First official day of winter in balmy Colorado and my riding buddy (tall son) and I went on a ride. We got in 18 miles and he started to poop out. This occurred, mainly because this was his first ride since October (basketball, school etc.) and he just had to take off and leave me in the dust. Yes, he smoked me and smoked me good, oh to be a kid again. He hadn’t had to wait for me that long in over a year. But he paid for it, he was wiped. We were hoping to get in a couple of more rides in but, we are in Colorado and the snow has come. We haven’t been much over 45 degrees since the first week of December or over 35 degrees since the 21st. We have had pretty blue skies though. Speaking of my riding buddy, I am sitting in the waiting room of a cardiology unit waiting for them to complete a heart procedure on him. It’s taking a little longer than expected but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Anyway this is keeping my elderly mind as focused as an elderly mind can get.
I gained a couple of pounds this past week but it was mainly alcohol related so I will need to work a little harder to get it back off. Maybe I will try a snow shovel instead of the blower. Better yet, maybe I will pop open a Mike’s and re-think that one.
I hope you all had a great Christmas and will have a Safe, but Fun, New years Eve.
Ride Hard, Ride Safe, Stay Warm
“G”
Monday, December 28, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
The Rides Continue
A month without a post, some blog artiest I am.
The health has improved and as we are into the full blown silly season there is good news. Before the deep freeze (Colorado version) and the annoying snow made it’s photo opportunity visit, I was able to get in two rides.
For those of you, for what ever reason, needed to stop your riding for an extended period there is great hope. I had been off the bike almost two months and extremely fearful that my first ride would bring back bad memories of fighting to crank out five miles. I took it easy and shot for a slow twenty miles. Didn’t make the mileage I wanted but again I had just overcame pneumonia. I did manage to get in fourteen miles with an average of 12.1 mph. A full 1 mph average slower than two months ago but about 5 mph faster than I thought I would. If it wasn’t for enormous needs to stop four times to hack out the rest of the pneumonia I’m sure I would have hit that twenty mile mark. I was enthused enough about my highly unexpected ride results that I went out the next day as soon as the temperature came up to fifty degrees, remember I’m a fair weather rider. I got out on my favorite route and before I knew it I was home. Nice ride everything was bright, pretty and fresh looking and of course I ended up way over dressed. The best mental boost though was I did a little over twenty miles at an average of 13.1 mph. Back to where I was two months ago, yea me!! My enthusiasm was raised to a level I hadn’t experience in a few months. As I was eating my typical after ride snack, a can of tuna out of the can, (really high in protein for eating after exercise) I was thinking of extending the ride for the next morning. As all good things may have a slight down side, the next morning after shoveling snow for three hours I went straight for the tuna. So is life in Colorado.
Looking back on this whole situation I have came to some very good conclusions. The effort I have put in over the last twenty months or so has changed my metabolism. It has changed so much in fact that over the 2 month hiatus, not only did I not gain any weight but I lost another ten pounds. Now this isn’t “Biggest Looser” weight loss but I believe that it is a slow loss that has not just dropped the pounds but changed my metabolism to a life changing event. While I am on this high I get an email from Kaiser Permanente that states due to my weight and health over the years of service with them they have declined to insure me further. That was from attempting to change a group policy over to an individual family policy. They did take two of the four of us though so I guess I should be half way thank full.
For you guys that are still riding and especially the one commuter that goes in front of my house every week day, even during a snow storm, Your insane, but I admire the heck out of you.
Till Next Time Stay Warm and Ride When You Can
“G”
P.S. Since I am a politically incorrect type of guy, Merry Christmas to all of you, enjoy your family, life is short.
The health has improved and as we are into the full blown silly season there is good news. Before the deep freeze (Colorado version) and the annoying snow made it’s photo opportunity visit, I was able to get in two rides.
For those of you, for what ever reason, needed to stop your riding for an extended period there is great hope. I had been off the bike almost two months and extremely fearful that my first ride would bring back bad memories of fighting to crank out five miles. I took it easy and shot for a slow twenty miles. Didn’t make the mileage I wanted but again I had just overcame pneumonia. I did manage to get in fourteen miles with an average of 12.1 mph. A full 1 mph average slower than two months ago but about 5 mph faster than I thought I would. If it wasn’t for enormous needs to stop four times to hack out the rest of the pneumonia I’m sure I would have hit that twenty mile mark. I was enthused enough about my highly unexpected ride results that I went out the next day as soon as the temperature came up to fifty degrees, remember I’m a fair weather rider. I got out on my favorite route and before I knew it I was home. Nice ride everything was bright, pretty and fresh looking and of course I ended up way over dressed. The best mental boost though was I did a little over twenty miles at an average of 13.1 mph. Back to where I was two months ago, yea me!! My enthusiasm was raised to a level I hadn’t experience in a few months. As I was eating my typical after ride snack, a can of tuna out of the can, (really high in protein for eating after exercise) I was thinking of extending the ride for the next morning. As all good things may have a slight down side, the next morning after shoveling snow for three hours I went straight for the tuna. So is life in Colorado.
Looking back on this whole situation I have came to some very good conclusions. The effort I have put in over the last twenty months or so has changed my metabolism. It has changed so much in fact that over the 2 month hiatus, not only did I not gain any weight but I lost another ten pounds. Now this isn’t “Biggest Looser” weight loss but I believe that it is a slow loss that has not just dropped the pounds but changed my metabolism to a life changing event. While I am on this high I get an email from Kaiser Permanente that states due to my weight and health over the years of service with them they have declined to insure me further. That was from attempting to change a group policy over to an individual family policy. They did take two of the four of us though so I guess I should be half way thank full.
For you guys that are still riding and especially the one commuter that goes in front of my house every week day, even during a snow storm, Your insane, but I admire the heck out of you.
Till Next Time Stay Warm and Ride When You Can
“G”
P.S. Since I am a politically incorrect type of guy, Merry Christmas to all of you, enjoy your family, life is short.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Things Go Further South
Wow, on my post last week things were looking up. This week I’m looking up to where I was at last week, but still looking up. Not wanting to go to the doctor, the typical man attitude, I figured things would improve, they always do. Wrong! The doctor told me that the pneumonia could be coming or going. Best bet, its going since I waited so long to go in. I mentioned my logic of finally making an appointment was that if I took up his and his staff time I would suddenly be better and there would be nothing to check me for. It didn’t quite work this time but he did understand the logic. He said next time I get sick, make the appointment sooner and I’ll get better sooner. Now that could go to either theory but I think he got me on that one, I was too miserable to tell at the time.
So I have been looking out the window at this lovely Colorado, November weather, mid 60’s to mid 70’s, watching the multiple groups of riders going by. Seeing the bike commuters during the week come out again in shorts. I take the couple of steps down to my garage floor and look at my lonely, reliable ride. As I think what could be I start gasping for breath that brings on the cough that reminds me of the sore ribs that all would have been gone if I would have called the doctor sooner so the symptoms would go away and there would have been nothing to diagnose. Oh, the web we sometimes weave for ourselves. There is always a bright side though, I’m half way through the 10 day medicine regiment and I’m not wheezing and coughing when I move, at least as often. I’m anxious to see just where my training has actually gone and how much I will have to make up which is actually exciting. In the mean time as I can move and breath for longer periods of time I see a good cleaning in the future, for the bike of course. Plus I figured I have 1387 miles on the chain so I may splurge and replace it now before I mess up the whole drive train.
In the meantime, I will attempt to improve my ability of understanding Windows and attempt to decide on updating to Windows 7 from XP. Yeah like that will ever make sense.
Till Next Post, Ride Safe and Stay Warm
“G”
So I have been looking out the window at this lovely Colorado, November weather, mid 60’s to mid 70’s, watching the multiple groups of riders going by. Seeing the bike commuters during the week come out again in shorts. I take the couple of steps down to my garage floor and look at my lonely, reliable ride. As I think what could be I start gasping for breath that brings on the cough that reminds me of the sore ribs that all would have been gone if I would have called the doctor sooner so the symptoms would go away and there would have been nothing to diagnose. Oh, the web we sometimes weave for ourselves. There is always a bright side though, I’m half way through the 10 day medicine regiment and I’m not wheezing and coughing when I move, at least as often. I’m anxious to see just where my training has actually gone and how much I will have to make up which is actually exciting. In the mean time as I can move and breath for longer periods of time I see a good cleaning in the future, for the bike of course. Plus I figured I have 1387 miles on the chain so I may splurge and replace it now before I mess up the whole drive train.
In the meantime, I will attempt to improve my ability of understanding Windows and attempt to decide on updating to Windows 7 from XP. Yeah like that will ever make sense.
Till Next Post, Ride Safe and Stay Warm
“G”
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Training and The H1N1
Well today is the 28th of October three days before the little ghouls and goblins, one day after the premier of the Michael Jackson, over hyped (son and I went to the 10:00 pm showing last night) “This is It” movie, two days after not having a fever over 100 degrees in a week and finally, Twenty Eight days after the H1N1 hit our house. Now there is an opening sentence for you. Yes the H1N1 is hitting everyone in a little bit different of a way and I was not even suppose to be in the age group that was susceptible to it.
I have found that the occasional break from my recreational enjoyment (training) has worked out to be of a great benefit, but a month break between being sick and the weather, scares me. While this month has seen temperatures in the eighties, November is scheduled to start in the sixties yet, the high today was thirty degrees and we will be looking at fourteen inches of snow by the time it stops tomorrow. This means a long, unexpected layoff at a time were the weather will be the dictator of my ride schedules for the next five months. My only hope is there will be plenty of good weather in between the occasional annoyances we call white gold. The worst of this is the effects from flu. I am very proud of what my fitness level has become over the past eighteen months or so. As I sit here hunt and pecking out this nonsense on my keyboard, I can hear the gurgling in my chest with every breath that breaks into a seemingly endless deep cough every two minutes, with nothing coming out. From being able to return from a forty mile ride and have my resting heart rate of seventy two back within a minute and a half to walking up the stairs gasping for breath in less than a month is hard to take. I have lost ten more pounds but not the good pounds. The definition in my legs has dwindled as well as my arms. Most disheartening though, ladies you can appreciate this, I have gained some lose skin over my normally tight gluts, go figure. It will all get better, I know this for a fact. The problem is, as the body ages it is harder to get back what you lose. This is going to be a very interesting winter. I have faith that since I am not an elite athlete, I will not have that much to regain. I worry that since I am not an elite athlete that I will not be able to regain what I lost. It’s all a vicious circle that lets me know I need to get a life.
Till Next Post, Ride Safe and Stay Warm
“G”
I have found that the occasional break from my recreational enjoyment (training) has worked out to be of a great benefit, but a month break between being sick and the weather, scares me. While this month has seen temperatures in the eighties, November is scheduled to start in the sixties yet, the high today was thirty degrees and we will be looking at fourteen inches of snow by the time it stops tomorrow. This means a long, unexpected layoff at a time were the weather will be the dictator of my ride schedules for the next five months. My only hope is there will be plenty of good weather in between the occasional annoyances we call white gold. The worst of this is the effects from flu. I am very proud of what my fitness level has become over the past eighteen months or so. As I sit here hunt and pecking out this nonsense on my keyboard, I can hear the gurgling in my chest with every breath that breaks into a seemingly endless deep cough every two minutes, with nothing coming out. From being able to return from a forty mile ride and have my resting heart rate of seventy two back within a minute and a half to walking up the stairs gasping for breath in less than a month is hard to take. I have lost ten more pounds but not the good pounds. The definition in my legs has dwindled as well as my arms. Most disheartening though, ladies you can appreciate this, I have gained some lose skin over my normally tight gluts, go figure. It will all get better, I know this for a fact. The problem is, as the body ages it is harder to get back what you lose. This is going to be a very interesting winter. I have faith that since I am not an elite athlete, I will not have that much to regain. I worry that since I am not an elite athlete that I will not be able to regain what I lost. It’s all a vicious circle that lets me know I need to get a life.
