hooked up, and started our assault. This was training - nothing more. For some reason, tho, our legs and spirits didn't get the message -- speeds were already up, and we felt surprisingly comfortable doing it --- the tailwind was helping, of course, but even a tailwind is useless if you don't have the push in your legs.
Motoring along, remembering and promising against the events of last year's ride, Ort and I spun the cranks and enjoyed the scenery, climbing a few hills and spinning out the long stretch of 151st Street near New Century Air Center, watching the marathon runners run their race. It was a rare day - the legs feeling fresh, the air fresher, and the skies opening up to a crystiline blue hue. Awesome time to be a on a bike.
A quick stop at Vinland after some more miles and some amazing vistas in the clear air, we were off again, this time into uncharted territory - the new part of the route! That hill to the west of Vinland is just as long and steep as it looks! Yeesh. It seriously reminded me of Colorado, and as I was recalling those days in 2002 climbing some mountain pass, I shifted and found myself out of gears! Dang.... spin! Spin! You have gears -- use them! It's hard to get out of "single-speed" mode, sometimes, but the recent conversion BACK to gears was beginning to pay off.
Up and over, I was actually enjoying the hills again, and revelling in the chance to enjoy the other side of them as well, with a nice rest and a little coasting.
I may not be as pure as the purest purist, but I'm enjoying my riding again - and that's all that matters!
After a few, maybe five, miles on US-59 highway (yeah..... THAT one) we finally turned onto the continuation of DG460 toward Clinton Lake -- this is a great piece of road here, but it's frequented by many cars, and it seems that in the only third year of riding this ride, the traffic count has gone WAY up out here. Frustrating, but understandable, as not just people on bicycles have cabin fever this time of year. After a few more miles, Ort and I pulled into the Clinton Lake SAG for another break. Stiffness was setting in, and my previously 'favorite' new saddle was beginning to give me some issues. Hmmm. The good news, I was finally learning from all of those past lessons, and was drinking PLENTY of water, supplemented with electrolytes. Further, a return to a successful formula always throws hindsight in my face. Fig Netwons? Well, they work great on brevet, but today my old friend Sustained Energy was along for the ride, and I felt AWESOME.
After our break, we were off again, this time to the splendorific hilliness of the Lone Star Lake area, about a dozen miles to the west. This, last year, was the deciding point --- there is something about popping, bursting, bonking, simply reaching a point of absolute fatigue that is quite dramatic when viewed from the outside. Not unlike a supernova in deep space, something that should burn steadily and brightly suddenly runs out of fuel, and several chain reactions begin to collapse. When this occurs, a rapid outward expansion of gasses causes the dying star to burn even brighter for a short time, before the conversion is finally complete and the giant globe of gas simply explodes. This is pretty much what happened to me last year -- I had a miracle moment on some of the hills leading up to Lone Star park, leading a strong pack for a few miles at a terrific pace, and shortly after I collapsed into my saddle a heap of gribbling goo - staying pretty much that way until the end of the ride, 50 miles later.
This year was quite different. Instead of imploding, I was actually feeling quite good, using the gears, using my breathing, feeling the terrain and calling on cardio to take up what the legs would normally be doing ALL of on a fixxie. With Ort close by, we traversed a few hills, and slowly made our way up,up,up to the entrance to Lone Star lake, and my favorite downhill -- and my least favorite stop sign -- in the whole of Douglas County. After climbing for nearly 15 minutes, it seems, this is the first major downhill and a good chance to rest, but resters beware of the T intersection with stop sign and blind run-ups at the bottom! Making matters worse, even if you are lucky enough NOTt to encounter crosstraffic, there is that ever-present patch of sand at the corner. Ugh. It's a 40+ MPH downhill, and a slam-on-the-brakes stop at the bottom!
After that, we're inside the park! Like every lake-park around here, it's HILLY. Seven or Eight good rollers later, we're at the rest stop, perched at the top of a big hill. Thanks! :)
In keeping with our solid schedule, I was ready to work at a little refuel, micturation, and a quick return to the highway to keep the legs fresh. My saddle wasn't feeling as good as it probably should, but I was ready to get back to work! Part of my problem was the deadline I had set for myself, which was providing a good motivation -- last year I would have been calling for a ride at this point!
Almost 15 minutes to the nose, Ort annouced his readiness, and we mounted back up and headed out.
It was gonna be a long slog back into a steady, but thankfully light, headwind - but I was still feeling fresh and strong (for once) and the water bottles were now filled with a fresh, cold dose of Sustained Energy in one, Carboplex in the other. I was ready to work, and for the first time in a long time, my body was ready, too.
Pulling into the wind - another first in a while - I led Ort and myself back east on a quest for steady and controlled speed -- speed being relative, as I still managed to get swept up by quite a few small pacelines with hard-core equipment and riders in them. Still, I was not concerned, because compared to where I was only a couple weeks eariler attempting the 400K, this was a HUGE improvement. Much like the long slow bloom of spring occuring around me, I felt like I was finally coming to life again. The push was there when I needed it, my HR was controlled, and my legs felt just a steady burn from the effort. It was starting to feel like old times again, as the miles ticked by and the pace remained fairly constant - all the way up to US-59 again.
