Cycling 200 Plus

2012 Update and Plans

2012-01-22T09:07:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I have been negligent in writing a blog update for a while now, so here goes.

First, if you have been following you know my wife, Angi is battling breast cancer. She has completed two of six chemo treatments, and all things considered is doing pretty good. My observation of fighting cancer is that it is the ultimate endurance challenge, as it tests, and depletes the body as the fighter battles for a scheduled six month fight, and that is if all treatment goes as planned. That said I still have pink tape on my bikes.

A big thanks to Cyclewarrior, Moonkinrunning, and SugarMangnolia70[1] for joining me in rocking the pink bar tape.

Yesterday was the SD Randos 200K (124 miles). I signed up as usual, and rolled out at 7:00 AM. It started raining about 45 minutes in. I have ridden and completed many long rides in the rain. Several in far worse conditions than yesterday. I had an issue I could not work out though. I couldn’t see. Yes, I wear glasses, and they spot bad, they didn’t fog, but I just couldn’t adjust. Wiping them didn’t work. So, I DNF’d. I just didn’t feel safe. I can only remember one other time when I felt like that and just had to get off the bike. It was on a 600K two years ago, when exhaustion hit about 11:00 PM and I had a hard time keeping the bike rolling in a straight line. By the way, a note of apology to our RBA Dennis for not calling in my DNF, I had seen a couple of riders, so I made the wrong assumption that he would be notified, and I just didn’t think about it.

After getting home yesterday, and warming up, I was looking at my 2012 plans. I have three events that I am registered for as of right now. The Fiesta Island Time Trial on February 5th, Super Seal Olympic Distance Tri on March 18th, and Super Frog 70.3 Tri on September 30th. I think I am running the Rock and Roll half marathon for Angi as well.

I have three double centuries on my schedule, but I haven’t registered yet. And I’m thinking seriously of dropping them from my plans this year. We are four weeks from the kick off double, El Camino Real, and I am not looking forward or excited for it. I am excited and looking for triathlons. The more I think about it, the more I think 2012 might be dedicated to triathlon.

So, fellow enthusiasts, what do you think? More triathlons? Will I be sorry if I skip a season of double centuries? Please feel free to opine in the comments.

[1] Used Twitter names for privacy.

Color Me Pink

2011-11-04T11:52:00.000-07:00

Last year I wrote a blog titled “Dude you have Pink Bar Tape on Your Bike.” It was in supported of breast cancer awareness month, and for all cancers. I put the pink bar tape on my bike again this year.

It was my intention to go back to my regular bar tape around the first of November. However, on the first of November we found out that my wife, Angi, has breast cancer.

Angi is tough. She will fight, and cancer is going to be sorry it messed with her.

Today, I changed my bar tape. But I kept it pink. I will have pink bar tape on my road and tri-bike until the doctor declares her cancer free.

I will buy some white bar tape. I will keep it on the shelf, waiting. Going back to the white will be part of our celebration once she is cancer free.

Until then, my bikes will be in the pink. I welcome anyone that wants to join me.

Ironman 70.3 Austin

2011-10-28T18:58:00.000-07:00

70.3 miles. For someone who has done 14 double centuries the distance is not intimidating. The only difference is of the 70.3 miles, only 56 are cycling. The first 1.2 is a swim, and the last 13.1 is a run. Okay, now there is some intimidation.

I decided to drive to Austin from San Diego, so I left on the Sunday before. I arrived Monday night and checked into my room.

Tuesday I drove the bike course. Two things jumped out at me. A lot of turns and some of the roads were in rough shape. I made some notes where a turn led to a hill, so I would shift in advance. I also noted some spots where I thought I would have to be on the bullhorns due to rough roads.

I finished Tuesday with an easy one hour spin.

Wednesday I went to the venue and took a good look at the lake, then went for a 30 minute run on part of the run course. Anticipation was building as Ironman had crew out marking the course.

I got an email Wednesday night from Ironman stating they were altering the run course from two loops at 6.55 miles to three loops at 4.4 miles. This was due to the severe drought in Central Texas; they took out an off-road portion.

I did not see the off-road portion, but this meant a third trip up the hill on Hog Eye Road. Actually a fifth and sixth trip since we go up and down it both ways.

Thursday I rode part of the course and felt really good. I was wishing Thursday was race day; I was riding strong without much effort.

Thursday night was great. I was able to get together with my friend Rich and his family. Rich was my best friend in college and roommate my senior year. It was awesome to spend some time with them. We got together again on Friday and Monday!

Friday was a tough day early on. I had no workout on the agenda. My wife and mother in law were flying in, but not until later in the day. Finally 3:00 and check-in opens. I got my packet, and T-shirts for my wife and mother in law that said Ironman Support Crew. I thought they would enjoy those.

Saturday meant my last pre-race workout. A short bike and very short run. After that, lunch, then off to the venue to rack my bike. Ironman requires racking your bike the day before. We looked at the swim venue, Swim out with the big IRONMAN SWIM OUT sign, and how it led into Transition, then how I would get to my bike, and exit transition. I walked through it, and left my bike.

Race day! Got nerves? I’ve done several events and races, and never have I been this nervous. I guess the first time doing this distance in a triathlon combined with doing a destination event, plus dedicating 20 weeks to training and making it very clear this was my A event of the year added up.

Water temperature was 72 degrees, so wetsuits are legal. My wave starts at 7:45. The Pros start at 7:30. Around 7:15 I put the wetsuit on, nibbling on a Honey Stinger Waffle. The cannon goes off and the pros start their swim. Another cannon shot and the women pros are off. I head to the swim start. We cannot go into the water until five minutes before the start, so no warm up. We get in, and I immerse and take a few strokes. The temperature is good, and the water feels nice. The air horn goes off. We humble age-groupers are not worthy of a cannon shot?

My swim strategy was to start easy, stay out of the washing machine, get a groove, and finish strong. Despite that, I got kicked in the head around the 100 meter mark. I got swam over about 200 meters in, and kicked again a short time later. Despite all that, my strategy was working. My breathing was regulated nicely, and as I made the first of two turns, I started to pass folks. During this section I started passing folks from the previous wave! The turn for home; and I was thinking, wow, what a great swim, now I’m seeing caps from two waves ago. Swim Out, the legs are a bit wobbly, take it easy, and watch the racer in front of me do a face plant. See two others fall. I walked until my legs felt okay then trotted into transition. This was the first race I have done where they had volunteers helping people get out of their wetsuits. That looked slow, I learned how to get out of a wetsuit TCSD style, no thanks, I got this on my own!

A note on swimming, I just started to swim in January of this year. My goal for the swim was 45 minutes. Actual time 40:52. A huge success to me. Thrilled! Onto the bike, my favorite.

Wetsuit off, helmet and shoes on, grab the bike. Get on the bike, pedal, pedal, and pedal. Something feels wrong. Stop, jump off. What the…..? My saddle is literally 45 degrees down. I usually have it level. How the heck? I give it a tug, and jump on and go.

Around the six mile mark is a nasty little hill. Short, but probably 12 percent at the peak. Soon after, I really felt like I didn’t have great legs. I pushed on. Lots of rolling hills, lots of turns. The roads did not seem as bad as they looked on Tuesday.

Around mile 35 I could feel the saddle was sinking again. I just pushed on. Around this time I realized I was not going to hit my time goal for the bike. I tried to smooth pedal and push without blowing up.

Bike goal time: 2:45. Actual 3:00:52

Dismount. Ouch! My quadriceps seized up as I got off the bike. All the training sessions I did, I have never had that. I limped into T2 and racked my bike. I grabbed some Tylenol and water, changed my shoes, and headed out. Before starting the run, I hit a potty. Off to the run. The quads seemed a little better. Take it easy, same strategy as the swim, start easy, and then pick it up. Mile one 10:39. Perfect, right where I want it. But, despite that being the pace I wanted, it was not easy. I had plenty of lungs, but the legs were crabby.

Strategy change; walk through the feed zones, get liquid, then run again.

That worked for two more miles. Then I had to mix in more walk breaks.

Mile five, in 58 minutes. Behind my goal pace, but okay, can we keep this pace? And wow, it got hot! (92f)

I felt like I was keeping the pace, I made the turn to lap number three. I smiled when I saw my wife and mother in law and heard their cow bells. Well, I smiled on the inside. It hurt way too much to smile outwardly.

The final lap. The cramping was so bad I was walking twice as much as I was running, and when I ran, it was more like a slow jog.

Mile 11, adding insult to injury. Now I was having gastro-intestinal issues. The last two miles were 90 percent walk.

I turned into the arena for the finish, and insisted on running across the finish line, so I started about 100 meters out. I really thought I was going to crash, but managed to make it. I could hear the cheers and the announcer call out my name: STEVE SMART you finished the IRONMAN 70.3 AUSTIN.

Run goal 2:20. Run actual 2:58:12/

Total goal 5:59:59.9999 Actual 6:52:58.

Goal two: Give it everything I got, leave nothing. ACCOMPLISHED!

I had to lean on the volunteer who pulled my chip off. I took a bottle of water and got my medal. But what I needed was a bathroom.

After the pit stop, I felt quite a bit better. I found my “crew” and went back to have a photo taken with my medal.

Now it is over. 20 weeks of training, anticipation, and in less than seven hours it is over. I hurt, I was spent, I was both excited that I finished, and a bit disappointed in the result. Proud that I did something that a few years ago would have been impossible, and bummed that I had so many issues.

When is my next one? What will I change? How much can I improve?

When the race first ended, I really thought my issues were due to an electrolyte imbalance, probably going into the day. I used the same products I trained with. Yes, it was hot, but not so hot that I should have cracked before the run.

After thinking about it, I think the saddle issue was a big reason for the cramps. This put me in a poor position on the bike. And my lower quads were still sore three days later. That never happens.

Lesson learned. Bring a multi tool on race morning, especially if you have to leave the bike, and check and make sure everything is tight.

I cannot figure out how my saddle got loose. My wife came up with the only plausible thought; that someone made an adjustment on what they thought was their bike, realized it was not theirs, and left without tightening it back up.

Lesson learned two: At least once a month, train in East County for the heat.

Thank you:

My Tri-Sherpas, AKA Wifey and mom-in-law. They made the day easier for me, and more fun.

The people that came out to watch. Your energy was awesome. Central Texas rocks. More than once I heard, hey California, welcome to Longhorn Country!

The volunteers. Great energy, and support.

TCSD – I saw a few other tri-clubbers out there, and the tips I’ve gotten from the club were useful and helpful.

Equipment Used:

Swim – Blue Seventy Fusion wetsuit
Aqua sphere Rx goggles

Bike – Specialized Transition Comp
Shimano RS 80 Wheels
Giro Aero Helmet
Shimano Tri shoes

Run – Nike Voomero 5 shoes
Fuel Belt

Top – TCSD Tri top
Desoto 400 mile bib shorts

The Hay is in the Barn

2011-10-09T11:32:00.000-07:00

I just completed the 18th week of my 20 week training plan leading to the Austin Half-Ironman.

As they say, the hay is now in the barn. For the next two weeks, it will be about keeping the hay fresh, so I can consume every last strand on October 23rd.

Some observations: After five years of cycling, I was riding a lot. But I was not really training. Not properly at least. I’ve seen more gains in fitness and speed in 18 weeks than I ever thought I could. Regardless of the outcome at Austin, the training has been a success.

Intervals work, and really if your not doing intervals, your not training.

Rest works. Not too much, or your just resting. But planned rest lets the muscles recover, and gains happen.

Racing is fun.

Push yourself. Go fast, climb a really hard hill, push to the point of cracking. You will improve.

The hay is in the barn. And if I do say so myself, it is a pretty big barn!

Tri Rock San Diego

2011-09-12T19:58:00.000-07:00

The Austin 70.3 is six weeks away. Yesterday was Tri Rock, a Sprint Triathlon in Embarcadero Park, San Diego. My tune-up race for Austin. Use the same gear, fuel, methods and make sure it all works.

The day started with a 3:30 AM wake up call, to leave by 4:30, since Transition opens at 5:00. One cool thing about Tri Rock, is the racks. No hanging your bike, slots for your wheel, nice and stable. And they had all the spots assigned, no first come first serve stuff.

I found my place, and set my stuff up. Took my time, I had plenty. Note to self, it was dark, bring your running headlamp to Austin just in case.

Now the waiting game. My wave is scheduled to go off at 8:10. Its 6:15 and I’m ready.

I went over to the swim start area. The first wave started at 7:00, and before that, there was a tremendous rendition of our national anthem, along with a tribute to 9-11.

Tick tock, tick tock, it’s finally 8:00 and our group is on-deck. We get into the water, I warm up a bit, then get into position for our start.

The swim start is always chaotic. I decided to start this swim with my head up, less efficient, but better than getting knocked all over the place. And it worked well, as I could tell when it was the ideal time to start swimming. I had a solid swim, 10:38 for 500 meters, right in the middle of my age group. Off to Transition.

Bike time, my favorite. The bike course was supposed to go out Harbor drive to the 32nd Street Naval Base, and then go on base, before returning via Harbor drive. With heightened security, we had to do two laps of Harbor drive, which meant four trips over the railroad tracks, and more time on the lumpy, bumpy, moonscape that is Harbor Drive. There were reports of several crashes. I kept the rubber down, and managed to cover the 9.5 miles in 27:54.

Transition number two, then onto the run course. As triathletes go, I am a pretty slow runner. However, with my training for Austin, my running has improved, and I could feel it as I headed out. The run course was scenic, mostly along the waterfront, Seaport Village, and there was a section they took us up on some grass to give it a cross country feel. They had a little stadium like area set up for the finish, and as you came into the shoot the announcer called out your name, I gave a fist pump and crossed the line in 27:44, a personal best for a 5K.

My total time, 1:11:31. 18th out of 54 in my age group. I am really pleased with that effort.

This event was a Tri-Rock which is put on by the Competitor Group. They are the same folks that do the Rock and Roll Marathons. So, yes, there were bands on the course, and even in the water! At the finish they had a band called Back in Black, an AC-DC Tribute band. I really thought AC-DC was on stage, these guys were good! Made for a fun event!

My wife and mother in law came out to cheer me on, ring cow bells and play sherpa for me. I really appreciate that, it made my day a bit easier and more fun. Plus the photos are courtesy of my mother in law and her new digital camera. Most of these are better than official event photos I’ve gotten! This week is back to training, as the next four weeks get pretty intense before a two week taper.

Photos: 1. Just before entering the water. Game time!

2. I'm in there, I'm the guy in the black cap and black wetsuit!

3. Bike time!

4. Run time!

5. Medal time!!!!!!!

Solana Beach Triathlon

2011-07-27T07:24:00.000-07:00

Photo Credit Swim Out - Angi Smart (Wifey)

I have not written a blog since the Eastern Sierra Double. I usually blog in conjunction with my events, and there have been no events for me since Eastern Sierra. That is, until last Sunday.

I did the Solana Beach Triathlon. A sprint triathlon with a ¼ mile ocean swim, 9 mile bike, and 3 mile run. This race was mostly a training race as part of my preparation for the Austin 70.3 that I am doing in October. The Solana Tri culminated week seven of my 20 week training plan. There will be one more practice tri, my “dress rehearsal” at Tri-Rock on September 11.

The training for triathlon is very different from what I did for distance cycling. Of course I am swimming and running, not just cycling, but the durations tend to be shorter, but more intense. I find after three years of focusing on distance cycling, the hardest thing for me to do, is go all-out. I always want to keep something in the bank for the end.

I didn’t really train to do my doubles fast. When I got into cycling, I just kept trying to ride further, it wasn’t until recently I actually really decided I’d like to see if I can get faster.

