A quiet, gentle, friendly ride was in the cards today, and it was quite enjoyable. There were six of us out with Bryan on his new Seven bike and Chip fresh from the 300k this weekend. We rode two by two all morning catching up with the goings on and ooohhhing and aaahhhing over Bryan’s bike. The pace was so easy that at times my heart rate fell below 100, and yet we averaged 16 mph.
It is great to have more daylight in the mornings. The changing light conditions I think does more to keep the routine rides interesting than just about anything else … except the company.
And so draws to a close the month of April. I missed my goal of 700 miles (by 35 miles). I accomplished the Flèche. I’m moving into May with some enthusiasm to increase these miles and the foot isn’t complaining nearly as much as before.
This Ride: 21.7 miles
Month: 664.6 miles
2012: 1597.8 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 15,451.5 miles
For me to be on track to meet my 700 mile goal for the month, a longer day was required today. I really wasn’t in the mood for a very long ride alone, and when Mike said he was not riding to work today, it took the desire for a long day right out of me. You add that to the fact that because of a chaotic week, I’ve not yet written Sunday’s sermon, and I was lucky to squeeze 33 miles out. That only happened because of the encouragement/cajoling of a couple of friends on the way back home from breakfast. A ride would have been enjoyable. Sometimes work and life gets in the way.
Fifty degrees at the start, people out of town, and very windy conditions resulted in a smaller than average group out for the breakfast ride. By the time we got to Annapolis, there were 6 of us. Jeff showed up later by car. We ate outside this morning, a first for this year, and probably fairly routine now through fall. There was a fair amount of talk about the upcoming Ocean City Ride. Some of the regulars won’t be riding because they are riding the Super Randonneur Series, with long rides every other weekend. That puts a lot of demands on weekends away from home.
This was one of those base mile days. I was on the fixie, and putting in these kind of ordinary days is what makes those longer days and the epic rides possible.
This Ride: 33.2 miles
Month: 642.9 miles
2012: 1576.2 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 15,429.8 miles
I was tentative this morning. I had a late night at work following a very long day. Rain was forecast. When the alarm rang, the first thing I did was check the radar. Rain was in the area, a little north of Severna Park. There was a chance for light rain. It was 55° F. The pavement was dry. Time to ride the bike.
I struggled. The fender went on. I pulled the rain jacket over a short sleeve jersey (guaranteeing no rain). I actually got out of the house a little early but found that my legs just didn’t want to spin very fast. I had a slow trip to the Rusty Bridge. We were 6 on the bridge, and we picked up Chip shortly after the ranger station. The speed out of the gate was quick, but not too bad. It didn’t pick up until Jennings Road, where we simply eased into a fast pace, so by the time we hit the trail again, we were fast … and accelerating. I held on until Old County Road, and let them go. I opted to go straight on Old County and would let them catch me after their loop through Round Bay. They caught me before the trail! I latched on to the paceline and never looked at my speedometer, but later noted that we had over 28 mph on this stretch to the end. I was behind Clint near the end, and slowed as he slowed, probably costing me my fastest average speed on that segment. Coming back, the pace was still very fast. I hung on until Glen Oban when I simply couldn’t hold the wheels any longer. I was pushing a high average speed by that time and that knowledge kept me spinning at the top of my aerobic heart rate range.
I opted to keep the ride about 2 miles shorter than usual just to maintain the high average speed. It worked. This ride overall was my fastest this year, and yet, there were no records set on any of the segments I track. I’m still not as strong as I was in October/November 2011, but I’m getting stronger. I left nothing in the tank this morning, it was all out on the course.
And of course, no rain. I was completely overdressed for that amount of effort. I’m ready for an easier pace tomorrow.
This Ride: 19.9 miles
Month: 609.8 miles
2012: 1543.0 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 15,396.6 miles
Having committed to the Tuesday Evening Pizza Ride, I bailed on Tuesday morning’s ride (I know, this is no excuse. I could have ridden both.) being pretty fatigued and yet made the Pizza Ride. These commitments matter to me.
There were three of us for the Pizza Ride; Janet, Kristi, and I. We set an easy pace down the trail negotiating all the pedestrian and cycling traffic, then picked up the pace a bit once we hit the roads. The first half of the route was quite heavily traveled, yet we experienced only one vehicle driver who sped by us without the mandatory three foot passing distance. That’s actually better than I remember last year. It was a nice ride. We finished at the local pizza joint where I purchased 2 calzones and carried them home on the bike for supper.