Till Next Post, Ride Safe and Stay Warm
“G”
Monday, October 5, 2009
The Annoyances Continue
Annoyance 1 – The H1N1 hit our household last weekend which has made for a long week. Missed school, throbbing heads, if the temperature has been above 50 degrees the wind was over 30 mph. Results I feel miserable and not a single ride nor mile added to my summer totals.
Annoyance 2 – While sitting/laying around moaning and wanting to curl up in a hole (yes its a man thing) I get my new issue of Bicycling. That wonderful information filled magazine that still believes that all of their readers are 150 lbs, have a unrestricted flow of money with no visible means of support and are elite cyclists. Now don't get me wrong, I love that magazine, and have gained some priceless tips and information from actually reading between the pictures of the shiny bobbles dangled in front of our egos and empty wallets. But, when you read a monthly article like “Chow Time” ( the November issue page 37) then read the, “* Based on a 150-pound cyclist”, I wonder how about the real life cyclist that aren't so bulimic. Then on page 70, (same issue) “A Flat is...”, a great article on tire air pressure. This is a subject that you can't get a straight answer let alone the same answer from anyone you may ask. The information is reasonable, except maybe the thought of figuring in of barometric pressure, but again the chart covers riders weighting between 110 and 180. Now if I didn't feel so miserable this probable would not have phased me but come on, my 15 year old is 165 lbs 6' 1” and skinny as a rail. Sometimes the bicycling media can be very far removed from the real bicycling population. Same issue, 3, 4, and $7000.00 plus bikes with separate full page reviews and a few pages later, 3 under $1000.00 women bikes crammed into 1 page. When was the last time you went into your favorite bike shop and perused the racks of 4 thousand dollar plus bikes. Yes they may have one or two but they know that the elite don't shop. The money in the bicycling industry comes from the recreational rider, the ones that ride the neighborhood with their kids to those that ride 1, 2 or more centuries a month from spring to fall and all of us in between. They take the money we worked hard for and give, yes give the shiny bobbles to the elite. The industry should though, the elite riders work harder for what they do more than anyone can possibly imagine. If, say 9% of the cyclists are in the elite category maybe 25%, of them, can actually make a good life by doing it. If we could all be Lance Armstrong we would be. How does this all come together, bottom line the bicycle media needs to realize it's audience. I love the articles of the big events and the behind the scene peeks of the elites but throw in a little more realistic and obtainable articles and reviews for the average rec rider with 2 kids and a mortgage. I am bicycling !
Annoyance 3 – I didn't make my 300 mile goal for September (only 243), or the 1000 mile summer (only 964.5), but did make my mortgage, make a family road trip, made it to 5 of my older son's Sunday basketball games so far, dealt with real life and still managed to give the bicycle industries a couple thousand dollars. After all , I understand the economy is down and I must do my part to support the recovery and it didn't have a thing to do with supporting highway sign makers.
Till Next Post, Ride Safe and Stay Warm
“G”
Annoyance 2 – While sitting/laying around moaning and wanting to curl up in a hole (yes its a man thing) I get my new issue of Bicycling. That wonderful information filled magazine that still believes that all of their readers are 150 lbs, have a unrestricted flow of money with no visible means of support and are elite cyclists. Now don't get me wrong, I love that magazine, and have gained some priceless tips and information from actually reading between the pictures of the shiny bobbles dangled in front of our egos and empty wallets. But, when you read a monthly article like “Chow Time” ( the November issue page 37) then read the, “* Based on a 150-pound cyclist”, I wonder how about the real life cyclist that aren't so bulimic. Then on page 70, (same issue) “A Flat is...”, a great article on tire air pressure. This is a subject that you can't get a straight answer let alone the same answer from anyone you may ask. The information is reasonable, except maybe the thought of figuring in of barometric pressure, but again the chart covers riders weighting between 110 and 180. Now if I didn't feel so miserable this probable would not have phased me but come on, my 15 year old is 165 lbs 6' 1” and skinny as a rail. Sometimes the bicycling media can be very far removed from the real bicycling population. Same issue, 3, 4, and $7000.00 plus bikes with separate full page reviews and a few pages later, 3 under $1000.00 women bikes crammed into 1 page. When was the last time you went into your favorite bike shop and perused the racks of 4 thousand dollar plus bikes. Yes they may have one or two but they know that the elite don't shop. The money in the bicycling industry comes from the recreational rider, the ones that ride the neighborhood with their kids to those that ride 1, 2 or more centuries a month from spring to fall and all of us in between. They take the money we worked hard for and give, yes give the shiny bobbles to the elite. The industry should though, the elite riders work harder for what they do more than anyone can possibly imagine. If, say 9% of the cyclists are in the elite category maybe 25%, of them, can actually make a good life by doing it. If we could all be Lance Armstrong we would be. How does this all come together, bottom line the bicycle media needs to realize it's audience. I love the articles of the big events and the behind the scene peeks of the elites but throw in a little more realistic and obtainable articles and reviews for the average rec rider with 2 kids and a mortgage. I am bicycling !
Annoyance 3 – I didn't make my 300 mile goal for September (only 243), or the 1000 mile summer (only 964.5), but did make my mortgage, make a family road trip, made it to 5 of my older son's Sunday basketball games so far, dealt with real life and still managed to give the bicycle industries a couple thousand dollars. After all , I understand the economy is down and I must do my part to support the recovery and it didn't have a thing to do with supporting highway sign makers.
Till Next Post, Ride Safe and Stay Warm
“G”
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Changes I See on the Road
As I have been getting back into my riding routine this month, I’m sitting at 180 miles, I have made some pleasant observations. Riders are talking to each other, that is good for all of us. The matching spandex wrapped, go fast guys, (I do envy you) are saying, on your left as they blow by, with room to spare. As they come towards me they acknowledge me with a nod or a simple raise of the fingers, not just one but all of the fingers. As I stop here and there on my route other riders, of all different levels, stop next me, not 30 feet away, and talk riding. Riders, again of different skill levels, will slow as they pass and exchange a few pleasant words. The biking population seems to be getting warm and fuzzy, we all win.
I would like to think my incoherent ranting here the last few months may take some of the credit and people have taken a second look at what their actions were communicating. Maybe it has been all of the waves and pleasant greetings I have given out this past year have actually caught on. Wouldn’t it be nice if one person could make that much positive change in the world so everyone would just enjoy what they were doing and took the time for one another? But then I don’t have that size of an ego, well maybe on occasion.
In reality, it’s more like the end of the riding season will soon be close and us recreational riders are beginning to thin out (wow, that was a fitting play on words). Those of us that are still out there are die hard and still find the time with shorter and cooler days. That may be camaraderie that deserves the acknowledgement. If it deserves the acknowledgement now, what was wrong with May, July and the rest of the year? Come on now, if we can do it as the season winds down how about the rest of the time. We are all out there with our health and well being in mind, lets spread a little of that to our minds and our mental health, enjoy the ride and the riders around you, you will live longer, life is short.
More changes? The weather is great. We are coming into the best time of the year in Colorado. Pleasant temperature and the ability for those evening rides after work with out the fear of thunder storms and ninety degree heat. Not a big deal but still a minor observation. Which brings up the idea of how long will us die hard people be able to ride. There are a bunch of you that will ride in much colder weather than I will, but I’m looking forward to getting in quite a few days in the deep winter months, like last year.
As far as personal changes go, to show that persistence does work. I had two pair of brand new XL Performance Elite bike shorts (great padding) I bought the beginning of August. Before I took the tags off of one of them I needed to return them for a Large. That is real progress! Not to mention I have found that on occasion I have actually passed a rider or two. Yes, I give words of encouragement as I go by.
Till the next post, be friendly out there.
Next Post; Something That My Son Will Approve Of
Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)
“G”
I would like to think my incoherent ranting here the last few months may take some of the credit and people have taken a second look at what their actions were communicating. Maybe it has been all of the waves and pleasant greetings I have given out this past year have actually caught on. Wouldn’t it be nice if one person could make that much positive change in the world so everyone would just enjoy what they were doing and took the time for one another? But then I don’t have that size of an ego, well maybe on occasion.
In reality, it’s more like the end of the riding season will soon be close and us recreational riders are beginning to thin out (wow, that was a fitting play on words). Those of us that are still out there are die hard and still find the time with shorter and cooler days. That may be camaraderie that deserves the acknowledgement. If it deserves the acknowledgement now, what was wrong with May, July and the rest of the year? Come on now, if we can do it as the season winds down how about the rest of the time. We are all out there with our health and well being in mind, lets spread a little of that to our minds and our mental health, enjoy the ride and the riders around you, you will live longer, life is short.
More changes? The weather is great. We are coming into the best time of the year in Colorado. Pleasant temperature and the ability for those evening rides after work with out the fear of thunder storms and ninety degree heat. Not a big deal but still a minor observation. Which brings up the idea of how long will us die hard people be able to ride. There are a bunch of you that will ride in much colder weather than I will, but I’m looking forward to getting in quite a few days in the deep winter months, like last year.
As far as personal changes go, to show that persistence does work. I had two pair of brand new XL Performance Elite bike shorts (great padding) I bought the beginning of August. Before I took the tags off of one of them I needed to return them for a Large. That is real progress! Not to mention I have found that on occasion I have actually passed a rider or two. Yes, I give words of encouragement as I go by.
Till the next post, be friendly out there.
Next Post; Something That My Son Will Approve Of
Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)
“G”
Sunday, September 6, 2009
My Training With S.W.A.G.
For those of you that did not read my last post, the definition of S.W.A.G. is Scientific Wild A_ _ Guess. That is my training bible that allows me to listen, read and glean from this and that to make my body work better. The key to this plan is, My Body. Again, if you have been reading my mixed bag of thought wondering you have noticed that I am big on listening to your own body. Thought wondering, I like that much better than what is known around our house as senior moments. Wow, I’m having one now. Bottom line, can S.W.A.G. work?
April (ish) 2008 I was finishing physical therapy for my right wrist being fused together. My Therapist and workman comp. Dr. talked me into bicycling again. I was over weight turned into a couch potato, since I had been in a cast or brace for the better part of a year. I got back on my Trek mountain bike remembering the joy I had had about 13 years earlier. I got in 5 miles and was sucking some serious air wondering what the hell happened. 30 years of being a cop with crappy eating habits couldn’t have anything to do with it. The fact that I was getting ready to, per my son, enter my 6th decade absolutely did not have anything to do with it, I feel like when I was 30, 3 decades ago?
As for today and SWAG, it’s slow but it has worked. I have lost, as of this morning, right at 65 lbs. When I started my training log last August I was averaging 12.1 mph on 12 mile rides. Not very impressive! At the end of this July, I was averaging 13.1 mph averaging 25.6 mile rides. The biggest accomplishment, I believe, is that I have been open to ideas and learned from many different Medias. There are other things in my log that show this. My cadence, last August I averaged 52 rpm, a year later 70. Still not impressive but for someone that was that out of shape I’m still going and having fun, I’ll take it, I’m not planning to qualify for Le Tour De France.
Have I hit plateaus? Yes just like the professional plans but I experimented and broke through in a way that was far from being conventional. I had dropped right at 55 lbs up to May of this year, a pound a week very slow and almost discouraging but an excellent way to lose. From May through the end of July I rode 881.75 miles, remember 17 months ago I was breathing hard at 5 miles. Have I improved? My weight loss, +2, talk about frustration. Yes I have heard all of the stories and pep talks about muscle
weighs more than fat. I hate to break the news but as an x-body builder that only goes so far. Especially with a smart-alecky son that lets me know that a tattoo once was in the middle of my bicep and never wrapped around my arm. So what did I do that was unconventional? Timing is everything, we took a family road trip. A week long road trip then a week in Vegas, with the guys, to recuperate from the family road trip. Bad food way too much alcohol and no riding. I lost 5 lbs and broke the plateau, go figure. Since getting back from Vegas I have ridden 125.8 miles in 6 days, lost another 5, every body is different.
Do I have bad days, Oh Yea I do! Some days I wonder if I will get home or over that next incline but I always make it, kind of like life and that song. “Sometimes you’re the bug and sometimes you’re the windshield”. Do I have bad habits? Yes we all do but I’m trying to work on them. I really need to find someone to ride with that is a speck faster. I need to try to keep up with people rather than just let them go by and watch them get smaller. But most of all I need to start riding some 8 to 10,000 foot climbs. I can not climb for anything, but that fear of what your body will really do for you is always lingering in the back of my mind, sound familiar?
