Rev Rider

Mike B & I decided two important things for this year’s Seagull Century.

1. This would be a “training” and confidence building ride for our upcoming 600k in a week.
2. (And this was a late decision) We would go fast whenever the conditions and riding partners warranted.  This also meant for us that we would skip the first rest stop and attempt to be quick at the others.

These two decisions resulted in a lot of fun!

We pushed off just after 7:01 am and quickly found a comfortable pace, passing most of the riders we encountered.  We held just over 18 mph steady.  Somewhere near the end of our first 5 miles, we had a group go by us that we latched on to and rode pretty consistently with a group of riders that numbered as few as 6 and as many as 25.

More than anything, our 5 mile splits tell the tale.

Miles per hour average over 5 mile “splits”

We skipped the first stop as planned.  Our group fell apart as some of those riders stopped.  We continued and found some other riders who asked that we join them.  We arrived at the mile 42 stop in under 2 hours.  We stopped briefly as the volunteers were still setting up the rest stop.  I had a first here.  I used a clean, unused portapotty!  After a very brief stop (drain and refill fluids) we climbed back on the bike and were off.  Most of the group we rode in with joined us, and again we flew down the highway.  We arrived at the 62 mile stop in Assateague in just under 3 hours.  We lingered just a little.  Fluids were topped off and I ate a couple of cookies, a banana, and two dill pickles!  Then, we were on our way again.  After working hard to hang on to a fast group that was very inconsistent, Mike and I let them go and mostly traveled together, being joined occasionally by a few riders at a time when we passed them.  We were content to slow our pace a bit, knowing full well that we both had personal record-setting paces established that would hold.  Our new goal was a sub-5 hour rolling time on our Century.  We arrived at the 83 mile rest stop at about 11:10 am.  We both had pie and ice cream and once again topped off our fluids.  A little fatigue was setting in but we were both feeling pretty strong at the same time.  Climbing back on the bikes we were a good team, taking turns in the lead and moving along nicely.

Crossing that finish line with a rolling time of 4:53:29 was amazing.  That means we had only about 30 minutes off the bike in those 100 miles, in the 3 rest stops.  It was 12:25 pm and we had also beaten the real heat of the day.  The on bike temperature was 90° F, and I’m sure that it went close to 100 a couple of hours later.  We met up with my family.  We had a free beer, courtesy of Eastern Shore Distributing (they gave away a beer to the first 100 finishers in the beer tent).  Showers came next, then lunch and a couple more recovery drinks as we watched the steady stream of riders coming in.

We never had to battle crowds at the rest stops.  There were always fewer than 40 riders at any rest stop when we were present.

We did not have many people to pass after the first 5-10 miles, and so we could relax a bit.

We did encounter inexperienced pace line riders.  That was frustrating, especially the guy I nicknamed “THE CRACKEN”.

This guy did everything wrong in a pace line.  He joined us at about mile 8.  When he decided to join us, he did so in the middle of the paceline rather than at the end as custom and safety would dictate.  He couldn’t ride a straight line if his life depended on it.  One moment he would be offset to the right of the rider ahead of him, then without warning would suddenly be 3 feet over to the left.  We had to give him extra room when following him.  When it was his turn to pull, he surged ahead by about 4 mph, held it for about half a mile, then drifted back, totally spent.  It really messed with the rhythm of the ride.  It was one of these surges that got him the nickname.  Mike had been pulling well for about 2 miles.  His pace was nice and steady and yet fast.  He pulled off the front and as Mike drifted back by me, I said to Mike that he had “released THE CRACKEN”, warning him that we had already accelerated 3 mph.  THE CRACKEN cracked very quickly and our pace settled down again to a manageable range.

Unfortunately, I don’t think THE CRACKEN ever learned much about riding in a pace line during this ride.

All in all a good day on the bike.  It was a confidence builder.  We sped around the 100 mile course, knowing that in just a week we would be riding nearly 4 times that distance.  At the end of the ride, we had a lot more ride left in our legs, despite the speed.