Then, this morning, 10 of us hit the trail/road for Wicked-Wimpy Wednesday. There were 6 who were taking it pretty easy, although my pace averaged over 17 mph for the morning ride. It was a great morning to be out and there was plenty of good company. I think I do better on the morning rides if I eat a banana before heading out the door. This morning was one of those banana days, and the ride felt pretty easy for as quick as we were. I was still strong at the end.
These Rides: 49.7 miles
Month: 589.9 miles
2012: 1523.1 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 15,376.8 miles
Sometimes life gets in the way of writing about riding … but that doesn’t mean that all the cycling has disappeared.
Since we last met: I rode an easy ride on Wednesday. I skipped Thursday. I rode the fixie 52 miles on Friday. I’ve not ridden since. If you demand an excuse for missing Mosey Monday, I’ll have to say that 42 and rain didn’t seem very attractive to me. I just might miss Tuesday morning also, although the jury is still out on that one. The forecast low is 35° F. I’ve committed to the “Tuesday Night Pizza Ride” which begins at 5:30 pm, and is a little longer than my usual morning ride. This nor’easter that rolled through here Sunday really has mucked up the weather. There is significant snow in Johnstown, PA where I lived before moving here, and we’ve had pretty steady rain/drizzle since Sunday morning.
My Flèche ride last weekend got noticed. Ride With GPS.com had a contest going from Saturday, April 14 – Friday, April 20th. Of the people who entered and logged miles, I had the single longest ride and placed 3rd overall. (I think I also had the shortest ride.) They’ve offered me a year of premium service free! Mike B told me about the contest, but he had not entered his miles as of this morning, so I don’t think he pushed me out of 3rd and he didn’t tie me for longest ride. His loss!
The next bigger ride is the Ocean City Ride on Cinqo de Mayo, just over a week away. I’ll only be able to ride one way, and there is a costume/decorations to plan. I thought about riding the fixie, but I’m not sure I could sustain the speeds we might hit. I’d need to get a different cog on the fixie for that ride. I’ll have to look into that. That will be the next most interesting ride report on the horizon.
Updated stats:
Month: 540.2 miles
2012: 1473.4 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 15,327.1 miles
Only one of the Severna Park Peloton Flèche riders spent time on the bike yesterday. This morning there were six of us out for an easy ride on the trail. We caught up with one another and the stories from the ride flowed by. There was little effort. We let the fast riders go. The biggest clue to our recovery pace was my average heart rate of 111 and speed of 15 mph.
I did gamble on which light battery to take, since both batteries are identical, and chose the one I rode with on the Flèche. That meant 1/4 of the way into the ride it ran out of juice. By then, daylight was just moments away and there was no significant impact.
It is time to start looking ahead to the next goals. We’ve got a May 5 ride to Ocean City planned. I may ride again to Ocean City on May 30. Either of these could be a fixie ride. With this last ride in the bag I could start the R-12 series again. I’m not interested in the Super Randonneuring Series this year. That would be a 200k, 300k, 400k, & 600k. But those need to be organized ACP rides, and that makes it much harder for me. I could set a goal of riding the 1000k next year, and I’m considering the Lap of Lake Ontario which should be in July (625 miles).
In the meantime, I’ll get out most mornings and ride my 20+ miles. I’ll ride longer distances when I can. I’ll enjoy it all.
This Ride: 21.8 miles
Month: 466.4 miles
2012: 1399.6 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 15,253.2 miles
Here it is, 10:00 am and I haven’t ridden yet today. I might get out this afternoon for a very slow recovery ride … and then again, might not.
These are some “observations” post-Flèche as I take a quick break from work.
Physical
I took a 3 hour nap when I got home after the 24 hour ride, and drug myself out of bed and into the rest of the day Sunday. I felt remarkably refreshed. Lori and I washed her car. We accomplished some work around the house. I watched a movie with Lori and did not fall asleep during it. I did go to bed at about 9:00 pm and slept through to 5:00 am.
My mouth was dry all day Sunday. I just couldn’t get enough moisture in my mouth without feeling bloated. I’m better this morning, but I’m still thirsty.
I’m hungry. It is 10:00 and I’m ready for lunch.
My thighs have a little muscle soreness to them. It is not bad. I don’t want to sit all day, so I’ve planned activities so that I can be up and down throughout the day. Climbing steps feels good. Descending steps is a little more painful. I have light bruising on the palms of my hands. My right foot is a little sore when I walk. The ride inflamed my post-surgical foot so I’ve got a little more swelling than I had before the ride. I felt every pedal stroke of the last 100 miles in that foot. Sunday my shoulders were tight … rock hard tight. Today that is better. My butt? I’m aware of some very light soreness, but not uncomfortably so.