Ok enough of my senior moments, if you have stuck to the end of this, my condolences, but thank you. Now go outside and breathe real air!
Next Post; Changes I See on the Road
Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)
“G”
April (ish) 2008 I was finishing physical therapy for my right wrist being fused together. My Therapist and workman comp. Dr. talked me into bicycling again. I was over weight turned into a couch potato, since I had been in a cast or brace for the better part of a year. I got back on my Trek mountain bike remembering the joy I had had about 13 years earlier. I got in 5 miles and was sucking some serious air wondering what the hell happened. 30 years of being a cop with crappy eating habits couldn’t have anything to do with it. The fact that I was getting ready to, per my son, enter my 6th decade absolutely did not have anything to do with it, I feel like when I was 30, 3 decades ago?
As for today and SWAG, it’s slow but it has worked. I have lost, as of this morning, right at 65 lbs. When I started my training log last August I was averaging 12.1 mph on 12 mile rides. Not very impressive! At the end of this July, I was averaging 13.1 mph averaging 25.6 mile rides. The biggest accomplishment, I believe, is that I have been open to ideas and learned from many different Medias. There are other things in my log that show this. My cadence, last August I averaged 52 rpm, a year later 70. Still not impressive but for someone that was that out of shape I’m still going and having fun, I’ll take it, I’m not planning to qualify for Le Tour De France.
Have I hit plateaus? Yes just like the professional plans but I experimented and broke through in a way that was far from being conventional. I had dropped right at 55 lbs up to May of this year, a pound a week very slow and almost discouraging but an excellent way to lose. From May through the end of July I rode 881.75 miles, remember 17 months ago I was breathing hard at 5 miles. Have I improved? My weight loss, +2, talk about frustration. Yes I have heard all of the stories and pep talks about muscle
weighs more than fat. I hate to break the news but as an x-body builder that only goes so far. Especially with a smart-alecky son that lets me know that a tattoo once was in the middle of my bicep and never wrapped around my arm. So what did I do that was unconventional? Timing is everything, we took a family road trip. A week long road trip then a week in Vegas, with the guys, to recuperate from the family road trip. Bad food way too much alcohol and no riding. I lost 5 lbs and broke the plateau, go figure. Since getting back from Vegas I have ridden 125.8 miles in 6 days, lost another 5, every body is different.
Do I have bad days, Oh Yea I do! Some days I wonder if I will get home or over that next incline but I always make it, kind of like life and that song. “Sometimes you’re the bug and sometimes you’re the windshield”. Do I have bad habits? Yes we all do but I’m trying to work on them. I really need to find someone to ride with that is a speck faster. I need to try to keep up with people rather than just let them go by and watch them get smaller. But most of all I need to start riding some 8 to 10,000 foot climbs. I can not climb for anything, but that fear of what your body will really do for you is always lingering in the back of my mind, sound familiar?
Ok enough of my senior moments, if you have stuck to the end of this, my condolences, but thank you. Now go outside and breathe real air!
Next Post; Changes I See on the Road
Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)
“G”
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Is It Time To Take The Next Step In Your Training
Well summer is turning to fall and you have been riding, hopefully, consistently 15 -20 miles a ride. You should be feeling good, you have lost some weight, or more importantly your clothes are now fitting better or too big. You have learned to adjust your riding to improve your skills but work with your body. Now it is time for more.
Even if, like me, you went on vacation and you now feel like you are back at square one and you can’t seem to get back into the grove again it’s only a couple of rides away. Now you will need to dig deep, think of what you have accomplished, what you want to accomplish and start to hammer it out. You will be very surprised that in two or three rides you are back in the swing of things. Not only are you back into the swing of it, you are better than when you stopped for vacation. The human body is a wonderful mechanism that is flexible and can rebound with an improvement faster than you can imagine.
Now you have some choices to make. Should you stick with me, a non-expert, non-professional that is a firm believer in the S.W.A.G. method (For the young, or never been in the military, S.W.A.G. stands for Scientific Wild Ass Guess). Take advice and tips you have acquired from friends, neighbors, and the other cyclists I hope you have been talking to. Taking tips is a very good idea if you are open to and want to attempt change to improve. Remember what works for one does not work for another, but it does not need to be a permanent change to try a couple of times. Are you comfortable to step up and join an organized riding group? Find a compatible riding buddy. Or the big step, find an organized finely written training regiment and group or private coach. You know what you have been doing, you know the improvements you have made and where you need, or better, want to improve. How about a little of all of it? If you have really been working at being a good recreational cyclist, lose weight and just all around feel better, you should have been doing some of this on a smaller scale.
We all have our little things that we want to change or at least improve on. Sometime we become so obsessed by these little things that we forget to look at the big picture. Like I said when I started this blog idea, little steps, little goals, result in big rewards. Most of all you need to make yourself feel good
Next blog I will talk about how my training has been and my deficiencies, well at least those related to bicycling.
Next Post; My Training With S.W.A.G.
Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)
“G”
Even if, like me, you went on vacation and you now feel like you are back at square one and you can’t seem to get back into the grove again it’s only a couple of rides away. Now you will need to dig deep, think of what you have accomplished, what you want to accomplish and start to hammer it out. You will be very surprised that in two or three rides you are back in the swing of things. Not only are you back into the swing of it, you are better than when you stopped for vacation. The human body is a wonderful mechanism that is flexible and can rebound with an improvement faster than you can imagine.
Now you have some choices to make. Should you stick with me, a non-expert, non-professional that is a firm believer in the S.W.A.G. method (For the young, or never been in the military, S.W.A.G. stands for Scientific Wild Ass Guess). Take advice and tips you have acquired from friends, neighbors, and the other cyclists I hope you have been talking to. Taking tips is a very good idea if you are open to and want to attempt change to improve. Remember what works for one does not work for another, but it does not need to be a permanent change to try a couple of times. Are you comfortable to step up and join an organized riding group? Find a compatible riding buddy. Or the big step, find an organized finely written training regiment and group or private coach. You know what you have been doing, you know the improvements you have made and where you need, or better, want to improve. How about a little of all of it? If you have really been working at being a good recreational cyclist, lose weight and just all around feel better, you should have been doing some of this on a smaller scale.
We all have our little things that we want to change or at least improve on. Sometime we become so obsessed by these little things that we forget to look at the big picture. Like I said when I started this blog idea, little steps, little goals, result in big rewards. Most of all you need to make yourself feel good
Next blog I will talk about how my training has been and my deficiencies, well at least those related to bicycling.
Next Post; My Training With S.W.A.G.
Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)
“G”
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Things Brought to My Attention
I only made a single blog entry once in July, WOW.
I did ride 355 miles with an average of 24 miles a ride. My smart-alecky fifteen year old now needs to wait for me again so he had to rub it in with some extra rides to total 387 miles, oh to be fifteen again.
It is half way through August and I haven’t made an entry until now.
We had a family road trip (getting to be a lost past time in this instant gratification world) to California. Saw the Grand Canyon, California Speedway (nothing to see there the track is closed to the public), did a walking tour of USC, went to the beach and a family reunion in Ventura. We stopped in Vegas saw a great Summer of ‘69 light show at the Fremont Street Experience and left after a tour around the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which is open to the public.
Helmets have been brought to my attention. On a ride yesterday a fire truck, ambulance (Good work South Metro), and two park ranger officers were caring for a cyclist on the path. Besides obvious (obvious due to the amount of the flowing blood and torn skin) head, shoulder, arm and hand wounds there was not a helmet in sight. Helmets are not uncomfortable, they are light and now designed to flow air to keep your noggin cool besides intact. Wear the damn things!! When I say ‘wear’ I mean on your head correctly. You should have two finger widths between the eyebrow and the helmet. That is two finger widths of the wearer not Dad’s big fingers sizing the six year old. The strap should be loose but as you open your mouth wide ( you know that panic of falling yell wide), the strap should tighten, not to choke but not come over the chin. The straps should come together just below and centered on the wearer’s ear lobes (the things holding the large bling pieces). I have seen a female rider on a regular basis that has a desire to have her helmet protect her right ear. How she has been able to adjust it to appear centered over her right ear is well beyond my expertise, I just hope she can aim her fall well. Then we have all seen the rider with the helmet fitted to cover the back bulge of the skull. You can see their full fore head as well as their full receding hair line. They are the ones that usually are wearing them so their children will wear one. Unfortunately the children have them fitted the same way. I have been arrogant enough to offer to adjust a helmet for a child and found that the parent really did not know there was a special way they should be adjusted. Join the movement and see how many kids’ helmets you can adjust in a week.
Next Post; Is It Time to Take The Next Step in Your Training
Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)
“G”
I did ride 355 miles with an average of 24 miles a ride. My smart-alecky fifteen year old now needs to wait for me again so he had to rub it in with some extra rides to total 387 miles, oh to be fifteen again.
It is half way through August and I haven’t made an entry until now.
We had a family road trip (getting to be a lost past time in this instant gratification world) to California. Saw the Grand Canyon, California Speedway (nothing to see there the track is closed to the public), did a walking tour of USC, went to the beach and a family reunion in Ventura. We stopped in Vegas saw a great Summer of ‘69 light show at the Fremont Street Experience and left after a tour around the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which is open to the public.
Helmets have been brought to my attention. On a ride yesterday a fire truck, ambulance (Good work South Metro), and two park ranger officers were caring for a cyclist on the path. Besides obvious (obvious due to the amount of the flowing blood and torn skin) head, shoulder, arm and hand wounds there was not a helmet in sight. Helmets are not uncomfortable, they are light and now designed to flow air to keep your noggin cool besides intact. Wear the damn things!! When I say ‘wear’ I mean on your head correctly. You should have two finger widths between the eyebrow and the helmet. That is two finger widths of the wearer not Dad’s big fingers sizing the six year old. The strap should be loose but as you open your mouth wide ( you know that panic of falling yell wide), the strap should tighten, not to choke but not come over the chin. The straps should come together just below and centered on the wearer’s ear lobes (the things holding the large bling pieces). I have seen a female rider on a regular basis that has a desire to have her helmet protect her right ear. How she has been able to adjust it to appear centered over her right ear is well beyond my expertise, I just hope she can aim her fall well. Then we have all seen the rider with the helmet fitted to cover the back bulge of the skull. You can see their full fore head as well as their full receding hair line. They are the ones that usually are wearing them so their children will wear one. Unfortunately the children have them fitted the same way. I have been arrogant enough to offer to adjust a helmet for a child and found that the parent really did not know there was a special way they should be adjusted. Join the movement and see how many kids’ helmets you can adjust in a week.
Next Post; Is It Time to Take The Next Step in Your Training
Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)
“G”
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Use Your Body as Your Barometer
Sounds simple right? How many people have lost money on everything from diets to exercise plans to exercise gimmicks? Very few people are comfortable with their body and most would like to change something about themselves. What is sad is that, it is highly likely, it is unnecessary. You know your body more than anyone, hopefully, yet you will read, buy and seek others to tell you what is best for your body. Makes sense right? Yea right!
The body is an extremely complicated piece of delicate machinery. It will fix itself and warn you when it has had enough, even though the latest fitness article or that $100 a session trainer says you can push harder. Trainers do an outstanding job of motivating though.
The basic body works the same as the next basic body does. The parts are the same, with some strategically placed variances of course. Unfortunately there are very important unseen differences that totally blow the theory that one size fits all when it comes to working your body.
For example; to ride better, farther, faster you need to ride daily and push your limits with each ride. Yes, that is paraphrased from almost all bicycle how to books. I am 61, a one time body builder, stayed low to medium fit through my middle(ish) year, with one heart attack and I'm very hard headed. I did the everyday ride push as hard as you can then push more. It really struck me when I read my training log and there was not the quality improvement to effort ratio. Besides that I hurt and it was no longer fun. I switched to every other day rides, with an occasional two in a row off days and BAM! My average speed has crept up, my distance has improved, I look for inclines to hammer up and cruise up hills that at one time I wobbled over the crest. Today was my short day, 22 miles rolling terrain and a 13mph average. Two days ago we took a neighbor out on his new bike, 30 miles at 14.4mph average. I could not get here while attempting to use the written, one size fits all, advice from the “experts”. What is even better, my body now wants to go for those rides and aches when we don’t. Unfortunately it is now telling me to lift weights again.