Two things about going faster, especially on the bike: One, its fun! Two, it hurts. Not in a bad way, but really, if you are trying to go fast, and it is not hurting, you are not pushing hard enough. That has been a bit of a challenge for me too. I mean, I got into cycling to get rid of 150 excess pounds of girth by doing something I liked. Putting myself into the pain cave was not part of the original equation.

I just started swimming in January, and I have to say I am pleased with my progress. The hardest part of triathlon swimming is the washing machine at the start. Bang, bump, collide. It’s not like everyone lines up on the right and people move to the left to pass. Once I get some room, I can hold my own. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not challenging Michael Phelps, or even the fast triathletes. But my swim has come along better than I anticipated.

The run is the challenge for me. As a kid, I was one of the slowest. I grew up playing baseball. You’ve heard the saying; he’s fast for a catcher. I caught; I was slow, even by catcher’s standards. I started mixing in running three years ago, not consistently, but enough for a bike guy. It took me a while to get to where I could do a 5K in less than 40 minutes. I can now break 30, but barely. 29:26 in the Solana Tri. 53rd of 66 in my age group. As a percentage, my worst of the three events. I’ll keep working at it. This is one of those speed/pain things, as I think I could have maintained that pace for much longer, where I’m sure others would have dropped off. I just couldn’t seem to ramp it up, even for the short course.

Speaking of results, I did the 9 miles in just under 27 minutes, or just over a 20MPH average. The course was on 101. For San Diego locals, depart transition at Lomas Santa Fe, go north to Via de la Valle, do a 180, Make a right on Lomas Santa Fe, and immediately do a 180 and make a right back on coast highway, down the hill to the light for another 180. Repeat, except on lap two pull back into transition at Lomas Santa Fe. Six 180’s on the course really cut the speed. Koz, the group that runs this event lumps both transitions into the bike split, so I really don’t know how I compared to the rest of the field. I can tell you this, I did not get passed on the bike course by anyone from my age group, (the fast guys were already ahead of me from the swim) and only one guy overall, who was on his second lap while I was still on my first. I passed a ton of people! The problem was I saw most of them go by me on the run. Including both transitions I was 26 of 66 in my age group for the split.

I was 47 of 66 on the swim. Okay for my second competitive swim, first in the ocean; and that includes a ¼ mile up hill from the beach at Fletcher Cove to Transition where at least 10 guys passed me running in. There’s that doggone running speed again.

Anyway, I am enjoying the triathlons, and training. One thing, as a cyclist, I can say I really like, is the time trial discipline. I like getting aero, and testing myself against the clock.

Next up is Tri-Rock on September 11th, then Austin 70.3 on October 23rd.

Gear: Swim – Blue Seventy wetsuit, Aqua Sphere goggles
Bike – Specialized Transition, 53/39 crank, 11-28 cassette, Shimano RS80 wheels, Giro Advantage 2 aero helmet.
Run – Nike Vomero+ 5 shoes

2011 Eastern Sierra Double Century

2011-06-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

Early in the week I looked at the weather report for Bishop/Mammoth/Benton and what I would need for the Eastern Sierra Double Century on June 4.

What I saw was not what I wanted to see. A chance of SNOW in Mammoth, chance of rain, and strong winds. As the week progressed the chance of snow diminished, and the percentage chance of rain dropped. But the wind was in the forecast. Not breezy, but flat out windy.

I got up to Bishop on Friday in time for lunch, and it was already blowing. Saturday morning it was still blowing, and it was only going to get stronger.

I was prepared for below normal temperatures, and a slight chance of rain, but there isn’t much you can do for wind. So we headed out for the 30 miles around the Owens River Valley. Going east you could feel the wind a bit, going south you could definitely feel it. But now, we were mostly going north up the Old Sherwin Grade. Then toward Mammoth Lakes. The Mammoth Scenic loop is recently repaved. Wow, what a treat to descend on fresh blacktop. This was the highlight of the day for me, a wonderful loop, great road, and I like descending!

Up and over Dead Mans Summit on highway 395, and into the third aid station. Then the June Lake loop. Smack, there’s that wind, but we’d be turning soon enough. Drip, drip, drip, Shower! All of the sudden it was raining. Then back to a drip, then done. Short and sweet it rained, and it was done. Back on 395 to Mono Lake and the lunch stop. Nice and fast up to Mono with a good tailwind.

Lunch was over, and we had about 90 miles left. Most of which would be into the wind. 11 miles back south on 395, then a left on highway 120, a short fun descent. Then the last climb of the day, up Sagehen. 8,136 feet, the highest elevation, and third 8,000 foot plus summit of the day.

My favorite part of the ride last year was descending Sagehen. I hit 52 MPH last year. With a very strong head/cross wind, I “only” hit 46.4 this year, and didn’t really enjoy it, as I was worried about the wind pushing me over. After the descent we were going due south, into the wind on rollers. Ugh, that was slow. Finally a short descent into Benton. 35 miles to go.

35 miles due south. Into a wind that was now sustained at 25 MPH with gusts well over 40. Last year I did this stretch in about an hour and 40 minutes. Instead of describing the agony of riding 35 miles into that kind of wind, I’ll just let you know it took 3 hours and 45 minutes.

I love this ride. It is my favorite double century route. Beautiful scenery. But having ridden in cold, rain, fog, and now rip-roaring winds, I can say, wind is my least favorite. It really messes with your mind. Knowing you are on roads you can hold 20 MPH on; and now you are going less than 10, and hurting more than you did when you were going fast.

At one point a group of six riders came on me, I latched onto the back. The shelter seemed to make it easier for a bit, at a whopping 10.5 MPH. After five or six minutes I couldn’t even hold on to the group. I finally realized I had bonked, since I hadn’t eaten anything after leaving Benton. I stopped and dug out a Fig Newton. Washed it down with some water and started again. About 10 minutes later I felt quite a bit better and picked up the pace a little bit. Finally the road curved and the breeze was a helping cross wind for a couple of miles. It didn’t last long, but it did enough to lift my spirits as the road turned back into the wind I could see Bishop. Not much longer and I reached Hwy 395 a left turn and a right into the La Quinta! Done, dusted, wiped, spent, exhausted.

Chatted with a couple of the speedy guys, Keith J and Colin S, then headed to the motel for a much needed shower, change, and trip to Denny’s.

My next “major” event will be the Longhorn 70.3 triathlon in Austin, TX on October 23rd. I am now in a 20 week training block leading up to it that will include three sprint triathlons for practice.

Total elevation gain 10,223 feet
Bike: Specialized Roubaix Expert
50/34 compact crank; 11-28 cassette

Huge thanks to all the Planet Ultra volunteers ya’ll were great!

TCSD Club Race and Hemet Double Century

2011-04-17T14:40:00.000-07:00

This will be a two for one blog since I “raced” the Tri Club San Diego’s April race last week, and completed the Hemet Double Century yesterday.

This was scheduled to be my first triathlon. I did a duathlon before, but I hadn’t yet done a tri. Friday night it rained, hard at times, so on Saturday morning it was decided we would have a duathlon since the water was unsafe. I don’t think anyone was complaining, since it was 43 degrees. It would have been interesting to get out of the water and on the bike nice and wet in those temperatures.

The first run was two miles, a single loop on the north end of Fiesta Island. I was going nice and fast, well, at least for me. Most of the field was ahead of me. I came through and was really happy with my time, but no chance to celebrate, I’ve gotta get my helmet and bike shoes on. Out of transition on my Transition. I got into a nice rhythm on the bike, and before long was passing other riders with some consistency. Lap 5, off the bike, into transition, and back on the run course for two loops, or four miles. I’m really feeling pretty good, monitoring my time, even though some of the folks I passed on the bike are passing me. Then just before the first loop I feel a strain in my left hamstring. The same one that gave me grief the end of last year into this year. I eased up, walked a few strides, stretched it, and started to walk. I considered stopping since I was at the start/finish, but decided to try to keep going. I started with a jog, and slowly increased my pace. I was able to pick it back up, but not to where it was. Still, I finished the run in, what for me was a good 4 mile time.

So what where the results? First run 16:39, (36th out of 45) T1: 1:56 (42nd out of 45) Bike: 36:51 (9th out of 45) T2 1:55 (39th) Second run: 39:40 (42nd) Final 1:37:01 (36th)

Even though my running has improved greatly, it still has a long way to go. My transition times were terrible, but since it’s only the second time I’ve done this, I know I can get better there. I made a couple of rookie mistakes, and I have to work on how I’ll deal with my running shoes since I wear an orthotic. Pretty happy with the bike split, especially since I had more to give, but held back for the final run. Even if the result was not competitive for the field, it is the first time I held under a 10 minute pace for anything greater than 3 miles.

A week later is the Hemet Double Century. One of the “easier” doubles in the Triple Crown series based on climbing, only the lowland Grand Tour has less elevation gain. However Hemet has its own challenges, including the one climb over Sage Road and it’s a more urban route than many with several stop signs and lights.

I woke up at 2:30 AM to make the 70 mile drive from San Diego. I found a place to park, got my bike and gear ready and went to the check in. I pinned my bib number on my jersey, and was about to head out. Hemet has an open start window of 4-6 am, and a volunteer records your check out and check in times. Near the check out area, they had put up a memorial poster board for Jim Swarzman. Jim was killed last week by a hit and run driver while doing the San Diego Randos 600K brevet. There was a lot of talk throughout the day by riders that new Jim, remembering miles they shared. I knew Jim a little bit, not as well as many. I think Jim would have been pleased to see the ultra cycling community getting out and doing a double century, doing what he loved. I can’t think of a better way to remember someone.

The last two doubles I’ve done have had rain, and chilly to cold temperatures. This day promised to be different. The overnight low was about 55. That’s warmer than it ever got in Solvang! The forecast high was 94! It slowly warmed up through the morning, I felt good at the start, and was maintaining a good pace. The legs felt strong, and there was a fluidity to the ride. I felt like I hadn’t been out for long, and I was on the parkway heading back to Hemet for the completion of the first loop of 105 miles. This was the first time I remember thinking, its getting warm. I checked in, had a quick sandwich, and chatted for a few minutes with my friend Keith, who was at lunch the same time, only because he started an hour later. Keith is really fast. I headed out, knowing the toughest part of the day lay ahead.

Wow! In the twenty minutes I took for lunch, the temperature must have gone up 10 degrees. About 8 miles into the second loop, we turn onto Sage Rd. You’re on Sage Rd for 6.5 miles. It would be appropriate if it were for 6.66 since this road is the devil! 4 plus of those miles are the climb. Here is what is strange about Sage Rd; the climb starts mundane 3-5 percent, a false flat, 4-6 percent, a false flat, but when Sage is at 6 percent is feels like other climbs at 8. Then Sage gets you, with some 9-11-and 13 percent spikes. Add to that, my Garmin is showing its 111 degrees! Not long, but enough to put some bit into the legs. For those that do California Triple Crown Doubles, Sage wouldn’t come close to making the top ten in hardest climbs. I don’t know if it is because it is on a ride with minimal climbing overall, or if it’s the condition of the road (poor) or what, but it seems harder than the profile it leaves. Anyway, finally over Sage, a modest downhill until we turn on Benton, then a nice downhill, but be careful! Lots of sand on the road, especially to the right hand side, you don’t want to wipe out cornering at 40 MPH! Benton then smacks you in the face with a long roller that hits double digits.

We roll into the Temecula valley wine country, a rolling road to our next aid station at a winery! But, water and Cytomax, no wine for the bottles. Just as well, I don’t think wine would be good for hydrating in the heat.

Heading out toward Lake Elsinore for the second time today, and I’m rolling with another rider. I know he’s stronger than I, but he hangs back and we chat for a bit, but mostly just ride. He pulls off saying he needs some fluids, I agree as my bottles are about empty and we have 11 miles until the next stop. Funny, Keith was riding with another guy, I can’t remember his name, but they had passed us, then Keith came on me again, he and his riding partner were out of water and stopped in the same shopping center we did. They went to Ralph’s, we went into Starbucks. I think with the conditions, we could have used a water stop in that area. I’m sure we weren’t the only four that needed more fluids.

Finally to the Lake Elsinore stop. I needed some time here to cool my core down, and to try and get some food in me. I wasn’t eating as much as I usually do, or need to on a double, nothing tasted right in the heat. I nibbled, but mostly just had an extra Cytomax.
Only 18 miles to the last aid station, refuel, and head out for the finish. One wee bit of a climb, we came up to some road construction which confused me, because I thought the road was closed, but they were just warning you that it was closed up ahead, which is where we turned. After the turn we finally got a bit of a tailwind, and no more climbs! Time to rock and roll! Antelope to Keller to Menifee to Domienigoni! I got this! 23-28 MPH, hammering and feeling pretty good. How, why? I don’t know, I’ll take it. Where is Domienigoni? Menifee just ended? I know I didn’t miss it. Two other riders come up. I shrugged and we headed back. I was pulling out my phone to look at a map when they asked a local. It seems Newport, which we passed about a mile ago becomes Domienigoni. I was really mad for a few minutes. I was feeling good, hammering, and that took some of the wind out of my sails. I picked it up again for a little bit, but ran out of steam with about 4, maybe 5 miles to go. I came in doing intervals, not intentionally, but I pushed when I could, but couldn’t sustain it anymore, so I had to recover in between.

Overall it was a fun day, a good ride, and it was nice not to get rained on, or be shivering. I’m pretty pleased with how I handled the heat. Considering it has been chilly, and even last summer was cool, the biggest issue I had was post Sage Road, to Lake Elsinore. I was slower here, and struggled here, but was pleased with getting a second wind.

Thanks to Jim Watrous and his volunteers for putting on a good ride for us. The volunteers had a bunch of enthusiasm and kept us going.

On deck: May 1st – Koz Spring Sprint Triathlon, Mission Bay.

Thanks for reading, I check for comments, so feel free to leave one if you have a question.

Solvang "Spring" Double Century OR an Ode to the Spring Classics

2011-03-28T17:56:00.000-07:00

The title has spring in quotes. Why? A look at the calendar and, yes, it is spring. Yet the morning temperature was 42 degrees with cloudy skies. By 10:45 it was raining, and with a healthy breeze out of the south, the overall day was wet, chilly, and breezy. More like one would expect in January. Throw in some rough roads, no cobbles mind you, but some sections of bumpy, lumpy roads and you see how this ride can be dubbed an ode to the spring classics.

I rolled out right about 6:00 AM, a pretty easy warm up east on route 246 before diving into the Santa Ynez Valley and the mostly uphill trek up Foxen Canyon. I felt pretty good under the chilly cloudy skies. After the climb, and initial descent there is a long stretch of a slight downhill to flat roads, where I was holding 22-23 MPH. After the first aid station at mile 41, I continue to roll at a brisk pace. Before I knew it, some rain had started to fall. (10:44 to be exact) Soon after I rolled into the second checkpoint at mile 86.

The rain continued more on than off, varied between mist, sprinkles, showers, and rain. As usual, in conditions like this the cyclist gets wetter and dirtier from road spray than from the rain that is falling. The other thing you notice is lots of cyclists stopped to fix flats. My turn came as route 1 makes a 90 degree turn to head uphill; I felt the familiar thunk, thunk, thunk from the rear. I see a cut out about100 feet ahead, so I roll up a bit, pull over, and look for a semi-clean place in the mud to set my bike and work on the flat. I pull the wheel, unseated the tire and a SAG vehicle pops out. A man pops out, floor pump in hand, takes my wheel and proceeds to complete the tube change and flat repair for me. I thanked the very nice Planet Ultra volunteer, but forgot to get his name. He said he had helped tons of folks with flats. It’s always nice to catch a break and not have to do your own flat repair.

I proceeded up the modest climb, and saw three other riders with flats within a quarter of a mile of mine. There must have been something on the road camouflaged by the water. After the climb, the road continues mostly up at a fairly steady one to two percent gradient plus a head wind for several miles. My pace was slowing considerably, and despite a good start, and a real good first 86 miles, I realized I wouldn’t hit my goal of a sub 13 hour day. In fact, as I calculated my pace going into the wind I was thinking 14 to 15 was probable.