Next up: An amazing result to a special pledge drive for the Malaria Campaign, a week of easy rides, and the 600k, the climax of my 2013 riding.  Watch for the details!

This ride 102.3 miles
Malaria Campaign: 2,483.9 miles
Funds Pledged: $1,327.46
Contributed in support: $2,453.60

Total = $3,781.06

I’m using this post to catch up and to lay out what is ahead.

When we last visited (other than the update for the Malaria Campaign) I was finalizing steps for a 327k (200 mile) ride on September 27th.  I’m pleased to say that ride went very well.  Mike and I finished in 15.5 hours, including a lunch stop for an hour in Salisbury and the repair of a rear flat on Mike’s bike.  This was a good confidence builder for the upcoming 600k (378 mile ride) about a week from now.

Recovery from that 300k took me two days plus.  I slept for 10 hours Friday night.  I wasn’t very much on form on Saturday and Sunday.  Monday I started feeling more like myself again.

I rode the regular route Monday and Tuesday, and both were an effort.  Wednesday I sat on the edge of the bed for a couple of minutes and decided to lay down and go back to sleep for a couple of hours.  That was the best decision I made all week.  On Thursday when I rode again with the 5:45 group, I had an easy ride at a much faster pace.  Fatigue counts!  This morning was a good breakfast ride.

This has been a busy week of preparation.  I purchased a front bag for the bike, which necessitated a couple of “cockpit” changes that are still in the works.  I had to buy a new “light bar” and I’ve ordered new shifters so that routing the cables will not be an issue.  After tomorrow’s ride, the bike will get cleaned and lubed and probably new tires … at least on the rear.  I’ll be without the Kona at least one morning ride as she is fitted with the new shifters.  The light bar and bag mount has already been added.  Watch for reviews of those components after the 600k.

Tomorrow is the Seagull Century (100 miles).  It was my first “organized” century ride in 2010 and contributed to my entry into Randonneuring.  This year it is a simple warm-up ride for the 600k a week later.  It is close to 1/4 the distance I plan to ride a week later.  Mike and I will ride together to further “practice” our teamwork.

Next week, the plan is to ride daily (Monday-Sunday).  I’d like to make up the missed ride from this week somehow.  In any event, by the end of next week, I will have logged the miles equivalent to circling the globe (at the equator)!  That’s a great milestone to have.

9/27-10/4: 290.1 miles
Malaria Campaign: 2,381.5 miles
Funds Pledged: $1,276.26
Contributed in support: $2,453.60

Total = $3,729.86

I operated purely on routine this morning.  I was up minutes before the alarm rang.  I got ready purely out of habit … in fact, I don’t remember any of the preparations.  They were simply routine.  I dressed warmer than the conditions called for because Mike and I were riding a slow, easy pace before tomorrow’s 200 mile ride.  More clothes means I didn’t have to exercise hard to keep warm.  It was dark, which suited me fine as I rolled easily toward the Rusty Bridge with barely a coherent thought.

Suddenly, from the right side of the trail, a bunny dashed across in front of me, turned abruptly and ran along the left side of my front wheel for about 10 feet, then abruptly dashed off to my left.  For that brief time when the bunny was inches from my wheel, I was convinced I was going to hit it and was already tensed for the fall.  My heart rate spiked.  I had to work at calming down.  I used up my luck for the day within the first mile of my ride.

After this scare, the rest of the ride was uneventful, even if I remained hyper-alert.  Five of us took it easy, so easy that we were passed by a commuter!  We talked about long upcoming rides.  Most of the ride is a blur.  I’m hard pressed to even remember details about key intersections.

Today is the turning point in terms of sunlight for these parts.  Sunrise was 6:57.  Sunset is 6:57.  Tomorrow the sun is below the horizon for three minutes more than it is above the horizon.  It was a nice sunrise though.