You need to listen to Your Body and work with it. It is the best barometer you will find, it is free and it is always pretty handy. Go back a bit to my earlier blogs and look at my suggestions and make them fit the way your body is comfortable. Keep in mind you will still need to stretch the length of your rides. But doing my “large badonkadonk, overweight, and out of shape interval” (Scribblings of the Legitimate Kind) will give you the strength and stamina to make those rides longer.
Next Post; Items Brought to My Atention
Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)
“G”
The body is an extremely complicated piece of delicate machinery. It will fix itself and warn you when it has had enough, even though the latest fitness article or that $100 a session trainer says you can push harder. Trainers do an outstanding job of motivating though.
The basic body works the same as the next basic body does. The parts are the same, with some strategically placed variances of course. Unfortunately there are very important unseen differences that totally blow the theory that one size fits all when it comes to working your body.
For example; to ride better, farther, faster you need to ride daily and push your limits with each ride. Yes, that is paraphrased from almost all bicycle how to books. I am 61, a one time body builder, stayed low to medium fit through my middle(ish) year, with one heart attack and I'm very hard headed. I did the everyday ride push as hard as you can then push more. It really struck me when I read my training log and there was not the quality improvement to effort ratio. Besides that I hurt and it was no longer fun. I switched to every other day rides, with an occasional two in a row off days and BAM! My average speed has crept up, my distance has improved, I look for inclines to hammer up and cruise up hills that at one time I wobbled over the crest. Today was my short day, 22 miles rolling terrain and a 13mph average. Two days ago we took a neighbor out on his new bike, 30 miles at 14.4mph average. I could not get here while attempting to use the written, one size fits all, advice from the “experts”. What is even better, my body now wants to go for those rides and aches when we don’t. Unfortunately it is now telling me to lift weights again.
You need to listen to Your Body and work with it. It is the best barometer you will find, it is free and it is always pretty handy. Go back a bit to my earlier blogs and look at my suggestions and make them fit the way your body is comfortable. Keep in mind you will still need to stretch the length of your rides. But doing my “large badonkadonk, overweight, and out of shape interval” (Scribblings of the Legitimate Kind) will give you the strength and stamina to make those rides longer.
Next Post; Items Brought to My Atention
Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)
“G”
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Things I Have Learned and You Should Also
I started doing this for all of us beginning bicyclists out there that needed a realistic point to start and in some ways I have varied from that. Today I hope to strike a cord with everyone.
As I observe other bicyclist while I’m on a ride or in my car, I have noticed a generation difference. Not only have I seen these activities, I have previously talked about them and have recently had a different hue of light placed on them.
Earphones, the dreaded safety violation or common sense. Yes, I know common sense has gone the way of shivery, it’s just not there any more. I wear earphones and they produce sound from either my own play list or my favorite FM country station, so I get music, news and weather. Being of the younger side of elderly I know a very unique way to do this. Turn the damn thing down! I can ride, listen to whatever in my earphones and still have a conversation with my son and riding buddy who is not in sight at my rear wheel. The wisdom from my youthful son, is that, people don’t let me know they are there because they see the wires going to the head phones. I really think he is on to something with that. I started paying a little more attention to the very few that I pass who are wearing head phones. Is it a problem when I hear their music over mine?
I have noticed an extreme rise in notification of an upcoming pass by riders this past month, I would like to say it is from my ranting about the super stars but there are not enough of you that read this to make that kind of difference. Oh did I mention these riders giving a warning are of a more mature nature. Could this be a pattern of courtesy?
Courtesy, another virtue going with that society is loosing? This past week and a half there have been newspaper articles on bicyclists and auto drivers not abiding by the most simple of rules. The article (6-21-09 Denver Post) reference a race at stake due to the tension between the residents, of which some are elite bicyclists, and bicyclists in Deer Creek Canyon. This is totally due to a major lack of consideration by a very small percentage of riders that don’t have an ounce of respect for anyone else. They are in that self centered mode that says I’m on the road and it is only mine, I’ll do what I want. Then they want something done about the motorized vehicles attempting to get around them. Then there is the country of Boulder. There are people that are attempting to get a grass roots wave of auto drivers to pull over to the side of the road with “mechanical problems” during a 100 mile race next month. Bottom line, drivers are fed up with that small percentage of arrogant, self-centered, bicyclists that feel that they own the road and the rules do not pertain to them. The Denver Police Department and a consortium of bike advocates passed out 200,000 Ride Safe Spoke Cards during the 18th annual bike to work day. What is more ridiculous, handing out spoke cards with traffic rules on them or the need to remind bicyclists they also need to play by the same rules?
I guess the way society is going that can go either way. We are becoming a society that believes that rules are only for our neighbors and not us. You can see that in local government, from your local HOA, all the way up to the federal government and our elected officials “watching out for the people”.
Newbie’s, when you are on a ride, whether on a bike path or the road, use your manners, you are in public.
For those from a younger generation, spoke cards are playing cards hooked to your front fork with a clothes pin in a manner to make noise as the wheel turns and the spokes hit the card.
Next Post; Your Body is Your Barometer
Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)
“G”
As I observe other bicyclist while I’m on a ride or in my car, I have noticed a generation difference. Not only have I seen these activities, I have previously talked about them and have recently had a different hue of light placed on them.
Earphones, the dreaded safety violation or common sense. Yes, I know common sense has gone the way of shivery, it’s just not there any more. I wear earphones and they produce sound from either my own play list or my favorite FM country station, so I get music, news and weather. Being of the younger side of elderly I know a very unique way to do this. Turn the damn thing down! I can ride, listen to whatever in my earphones and still have a conversation with my son and riding buddy who is not in sight at my rear wheel. The wisdom from my youthful son, is that, people don’t let me know they are there because they see the wires going to the head phones. I really think he is on to something with that. I started paying a little more attention to the very few that I pass who are wearing head phones. Is it a problem when I hear their music over mine?
I have noticed an extreme rise in notification of an upcoming pass by riders this past month, I would like to say it is from my ranting about the super stars but there are not enough of you that read this to make that kind of difference. Oh did I mention these riders giving a warning are of a more mature nature. Could this be a pattern of courtesy?
Courtesy, another virtue going with that society is loosing? This past week and a half there have been newspaper articles on bicyclists and auto drivers not abiding by the most simple of rules. The article (6-21-09 Denver Post) reference a race at stake due to the tension between the residents, of which some are elite bicyclists, and bicyclists in Deer Creek Canyon. This is totally due to a major lack of consideration by a very small percentage of riders that don’t have an ounce of respect for anyone else. They are in that self centered mode that says I’m on the road and it is only mine, I’ll do what I want. Then they want something done about the motorized vehicles attempting to get around them. Then there is the country of Boulder. There are people that are attempting to get a grass roots wave of auto drivers to pull over to the side of the road with “mechanical problems” during a 100 mile race next month. Bottom line, drivers are fed up with that small percentage of arrogant, self-centered, bicyclists that feel that they own the road and the rules do not pertain to them. The Denver Police Department and a consortium of bike advocates passed out 200,000 Ride Safe Spoke Cards during the 18th annual bike to work day. What is more ridiculous, handing out spoke cards with traffic rules on them or the need to remind bicyclists they also need to play by the same rules?
I guess the way society is going that can go either way. We are becoming a society that believes that rules are only for our neighbors and not us. You can see that in local government, from your local HOA, all the way up to the federal government and our elected officials “watching out for the people”.
Newbie’s, when you are on a ride, whether on a bike path or the road, use your manners, you are in public.
For those from a younger generation, spoke cards are playing cards hooked to your front fork with a clothes pin in a manner to make noise as the wheel turns and the spokes hit the card.
Next Post; Your Body is Your Barometer
Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)
“G”
Sunday, June 21, 2009
The Greenwood Village Goose Chase By a First Timer
Well we completed our first organized ride, WOW! Now ‘first’ was the key word here so I don’t have a base to compare the quality of the ride to. I do have my opinions which I will share with you, no big surprise there, right?
Not being sure of what to expect we arrived about 45 minutes before our advertised 8:15 am start time. This allowed us to wander about aimlessly and found that since we were pre-registered we were totally set. We wandered up and watched the 45 mile course guys and gals leave then went up and took our place at the start line. We watched the carnival type atmosphere in the center of the Landmark and were pretty much in awe. This is cool.
Looking around, what took me by surprise the most, the diversity of the participants and volunteers were nothing but amazing. There were 5 – 6 year olds on tagalongs and little 12 inch Spiderman bikes. There were the elderly (older than me) on bikes that haven’t been built in a decade standing next to some of the coolest carbon fiber stuff you just don’t see every day. This was a bike show that was being ridden. Not knowing what to expect I was very intrigued by the amount of female riders that were participating. Observing photos of rides, wether on line or in publications you see a male dominated sport, what an injustice the female population has been receiving.
Like any thing in the realm of reality there were down sides. I’m sure these may be typical of most rides but you cannot attempt anything of this magnitude and honestly believe it will be flawless. Our advertised 8:15 start time – left promptly at 8:00. This made much more sens’e than, the 30 minutes after the 45 mile course left. But that was not the advertized time and I am sure there were riders getting there at 8:10. An uncontrollable aspect is the riders that decided to go off on their own before the start time. We overheard a couple of females behind us say “I’m tired of waiting lets go” and off they went, oh well. The scary part of this is the people with families that decided to go very early instead of last so they could have more time with the little bitty guys. This makes sense but it puts them and the little guys in harms way of much higher caliber riders.
The course was laid out in a very user friendly way. It was interesting and challenging enough for the recreation to intermediate rider but also a very good, local ride for the more elite types. The signage was very visible and well laid out. The intersections were manned by 1 of the 2 charity recipients, The Arapahoe Rescue Patrol as well as the Greenwood Village, Cherry Hills, and the Denver Police departments as well as the Arapahoe County Sheriffs Department. Mistakes on the course I can not really speak to but there did seem to be some frustrations. While going east bound on 6 lane divided roadway the blocked lanes quit and the course needed to turn north at the upcoming intersection. Riders were on their own to cross the 3 lanes of traffic to get into the left turn lane. To me that was very uncomfortable and I thought of the little guys that forced me into traffic earlier on those little 12 inch wheeled bikes. I only had 2 other complaints about the course. There were 3 spots that the course did not follow the published route and I know that did mess up a couple of the more advanced riders going against their clock. The last spot was an opportunity to ride over the top of the Cherry Creek Reservoir dam. A beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains and panoramic view of the Denver and Greenwood Village sky lines. This road has been closed to bicycle traffic, I believe, for 14 years. The signage made riders believe that the only bikes that could go over the top was the 45 milers on their first lap, everyone else had to go around the outside and bottom of the dam. Over the top should have been the only choice.
On the plus side the rest stops were very efficient with the other beneficiary of the ride, Have Paws Will Travel, a group that raises puppies to become guide dogs for the blind. The stops were stocked with bananas, oranges, what appeared to be turkey roll ups and water. With plenty of volunteers through out the course to help direct and cheer you on it was easy to stay on course even with the changes from the available maps. The weather was outstanding, the earlier forecast of clear skies with plenty of sun and in the high 80’s. You can’t forecast the weather in Colorado and those that try do a remarkable job. We had mid 60’s with a constant, very low overcast. It was beautiful. As the last few riders were coming in, the wind picked up to the point that the many vendors that had set up had to scramble to get their items secured.
Over all, Mr. Mark Crowley and the Greenwood Village Chamber of Commerce with the cooperation of Greenwood Village Mayor Nancy Sharpe and her resources put on a truly South East event that should soon be the premier early summer place to be. This was really a fantastic, relaxing, low keyed walk, run, bike event for the people. The Landmark location was ideal, it is a city within a city with all the amenities and looks darn nice besides. The amount of restaurants that participated were outstanding and I personally know the crew at Ted’s busted their behinds to deliver the amount of sliders they did.
