Rev Rider

Every ride is different.  Even though our route is the same each morning and often the same riders come out, each ride is different.

Yesterday, speed was the goal.  It turned out that it wasn’t as fast as it was on Tuesday, but it was still pretty quick.  Today there was no desire on the part of anyone to push the pace, so we just rode, talked and welcomed Nellie, who had not ridden with us before.

We caught a little light rain near the end of our ride today.  No one seemed to mind very much.

The ride happened.  The sun came up.  We went home.

Bible Verses of the Day: (catching up)

When any one of you touches any unclean thing– human uncleanness or an unclean animal or any unclean creature– and then eats flesh from the LORD’s sacrifice of well-being, you shall be cut off from your kin. (Leviticus 7:21 NRSV)

By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? (Romans 6:2 NRSV)

The morning started as every morning does, full of potential and with endless possibilities.  I wasn’t in any hurry to get out the door, but enjoyed the little bit of solo time before the meet up at the Rusty Bridge.

I saw a deer.  I watched a leaping bunny.  (Most bunnies I see are only running/hopping.  This one made a mad dash to the woods and leaped a couple of feet in the air to clear a bush.) I saw a squirrel run across the road, change directions immediately before slamming into my wheel, and dashing off the other way.  The turn compressed that squirrel into something the size of a chipmunk.

There were 9 riders out this morning.  We started out easy enough, but then Scott W pressed the pace and we were off.  As usual, there was a split in the group as some went to climb the hill at Askewton, and four of us simply stayed on Old County Road.  We formed into a 4 man paceline and kept the speed up down the trail, back north on the trail, on B&A Blvd, and through the light at McKinsey with only one pause.  A police officer was sitting in the driveway of the fire station in Arnold and as we crossed Jones Station Road, we all came to a complete stop.

That stop cost me the fastest time on the speed part of our ride.  I tied my personal record for the Strava segment that covers what I call “The fast part of 545”.  On the day, I had the fastest average time for a ride this year (which included our slow pace after the coffee shop) and my highest speed achieved on the year.  Yes, I exceeded the speed limit on B&A Blvd on my bike.

When we reached the coffee shop, we were drenched in sweat and ready to give our legs a break.  A couple of different guys commented on my increased speed and strength.  That felt good.

And the ride felt good.  Sometimes you just have to get all of that out of your system.

I took a rest day on day 5.  It was well-deserved.

Day 6 dawned cool and dry.  But the winds were kicking up and there were some whitecaps on Assawoman Bay in Ocean City.  The forecast had winds from the north forecast for most of the day, until late, when they might go NNE.  While that was better than a NW wind for my trip back from Ocean City, it was still enough of a headwind that I was concerned.  I decided to leave an hour earlier than planned, just to account for the headwinds.  I wanted to be finished with the ride before dark.

I left Ocean City at noon and pushed north to the Delaware border pushing into that headwind.  I had not eaten lunch.  That simple fact kept me focused on my hydration and fuel plan all through the trip.  That plan is pretty simple.  Water or Rocktaine/Water mix at least every 15 minutes & 20-30 grams of carbohydrates every 30 minutes.  There are many different routes from Ocean City to Stevensville.  I simply plotted the shortest route I could find and decided to deal with the traffic on heavily traveled roads.

My first leg turning NE out of the beach area was the most familiar part of the route.  It overlapped our OC rides and the RUSA routes that I designed.  I deviated from those familiar roads at Dagsboro, continuing up Rt. 20 to Rt. 113.  Once I hit Rt. 113, I was on highways with wide shoulders most of the rest of the way across the Eastern Shore.