This Ride: 22.2 miles
Malaria Campaign: 2,091.5 miles
Funds Pledged: $1,131.26
Contributed in support: $2,453.60

Total = $3,584.86

Wow!  Wow! Wow!

From the saddle of the bike we were treated with a spectacular sunrise this morning.  Since it is dark when we start riding and the sun rises near the end of the ride, we get to observe the whole thing.  It is a video, not a snapshot.  The deep reds resolved to salmon to yellow to simply the bright blue sky.  These early autumn days are some of the most enjoyable to ride.

There were 8 of us out this morning … three speedy youngins and 5 more sedate (but still quick) older guys.  The fixie was still my ride this morning, and I wondered if I had the right gearing.  My legs were spinning.

Despite the good company, pleasant temperatures, and clear air … that sunrise takes the cake.

This Ride: 20.9 miles
Malaria Campaign: 2,069.4 miles
Funds Pledged: $1,120.21
Contributed in support: $2,453.60

Total = $3,573.81

The next several weeks should be quite interesting.  I’m on a quest to achieve three significant milestones for me.

1. Projections say that October 11 or there about, I should have completed my first lap around the globe (at the equator) on the bike.  Mileage will be 24,901.55 since January 1, 2010.
2. October 12-13 I’m working at completing my first 600 k ride (about 375 miles), the longest ride I’ve attempted (by some 150 miles).
3. I’m on track to exceed 1,000 miles in a 30 day period of time.  It might also happen in the calendar month of October … but it is less likely.  I may have done this distance before in 2011, but it would take some work for me to figure this out now and I don’t have the time or inclination to do it this morning.  Needless to say, 1,000 miles in a month is a great effort, even if I’ve done it before.

This morning’s ride was uneventful.  We had 8 people stick around for coffee and conversation.  I was on the fixie.  The geared bike is in the shop for preventative maintenance.

This Ride: 20.2 miles
Malaria Campaign: 2,048.5 miles
Funds Pledged: $1,109.76
Contributed in support: $2,453.60

Total = $3,563.36

It is a precious thing that has the ability to ground us in reality and to provide the kind of normalcy that re-establishes routines.  That is cycling for me.

Each ride has a rhythm.

It starts with solitude and patience.  I pull out of my driveway, making sure the lights are all on and I’m ready to go.  I reach the end of my street and often must wait for the traffic to pass by.  This patient waiting helps slow the morning down.  I wait until it is clear, then turn onto the 4 lane divided highway, riding the left shoulder for a quarter of a mile to the traffic light.  I’m alert and curious.  Alert for traffic.  Curious as to whether or not I’ll make the light, have to stop, or decide to cross against the red left turn arrow.  As soon as the traffic light has been negotiated, I’m riding solo in the dark for the next 10-15 minutes.  It is now when I usually encounter wildlife.  A couple of mornings ago it was a fox loping ahead of me for about 50 yards.  This morning it was a small raccoon that challenged me for possession of the trail.  I prevailed.

I’m usually the first to arrive at the Rusty Bridge for the last few minutes of solitude.  I welcome the other riders and the conversations begin immediately.  I’m amazed at how we recognize one another in the dark by the light patterns accompanied by the way the bike moves under the rider.  This morning there were 4 of us.  We move along the well-established route, calling out traffic as it appears and silently reminding one another of the major potholes with a simple gesture.  At some point along the ride, we switch “partners” without comment.  It allows new conversations.  No one says, “let’s go faster/let’s slow down”.  We simply adjust to the whim of the group again without comment.  Sometimes we are single file.  Sometimes we are doubled.  Rarely are we three abreast … but it happens.

Near the end of the group part of the ride we have riders splitting off for home.  We say our farewells, and each of us has opportunity to close the ride with a little more solitude.  My route home has some quiet trail riding ending with attentive highway riding.  I also end with a hill which gives me the opportunity to either settle into a steady climb or sprint home.  Sometimes, like this morning, I start with a sprint then decide to back off and ease my way up the hill.