As for me and my son? He had taken off about half way through, made a wrong turn and ended up doing the 45 mile course in 2 hrs, 48 minutes and 37 seconds. Not bad for getting lost and the longest ride he had taken in 5 years. Myself, I did the 30 miles averaging 13.7 mph without my butt hurting. To top it off, when we arrived home my wife informed me that I did my first organized ride on the 8th anniversary of my 1 and only heart attack. Cool.
Next Post; Odds and Ends I’m Learning
Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)
“G”
Not being sure of what to expect we arrived about 45 minutes before our advertised 8:15 am start time. This allowed us to wander about aimlessly and found that since we were pre-registered we were totally set. We wandered up and watched the 45 mile course guys and gals leave then went up and took our place at the start line. We watched the carnival type atmosphere in the center of the Landmark and were pretty much in awe. This is cool.
Looking around, what took me by surprise the most, the diversity of the participants and volunteers were nothing but amazing. There were 5 – 6 year olds on tagalongs and little 12 inch Spiderman bikes. There were the elderly (older than me) on bikes that haven’t been built in a decade standing next to some of the coolest carbon fiber stuff you just don’t see every day. This was a bike show that was being ridden. Not knowing what to expect I was very intrigued by the amount of female riders that were participating. Observing photos of rides, wether on line or in publications you see a male dominated sport, what an injustice the female population has been receiving.
Like any thing in the realm of reality there were down sides. I’m sure these may be typical of most rides but you cannot attempt anything of this magnitude and honestly believe it will be flawless. Our advertised 8:15 start time – left promptly at 8:00. This made much more sens’e than, the 30 minutes after the 45 mile course left. But that was not the advertized time and I am sure there were riders getting there at 8:10. An uncontrollable aspect is the riders that decided to go off on their own before the start time. We overheard a couple of females behind us say “I’m tired of waiting lets go” and off they went, oh well. The scary part of this is the people with families that decided to go very early instead of last so they could have more time with the little bitty guys. This makes sense but it puts them and the little guys in harms way of much higher caliber riders.
The course was laid out in a very user friendly way. It was interesting and challenging enough for the recreation to intermediate rider but also a very good, local ride for the more elite types. The signage was very visible and well laid out. The intersections were manned by 1 of the 2 charity recipients, The Arapahoe Rescue Patrol as well as the Greenwood Village, Cherry Hills, and the Denver Police departments as well as the Arapahoe County Sheriffs Department. Mistakes on the course I can not really speak to but there did seem to be some frustrations. While going east bound on 6 lane divided roadway the blocked lanes quit and the course needed to turn north at the upcoming intersection. Riders were on their own to cross the 3 lanes of traffic to get into the left turn lane. To me that was very uncomfortable and I thought of the little guys that forced me into traffic earlier on those little 12 inch wheeled bikes. I only had 2 other complaints about the course. There were 3 spots that the course did not follow the published route and I know that did mess up a couple of the more advanced riders going against their clock. The last spot was an opportunity to ride over the top of the Cherry Creek Reservoir dam. A beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains and panoramic view of the Denver and Greenwood Village sky lines. This road has been closed to bicycle traffic, I believe, for 14 years. The signage made riders believe that the only bikes that could go over the top was the 45 milers on their first lap, everyone else had to go around the outside and bottom of the dam. Over the top should have been the only choice.
On the plus side the rest stops were very efficient with the other beneficiary of the ride, Have Paws Will Travel, a group that raises puppies to become guide dogs for the blind. The stops were stocked with bananas, oranges, what appeared to be turkey roll ups and water. With plenty of volunteers through out the course to help direct and cheer you on it was easy to stay on course even with the changes from the available maps. The weather was outstanding, the earlier forecast of clear skies with plenty of sun and in the high 80’s. You can’t forecast the weather in Colorado and those that try do a remarkable job. We had mid 60’s with a constant, very low overcast. It was beautiful. As the last few riders were coming in, the wind picked up to the point that the many vendors that had set up had to scramble to get their items secured.
Over all, Mr. Mark Crowley and the Greenwood Village Chamber of Commerce with the cooperation of Greenwood Village Mayor Nancy Sharpe and her resources put on a truly South East event that should soon be the premier early summer place to be. This was really a fantastic, relaxing, low keyed walk, run, bike event for the people. The Landmark location was ideal, it is a city within a city with all the amenities and looks darn nice besides. The amount of restaurants that participated were outstanding and I personally know the crew at Ted’s busted their behinds to deliver the amount of sliders they did.
As for me and my son? He had taken off about half way through, made a wrong turn and ended up doing the 45 mile course in 2 hrs, 48 minutes and 37 seconds. Not bad for getting lost and the longest ride he had taken in 5 years. Myself, I did the 30 miles averaging 13.7 mph without my butt hurting. To top it off, when we arrived home my wife informed me that I did my first organized ride on the 8th anniversary of my 1 and only heart attack. Cool.
Next Post; Odds and Ends I’m Learning
Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)
“G”
Friday, June 19, 2009
Night Before First Ride Jitters
Ok this will be short and sweet,
No Jitters.
Next Post; Our First Organized ride.
All kidding aside, we really have no jitters. We took a short ride, 15 miles yesterday and we are very confident.
Jeeze it’s only 30 miles.
I put both bikes on a tune-up stand today and cleaned them up adjusted my rear derailleur and front brake as well as making sure there were no visible thorns in the tires. They are pretty, all the essentials are tight, they are lubed and in the van.
Tonight we are meeting my Dad for a Fathers Day dinner and will stock up on some carbs. Sounds a little overboard but the elite riders do it to help with the lactate levels for their long rides. They work up to that and we have done the same thing on a smaller scale. Much smaller.
Drinks, set up a breakfast, get coffee ready and we are done. I know something is always forgotten but why sweat the small stuff. I get to do an organized ride with my son and that is all that counts.
Next Post; The Goose Chase By a First Timer
Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)
“G”
No Jitters.
Next Post; Our First Organized ride.
All kidding aside, we really have no jitters. We took a short ride, 15 miles yesterday and we are very confident.
Jeeze it’s only 30 miles.
I put both bikes on a tune-up stand today and cleaned them up adjusted my rear derailleur and front brake as well as making sure there were no visible thorns in the tires. They are pretty, all the essentials are tight, they are lubed and in the van.
Tonight we are meeting my Dad for a Fathers Day dinner and will stock up on some carbs. Sounds a little overboard but the elite riders do it to help with the lactate levels for their long rides. They work up to that and we have done the same thing on a smaller scale. Much smaller.
Drinks, set up a breakfast, get coffee ready and we are done. I know something is always forgotten but why sweat the small stuff. I get to do an organized ride with my son and that is all that counts.
Next Post; The Goose Chase By a First Timer
Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)
“G”
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Thoughts on My First Organized Ride
Well it is Tuesday and we took our last long, long for me and my son, ride today. No, not forever just till the next step in this adventure, an organized ride. On Saturday morning we will be riding the 14th annual Greenwood Village Goose Chase. This is a very user friendly event for families, recreational riders and us nubies. A run, walk and ride event with a 15, 30 and a 45 mile bike course. At least that is what people keep telling me.
Enough of the advertisement stuff. We did a flat 22 mile loop on the Platte River, great weather, scenery and company. I have read that when you are going to do an organized ride you need to cut down the training the last few days before that ride for muscles recovery. Now everything being relevant, not being in super great shape calls for the same muscles recovery even if the muscles are not of god like proportion. I have found through my “training period” that my muscles function very well with every other day rides throwing in back to back days every 4 – 5 days just to keep the muscles confused. So we are looking at the 30 mile loop for the Goose Chase and I have been mixing up my ride distances with my fat badonkadonk interval system. This, for me, seems to have worked well since even though I haven’t ridden over 35 miles for any given ride in the last year I am not worried about the mileage at all. I think my son may have more of a problem and anyone who has had a teenager knows where I am coming from when I say, he does not think he needs a mileage base, 30 miles isn’t that far. But he’s a good kid and will tough it out for the last 8 miles.
My biggest fear is, of course, the unknown from Psych 101a, but mainly the hoards of riders I am totally unfamiliar with. With luck or a vision, no, I really just hope that after the first 2 miles people will be settled in and spread out so we are not running over each other. I have never ridden in a group, which is a scary step to take, just with my son through occasional groups. We normally are in the way and end up being passed and I have no problem with that, we like our pace. With a large ride I know there will be people that we, or should I say, I will be able to pass and riders that probably should not be on this ride but are. Those are the few that worry me.
After our ride today, we stopped by the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce and picked up our bike jerseys. This is also fitting since this is our first organized ride and the Goose Chase’s first year to have a jersey. A plus is they really look good. Another coincidence is that the number my son was assigned is his birthday, yes this will be a great ride. One more very short ride on Thursday and we have taken another step in this really cool adventure.
Next Post; The night before jitters
Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)
“G”
Enough of the advertisement stuff. We did a flat 22 mile loop on the Platte River, great weather, scenery and company. I have read that when you are going to do an organized ride you need to cut down the training the last few days before that ride for muscles recovery. Now everything being relevant, not being in super great shape calls for the same muscles recovery even if the muscles are not of god like proportion. I have found through my “training period” that my muscles function very well with every other day rides throwing in back to back days every 4 – 5 days just to keep the muscles confused. So we are looking at the 30 mile loop for the Goose Chase and I have been mixing up my ride distances with my fat badonkadonk interval system. This, for me, seems to have worked well since even though I haven’t ridden over 35 miles for any given ride in the last year I am not worried about the mileage at all. I think my son may have more of a problem and anyone who has had a teenager knows where I am coming from when I say, he does not think he needs a mileage base, 30 miles isn’t that far. But he’s a good kid and will tough it out for the last 8 miles.
My biggest fear is, of course, the unknown from Psych 101a, but mainly the hoards of riders I am totally unfamiliar with. With luck or a vision, no, I really just hope that after the first 2 miles people will be settled in and spread out so we are not running over each other. I have never ridden in a group, which is a scary step to take, just with my son through occasional groups. We normally are in the way and end up being passed and I have no problem with that, we like our pace. With a large ride I know there will be people that we, or should I say, I will be able to pass and riders that probably should not be on this ride but are. Those are the few that worry me.
After our ride today, we stopped by the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce and picked up our bike jerseys. This is also fitting since this is our first organized ride and the Goose Chase’s first year to have a jersey. A plus is they really look good. Another coincidence is that the number my son was assigned is his birthday, yes this will be a great ride. One more very short ride on Thursday and we have taken another step in this really cool adventure.
Next Post; The night before jitters
Ride Safe Out There, and Don’t Run Me Over (please)
“G”
Monday, June 8, 2009
Scribblings of the Legitimate Kind
This post was to be “More Maniac scribblings” but then again I said I would write a couple of times a week and we see how that worked out. So this writing will, to some, still be “maniac scribblings” but others will have some useful information.
My youngest man cub did his Gatorade/Water stand again this weekend. He did not profit so well due to a major ride, the Elephant Rock, and the weather. We did get to sit on the front porch and watch a tornado though.
I noticed on my four rides so far this month that I am physically improving and I can see and feel that improvement without reading my training log. Then it dawned on me that I have been doing my style of intervals. Intervals are considered, by the pros and writers of great training regiments as the following. Roughly speaking, really rough, you want to build strength and endurance to ride longer and faster. In order to do that you must cause your muscles to reach their Lactate Threshold. Before the male pig in you male readers comes out, this has absolutely nothing to do with breasts or nursing. Lactate Threshold is the point when a metabolic waste product known as lactic acid starts making your muscles cramp. The ideal thing is to bring your body to just below that point, repetitively for longer and longer periods. The best way to know you are almost there is that you will be breathing heavily and your muscles, in this case your legs, start to burn. Bottom line, you need to raise your heart rate for extended periods of time with a recovery period in between. You will want to do this a few times on each ride and gradually extend the amount of times you bring your heart rate up.