After Guadalupe the rain was light, and looking west it seemed a bit clearer. In fact, for the first time, a slight hint of sunshine. No blue in the sky, but a glint of light. Looking to the left, a bright, vibrant rainbow. So close, I felt like I could touch it! God was showing off. I admired the rainbow for several miles before the sunlight disappeared not to be seen for the rest of the day.

Mile 168 is the final aid station. I took in some hot cup of noodles, and filled my bottle with my favorite final aid station fuel, room temperature coke. I also put on a pair of dry gloves that I had put into my “dry bag.” When I do a long ride with rain in the forecast, I bring a gallon size Ziploc bag that I keep an extra pair of gloves and socks, and other stuff that needs to stay dry. The fingers were happy, and I headed back out. So much for the clearing skies, as it was raining again; we crossed onto a private road that belonged to a vineyard. Thank you to the owners of the vineyard for letting us use their road. It paralleled the 101 at this point, and I saw a sign on the 101: Buellton 16 miles. Ugh! I’ve got almost 30 to go! Soon it was back to Foxen Canyon Road, and the final real climb of the day. My legs were toast! I had nothing for this climb. Finally, the summit and what would have been a sweet descent. But it was dark, wet, and my vision was terrible. I wear glasses which is a challenge in the rain. My eyes are also light sensitive, so whenever a car passes coming at me, I’m practically blinded for a few seconds. So I took the descent slow, safety first! Tons of riders went by me like I was standing still. I came up to a cyclist pulled over and stopped to see if he was okay. It was Alfie on his fixie, and his chain had dropped descending, so he was fixing that. I stayed there and focused my helmet light on his repair, as his girlfriend explained he skidded for 50 feet. Yikes! Glad he kept the rubber down, and got control to fix the chain. The final road before returning to 246 is Ballard Canyon. This road is part of the Tour of California Time Trial, and with a short technical climb, and a technical descent you can see why Levi, a strong mountain biker, dominates this time trial. Finally, the finish!

Official times aren’t up yet, and I didn’t think to ask at the time, but based on when I started, I think I was just under 16 hours. My average pedal speed was 2 MPH less than last year, but I think the ride was successful. There is something to be said for finishing in tough conditions. A huge thank you to all the volunteers, you are always appreciated, but more so for being out during a day more suited for ducks! I saw SAG vehicles loaded with bikes, so I know the attrition rate was high, keeping the volunteers busy.

Next up for me is the TCSD club race on April 9th, then the Hemet double on April 16. Gear used: Specialized Roubaix Expert, Shimano RS80 wheels, Conti 4000S tires, Defeet wool baselayer, Pearl Izumi Lobster gloves, Showers Pass Double century jacket.

See the ride here on Garmin Connect

Camino Real Double Century and Poker Run; Kayaks Optional!

2011-02-20T15:59:00.000-08:00

I am a bit of a weather geek, so I pay attention to the forecast and fronts as a normal course of my day. When I have an event, I pay closer attention, especially in the winter.

For the past week, the forecast for the Camino Real Double had been pretty grim. Rain, and possibly a lot of it was heading to Southern California including Orange and San Diego Counties where the event would be held.

Since our deluge in December, we have had great weather. A La Nina weather pattern means a weak southern jet stream, which makes it hard for storms out of the Gulf of Alaska and Pacific Northwest to make it this far south. This one had enough punch and a strong cold low pressure system to overcome anything in its way.

When I went to bed Friday the forecast for the 12 hour period for Saturday from 6am to 6pm was for a 90 percent chance of rain. Precipitation totals were to be from one third to one half an inch. The forecast high was 56 degrees, with gusty winds to boot.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I woke up Saturday morning at 3:30 AM to see a drastic change. A 50 percent chance of rain with totals less than one quarter of an inch. Way to go La Nina!

I get my gear on, or “kit up” as we cyclists like to say. Load the van and begin the 76 mile journey to Irvine. I arrive at 5:20, watch the 5:30 group head out and check in. Get the bike ready under partly cloudy skies. It had rained heavily overnight so the roads were wet. It had also been quite windy so there was a tremendous amount of debris, including the usual branches, twigs, and road crud. I also had to avoid two downed trees, and a street sign. All was going well. Going out with the mass start at 6:15, I was able to sit in with the front group comfortably for about 12 miles. The road went up and the speedy lean guys were gone. Still, I felt pretty good, and felt like a good day was in the works. After a brief run down the coast, we ventured back toward inland Orange County. A right turn on El Toro road, and pffft. The dreaded flat tire. As I am removing it, SAG pulls up, so I had a floor pump which is always nice. Thanks SAG dude! Off I go. Back to the coast, and close to the first stop. A right turn on Green Lantern. If you are not familiar with Dana Point, several streets are named X Lantern, X being represented by a color. Somehow I missed Green, and doubled back. A bonus of four miles. What I didn’t realize was the first stop was not a check point, just a water stop. I could have skipped it. Oh well, I fueled up, and headed out, charging down the coast. The first real stop was at mile 54, or 58 for me. I caught a few riders which made me feel better. Topped the bottles and drilled it coming out. From here through mile 112 was the best part of the day. Intermittent clouds with sunshine, and occasional sprinkle, but nothing too bad, and I was making pretty good time. I was on pace to be right at 14 hours including stops. Mile 112 was flat number two. Again, I had assistance right of way, this time even with a tube, which was nice since I had one, but with the debris, you never know. Up and running. Turning to go south on I-5 we pick up a pretty good tailwind. I wish I had hit the lap counter on my Garmin for the I-5 run, but I bet I averaged 24 MPH for the 7 mile run, including a slow down for a car pulled over. Exit I-5, onto the old 101 path, under the tank tunnel, which, after a rain storm becomes a cyclocross pit, up through the campground to a control. Refuel time.

Pulling out of the control, I look over the ocean and north. The sky has become ominous. Rain is coming. Hopefully just some sprinkles or a light shower.

The better than expected weather ended abruptly and rudely in San Clemente. It started to pour, and then it started to hurt. I realized it was hailing! I see a gas station and pull in and under the canopy.

I seriously considered calling it a day. The rain was coming down so hard, my thoughts were the roads would be rivers, and too dangerous to continue. About that time, it eased off some, a couple of riders passed by, and we headed out and continued north.

We made the turn inland where we were treated to various methods of getting wet and cold. The wet from a sprinkle, a shower, a downpour, and by now, a constant flow coming up from underneath the bike. The cold from; a short downhill, a harsh gust of wind, or an inopportune stop light.

Notice I said a short downhill. There were a few of those, but we turned inland at mile 150, which meant the next 30 miles were mostly uphill. Rarely over 5 percent, but with tired legs 3 and 4 percent gradients ware you down.

Driving along, I feel like I fishtailed a bit. Wet road, yeah, that must be it. This is called denial. Because we all know why a bike goes into a fishtail. Yes, flat number three. While I was fixing this one, a very nice, very young person pops over and provides a floor pump. He also offered nutrition; he practically had a bike shop in his car. Based on his t-shirt, I assume he worked for Rock and Road cyclery. I wish I had gotten his name to thank him.

Finally we get to Trabuco Canyon, the final aid station. Hot soup, heaters, facilities; everything a cold, hungry cyclist needs.

I left with a bottle of water and a bottle of room temperature coke. Freezing on the downhill, then back up. Two riders ahead touch wheels and fall. I stop just in time. The riders are okay. Restarting was interesting. My bike immediately went left; I stopped and found myself facing the wrong way. Along with two others. The road must tilt that way as well as up. Finally, we go, another descent. Ordinarily I love a descent. Not tonight. It makes it cold, and with the wet gritty roads, bombing down them is not an option.

Onto Santiago Canyon road for the next 12 miles of torture. Going through an intersection I see a median, I go left, and has the median ends I go to merge back right, except the median hadn’t ended, I hit it and crashed. Hard. I bounced right back up, stood there for a while, then walked the bike. A nice couple on a tandem stopped to see if I was okay. Their friend came up also, and after talking to them for a couple of minutes, and looking at my bike, I decided to proceed. I took it easy for a bit, shifted through the gears, and seemed okay. Actually, suddenly I felt better than I had in a few hours. I’m guessing adrenaline kicked in. The last 15 miles was uneventful. More rain, more wind, more wet. Finally the finish line. 13 hours and 47 minutes of pedal time, 16 hours total time.

I crawled into my van, cranked the heat, got out of wet cycling clothes, into dry clothes and headed to Denny’s! It was time for a well earned meal.

So what kept me going on this ride? I mentioned one point where I thought about giving up. Honestly there were probably five such occasions. I felt like I was being tested. But then, was it a test of persaverence? Or a test of common sense? Every situation that really challenged me, something or someone was provided with what I needed to keep going. I had assistance of some kind on every flat. There was a canopy available when the hail started. Foster and Linda from the tandem where their to help me realize I was okay after my crash. This told me it was a test of perseverance. How can you give up with all that help? It would have been for nothing. For some reason the late Jim Valvano’s saying kept popping into my head as well. “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.”

Tour de Palm Springs and Palm Springs Half Marathon

2011-02-14T09:06:00.000-08:00

Tour de Palm Springs, the Return

In 2007 the Tour de Palm Springs was my first ever cycling event. The 25 mile route. Angi and I decided to return this year. I signed up for the 102 mile route, and Angi the 55. We both signed up for the half marathon.

First the bike. The century kicked off at 7:00 AM. There were so many riders I didn’t start pedaling until about 7:30. The first several miles were very slow with way too many riders and frequent stop lights.

Once the road starting going up there was some separation. One of the big differences between a century with thousands of riders versus a double century? I was passing far more riders on the climb than riders passing me. The first aid station was at 15 miles, with another at mile 27 I didn’t plan on stopping at the first SAG. but I did stop; not for food, drink, or even a nature break. I stopped because the entire road was filled with stopped cyclists meandering through the aid station. This was really poorly designed. Too many cyclists with no clue, or so self absorbed not to think others might like to keep riding. Finally I get through and enjoy a nice long downhill. Not steep; the downhill was right on the boarder of tuck and go, or keep pedaling for maximum speed. But going 30 plus for seven or eight miles was fun! Between the second and third aid station I got into a couple of pace lines, but always had some squirrels, so I dropped back on one, then jumped out in front of the second, which wound up meaning I pulled the group for a bit. No worries, I didn’t blow myself up, I just held what I would have if I were going it alone. After the third stop I got into a good pace line. How do you make friends with people you don’t know? When a rider from a group looses contact, bridge the gap and bring her back! Then take a pull. After that I reaped the benefit and sat in at 21 MPH for several miles.

The fourth stop was at mile 71. Now we were in the desert cities, and lots of stop lights. This was a bit frustrating as every time we would get up to speed a light would change. I skipped the final rest stop at mile 91, I had enough fluid to go the final nine, and really didn’t want to stop.

I crossed the finish line, got my sticker and t-shirt, grabbed a water and some electrolytes and headed back to the motel where wifey was waiting for me. She did the 55 mile route and was already showered and recovering.

I checked my Garmin and downloaded the ride. I averaged 17.7 MPH. This is a PR for me over a century. Only 3,500 feet of elevation gain, so flat for a California century, but I was pleased since even with that little elevation gain I consider 16 a pretty good effort. Maybe this working on getting faster is paying off? Need to recover quickly because tomorrow is the Palm Springs half marathon, my longest ever run!

Sunday morning, 6:30 we parked the van and got out into the chill of the morning desert air. A short walk to Ruth Hardy Park where the race was to commence. It didn’t seem long before the announcer said GO! It was about a minute later when I passed through the starting gate. It was time to run. I hadn’t really made a plan since a strained hamstring had curtailed my training. I didn’t know if it would cooperate, I’ve run without it bothering me just the last week and a half, and four miles was the most I tested it. I settled in the first couple of miles about 20 strides behind a group dressed in costumes singing. One guy even had a guitar. I think they were San Diego area residents since most of them had Nytro hats on. (A local tri shop) Around mile three they stopped and set up at a corner to play. Ten miles to go.

There were several rolling hills on the course, and I was worried on the climbs that my hamstring would balk. Climbing puts more stress on it, and I strained it doing hill work in training. I shortened my stride and increased my turnover up the hills. It seemed to work.

The course looks like it was plotted out by someone who had a few too many, see my Garmin Connect map here. Up down, turn, turn, turn, eventually back the way we came.

Mile 10 and I’m feeling better than expected. I am not at the pace I had sort of wanted, pre hamstring, but I am not too far off, either. I’m guessing I’m going to finish around 2:40 at this point, and when my training had been going well and I had made some improvements I was thinking I could break 2:30.

Mile 11 and some folks on the side of the road were cheering us on. One says, “looking good!” To which I replied, “Thank you, you lie, but thank you.” Somewhere in the 11th mile I hit the wall. Hard. Mile 12 to 13 was beyond challenging. I gave it more effort than I had all day, and the legs just wouldn’t go. It was my slowest mile of the day.

Finally mile 13, just a bit to go, I decide whatever I had left, I was going to give it to at least look strong coming in. One final turn, and the finish line is in sight. The announcer calls my name, I give a fist pump with my right hand, cross the finishing mat, stop the Garmin, and for the first time in 13.1 miles, I walk. Actually stagger would be a better word, I stagger to the volunteers that remove the chip timer from my shoe and give me my finishers medal. My first running medal, my first half marathon. The official time posted was 2:40:24. I’ve got some work to do to get to where I want to be.

I found some water, then meandered back to the finish line to cheer wifey (Angi) on in. She did Carlsbad in 2:58, so I was thinking I'd see her soon. I chatted with a nice man who was waiting for his wife when I saw Angi make the turn, she was going to break 3:00 hours after riding 55 miles the day before. Way to go wifey!!

Finishers Medal, my first running medal.

A few notes on the weekend. I could not believe the number of residents that were on course for both events cheering the participants on, some even with cow bells. That was awesome. Thank you, greater Palm Springs. The cars were really courteous to cyclists, too. A real treat, again thank you. These events took a tremendous amount of volunteers, and I thank them all, also the police and civil air patrol that helped with traffic control.

I think the ride organizers may want to consider a limit on the number of entries. There were points on the course and at aid stations where it was really chaotic. Overall, though it was a fun ride and great scenary.

Stats:
Ride – 102 miles at 17.7 MPH, top speed 39.1, 3,500 feet of gain.
Run – 13.18 miles in 2:40:24 bet mile at 11:34.
Equipment:
Ride: Bike, Specialized Roubaix Expert, full Ultegra compact crank, 11-28 cassette, Shimano RS 80 wheels, Continental 4000S tires, Specialized RBX bibs., Garmin Edge 500

Run: Shoes, Nike Vroomero 5, Skins compression shorts, Nike run top, Nike run hat, Garmin 305.

Upcoming events:

February 19 – El Camino Real Double Century
March 19 - San Diego Randos 400K
March 26 – Solvang Spring Double Century.

SD Randos 200K, 2011

2011-01-16T09:42:00.000-08:00

In preparation for the first brevet of the season, I cleaned and lubed my bike on Friday after work. I had fresh tires, two tubes, two CO2 cartridges, and a mini pump. I didn’t want flat issues to cause undo delay or a DNF.

With the bike ready I went to bed about 9:00. I set the alarm for 5:00 AM so I would have time for breakfast, kit up, and make the short drive to Doyle Community Park for the start.

I pulled in at 6:15 and there were already several riders in the parking lot. Looks like a good turnout for my first event of the year, and first since October. Keith J, @cyclewarrior pulled in right behind me. More and more pulled in! Our RBA had 47 registered as of Thursday night. I’ll bet we had at least 60 roll out at 7:00 AM.