At some point along the way, I had lost track of Ort, but I was not really wanting the feeling to drop, so I motored on, uphill, into the wind, back up the long downhill that I'd flown down about 90 minutes earlier. Steep, but not unmanagable, I chose my gearing and started to turn it over. A little ego hit, a fast paceline passed by on the left, making me long for a lighter bike, lighter body, DC motor, something... but I was managing okay. Eventually, the hill crested, and the rather dangerous intersection of US-59 and DG458 was upon me. I'm certain many people wrote letters of disdain about this particular part of the ride -- this is a dangerous turn to attempt in a CAR - bicycles are legal here, but I've never seen anyone attempt it, and now, here I was. Just like anything else - be calm, be predictable, and make your turn quickly and safely. BE SEEN. If you don't think they see you, they DON'T.
Turn completed -- whew....
Back towards Vinland, at last, and down the Colorado hill into the Vinland Valley below, I managed to catch up to a guy on .... I can't remember ... some race bike or another, with newer components, who was kind enough to exchange a few pulls with me here and there, but then turned up the heat right at the end near the rest stop -- I was feeling pretty good, but not nearly good enough to pull off a mock sprint to the SAG. Maybe in a few months. Yeesh... another stop to release some toxins, and refill bottles -- the hydration was finally becoming second nature, and it was making a difference in everything - energy, outlook on the ride, etc.
A quick scan of the horizon for Ort, and I was off again - under the clock again. Time to try and work it out.
Back in very-familiar terrority of eastern Douglas and western Johnson County, it was time to possibly cut this thing short and make that deadline -- after all, I was not terribly concerned with the landmark of the start/finish line, and I was getting a century-plus either way -- chomping up the last of 458, and even getting a little rainfall, the big steel steed and I made it to 151st Street, and then cut off near New Century Air Center, to 159th Street via the north loop road or the airport, and back east until I was home again, with about 15 minutes to spare! Most notable, the finishing push was not - again, for the first time in a LONG time - a death march. I felt a push all the way into the driveway, and was even off my bike and ready to put things away quickly, grab a recovery drink - instead of just laying prone on the garage floor, wondering when my heartrate was going to come back down. A welcome change, and definitely a feeling that I'm starting to catch up to the rider I was only a few years earlier.
It's official -- it's gonna be a GREAT summer!
Next steps: rest off the 111 miles from the Lone Star, start the commuter platform on gears and get more cadence training, and begin the ramp up for Tinbutt in July.
May 19, 2006
Ready to get serious again
Finally, the temptations from the garage are gone - the swapmeet went quite well, and all of the toys and distractions from the garage are gone to good homes. Whew.
Now I can just RIDE what I have left, and enjoy it.
A recent conversation revealed, and I kinda knew it from the start of all this, that I had it right the first time - my stable has evolved a LOT over the last year. Only a year ago I realized the Trek 720 was too small, and off it went to Acme -- and I recently saw it built-up beautifully as a single-speed with sharp and purposeful-looking gear -- made me smile. Someone loves it again!
After that, a whirlwind of shop activity in my garage saw a Schwinn World Sport float in and out again, a Free Spirit fixxie came and went, I sold the old Schwinn Passage off, the Univega went bye-bye, the Bianchi was built-up and torn-down at least four seperate times, A Surly Cross-Check came in, and then left.. a Specialized Hard Rock came in, got a quick 1200 miles on it, and left again -- the Steamroller was back, gone, back, gones, and is now back AGAIN. And finally this last weekend all of the rest of the stragglers went to new homes. Holy mackeral.
Bike nut? Indeed.
But now, FINALLY, I've settled down again. And, I'm back to exactly what I had last year.
The Kogswell took the place of the Bianchi AND the Trek, and the Steamroller takes the beater-role. I'm back to square one.
I guess it took a full year of this activity to help me realize that, yeah, everything WAS fine. What, was I SO out of it that I kept wanting to tweak, recycle, and find that perfect combination of I don't know what that I completely let my fitness go. It had nothing to do with the bikes, or the gearing or lack of gearing they had -- I simply was spending too much time in the garage, and not enough time training. I mean, spending weeks at a time off the bike because of ALL THE BIKES you had, not ONE of them was rideable for a couple weeks? What's wrong with that??? Combined with the burnout of last season, no wonder I feel like I'm starting over again.
I've started up the research, the reading, the planning, however.
It's time for the slow march back to competitiveness. I mean - back in 2003 - the year I KEEP referring to - it really didn't matter what I was riding, because I only had two bikes. I had the Schwinn Passage, which was race-ready, and I had the Trek. I commuted on the Trek, and I "went fast" on the Schwinn. Period. Back then, keeping THAT formula simple made it easier to concentrate on ME, and what I wanted to achieve ON those bikes.
Now, I've let things get far too muddy. YES - the aluminum construction of the Schwinn was making the longer rides a comfort challenge, which is what justified that sale. The Bianchi solved that issue, but what, REALLY, was wrong with the Trek? Nothing. I think I just got bored, and somewhere along the way it became more about the bikes than about ME. Displacement, redirection of blame, etc. Call it what you want - looking back now, it's clear.
I didn't want to own the fact that it was ME slipping - not the bikes holding me back.
So, lesson learned, I have a bike now that is very versatile, and every bit as light (unloaded and un-fendered) as the Schwinn was - and far more comfortable. Not a true race pedigree... but neither am I, and neither is the type of riding that I do the most of. It drives home the point:
When the fitness is there, it won't matter what is underneath you.
