This Ride: 30.1 miles
Kona Distance: 4,203.9 miles
Month to date: 393.9 miles
2010 Total: 4,690.1 miles
Pace to 5,254.8 mile goal in 2010: (366 miles ahead of goal pace)
It is rare that I ride on Saturdays. Those are the one day during the week that Lori and I both have off work, and I usually spend the day with her. Today, she met with friends from 11 – 1, so what better use of my time than to ride?
My plan was 30 miles, and that is what I accomplished. I did the hill in Round Bay and contemplated doing “THE WALL”. I bailed on that when the opportunity to take that detour presented itself. The first half of the ride was pleasant enough. The second half was battling headwinds, 15-25 mph headwinds. Pushing against that really slowed me down a few times, especially on my way back from Sandy Point. It wasn’t so bad with the wind on my back!
It was good to get out and ride. In just two weeks from today I’ll be riding OC11. That’s the SPP ride from Stevensville to Ocean City one day, and return the next. Two consecutive days with over 100 miles each day. I’m looking forward to it.
This Ride: 26.8 miles
Kona Distance: 4,173.8 miles
Month to date: 363.8 miles
2010 Total: 4,660.2 miles
Pace to 5,254.8 mile goal in 2010: (355.9 miles ahead of goal pace)
Is there a better way to start the morning than a ride with friends, breakfast, and then a ride returning home? I can’t think of many. This is probably the thing that will keep me spinning these pedals for a long time to come. And in 48 degrees this morning! It is a great mood improver.
Five started from the RB at 5:45 and we picked up 2 more riders along the route. Great conversations ensued, and five of us continued on to Annapolis for breakfast. On our way back over the Naval Academy Bridge the sky was turning light and the view was spectacular. Just before home, the sun topped the trees and the day had fully begun.
The only real challenge this morning was what to wear. This cool weather is challenging because the layers have to wick away the sweat to keep one warm, but not so much that it chills you. Wear too much, and you get warm fast, and sweat too much. I wore too much for 48 at my core (which should be able to take me into another 10 degree drop) and need to figure out something else for my feet when it gets colder. Jeff suggested I need to loosen my shoes. I’ll need to research that, because my shoes didn’t feel tight. My gloves didn’t do a very good job either. Much cooler and ear warmers would feel good too.
Next rides? Maybe a little on Saturday. None Sunday. Monday I have a retreat where there will be enough time to ride some distance. I’ll have to look at the forecast and see what I can do.
This Ride: 18.4 miles
Kona Distance: 4,147 miles
Month to date: 337 miles
2010 Total: 4,633.5 miles
Pace to 5,254.8 mile goal in 2010: (369.1 miles ahead of goal pace)
Autumn is rapidly arriving. Yesterday’s high was 82. Today we will be lucky to see 65.
This is the last day of this “staycation”, and I decided to sleep in rather than dress for 50 degrees and get up before 5 am. That explains a late morning ride … when it had warmed up to 58.
My legs were in better shape. My enthusiasm for riding was less. Could it be the 6 consecutive days of riding? Could it be the 242 miles in those 6 days? Could it be that I’ve grown accustomed to riding with others? Maybe yes to all of this.
The ride was enjoyable. I simply traveled down the trail at as brisk a pace as I wanted. At the end of the trail, I rode the hill from Highway 2 north twice to get some additional cardio. Then, a quick dash back home using B&A Blvd and the trail. But I skipped 1.5 miles at the end just because I was done.
I’ll take a rest day tomorrow. I hope the forecast rain moves off by Friday’s breakfast ride. A Saturday solo ride is possible since Lori has another obligation. For now, rest.
This Ride: 18.5 miles
Kona Distance: 4,128.6 miles
Month to date: 318.6 miles
2010 Total: 4,615.1 miles
Pace to 5,254.8 mile goal in 2010: (370.8 miles ahead of goal pace)
(An early meeting precluded posting this earlier.)
