Back in the saddle at last!

Last week was not a good one for riding. I did ride the fixie to work most days, but that certainly isn't the workout that I need to keep up with everyone. Plus, I have the Miracle Hill ride this coming weekend (100 miles) and I really need to get ready.

So, I asked my son if he would mind if I came to his game a little late and made plans to join the Sunshine Cycle Shop guys for the Hour of Power. Thing Two was just fine with that, and I headed over to the shop around 7:30 AM. I was pretty excited to ride with a group again.

About eight riders were there. John and Tony would be riding and the way John has been acting "racey" lately, I figured we would probably go out pretty fast. Actually, all of the riders would be able to hold their own, so this ride would be a workout.

Sure enough, we rolled out at a good clip. Thankfully, I was rolling right along with them. The true test would be what would happen when the sprints came along.

The first one left my fingers feeling alike rocks. I sat on Matt's wheel right until the end and then swung around him for the line. That early effort definitely made me realize that it could be a tough morning.

Even so, the next couple to sprints I managed to pull out a second place finish - I lost to Bob on Meece Bridge, and then got schooled by Tony on the quarry road. On Meece Bridge, I eased off when my heart rate hit 190. I knew I didn't have that many bullets left in my gun!

On the quarry road, I felt sorry for Art. We all ganged up on him and made him pull us halfway up the climb. I figured he was probably done when he pulled over and we went on by him. Yet, a little later, I looked over to my left and there he was. He definitely held his own under the attack.

From there I eased off a bit. Just as I finished the sprint up the quarry road, I felt like I might throw up. It had been a little while since I had given my body this much exertion!

As we neared the Paris Mountain park entrance, I figured I would give that sprint a try and call it a day. I got in behind Matt because I figured he would be powering along and at about 6 feet 4 inches and 215 pounds, he blocks wind really well! Sure enough, he moved us toward the front of the line.

Matt will tell you he isn't a climber. However, he can put out some serious wattage. My thought was he would go hard down to the base of the final climb and then ease up. Or if he did attack the incline he would fade toward the top. Nope.

Matt went in hard! It caught me flat footed and I really had to work just to hang onto his wheel. About halfway up, I nearly quit. However, I really wanted it. So, I dug in and started pulling even with him. As we made the final slight right hand turn I gave my last push and then threw the bike forward beneath me right at the line.

I heard Matt say something like, "You got me." However, I don't think so. I guess it all depends on where the line is. It was a tie in my mind. It was also one of the most fun sprints I have ever done. Matt told me afterwards that with my weight and speed, I must have been putting out over 1400 watts up the hill.

From there I took it easy - though I did climb Oak Leaf - and made it back in time to catch the last half of my son's game. Tell you what though, I wasn't much good for anything for the rest of the day. I've got to get my legs back before this weekend!

What not to wear - or wear...

Rule number one when you are commuting to work on your bike while wearing slacks: wear something to secure your pant leg to keep it out of the chain.

Check.

Rule number two when you are commuting to work on your bike while wearing slacks: if the band you are using to secure your pant leg slips off your pant leg while riding a fixed gear, stop and put it back on.

Consequences...


Oh, well, I never liked those slacks anyway...

I need your help!

I really need your help! I have signed up for the Palmetto Peloton Project's Challenge to Conquer Cancer ride that will take place in October. This will be a 24 hours a day relay ride from the "Hills of Hincapie to the Land of Lance." 1300 miles from Greenville, SC to Austin, TX. However, it isn't the ride that seems so daunting to me... it is raising $5000!

I have committed to doing a major charity ride each year for the purpose of raising money to fight cancer. You can learn more about why at the site I set up to chronicle my fight against cancer one pedal stroke at a time. Visit RideForMike.com to learn more. You can also click here to visit the P3Ride.org Web site to learn more about what that organization is doing to battle this killer. Want to donate right now? Follow this link...

I've never expected much of my readers. Actually, I've been surprised how many there are! I'm now asking you to take a moment to give a little something... not to me, but to the Greenville Hospital's Oncology Research Institute. The money you give will go to this local organization to help find ways to improve the lives of those battling cancer... and who knows, perhaps find a cure.

$25... $50... maybe a little more? I'm certainly going to be doing my part and giving myself. I just need a little help. Of course, your donation will be tax deductible. Just give and I'll do the riding!