This routine sets the mood for the day, and grounds me.  I know of no better start to the day.

This Ride: 21.1 miles
Malaria Campaign: 2,028.3 miles
Funds Pledged: $1,099.66
Contributed in support: $2,453.60

Total = $3,553.26

On Thursday, September 12, while Clint P and I were in Tuscany, Italy on vacation a simple bike ride was planned.  Clint had discovered the previous day that mountain bikes were available for use by those staying at Borgo di Vagli.  Immediately Clint could not be contained.  We tested out the bikes, found them to be adequate and planned a coffee run into the nearby town of Mercatale.

It was a crisp, cool morning, perfect for what we expected to be an easy ride into town and a much more challenging return.  Our spouses armed with cameras were ready to send us off on the adventure.  We had no maps, just an elevation profile and a text description of the trail.  We launched down the trail and came to an abrupt stop within the first 30 meters.  The trail was a steep downhill and very narrow and neither of us had sufficient control to make it safe to ride this initial section of the route.  Our spouses had urged us to take the road rather than the trail, and within those first 30 meters, we agreed that the women had a good idea.

We turned around, made our way back to the 2k long gravel road and chose the alternative route.

You would think this would be easy.  Shifting was through handlebar grip shifters.  On the first uphill of many, as I stood on the pedals I twisted the right grip shifter and immediately found myself shifted into a sufficiently large gear that climbing the hill was impossible.  I got off and walked to the top.  The gravel on the road was loose, and we found ourselves attempting to maintain control on the downhills and finding the right torque on the uphills.  Have I said that this was my first ride ever on a mountain bike?

Soon enough those first 2 kilometers of gravel were behind us and we had paved road and all downhill to the town where coffee and pastries were calling our names.  We kept the speed down under 35 mph.  Not only were these bikes new to us, but both had semi-inflated tires.  We had not been able to locate a tire pump before setting off on our journey.

In Mercatale Clint ordered a chocolate filled pastry along with his cappuccino and I simply had an espresso.  We ate/sipped outside under clear blue skies.  Before returning to our villa, we located a small gas station with an air hose and gauge and topped off each of the tires.  They had been under-inflated by 50%.  We started back the way we came, stopping for a photo with the hill and the castle in the background.  It then occurred to me that taking the trail back might not only be more interesting than the highway, but also since we were more confident on the bike, much more enjoyable.  We backtracked into Mercatale, found the terminus of the route, and began to make our way up toward Borgo di Vagli.

I say up, because that is indeed what it was.  It started as pavement, then turned to gravel.  Over the next mile and a half we climbed about 800 feet with an average grade of 10% … a Category 3 climb, although it felt much more like an HC classification ride.  We stopped as needed to take in the scenery, to get our breathing back in control, and to make sure we were on the right route.  Near the very peak of our climb back “home” the fun really started.

We encountered a rather large meadow on the side of a mountain.  The terrain was steep and it looked like the trail crossed the meadow.  We followed the “trail” (the gravel had been left behind quite some time ago) and saw an abandoned stone building that must have been at least 200 years old.  We continued to descend down the steep hillside of the meadow, convinced we had found the trail at the bottom.  Before we got to the bottom of the meadow, Clint started to lose control of his bike, the rear wheel not biting well in the grass and loose rocky soil and in an instant was suddenly flying over his handlebars landing in a heap with the bike on top of him.  I asked if he was ok as I carefully moved past him on the downhill.  As he was saying he was ok, I repeated his performance.  I landed in some raspberry bushes full of sharp thorns.  Clint helped me up, we dusted ourselves off, and other than some bruising and scratches, we both seemed to be ok.  The bikes were fine.