Emotional
The ride to the finish and the finish itself was a lot of fun and a real thrill. The camaraderie and the celebration of welcoming other friends into the finish was simply joy-filled.
Intellectual
I’m clearly not firing on all cylinders this morning. I’m easily distracted (did I mention I’m hungry?). Tasks are taking a little longer than usual to accomplish.
Other
I wore the Showers Pass Elite 2.0 jacket and loved it! I was able to ventilate it enough to stay comfortable in temperatures that would have been challenging for anything else I own. I’ll do a review later.
I’m frustrated by the shifting of the Kona. It seems to me that the barrel adjuster vibrates loose. It was perfectly tuned early in the ride. The last half of the ride I couldn’t get it adjusted where it would hold. I had shifting problems that entire last half.
I’m glad I put so much work in the route planning. The cue sheet was spot on. The gpx files had only one glitch in 235 miles. I really didn’t need either the gpx file or the cue sheet as the route was firmly in mind. Controls were just the right distance apart. I didn’t really have to worry about navigation (although the last leg into Gettysburg still seems like it took forever).
The team worked very well together. We each made good contributions to the ride.
I was amazed at the amount of stuff I carried that I did not use. The only item of clothing I took at the last minute that I did not use were gators for my shoes in the event of rain. We had rain. I didn’t really take the time to put them on. It didn’t get cold enough where that mattered much. Unused were bike tools, spare tubes, CO2, extra cue sheet, extra Control card, several extra plastic bags, spokes, first-aid kit, extra hand/toe warmers, and the like. At least half of what I lugged up the climbs (and more than half the weight) went unused. Without them, a breakdown could have ended the ride.
I’m also frustrated by my Contour camera. I got one short video. That’s it. The unit wouldn’t turn on at places I wanted to record. Whether I left it on in standby mode too long or what, I don’t know.
Facebook updates and status updates to friends prompted encouraging words that really helped. Likewise, knowing the status of the other Severna Park Peloton teams was nice. They are all much stronger/faster riders and to hear that they were moving along at roughly our same pace was very important to our ride.
Recognizing that a detailed ride report is too much for some, a brief summary of Team Chain Reaction’s 2012 Flèche appears above the break. You can click more for the detailed report.
Let me begin by affirming our team members. Randy, Mike C, Mike B, Jack, and I were pretty well matched in temperament if not in general riding ability (well, truth be told, Randy is stronger than all of us put together). That made the 24 hours in close proximity enjoyable. We had great conditions. It was in the low 40’s to start and reached the upper 70’s. We had sun, high clouds, rain, & darkness. All these are essential elements of a Flèche. We planned our stops well. We negotiated climbs and descents of at least 16%. We had only one minor accident and only one “close call”. Four of us set personal distance records. (Randy fell short by about 2,750 miles.) Thanks go also to Chris L who provided encouragement at a couple of the controls.
We finished strong. We had no flats during our combined 1175 miles.
Just a quick note to say that all the preparation has been done. We push off at 7:00 am Saturday for this great ride. Weather forecast is good. Everyone is ready. Watch for updates here on Sunday … or Monday.
We did get a shout out on the Severna Park Patch.
Now for some sleep.
With the Flèche now less than a week away, preparations are in full swing. Part of that is gentle rides all week. Monday I rode the fixie and had a nice ride. Today it was the Kona with the luggage trunk on the back. The most notable thing about the rides were simply that they were ridden, and that daylight is a nice novelty once again. Oh, that’s not quite true. I jumped onto the wheel of a couple of fast guys this morning and had a very quick ride from Joyce Lane to the end of the trail. It was my 4th quickest time and at the end I was ready to pull in front for a while because the lead cyclist was lagging. Drafting makes all the difference in the world.
There is more to Flèche preparation than simple rides. Monday late morning I went and drove the part of the route that we had not yet scouted. I noted a few challenges with the cue sheet, amended that, and updated the files for the Garmin. Monday evening, we had a pre-Flèche happy hour at a local watering hole where we passed around some good-natured ribbing and talked Flèche over a few brews. Spouses were invited, but only two showed up. Today I pulled together a few more items I needed, including latex gloves (I was out) and some duct tape (emergency repairs). I’ll be preparing my final list of items later today or tomorrow, and start packing the trunk as efficiently as possible. It looks like the weather is going to cooperate … if you believe the longer range forecasts.
Of course, all this is alongside some very busy days at the church and plenty of other things to keep me occupied.
These Rides: 44.2 miles
Month: 156.2 miles
2012: 1089.5 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 14,943.1 miles
Days to Flèche: 4
Rev Rider 