OK, sounds good but complicated, lot of work, excuses, excuses. Now for my, version of the large badonkadonk, overweight, and out of shape interval. You have been riding for awhile, hopefully a month, and you have at least a hundred miles down for a base. You have also had time to play with the gears and found a gear that you are comfortable pedaling. A very simple interval is to just pick up the cadence 3 – 4 rpm’s even if it means dropping to an easier gear. I have found that a single gear will change your cadence by close to 10 rpm’s. Keep that higher rpm for as long as you can, slow it down for awhile then bring it back up again. While doing this, keep that steady pressure on the pedals and don’t let your posterior start to rock side to side or get that feeling your foot just drops. Now think about your ride route(s). Having more than one does keep things more interesting. Some where on everyone’s route there are stretches that are highly disliked. Look forward to those spots and when you get there give it your all and another 10%. By doing all of this you will be improving your endurance and strength.
This new found exercise program is more than exercise, it is a life change. Eating is a big part of this and you can make it work without a diet. I eat what I want but watch the quantities. I’ll talk more about pigging out on my next post. Keep in mind the way your clothes fit will be a much better measurement of your changing fitness than that stupid scale you have either been living by or avoiding.
Next post; More Potpourri.
Ride, Ride , Ride but Ride Safe
“G”
My youngest man cub did his Gatorade/Water stand again this weekend. He did not profit so well due to a major ride, the Elephant Rock, and the weather. We did get to sit on the front porch and watch a tornado though.
I noticed on my four rides so far this month that I am physically improving and I can see and feel that improvement without reading my training log. Then it dawned on me that I have been doing my style of intervals. Intervals are considered, by the pros and writers of great training regiments as the following. Roughly speaking, really rough, you want to build strength and endurance to ride longer and faster. In order to do that you must cause your muscles to reach their Lactate Threshold. Before the male pig in you male readers comes out, this has absolutely nothing to do with breasts or nursing. Lactate Threshold is the point when a metabolic waste product known as lactic acid starts making your muscles cramp. The ideal thing is to bring your body to just below that point, repetitively for longer and longer periods. The best way to know you are almost there is that you will be breathing heavily and your muscles, in this case your legs, start to burn. Bottom line, you need to raise your heart rate for extended periods of time with a recovery period in between. You will want to do this a few times on each ride and gradually extend the amount of times you bring your heart rate up.
OK, sounds good but complicated, lot of work, excuses, excuses. Now for my, version of the large badonkadonk, overweight, and out of shape interval. You have been riding for awhile, hopefully a month, and you have at least a hundred miles down for a base. You have also had time to play with the gears and found a gear that you are comfortable pedaling. A very simple interval is to just pick up the cadence 3 – 4 rpm’s even if it means dropping to an easier gear. I have found that a single gear will change your cadence by close to 10 rpm’s. Keep that higher rpm for as long as you can, slow it down for awhile then bring it back up again. While doing this, keep that steady pressure on the pedals and don’t let your posterior start to rock side to side or get that feeling your foot just drops. Now think about your ride route(s). Having more than one does keep things more interesting. Some where on everyone’s route there are stretches that are highly disliked. Look forward to those spots and when you get there give it your all and another 10%. By doing all of this you will be improving your endurance and strength.
This new found exercise program is more than exercise, it is a life change. Eating is a big part of this and you can make it work without a diet. I eat what I want but watch the quantities. I’ll talk more about pigging out on my next post. Keep in mind the way your clothes fit will be a much better measurement of your changing fitness than that stupid scale you have either been living by or avoiding.
Next post; More Potpourri.
Ride, Ride , Ride but Ride Safe
“G”
Monday, June 1, 2009
Potpourri
OK, I may have been a little harsh on the elite riders and the elite wannabes’s. It has recently been mentioned to me that maybe they are going too fast to say anything and at that speed they could scare someone with fewer bicycling skills, I’ll buy that. Then, and I have experienced this, you say ‘on your left to a walker’, and the person panics and turns around to the left to see who said that and why. I have curbed that by ringing my, thought to be, stupid Specialized factory bell then saying’ on your left.’ I have found that I do get more thank you remarks than jumpers. And what is nice is to hear, “I wish all Bicyclists were that nice”. Of course, the a fore mentioned speedy guys go by way too fast to hear the “ass hole” remark.
I have noticed, especially the last couple of weeks, that I am getting more greetings, head nods, or waves than I ever have before. Yes, the amount of “on your left” have risen greatly also. It would be interesting to know just how many people read these maniac scribblings. I know there was at least two.
Well May is over and the organized rides are getting into full swing. My larger man cub and myself are doing our first organized ride this month. It is pretty much for recreational riders which fits us well. We will be doing a 30 mile loop of what is known as the Goose Chase. I understand that the expectation of entrants in the Run, Walk, and Bike event is about 1,000. So, yes, Toto there are a lot of Recreational riders. My little man cub set up a water/Gatorade stand at the bottom of our driveway over the weekend. We are on a major bike route, and the riders that stopped were getting ready for a number of rides. Next weekend there is the annual Elephant Rock ride in Castle Rock, Colorado. This, over the years, has turned into one of the premier bike rides in Colorado. Others were getting ready for the MS 150, the Triple by Pass and even a ride up in Wyoming. Little man cub made $72.00 in the two days. Talking to the riders was almost disheartening. They talked of their day’s ride and would finish up with 45, 55, 60 and one with 75 miles. It made my 22 miles earlier in the day seem like a warm up ride. But don’t let things like that get you down.
May was my best month since I started last year. I rode 17 days for a total of 302.9 miles. That is over a hundred miles more than I have done in the past year. For the 302 miles I averaged 12.8 mph and a cadence of 69.5. Just since January I improved 1.3 mph and my cadence improved by 6 rpm’s. See, that training log really comes in handy. By the way, the 302 miles has resulted in a loss of 5 more pounds and my new bib shorts are a large with out X’s in front of large.
So how are you doing? Add a comment and let me know if riding is working for you.
Next Post, More Maniac scribblings
Keep Riding
“G”
I have noticed, especially the last couple of weeks, that I am getting more greetings, head nods, or waves than I ever have before. Yes, the amount of “on your left” have risen greatly also. It would be interesting to know just how many people read these maniac scribblings. I know there was at least two.
Well May is over and the organized rides are getting into full swing. My larger man cub and myself are doing our first organized ride this month. It is pretty much for recreational riders which fits us well. We will be doing a 30 mile loop of what is known as the Goose Chase. I understand that the expectation of entrants in the Run, Walk, and Bike event is about 1,000. So, yes, Toto there are a lot of Recreational riders. My little man cub set up a water/Gatorade stand at the bottom of our driveway over the weekend. We are on a major bike route, and the riders that stopped were getting ready for a number of rides. Next weekend there is the annual Elephant Rock ride in Castle Rock, Colorado. This, over the years, has turned into one of the premier bike rides in Colorado. Others were getting ready for the MS 150, the Triple by Pass and even a ride up in Wyoming. Little man cub made $72.00 in the two days. Talking to the riders was almost disheartening. They talked of their day’s ride and would finish up with 45, 55, 60 and one with 75 miles. It made my 22 miles earlier in the day seem like a warm up ride. But don’t let things like that get you down.
May was my best month since I started last year. I rode 17 days for a total of 302.9 miles. That is over a hundred miles more than I have done in the past year. For the 302 miles I averaged 12.8 mph and a cadence of 69.5. Just since January I improved 1.3 mph and my cadence improved by 6 rpm’s. See, that training log really comes in handy. By the way, the 302 miles has resulted in a loss of 5 more pounds and my new bib shorts are a large with out X’s in front of large.
So how are you doing? Add a comment and let me know if riding is working for you.
Next Post, More Maniac scribblings
Keep Riding
“G”
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Varmints Reptiles and other Annoyances
Well spring has done sprung and all the cute wild life is running about. From my living room window I can see the coyotes running through my back yard in the morning. Mowing my lawn the other day, I spooked out the first yard snake of the season. On one of my favorite ride routes I hit a bull snake in a heavily shaded switch back. A lovely thing, about four feet long, that caused a good bump when I hit it. The next day on the same route but farther north I went around another one that was six inches to a foot longer than the first one I saw. I usually see snakes where I ride but they are only five or six inches long. The state park I like to ride in put up the first signs of the year that state “Rattle Snake Infested Area”, the bull snakes, like I mentioned, will take care of them though. This has been very interesting spring. I have also seen baby prairie dogs with their elders which I haven’t seen before. Usually the adults have ran along in front of my front wheel with their, you can’t catch me attitude, and dared me to try and hit them. This year I can tell I have greatly, my opinion, improved since those little pain in the butts run from my blazing, also my opinion, speed.
This may be a good subject heading to discuss and explain my feelings of the evil “Super Stars”. I honestly have envy for these characters even though, generally speaking, they live on the rude and inconsiderate side. These are the guys that are extremely good cyclist. They have all the matching team logos, on bikes probable over four grand and are always running to better their time amongst riders of a much lesser caliber and us clumsy recreational riders. Please don’t get me wrong and I don’t want to offend these critters but throw in a little courtesy and use some common sense. I am all for attempting to better your time and improve yourself that’s why we do this self initiated torture. It should be reasonable that when you come up behind someone that you have no idea of their skill level and go by them at twice their speed with out letting them know you are there is just plain stupid. I mean after all if you are that much faster, that should be a hint that I don’t have your abilities why do you want to scare me and cause me to crash. My only hope is I get to take you out with me. I don’t want you or I hurt, just food for thought for your next pass. I have two examples one, with the right spin, is my bad and one not. Today my son and I were moving along well our favorite, flat, recreational path to get some mileage and raise our average cadence for an hour or two. There is a section that is fairly narrow for a bike path, about six feet. There is a wall on the west side and trees and a fifteen foot drop into a river on the east, yes very pretty. As I am looking down to see I am at eighteen mph and my mind, what is left of it, was slightly taken in by the view I feel a breeze and get a wobble. I look up and see I was just passed by a “super star”. By the time I could, loudly say Dam, I could not even read what was on his black and silver team issue jersey and shorts. Within an eighth of a mile he was out of site and not to be seen again. If I was more elderly and less skilled that I am I could have been easily scared into the trees or the river. A simple “on your left” would have given me a heads up and a sign I needed to up the attention level a smidge. Two days ago I turned off a bike path on to a road that goes through the Cherry Creek Lake. Time trials are held quite frequently on this road and the “Super Stars” own it and I respect and envy that. The recreational riders pretty much stay to the adjoining cement trails and stay out of the way. The trails are smoother and you can get more mileage than on the road. Anyway back on track here. I pulled onto the road and saw two guys a ways off. The closest one I new would pass quickly and I was ready for him and he did. I am on the “Super Star” turf I will watch for them and pay close attention. I looked back and the other rider was a long way back and I was clear. About a quarter of a mile up the road I was going to turn left and get back on the smooth cement again. I looked back and had enough room that I could not tell what the rider was wearing or if it was male or female. There were no vehicles on the road and I could see well up to see I was clear and started moving over to the left. I was doing about fifteen mph and now in the middle of the on coming lane. I applied the brakes and started to make a sharp left on to the well known and clearly marked path and I get yelled at to watch out as the “Super Star” had came all the way over to the far left side of the road to pass me on the left without letting me know he was there. Now I will take the responsibility for that one even though he had a lane and a half to pass me on the right. This is not rocket science, unless I happen to be riding with my neighbor who is a rocket scientist, it is common courtesy that the higher qualified riders should give us less fortunate some slack. Saying “on your left’ when making a pass will not loose you time on a training ride.
