Rev Rider

This Ride: 22.2 miles
Month: 103 miles
2011: 103 miles
Cumulative Total: 6,222.7 miles

Another 25° F morning.  Another day dragging myself out of bed and logging miles.  Dave is headed to Florida today to ride a 200 k on Saturday.  There is something quite attractive about that this morning.  I’m not sure there is much attractive about coming back from Florida and riding below freezing temps again.

Four of us were out this morning, all wearing red jackets and black tights.  We looked like a team.  I think this should be the SPP winter “colors”.  Discussion was light and there was some anticipation about the possible snow overnight tonight and whether there will be enough to impact the Friday Breakfast Ride.  Other than that, it was a pretty routine ride.

When I returned home, I spent a few minutes pulling bits of glass and rock out of my tires.  I’ve neglected that routine.  I pulled at least half a dozen puncture-seeking bits out of each tire.

This Ride: 22 miles
Month: 80.8 miles
2011: 80.8 miles
Cumulative Total: 6,200.5 miles

Another poor night’s sleep. When I woke at 2:30 I considered turning off the alarm, but then decided to make a “game day decision” about the ride.  The alarm rang, I got up, and I was out the door before my brain caught up.  That’s how it is with habituated behaviors.

It was nearly 10° F warmer than yesterday morning (meaning I overdressed).  Thirty-two is an awkward temperature with the gear I have.  It is easy to have either too much or too little on.  I was damp at the end of the ride.  Seven of us were out and the pace the first 1/3 of the ride was sedate.  Dave, who usually pushes the pace on Wednesdays was content to sit back in the pack.

Two interesting threads of conversation dominated this first part of the ride.  At least 4 SPP members are going to ride a night-time 200k permanent in just over a week.  They will start at 7 pm and ride through the night.  They’ve planned this for a night with a full moon on a route that is pretty isolated.  I think it will be fun.  The other topic is related to the bantering going on the email list about a “time trial” event yet to be planned with the route being THE WALL.  It would be our version of The Highway to Heaven Hill Climb, a brutal race in Ellicott City.  We rode to Ellicott City to see the race last year.  There is interest in forming a local event, so we will have to see how and if it materializes.  I volunteered to be the timer.

The last 2/3 of the ride was a bit quicker.  At Joyce Rd, the pace picked up.  I know I saw 27+ on the speedometer as we approached the turn around point.  On the way back, I couldn’t hold the pace and dropped back considerably.  The group waited for me at Glen Oban, then we picked up the pace again on B&A Blvd.  I was able to hang with the group on that stretch, but I know it wasn’t an all out sprint either.  The passenger of one vehicle shouted at us to get off the road and get back on the trail.  (Didn’t she know that our 22 mph speed at that point was above the trail speed limit?)  [Insert slow head shake here.]

It was a good morning ride, one that would not have happened without both habituation and there being a group of people with which to ride.  I’m appreciative of both.

This Ride: 21.8 miles
Month: 58.8 miles
2011: 58.8 miles
Cumulative Total: 6,178.5 miles

I have to admit, I was a little disappointed. No goats this morning.  Just 1 bunny dashed across my path.  No Red-Winged Blackbirds fell out of the sky.  The air was pretty still.

Seven riders, 25° F dropping down to 22° F during the ride.  There was a good deal of conversation, but I found myself riding pretty silently.  My legs are aching and although I kept up during the fast parts and on the hills, I just didn’t seem to have much energy this morning.  Could that be related to another round of calorie restrictions?  Probably so.  I also didn’t sleep well last night.

A huge part of getting stronger, more fit, and faster on the bike is simply showing up.  That’s what I did … I showed up.  Now, back to work this morning.

This Ride: 16.9 miles
Month: 37.1 miles
2011: 37.1 miles
Cumulative Total: 6,156.7 miles

Who knew that an afternoon ride today would be so interesting?

I waited until it was as warm as it was going to get … 39° F with gusty westerly winds.  I planned a ride to the southern end of the trail and return, just not having that much enthusiasm for a ride.  Within the first 5 miles, I decided to ride THE WALL for the first time in 2011.  I wound my way down to the bottom of the hill, considering a photo from the bottom of the hill (in order to keep my promise about more photos).  When I arrived at the bottom, I could see that there was just no way to capture all of the hill, and I wasn’t about to stop part way up for a series of photos.  I dropped into the granny gear and pounded my way up the hill.  Yes, it was tough, my heart rate spiking to 175 with the effort, but I made it to the top in better shape than any of the other times.  It was a nice addition to my ride.

Returning home on the trail, suddenly I encountered something like this:

From the 2010 Tour De France

Well, cut the road in half, take out all the other cyclists, eliminate the fog, and turn the sheep into fat goats, and then you have what I encountered.  There were 5 goats on the trail, terrified of that red object bearing down on them.  I felt like a goat herder as they dashed down the trail, then dove into the brambles on the west side of the trail, back toward their pasture. I don’t know what I would have done had one decided to halt, turn around, and confront me.