Refer to UMCA article on a girl that finished Furnace Creek 508 on a fixed gear - the frame was a 1976 Raliegh.
THE BIKE DON'T MATTER, MAN.
A 2006 Trek Madone 5.9 with a 30-speed Dura-Ace triple set-up would've done JUST as well -- but if you don't have enough of yourself to finish the 508, IT DON'T MATTER.
So, since I obviously like to wrench, I can keep that outlet alive AND have the bike that I deem appropriate for whatever I'm setting out to do. The Kogswell without fenders, without bag, without lights, doesn't weigh much more than a full-on race bike with aero-bars and deep-dish wheels. I no longer have a beef about this -- I might get equipment envy now and again, but it won't change the fact that I know it won't make a lick of difference.
The Steamroller just needs to exist. That's it. It's the commuter - nothing more.
If I decide to do a few competitive events or rides on it - no problem.
JUST RIDE.
So, today, as I hydrate every 5 minutes and polish off a few more carbs, I look forward to Phase One, which starts tomorrow.
Goals:
- Lose 15-20 lbs by October, without sacrificing strength.
- Train carefully on the weekends, and ensure REST is a priority.
- Get 200 miles at Tinbutt. No reason not to. (Think 2003, 4th day lap.)
- Get at least a century per month, and train for a PR at the MS-150 to bolster the Tejas goal.
- Finish Tejas; nothing more. Just FINISH.
- Rest, recover, and begin winter cross-training one month after Tejas to begin 2007 campaign as a more complete athlete. Get the break in Nov/Dec, INSTEAD of Feb/Mar like I did THIS year.
Ok -- there ya go .... let's go get some.
Now I can just RIDE what I have left, and enjoy it.
A recent conversation revealed, and I kinda knew it from the start of all this, that I had it right the first time - my stable has evolved a LOT over the last year. Only a year ago I realized the Trek 720 was too small, and off it went to Acme -- and I recently saw it built-up beautifully as a single-speed with sharp and purposeful-looking gear -- made me smile. Someone loves it again!
After that, a whirlwind of shop activity in my garage saw a Schwinn World Sport float in and out again, a Free Spirit fixxie came and went, I sold the old Schwinn Passage off, the Univega went bye-bye, the Bianchi was built-up and torn-down at least four seperate times, A Surly Cross-Check came in, and then left.. a Specialized Hard Rock came in, got a quick 1200 miles on it, and left again -- the Steamroller was back, gone, back, gones, and is now back AGAIN. And finally this last weekend all of the rest of the stragglers went to new homes. Holy mackeral.
Bike nut? Indeed.
But now, FINALLY, I've settled down again. And, I'm back to exactly what I had last year.
The Kogswell took the place of the Bianchi AND the Trek, and the Steamroller takes the beater-role. I'm back to square one.
I guess it took a full year of this activity to help me realize that, yeah, everything WAS fine. What, was I SO out of it that I kept wanting to tweak, recycle, and find that perfect combination of I don't know what that I completely let my fitness go. It had nothing to do with the bikes, or the gearing or lack of gearing they had -- I simply was spending too much time in the garage, and not enough time training. I mean, spending weeks at a time off the bike because of ALL THE BIKES you had, not ONE of them was rideable for a couple weeks? What's wrong with that??? Combined with the burnout of last season, no wonder I feel like I'm starting over again.
I've started up the research, the reading, the planning, however.
It's time for the slow march back to competitiveness. I mean - back in 2003 - the year I KEEP referring to - it really didn't matter what I was riding, because I only had two bikes. I had the Schwinn Passage, which was race-ready, and I had the Trek. I commuted on the Trek, and I "went fast" on the Schwinn. Period. Back then, keeping THAT formula simple made it easier to concentrate on ME, and what I wanted to achieve ON those bikes.
Now, I've let things get far too muddy. YES - the aluminum construction of the Schwinn was making the longer rides a comfort challenge, which is what justified that sale. The Bianchi solved that issue, but what, REALLY, was wrong with the Trek? Nothing. I think I just got bored, and somewhere along the way it became more about the bikes than about ME. Displacement, redirection of blame, etc. Call it what you want - looking back now, it's clear.
I didn't want to own the fact that it was ME slipping - not the bikes holding me back.
So, lesson learned, I have a bike now that is very versatile, and every bit as light (unloaded and un-fendered) as the Schwinn was - and far more comfortable. Not a true race pedigree... but neither am I, and neither is the type of riding that I do the most of. It drives home the point:
When the fitness is there, it won't matter what is underneath you.
Refer to UMCA article on a girl that finished Furnace Creek 508 on a fixed gear - the frame was a 1976 Raliegh.
THE BIKE DON'T MATTER, MAN.
A 2006 Trek Madone 5.9 with a 30-speed Dura-Ace triple set-up would've done JUST as well -- but if you don't have enough of yourself to finish the 508, IT DON'T MATTER.
So, since I obviously like to wrench, I can keep that outlet alive AND have the bike that I deem appropriate for whatever I'm setting out to do. The Kogswell without fenders, without bag, without lights, doesn't weigh much more than a full-on race bike with aero-bars and deep-dish wheels. I no longer have a beef about this -- I might get equipment envy now and again, but it won't change the fact that I know it won't make a lick of difference.
The Steamroller just needs to exist. That's it. It's the commuter - nothing more.
If I decide to do a few competitive events or rides on it - no problem.
JUST RIDE.