It is that time of the year that the varmints, reptiles, and the “Super Stars” are out, be careful out there. Remember when we are the “Super Stars” we will be courteous “Super Stars”
Next Post, a Pot Puree
“G”
This may be a good subject heading to discuss and explain my feelings of the evil “Super Stars”. I honestly have envy for these characters even though, generally speaking, they live on the rude and inconsiderate side. These are the guys that are extremely good cyclist. They have all the matching team logos, on bikes probable over four grand and are always running to better their time amongst riders of a much lesser caliber and us clumsy recreational riders. Please don’t get me wrong and I don’t want to offend these critters but throw in a little courtesy and use some common sense. I am all for attempting to better your time and improve yourself that’s why we do this self initiated torture. It should be reasonable that when you come up behind someone that you have no idea of their skill level and go by them at twice their speed with out letting them know you are there is just plain stupid. I mean after all if you are that much faster, that should be a hint that I don’t have your abilities why do you want to scare me and cause me to crash. My only hope is I get to take you out with me. I don’t want you or I hurt, just food for thought for your next pass. I have two examples one, with the right spin, is my bad and one not. Today my son and I were moving along well our favorite, flat, recreational path to get some mileage and raise our average cadence for an hour or two. There is a section that is fairly narrow for a bike path, about six feet. There is a wall on the west side and trees and a fifteen foot drop into a river on the east, yes very pretty. As I am looking down to see I am at eighteen mph and my mind, what is left of it, was slightly taken in by the view I feel a breeze and get a wobble. I look up and see I was just passed by a “super star”. By the time I could, loudly say Dam, I could not even read what was on his black and silver team issue jersey and shorts. Within an eighth of a mile he was out of site and not to be seen again. If I was more elderly and less skilled that I am I could have been easily scared into the trees or the river. A simple “on your left” would have given me a heads up and a sign I needed to up the attention level a smidge. Two days ago I turned off a bike path on to a road that goes through the Cherry Creek Lake. Time trials are held quite frequently on this road and the “Super Stars” own it and I respect and envy that. The recreational riders pretty much stay to the adjoining cement trails and stay out of the way. The trails are smoother and you can get more mileage than on the road. Anyway back on track here. I pulled onto the road and saw two guys a ways off. The closest one I new would pass quickly and I was ready for him and he did. I am on the “Super Star” turf I will watch for them and pay close attention. I looked back and the other rider was a long way back and I was clear. About a quarter of a mile up the road I was going to turn left and get back on the smooth cement again. I looked back and had enough room that I could not tell what the rider was wearing or if it was male or female. There were no vehicles on the road and I could see well up to see I was clear and started moving over to the left. I was doing about fifteen mph and now in the middle of the on coming lane. I applied the brakes and started to make a sharp left on to the well known and clearly marked path and I get yelled at to watch out as the “Super Star” had came all the way over to the far left side of the road to pass me on the left without letting me know he was there. Now I will take the responsibility for that one even though he had a lane and a half to pass me on the right. This is not rocket science, unless I happen to be riding with my neighbor who is a rocket scientist, it is common courtesy that the higher qualified riders should give us less fortunate some slack. Saying “on your left’ when making a pass will not loose you time on a training ride.
It is that time of the year that the varmints, reptiles, and the “Super Stars” are out, be careful out there. Remember when we are the “Super Stars” we will be courteous “Super Stars”
Next Post, a Pot Puree
“G”
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
The Training Log
Hopefully you have got in at least three rides by now, how do you feel? If it feels harder each ride, take two days off then back to every other day. If you are feeling good and you are attempting to get faster every ride attempt an everyday ride and work on getting your average cadence up two or three “RPM’s” (revolutions a Minute). During most of my rides this past week I was thinking how this training regiment has worked for me and has it really worked. About that time I was going up, roughly, a three hundred yard incline that I used to hate coming to and actually had to walk up the last ten to fifteen yards. I looked down at my odometer and was going up the incline at eighteen mph and crested the top at fourteen mph. I guess my question was answered.
I really wished I had listened to people way earlier in my bicycling adventures and started a training log much earlier. I was struggling this time last year and this month my rides are averaging 18.9 mph at 12.9 with a 70 rpm cadence. I just turned 61. I didn’t start my log till August of 2008. A training log will give you an enormous burst of enthusiasm, build your confidence and most importantly give you constant positive feed back. A training log is a piece of paper, a computer word document you design, a program that came with your really fancy odometer (a Garmin is outstanding, I will have one some day) or a pre-made on line system (http://traininglog.bicycling.com/landingpage.aspx) is outstanding.
I use a page of six column ledger paper. Laid out like below;
Date Route Time and Ave. Temp Miles Elapsed Time Ave. Speed Max Speed Ave./Max Cadence
I also have little symbols for wind and flat tires. I also try to scribble notes for something that was special, easy or difficult on the ride. It appears I have received a twelve column ledger which will be much easier and less cramped to make notes. I also am going to take a closer look at Bicycling Magazine’s log set up, it looks really good. At the end of each month I total all the columns and average the numbers. I also keep a running total of my mileage and mark if I have improved or lost from the prior month.
I feel the routes are important for overall averages. I have about five routes some I can combine while in route others I need to pack the bike and junk and drive for a bit. Due to this I have a fairly flat route that I can ride any distance my butt will last. This flat route usually has a higher average speed to it and it is not reasonable to compare those trips with a rolling route.
Time and Average Temperature may not seem much but they are. I have found that I ride much faster when it is above seventy degrees and even faster if it is that warm around nine in the morning rather than at noonish.
The rest is pretty self explainable and the more notes you can add the better. You will learn to use your information to work for you and throw in a little weight training (no need to buy equipment use canned veggies or the new large coffee cans and liquid bottles with the cool handles). This will start moving your metabolism and tighten the places that use to be fat.
Do and Don’ts; When you are coming to a stop, shift to an easier pedaling gear. This will make starting up again much easier. While we are speaking of shifting here is a trick courtesy of Steve at Bike Source. Make your shift when your RIGHT foot is level with the ground and behind (the nine o’clock position). Your shifts will be very smooth and exact, you can even get by with an up hill down shift which is a real taboo. On the don’t side I will take a page from my own book of stupidity. If you are going to ride a mountain pass area, road or mountain, and you are wearing a hydration backpack make sure it is not filled with an adult beverage. My pass which required a long decent to get back, Vail Pass, Vail to the summit and back to the village.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Next post encounters with varmints and reptiles.
“G”
I really wished I had listened to people way earlier in my bicycling adventures and started a training log much earlier. I was struggling this time last year and this month my rides are averaging 18.9 mph at 12.9 with a 70 rpm cadence. I just turned 61. I didn’t start my log till August of 2008. A training log will give you an enormous burst of enthusiasm, build your confidence and most importantly give you constant positive feed back. A training log is a piece of paper, a computer word document you design, a program that came with your really fancy odometer (a Garmin is outstanding, I will have one some day) or a pre-made on line system (http://traininglog.bicycling.com/landingpage.aspx) is outstanding.
I use a page of six column ledger paper. Laid out like below;
Date Route Time and Ave. Temp Miles Elapsed Time Ave. Speed Max Speed Ave./Max Cadence
I also have little symbols for wind and flat tires. I also try to scribble notes for something that was special, easy or difficult on the ride. It appears I have received a twelve column ledger which will be much easier and less cramped to make notes. I also am going to take a closer look at Bicycling Magazine’s log set up, it looks really good. At the end of each month I total all the columns and average the numbers. I also keep a running total of my mileage and mark if I have improved or lost from the prior month.
I feel the routes are important for overall averages. I have about five routes some I can combine while in route others I need to pack the bike and junk and drive for a bit. Due to this I have a fairly flat route that I can ride any distance my butt will last. This flat route usually has a higher average speed to it and it is not reasonable to compare those trips with a rolling route.
Time and Average Temperature may not seem much but they are. I have found that I ride much faster when it is above seventy degrees and even faster if it is that warm around nine in the morning rather than at noonish.
The rest is pretty self explainable and the more notes you can add the better. You will learn to use your information to work for you and throw in a little weight training (no need to buy equipment use canned veggies or the new large coffee cans and liquid bottles with the cool handles). This will start moving your metabolism and tighten the places that use to be fat.
Do and Don’ts; When you are coming to a stop, shift to an easier pedaling gear. This will make starting up again much easier. While we are speaking of shifting here is a trick courtesy of Steve at Bike Source. Make your shift when your RIGHT foot is level with the ground and behind (the nine o’clock position). Your shifts will be very smooth and exact, you can even get by with an up hill down shift which is a real taboo. On the don’t side I will take a page from my own book of stupidity. If you are going to ride a mountain pass area, road or mountain, and you are wearing a hydration backpack make sure it is not filled with an adult beverage. My pass which required a long decent to get back, Vail Pass, Vail to the summit and back to the village.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Next post encounters with varmints and reptiles.
“G”
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
The Ride
As I was getting ready this morning for my ride, I was going through the touchy feely stuff and remembered a couple of more essentials. Gloves, maybe not the first couple of rides but as the distance of your rides grows, and it will, you will need them. Sun Glasses, a no brainer, they keep things out of your eyes and give a target to suicidal bugs. Your every day sun glasses will get you by, but start looking at a pair that wrap around the sides of your eyes. No, it is not a go fast streamlining effect. But your regular flat type driving glasses tend to suck those suicidal bugs into the back side of the glasses and be a ping pong ball to your eyeballs or eye lids and the back side of your glasses. Color makes a difference also. I have always heard that bees are attracted to yellow, but yellow gives an excellent contrast to the surface you are riding on no matter what the light. One last item, at least for now, is a good tire pump. The main thing to look for is the largest barrel that pushes the air you can get with the most accurate gauge. Why? Before every ride you will want to look the bike over; check for stickers, rocks any obvious broken or frayed parts and fill your tires. Overnight your tires will lose air pressure, fill them before each ride. Put them at the maximum pressure and you will have a plush low rolling resistance ride. You are about to find that every little bit helps.
OK, here we go. You have practiced at the bike shop learning to shift, getting in and out of your new spiffy clip on pedals, you have fluid in your water bottle(s), you have an easy, flat, low traffic (preferably a closed road around a park or straight bike paths) five mile out and five mile back course in mind and we are off. Now this is your first ride or at least first in a long time and your doctor has said your health is at a point to start an exercise program. (Yes, that is a disclaimer; anyone starting a new and improved exercise program should have a doctor’s blessing. Besides, it would very embarrassing to fall over dead getting out of your driveway.) Let’s not see how fast we can do this, this is practice as is every ride. We need to practice pedaling in a smooth manner, we need to find a comfortable pedaling cadence (revolution per minute the pedals are going around) as well as shifting smoothly to maintain that comfortable cadence. We also need to practice going in a straight line. The “super stars” I had mentioned, will use you as a passing dummy and if you move around you’re liable to put both of you on the ground. Oh, by the way, breathe! Look at the scenery you may see things close to your home that you have never seen before. It’s pretty out there. As you look around think of alternate routes that you will want to take later, maybe a couple of inclines because that is an evil that you will learn to enjoy. Remember that cool odometer with all the neat options, right now you need to see speed and trip distance. When you are about 2.5 miles out be honest with yourself and evaluate how you feel. Watching the scenery and listening to your favorite music the miles have flown by. Remember wherever you are at you need to get back. Feel good? See, you are doing great. Let’s choose, go back now or go to our five mile mark. Either way we are going to keep practicing, pedaling and shifting ‘till we are back to our starting point. If by chance you have the opportunity to pass someone, pass on the left, ring your bell, and say “on your left”. It keeps people from being scared into your path. This includes pedestrians, which you will encounter on the multi use bike paths around the country. You will understand this when it is your turn to be the passing dummy for the “super stars”. The exception to that for some reason is the female “super stars”, eight out of ten let you know they are there. Hey look, were back at our start, congratulations a new healthy you is around the corner. What now? Well first you are going to record all of the information from your iffy jiffy odometer in what is called a training log. More on that in the next post. Over the next fourteen days you will ride every other day getting those ten miles down. Each ride you will need to keep practicing and attempt to make each ride a little quicker. Thirty seconds quicker every ride will be three and a half minutes faster than you did today. Happy Riding.
Next post, Training Log as well as some do’s and don’ts I have learned the hard way.
