This Ride: 90.5 miles
Kona Distance: 3,343.3 miles
Month to date: 166.6 miles
2010 Total: 3,809.8 miles
Pace to 5,254.8 mile goal in 2010: (285.5 miles ahead of goal pace)
As today’s ride approached, I was apprehensive. My plan was to ride with a group from Severna Park/Millersville to the Davidsonville Park & Ride, where we would join the rest of the peloton for the Sweet Sue Ride. From Davidsonville, the ride is about 60 miles. From Millersville it is about 90. I wasn’t sure with the lingering congestion whether or not this would be a good ride or a mistake.
Fourteen riders met in Millersville to begin the ride. We were a little late getting off, and experienced one crash about 5 miles into the ride when two riders touched tires. No injuries were reported, and the bikes seemed to be ok, so we pressed on. Twenty more riders were waiting for us at the Davidsonville Park & Ride. That meant that with one rider returning early, we had 33 riders, including two tandem bikes. This is the largest group I’ve ridden with, and also is the largest ride the Severna Park Peloton has put together. The day was gorgeous. Temperatures were pleasant most of the day, and the rolling hills of south county were not as challenging as they were on the July 5 ride when it was in the upper 90s. Clint called ahead to Sweet Sue’s to let them know we were coming and how large a group we were, so the service was pretty good considering the small shop being inundated with a wave of riders.
I was fascinated by the organic nature of the peloton. At times it would bunch, at times it would stretch out. Sometimes I found myself very near the front and sometimes very near the back. People were constantly changing positions, often due to the hills and their ability to power up them or to cling to a little speed going up. I noticed that I had trouble on the longer hills, with little reserves and still trying to keep the oxygen exchange going.
As I mentioned, Sweet Sue’s did a great job serving the group. They had a plan, and it seemed to work. After a group photo on the boardwalk, we launched off again and the whole ride was different. Right out of the gate, someone had a front flat. We stopped about three miles down the road to get Gatorade for some of the riders. It wasn’t long before we had some pretty tough hills. Clint, on one of the tandems bent a chain link with a poorly timed shift, and had some trouble for a few miles before getting the link bent back. We stopped and waited at times for riders to catch up, and we regrouped several times. The temperatures were coming up and fatigue was hitting some riders.
And then there were those who wanted to press the pace. Along a short stretch of Highway 2, I picked up the pace to catch some riders out front. I was cruising at 28 mph trying to catch up. Traffic cooperated and the leaders bunched up for a few miles, then poured on the speed. I hung on to the group as long as I could, averaging 22.5 mph for one of my 5 mile “laps” (mile 62.5-67.5). It wasn’t long before I couldn’t “hang on to the wheel” ahead of me any longer and I dropped off and slowed considerably. We regrouped near the Park & Ride, and the group split either to cars or for the trip back to Millersville/Severna Park. We had to wait a while because another rider flatted on one of the last hills of the day. (Not bad for 2400 miles covered by the group today!)
There were some fast stretches on the way back home too. Thankfully, this was a no-drop ride and several riders came back and picked up some of us who were slower, and eased us back into the group. Soon, riders were drifting off toward their homes. Jeff and I rode most of the last few miles together. He set off to complete 100 miles. I was done, so I settled for 90.5.
Mike C from church had his longest ride ever today. His previous best was 55 miles. That might have been true for Alex also. Congratulations guys!
I tried to use Garmin’s Course routing and found it to be terribly inaccurate and more trouble than it was worth. I also think that it caused some errors in calculations. My average speed was listed at 17.9 mph but my moving speed was 21 mph. There usually isn’t that big a difference. As I look at the graphs, they suddenly smooth out over the last hour or so. It was during this time that the Garmin indicated I was off course, then back on course, then off course several times per minute. It was not working properly. I also noticed quite some lags in the auto stop and auto resume. The difference of 45 minutes of moving time and time just doesn’t make much sense. All of that is to say that even with 17.9 mph average speed, that was my fastest time for anything over 22 miles. One more little grumble. Garmin recorded 38 mph maximum speed. I saw 40.5 on the display coming down the hill on Veteran’s Highway.