You can bet you'll be taking the trip with me as I will be reporting on the preparations for the ride as well as the ride itself. My plan is to blog the ride as well as to capture video of the event to upload as we go along or to place on the Web upon our return. Much of that will depend on the bandwidth we have available to us and the logistics of the road.

I'll be honest. I don't have $5000 to put up for this myself. However, I am trusting that there are enough good people out there who will take an interest in this project and join me. I know the courageous battle my friend Mike fought against the cancer that attacked his body. He faced the insurmountable with faith and an indomitable attitude. Certainly I can follow his example in something less daunting.

Thank you so much for considering to help me. I look forward to seeing how much we can raise together. Remember, you can easily donate online.

Wheels for Meals Charity Ride

No, this blog is not going to be replaced by all video. However, while I'm trying to figure out how all this works, you might find a little bit more over the visual stuff here. This is a short video of the Wheels for Meals ride.

Lessons learned? It is best to mount the camera. Two reasons 1) it keeps you from dropping it and 2) some of the times when you most want to be recording, you need to have two hands on the bars!

Testing, testing, one, two, three

I got my hands on a helmet cam. This might or might now work... Right now, I'm using YouTube.com to get the video out. Please forgive the audio. I'm still working on that!

Feeling bad about 18th

There was a sanctioned race today at Donaldson Center. That means we get points and the races count toward moving up to new categories. Just getting a finish would help me toward moving to a new level. I wanted more.

I started to the event with a little bit of a timid feeling. Thursday night's ride was with me and my legs were feeling pretty sore even this morning. Plus I knew that this was going to be a combined category 5 race. That means I would be racing kids to granddads. The granddads didn't bother me too much. Even the kids didn't strike fear into me. It was those 20 something guys that had me worried.

As we lined up, I was feeling a little better. It wasn't raining and it was actually warm. Sure there were some younger guys, but there were also quite a few fellows who looked about my age or older. Besides, if you are good... it shouldn't matter.

Yep, right off the bat some younguns went off the front. I mean right away. I wasn't worried about that. I knew we would catch them. Before the first lap was complete, we did.

It took us 19 minutes to finish the first lap. Compared to Tuesday night rides, that is even slower than the B group. It was almost frustrating, but I patiently sat in 15 or 20 riders back.

The second lap was about the same though this time three or four riders went off the front. The main group just kept up their slow pace. The gap continued to grow. I was riding near Jimmy around this time and he said, "We don't want those guys to get too far up the road."

A couple other Spinners were around at that time and I said, "Let's go bring them back Spinners." We ramped up the pace a bit and before too long neutralized the break. Jimmy was right on my wheel as the pack moved forward. As we approached the breakaway riders, I heard him say, "Ease off now." So, I backed off to let some other riders take point.

On the first three laps, I crossed the start/finish line between 5 and 10 riders back. I worked so hard to be patient. If I ever perceived myself pushing a little much, I eased off. Jimmy was a guide to me for learning where to place myself to avoid the wind.

As we went into the fourth lap, there were about three guys that broke away just as a downpour started. I knew one of two things were going to happen. 1) We were all going to sit there like we had been the entire race and those guys were going to get away clean, or 2) everyone would sit there and realize we had to bring them back on the last lap and we would all kill ourselves trying to make it happen.

I rode up to the front and said to one of my team-mates who had been near the front most of the day, "I really don't want to chase these guys down on the final lap." My reasoning was I would be in better shape for the finish if we brought them back and then recovered for a final push.

Several us almost pulled together a pace line. Before long we brought them back, though I have to admit it took a little more work than I had hoped. So, halfway through the fourth lap we were all back together.

I immediately started second guessing my strategy, but it felt kind of neat to have taken control of the "peloton" twice in the race. It was salve to my ego to have riders mention to me during the ride and afterwards that they appreciated me helping to get the group moving. Of course, maybe that was a veiled way of saying they were thankful I had worn myself out before the finish!

Going into the final lap, I was sitting in second place. I didn't intend to stay there. I just wanted to get into that first turn without a lot of riders around me. Once we make that turn, riders typically make some sort of attempt to accelerate away from the group. I wanted to make sure I was in position to counter.

No true break formed. That could well be because by this time it was raining cats and dogs. I could hardly see because of the spray coming up on my shades. I kept working to stay in the top 10 or so riders and waited for the finish.