It promised to be a nice day, but it is still January 15, so the start was cool. I left my jacket in the van; as I didn’t want to have it stuffed in my jersey for seven hours. The quick descent into Sorrento Valley was downright cold, but I warmed back up on the modest climb up Vista Sorrento Road, and knew I made the right decision to leave the jacket behind.

A look back at a stoplight, and our group looked like a peloton! Riders as far as I could see, in a variety of colorful jerseys. Most from events like the Solvang double, Grand Tour, and breathless agony. Some, like mine were in California Triple Crown jerseys. I saw at least one Furnace Creek 508 jersey. I shared quite a few miles with Kirstin, @cyclelobo, in his Heineken jersey. What did he have in his bottles?

Around mile 20 the ride gets your attention for the first time with the ascent up Del Dios to the Lake Hodges Dam. The ascent continues off and on all the way to Via Rancho Parkway. Right before Via Rancho I thought I was alone when I hear ding-ding!! I about jumped out of my skin. It was a cyclist from the Seattle Randos. I know this, because he had a classic styled wool jersey that said Seattle Randonnuers on the back. One look at his bike, and you could tell he lived in rainy country. A classic Rivendell with full fenders and a mud flap. He kept it old school and had pedals with toe clips. No, I didn’t take all that detail in the first time he passed me. We passed each other several times throughout the day.

After a fun blast through Harmony Grove and Elfin Forest we hit the first control of the day. I filled my bottles, and pocketed a bagel. The three mile climb up San Elijo Road to double peak loomed. This climb just seems to kick my fanny every time I do it. I have to say when I hit the summit today, I thought I did okay. There is a fire station at the summit on the other side of the street. Right in front there were police investigating a bad looking car accident. I said a quick prayer for those involved. Zipped up my jersey for the descent. There is a sign that shows a truck descending with a 9% grade warning. The descent is straight, and non-technical. This makes for a fast trip. Except there is a stop light at the bottom. Which means a work out for the brakes. I hit 49.2 MPH, and would have gone over 50 if there was no light there. After the ride I talked about the descent with Keith, he hit 55 going down!

The pedestrian ride through San Marcos followed by a short climb up Deer Spring road brings us to the second checkpoint. Just 9 miles after the first, but the last place to fill up before the trifecta of climbs known as Old Castle, Couser Canyon, and Rice Canyon.

Before hitting Old Castle, we get about a three mile blast down Old Hwy 395. About a two percent grade down, in a paceline, we were cooking. Then the right turn onto Old Castle, about another mile of flat road before the ascent begins. Old Castle would be a great cycling road, except that it is a through street from the I-15 corridor to Valley Center and the casinos. Drivers sure are in a hurry to go give their money away.

After summiting Old Castle we descend, but keep the speed scrubbed as a left turn onto Lilac is needed while the road is still going down. A short journey with some rollers on Lilac takes us to Couser Canyon. Shift, into your easiest gear right now! Couser greets the rider immediately with rough road and an eight to nine percent gradient. The climb goes for about three miles with several 10-13 percent grades. It is a quad-buster. Then you get rewarded with a technical descent on a narrow road. This is really cool, as Couser has little traffic. Extra caution today though, as several areas were still getting run-off from the hillsides even though our last rain was two weeks ago. Couser ends at Hwy 76, which we are on for all of 500 feet, then a right onto Rice Canyon. Rice starts out tame, but also has its share of double digit gradients. I suffered on Rice Canyon and was thrilled when I got to Eight Street and the end of the climbs. A short trip through Rainbow on flat roads took us to the third control.

We get great volunteers on our brevets. At Rainbow we had soup, bread, even Cytomax available for the riders. Who says rando riding is unsupported? Of course, I was on my plan of using Perpetum, so, other than grabbing a V8 at the store, I just filled my bottles, and departed.

Another short blast down old 395 takes us to Mission Road. A pedestrian climb to Live Oak seems much tougher after the Couser/Rice quad busters. We make a left on Live Oak, which was a challenge for me. There was a huge convoy of military vehicles coming through. Of course, since they go slow, then there was a ton of traffic to wait on. Once on Live Oak, it’s mostly downhill or flat, except for a few rollers all the way to Torrey Grade. We had a pretty challenging headwind on the San Luis Rey bike path, which is normal. I stopped in Oceanside to fill my bottles, and then headed south.

The trip south was aided by a cross/tail wind. I had ridden from Rainbow through Encinitas without seeing another rando, but then in Encinitas I came up on a trio. I didn’t recognize them at first and went by. Then we pacelined for a bit into Del Mar, where I made a light and they didn’t, We regrouped after the summit on Torrey Grade and more or less rode in together. No flats, no mechanicals!

My pedal time was 7:55; my total time was 8:40. 23 minutes better than last year, and a personal best for this route, which I have done 12 times. Really happy that my non-pedal time was under an hour. This includes controls and stop lights.

A huge thank you to Dennis and all the volunteers on this event. It was really cool to see how many riders hung out after they finished and chatted for a bit. I wish I remembered names and faces better than I do. I tend to remember people by their bikes, so once they are off them, I’m at a disadvantage.

Fun Stats:

Average pedal speed: 15.4
Max Speed: 49.2
Elevation gain: 6,978
Temperature range: 46-86

Equipment used:
Specialized Roubaix Expert
Ultegra Drive train – Compact crankset 50/34, 11-28 cassette
Continental 4000S tires
Shimano RS80 wheel set

Fuel used:
Hammer Perpetum
Hammer Heed
Shotblocks
Endurolytes

Garmin Connect: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/63585795

Follow me on Twitter, I am @stevecycles200

The Off Season?

2010-12-05T06:35:00.000-08:00

I haven’t written a blog since October, and the Solvang fall double. That was my last event of the year. Even though we are in the off season, I am still riding and training; trying to complete my goals for this year, and preparing for next year.

What goals do I have to complete? I participate in the UMCA year-rounder. My goal this year was to log over 5,000 miles in rides of 90 miles or more. Mission accomplished. My other goal is to ride a total of 10,000 miles this year. As of this writing, I am 612 miles shy.

What is up for next year? Where do I want to go with my cycling? 2011 is a big year for those who are randonneurs. 2011 is a Paris-Brest-Paris year. Complete a 200, 300, 400, and 600 kilometer brevet, and you are qualified for the 1200 kilometer randonee that starts in Paris, France goes to the city of Brest on the Atlantic, and returns to Paris. This event is over 100 years old, and is run every four years. I will not be attending. I cannot afford it, and although I would like to do it, can’t justify that kind of money for one event. However, I still want to complete the brevet series. I DNF’d on the 600 kilometer last year.

I also intend on doing five to seven double centuries. Having done 10 in the past two years, I now have some favorites including, Eastern Sierra, and Solvang Spring. Those two are circled on my calendar as must do events.

Those of you who know me or have ridden with me know I am far from fast. But I am competitive, and am looking to satisfy my competitive appetite. That is the big change to my 2011 season. I have joined Tri Club San Diego, and have started to train for triathlons as well. I have already increased my running, took some swim lessons, and have incorporated BRIC’s into my regiment. This leads to my main event for 2011, which will be the Austin half ironman in October. I’ll do some sprint events throughout the year to get comfortable with the different disciplines, learn transitions, and I’ll have 10 more months to build up my swimming so I can do the 1.2 mile swim, which right now is the part I am least confident in.

2011 should be a fun and busy year. 10-12 cycling events over 180 miles, and, another five or six triathlons leading up to my October half-ironman Did I really commit to a half-ironman? GULP!

I hope you have enjoyed my blog throughout the year; I have enjoyed writing it, and will begin again in January with a report on the season opening 200K brevet.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, stay safe, and remember its okay to indulge once or twice this time of year. If you’re feeling like you had too much, visit the Palomar Mountain General Store by bike.

You can follow my cycling and other musings on Twitter. I am @stevecycles200.

Solvang Fall Double Century

2010-10-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

I awoke on Friday morning excited and a bit sad. I was ready to head up to Solvang for the Planet Ultra Solvang Fall Double, which I was excited to do, but this would be my final event for the year. There is only one double left on the schedule, which I am not signed up for. So I prepped my bike, and noticed my front tire was in need of replacement.

I packed up, and started north. Traffic slowed at the L.A. county line, big shock there, huh? But, really wasn’t too bad. I stopped in Newbury Park since I knew there was a bike shop there and picked up a tire. Oh, yeah it was lunch time and there is an In-N-Out burger in the same area. That had no influence on my decision. Well, since it was there and it was lunch time, and I was hungry.

I got up to Solvang checked into the Flying Flags RV Resort and found a spot for my Grand Caravan which would be home for the next couple of days.

I took the rear tire off my bike and put the new tire on, then rotated my old rear to the front, retiring the well worn front tire. Then took off on a 5 mile, 20 minute ride just to make sure the bike was okay, and ready for Saturday.

5:00 AM Saturday morning I woke up, had breakfast, kitted up, and headed by bike to the start 3.8 miles away. I got there at 5:55 for our 6:00 departure. Off we go in the dark, lights on, blinking taillights, solid taillights. I’m always amazed at the variety of light systems. Some riders have great set-ups, some riders I wonder if they really want to be seen in the dark?

We started with a few rollers in town, actually making several turns early before hitting Foxen Canyon. Somewhere I here someone call out ---- up. I know they didn't say car. I thought he said beer. A little early? I look ahead and realize he said Deer Up! A deer, in the road. The deer meanders safely into the woods and we continue. I've seen several deer on rides, but its the first time I've ever heard "Deer Up!" If you’ve read my previous blogs, you know one of Steve’s cycling facts. Roads named Canyon usually mean its time to climb. This wasn’t a big climb, but enough of an ascent to separate the field a bit, and of course, that meant Steve was dropping back some.

Looking forward to next year, I have been looking at simplifying my fueling. I decided after some research to work on using Hammer Perpetum as my main fueling source. This should mean little or no solid food, meaning less to carry, and quicker stops!

We hit the first check point at mile 41. 3 scoops of perpetum in one bottle, and water in the other. E-caps, and some Hammer gel. Back on the bike. Less than four minutes.

Mile 48.4 Bear Left onto Tepusquet Road. Looks pretty cool. About a mile in a get chased by a dog as the road begins to climb. A little ankle biter, a fake throw of my water bottle, he doesn’t go for it, and chases again. A give him a deep roaring WOOF! His tail goes between his legs, and he takes off into (his)? field at mach 1. Continuing on the climb up this really cool road, wooded, barely wide enough for two cars, smooth black top, no markings. Amazing! Then a descent to boot! It was technical, so no super speed, but really cool. If you’ve ever watched pro cycling in Europe, and you dream of climbing and descending some of those narrow roads, visit this area, and ride Tepusquet Road. I can only guess, but I’ll bet bikes out number cars on this road 10-1. There was a slippery when wet sign that had a picture of a bike on it!

Tepusquet Road.

Turn left onto Hwy 166 for Check Point 2. Nature break, Perpetum, water, quick tweet, and go!

Sat in a few times with a big group of riders from Arizona known as the Bullshifters, nice folks, I think as a group they probably pedal a bit stronger than I do, but I’d leap frog them at stops, then they’d catch up, go by, and I could usually hang on for awhile. Actually I could hang on until the road went up, then, I usually drop back.

104 miles was the lunch stop. I stayed with my plan, although I did have a V8, and pocketed another for the road. There was a lady rider from the Bullshifters that even mentioned to me, you are leaving already? I said, as a slower rider, the only way to finish in a reasonable time is to take short breaks. I also stiffen up if I wait too long, better for me to keep moving. She warned me of the climb ahead, said it got really steep toward the top. I figured, no problem I did White Mountain, I can climb anything. She was right, Prefumo Canyon Road got very steep. Get a sticker on your helmet at the top, a short descent then…..a dirt road. Time out, can I have my mountain bike? Bounce, bang, bounce, this is not a smooth fire road either. Okay, back to pavement, skirting the Pismo area on Shell Beach Road I felt hungry. Hmm, per Hammer’s recommendations, aha! I was taking on Perpetum at a rate of refueling every two hours, but in reality, I was refueling every 2.5 to 3 hours based on the distance of the checkpoints. I also needed a, um, nature break. I spot tennis courts and a porta-potty, so pull off. And happy that I was prepared! I had stuck a PB&J in my jersey just in case since I had only trained with Perpetum twice before this event. Perfect, back on the bike to Guadalupe.

I was getting tired, and I took a bit longer at the Guadalupe stop, probably about 10 minutes. I prepped for nightfall, put my helmet light on, and headed out.

It started to mist. I really don’t mind rain, mist, or whatever. The biggest challenge I have with it, I wear glasses. That makes it really hard to see.

The rest of the ride was focus, focus, focus. After the last checkpoint, I tried to keep riders in front of me, to follow the taillights since the rain made it so hard to see with the spots on my glasses. Other than that, lock it in, and get to Solvang. 14 hours and 47 minutes after the official start.

This was my seventh double of the year, and my fourth Planet Ultra, completing a Planet Ultra Grand Slam. I’m liking my new coffee mug!

Huge thanks to all the Planet Ultra volunteers. If I didn’t thank you when I came through, I apologize, and I give you sincere thanks now. Also thanks to Planet Ultra for putting on this, and so many of our double centuries.

So now the off-season. Yeah, right! I participate in the UMCA year-rounder, so I still want to put up a 100 plus mile ride every week.

But, I want to cross-train. As I plan my goals for next year my off season needs to be productive.

I would like to be a better climber. I’ll never glide up the climbs like the 130 pounders, but I know I can get better. How? Well, as Eddie Mercyk says, “don’t buy upgrades, ride up grades.” And if Eddie saw me, he’d say loose a stone or two.

I'm also learning how to swim. Hmmm bike, run, swim. Might Steve be considering a triathlon?

Yes, I think getting into an actual "race" will help me push and get faster. This will help me get to one of my big goals, either for 2011 or 2012, which is to do either the Hoodoo 500 or Furnace Creek 508. There I put it in writing.

If you read my previous blog, I am donating 10 cents per mile ridden in October to Livestrong. With this Double Century, my October mileage is now 616.11, I have also ran 10 miles. I should break 1,000 miles this month.

Equipment: Specialized Roubaix Expert, compact crank, 11-34 cassette, Specialized Roubaix PINK bar tape.

View the ride on Garmin Connect: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/53412125

Dude! You have pink bar tape on your bike!!

2010-09-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

Yes I put pink bar tape on my bike. Why? October is breast cancer awareness month, and pink is the breast cancer awareness color. But it's more than just breast cancer. It’s about all cancers. In addition, October 2nd is global Livestrong day.

Earlier in the year, Livestrong did an “I ride for…” campaign.

Here’s who I ride for:

My mom, who lost her fight with lung cancer earlier this year.
My mother-in-law, who is a 13 year breast cancer survivor.
My father-in-law, who is currently battling mouth and throat cancer.
My uncles, Harry, Chuck, Elmer, and Harry who all succumbed to cancer.
My wife’s uncle Don, who lost his fight with brain cancer.
My wife's grandfather who lost his fight with non-hodgkins lymphoma.
I ride for the 28 million currently battling cancer

That’s way too many. So here’s the deal. For the month of October, I will donate 10 cents per mile, for every mile I ride. If all goes well, I should put up over 1,000miles this month; and since I have started running I will add $1.00 per mile run. My donations will be to Livestrong to help the global fight against ALL CANCER.

For Livestrong day on October 2nd, I plan on riding for 14 hours. Or, 28 half-hours, for the 28 million.

Here’s my challenge: Who else is in? I’m not about pledges and all that stuff. Just follow my mileage on Dailymile, or on this blog, and do what you can. Here’s the information to donate to Livestrong:
http://www.livestrong.org/Donate/Donate-Now/Mail-Phone-Stock-or-Wire-Transfer

Oh, and guys; how many of you are man enough to join me in rocking the pink bar tape?