Last night a thunderstorm rumbled through at about 10 pm and the road surfaces never completely dried. By 5 am I was up and ready to ride, so I put the fenders on, bundled up appropriately for 60 degrees, and hit the road. My legs complained bitterly. I was a little worried since this was “Terrible Tuesday” and knew I would have to hold down the pace quite a bit. It all worked out.
It was only Dave P. and I at the Rusty Bridge at 5:45, and we set off on quite a sedate pace. In fact, I was surprised later to find out how slow it was. My legs really didn’t have much in them. We talked, Dave regaling me with his techniques for staying warm and dry in the winter (incontinence pads figure into the equation) and many other such subjects. We caught a stray rain sprinkle, but never really got wet. We were careful on the turns with wet pavement and leaf debris as well as falling leaves now that autumn is started. It was a nice leisurely ride that I appreciated.
I had originally planned to ride the Tuesday evening Pizza ride, but these legs need some rest. So I’ll sit at home with my feet up … unless the hot tub chemical balance is right.
This Ride: 52.1 miles
Kona Distance: 4,110.2 miles
Month to date: 300.2 miles
2010 Total: 4,596.6 miles
Pace to 5,254.8 mile goal in 2010: (372.3 miles ahead of goal pace)
Four fifty came early this morning. The alarm rang and automatically I got up for the Mosey Monday ride. I was ready in record time, so took a longer route to the meet up at the Rusty Bridge. I think there were 8 of us riding this morning, and we took a nice leisurely pace most of the ride as we caught up with stories about the massive weekend miles we accumulated. On the way back from the end of the trail, once we were on B&A, the pace started to really pick up. We aren’t sure who started it, but soon we had the group going 22 – 30 mph. We all stayed together and just laughed at how those sprints just appear out of nowhere. I had 22 miles in, stopped at home to see Lori off to work and consume a few calories, then went back out solo.
I decided on the loop to Sandy Point via College Parkway and back on the trail. I really didn’t have a lot of strength left in the legs, so I mostly enjoyed the ride. I encountered another SPP rider twice and rode with him for a short distance, and was passed by a Bike Doctor team going faster than I wanted. Besides, I didn’t have the right kit on to match them.
It was a nice ride for a holiday/vacation day. Now some grocery shopping and work on the hot tub to get it cleaned up and ready for these nice cool fall evenings.
Past 7 days distance total is a new personal record: 265.2 miles
This Ride: 20.2 miles
Kona Distance: 4,058.2 miles
Month to date: 248.2 miles
2010 Total: 4,544.7 miles
Pace to 5,254.8 mile goal in 2010: (340 miles ahead of goal pace)
They say that it is good to get out and do a recovery ride after a long ride. My simple goal was to ride today keeping my heart rate below 120 bpm. It was good to get out. I rode a respectable pace mostly keeping my heart rate down (average was 113 today, on the Seagull Century it was 140). My legs felt better by the end of the ride.
Oh, I did see a very large wheel unicycle on the trail. The wheel must have been nearly 4 foot in diameter! The guy was moving pretty good!
This Ride: 101.5 miles
Kona Distance: 4,038 miles
Month to date: 228 miles
2010 Total: 4,524.5 miles
Pace to 5,254.8 mile goal in 2010: (340 miles ahead of goal pace)
It is done! It was a great ride! It exceeded all expectations!
For those who don’t want to read a lengthy ride report, here is the abbreviated version:
Five of us, including Mike B, his brother and uncle Dave, Jerry (from Catonsville), and Jeff S. (not Shultz) met and launched at around 7:12 am with over 8000 of our other friends. We rode together for a few miles as we were getting our legs moving, but soon Dave, Jerry, and I were off the front and rode together most of the ride. We gradually picked up the pace, until we had one 5 mile “lap” averaging 22.5 mph! We established our own small pace line, and more often than not picked up other riders rather than attaching ourselves to pace lines going by us. At the 64 mile rest stop, I had an average of 20.3 mph for the ride. From there, it was all headwind to the finish. I rode some stretches solo, and struggled with keeping the speed up because of the headwind, my fatigue, and the solo riding. I finished the 101.5 miles in just under 5:14 and total ride time (including rest stops) was 6:13. That makes moving average of 19.4 mph for the ride … quite an accomplishment I’m very proud of.