I was fully recovered from the lap four bridge -- at least I think I was. My legs were a little tired, but I have certainly felt worse. This might be a good day -- younguns or not.

After crossing the rail road tracks it was obvious that one rider made a significant attack. I was not in position to follow. At that point I figured a win was not in the cards for me. Still there was second.

Before going into "the dip" there was a rider who pulled away into the gap between the leader and the main group. I set it in my mind to beat that rider. I really believed I could take second at that point.

We started to climb and I stayed in the group. Up to this point I had ridden nearly the entire race in the small front gear. This worked well for me when I got a third place at River Falls. My goal was to climb moderately in the small ring. Once I reached the chain link fence just before the fire station I would shift to the big ring and turn on the afterburner.

Well, just as I was catching the second place rider, I felt things start to go away. I needed momentum. Earlier than I wanted, I shifted to the big ring. Sure enough, I surged forward. Then I plateaued. I was going pretty fast, but I wasn't increasing in speed.

At first when I glanced back I saw I had a decent (but not comfortable lead) on the pack. I tried harder. I really did. Then I heard it. It is a wonderful sound when you are in the middle of it, but a horrible sound when you hear it about to overtake you... the whirring of dozens of wheels.

I knew at that point my second place card was out of the stack. Fifty yards from the finish I was overtaken. It was like I was sitting still. Bikes were going around me on both sides.

Foolishly, I didn't fight. I think I was so shocked by the speed of the bikes passing me that I didn't even think. I just let up (obviously, not to the point where I was a danger). So, did I have to settle for that 18th place finish? No. I came back to reality near the finish line. I increased my speed, but by that time it was too late.

I really don't feel so bad about my attempt at the end. Hey, it could have netted me a second place finish. It was a gamble I was willing to take. It just didn't work out. What really makes me feel bad is the difference between 18th and 15th. I quit. All it would have taken was a little more guts and I could have had a better finish.

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Race line
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Distance: 35.9 miles
Average speed: 22.09 mph
Average HR: 165 bpm (Tempo Zone)
High HR: 187 bpm (Max 196)
Finish: 18

Putting the fun back into riding

Tonight about 15 of us headed on a ride that would ultimately take us over Paris Mountain. Our Thursday night ride always seems to draw us like flies to the lantern that is Altamont Road. It was a good, fast group. It was going to be fun.

The story is very much the same as every other time we do this ride. Everyone just kind of "hangs out" until we get to the base of Altamont on the Furman side. We get there about 10 miles into the ride. Maybe later in the year we'll start adding to the beginning portion of the ride by going around Furman.

We started off the climb with Boyd Johnson and Bob leading us out. Boyd I knew could cruise up. Bob was kind of surprising me. I knew he was riding better than I had ever seen him ride, but to keep up with Mr. Johnson would be impressive.

The funny thing that happened to me is that I was working to maintain a reasonable 10 mph average up to the water tower. Once past it and into the first left turn I accelerated to pick up some time. I looked down at my Garmin and saw 158.

"Wow!" I thought to myself, "I'm doing pretty well to have my heart rate at 158 bpm at this point in the climb. This is going to be good!" Not long after that, I looked down again and realized I had been looking at my average speed and not my heart rate! The new arrangement of the data panel had thrown me off. I located the heart rate data cell and saw 186 bpm!

Oh well, might as well give it a try. Maybe I could concentrate and recover a bit and still salvage to decent time. I started spinning and laid back some. I reached the halfway point in about 6 minutes and 10 seconds. My average speed was above 11 mph.

I kept climbing along keeping an eye on Boyd and Bob. Not long after this, Art came by me and I had a third rider to keep an eye on. Then I started slowing once I reached the dreaded blue power box. Bob and I had started see-sawing back and forth around this time and then he went back in front.

The three guys stayed in front of me until we reached The Wall. At first I gained just a little on Art and Boyd (though I am certain the DLP rider was just taking it easy) and then the gap firmed. Bob and I rode along side-by-side for a bit and then I pulled away.

Turns out Art finished just behind Boyd with a time of 12 minutes 50 seconds. I crossed the KOM line in 12 minutes 59 seconds. When we started talking about the climb, Art said he had already climbed the road twice today!

Down the other side the group split up. Some went on down and finished the ride with a straight shot off the mountain. Art, Mike, Bob, Doug, and I turned off onto some of the spurs that go off from and return to the main road. We ended up doing around 3000 feet of climbing.