You can also follow my cycling and other musing on Twitter. I am @stevecycles200

White Mountain Double Century

2010-09-12T20:17:00.000-07:00

I drove up to Bishop on Friday. After checking into my motel, I got the bike ready with lights, air in the tires, and fresh lube on the chain. After traveling with the bike I like to go for a short easy spin to make sure there are no surprises. So, 2.5 miles into my Friday easy spin I hear Pfffffffft. I picked up one of those annoying barbs from a tire retread.
Fixed the flat, bought an additional tube, and ready to go.

4:00 AM start time. That means a 3:00 AM wake up. That’s early. Seems even earlier when the room above mine was occupied by a heard of buffalo. Thank you rude people.

We roll out in a pitch black pace line south on 395. About 15 miles of flat easy riding. Sitting in at 18 – 20 MPH with little or no effort. Then a left turn. Another easy mile and BAM! Up goes the road. From 4,000 feet to 7,000 in about 14 miles. First aid station, fill the bottles and a left turn. BAM, BAM, BOOM. 10 more miles of climbing. Mostly with double digit gradients. Yes, double digit, and often 13-15 percent. At times 18 percent. Had my first experience with altitude issues at 9200 feet. Had to stop so I could breath. Finally the summit. 8:45 AM, 4:45 minutes to go 38 miles. No, I’m not a great climber. No, I wasn’t the last one up either. It was easily the hardest climb I’ve ever done. (Note the use of the word easy to describe something hard). As hard as it was, the views and scenery were spectacular. the ancient bristle cone pine forest has to be seen. I highly recommend it. Don't want to suffer on the bike? You can drive up. The best way I can describe it; God was showing off.

The descent was very technical, so I took it easy until we turned back east on 168. Then the descent was pretty straight, and I let it rip. The fun didn’t last long.

Why? Say hello to Gilbert’s Pass. More double digit gradients. Not as hard as White Mountain, but the legs are already mush. Summit Gilbert’s and a bit of downhill. Then into Nevada. Yahoo! A 1 to 3 percent downhill with a tailwind for 15 miles to the lunch stop. 26 to 28 MPH all the way to lunch.

After lunch a whole lot of Nevada desert. And crosswinds. And roads that seemed like they would never end. We get to Route 6. The sign says left to Bishop. That is where we are going. But the route sheet says turn right! It is a double century. To get to 200 miles we need a six mile out and back. The last two miles of the out portion was a wicked head wind. I though AWESOME! That means a long tailwind going back. Ha ha. It lasted about two miles. Even though my Garmin said I was headed west, and continued to say west, the wind became more of a cross.

One more pass awaited us. We were around 5000 feet and had to get over the 7110 foot high Montgomery pass. Montgomery is really pretty tame. No double digit gradients. But for me, with legs of rubber after White Mountain and a day of riding, three to five percents gradients felt like 15 percent. Summit. Bomb downhill to Benton for the last aid station of the day. Refuel, and cheat a bit with a fabulous hot dog. (That’s a first on a bike ride). Ready for the mostly 1 to 2 percent downhill to Bishop. But of course this is a HARD ride. A challenging ride. One that took us to a 10,000 foot plus peak. So, how to make the final 35 miles challenging. A nice big headwind, of course! Thankfully I spent most of it in a paceline. (Yes, I took a few turns up front). But it really helped.

We arrive in Bishop. The finish! I checked in, rode the half mile back to my motel. Showered, and walked across the street to Denny’s for a recovery meal.

The stats: 14:45 of pedal time 13.6 MPH average. (Was 8,8 the first 38 miles)
17:03 total time. Not all at aid stations, Stopped on the climb to get my breath, and two other times for an on the road break. The first climb took a lot out of me.

Top speed 44.6 MPH. Max heart rate: 178. (Really high for me)

11,775 feet of elevation gain.

Special thanks to Jim Cook and the ND Zone staff for a well supported ride. Excellent spacing of the stops, and considering the difficulty of the course and dryness of the area, it was great to have the extra water stops.

Equipment: Specialized Roubaix Expert. 50/34 crankset. 11-34 cassette. (Needed all the help I could get on White Mountain)* Selle Anatomica saddle.** Shimano RS80 wheels. Continental GP 4000S tires.

* The 34 really helped on the 12 plus percenters. But….I think I get lazy with it on 7-8 percenters so I need to be careful; or man up and go back to an 11-28.

**Ending a two and a half month test of this saddle. I put it on right after the Grand Tour since I had a while until my next double. Plenty of time to tweak it and dial it in. It isn’t a whole lot more comfortable on the bum than my avatar, and it bugs me a bit on the sides. I also thought there was a power loss since I’ve put it on. I put my Avatar back on for today’s recovery ride, and even with no effort, I felt like I had more power to the pedals.

You can follow my cycling exploits and other random thoughts on Twitter. I am @stevecycles200

Training Ride to Palomar Abbreviated

2010-07-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

The Training Ride to Palomar is a 203 kilometer permanent route. It begins in Encinitas, CA, rides through Escondido, by Lake Wholford, and ascends Palomar Mountain. From there the ride goes to Santa Ysabel, and then returns to Encinitas via Ramona, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Santa Fe, San Marcos, and Carlsbad. There is about 9,000 feet of climbing, with 7000 of it coming in the first 70 miles.

We started with a group of about 12, and left Encinitas at 0600 under cloudy skies with a temperature of 62 degrees. We stopped at a dog park in Escondido to pick up an additional rider. I have to say I felt better than I did a week ago, and felt like I climbed Lake Wholford, part of the Amgen Tour of California Race in 2009, on the 8th stage, fairly well, at least for me. Most of the group passed me, but I kept many in sight, and arrived at the first control only a few minutes after they did, at mile 35.

This is where the climb up Palomar begins. We gain about 1000 feet on Hwy 76 over 5 miles, then turn onto South Grade Road, where we will gain another 3200 feet over the next 7 miles. The climb begins at just under 1000 feet of elevation, and the summit is 5200 feet. I have never gone all the way up Palomar, I have gone by South Grade several times via Hwy 76, and that 5 mile stretch is always tough for me, but felt like I did okay today. Again, the group had passed me, but I felt like I was hanging in there. The climb was getting warm, and tougher, when about 3 miles from the summit I heard a deafening BOOM! I knew immediately I had blown a tube. Stop. Checked my rear tire, and it was solid, but the front was beyond flat, as the blow out took the tire off the bead! That made removing the tire easy. I gave it a good inspection, as one other time on a blow out I damaged the sidewall. Not so this time, so insert a new tube, get the tire back on and go. Not so fast. If you read last week’s blog, you know I killed my front wheel, so I am on a loaner wheel. It is a Mavic Cosmic Elite, which is a bit of a deeper dish, and I had a hard time getting the tire over the bead. Back to basics, make sure the tube is drained of air after giving it some to help get it in the rim, push, push, push. Grrr. It’s getting real hot, I’m on the side of a mountain road, with little shoulder, and I’m getting frustrated. I set the wheel down for a minute to gain my composure. Pick it up, and I finally got it. What should have been a 5 minute change, took over 20 minutes. Back at it, but I am really warm, and I quickly drained my bottles. I did the last 2 plus miles with no fluids. By the time I reached the summit, I was cooked, and had some minor cramping. I hit the Palomar General Store, and drained two Gatorades, filled my bottles, and sat down drinking a Coke and eating a Hammer bar. I also had been hitting the endrolytes hard with the heat.

I took extra time trying to get feeling okay, which I hate doing, I like to get in and out of controls, its one way I make up for being a slower rider, especially on rides with an abundance of climbs. Finally I took off down the descent on East Grade, back to Hwy 76, and Eastward to Lake Henshaw. Past the lake, and to Hwy 79 which climbs, albeit, not drastically for about 4 miles or so. This is where I knew I was in trouble, as even one to two percent gradients were causing me to stop with cramping in the quads, shins, calves, and hamstrings. A note on cramping, I don’t often cramp on the bike, and when I do it is usually mild enough that I can spin easy, hit a gel and e-cap, and be okay in a short time. But this was different. I was stopping every half mile to mile, and a couple of times the cramps were intesnse. Last week Kelly had mentioned Tums helps cramping, and I had a couple of those too! It seemed like the more I did, the less effective anything was. With about four miles to go on 79 before the Santa Ysabel control, I called the Team Car, otherwise known as Wifey, and asked her to pick me up in Santa Ysabel. It wasn’t just the cramping, I also had intestinal issues, which I have not had on the bike either. Perhaps the heat got to me, perhaps I wasn’t 100 percent at the start, or maybe I dehydrated worse than I thought on the climb, and simply couldn’t recover from it.

The day was done. I have to say, in doing eight double centuries, plus exceeding 200 miles on two other occasions, I have never felt as cooked, as I did when I hit Santa Ysabel.

Hopefully the rest of the group had a good ride, I thoroughly enjoyed the views from Palomar, and am happy I completed my first summit of the legendary local climb. I will be back, and I will finish this ride.

Final stats: 70 miles, 7,333 feet of gain, temperature range per Garmin 62-107, 39 MPH top speed.

The ride on Garmin Connect: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/41677795

You can follow my cycling and other musings on Twitter. I am @stevecycles200

San Luis Rey Revival Permanent

2010-07-18T08:58:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I flew out to Las Vegas for a business trip. I got back home Thursday, and when I finally got caught up on my cycling e-mails on Friday, one caught my eye. A group of the rando riders was going to do the San Luis Rey Revival Permanent route.

This route starts at the Oceanside pier, where RAAM starts, and follows the RAAM route to the first time station at Lake Henshaw. The difference is we then turned around and went back to Oceanside, as opposed to going another 2,950 miles to Annapolis.

We left Oceanside at 6:00 AM; it was myself, Kelly, Jaime, and John. We headed out the SLR bike path and were on our way. It was a pleasant morning with the temperature about 65 degrees according to my Garmin. That would soon change, as there was little or no marine layer, and the sun was out in full force early.

We cruised through Bonsall and headed toward Old 395, which meant the first climb of the day was near. A turn onto Old Castle Road, and up we go. I enjoy the Old Castle climb, mostly about 6% over about 3 miles. I also knew when I hit this climb today; I didn’t have my “A” game. While I am far from a strong climber, I was struggling on this one, being a Clydesdale, steep climbs usually kick my fanny, but 5-6 per centers, I can usually keep a descent cadence. Not so today. Summit Old Castle, a short downhill, and back up to Valley Center. The temperature is rising. Garmin shows 99.

Turn onto Valley Center and we are headed to Route 76. A nice fast descent on Valley Center. We are now 39 miles in, and hit the first control. Ultra Cyclist extraordinaire, George Vargas pulls in, he is going to climb Palomar Mountain. George has done 2 person RAAM, and will do the Furnace Creek 508 for the fifth time (I think) this year. With full bottles, we head east on 76 for a five mile climb to the base of Palomar Mountain. This climb has some 9 and 10 percent sections, so you can imagine if I was struggling with cadence on the 6 per centers, I was really grinding it out here. Route 76 takes us all the way to Lake Henshaw where we regroup, fill up and head back out. Garmin now shows 100 degrees.

Returning on 76, after passing the base of Palomar, we now get a rip-roaring descent. Light traffic made this a ton of fun today. We roll right by Valley Center Road, as the route has us return via Cole Grade Road. Cole Grade Road was part of the Tour of California route, stage 8 in 2009. It was rated as a category 1 climb. And its not real long, which means it is STEEP! 9-13 percent. Talk about grinding it out. Jaime, John, and Kelly all were way up the road, I just kept plugging along. Finally hitting the summit, we regrouped and took a short break. Garmin shows 113 degrees. John says his hit 118!

One more climb, this time up Lilac to the back side of Old Castle. I look back and don’t see the other three. Wondering if all is okay, Jaime catches me and said Kelly has a flat, but said is okay and will catch up. We pull into Bonsall to fill bottles, and Kelly and John are right behind. 14 miles to go.

This should be uneventful. An easy 14 miles or so to the finish. With less than 3 miles to go on the SLR bike path Jaime finds a second wind and takes it up to about 19 MPH, I decide I can’t hold his wheel any longer and pull up. I guess my brain pulled up too, and I drift off the path onto some jagged rocks, A strong jolt through the body, I’m back on the path, somehow I didn’t crash, but my left elbow is searing in pain, I look down and my front wheel is wobbling. Stop. Hold the elbow. John asks if I am okay, I say no and he stops. The elbow starts to calm down, so we look at the wheel. The rim is bent. Spin, in the brakes. John opens the brakes, pulls out a spoke wrench and works on the wheel a bit. While still wobbling, John gets the wheel so I can limp home the last 3 miles.

Thanks to Kelly, John, and Jaime for the company. John and Kelly are experienced randos, and great knowledge. I think Jaime has been doing this for about as long as I have, but really made some strong gains lately, he was riding great today. Props to you, Jaime.

Okay the stats: 114.99 miles. 6,526 feet of elevation gain. Max HR 162. Max speed 40.5. Temperature range per Garmin: 64-120. 12 bottles of fluids consumed. (Water, Heed, Gatorade). Equivalent of another 2 or 3 bottles of water poured over head on body.

You can see the ride on Garmin Connect: http://connect.garmin.com/player/40789501

Observations: I’ve lost 155 pounds over 4 years. It’s time to make another move. The only way I’m going to get up climbs faster is by loosing more weight. I’m tired of being way off the back on all the climbs. I’m also considering talking to my mechanic about a wider range cassette, maybe the SRAM 11-32? Whenever the grade is at or over 7 percent, I no longer spin, I just grind.

Thanks for reading! If you like you can follow my cycling exploits and other musings on Twitter, I am @stevecycles200.

The Grand Tour

2010-06-27T19:57:00.000-07:00

The Grand Tour, a double century put on by the L. A. Wheelmen begins in Malibu, CA, on the ocean. One of the most scenic places anywhere.

San Diego is a three hour drive away in reasonably good traffic. Going through Los Angeles, reasonably good doesn’t happen. So I left a little before noon on Friday, and got there a little after 4:00. Enjoyed a ride up the coast, back down, had some dinner, then got checked into the ride. I spent the night in my van at the start. Going to these events starts to add up the bucks, so if you can save a bit on motels, do it.

The alarm went off at 3:45 AM, as I was planning on a 4:30 start. I pulled out at 4:26, on the Lowland course. The Grand Tour offers lowland (about 5,500 feet of gain) and a highland (about 8,500 feet of gain). I chose the lowland only because I did it last year as my first double and wanted to see if I could better my time.

I pulled out, and felt pretty good heading out of Malibu. There are some rollers going up the coast to Port Hueneme, but I felt good on the way out. About 35 miles in, is the first rest stop. Fill the bottles, and we are heading to Moorpark. On the road to Moorpark. I was surprised at the lack of riders on the course. I remember getting into a pretty good pace line last year for a good 20 or 30 mile stretch. Finally a group goes by, at a pretty good clip, a jump in to see if I can hang with this group, and the speed is ideal. We are going about 20-21 MPH, which is faster than I go solo, but is still leaving energy in reserve. About 2-3 miles in, we make a turn. Someone asks if I am doing lowland, I say yes, and they say, you go straight. Darn it! I thought that turn was too soon, and it was the highland turn-off.

Back on the right road, and there is another solo rider, and we chatted off and on for a bunch of miles. He’d usually stay longer at the controls, but he always caught up to me, and then we’d chat some more. Thomas had crewed for the JDRF RAAM team, driving their R.V. After learning about his experience, as tough as it would be to ride RAAM, I thinking crewing is harder! Great talking to you, Thomas!