Great ride. Lots of great conversation. Some challenges and a lot of fun. A few of us ended up at Brian Boru’s for a beer, a little food, and more conversation.
Here is the map.
This Ride: 25.9 miles
Kona Distance: 3,252.8 miles
Month to date: 76.1 miles
2010 Total: 3,719.3 miles
Pace to 5,254.8 mile goal in 2010: (255 miles ahead of goal pace)
Although some of my lung congestion is easing, this morning the hills and quick pace sapped me hard. But I’m ahead of myself.
Ten riders met at the Rusty Bridge, and we picked up 3 more at the Ranger Station as we rode under cloudy skies and warm temperatures. We are on the fringes of the cloud cover from Hurricane Earl. We felt maybe a dozen raindrops the whole morning, even though the radar showed rain. There was no wind. The decision was made early in the ride to avoid Old Country Road. It has been ground down for repaving, and not only is is hard on the bikes, but in the dark, it is also hard to negotiate. We rode B&A Blvd, and had a pretty fast pace going. I’ve not ridden this route in this direction, and now I know why it is so fast going the other way. We were climbing, and climbing fast, and soon I was in my anaerobic zone and had to fall off the back of the peloton. I see now, that we were averaging about 18 mph through that stretch. I’ll be glad when I’m fully recovered from blood donation and this nasty lung congestion.
We had 11 go into Annapolis, and 9 stay for breakfast. A lot of good conversation and our obligatory phone call to a missing rider as we sat outside eating is really the highlight of the week. Within 25 minutes were were on our way again, back to Severna Park and eventually home. I didn’t extend the miles this week, as Lori and I have plans for the afternoon and I need to get ready.
Sorry Mike, couldn’t ride with you to work today.
Next ride: The Labor Day Sweet Sue’s Ride. There will be at least 6 of us riding from Severna Park to the start at the Davidsonville Park & Ride. I don’t have any idea about how many will join us in Davidsonville. The ride takes us through pretty “south county” with farms, and rolling hills eventually arriving at North Beach/Chesapeake Beach, MD and then returning home. That will be a 90-100 mile ride for those of us who do that. We will have some riders who have never done that distance before, and it will be fun to encourage them along the way.
No ride today. I feel like I’m coughing up a lung. I want to be able to ride the “Sweet Sue Ride” on Monday, and a few days of rest makes sense. (Grind out the miles now while you can Mike!). I’ll also take it easy tomorrow morning for the “Friendly Friday” ride, probably not extending that ride.
I’ve now used the NiteRider MiNewt 350 headlight long enough that I want to do a review of sorts.
MiNewt 350 LED was the choice I made after some relatively extensive research. I was looking for a compact unit, with as many lumens as I could get for a “reasonable” price. Many other headlights at this price point offered fewer lumens and or run times that were not acceptable.
The specs: The NiteRider MiNewt 350 boasts 4 light settings, 350 lumens, 200 lumens, 100 lumens, & flashing. It has a 2 cell Li-Ion battery and the unit weighs 232 grams. That is light enough to wear on the helmet or mount on the handlebars. The NiNewt 350 head lamp unit mounts with O bands, making it easy to mount. The battery pack mounts with a generously sized velcro strap. The battery pack recharges in about 4 hours, and run times at the different settings are listed at 2:15/4:00/9:00 respectively, with no listing in any material I find for the flash mode.
What I wondered about this light was, “Is 350 lumens bright enough?” At first, I was blown away by the brightness at the high setting. On the dark tree-lined trail, this light is bright enough for me to ride at 25+ mph without worrying that I might hit something I didn’t see. I’ve yet to outrun this light. It is bright enough to cause those meeting me on the trail to have to shield their eyes, so I’ve gone to dimming the light or shielding it with my hand when meeting others. Yes, it is bright. The medium and low settings cast a reasonable amount of light. I wouldn’t be afraid to use these settings on longer night rides, they provide sufficient light in dark settings.