In reality, this ride was uneventful.  Despite the headwinds, I kept my speed up and my heart rate down.  I watched both of those indicators and kept them in the proper ranges.  I adhered to my hydration and nutrition plan.  I kept my stops brief, but also used them as goals.  I stopped only 3 times.  The first was outside of Georgetown (about mile 32)  where I took on more water, ate a banana, bought some cookies, and oiled my chain.  (The chain was making quite a racket!)  The second stop was outside Bridgeville at about mile 45.  I bought some ice cream and topped off my water bottles again.  My third and final stop was at about mile 71 where ice cream and water was again on the menu.

As the temperature of the day increased, I started to note that my speed was decreasing.  The outside air temperature was only about 75° F, but my Garmin was registering as high as 90° with the sun and blacktop radiating heat.  I pulled out my trusty new cooling towel at mile 54 and felt an improvement in speed and comfort within the first mile or so.  I rewetted the cooling towel at mile 71 and it was working great until the finish at mile 95.

About 5 miles after my stop at mile 71, and the above mentioned ice cream/cooling towel I was feeling strong and decided to push toward the finish.  I reset my mental heart rate limit and picked up the pace challenging the wind to slow me down.  To that point, I had a rolling average speed of 16.6 mph … respectable for the conditions.  My last 4 five mile “lap” speeds were 19.1, 19.5, 19.4, and 18.6 mph.  Now, I will admit that some of this additional speed was “assisted”.  The last 20 miles had stretches where traffic was heavy and the winds off the cars passing a few feet to my left gave me about 1- 2 mph boost.  Even so, this increased speed over the last 20 miles felt good and I ended the 95 mile day with a rolling average of 17.1 mph and was feeling strong.  I did run out of water the last few miles, but just let it go.

So it was a good day on the bike.  It took about 6 hours 13 minutes to cover the 95 miles.  I was stopped a total of about 45 minutes, including traffic lights and short breaks.

AND by the time I was done, I had logged a total of 408 miles in 6 days.  It is not my highest miles in a week (that was last October when I rode 478 miles in a week), but it was a great way to end the month of May.

I will update the Malaria Campaign numbers in another post.

Of course the answer to the question in the title is, “A whole lot more.” But I had my share on today’s 200k.
Over the previous few days, the weather forecast kept being downgraded. What started as sunny, warm, and tailwinds gradually shifted to cloudy, rain, 50’s and headwinds. In fact, I was making new clothing choices as I was leaving the house, adding knee warmers, arm warmers, and at the last possible moment … a wind vest (which I took only so I could decide when I actually left on the bike. I nearly forgot my shoes, remembering them when I was ready to back out of the driveway.
I had packed the previous night. I would be attending a “convention” in Ocean City, MD and decided to carry all my clothing and “convention” needs on the bike so that I could test the carrying capacity and handling of the fully loaded bike. Who knew that dress shoes took so much space?
When I arrived at the Park & Ride in Chester, it was closed for repaving. I had anticipated this, but was still disappointed. My backup was at a church 4 miles away from the ride’s start. I parked the bike. I finished getting dressed. Then I pulled out my phone to take a photo of the fully loaded bike so I could post my departure on Facebook.
I dropped the phone.
I picked it up and turned it on. There were vertical lines running through the right hand part of the screen. That side of the touch screen would not register my touches! I decided right then and there that denial and magic was what I would rely on. I pushed off, and before going 100 yards I returned to the car to get the wind vest that I had decided that I did not need. I didn’t take it off the rest of the ride.
A light drizzle was falling, and yer I made good time to the opening control. I pushed off from there at 8:00, later than I had wanted to.
During the first 40 miles of the ride I kept messing around with my Garmin trying to get it to work right. The 4th time I loaded the route it finally (mostly) behaved. I didn’t really stop until about mile 42, Denton where I took on water and got a foil food wrapper to put around the toes of my socks as a wind break. I had decided against toe covers earlier that morning and my toes were suffering from that decision. It was here that the problems with the phone increased. Denial and magic didn’t work. My cold damp fingers wouldn’t activate the fingerprint reader to unlock the phone. Then the phone told me to key in my pass code, but two of my code numbers wouldn’t work. I pocketed the phone and decided to let the whole problem marinate.
My next leg was 50 miles. I could have stopped in Bridgeville, but decided I had enough fluids so I bypassed that opportunity. Headwinds increased. Rain was intermittent. Legs got tired. Heart rate monitor acted up for a little while. Mostly I kept waiting for the miles to pass by and for me to get to a rest stop in Milton.
When it came, I was a mess. The woman at the Subway took pity on me. My answers came slow. I was in a daze. As I ate and drank my faculties quickly returned and I set my sights on working out the phone issues. I discovered I could use voice command to read and answer text messaging. I could ask for the location of the closest wi-fi. I went to the local coffee shop, sat on their wi-fi with my iPad (I was carrying it for the “convention” and notified people where I was and what happened.
With only 35 more miles to go, my spirits were lifted even as I encountered stronger headwinds. My speed was up and down, but I kept moving. Before I knew it I was finished with the 200k, (in just under 9 hours) and riding on a flat rear tire. It took a while to fix the flat. I first tried denial again. Sine the leak was slow, I reasoned, I might just pump it up and ride it to the hotel. That didn’t work. A 1/4 inch long wire had punctured the tire and tube.
With the flat fixed, I was on my way to the hotel. I used the “go to” function of the Garmin to locate the hotel. It wasn’t in the list. I tried to find the hotel. I couldn’t find it. All the details were … on my phone. I didn’t think to ask the voice command to give me directions. I found a hotel with wi-fi, went to my google mailbox where copies of all emails go. Had to reset the password (evidently I changed the password 9 days ago and didn’t update my file) and finally found the hotel 1 block from where I started looking.
It was a challenging day. I ended up with 137 miles. I think tomorrow is a rest day.