Continuing downhill, we discovered that the meadow did not end with a trail.  We pushed our bikes back up the 20-30% grade to another flat spot that was the promising start to the trail and found it was also impassable.  It was then I decided I was not going to push the heavy bike around while I searched out the trail head.  I laid the bike down, as did Clint, and I took off up very steep terrain to find the trail.  Meanwhile, Clint returned to his bike, and pushed it up to the old cabin.  He returned to push my bike uphill … and couldn’t find the bike.  Meanwhile, I struck out on finding the trail.  I texted Sherry telling her we were lost and would be delayed.  Worse case scenario would be to return to Mercatalie and head back via the road.  I called out to Clint, found him, and he asked me if I had moved my bike.  I hadn’t.  Back down the hill we went and sure enough, the bike was gone.

We walked back up hill, re-orienting ourselves, and went back to where the bike should be.  It was still gone.  This is an example of trying to repeat something often enough until you get the result you want.  I then rewound the tape in my head, remembered that after our crash we had walked the bike up and to the left onto another flat spot on the side of the mountain.  As I’m retracing my steps to that new spot, Clint sees a metallic glint that turns out to be the bike.  I grab it, and we make our way to the old building where we hope Clint’s bike remains.  As the bike is being pushed up the hill, I hear the unmistakable sound of an air leak in a tire.  I quickly find the spot that is leaking, but we have no repair tools for the impending flat.  Arriving at Clint’s bike, his rear tire is completely flat, and we still don’t know where the trail is.

Going back to our text directions, I read the directions as if we had left on the trail from Borgo di Vagli and discover that the instructions say that when you get to a meadow, stay left and do not be lured into the meadow.  Reversing that, we made our way to the place where we had entered the meadow, and there in front of us plain as day was the trail we should have taken.  We had not seen it previously.

It was now a matter of riding the remaining 3/4 mile to our villa over narrow trails and some steep hills.  We crossed a couple of small streams.  Clint rode the flat and I rode a softening front tire.  When the trail narrowed even further, we hopped off the bikes and walked uphill the last couple of hundred meters, breaking into the lawn where our adventure had started quite some time ago.

The Garmin I carried in my pocket recorded the entire trip.  We completed 8.6 miles in what seemed like an all morning adventure.

I have a new respect for mountain bikers.  We frequently were on the edge of being out of control on the descents.  I may comfortably ride inches from other riders while traveling at speeds above 20 mph, but going down steep hills on loose soil with ineffective braking is a whole different kind of riding.

Our Route!

Elevation Profile: The green shaded area is the Cat 3 climb out of Mercatale.

Coffee!

Chilling before the ride back

We have to climb above that castle

Clint climbs the lonely road before it gets really steep.

A fun time was had by all!

September 6 – 16 Lori and I traveled to Tuscany, Italy with Clint and Sherry from SPP.  The vacation was wonderful and the bike riding was quite minimal.

Clint and I rode mountain bikes once in Tuscany for an epic ride which featured a Category 3 climb on gravel, getting lost, losing a bike for half an hour, each of us being thrown over the handlebars and crashing and developing 2 flats with no repair kit available.  This all happened during an 8.6 mile ride which featured 2,000 feet of climbing, most of which was in the last half and grades of up to 30%.  It was a lot of fun.  (I know, I’m a sick and demented soul.)

Italy is 6 hours ahead of Maryland’s time zone, so Tuesday morning I was awake by 1 am Maryland time and ready to ride the 5:45 coffee ride with SPP.  That was a good time and easy pace.

This morning was quite chilly.  Temperature ranges were between 41° & 50° F, depending on the thermometer one consulted.  Dressed properly, it wasn’t so bad.  I remember my first sub 50° ride and swearing that was my lower limit on temperatures.  The first 1/3 of the ride was leisurely.  The 2nd half was quick.  No incidents to report and it simply felt good to be out on the bike again.  It is much darker longer these mornings.

These Rides: 51.9 miles
Malaria Campaign: 1,958.3 miles
Funds Pledged: $1,064.66
Contributed in support: $2,453.60

Total = $3,518.26