I’m a person who likes a lot of light. As dawn approaches, or on commutes where there are streetlights, the weakness of 350 lumens begins to show. The light will fill in the gaps between street lights, but frankly, I want a little more. I can get that if I turn the light to illumine closer to the bike, but then I have less reaction time for any obstacles. Don’t get me wrong. There is enough light here to see ahead enough, and as in any riding, one needs to stay alert. NiteRider provides a pairing of these units for a total of 700 lumens. That should illuminate these more marginal conditions and would be completely unnecessary on a very dark ride.
During the daylight, I used the lowest setting for a while (I couldn’t figure out how to get the unit to flash). That was bright enough that often people I met would remind me that my headlight was on. I like being visible. Once I discovered how to turn on the flash (hold the button down for 3 seconds), I use that setting in the daylight. Yesterday, one rider I met told me that the flash was very bright and effective. He could see me from a very long distance away. That’s the goal. I especially want other traffic on the road to see and notice me ahead of time. Using this light, I’ve yet to have someone pull out in front of me from a side street because they didn’t see me.
Some of the riders in the Severna Park Peloton ride with a bike mounted headlight and a helmet mounted light. This gives additional visibility to street signs, and guarantees light wherever one is looking. This light might be a little overkill for the helmet backup light, but NiteRider offers other lights that might be good options there. One even has a 36 inch cable extension. That would allow a helmet mounted light with the battery in a pocket rather than the added weight on the helmet.
Mounting the MiNewt 350 was a bit of a challenge for me. The cord between the light and the battery is very short. I could mount the battery on my stem (the battery is just a little longer than my stem if mounted underneath), or my top tube. My head tube is too short to mount the battery. I settled on the under the stem mount as the safest, most convenient place.
I’m satisfied with my choice. It should serve me well.
I have not received any compensation or consideration for this review.
This Ride: 50.2 miles
Kona Distance: 3,226.8 miles
Month to date: 50.2 miles
2010 Total: 3,693.3 miles
Pace to 5,254.8 mile goal in 2010: (269 miles ahead of goal pace)
Dr Mike prescribed several days of rest after yesterday’s very hard day. When I first left the house this morning, I had every plan to hook up with some other riders, but by the time I got there, my heart rate had spiked and I was sure that I would be unable to keep up. I begged off the ride, and decided to simply ride my own ride like I did yesterday. Maybe Mike was right.
As the morning progressed, I felt stronger and stronger. I decided early to do the Airport Loop, and after completing it clockwise, I reversed and went counterclockwise (with a short pit stop for Gatorade and a banana). At the end of that, I reversed again, finishing the loop clockwise and headed home. I added just enough distance to be sure of a 50 mile ride, and felt pretty good about it. I won no speed awards again, but I was still 1 mph average over yesterday’s ride, which is no small thing.
I still have the lung congestion, the coughing, and crud. I’ve been riding all week with a broken little toe on my left foot, and that was giving me some trouble this morning also.
And now, before I settle in for some work around the house, I’ll continue to watch the epic battle between a couple of hummingbirds that has been going nonstop for at least 15 minutes. Actually, maybe I’ll refill the feeders and see if that doesn’t help some. Poor little guys are going to exhaust themselves.
This Ride: 30.1 miles
Kona Distance: 3,176.7 miles
Month to date: 837.8 miles <– (New monthly personal distance record)
2010 Total: 3,643.2 miles
Pace to 5,254.8 mile goal in 2010: (238.8 miles ahead of goal pace)
I probably had no business riding this morning. I had no energy. My lung congestion was dense. I just didn’t feel well. My goal was 50 miles before I climbed on the bike. After finally convincing myself to ride, I debated often how soon I would turn back. I needed 20 miles to stay on pace for my end of year goal. Any distance would add to my personal monthly distance record. I settled eventually on 30 miles and I’m glad I didn’t do more.