So, today, as I hydrate every 5 minutes and polish off a few more carbs, I look forward to Phase One, which starts tomorrow.
Goals:
- Lose 15-20 lbs by October, without sacrificing strength.
- Train carefully on the weekends, and ensure REST is a priority.
- Get 200 miles at Tinbutt. No reason not to. (Think 2003, 4th day lap.)
- Get at least a century per month, and train for a PR at the MS-150 to bolster the Tejas goal.
- Finish Tejas; nothing more. Just FINISH.
- Rest, recover, and begin winter cross-training one month after Tejas to begin 2007 campaign as a more complete athlete. Get the break in Nov/Dec, INSTEAD of Feb/Mar like I did THIS year.
Ok -- there ya go .... let's go get some.
Go Go Go Go!!!
WEll, I said I'd do this daily, but I skipped a day -- so what, right? AIEEIEE!!!
Anyways, the Bike Commuter Challenge is almost history - and history making it was -- I logged in this morning, and there were 303 participants! That's AWESOME, seriously!
It's been a good week, and I survived it again - with no less than two major equipment failures in the process. Thankfully, I think those problems are behind me now, and I can just ride and enjoy the benefits. The weight has started to come back off, slowly, and the fitness is coming back, too.
I've also made a commitment to myself to be smarter about this kind of thing, and that shows today -- I didn't ride to work today. "WHAaaaTTT????"
I know, I can hear the entire city revolting now. As opposed to year's past where I'd just ride myself stupid, I know that I have the Lone Star Century tomorrow - and I know that 100 miles is nothing to be cavalier about - and I know that looking at the horrid performance that went down LAST year, and the full week of brutal commutes that led up to it, well - you get the idea...
I decided to take on a smarter approach this year -- I'll still get a small amount of mileage today, but certainly not as many as in days past - and hopefully that will translate into a well-rested me for tommorow's 100-miler. That puts the cap on a solid 200 mile week!
Of course, the verdict is still out -- part of me wonders if I could just take one for the team, and get to work and home again without expending a whole lot of energy -- and then the realist chimes in and tells me I'll regret it if I try. The time to learn these lessons the hard way needs to stop -- if I think I know better, I'm probably right!
In fact, I think I'll actually take advantage of the system, and rent one of the "green bikes" today, and ride to lunch -- YEAH .... that might be a better idea. A few miles for the team, but not enough to sabatoge me for tomorrow.
Also, I'm thinking forward to Tinbutt -- I got the mailer in the post today, and I'm very excited about it already -- it's a mere 57 days away! Training for it officially starts tomorrow, that's for certain. Not sure if I can lose all the weight I want to in that time frame, but at least half of it should be gone before the starting gun fires. Keeping in mind that it has very little to do with the bike, I know that if I drop at least 10-15 lbs, I'll feel like I did a couple years ago - and that should help me get back my competitive edge. It doesn't matter what I'm riding - it matters more the condition of WHO is riding it. That WHO is me, and if me ain't in shape, the bikes fault it is not. Slimey? My home this is!
Whatever.
Ok - so, a lunch run - just to say I did - and then rest for tomorrow's century -- which should be AWESOME. Looking forward to it -- again, not a PR attempt time time -- just good solid training to bank on in July.
The ultra-guy is emerging....
Anyways, the Bike Commuter Challenge is almost history - and history making it was -- I logged in this morning, and there were 303 participants! That's AWESOME, seriously!
It's been a good week, and I survived it again - with no less than two major equipment failures in the process. Thankfully, I think those problems are behind me now, and I can just ride and enjoy the benefits. The weight has started to come back off, slowly, and the fitness is coming back, too.
I've also made a commitment to myself to be smarter about this kind of thing, and that shows today -- I didn't ride to work today. "WHAaaaTTT????"
I know, I can hear the entire city revolting now. As opposed to year's past where I'd just ride myself stupid, I know that I have the Lone Star Century tomorrow - and I know that 100 miles is nothing to be cavalier about - and I know that looking at the horrid performance that went down LAST year, and the full week of brutal commutes that led up to it, well - you get the idea...
I decided to take on a smarter approach this year -- I'll still get a small amount of mileage today, but certainly not as many as in days past - and hopefully that will translate into a well-rested me for tommorow's 100-miler. That puts the cap on a solid 200 mile week!
Of course, the verdict is still out -- part of me wonders if I could just take one for the team, and get to work and home again without expending a whole lot of energy -- and then the realist chimes in and tells me I'll regret it if I try. The time to learn these lessons the hard way needs to stop -- if I think I know better, I'm probably right!
In fact, I think I'll actually take advantage of the system, and rent one of the "green bikes" today, and ride to lunch -- YEAH .... that might be a better idea. A few miles for the team, but not enough to sabatoge me for tomorrow.
Also, I'm thinking forward to Tinbutt -- I got the mailer in the post today, and I'm very excited about it already -- it's a mere 57 days away! Training for it officially starts tomorrow, that's for certain. Not sure if I can lose all the weight I want to in that time frame, but at least half of it should be gone before the starting gun fires. Keeping in mind that it has very little to do with the bike, I know that if I drop at least 10-15 lbs, I'll feel like I did a couple years ago - and that should help me get back my competitive edge. It doesn't matter what I'm riding - it matters more the condition of WHO is riding it. That WHO is me, and if me ain't in shape, the bikes fault it is not. Slimey? My home this is!