This route is pretty urban, with too many stoplights. I don’t remember as many last year. I’m sure they were there; maybe I just got lucky and hit more green ones? Maybe I was too focused on surviving since it was my first double? Anyway, it was pretty frustrating; I could never seem to get any momentum. Next year, the highland will be my route. I’ll trade some climbs for less traffic and lights any day!

In the end, it was a pretty good ride. My total time was 13:47, 14 minutes slower than last year. I attribute that to less pace line riding and not having anyone push me. Last year, my buddy Keith @cyclewarrior hung with me, and pushed me harder than I would push myself. Keith is MUCH faster than I am; he completed the route this year in just over 10 hours. I need to learn how to push myself a bit more and pick my speed up.

I have about 10 weeks before my next event, and that is what I will be training towards. More speed and power. I’m also putting my Sella AnAtomica seat on. I’m tired of my butt getting sore by mile 120. Time to see if the AnAtomica is all everyone says it is, and give it a good go.

Thanks to the LA Wheelmen for putting this even on for the 52nd year. This is the oldest Double Century in the country! For more information on the history (it’s a good story), follow go to the LA Wheelmen website.

The stats: 198.04 miles
Total Pedal Time 12:19
Average Pedal Speed 16.1
Total Time: 13:47
Max Speed 36.7 (no big climbs, no big downhills)
Elevation Gain: 5,279

The ride can be viewed on Garmin Connect.

I’m planning three more events this year.

White Mountain Double Century, September 11.
Santa Cruz Randos 600KM Sept 25
Solvang Fall Double Century October 16,

Thanks for reading, you can follow my musings and rides via Twitter, I am @stevecycles200.

Coronado 300K Brevet

2010-06-20T16:32:00.000-07:00

The alarm goes off at 4:15 AM. Put on my kit, bike in the car and off to Coronado for the start of the SD Randos Coronado 300K brevet.

We were scheduled to start at 6:00. By 5:40 the riders were looking around for our Regional Brevet Administrator, Dennis. Jamie was there, who was volunteering for the event, but he did not have the brevet cards. About 5:50 Jamie called Dennis. Oops, Dennis thought we were starting at 7:00. He’s on his way.

Dennis arrives, goes over a few instructions and we are off at 6:15. South along the strand in Coronado. Coronado is an island, well really a peninsula since it is attached at the southern end, but they call it an island. Anyway, we head south, then around Chula Vista to Bonita, down to Otay Lakes, and then we head east.

Heading east in San Diego means heading toward the hills/mountains. Heading east on Otay Lakes road means making small gains in elevation for about 20 miles, a turn onto highway 94 for a nano second, then a turn onto Honey Spring Road where the fun begins!

Honey Springs Road is a 6 mile climb that gains about 1,600 feet. Prior to the climb was our first control, manned by Jamie. Water, bananas, grapes, and cookies! A well stocked control for a self-supported brevet. Thanks, Jamie! Then a quick one mile descent and a turn on Lyons Valley Road. Lyons Valley leads to Japatul Valley Road. Some up, some down, and eventually a lot more up than down, especially as Japatul Valley heads to Descanzo which is our second control. Greg is handling duties here with water, bananas, cliff bars, and bagels. I ran out of liquid about 5 miles prior to the stop, and started rationing about 12 miles out, so I’m a bit parched here. I go into the store for some Gatorade, a red bull, and a V8, and take a bit of a break to get replenished.

We are now on Highway 79 heading north, into Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. And we are climbing. And climbing. And climbing some more, before summiting between the Paso Picacho Campground and Lake Cuyamaca. Just about 5,000 feet. Finally a descent. Then more climbing, then a descent. We are now in historic Julian. Famous for its apple pie. There will be none of that today, I just want to start the downhills!

Previously anytime I have ridden through Julian, I just take 78 east to Santa Ysabel. This route had us go north on Farmers Road. Okay, pretty quiet, but all of the sudden we are climbing a bit, I’m in my 34x27, standing and really grinding. I look at my Garmin and see I am on a 20 percent gradient! Luckily it was a short pitch, but ouch. I guess this section was the rando tribute to the Giro. The treat to this was the super-technical downhill of Wynola Road back to the 78. Downhill to Ramona, and the next control.

A slight climb out of Ramona, then a bombing descent into Lakeside. Enjoy it, after Lakeside it’s a climb all the way to Alpine, the final control before the finish. After a chicken sandwich and Carl’s along with some chit chat with other riders, and realizing we had two Ironmen on this brevet, it was off for more climbing. About those two ironmen, I’m not just talking about guys that accomplished a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and running a full marathon in the same day. I’m talking about two guys that put up real impressive times. Mark did Louisville in 10:34 (apologies if I’m off a bit). I asked if that qualified for Kona, as I’m thinking that’s a great time. He said not even close, you generally have to break 10 hours. Jerald did Arizona in about 9:30 and did qualify for Kona. Okay, I’m beyond impressed.

Some more climbs and I finally return to Honey Springs Road, this time from the other side, which means a one mile climb, then a 6 mile descent. Yahoo! After peaking at 46 MPH, I’m back on Otay Lakes Road. We came back into Coronado a bit differently as we took Olympic Parkway, which means passing the Olympic Training Center. No matter how tired one is, seeing those rings, and the legs find a bit of juice. Mark had passed me on one of the climbs, but I see him, as he is finishing fixing a flat. We ride in together the last 15 or 20 miles.

Tim is handling the paperwork at the finish with some pizza, cookies, and coke. I don’t know why but a Coke tastes great after 190 miles.

Overall I was disappointed in my time for this ride. I took longer at the controls, but felt like I needed the recovery. I think I’m still a little fatigued and not 100 percent after my cold the previous week. The lungs were pretty good, but my legs seemed to tire much quicker. And the climbs seemed twice as challenging as they should have.

The stats: 190.82 miles. 12,313 feet of elevation gain. Highest elevation, 5,000 feet. Lowest: Sea Level. Top Speed: 46MPH.

Thank you to Dennis, Jamie, Greg, and Tim for volunteering and putting the event on. It was a good, albeit challenging route.

See the ride on Garmin Connect:http://connect.garmin.com/activity/37481940

Eastern Sierra Double Century

2010-06-06T14:42:00.000-07:00

I made the six hour drive from San Diego to Bishop for the Eastern Sierra Double Century. The ride is advertised as one of the most scenic and beautiful on the California Triple Crown Schedule.

We have two options for starting. 4:00 or 5:00 AM. The 4:00 option is only if you will take over 14 hours, and this gives you an additional hour to complete the ride. Since I expected to take 15 hours, I opted for the early start.

Yawn. That is an early start! Lights on, reflective gear on, GO!

The first 30 miles are pretty much flat and easy. As light began to come through you could see the mountains, almost as if to say, “Good morning, I’ll be here to put you in awe, to delight you, and of course to make you suffer.” After the first check point at mile 30, we quickly got into the suffer part. Old Sherwin Grade; a ten mile plus climb, with occasional double digit gradients. Oh, and a nice head wind to boot. And I LOVED the false summit, descent, only to have another three mile climb.

After another check point, the roads continued to point upward. Over half the climbing in the entire ride is between miles 30 and 75. We were now in Mammoth Lakes, summiting at over 8,000 feet of altitude. Just off the road, there is still snow on the ground, this despite the temperature being about 70 degrees. Awesome and stunning scenery, the ride is proving to be as billed. And we weren’t even to the good stuff yet.

No, the real beauty, in my opinion, was the June Lake loop. Wow! Three lakes, rolling terrain, and the mountain backdrops. Michelangelo, Picasso? No, when it comes to artists, God tops all of them, and its not even close.

From there it was up to Mono Lake for the lunch stop. Over half the mileage is done, but 75 percent of the climbing was in the bag. Should be easy from here. Yeah right.

A climb back to Highway 120, where you could go west and really do some climbing, or go east like we did, and enjoy a rip-roaring descent. I hit 48.4 MPH on this descent. Then the road goes back up. For 10 long miles, this climb was tough on me. The legs were already rubber. Finally the summit at over 8,200 feet. A check point at the summit. Another rider said, “Wow, turn around!” We did, and you could see the majestic snow capped mountain behind us rising out of the valley we just ascended from. Amazing.

From here on the ride was pretty easy, another rocket – like descent, this time I topped out at 51.1 MPH! Then a few rollers into Benton for our final check point. From Benton to Bishop it was hot, but mostly a 1 to 2 percent descent with a cross and occasional tail wind. Speeds from 18 to 35 MPH all the way in!

Back in Bishop, the Garmin showed 197 miles, 9,993 feet of ascen, 14 hours and 16 minutes total time. All the stats are here, on Garmin Connect. And a whole lot of great scenery. The ride was as advertised, and then some.

Thank you to Planet Ultra for putting on this great event, and especially to all the volunteers, especially adding a water stop on the Sagehen climb, it was most appreciated.

The Udder Tifosi were out!

June Lake Loop

Borrego Double Ordeal

2010-05-02T14:54:00.000-07:00

The Borrego Double Ordeal. A double century starting in the small desert town of Borrego Springs. Heading to Oceanside, and back. Just over 200 miles.

I arrived Friday night, checked in, and found a place to park the van. Went to sleep about 10:00 PM. Up at 3:30 for our 4:30 AM roll-out.

Borrego Springs is roughly at sea-level. Oceanside is at sea-level. Nice flat ride, right?

Well it would be except for the approximate 4,000 foot mountain and other assorted hills in-between.

We got about 1.5 miles of flat to warm-up before turning onto Montezuma Valley Road. An 11 mile trek that gains 3,600 feet. Then we have a short, fast, cold descent, and hit Mesa Grande, a shorter climb but with some 13-15 percent grades. We hit Santa Ysabel for a rest stop. Julian apple pie and cold milk, otherwise known as rocket fuel!

Then the easiest part of the day; Santa Ysabel to Oceanside. This was mostly downhill or flat. Oceanside was the lunch stop. After a bottle fill and a quick sandwich, we had about 16 more easy miles out to Bonsall. Then we hit Lilac road with its short steep climbs. Finally into Valley Center, and Cole Grade Road. After three years of cycling, I’ve learned when a road has the name “Grade” in it, it means your climbing! Of course after a climb comes a rocket fast descent where even with scrubbing some speed I hit 44 MPH. A quick bottle fill and continue, now to Highway 76. From Valley Center to the base of Palomar Mountain is a 5 mile climb with 10-12 percent grades. This was brutal for me. I was going 3.4-4.4 MPH in spots, and rarely over 6. Now here is the puzzling part. My heart rate monitor was showing 120-125. I felt like I was working much harder. If I got out of the saddle and went hard it would come up, but seated it would not even if I felt like I was working. Not sure if the HRM was picking up accurately, or if I was just spent and couldn’t put out the effort to pick it up.

Finally I reached the summit and had a nice downhill. Soon, however, the road tilted upward, not too bad, but mostly uphill to Highway 79, and for about 4 miles south on 79. A short downhill, and back up again to Julian, gaining about 1200 feet in 7 miles.

Night fell on the way to Julian which meant descending Banner Grade in the dark. I scrubbed a lot of speed around the corners, safety first! Then there is a nice section of straight, so I let it go, exceeding 40 MPH again. Very little traffic which was great.

One more short climb of Yaqui Pass. Lesson two, if a road has “pass” in its name, your climbing. Hello, Borrego Springs. The desert welcomed me back with a billion stars, a near full moon, and a 25 MPH headwind for the last 2 miles. What should have been a nice easy flat finish felt like another climb. Thanks, desert.

What went well: Kept the sag stops short, climbed pretty well on Montezuma and Mesa Grande.

Lessons learned: Before the 600KM two weeks ago I put an aqua rack on my bike to hold 2 additional bottles. This was due to having a couple of long stretches without services. I left it on, but that was a mistake. The aqua rack is heavy, and it forces me to put my rear taillight on my saddle bag. I think the extra weight hurt with this much climbing, and my taillight popped off. Luckily even though it came apart, and I couldn’t find the batteries, after some fresh batteries it still works. I want to watch my heart rate monitor and see how it responds to my next hard effort.

Highlights: I met Jeff, better known as @BikeCrave on Twitter. We chatted for a couple of minutes on Montezuma before he glided up as I grinded away and fell back. We chatted again at the finish. I probably made no sense to him since I was spent after the ride and not feeling entirely coherent.
Saw lots of cows, many appeared to be watching, so I’ve dubbed them the “udder tifosi.”
Support second to none.
Going about 27 MPH on Palomar Airport Road thanks to jumping into a paceline for about 3 miles or so.

Many thanks to Anny for putting on a great event. Of course all the volunteers that kept us fed, watered, and encouraged. I don’t think I went 30 minutes without seeing a SAG vehicle just in case. That’s support! It’s a shame we only had 20 riders. If you are into double centuries, this is one that needs to be on your calendar. It is not an easy one, but with a 24 hour time limit, and great support it is very doable even for someone’s second or third double. It was my sixth, and by far the hardest, but I never felt like I wouldn’t make it. I do recommend Solvang Spring or Grand Tour for a first double.

I didn’t take any photos, but my picture was taken three times, if they are posted, I’ll relay, I think several others took pictures too, so I may add some links later.

Equipment:

Specialize Roubaix Expert, Ultegra
Compact 50/34 crankset
12/27 cassette
Shimano RS Eighty wheels with Conti Gatorskin tires
Pearl Izumi PRO bibs
California Triple Crown Jersey

Thanks for reading. You can follow me on Twitter. I am @stevecycles200. If you are into cycling, I also recommend following @BikeCrave and @cyclewarrior.

You can “see” my ride on Garmin Connect

Rainbow Prelude Permanent

2010-04-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

This week I rode the Rainbow Prelude Permanent. The what? You ask. A permanent is a route that can be ridden at any time for credit if you are a randonneur. This route is the one I do most often since the start point is closest to my house. It is a challenging and good route.

Starting in the LaJolla/UTC area we head into Sorrento Valley, up to Del Mar, across to Fairbanks Ranch, and then go out to Del Dios for the first climb. Del Dios goes up to the Lake Hodges Dam. From there we go through Harmony Grove and Elfin Forest. One of my favorite places to ride. About mile 33 we turn and go up San Elijo Road for the next climb. This one is about 3 miles at 5-6 percent. But has a wicked fast downhill that is straight, and marked at 9 percent. The only caveat is the two stoplights. I hit 44 this time; I have hit 50 on this one before. After the descent the route is benign until Old Castle Road. The first of 3 strong climbs in a row. Old Castle is about 2.5 miles, then a short descent and a turn on Lilac. Lilac has its rollers, then a turn onto the beast known as Couser Canyon. Bam! Grades at 8-10 percent are common. They spike at 14-15 percent! But Couser has a sweet technical downhill. My downhill cornering needs work, so I’m not so fast there, but I do enjoy it. Next up, Rice Canyon. And a couple more 15 percent spikes. Finally I get to Rainbow, roughly half way in distance, but almost 2/3 in the total time it will take. That is because the majority of the rest of the route heads to and down the coast. More downhill than up. Even with nasty headwinds on the San Luis Rey Bike Path, and dealing with a detour through Carlsbad. Finally there is one more climb, Torrey Grade. 1.4 miles, 5-6%. Over Torrey, and that’s about it. 121.45 miles. 7,110 feet of gain. You can see the ride here on Garmin Connect: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/31129254.

Notable on the ride: Saw a 50’s era Porsche that was immaculate. Also saw a Lotus, and a nicely restored Chevy Chevelle SS. Not to mention the Ford Model T, with license plates that said, “Horseless Carriage.” A good day for interesting cars.

Also saw the first snake of the year. This one was a sidewinder that lost an encounter with a motor vehicle. But beware So Cal cyclists, especially off road or in the back country. This is their time of year.