Very early into the ride I decided that this would be a day dedicated to a “recovery ride”. I’d let my maximum heart rate be 135 and tried to keep it much lower than that. My speed didn’t matter. Horror of horrors, I’d also let myself be passed, even by people on old mountain bikes (and it happened). I haven’t ridden this slow since April (recovery rides) and March (in blustery windy weather).
My mind was elsewhere. I didn’t really focus on anything other than keeping the pedals going. I think I’ll spend the day in quiet, restful activity and see if my body can recover.
This was a good learning day. I paid attention to how to ride based on what my body was telling me, and didn’t exceed that. We will see what tomorrow brings. It may be a rest day.
This Ride: 51.7 miles
Kona Distance: 3,146.6 miles
Month to date: 807.7 miles <– (New monthly personal distance record)
2010 Total: 3,613.1 miles
Pace to 5,254.8 mile goal in 2010: (208.8 miles ahead of goal pace)
I’m taking a few days “staycation” which allows me to ride a little longer distances each morning. My goal this week is to ride 50 miles each morning, then do work around the house in the afternoon. Day 1: Goal accomplished.
It was a quiet ride this morning. Last week I mentioned that I was ready to grease parts that don’t need grease in order to stop some creeking noises. Then, I stumbled upon directions for greasing the seat post (every 6 months) and tackled this and more on Saturday. I carefully marked the seat post and seat brackets, removed them, cleaned them (a lot of grit and dirt had infiltrated) greased the parts, reassembled, and voila … no noise this morning!
I rode the Mosey Monday ride. We averaged about 17 mph (faster on the return than on the way out). The hill in Round Bay left me gasping, as did the fast pace on the return via B&A. Most of the ride was pleasant conversation. The group was reminded about the need to let cars pass on B&A, as we took up the entire lane for a couple of miles.
At the end of this ride, I stopped back home to say goodbye to Lori as she headed off to work. I grabbed a quick bowl of cereal and jumped back on the bike for a trip to Sandy Point State Park. For the 3.5 mile stretch into Sandy Point, I pushed it and averaged 20.7 mph. That wiped me out and the next 5 mile split averaged just over 15 mph. I don’t think I gained a thing overall ride average … except a good 10 minute dip into anaerobic exercise.
This was a nice morning. Although the forecast is for the upper 90’s today, the morning was still cool enough that I didn’t get back dripping wet. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.
This Ride: 57.9 miles
Kona Distance: 3,095 miles
Month to date: 756.1 miles <– (New monthly personal distance record)
2010 Total: 3,561.4 miles
Pace to 5,254.8 mile goal in 2010: (234.5 miles ahead of goal pace)
What a beautiful day! Weather forecasters have said for days that today would be the nicest day of the summer, with lows this morning below 65, highs of around 80 and very low humidity. If anything, it was a little chilly this morning. This was also quite an eventful day for the ride. My goal was to do somewhere between 25 and 50 miles (prepared for 50) and to simply enjoy the ride. The day did not disappoint.
Six of us gathered at the Rusty Bridge and by 5:47 were off to Annapolis. Somehow, we kept picking up riders along the way, so that by the time we reached the end of the trail, we had between 10 and 12 riders, with 6 of us continuing to Annapolis, and only 4 for breakfast. Great conversation makes the time go by quickly. On the way back, we pressed it a bit on B&A Blvd, and also slowed to tell another rider about the SPP. As the three others split off to go home, I continued on with the Airport loop planned, since I felt so good.
Around the airport, I startled 2 deer (I’ve seen 5 this week) who were on the trail and no doubt heard my creaky bike about the same time they saw me coming around a curve. Traffic on the Airport loop was light. I really didn’t press it on the loop, just continued to enjoy the ride. I did spend a little time recalling my first time around the airport, what an accomplishment it was. Now it is simply pretty routine and it seems like it is a lot shorter than it once was.