Alarm rings and the internal debate started.

“Sleep some more.  Don’t ride.”

“You’ve got to ride today.  You’ve planned a big week.”

“I can change my mind.”

“Just get up and see how it goes.”

“They will want to go fast.  I don’t have anymore fast left in me.”

“You can ride your own ride.”

“I need rest so I have fresh legs for tomorrow’s 200k.”

“Your legs are fine.  You can’t be wishing for fresh legs on the 1,000k on the north side of Lake Ontario.”

I got up.  I got ready.  And I got out the door and onto the bike.

The arguing completely stopped within the first minute of riding.  That’s how it usually goes.

We had seven riders out, and it wasn’t a slow ride … and it wasn’t a record setting pace, but it was quick enough.  At the Rusty Bridge Dan told us there was a snapping turtle on the trail so we adjusted our route to go see this critter.  The shell was about 10 inches long and it looked mean.  Turtle stories abounded as we picked up the pace again.  As we rolled down the trail after that, there was a “box” turtle in the middle of the trail.  It looked like a Maryland Terrapin.  We were careful to avoid it and it snapped itself in it’s shell as we passed by.  Not bad!  Two turtles in one day.

The rest of the ride was uneventful.  Occasionally someone would challenge with a little speed, but rarely was there any significant gap.  I had a couple of short sprints that felt good.  I always marvel at the moving dance that is a group ride.

In the end, another  22.5 miles were added to the week, bringing the running total to 176.4.  Tomorrow, rain or shine I’ll add a minimum of 124 miles on my ride to Ocean City for our Synod Assembly.  I’ll be carrying everything I need for the Assembly, so the bike will be loaded.  Posting will be limited.

Bible Verses of the Day:

Then Moses said to the Israelites: See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; (Exodus 35:30 NRSV)

When he said this, a dissension began between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. (Acts 23:7 NRSV)

One of our SPP riders has a “rule” that you get to rest 1 day for each 200k you’ve ridden.  By that rule, I get a rest day.  Nonsense!  Not when you are planning a 1,000k!  Besides, Tuesday is Coffee Day.