It was fun. No pressure. Just getting on the bike and having fun with the guys. It was fun talking a bit about the Garmin 705. I handed the second one over to Matt and he is going to do some testing of the networking capabilities of the device.

I also learned that Boyd was going to be getting one as well as the CinQo power meter. I'll be interested to see how it turns out for him. He'll be keeping track of his training rides using the device. You can check it out at his team's Web site (Boyd's Data / DLP Racing)

Me? I've just got to recover before Saturday.

I got an F on that paper

I feel like a student who worked on his paper the night before and knows he is going to turn it in for a failing grade. Still you have to turn that paper in... well, maybe you could say the dog ate it. Can I say my cats ate the Garmin?

Ride result in the A group: got spit out the back like a sour grape on lap 2.

There, I got that out of the way.

I was looking forward to the ride because I it would be my first ride with my new Garmin Edge 705. After I have some time to play around with it, I'll be sharing more about the device here and on the GreenvilleOnline.com Cycling Blog. It is pretty cool!

The Spinners team was going to do the B's. However, I had forgotten to check the blog and didn't realize that was the plan. Besides, I had a hankering to do the A group. So that is where I was when we rolled out for the first of five laps.

That first lap seemed slow. Oddly enough, it was my fastest lap of the night. We crossed the lap marker in 17 minutes and 26 seconds. Perhaps I was lulled into my mistake by this pace.

Lap two things turned up significantly. A group of about six riders went off the front. I recognized that there were some decent riders up there and started wondering if they might be able to get out there and stay away. I told myself to sit in and be patient.

Then we approached a slight climb and the group started getting really squirrelly. People were braking and swerving. I started getting kind of nervous. I decided I didn't want to be that far back. Moving up toward the front things smoothed out, but then I found myself nearly on the front row.

Some other strong riders started making moves across the gap. That is where I made my mistake. I reasoned that with those riders moving over there was a good chance that there could be a lasting breakaway. Looking back, I realize that it was still WAY to early for something like that to work.

I started to bridge over and tried to lessen the risk by not going full throttle. I figured that I could steadily make my move. Even so, I was holding steady in the 185 bpm range and I knew that wouldn't be good.

By the way, one of the great things about the 705 is that it is so much easier to read the screen. First of all, it is larger. Also the contrast is much better. A definite "thumbs up" on the display.

Then I got the tail of the group. However, there was no time to recover and really no group to sit in with. It was basically a single file line with me trying to hang on. There was some basic accordion action going on, but for the most part I was still working pretty hard.

When we reached the track, I eased off thinking I could just slide back into the main group and recover. Unfortunately, the pack had caught us and by the time I realized I had slipped back to far I was dropped off the back. I guess at that point I should have just suffered to bring myself back up to the group, but I didn't.

I started the third lap alone. Then I saw Scott Oglesby up ahead and I connected with him for about a half a mile. I rode on from there passing a number of riders - though I don't know if they had been dropped by the A group or what.

My goal at that point was not to get caught by the B group. Things seemed to be going pretty well until I started cramping in my right calf. Well into lap four, my calf was wanting to knot up on me something terrible. At about the same time I looked back and saw the blinking lights of the B group pace car. Oh no!

They caught me just past Kitty Hawk. It was like a brand new world. I was able to get in the group and before long I was feeling great. It was easy to move up through the group. Of course, I wouldn't be able to join the sprint (this was their last lap).

I saw Kirk and told him I would be glad to pull him up into the mix before I pulled off for them to fight it out. I don't think he understood what I said. So, I just gave it a push up toward the fire station and then moved out of the way.

The fifth lap was still left to do, so I kept on going as the B group started their cool down. It was an awful lonely last lap. I determined it was my punishment for the bone head move earlier in the evening.

It is funny, there is no doubt that I could be in the mix in the B group every time. I'm not saying I would win every one. However, I don't doubt I could be right there. I also know I can hang in the A group, but I would have to be one of the field fodder guys. I guess tonight showed where I really am -- somewhere in between the two groups.

I know what John is going to say, "I could have told you that is what you were going to do. You can do the A group, but you have to ride smart and not try to run up there with the Pro 1/2 guys." I know, I know, but I don't seem to be able to learn that lesson... what if they get away?