Just as I was slowing down for a bit of a cool-down as I approached the turn off for home, Shelly, a large man on an old Raleigh caught up to me completely out of breath, and counted that as a great accomplishment. He indicated that he had been to the SPP website and had seen the group riding past his house often and wondered if he would be able to keep up. I added a mile to my ride on the trail as we talked, encouraging him along the way. He commented on how much easier it was to ride with someone else, and I told him more about the rides that might suit him. At Robinson Road, he split off for home, I turned around and headed home also, adding the loop around my house just because I was feeling strong and thought the extra three miles would be a nice cool down.
In some ways, I’m surprised that this was a good ride. I’ve got some lung congestion and coughing up some crud with color. No speed records were set. I still have a lot of energy and am looking forward to some work around the house this afternoon. Past 30 day mileage = 810. I’m on track and planning for an excess of 800 miles in August, and may even be able to accomplish something like 850. I’m also starting to look at my plans for September as I move into the final month before the Seagull Century. I’ve yet to set my goals for that ride. A few months ago, the goal was to finish it. Now the decision is about how fast to finish the ride.
This Ride: 23.3 miles
Kona Distance: 3,037.1 miles
Month to date: 698.2 miles <– (New monthly personal distance record)
2010 Total: 3,503.6 miles
Pace to 5,254.8 mile goal in 2010: (196 miles ahead of goal pace)
I received an email indicating a change in plans for the ride this morning. Mike wouldn’t be joining me. Under a full moon, with a few high clouds, I began my ride and what a pretty morning it was! The trail was nearly empty. Many of the regulars were not out, and they missed a cool, beautiful dawn. My goal for the morning was to enjoy the ride and hopefully end the ride a little faster than yesterday. I was also interested in checking whether or not I solved the bike noise problem.
Yesterday afternoon I loosened and then tightened any component I thought might be causing my noise. It worked! A silent bike is a wonderful thing. The noise coming back after 10-12 miles is not a wonderful thing. (I’m half tempted to squirt grease where grease doesn’t belong.) Back to the drawing board. At least I know something I tightened made a difference.
Exciting news! When I got home, and was turning off my headlight, I inadvertently discovered that the NiteRider 350 does indeed have a blinky setting! It was not in any of the literature that came with the light, but I had seen mention of it on a web video about the light. I’ll be using that setting in the daylight, it makes me so much more visible! On Monday, I had several people helpfully inform me that my headlight was on. “Lights on for safety” is one of my mottos. You will rarely see me riding without a light.
The goal of a little faster ride was accomplished. My legs are feeling better. The view from the Naval Academy Bridge was fantastic. I’m looking forward to the Friendly Friday Ride with SPP tomorrow morning, and then … who knows how far I’ll ride?
What is the impact of blood donation on cycling and cycling performance?
With a little internet research, I’ve discovered some helpful information. The bulk of the following information is condensed from this site on Runner’s Web, the most detailed and helpful site I found.
- Donating a pint (450cc) of blood results in a depletion of about 10 percent of your total blood volume. Of that, only about 160cc are red blood cells. The fluid component, the remaining 290cc, is replaced within hours, but the red blood cell replacement takes about two months.
- Hemoglobin delivers oxygen to our tissues, and when we exercise our muscles require increased amounts of oxygen. If we lack sufficient hemoglobin, anaerobic, or without oxygen, metabolism will ensue (producing lactic acid) at even seemingly moderate levels of intensity.
- Assuming that your cardiac output (the amount of blood pumped by the heart) remains constant, a drop in hemoglobin concentration associated with donating blood will reduce your oxygen delivery to working muscles by 10 percent. Still, when you are at rest, or even during moderate levels of exercise, oxygen delivery, even at this decreased capacity, far outpaces demand.
- However, once you reach a heart rate that is around 5 to 10 percent below your usual anaerobic threshold, your body’s demand for oxygen will outpace its supply. For example, if your metabolism typically becomes anaerobic at a heart rate of 170, then after donating blood you will become anaerobic at a heart rate of between 157 and 164 beats per minute. This value will fluctuate because your hemoglobin level will be rising slowly each day, thus the most significant effect will be felt in the first few days after donating.