Now, for those wanting a longer ride report, keep reading:
Lori and I drove to Ocean City on Friday. We had a motel there. With a last minute change of plans, our other housing option fell through, and Ocean City was the closest motel we could find.
Saturday morning, I woke at 4:15 to start getting ready and to prepare for the 45 minute drive into Salisbury. We arrived in plenty of time, and were able to park in the garage convenient to the start. I wrestled with appropriate clothing for the 56 degree start, and decided to err on the side of caution with long fingered gloves, shoe covers, arm warmers, and a wind vest (yes, I had a wind vest). I’m glad I made those choices, as the temperature dropped and I changed gloves at mile 23 and the arm warmers & vest came off around mile 43. The Garmin said the temperature dropped to 48 in the early part of the ride. It might have come close.
Mike B. was running a little late, so we didn’t meet up until about 7:00, connected with his brother, his Uncle Dave, Jeff Sho…, and Jerry from Catonsville (who had ridden with SPP a few Friendly Fridays ago). We saw Chip at the start. Chip rode a 200 K permanent starting at 8:pm Friday night, and was getting ready to start the 100 miler. At 7:12 we were off on our planned leisurely pace of 16 mph.
Well, that didn’t last long. Although it was a jovial fun start to the ride, soon Uncle Dave was off the front. I was torn, wanting to ride with Mike but he was riding support for his brother who had never ridden this distance before. Soon I found myself cranking up to a comfortable speed and Jerry hung on my wheel content to draft as I was pulling a comfortable 19-20 mph, surprising myself. Uncle Dave allowed us to catch up, and soon this group of 3 was riding a comfortable pace that just kept increasing. By the first rest stop at mile 23, we had one 5 mile stretch with 21.9 mph average. Although we didn’t really need the rest stop, we stopped. I grabbed a banana, some fig bars, and ate a few bites of a bagel. I didn’t want to overload, but did want a little bit in my belly.
Soon we were off again, and we proved that the pace was not a fluke. In fact, the next 15 miles was completed in just over 31 minutes, with 5 mile splits at 22.5, 21.5, & 21.5 mph averages. This was feeling great! The next mini rest stop was at mile 43 and contained just water and Gatorade. Mike, his brother, and Jeff caught us there. They skipped the first rest stop in an attempt to catch us. We linked up and continued the ride with a little larger pace group as some others latched on to our wheels.
The next stretch was on the road to Assateague. We maintained averages over 20 mph and our pace line was continually changing as some dropped off and others jumped on. We were the consistent riders. We were passed by a few well organized teams, but their speed was much faster than we wanted to try. At one intersection, our group was split by an oncoming car with the right of way. I was the last one across before the car crossed the route. So our new paceline was smaller, but kept collecting riders as we went. At one point, I had the scare of my life. We were riding fast, and suddenly from ahead I heard a rumbling noise. I thought someone had fallen and was looking for the safe exit at 22 mph when all of a sudden my bike began to vibrate aggressively. The last half of the pace line had hit the rumble strips along the side of the highway. Soon we were off the rumble strip and on smooth pavement again. Somewhere along this stretch of road, Bryan and Jeff from SPP passed us going a little faster in another pace line, and I jumped on their wheels, riding with them for a few miles to the bridge to Assageague. After riding such a flat course, that bridge looked like a mountain. Within minutes we were at the rest stop on the island.
It was here that I discovered that I had a 20.3 mph average over the first 63 miles. Wow! That’s without a plan, and with a 16 mph average the first 5 miles! We lingered at this rest stop chowing down on chocolate chip cookies, banana bread, fruit and topping off the water/Gatorade. Little did I know that the ride was really just starting.