Equipment:
Specialized Roubaix Expert Ultegra
Crank: 50/34 Compact
Cassette: 12/27
Pearl Izumi PRO Bibs
Cool Breeze Century Jersey over DaFeet S/S wool baselayer
Specialized Arm Warmers
Shimano RS 80 wheels with Continental Gatorskins

Thanks for reading, and as always you can follow me on Twitter. I am @stevecycles200.

Upcoming Events:
May 1 – Borrego Double Ordeal
June 5 – Eastern Sierra Double Century
June 26 – Grand Tour Double Century.

SD Randos 600K

2010-04-19T10:42:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the Solana 600K put on by the San Diego Randos. 600 Kilometers is 375 miles. You have 40 hours to finish. Our route was three loops of 200 kilometers each.

The first loop took us from Solana Beach (where Angi and I got married) inland to Escondido and Valley Center, then across Route 76 past the base of Palomar Mountain and to Mesa Grande. Over Mesa Grande and to Santa Ysabel. That was 75 miles. Those 75 miles was almost 7,500 feet of elevation gain. The hardest 75 miles I have ever done. Parts were very pretty. And despite the slow pace and climbing, I felt pretty good, thanks to a solid nutrition strategy.

After re-fueling at Santa Ysabel It is mostly downhill to Ramona, using Old Julian Highway one of my favorite cycling roads. My friend Keith, a very strong rider caught up with me on Mesa Grande, and again on Old Julian Highway. Keith is much faster than I am, but started late, and took some time at Santa Ysabel. We finished the first loop together. It took me over 11 hours to finish the first 200 kilometers, which was a disappointment, I was hoping for a sub 10 hour 200. I knew we had some good climbs, but I under estimated just how much climbing we had on the first loop.

Keith was looking at doing the entire event in about 24 hours, and he is fast enough to do it. He finished a 400K in the 16 hour window, but he too under estimated how tough the first 200K was. Since he had obligations on Sunday, he abandoned the ride after the first loop.

I took off, and of course immediately we were climbing. Right back up Scripps Poway Parkway, then a downhill to Lakeside, then a whole bunch of climbs through East County. Dehesa Road was relentless as the sun set and darkness took a hold. Only eight riders started the 600K, and I had no idea where the others were. I knew three were ahead of me, four behind, and that Keith had abandoned. But as slow as I was going, I was surprised nobody else had passed me. Unless someone did when I took a quick nature break? Finally turning off of Dehesa for the up and down, up and down, up and down of Japatul Road and Lyons Valley Road. Lyons Valley Road started to concern me, as I was really wobbling on the bike. Not just doing the “paper boy” on climbs, but even on flats and downhills. I stopped for a few minutes ate a Cliff Bar, and a Gu. Going over Honey Springs I had the same issue, and onto the relatively flat Otay Lakes Road. Luckily traffic was very light, so when I heard a vehicle behind me, I just stopped. Once I got into Chula Vista I called my wife to come pick me up. I surrendered to safety. Disappointed because my legs felt good enough to go one, and other than exhaustion, I was okay. But a couple of poor nights sleep before an event that requires sleep deprivation is not good. Yes I was disappointed, but I prefer to live to ride again. I understand the PCH Randos have a 600K in October; maybe I’ll give that a shot.

Route 76 the base of Palomar Mtn.

Lake Henshaw. AKA Time Station 1 on RAAM

I skipped writing my blog for a couple of weeks. On March 29th I flew out to Illinois to visit my mom who had been diagnosed with cancer on February 1st. She was in the hospital, but we thought she was sick from the treatment, which is very hard. Sadly, she had complications from the treatment including a stroke, and a rupture in the small intestine. By Wednesday morning we lost her.

I’ve lost my mom and four uncles to cancer. My mother in law is a 13 year survivor; my father in law is a survivor of many years.

After all the years, all the donations to cancer research why do we not have a cure? Why are treatments still so rough? What is the best approach to get rid of cancer?

I don’t know. I’d like to do something with my cycling, but I’m not sure what. Join Team Livestrong? Do something like a penny per mile?

Any suggestions from my blog readers?

Solvang Spring Double Century

2010-03-28T16:54:00.001-07:00

This week’s event was the Solvang Spring Double Century. One of the most popular double centuries on the schedule with 550 riders. It is a Planet Ultra Event.

They had an open start between 5:00 AM and 7:30 AM. The course closed at 10:00 PM. The fast riders would go out at 7:30 for “official times.” I went out at 6:00 with @pedalobo, it was his first double century. According to my garmin it was a balmy 36 degrees at the start.

We start by heading east then turning into the Foxen Canyon area. Rolling hills, vineyards, and farmland. Quiet roads, minimal traffic. Cycling at its best. The downhills were cold, but fun. The sunrise was spectacular.

About 9:00 it started to warm up, it wasn’t long after that it also got windy. I mean really windy. With crosswinds that would push your bike, and headwinds that made doing 15 MPH a daunting task.

The second aid station was at mile 88, 48 miles after the first. This was a bit long for me as my bottles were empty with about 7 miles to go. I fought a bit of a hydration deficit for the next several hours.

After the 88 mile stop we headed to Morro Bay, a great little tourist beach town, known for Morro Rock. We then stayed along the coast through Pismo and on to Guadalupe.

Eventually we headed back inland. The final aid station was at mile 177. Immediately after that we turned on to Drum Canyon Road. Have you ever watched pro cycling in Europe? You know, narrow bumpy roads barely wide enough for two cars, no markings? That is Drum Canyon. Oh, and by the way, it a 3.5 mile 800 foot climb. By gradient, I’ve done many tougher climbs. But factor in the condition of the road, and that the climb started at mile 178, this was a grind. Then the descent! 180 degree switchbacks on roads that looked like the geological society had been testing earthquake damage on it. Needless to say, I took it easy on the descent. Finally the road straightened, and smoothed out a bit. Into the drops and full tuck, Yahoo! Back to Highway 246, about eight miles and done!

Congrats to my friends @pedalobo on finishing his first double century. Next stop, Triple Crown. And of course @cyclewarrior who started with the speed demons at 7:30 and caught us by mile 120.

This was the fifth double century I’ve done. And it was most scenic, a route I would enjoy doing weekly without getting bored. Especially the back country.

The stats: 193 miles. Average pedal speed 16 MPH. Max HR 161. Temperature Low 36, high 90 per Garmin. More like 36-82. Pedal time 12:08, total time 13:26. Max speed 40 MPH. Elevation gain 7,201. With the exception of Drum Canyon, mostly through rollers; the short but steep leg softening type.

A big thank you to the great Planet Ultra staff and volunteers, especially Mel at the lunch stop. (I spent about 100 miles with Mel on the PCH Randos 400KM).

Pismo Beach. The Pacific Ocean

Drum Canyon. Narrow, rough, steep in spots. The "Pain Cave."

The first control a popular place!

Dudley(s) Do-Right

2010-03-21T15:43:00.000-07:00

It was an interesting week. I woke up Monday morning with a sore throat and fever. Perhaps the 400KM depressed my immune system, or perhaps I was just due for a case of the crud.

Started to feel better late Tuesday, so back to work Wednesday morning; and back on the bike Wednesday after work.

Had a good training ride on Saturday. Did 100.44 miles going up to Santa Ysabel, which is at 3,000 feet. Hit some strong winds, especially the final five miles approaching Santa Ysabel. These were head/cross winds; it took quite a bit of strength and concentration to keep the bike upright and on the road.

Going up Scripps Grade early in the morning was a treat. Watching the sun come up over the mountains to the east made for a spectacular sunrise. Not sure my photo does it justice.

The best part to this week’s training was I went back out Sunday, and did 33 miles. Could have done another 100, but had stuff to do off the bike. Feels great to do 100 miles and be able to bounce right back the next day.

Why was this titled Dudely(s) Do-Right? The famous Dudley's Bakery is in Santa Ysabel. It is one of four buildings in the town. Since I was on a training ride, I stopped at Don's Market for water and a bananna. No treats for me this week.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @stevecycles200, or DailyMile.

Upcoming Events:

March 27: Solvang Spring Double Century
April 17: SD Randos Solana 600KM Brevet
May 1: (Several Events, not sure)
May 15: Davis Double Century (tentative)

PCHR 400KM

2010-03-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

Early in the route. The mountains lurk.

On Friday I headed up to Moorpark for the Pacific Coast Highway Randonneurs (PCHR) 400KM brevet.

I signed up for this event since I had to take a DNF for the San Diego 400KM last week due to a mechanical.

Once in Moorpark, I gave the bike a final inspection, lubed the chain and took a short test drive. All seemed well, so now it was up to me.

We rolled out Saturday morning at 5:30 AM. It was cold, but dry, and no rain in the forecast!

We rolled out and quickly the faster riders took off, everyone settled into their pace and rhythm. I felt good, and felt like I was riding strong. I hit the first control with the idea of getting in and out. A line to buy water. A line to use the restroom. Then I had to reconfigure my clothing since it was warming up. Finally I took off. That was a theme throughout the day. I took way more time at the controls than I like to or wanted to. I also lost time when I missed a turn. Since several folks missed it, I’ll blame the cue sheet.

The hardest part of the day? Casitias pass. Big climb. By the time I got over the pass and into Ojai, daylight was waning. Ojai was mile 157. Almost a century to go, starting in the dark.

I think it’s better and safer to ride with a couple of riders in the dark. I hooked up with Mel and Jamie. I know Jamie from the SD Randos, and met Mel. We rode together for the entire final 100 miles. Good company for the long ride, and good to have companions while trying to navigate Ojai. Thanks, guys!

So the results: I finished. 253 miles, 248 officially, and about 5 bonus miles. 18 hours of pedal time. 21 hours plus actual time. My goal was sub 20, and my stretch goal was 18, so I’m a bit disappointed there. Gotta figure out how to get out of the controls quicker. Should have been sub 20 based on 18 hours of pedal time. Hats off to my friend Keith who came in with the lead group at 15 plus hours.

This was the first brevet I have done that had information controls and secret controls. I guess since the route was not a straight out and back or defined loop these are needed to ensure everyone rides the entire route.

East Mtn Road. Time to climb

A big thanks to the Pacific Coast Higway Randos, the Jones' and all the volunteers.

Five Percent

2010-03-07T10:35:00.000-08:00

All ready to go for the 400 KM brevet. The forecast all week called for rain, but as the day approached, the time the rain was going to hit kept getting pushed back. At least we would start on dry roads!

4:00AM, depart Santee. After a bit of wandering through Santee and El Cajon, we were on Olde Highway 80 heading to Alpine. And the road starts to go up.

A turn to go under Interstate 8, and now we are on Alpine Road. Parallel to I-8. A short descent, and now we are climbing again. And will be for the next 30 plus miles. Peaking at 6,000 feet. A short flat section, so I go into a bigger gear, and another. One more. Okay. Now we are climbing again. Downshift. Click….Funny noise. Harder to pedal. Click the shifter. Nothing. Damn. The rear derailleur cable broke. When that happens it throws you into your smallest cog. For me that’s a 12. No way can I climb 6,000 feet over 30 miles in a 34x12. This was going to be a good challenge doing most of it in my 34x27. It’s only 5:30 AM. No bike shop open for another 3 ½ to 4 hours. That would put me past the time cut-offs. My day is over. 14 miles out of a scheduled 250 plus. I did barely over 5 percent of the ride.

Words can’t describe my disappointment. I felt like a little kid when their parents tell him “no.” I take great care to make sure my bike is ready for an event. I keep it tuned, I always inspect it, especially the condition of the tires. I just didn’t think about the cables. I took the bike to my shop, which took them all of five minutes to fix, and I learned based on the mileage I am riding, I should replace my rear derailleur cable ever other month.

The real bad luck is if this happened with a long straight or downhill section, I could have kept going, at least to where there was a bike shop, and gotten it fixed. No way is this hill slug climbing Mount Laguna in his 12 cog.

Okay, time to bounce back. The PCH randonneurs have their 400KM next weekend. I signed up. I want my 400KM!

It started to rain about 4:00, I feel for the riders still on the course. It is a cold rain, and after all the climbing they did early, the cold is going to bite. They are also getting a head wind through areas we would get tailwinds in normal weather.

My friend Keith, a very strong rider, was out in front of the field took a DNF about 300KM into the ride. He punctured while doing about 35 MPH. Luckily he kept the rubber down, but damaged his sidewall. Cold, wet, and a bad tire he called it a day.

If you are going to have something that happens that causes a DNF would you want it to happen early, or late?

The week Between Events, Part II

2010-02-28T16:31:00.000-08:00

No events this week. Had a typical week of training with my after work rides.

The forecast for Saturday was awful. Rain, heavy at times. Starting overnight Friday, and all day Saturday. I decided to push my long ride to Sunday. I’ll ride in the rain for an event. I’ll ride in the rain if I haven’t done it for a while, to make sure my gear set up is good, etc. But after the past month, I’ve had it with riding in the rain. Actually the worst part is the two hour bike clean that follows.

I did put new bar tape on my bike! If I were wealthy I’d do this at least once a month. Something really cool about fresh bar tape.

Friday night, I decided I’d go run with my wife on Saturday. She LOVES to run in the rain. I thought, a little cross-training, maybe help encourage her as she prepares for the Rock –N –Roll half marathon. So we ran. 6.5 miles. I’m not a runner. I run, about twice a month for cross training. Usually 2.5 to 3 miles. My longest ever was a little over 4 miles. But I felt really good to start with. I could have gone faster, but wanted to stay with wifey, and I wasn’t sure how I would hold up. Well, I made it, and finished pretty good.

Wow I was tired later in the day. And the quads were sore. I woke up today and felt okay, but not great. I went out for my ride about 8:30. Rode 34 miles, stopped for a water fill, and realized I was gassed. So I turned and headed for home. Did a metric century finished right on 62 miles. Slower than normal for the route, but hopefully the body will respond to the curve ball I threw it.

This week: Back to regular pre-event training, as Saturday is our 400KM Brevet. For the metrically challenged, that’s about 250 miles. You can see the map and profile here.

My upcoming events:

March 6: SD Randos 400KM
March 27: Solvang Spring Double Century
April 17 SD Randos 600KM

Tune in next week for a ride report on the 400KM.

El Camino Real Double Century (and poker run)

2010-02-21T09:02:00.000-08:00

This week was the first Double Century of the season. The El Camino Real DC. This ride is put on by Planet Ultra. They put on many double centuries as well as the famous Hoodoo 500 and other ultra events. This was my first Planet Ultra event. I give them two thumbs up, for a well run ride with great volunteers.

The ride started in Irvine and we did a bit of a loop on some roads I had never ridden. I was planning on rolling out at 5:30, but that was about the time I was finally ready, and got to the start as the ride director was giving final instructions and sending the riders out. I still needed to check in. I got checked in, and rolled out about 5:50. Less than a mile down the road it started to mist, then rain a bit harder. Here we go, I thought. It’s two weeks ago all over again.

As I continued on, the rain stopped, but the roads were soaked from heavy overnight rains. Then, much to my surprise I saw it. A big orange glow in the eastern sky. Could it be? The weather forecast called for rain through 10:00 AM, then a chance of rain, and even in periods without rain, it would be cloudy. Zero chance of sun, but there it was coming up over the horizon in all its glory.

The unexpected sun put some jump in my legs as I turned south on coast highway, only to turn back inland a short while later, more new roads for me. This is fun, as its part of the adventure, but also requires checking the queue sheet. Eventually we were back on coast highway heading south.

One of my goals is to spend less time at aid stations. Some riders enjoy taking their time there, chatting with the volunteers, or other riders. That’s great, if you want. I have noticed too much time off the bike, and I get stiff, plus, since I’m not super-speedy, I want to make sure I make time cut-offs. The first aid station was at mile 39. I filled my bottles, added Hammer Gel to my flask, and I was rolling within 3 minutes. Mission accomplished.