After that, the work crews on the trail and the high school students wandering down the trail with their iPods blazing completely unaware of their surroundings, seemed rather mundane.

This Ride: 20.1 miles
Month: 20.1 miles
2011: 20.1 miles
Cumulative Total: 6,119.7 miles

After a series of decisions I regret this past weekend, I decided that despite the fact that this is a day off for me, I needed to ride with the 5:45 group.  The decisions weren’t that awful.  I didn’t ride New Year’s Day when it was in the mid 50s F, choosing to ride Sunday instead.  Sunday it rained most of the day, and I couldn’t find a window between activities when it wasn’t raining, so I didn’t ride.  I thought about skipping the early ride this morning and riding later in the day, but seeing how the weekend went, didn’t think that was the best choice either.

So, here I was, up at 4:45 am on a day when I don’t have to go to work.  It was about 29 F with a good stiff northerly breeze.  I was a little late getting out of the door because I put the fenders on, but still made it in time to ride with Clint, Bryan, and Dave.  The fenders were unnecessary, and I didn’t have them adjusted quite right, so they rubbed a little and were a constant source of irritation.

As dawn began to break, there was plenty of color in the sky.  It looks like it might be a pretty day.  Pretty enough for a second ride?  I’ll see.  It depends a great deal on how much I can get done at home.

This was a great year of cycling!  My accomplishments are significant, and yet still leave room for improvement.  First, the narrative, then the numbers.

In 2009 I started riding a little, encouraged by friends and attempting to lose some weight.  I think I was able to ride about 800 miles in 2009.  That’s not a bad start.  In December 2009 I purchased a “trainer” device.  It allowed me to convert a bicycle into an indoor cycle, and by the start of 2010 I was riding that regularly.  In fact, I rode more days in January 2010 than any other month, mostly because of the trainer.  It was in January that I decided to set a goal of being able to ride the Seagull Century in October 2010.  From my perspective of 8 miles or 30-35 minutes at a time, this seemed like a huge goal, but also within reach.  I set about learning about riding and distance training.

In mid-January, I set out and purchased the Kona Zing, an entry level road bike.  Now I was committed and rapidly found that I liked riding outdoors a whole lot more than stuck inside on a trainer.  My rule of thumb the first part of 2010 was that I would ride if it was above 50 degrees F, below that was just too cold to be comfortable.

In January I was able to get outside for 70 miles.  In February, there were no outside miles.  Snow piled up and the trainer was my mean friend, but with the goal of the Century, I knew I needed to continue to work at the riding and the increasing fitness level.  It was March or April when I joined the Severna Park Peloton with a great deal of apprehension.  These riders were fast and fairly intimidating.  I sometimes went out for a ride ahead of the group, a technique that meant I had a lot of solo rides early in the morning, but it kept me out on the roads.  I also used Fridays, my usual day off, as a day to extend the rides so I had some experience with longer rides.  In March – May I was able to ride longer rides of 51, 55, 65, & 72 miles.  These were increasing my confidence so that one day in June, I simply extended the ride a little further and accomplished 100 miles 4 months ahead of my goal, the vast majority of that distance was solo.  Two more rides over 100 miles preceded the Seagull Century.

With those distances and experience behind me, the challenge of riding the SPP Ocean City ride was my next significant goal.  Those were more than 100 miles in each of 2 consecutive days.  I finished that in fine form, learning a lot about hydration and nutrition (the hard way).  From there it was a very short step to attempting a 200k ride.  That ride was a tough one, mainly because of conditions.  I was fine and strong throughout the ride, but we were a good deal slower than we anticipated.

All year I watched my speed come up as my fitness level improved.  I’m not a speed demon, and still have some ways to go in that department, but continuing to log the miles and press the heart rate will have benefits to me down the road.

I’m amazed at the numbers I’ve pulled together this year.  They are presented below with some goals for 2011 in bold print.  (Some of these distances will be aided by the fact that I’ll be on Sabbatical June – Mid September.)

• Total Miles = 6119.7  (2011 mileage goal = 8,000)
• Days riding = 225 or 61% (2011 days riding = 240)
• Longest Ride = 129.2 miles  (2011 longest ride = 186.5 miles or 300k)
• Number of rides over 100 miles = 7 (2011 number of rides over 100 miles = 9)
• Time on a bike = 373 hours, 47 minutes  (2011 time on a bike = whatever it takes)
• Highest 30 day distance = 838 miles  (2011 highest 30 day distance = 1000 miles)
• Highest 7 day distance = 326 miles  (2011 highest 7 day distance = 350 miles)

For the blog, more photos, more reviews, more of what I’ve learned and ride reports.