Mike announced he was backing off the pace some. He was starting to think a lot about his planned 200k ride on Sunday, and supporting his brother. Jerry, Uncle Dave, and I started out together, but Dave took off and Jerry and I were left to catch up. It was then we noticed the headwind that I heard dozens describe as brutal. We put our heads down, peddled hard, and struggled to maintain 18-19 mph averages. Jerry did a lot of pulling. We soon caught up to Dave and he pulled for a good long while. When he started to fade we grabbed the lead, but soon I found myself riding with Dave a good half mile back from Jerry. I decided to try to bridge the gap, catch Jerry to have him slow down so that we all could ride together. (At one point a few miles earlier he had asked me to slow my lead pace to allow Dave to catch up.) I worked to bridge the gap into the headwind, but succeeded only to close within about 30 yards and couldn’t finish what I had started. I had gone into the anaerobic zone and just didn’t have enough left. As I was slowing, Jeff & Bryan passed again, and I grabbed their wheel and used the pace line to catch Jerry, let him know the status of our group, and within about a mile we stopped to let Dave catch up. I look back now and we could have simply ridden another couple of miles to the next rest stop and waited there. Oh well. That mistake would cost me dearly the last 15 miles.
It was at the rest stop at mile 84 that we had pie and ice cream in addition to all the other regular items. I had a little cherry pie and some ice cream, not that it was a good idea, just that it was being offered. Soon we were on our way again, but with only about 18 miles to go, it was now getting to be every rider for themselves for the sprint to the finish. Jerry went off strong, and soon he was gone. I wasn’t able to hold his wheel any longer. Dave dropped off my wheel (but later passed me … where I don’t know, and neither does he). I rode alone for quite some distance until I found one rider to draft behind. Drafting one rider is not the same as drafting multiple! He and I shared the lead, as the headwind continued to pound us, but soon he was gone and although I was riding the slowest pace of the last 95 miles, I was still passing a lot of people. Jeff and Bryan passed with about 6 miles left, and I was just not able or willing to grab their wheels. (They spent a lot of time at rest stops!)
When the odometer turned over to 100 miles (1.5 miles from the finish) I checked the Garmin and the rolling time read 5 hours 9 minutes. I tried to call my family to tell them when I would be arriving, but got no answer. I pushed on, and found myself getting a little emotional seeing the tunnel to the finish, hearing the congratulation announcement, and riding into the finish apron where my family and others were cheering me on. It was a good ride.
Total rolling time for 101.5 miles = 5 hours 13 minutes 30 seconds
Total rolling time for 100 miles = 5 hours 9 minutes
Rolling average speed = 19.4 mph
Total Elapsed time (including rest stops) = 6 hours 13 minutes
Total Enjoyment = Absolutely!
This Ride: 31.2 miles
Kona Distance: 3,936.5 miles
Month to date: 126.5 miles
2010 Total: 4,423 miles
Pace to 5,254.8 mile goal in 2010: (259 miles ahead of goal pace)
Tomorrow is the Seagull Century. I decided in January that I would ride the Seagull, thinking then that it might be my first Century ride. It will be my 4th, but my first large organized ride. I am looking forward to it. In fact, I dreamed about the ride all night. My post about the ride will be delayed until at least Sunday night/Monday morning since I’ll be mostly off the grid until then.
But that’s tomorrow. This morning’s breakfast ride started at 50 degrees. It seemed colder. I tried out the clothing combination I’ll start the Seagull with and the selection will work. It will be chilly to start, but only for a few miles.
Six rode from the RB, and we had an enjoyable ride. Mike C was back riding with the group. Four of us rode to breakfast, with Mike B off to meet his group at Chick & Ruth’s while the rest of us ate at Hard Bean, with Carl joining us. Carl moved to Roanoke earlier this year, and was back in town. On the return we picked up the pace a bit. I notice on the graph of my heart rate that it was consistently higher on the return with fewer dips. Cadence also shows stops only where we had to coast through intersections.