I was out of the house early enough this morning to take a little longer route to the Rusty Bridge.  My legs felt pretty good.  My butt was fine.  I was enjoying the post long ride phenomenon of a lower pulse despite the effort.  When we gathered at the Rusty Bridge, several of us announced that this would likely be an easy day.  I remember saying, “I don’t know what kind of speed is left in my legs.”

As we rolled off, Scott W quickly took the lead and set a brisk pace.  There were 4 riders with him in that group and several others hanging back.  I remember thinking, “What am I doing in this fast group?”  I hung on, and we slowed for a time, until we got back on the trail, and off we went again.  My legs felt good, so I stayed with it.

At Old County Road, I powered up the hills as much as I could, and then pushed to close a gap that had formed ahead of me.  I was caught by some other riders, and tucked in behind them, and soon we were back on the trail flying fast.  A couple of times people commented that I was riding pretty fast for having ridden a 200 k the day before.  I stayed with this group, and we pressed on.  Near the end of the trail, I sprinted hard and noted 27 mph on the Garmin.  We didn’t linger at the turn around (and that served us well) but also didn’t press quite so hard on the northerly trip … at least until Dan caught us and increased the pace once again.  Now we were flying once again on our northerly section.  Getting to the little last hill, cars prevented me from really kicking it again, but once they passed, I passed a few riders while going up the hill.  We arrived at the coffee shop before it opened, the sign of a fast ride.

After coffee, and a leisurely ride home, I plugged in the Garmin and found that I had set 3 personal records on Strava segments, including my 12 mile private segment that contains what I call the “Fast Part of 545”.  A personal record (4 years of history) the day after a 200 k!  Where did that come from?  Clearly my hydration & nutrition plan worked.

Bible Verses of the Day:

tanned rams’ skins, and fine leather; acacia wood, (Exodus 35:7 NRSV)

Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear his own voice; (Acts 22:14 NRSV)

I’ve planned a tough week on the bike.  There are three long rides planned, along with daily rides for a possible 400 mile week.  This is the end of the Malaria Campaign and I’m needing to seriously increase my mileage in preparation for the 1,000k ride in July.

Day 1: 212 K

Clint and I haven’t ridden together on a long ride since the 200k in Key West nearly 2 months ago.  He completed the Fleche, but did not have a 200k for May yet, and chasing these R-12s means we need to get these rides in.  A Memorial Day ride seemed like just the ticket.  We planned a 6 am start and chose to ride my Eastern Shore “Tour de Del-Mar” route.

The morning couldn’t have dawned better.  It was about 60° F at the start with the promise of light winds and a beautiful sunny day.  On the way to the start, we were treated with a fingernail moon and Venus shining brightly nearby.  I know that when I ride with Clint, a 6 am start means we are watching the clock so that as it clicks over to 6 am, we are ready and we push off.  That was true this day too.  We needed no lights as we made our way through the little communities of Chester and Grasonville and soon enough we were in Queenstown.  The first real leg of the trip had us moving quickly, and gradually picking up speed.  We arrived at mile 30 in under 2 hours, and stopped to top off fluids and get a little food in our bellies.  At mile 45 we also did the same, and had a rolling average speed of 17.8 mph despite 4 miles of milled road.  I can’t count how many times I said, “What a gorgeous day!”

My plan for the day was to work my hydration and nutrition plan from the October 600 k that I did in North Carolina.  That worked for me very well then, and it was a great day for the test.  The plan was water or Rocktaine in water every 15 minutes and about 20-30 grams of carbohydrates every 30 minutes.  There were very few times I missed or skipped that schedule.  I wanted to make sure that it worked for me.