Whatever.
Ok - so, a lunch run - just to say I did - and then rest for tomorrow's century -- which should be AWESOME. Looking forward to it -- again, not a PR attempt time time -- just good solid training to bank on in July.
The ultra-guy is emerging....
May 16, 2006
Snap, POW - AHHHHIEEEEE!!!!
Day one of the KC Bike Commuter Challenge is in the bag -- and WHAT A DAY it was, at least for me. Note to self: It's perfectly okay to have a front brake on a fixxie, even if you don't plan to use it.
Sometimes I know not what I be thinking. (good grammar)
So, I rode the brakeless fixxie to work yesterday, (mistake number one) and it felt great - totally manageable gearing, and a few semi-close calls saw me skidding to a well controlled and quite-quick stop. No problems. Until I went looking for food over my lunch break, that is.
Thankfully, all of this happened within the controlled confines of a nearly traffic-free corporate campus setting. If it'd happened anywhere else, I'd probably be typing this from a hospital room!
Things seemed okay for the first 1,000 yards or so, as I rolled up my sleeves and pant legs and trolled out of the parking garage onto the corporate parkway. Happily spinning along, I resist brake at a few crosswalks and wow the crowds with my track-stand skills. (Jedi skills, lightsaber skills...you know... skills. Girls like guys with skills.)
Anyways... something in the back end 'gives' a little, it seems -- feels like the axle pulling in the forkends, ya know? I look down and back, and everything looks fine... carry on. (mistake number two)
A few hundred yards later, the road pitches downhill and I approach a 4-way stop. This is probably my favorite part of the campus, excellent for skidding. I engage said skid.... and then it happens:
PING! skeee skeee skeee.... clang clang clang!!!! "uhhhhhh....... crap?"
Indeed. The pressure and force of simply stopping the rear wheel while in forward motion puts a TON of strain on cog, chain, lockring - basically everything. It's a complete attempt to halt all physical momentum, and every part (as basic as a fixed gear bike can be) has to share the loads and allow the bike ( and, ultimately, the rider) to survive the stop. The simplest of things, like threads on a hub, become super important. When designed correctly and out of the right materials, you just never have to think about these things. So, I don't. I respect and understand them - but the whole point is not to have to think about them.
Today, however - something gave way rather catastrophically, and I found myself completely UN-connected from the bike -- I zipped silently through the four-way stop, and continued down the grade on the other side. I can't say I was completely panicked... I mean, I looked back, and there was the cog, resting and rattling on the axle - the chain was still on it. Hmmmm. The cranks just spun freely, and there I was - totally under the control of gravity and momentum, flying headlong down corporate way -- It was exciting and freaking scary all at once.
Give Fate an inch, however... and she'll throw you over the hood of an SUV.
"... okay, this is really not safe at all, dude..."
The chances of successfully navitaging an asteroid field are approximately 512,345,000 to 1 (or something.... never tell me the odds!
Ok, Han Solo I'm NOT... and, thankfully, I wasn't being pursued by any dark lords of sith - so I elected to stop this crazy thing. Fred Flintstone style.
So, 1/8" of shoe rubber later, I came to an un-easy halt at the curb, to the confusion and stares of a few passers-by. Just as confused, I stooped down and examined the damage -- little threads of aluminum frayed out from the now dislodged lock-ring told the tale - stripped hub.
Wow -- I trashed something. Cool.
I was partly miffed, but partly amused at myself -- bad quality control or cheap parts notwithstanding, I managed to trash something. I freaking rode the threads off of a hub. Awesome... (insert Beavis-style chuckles). Cool.
Now the pennance -- I have to get rolling again, which usually equals money. Ugh.
EXTREME FIXXERS, UNITE! (we're all knuckle-dragging morons) -- Confidence only goes as far as equipment quality can take you, and as I find out 24 hours later after searching the web and reading forum posts from around the globe, the hub I was running was basically crap.
I've got a much better hub now, and a matched lockring and cog -- and I can FEEL the difference. I've got a front brake mounted now, too.
I don't plan on learning any lessons from the back of an ambulance, so even though I don't HAVE to use it - it's there -- just in case.
I may be crazy sometimes -- but I sure can act stupid, too.
Don't try this at home, kids! We're what you'd call, 'experts' --
Experts at WHAT, I can't quite say.
Sometimes I know not what I be thinking. (good grammar)
So, I rode the brakeless fixxie to work yesterday, (mistake number one) and it felt great - totally manageable gearing, and a few semi-close calls saw me skidding to a well controlled and quite-quick stop. No problems. Until I went looking for food over my lunch break, that is.
Thankfully, all of this happened within the controlled confines of a nearly traffic-free corporate campus setting. If it'd happened anywhere else, I'd probably be typing this from a hospital room!
Things seemed okay for the first 1,000 yards or so, as I rolled up my sleeves and pant legs and trolled out of the parking garage onto the corporate parkway. Happily spinning along, I resist brake at a few crosswalks and wow the crowds with my track-stand skills. (Jedi skills, lightsaber skills...you know... skills. Girls like guys with skills.)
Anyways... something in the back end 'gives' a little, it seems -- feels like the axle pulling in the forkends, ya know? I look down and back, and everything looks fine... carry on. (mistake number two)
A few hundred yards later, the road pitches downhill and I approach a 4-way stop. This is probably my favorite part of the campus, excellent for skidding. I engage said skid.... and then it happens:
PING! skeee skeee skeee.... clang clang clang!!!! "uhhhhhh....... crap?"