I had some trouble with my rear brake on the way to Annapolis. A piece of metal found its way into a groove. I got it out, but will need to look hard at my brake pads this morning and probably replace them once the bike shop opens this morning. It is probably about time. I’m still working with getting the shifting right in the lower gears, but think I had that pretty well fixed by the time I got to the bridge. I’m not jumping out of gear anymore.
Annapolis is decked out for the Sailboat Show. The harbor is chock full of boats. Masts are everywhere, with nearly every one of them with some colored pendants flying in the breeze. Great weather is forecast for the weekend, so it should attract a lot of attention. I hope they are able to sell some boats. On our return, we watched a great sunrise.
Now to get the bag with the bike gear pulled together and double checked. I don’t want to forget something important … like the bike.
I have no rides planned for the day. I will do some fine tuning of the bike for the Seagull Century (Saturday) and a little maintenance. I’ve noticed that the brake cables have stretched a little, and I want to make sure I have the high gear working for the very flat course.
I put new tires on last evening. I’ve ridden these Continental 4000-S tires nearly 3100 miles. I probably have some life left in the tires, but the rear is worn causing a lot of surface area contacting the road and both tires have multiple cuts that could expand and cause a blowout. I’ve had one flat with these tires, a pinch flat that occurred when I hit a large rock … really not the fault of the tire. While I was at it, I also installed new tubes. I noticed this past week that my rear tube was losing about 15-20 lbs pressure overnight. As cheap as tubes are, it made sense to replace them both.
With the rear wheel off as I was changing the tire, I also cleaned the cassette. I started using a Teflon based lubricant last month, and like how well it is working. It doesn’t collect the dirt as fast as the oil I had been using, and seems to do a pretty good job of providing lubrication for the chain. I’ll complete the chain cleaning today and then lubricate the chain today to allow the carrier oil to evaporate off before the breakfast ride tomorrow morning.
I’ve started my checklist for the Seagull Century, and can’t believe how long the list is! The forecast for the ride is about 50 degrees at the start and a high of 75 degrees in full sun. That is a significant range in temperatures for someone who has to carry the gear used for something like 6 hours. If indeed the start is around 50 degrees, then this ride will require two pair of gloves, arm warmers, a wind vest (or maybe newspaper under the jersey), and the ability to strip these off as necessary. Wear too much and later in the day overheating will be the problem. Wear too little, and a great deal of energy will be spent early just trying to stay warm.
The whole day won’t be spent tinkering with the bike. I’ve got to mow the lawn and do multiple errands on this day off work. I’m really looking forward to dinner with the Curried Goat that is in the crock pot as we speak.
This Ride: 21 miles
Kona Distance: 3,905.3 miles
Month to date: 95.3 miles
2010 Total: 4,391.8 miles
Pace to 5,254.8 mile goal in 2010: (287.5 miles ahead of goal pace)
With the Seagull Century coming on Saturday, my goal over the next few days is to simply ride easy (with Thursday off). I awoke early this morning, and when checking email, learned that a rain shower was moving through. It looked like it would be gone by the start time, so I put on the fenders, the multiple layers of clothing (52 degrees) and headed out. It had clearly just finished raining, and everything was damp. I was quickly chilled, but it wasn’t long before I warmed up with the ride, and was ready to go.
Three of us met at the RB and later picked up Chip at the Ranger Station. We had an easy pace, with a lot of good conversation. We cycled through Round Bay. Chip left early to return for an early day at work. The three of us pressed on.
There were three “scares” this morning. A couple of dogs (on leash) started barking just as Dan passed. We had just been talking about how cautious he has been since the accident where a rider hit a dog and he crashed following. On a curve in Round Bay, I hit a stick and nearly went down. On the trail, two cars (one from each side) approached at an intersection where I’ve never seen a vehicle before. Needless to say, we kept an eye out for hazards the whole way.
The roads and trail were only wet a little north of Jones Station Road. South of there, they were completely dry. That meant only our start and finish were wet.
It was a nice morning.
Rev Rider 