We encountered our first headwinds between Millington and Herrington as we had a southerly track.  Our average speed dropped, but by the time we arrived in Herrington for our “lunch stop” just after 11:00 am we had 82 miles in and a rolling average speed of 17.4 mph.  I stuck to my nutrition plan and ate about 80-100 grams of carbs, with a little protein and very little fat thrown in for good measure.  For me that was a turkey and cheese sandwich on a croissant, real Coke (I usually drink diet) and a chocolate chip cookie.  Clint thought a couple of pieces of fried chicken sounded good … and although it might have been tasty, it was the wrong food at the wrong time and he suffered for it the rest of the ride.

At Herrington it was also time for me to pull out my previously unused “secret weapon” and test it out as the day got warmer.  I purchased an “Arctic Cove” cooling towel that I planned to use.  I overheat quite easily and although I’ve used “ice socks” in the past, they leave me soaking wet.  The cooling towel holds water and acts like a chamois.  I wetted it down and wrung out the excess and threw it over my neck and shoulders for a test during the final 50 miles of this ride.

Pushing out of Herrington, we noted that the wind had picked up considerably and we were now heading directly into that stiff headwind.  I was feeling quite strong.  I would get in front for usually between a mile and a mile and a half, setting a good pace.  Mostly it was 17-18 mph.  Clint would take a shorter turn, and with 2 pieces of fried chicken in his belly, he was struggling to reach 16 mph.  I usually spelled him after .5 to .75 miles.  I noted that although the cooling towel didn’t feel cold, I wasn’t getting overheated.  The Garmin on the bike showed 95 degrees.  This was the best I’ve ever felt with that temperature reading on the bike.  The wind was strong enough, and humidity low enough that sweat was evaporating immediately.  I noted that especially as we pulled into Denton and stopped for ice cream.  Stepping inside, out of the wind, a sweat sheen immediately appeared.

Clint was not revived by the ice cream, as I had hoped, and the last 35 miles were a struggle for him.  He hung back on my wheel most of the time, and I had to watch my rear view mirror closely so that I didn’t gap him.  I continued to feel strong and kept my hydration and nutrition plan going.  I did have one stretch when my right foot started to cramp up bad.  I popped a whole mess of pills (motrin, e-caps, calcium, magnesium) and washed it down with a little more water than usual.  The cramping eased within a few miles.  The cooling towel was also drying out fast.  I dribbled a little of the precious water on it, and immediately felt the difference.

We stopped briefly in Ridgely to say hi to Mary Ann at Dave’s Place, but they were closed for the holiday.

The day only grew hotter and Clint was continuing to struggle.  I continued strong, albeit starting to feel a little beat up.  There, I admitted it.

We finished the route in 9:29 which is actually a pretty good time when I compare it to the other times people have completed this route.  I think it was my 3rd fastest for this route.

This ride was a real confidence booster for the upcoming 1,000k.  There isn’t a plan to ride that hard and fast early in the 1,000 k.  Getting the hydration and nutrition plan to work (which is usually my problem) was key.  I think I went through about 7 bottles of water and was not bloated at all.  Seven bottles really isn’t enough yet, but it is way more than I usually consume.  The cooling towel will be a companion on future rides in warm weather.  The real test will be to see how I do on the rides the rest of the week.

After the ride, I went home, got cleaned up, and went out to dinner with Lori for our 36th Anniversary.  I fell asleep watching television before 9 p.m.

Bible Verses of the Day:

Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even in plowing time and in harvest time you shall rest. (Exodus 34:21 NRSV)

Then the tribune came, arrested him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains; he inquired who he was and what he had done. (Acts 21:33 NRSV)

Quick Malaria Campaign Update: $7,557 raised.

This was simply a strange morning.  The alarm went off at 4:00.  I hit snooze, then remembered that my cycling clothes were all in the washing machine and had not been dried yet.  I pulled myself out of bed, put the clothes in the dryer, then found some clean unused gear to wear.  I checked the weather forecast and there was a 0% chance of rain until this afternoon.  I was out the door before 4:30.