(I comment: In an earlier post I suspected that a lower hemoglobin concentration resulted in reduced flushing of lactic acid out of muscle tissues. Reading this, it is more likely that I enter the anaerobic exercise much earlier, and therefore produce much more lactic acid at lower heart rates and lower speed on the bike. I wonder … will exercise with reduced hemoglobin and therefore reduced entry into anaerobic exercise carry over into improved fitness levels as the hemoglobin rises?)
- The key to recovery is ensuring your body has the necessary building blocks — specifically protein and iron — to replace the lost hemoglobin.
The bulleted material above, is by Dr. Jeffrey Sankoff, MD, FRCP(C), a triathlete and ER physician based in Denver, Colorado. It comes originally from Science of Sport: The Effects of Blood Donation on Endurance Athletes
published in Inside Triathalon.
There is plenty more in the Runner’s Web link. After reading through the material carefully, the most significant elements for me include,
- When I donate blood, I need to hydrate the day before, the day of, and the day after in order to make sure that I keep my fluid levels up.
- I will need to take a rest day (minimum) after donating blood.
- I can expect that blood donation will make my cycling more of an effort and I will enter into the anaerobic threshold at a lower heart rate than normal. This will increase my lactic acid retention and I will need to extend cool-down activities as if I have worked at a very high intensity.
- I can expect that blood donation will have an impact on my maximum performance for longer than it will on my usual rides. I’ll likely notice that in hill climbs and sustaining high speeds.
- At my present activity levels (I’m not racing), there is no reason I should not continue to donate blood at my usual 4 time per year rate. In the very unlikely event that I begin racing, I may want to time blood donations so that they occur during non-race parts of the year.
- My diet post blood donation can emphasize foods higher in iron and protein. Bring on the red meats, beans, spinach and other high iron foods!
Each cyclist will need to make decisions about the appropriate balance between cycling and blood donation that makes sense for them and the priorities they place on each of these elements. Regular blood donation has been something that is important for me for decades.
This Ride: 20.1 miles
Kona Distance: 3,013.8 miles <– (Now the bike has over 3,000 miles on it!)
Month to date: 674.9 miles <– (New monthly personal distance record)
2010 Total: 3,480.3 miles
Pace to 5,254.8 mile goal in 2010: (192 miles ahead of goal pace)
Last night I received an email from Mike B asking about my usual morning ride and whether or not he could join me. A riding buddy is always welcome! We made plans, and I set out at 5:30 a.m. to meet him in the dark on the trail. We had a good ride to the Naval Academy Bridge. Plenty of good conversation and a reasonable pace.
On the way back, we encountered another rider ahead, and it took us a good mile to catch him. It was Clif who had waved the Wicked Wednesday group on ahead. He said he just hasn’t had much energy or strength in his legs since the epic 1000 k ride around Lake Ontario in early July. At Glen Oban, we encountered Bryan, who had dropped his water bottle, got dropped by Wicked Wednesday, and decided to wait for Clif. That made 4 on the return trip, a group of guys that is always fun to ride with. Bryan rode a 40 k time trial on Sunday and said he averaged 22.5 mph! Soon, Mike was dropped off on his way home. I’ll ride with him again tomorrow morning. Bryan set the pace and I tried to keep up on the short leg into Severna Park.
Conversation turned to massage and how to find a good masseuse who knows something about getting the knots out of cyclist’s legs.
This was a nice change from solo early morning rides.
I think I’ve discovered something about blood donation and riding. I fully expected some performance reduction because of donating blood, but what was unexpected … and I think is related … is that my circulatory system is not as efficient at getting the lactic acid out of my muscles. If that is truly a consequence, then it explains some leg soreness and stiffness and the need to attend more to a good cool-down routine. I’ll have to do a little more digging about that.
Rev Rider 