Indeed. The pressure and force of simply stopping the rear wheel while in forward motion puts a TON of strain on cog, chain, lockring - basically everything. It's a complete attempt to halt all physical momentum, and every part (as basic as a fixed gear bike can be) has to share the loads and allow the bike ( and, ultimately, the rider) to survive the stop. The simplest of things, like threads on a hub, become super important. When designed correctly and out of the right materials, you just never have to think about these things. So, I don't. I respect and understand them - but the whole point is not to have to think about them.
Today, however - something gave way rather catastrophically, and I found myself completely UN-connected from the bike -- I zipped silently through the four-way stop, and continued down the grade on the other side. I can't say I was completely panicked... I mean, I looked back, and there was the cog, resting and rattling on the axle - the chain was still on it. Hmmmm. The cranks just spun freely, and there I was - totally under the control of gravity and momentum, flying headlong down corporate way -- It was exciting and freaking scary all at once.
Give Fate an inch, however... and she'll throw you over the hood of an SUV.
"... okay, this is really not safe at all, dude..."
The chances of successfully navitaging an asteroid field are approximately 512,345,000 to 1 (or something.... never tell me the odds!
Ok, Han Solo I'm NOT... and, thankfully, I wasn't being pursued by any dark lords of sith - so I elected to stop this crazy thing. Fred Flintstone style.
So, 1/8" of shoe rubber later, I came to an un-easy halt at the curb, to the confusion and stares of a few passers-by. Just as confused, I stooped down and examined the damage -- little threads of aluminum frayed out from the now dislodged lock-ring told the tale - stripped hub.
Wow -- I trashed something. Cool.
I was partly miffed, but partly amused at myself -- bad quality control or cheap parts notwithstanding, I managed to trash something. I freaking rode the threads off of a hub. Awesome... (insert Beavis-style chuckles). Cool.
Now the pennance -- I have to get rolling again, which usually equals money. Ugh.
EXTREME FIXXERS, UNITE! (we're all knuckle-dragging morons) -- Confidence only goes as far as equipment quality can take you, and as I find out 24 hours later after searching the web and reading forum posts from around the globe, the hub I was running was basically crap.
I've got a much better hub now, and a matched lockring and cog -- and I can FEEL the difference. I've got a front brake mounted now, too.
I don't plan on learning any lessons from the back of an ambulance, so even though I don't HAVE to use it - it's there -- just in case.
I may be crazy sometimes -- but I sure can act stupid, too.
Don't try this at home, kids! We're what you'd call, 'experts' --
Experts at WHAT, I can't quite say.
May 15, 2006
The weekend du jour.
Ok, that title really doesn't make any sense, but it works for me.
It's a senseless Monday!
Yea! Starting off the senselessness is my transportation of choice this week, so far.
After a rousing week of commutes last week on the Kogswell, I've officially decided that I - being paranoid to a scary degree - simply can't fathom having that gem locked up outside all day long while I work. It's a great bike, but I can't be putting my good gear at risk like that every day, and consequently, this was I'll have lower maintenance costs because I'll not be logging tons of miles on one mount. It was time to return to the heady days of Sputnik and Yuri Gegarin....
I mean, the heady days of beaterdom.
The FIX IS BACK. (oh, crud -- here we go again.)
...oh, you got THAT right. Here we go again, indeed.
Fortunately, after a great swap meet on Saturday up at Acme, I amassed enough spare parts to get the Steamroller back into action, $5.00 at a time. I love swap meets.
UNfortunately, however, I forgot one minor detail. A front brake.
How can one so paranoid as to justify building up a beater again to save his good gear also justify riding a brakeless fixxie in Johnson County traffic. If this isn't a bizarre insight to how my mind works (or doesn't), I dunno WHAT is.
A crash-course in skidding, and 10-miles later, I made it to work in one piece -- but I think I might have pulled one of my SPD cleats out of my sandals. Uh-oh.
Ok, maybe a cheap front brake and an interrupter lever are in order after all?
Let's go backwards a step. It's a dual purpose "need" -- I was 'thirsty' this weekend, and riding the Kogswell to the adult beverage store seemed a little, oh I dunno - kinda like driving a Jaguar to the thrift store. So, donning the messenger bag and a cheap lock, I mounted up - and it felt right.
Let's forget for a second that only a couple blog entries before this one, I was complaining about a lack of fitness, and I was blaming it on spending too much time on a single-cog platform, right?
After reconsideration of that notion, it came to me that it wasn't the fact that I had only ONE gear, it was the fact that I had one really BIG gear. Because of the terrain around here, fixxie riding is not always pleasant - yeah, it's eastern Kansas, and we can all get ready for the flat-as-a-(insert something flat here) jokes -- but again, this is EASTERN Kansas. We're basically parked between the Flint Hills and the western foothills of what is the oldest 'mountain' range in the nation, the Ozark Mountains -- millenia of geologic activity has pretty much wiped these mountains off the map, but the hills are still very much there, and ANY cyclist around here can attest to it. Add in the bluffs and valleys from all the area creeks and rivers, and you have a terrain that is ANYTHING but flat. To combat the "spinning out" thing, I ended up riding a 42x15 gear which is like 75 inches. It's fine, and it's manageable on the uphills, and comfortable on the steep downhills, too.... but THAT gear ratio was what was sapping my top-end and ability to spin. If I was to ride NOTHING but fixed, it would have been fine -- but the results of that gear were very apparent on a bike with gears. Cut to today, I roll 42x18 -- which is more like 60 inches, and it's FAR more manageable on the uphills, and allows (forces) a higher cadence. So, I still am able to 'train' effectively. Instead of hammering at 50 RPM and getting to work in 40 minutes, I am now spinning to work and arriving in 45 minutes. That's into a headwind, so I can't balk at that time at all. Yes, the downhills are a little crazy -- but not unmanageable. YEs, I probably can't keep up with the pack on the flats -- but is that what fixed riding is about anyways? No.