See you in 2011!

This Ride: 36.4 miles
Kona Distance: 5,628.2 miles
Month to date: 587.2 miles
2010 Total: 6,119.7 miles

The SPP was “torn” between two morning rides, the 5:45 regular Friday Breakfast Ride and a 7:30 breakfast ride (usually Saturdays and holidays). I think there were 11 or 12 of us for the 5:45 ride, although that seemed to constantly be changing. It has been good for me to ride with this group, and it is a great motivator to know that every morning there are people out to ride with … and expecting me. That’s the only thing pulling me out of bed some mornings.

This morning was 29 degrees F to start and a usual ride into Annapolis.  We tried a bit more of the trail in the dark, and all of it in the daylight.  There are still stretches of ice on the southern end of the trail making the route very treacherous.  We had a great breakfast at Hard Bean, with 8 of us … Mike (and another rider, sorry, I forget who it was) having gone on to Chick & Ruth’s to meet up with some other friends.

After breakfast, it was another cold start, but a spectacular view of the sunrise from the top of the Naval Academy Bridge.  We stopped for photos and to simply cheer on the sunrise.  We made our way back up the trail, and although we hoped to see the 7:30 group riding back, they must have been on a parallel route.

I extended my ride up to the hospital where I thought I would be picking up Lori’s car, but as it turns out, she didn’t go in to work today, so my ride was extended further as I rode back home.  It was a nice ride to end the year.

Bob posted his photos first.

New Year's Eve Sunrise from the Naval Academy Bridge

This Ride: 26.2 miles
Kona Distance: 5,591.8 miles
Month to date: 550.7 miles
2010 Total: 6,083.3 miles

Another simply beautiful morning, another very good breakfast ride.

This time 5 of us met at the Rusty Bridge and 4 rode in for breakfast.  We had promises of other riders, but even a delayed start didn’t help them join up.

It was an incident-free ride, good conversation, and good breakfast at the Hard Bean in Annapolis.  The sunrise was very pretty, and the view from the Naval Academy Bridge was once again spectacular.  There is indeed ice forming on the Severn River, suppressing the wave action.  Bryan took photos yesterday and I’m “borrowing” them here so you can see what we get to see early in the morning on our way back from Annapolis.

December Sunrise over the Severn River

December Sunrise over the Severn River

This Ride: 26 miles
Kona Distance: 5,565.5 miles
Month to date: 524.5 miles
2010 Total: 6,057 miles

Several of us are taking end of the year vacation days, so it is a good opportunity to have a few breakfast rides this week. They will happen Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday. This was a good day to start.

Seven of us met at the Rusty Bridge.  We rode most of our regular route, bailing out at the end of Old County Road because of the snow cover on the trail south of there.  That put us on busy Ritchie Highway again, but at least with wide shoulders all we really had to negotiate were the excessive piles of salt.  In some places, the salt was several inches deep.

Six of us continued on to breakfast.  We lingered quite a while, no one really wanting to get back on the bikes and endure the first several cold miles.  We did make a fun call to Clint.  He will usually call someone who should be at breakfast but is not.  He was getting ready to board a flight on a work trip, so we called him.  When he realized that he was getting “the call” he commented that he never thought it would be him on the receiving end.

Soon enough, we climbed back on, shivering in the cold, and started home in the daylight.  It was a simply beautiful morning.  The mouth of the Severn River was as calm as I’ve ever seen it, almost glassy.  I wonder if ice was forming.  We rode back up Highway 2, dropping riders as we passed their homes.

This Ride: 30.7 miles
Kona Distance: 5,539.6 miles
Month to date: 498.5 miles
2010 Total: 6,031 miles

This ride started out as a quick email exchange between members of the SPP. The day was warming up to the low 40s F and so Jeff put out an email about a 2 pm ride. Janet, Bob C, John B, and I joined Jeff at the Rusty Bridge with the original intent of riding the Bay Ridge loop.

As we rode, we changed plans.  The trail was snow packed south of the southern end of Old County Road, so we took B&A Blvd to Ritchie Highway until we could get on Bolton, and continue south to the NA Bridge.  We decided not to battle traffic in Annapolis, but instead to circle the river near Crownsville.  John was looking for coffee, and would dash ahead checking out options.  We were too early for Ram’s Head happy hour.  When we got to Gina’s Cantina, it was happy hour, with $2 drafts and $2 for 2 tacos.  That wasn’t coffee, but who could argue with a $2 Guinness?

We went in and had beer and tacos, then finished the ride.  It was a slower pace ride, but it was a nice day to be out.  I’m looking forward to a breakfast ride tomorrow morning.

I also had 3 miles this morning as I rode to pick up my car at a local garage where it was in for new shoes.