Continuing south, the next aid stations was also the first “control” where we got a playing card, as they had a poker run theme with this event. I drew a 5 of hearts. (This also verifies the riders hit the controls to get an official finish). Topped off my bottles, took about 4 extra minutes to adjust my clothing since the sun was out, and gone. Mission accomplished.

Cyclists know that in most cases they aren’t allowed on Interstate Highways. There is an exception on I-5 between Oceanside Harbor drive and Las Pulgas. This is because the only other way to get between those points is using Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton. Since the base may have needs to limit access, cyclists are allowed on this 8 mile stretch of interstate. I actually feel safe on the interstate with its huge shoulder. But man is it noisy with the traffic. You actually get a push from cars going by at 70 plus. Before I knew it, I was in Oceanside and heading east.

The next aid station, control, was at mile 87. Rainbow. This was the lunch stop, with Subway sandwiches available. I grabbed a turkey, ate about 2/3, filled my bottles and flask, and took off. Now for a bit of climbing, a fun descent, more climbing, and finally, heading back to Oceanside.

On the bike path heading back, I bonked. Not big time, but all of the sudden I went from 16 MPH into a headwind, to struggling to keep 13. The legs were heavy; I was in the pain cave. I grinded to the next aid station, and took a few minutes there. I drank a bit extra. I took off, feeling a bit better, but not great. Okay, I figured, I was way ahead of the pace I expected, so if I’m a bit slow coming in, no problem. Just keep turning the cranks. Back up I-5, and onto Old Hwy 101 which is a dedicated bike/pedestrian path. There is a point where the path goes under I-5. This tunnel was covered in dirt, which became mud after the overnight rains. It looked like a cyclocross mud pit. Makes a mess of the bike. Continue to the next aid station, control. My cards: 5, 6, and 9, mixed suit, but a chance at a straight! Yeah, right.

I pull out of this control, and shortly after another cyclist pulls along side. We start chatting, he is not doing our ride, but we are talking cycling. Turn out I am riding with Marty Jemison. Who, you ask? Marty is a two time Tour de France finisher, and former US National Champion, to name just a couple of accomplishments. A bonus for me, and chatting with him for 5 miles or so seemed to put some jump back into my legs. Thanks for the conversation, Marty!

Back in Orange County we turned off Coast Hwy, back to roads unknown to me. Eventually to Trabuco Canyon Road. This road would be blast to descend…..in the daytime, see darkness had fallen, and I don’t like to outride my headlights, which meant holding back on the fabulous technical descent. The final control was off a Trabuco Canyon. I drew a 10, killing my straight and any chance of a descent poker hand. No bonus prizes for me.

25 miles to go. A bit of climbing, a bit of descending, and a bit of flats. Hammered where I could, finishing at 8:20 (I think).

All in all a fun day. Again, kudos to Planet Ultra. Thank you Lord for the sunshine and keeping me safe. Thank you wifey for use of your vehicle.

Sorry for no pictures, with the expected rain, I had my phone in a zip lock bag making it a bit tough to break out for photos.

The Week Between Events

2010-02-14T16:33:00.000-08:00

Last week’s 300KM took a bit out of me. I didn’t ride again this week until Wednesday when I got back on track with 26 miles. I followed Thursday with my usual easy ride.

Friday is my normal off day. Without riding Sunday – Tuesday I wasn’t in need of a day off, but I wanted to get back on track with my training plan, so I stuck to my routine. I was really itching to get out and ride, though.

Saturday morning I awoke at 0600 for my weekly long ride. I was planning on about a 100 mile route. But I woke up with a massive headache. To put it in cycling terms, it was a Hors Category headache*. I went back to bed. I didn't wake up until after 10:00, and was feeling less than 100 percent. So I was a slug for most of the day. Around 3:00, I kitted up and went out for a short ride. I still wasn’t feeling so hot, but it was a glorious day out.

Hoping to feel better Sunday I went to bed early, and got a good 9 hours of sleep. It worked! I jumped out of bed at 0600, and was out turning the cranks before 0700. Yes!

It was a chamber of commerce day in San Diego, as seen here along the coast where Solana Beach meets Encinitas.

A good tune up ride for next Saturday’s first Double Century of the year, the El Camino Real Double Century.

Happy Valentines day to my wife, Angi. (@vansmart262) Love U wifey!

My upcoming event schedule:

2-20: El Camino Real Double Century
3-06: SD Randos 400KM Brevet
3-27: Solvang Double Century
4-17 SD Randos Solana 600KM Brevet.

* For the non-cyclists reading the Hors Category is the toughest of rated climbs in pro cycling. Climbs are rated at Category 4, 3, 2, 1, and Hors Category. It means Beyond Category. The 2009 Tour of California Stage 8, Palomar Mountain was rated at Hors Category.

Super Epic

2010-02-07T09:32:00.000-08:00

Epic. The most overused word in cycling. But what makes a ride epic? Is it distance? Is it difficulty, i.e. lots of climbing? Is it conditions? Is it struggling?

Saturday was our San Diego Randos “Dudley’s 300KM Brevet” So named since the farthest point out is in the small town of Santa Ysabel, which is mostly known for Dudley’s Bakery and their famous bread.

I thought I'd start my day like the pros do:

Rain moved into our area Friday afternoon, and was in the forecast for most of Saturday. We started at 6:00 under cloudy skies. Here is my bike, just before roll out. Ready to roll. Or is it?

About 10 minutes in we hit a stoplight. I unclip and look down. Son of a – I left my bottles in the car. I also took off without my gel flask and Hammer Heed. Turn around, start over. My ride starts at 6:22.

The ride starts in Southern San Diego County, in the community of Chula Vista. We immediately go east and start to gain some elevation. About 10 miles in, is Honey Springs Road, Honey Springs Road gains about 1,600 feet in 6 miles. Good Morning!

Here is the profile for the ride

Light rain, mist, and an occasional shower have fallen for the first 55 miles. The 55 mile mark was the first control, El Monte Park. I pulled in, and the skies opened up. It rained heavily on and off for the next 3 hours. There were many times when I thought about throwing in the towel.

For me, it’s all a mind game on a long ride. So, as the rain was coming down sideways and stinging, the wind was picking up and cold, the legs were sore from the climbs, with more to come; I broke the ride down into chunks.

Just get to Ramona, and “fuel up.” Okay, 15 uphill miles to Santa Ysabel. You can do that. Lots of folks gave it up at Dudley’s. It was COLD in Santa Ysabel. That's me, pulling into Dudley's.

I told myself, Ramona is back down the hill, just get there. My gloves were soaked, my feet were soaked, and so I had an idea. There is a bike shop in Ramona. I stopped, and got a fresh pair of socks, and gloves. Forgetting my bottles at roll-out earned me the moron of the morning award. Getting fresh dry gear gets me the genius of the afternoon award. Happy dry feet and hands, and we rocketed down to Lakeside. I pulled into a mini mart for fuel and rolled right out. Onto Alpine. Lights in full effect, it’s dark out there!

We had a control at a Carl’s Jr. in Alpine. I had been riding alone, but there were several riders at Carl’s. I went back out with John M. and Jack T. Two very strong, experienced randonneurs. I rode the last 37 miles with them, and it was most enjoyable despite continuing showers, getting really cold, especially descending Honey Springs, and being tired and sore. It was a pleasure to ride with John and Jack, thanks for the company, guys.

To sum up the day:

300 kilometers (176.8 miles), 13,141 feet of elevation gain. Water logged gear.

This ride, qualifies not only as epic, but I would say Super Epic!

I would be remiss if I did not thank all the volunteers. It was a tough day out there, with lots of coordination with all the DNF's, and keeping track of riders. Thanks to all.

A couple of pics I managed early before the skies really opened up:

Endo of the Week

2010-01-30T19:00:00.000-08:00

This weeks training was pretty routine. I was able to get out after work Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Friday was the usual errands, followed by bike prep for my Saturday long ride.

So where to ride this Saturday? I wanted to get about 100 miles in, with some climbing, but nothing too hard since next week is our 300KM brevet, with 11,500 feet of gain.

My friend Keith (@cyclewarrior on Twitter) was looking for someone to ride with him from Ramona to Borrego Springs and back. Sorry Keith, but that one would take me too long to recover from, although it would be a great ride, and I want to go back over Montezuma Road. (A 12 mile climb that gains 3,600 feet).

So I decided to head out from the house and go over Del Dios, a modest climb, and through the Harmony Grove/Elfin Forest area. I need to take some pictures of that section for those not from San Diego, it is probably my favorite area to ride. From there I went on up into Oceanside from the East, picked up the San Luis Ray River Bike Path, and headed to the coast. Strong winds out of the north/northwest which meant strong headwinds on the bike path. Once I got onto Coast Highway, though, it meant a pretty nice tailwind. Holding 24-26 MPH through Carlsbad and Encinitas felt great.

Normally I would continue south and go over Torrey Grade before heading a bit inland to home. However, with the pro golf tour at Torrey Pines, I thought it would be safer to go inland at Carmel Valley Road and take the 56 bike path.

Sometimes we should just stick to the plan. As I approached Camino Del Sur, where we have to cross the road, the light was green and the walk sign on; coming down a bit of a hill I looked just to be safe. No cars go for it. Out of nowhere there is a silver SUV about to hit me as I’ve started to cross Camino Del Sur. The only thing I could think to do was to angle right and hope the SUV stopped. It did, but I had too much momentum and hit the center divide. Turned a fabulous endo onto the median, landing on my left forearm and hip. I managed to bounce right up. The driver stopped and says, "what were you doing?” I said going through MY GREEN LIGHT!!!! He says, “It wasn’t green.” I point, and he has the look of a deer in headlights. A classic o-crap! moment. He apologizes. I wave him off as I am more interested in checking my bike out. Front rim looks okay, not taco’d like I had feared. Chain dropped, no biggie. My elbow and hip are sore. I spin the front wheel, looks to be true, so I get composed and put my chain back on. I take a closer look at the front wheel and notice the tire is off the bead. As I inspect it, I see a bit of a bulge. I touch it and BOOM! The tube pops.

I remove the tire, put in a tube, and fill it to about 75 PSI to not put pressure on the sidewall. I test the bike, seems okay. I’m only about 4 miles from Black Mountain Bicycles, my shop, so I proceed to the shop. I want them to inspect the bike and make sure all is okay.

In short, the bike is fine. I’ll need a new front tire ASAP, they had to true my wheel a bit, make a couple of adjustments. As usual, the guys at Black Mountain took great care of me.

I rode on home, just another 4 miles or so. Had recovery drink, food, shower, and have a nice hunk of ice on my hip. Hopefully I won’t be too sore tomorrow; I’d really like to ride.

Thank you, Lord for somehow keeping me safe through that one. If You are sending me a message to be a bit more careful out there, message received.

To all my cyclist friends, keep the rubber side down, and your head on swivel. Let’s be safe out there.

Twitter: @stevecycles200 -- Follow Me!

Weather

2010-01-24T15:55:00.000-08:00

Before I get into this week's writing, I want to take a minute and say Happy Birthday to my dad. He is 82 today. Happy Birthday!

I live in San Diego. Generally speaking we have the best weather, anywhere. Usually between 65 and 77 degrees, low humidity, little rain. This week, the weather made sure we knew not to take our blessings for granted.

I usually ride after work three or four days a week. Depending on where I am in my training schedule, and what time will allow 15-40 miles per ride. I got out on Tuesday in a short, but windy dry window for 15.55 miles. The wind had done some damage here:

Wednesday I did an hour on the trainer. I really prefer riding outside, but the biggest part of the storm hit Thursday. Wasn't feeling great on Thursday, so no riding, not even on the trainer. Actually took a nap after work, and went to bed at 8:30.

Fortunatley felt much better Friday, which is scheduled off on my training. I use my after work time on Friday to prep my bike and nutrition for my Saturday long ride.

Saturday, 7:00AM roll out. The skies are clear, but the air is crisp and downright chilly. 43 degrees. I am well layered. The roads are still really wet. This will be a good test for my new shoe covers. Through Rancho Santa Fe and off to the coast. Then through Camp Pendleton (Semper Fi)! And on up to San Clemente. Refuel and turn around. Back through Pendleton, and straight down the coast. Around Oceanside my legs felt like lead. Poor early season form? Not enough riding this week? Pushed too hard outbound? Pushed through and finished my 112.2 mile ride. Building the miles up, I have some long events planned for this year.

Went out Sunday, originally thinking recovery ride, but I really need to start thinking about good efforts back to back days for 600K, 1,000K, and 24 hour events I have planned this year. And the legs felt pretty good once I got out, so I went over Torrey Grade, pushed up the grade and set a Personal Best. I track my time over Torrey since it is near my house and I do it about once a week or so. Ending a water logged, less riding than I would like week on a very positive note.

Another Blogger!

2010-01-17T15:22:00.000-08:00

Okay, I've just entered the 21st century and decided to write a blog.

I already know at least three cyclists who write blogs, @BikeCrave, The Surly Rando, and George's Epic Adventures. So do we really need another blogger? Probably not, but here I go.

Some have asked me how I got into cycling. So I will make my first blog as a brief history of what got me into cycling.

In April of 2006, I was 370 pounds. I had high blood pressure, and was on two medicines for it. I was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. It was way past time to make some changes.

Me before my second bike ride. Approx 370 at the time:

The sleep apnea diagnosis was a blessing. The Rx: a C-PAP machine. This allowed me to actually get a restful sleep, which gave me some energy throughout the day.

What to do? Running hurt too much. Walking bored me. Hiking was okay, but my feet would really hurt within a mile or two. I liked riding a bike as a kid, why not try it.

I knew nothing about bikes. Went to Sports Authority, I guess I knew enough to know Wal-Mart bikes were crap. Bought a mountain bike for about $220.

My first ride was on the Hodges trail. Less than 2 miles. I was gassed! But, I had fun.

I started riding after work. At first 2.5 miles around the neighborhood. It took until July to hit 10 miles, around Mission Bay.

Weight loss was slow since I still hadn't changed my diet. But I was feeling better. Way better. I discovered I preferred riding on the road to trails. I went to a real bike shop in October of 2006. Black Mountain Bicycles in Mira Mesa. I wanted to do some road riding. Could a 330-340 pound man ride a road bike? Based on my Internet research, no, but a touring bike might work, or maybe a cyclocross bike.

That was exactly what Brian at BMB recommended. The Specialized Tri-Cross. Part cross bike, but could be converted into a touring bike. Strong enough wheels and frame for my girth.

I couldn't believe I spent $1,600 on a bike! I better ride it, huh?

I started to watch my diet, as my wife and I really got focused around that time, and started tracking what we ate. And I started to ride. And ride. And ride. Since daylight savings time was over, and I was too much of a neophyte to ride in the dark with lights, I got a trainer. And I rode.
Fast forward, in August of 2007 I did my first century, the Cool Breeze in Ventura. I was hooked. In 2008 I did a few more centuries and my first brevet

In December of 2008 I purchased a true road bike. A Specialized Roubaix. Built for distance riding, in the first year I had this bike I road over 8,000 miles. I did my first three Double Centuries earning a California Triple Crown, several brevets, centuries, and just went for rides in excess of 100 miles. I joined the UMCA and completed what they call the Larry Schwartz award.

So here we are, in early 2010. I am currently 214 pounds. I like to say I've lost over 150 pounds and 4 chins. No more high blood pressure. Me today:

If you told me back in 2006 I would be 214 pounds today, I would not have believed it, and I would have been thrilled. Funny how your perspective changes. Hanging around cyclists, I realize I still have some work to do. But I enjoy the process, love cycling especially Ultra events.

I want to say, I don't think I would have done this without the support of my wife, Angi. Thank you! and of course without my faith in the Lord.

If you like, I often "tweet" during my rides. My Twitter is @stevecycles200.

Stay tuned, I am going to try and write regularly.