So it goes, as I travel through myself on the long road of cycling life that I end up basically right back where I was before, with different frames. I cut to yester-year when I had the Trek 720, and IT WAS GEARED 42x18. Man, if I'd had this blog BACK THEN, I might have saved myself some hassle, eh??? Back then, the good bike was safe in the garage - the Bianchi. Gee-whiz....isn't that where the Kogswell is now? Hmmmmm.... smart.
Ok -- enough about that crud --- we back, and we happy.
The next big thing on the horizon is the Lone Star Century, and a year's worth of redemption ready to be dished out.
I'm really looking forward to riding with Ort again, and quite possibly a few others from the team, too -- but more importantly, I regard this as a first step towards the 12-hour race in July. This is good training, not a PR attempt or anything like that -- but if we happen to have a brisk west wind in the afternoon, that might be up for discussion. The temperatures should be much much cooler than they were last year, and in sharpest contrast are my feelings heading into the event. I feel rested, my legs don't feel like lead weights, and my resolve is strong.
My weight is about on-par, as well, with last year, and I'm not thrilled about that fact, but there is nothing I can do that will change that by this weekend -- but there is a lot of season left to do something about it. Moderation, dude --- moderation.
Full ride report will be coming, however, hopefully with some pictures if I can manage it.
Thanks for reading!
oh yeah --- it's BIKE COMMUTER CHALLENGE this week, and to celebrate, document, and exercise self-ridicule, I'll be logging in daily to give a short update.
You pretty much know how day one went, so far ... and if I don't log in tomorrow, you'll all pretty much know that you should NEVER ride a brakeless fixxie in Johnson County on a weekday afternoon. (knocking on wood RIGHT NOW) -- the key: don't be in a hurry.
Check ya later.
It's a senseless Monday!
Yea! Starting off the senselessness is my transportation of choice this week, so far.
After a rousing week of commutes last week on the Kogswell, I've officially decided that I - being paranoid to a scary degree - simply can't fathom having that gem locked up outside all day long while I work. It's a great bike, but I can't be putting my good gear at risk like that every day, and consequently, this was I'll have lower maintenance costs because I'll not be logging tons of miles on one mount. It was time to return to the heady days of Sputnik and Yuri Gegarin....
I mean, the heady days of beaterdom.
The FIX IS BACK. (oh, crud -- here we go again.)
...oh, you got THAT right. Here we go again, indeed.
Fortunately, after a great swap meet on Saturday up at Acme, I amassed enough spare parts to get the Steamroller back into action, $5.00 at a time. I love swap meets.
UNfortunately, however, I forgot one minor detail. A front brake.
How can one so paranoid as to justify building up a beater again to save his good gear also justify riding a brakeless fixxie in Johnson County traffic. If this isn't a bizarre insight to how my mind works (or doesn't), I dunno WHAT is.
A crash-course in skidding, and 10-miles later, I made it to work in one piece -- but I think I might have pulled one of my SPD cleats out of my sandals. Uh-oh.
Ok, maybe a cheap front brake and an interrupter lever are in order after all?
Let's go backwards a step. It's a dual purpose "need" -- I was 'thirsty' this weekend, and riding the Kogswell to the adult beverage store seemed a little, oh I dunno - kinda like driving a Jaguar to the thrift store. So, donning the messenger bag and a cheap lock, I mounted up - and it felt right.
Let's forget for a second that only a couple blog entries before this one, I was complaining about a lack of fitness, and I was blaming it on spending too much time on a single-cog platform, right?
After reconsideration of that notion, it came to me that it wasn't the fact that I had only ONE gear, it was the fact that I had one really BIG gear. Because of the terrain around here, fixxie riding is not always pleasant - yeah, it's eastern Kansas, and we can all get ready for the flat-as-a-(insert something flat here) jokes -- but again, this is EASTERN Kansas. We're basically parked between the Flint Hills and the western foothills of what is the oldest 'mountain' range in the nation, the Ozark Mountains -- millenia of geologic activity has pretty much wiped these mountains off the map, but the hills are still very much there, and ANY cyclist around here can attest to it. Add in the bluffs and valleys from all the area creeks and rivers, and you have a terrain that is ANYTHING but flat. To combat the "spinning out" thing, I ended up riding a 42x15 gear which is like 75 inches. It's fine, and it's manageable on the uphills, and comfortable on the steep downhills, too.... but THAT gear ratio was what was sapping my top-end and ability to spin. If I was to ride NOTHING but fixed, it would have been fine -- but the results of that gear were very apparent on a bike with gears. Cut to today, I roll 42x18 -- which is more like 60 inches, and it's FAR more manageable on the uphills, and allows (forces) a higher cadence. So, I still am able to 'train' effectively. Instead of hammering at 50 RPM and getting to work in 40 minutes, I am now spinning to work and arriving in 45 minutes. That's into a headwind, so I can't balk at that time at all. Yes, the downhills are a little crazy -- but not unmanageable. YEs, I probably can't keep up with the pack on the flats -- but is that what fixed riding is about anyways? No.