What a gorgeous morning!  Warmish.  Some lingering humidity.  The critters were out in force.  I encountered a kamikaze bunny, a startled raccoon, dozens of birds with their particular early morning behavior, clouds of gnats, and streets mostly devoid of traffic. (The bird behavior that I find odd is that in the dark they tend to fly, or flutter, very close to the ground, often just in front of the bike.)  I made my way out toward Sandy Point State Park, knowing that I wouldn’t actually be able to get there and back to the Rusty Bridge in time, but still traveled that route relishing the relative quietness of the nearly empty streets.

I watched the clock and turned around so that I could arrive at the Rusty Bridge on time and continued to enjoy the solitude.  Once I got back on the trail, I noticed some very light sprinkles.  There was a distant flash in the sky, barely perceptible.  The rain gradually became harder.  The pavement turned wet.  My glasses were rain covered making it harder to see.  The flashes became more frequent.  By the time I arrived at the Rusty Bridge, it was clear that the lightning was getting much closer and thunder was accompanying it.  I checked the radar display on my phone, and discovered that a large thunderstorm was headed my way.  Thunderstorm warnings were out, with the potential for hail and damaging winds.  Dan had texted me that he was headed back home because of the lightning.  So was I.  The flashes grew closer but I made it home without incident.  Shortly after I arrived home the lightning and thunder were the briefest time apart.

This was disappointing to me this morning.  I had intended to ride 35-40 miles, but instead settled for 21.  Lightning is dangerous … and I got  more of a ride in than the rest of the gang.

The storm was over within about 30-35 minutes.  The morning is now as beautiful as it was at 4:30 … except the sun is now up.

Bible Verses of the Day:

And I will send the pestilence in front of you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. (Exodus 23:28 NRSV)

But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” (Acts 16:28 NRSV)

Four am was not happening this morning.  I had a late night at the church and by the time I was ready to shut down for the night 11:00 was just around the corner.  I set the alarm for 4:30 and got up at 4:39.  Yep, good old snooze button again.

I mounted my old front wheel on the Kona, having taken my Mavik in for service on the front hub after yesterday’s noise.

I was quick out the door in wonderful 63° F temps and I was ready to ride.  I chose a northerly route, and noticed about 300 yards in that I forgot my cycling glasses.  There are two ways I notice.  First, I can see better through my daily wear glasses.  Second, no mirror.  That’s the biggest drawback to forgetting.  I rely on that mirror quite a bit.  I pressed on anyway, and gradually increased my pace.  Going down Jumper’s Hole Road I was flying along at about 23 mph when I noted the light turning red at Obrecht Rd.  Usually when this happens I move over to the shoulder and just blow through the light, but this morning with great eyesight, I spotted a State Trooper sitting at the T intersection turning left onto Jumper’s Hole Road to go in my direction.  I bled off speed and came to a full legal stop.  Then, when the coast was clear, I continued on.  I turned on to the trail going north and crossed Highway 100 on the pedestrian bridge and continued on past Marley Station Mall.  I had a new PR to set on the Marley Station Mall hill, and once I turned around I pushed it hard.  I moved up in the ranks in this Strava segment this morning.  That uphill averaged 19.0 mph.

I finished the dash to the Rusty Bridge and the ride changed dramatically.  I rode with Mike C, who is continuing to recover from the 600k this past weekend.  The first half of the regular ride there were 5 riders that pretty much rode together.   On the way back, it was just Mike and I.  We had a good easy pace and it felt good to watch the heart rate drop under 110 while moving along at a fair clip.

Yes, it was just another ride, mixed up, and with a couple of treats along the way.

We spotted a very large deer on Old County Road.  Sunrise was once again pretty.  We are loving us some daylight rides in the early morning.

This is the best time of the year for our morning rides … for the next 2 months.

There were just over 26 miles on the day.  That’s what I get for getting out a little later than normal.

Bible Verses of the Day:

Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and those in the right, for I will not acquit the guilty. (Exodus 23:7 NRSV)

When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; (Acts 16:7 NRSV)