So it goes, as I travel through myself on the long road of cycling life that I end up basically right back where I was before, with different frames. I cut to yester-year when I had the Trek 720, and IT WAS GEARED 42x18. Man, if I'd had this blog BACK THEN, I might have saved myself some hassle, eh??? Back then, the good bike was safe in the garage - the Bianchi. Gee-whiz....isn't that where the Kogswell is now? Hmmmmm.... smart.
Ok -- enough about that crud --- we back, and we happy.
The next big thing on the horizon is the Lone Star Century, and a year's worth of redemption ready to be dished out.
I'm really looking forward to riding with Ort again, and quite possibly a few others from the team, too -- but more importantly, I regard this as a first step towards the 12-hour race in July. This is good training, not a PR attempt or anything like that -- but if we happen to have a brisk west wind in the afternoon, that might be up for discussion. The temperatures should be much much cooler than they were last year, and in sharpest contrast are my feelings heading into the event. I feel rested, my legs don't feel like lead weights, and my resolve is strong.
My weight is about on-par, as well, with last year, and I'm not thrilled about that fact, but there is nothing I can do that will change that by this weekend -- but there is a lot of season left to do something about it. Moderation, dude --- moderation.
Full ride report will be coming, however, hopefully with some pictures if I can manage it.
Thanks for reading!
oh yeah --- it's BIKE COMMUTER CHALLENGE this week, and to celebrate, document, and exercise self-ridicule, I'll be logging in daily to give a short update.
You pretty much know how day one went, so far ... and if I don't log in tomorrow, you'll all pretty much know that you should NEVER ride a brakeless fixxie in Johnson County on a weekday afternoon. (knocking on wood RIGHT NOW) -- the key: don't be in a hurry.
Check ya later.
May 9, 2006
Flap envy.
Ahhh, the splash-guard. Unsung hero of the wet commute. Those in the know, know that fenders are seldom "enough" - only a good set of flaps can truly transform a sloppy commute into an enjoyable one.
Last night, rummaging thru the garage I came across a horribly under-used hammer hanger. This clever device is designed to loop thru a workman or lineman belt, allowing the user to drop a standard claw hammer into the attached metal loop, keeping it handy but out of the way as they shimmy up a utility pole. Not being a workman or a lineman, I've naturally seldom used this to its potential. I think at one point I imagined using this while working on the gutters around the house - but there it had sat in its box for who-knows-how-long. Well made and sturdy, it was a shame to see it going to waste.
After a wet ride this last weekend, I found myself having "flap-envy" - a friend has a gorgeous new Rivendell replete with SKS fenders and handsome leather splash flaps, front and rear. Seeing this in my head as I held the hammer hanger in my hands, I took up some utility scissors.
Trimming a long section from its middle, I began to see my vision take shape. Some careful trimming, a few new holes drilled in the end of the front fender, and a little digging thru the hardware drawer - and viola: Yeah, it's missing the Brooks logo, or the GB logo - but it works, and it's far prettier than the hacked water bottle that was previously doing the job.
A little mink oil, a little drying overnight in the garage, and nature's perfect timing this morning - a cold front pushes thru, and rain begins. Perfect!
The flap does, as expected, wonderfully - and my trusty Kogswell gets a little nudge up the "classy" ladder. You never know what you'll find in the garage, and how it might elevate your ride.
Enjoy, tinkerers!
Last night, rummaging thru the garage I came across a horribly under-used hammer hanger. This clever device is designed to loop thru a workman or lineman belt, allowing the user to drop a standard claw hammer into the attached metal loop, keeping it handy but out of the way as they shimmy up a utility pole. Not being a workman or a lineman, I've naturally seldom used this to its potential. I think at one point I imagined using this while working on the gutters around the house - but there it had sat in its box for who-knows-how-long. Well made and sturdy, it was a shame to see it going to waste.
After a wet ride this last weekend, I found myself having "flap-envy" - a friend has a gorgeous new Rivendell replete with SKS fenders and handsome leather splash flaps, front and rear. Seeing this in my head as I held the hammer hanger in my hands, I took up some utility scissors.
Trimming a long section from its middle, I began to see my vision take shape. Some careful trimming, a few new holes drilled in the end of the front fender, and a little digging thru the hardware drawer - and viola: Yeah, it's missing the Brooks logo, or the GB logo - but it works, and it's far prettier than the hacked water bottle that was previously doing the job.
A little mink oil, a little drying overnight in the garage, and nature's perfect timing this morning - a cold front pushes thru, and rain begins. Perfect!
The flap does, as expected, wonderfully - and my trusty Kogswell gets a little nudge up the "classy" ladder. You never know what you'll find in the garage, and how it might elevate your ride.
Enjoy, tinkerers!
May 8, 2006
Video experimentation
A mistake on the road with the digital camera results in our first video experiment. Realizing I had some low-end software available, I played and tweaked a little, and found it to be very entertaining. This is a work in progress, a rough-draft of things to come. Enjoy...an epic saga of caffeine, cycling, and bad camera angles:
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