“G”
OK, here we go. You have practiced at the bike shop learning to shift, getting in and out of your new spiffy clip on pedals, you have fluid in your water bottle(s), you have an easy, flat, low traffic (preferably a closed road around a park or straight bike paths) five mile out and five mile back course in mind and we are off. Now this is your first ride or at least first in a long time and your doctor has said your health is at a point to start an exercise program. (Yes, that is a disclaimer; anyone starting a new and improved exercise program should have a doctor’s blessing. Besides, it would very embarrassing to fall over dead getting out of your driveway.) Let’s not see how fast we can do this, this is practice as is every ride. We need to practice pedaling in a smooth manner, we need to find a comfortable pedaling cadence (revolution per minute the pedals are going around) as well as shifting smoothly to maintain that comfortable cadence. We also need to practice going in a straight line. The “super stars” I had mentioned, will use you as a passing dummy and if you move around you’re liable to put both of you on the ground. Oh, by the way, breathe! Look at the scenery you may see things close to your home that you have never seen before. It’s pretty out there. As you look around think of alternate routes that you will want to take later, maybe a couple of inclines because that is an evil that you will learn to enjoy. Remember that cool odometer with all the neat options, right now you need to see speed and trip distance. When you are about 2.5 miles out be honest with yourself and evaluate how you feel. Watching the scenery and listening to your favorite music the miles have flown by. Remember wherever you are at you need to get back. Feel good? See, you are doing great. Let’s choose, go back now or go to our five mile mark. Either way we are going to keep practicing, pedaling and shifting ‘till we are back to our starting point. If by chance you have the opportunity to pass someone, pass on the left, ring your bell, and say “on your left”. It keeps people from being scared into your path. This includes pedestrians, which you will encounter on the multi use bike paths around the country. You will understand this when it is your turn to be the passing dummy for the “super stars”. The exception to that for some reason is the female “super stars”, eight out of ten let you know they are there. Hey look, were back at our start, congratulations a new healthy you is around the corner. What now? Well first you are going to record all of the information from your iffy jiffy odometer in what is called a training log. More on that in the next post. Over the next fourteen days you will ride every other day getting those ten miles down. Each ride you will need to keep practicing and attempt to make each ride a little quicker. Thirty seconds quicker every ride will be three and a half minutes faster than you did today. Happy Riding.
Next post, Training Log as well as some do’s and don’ts I have learned the hard way.
“G”
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
The Equipment Part Two
Well we covered the bike and believe it or not there is a lot more. What I gave you will get you in the ball park and cause you to ask your own questions. There is a lot of technology out there reaserch and read reviews. Remember some of the reviews are manufactors so read and take in information, including mine, with a grain of salt. Of course I’m not attempting to sale you anything but your health.
Helmet: No ands, ifs, or buts about it, this is mandatory. There are people out there without them and that is fine until there is an oop’s. I thought they were uncomfortable till I fell due to another person’s stupidity. Get a bike helmet with a good certification. Shorts; There is a true reason for these besides showing off your body that may or may not need to be seen. They fit snug to keep your thigh mussels warm to prevent injury, they wick away moisture and most importantly have an anatomically correct pad in the crotch to add comfort for any ride over ten miles. This pad, depending on the brand comes in various thicknesses. This brings me to another thought. Shorts are engineered with a lot of technology to be comfortable and non-noticeable. In other words a lot of work went in to them so you don’t realize you are wearing them. They are made with various sections (panels), flat stitching and seams placed where they will not irritate or interfere with the human body. Unfortunately some people need to learn the hard way that they are not made to wear underwear, except maybe a thong. I have talked to people that have spent over seventy dollars, easy to do on a high quality pair of shorts, and have complained that they have rubbed them wrong. They had no idea that they were not supposed to wear unmentionables. Hey give me a break; I’m the type that people just open up to me. Jersey/Shirt; Another item that wicks away moisture, remember this is an exercise. Plus the three pockets in the back are great for carrying crap you can’t live without. I personally carry my cell phone, an extra inner tube and co2 bottles, beats a hand pump and lighter, an mp3 player and an occasional power/granola bar. A bright T-shirt will work. Bright? Yes I’m sure you have heard of someone that has laughed at a cyclist saying he/she is dressed like a clown. Guess what the cyclist was seen and that is what is all about being seen. I personally am not big on being a rolling bill board though. You see the “super star’s” peddling along as if they were in a race and had sponsors. I love my Specialized bike and their equipment but no way am I going to pay them eighty bucks to wear their jersey and advertise for them. They should be paying me to advertise for them. Just a pet peeve. Gloves; They really do help with grip as well as a little padding. Be careful though there are some very nice padded gloves on the market but too much padding is not always good. I have found, after experimenting with many brands and price ranges, that an overly padded glove can cause pressure where it shouldn’t and cause numbness. As a side note if your gloves are making your hands numb, try loosening the wrist strap before you spend bucks on new ones. Shoes; This may seem extreme but I believe any little advantage I can get, go for it. They have a very hard sole and you can put more pressure on the pedals and never feel it. With cleats they are very efficient. Cleats/Clip-on’s Cleats attached to the bottom of the shoe clicks into special pedals. This does many things, keeps your feet from slipping, and raises your heart rate when you go to stop to name a couple. But mostly they make it easy and more efficient to pedal. Instead of just pushing down one pedal at a time, you will learn to push down and lift up at the same time. Hence efficiency, you pedal smoother in a circular motion using only half the energy. Now you may have a fear that you will not be able to get your feet off the pedals when you need to but you would be surprised. I found getting unhooked was absolutely no problem, getting hooked in was the problem. Practice at your dealer on a stand as well as practice disconnecting before you come to a stop! Odometer; Know how far you ride and how long it took you, very basic. You can get odometers that are actually small computers that are downloadable to your home computer or lap top to record your rides. I use a pen and paper myself. There is no better way to watch yourself improve then to document your rides. They have products ranging from nine to over three hundred dollars. You can actually find your elevation changes you made to the actual wattage you have produced and even a downloadable map of your route. I like time, trip distance, speed, cadence, average speed, average cadence, clock and total miles. The only thing I would like to have, again, is a heart rate monitor that shows your heart rate, high and low limits and the average time in your own exercise zone. If used correctly it is amazing to find you can slow down and ride faster and longer. One last option that you will not think of, till you paid for it and it’s installed, actually two. Make sure the color goes with your bike, mine doesn’t, but more important you need to be able to read the numbers at a glance from an arms length away. Odds and Ends; You will always find little things you want to pick up. It’s that shiny object syndrome. Remember the more you add the more weight you will be pedaling. Light water bottle holders get two and make sure your bike has the fittings to take two, and of course the water bottles. A small all in one tool (like a Swiss army knife for cyclist), tire irons (they’re plastic) a patch kit, an extra tube and a under the seat bag that you can get on and off comfortable and hold all of the tools. You also need to learn how to change the tube or fix a flat. One of the most important items, an MP3 player. It fits nicely in one of those jersey pockets and time just flies listening to music or a book on tape. Have your kids or grandkids download your favorite. It doesn't need to be a high end player, mine was on clearance at Wal-Mart and I bought good speakers that hook over my ears. Check you’re local, where you plan on riding the most, ordnances you may need a bell. Ok, too much information? Not really and I only hit these items lightly. If you put some effort into this new adventure you have an investment in a new healthy life style that you will soon learn to embrace. Whether you by at a department store or one of the many great dealers remember fit, fit is everything to make a comfortable efficient ride that you will want to take time after time. A good bike shop will fit your bike you may already have to you but expect a charge.
Next Post The ride
“G”
Helmet: No ands, ifs, or buts about it, this is mandatory. There are people out there without them and that is fine until there is an oop’s. I thought they were uncomfortable till I fell due to another person’s stupidity. Get a bike helmet with a good certification. Shorts; There is a true reason for these besides showing off your body that may or may not need to be seen. They fit snug to keep your thigh mussels warm to prevent injury, they wick away moisture and most importantly have an anatomically correct pad in the crotch to add comfort for any ride over ten miles. This pad, depending on the brand comes in various thicknesses. This brings me to another thought. Shorts are engineered with a lot of technology to be comfortable and non-noticeable. In other words a lot of work went in to them so you don’t realize you are wearing them. They are made with various sections (panels), flat stitching and seams placed where they will not irritate or interfere with the human body. Unfortunately some people need to learn the hard way that they are not made to wear underwear, except maybe a thong. I have talked to people that have spent over seventy dollars, easy to do on a high quality pair of shorts, and have complained that they have rubbed them wrong. They had no idea that they were not supposed to wear unmentionables. Hey give me a break; I’m the type that people just open up to me. Jersey/Shirt; Another item that wicks away moisture, remember this is an exercise. Plus the three pockets in the back are great for carrying crap you can’t live without. I personally carry my cell phone, an extra inner tube and co2 bottles, beats a hand pump and lighter, an mp3 player and an occasional power/granola bar. A bright T-shirt will work. Bright? Yes I’m sure you have heard of someone that has laughed at a cyclist saying he/she is dressed like a clown. Guess what the cyclist was seen and that is what is all about being seen. I personally am not big on being a rolling bill board though. You see the “super star’s” peddling along as if they were in a race and had sponsors. I love my Specialized bike and their equipment but no way am I going to pay them eighty bucks to wear their jersey and advertise for them. They should be paying me to advertise for them. Just a pet peeve. Gloves; They really do help with grip as well as a little padding. Be careful though there are some very nice padded gloves on the market but too much padding is not always good. I have found, after experimenting with many brands and price ranges, that an overly padded glove can cause pressure where it shouldn’t and cause numbness. As a side note if your gloves are making your hands numb, try loosening the wrist strap before you spend bucks on new ones. Shoes; This may seem extreme but I believe any little advantage I can get, go for it. They have a very hard sole and you can put more pressure on the pedals and never feel it. With cleats they are very efficient. Cleats/Clip-on’s Cleats attached to the bottom of the shoe clicks into special pedals. This does many things, keeps your feet from slipping, and raises your heart rate when you go to stop to name a couple. But mostly they make it easy and more efficient to pedal. Instead of just pushing down one pedal at a time, you will learn to push down and lift up at the same time. Hence efficiency, you pedal smoother in a circular motion using only half the energy. Now you may have a fear that you will not be able to get your feet off the pedals when you need to but you would be surprised. I found getting unhooked was absolutely no problem, getting hooked in was the problem. Practice at your dealer on a stand as well as practice disconnecting before you come to a stop! Odometer; Know how far you ride and how long it took you, very basic. You can get odometers that are actually small computers that are downloadable to your home computer or lap top to record your rides. I use a pen and paper myself. There is no better way to watch yourself improve then to document your rides. They have products ranging from nine to over three hundred dollars. You can actually find your elevation changes you made to the actual wattage you have produced and even a downloadable map of your route. I like time, trip distance, speed, cadence, average speed, average cadence, clock and total miles. The only thing I would like to have, again, is a heart rate monitor that shows your heart rate, high and low limits and the average time in your own exercise zone. If used correctly it is amazing to find you can slow down and ride faster and longer. One last option that you will not think of, till you paid for it and it’s installed, actually two. Make sure the color goes with your bike, mine doesn’t, but more important you need to be able to read the numbers at a glance from an arms length away. Odds and Ends; You will always find little things you want to pick up. It’s that shiny object syndrome. Remember the more you add the more weight you will be pedaling. Light water bottle holders get two and make sure your bike has the fittings to take two, and of course the water bottles. A small all in one tool (like a Swiss army knife for cyclist), tire irons (they’re plastic) a patch kit, an extra tube and a under the seat bag that you can get on and off comfortable and hold all of the tools. You also need to learn how to change the tube or fix a flat. One of the most important items, an MP3 player. It fits nicely in one of those jersey pockets and time just flies listening to music or a book on tape. Have your kids or grandkids download your favorite. It doesn't need to be a high end player, mine was on clearance at Wal-Mart and I bought good speakers that hook over my ears. Check you’re local, where you plan on riding the most, ordnances you may need a bell. Ok, too much information? Not really and I only hit these items lightly. If you put some effort into this new adventure you have an investment in a new healthy life style that you will soon learn to embrace. Whether you by at a department store or one of the many great dealers remember fit, fit is everything to make a comfortable efficient ride that you will want to take time after time. A good bike shop will fit your bike you may already have to you but expect a charge.
Next Post The ride
“G”
Saturday, May 2, 2009
The Equipment Part One
Again please let me say I am not an expert bicyclist or feel that I know more than anyone else. I am a recreational rider that has no thoughts of competing and I’m riding for health and longevity. I ride when it is over fifty degrees and no wind or harsh weather. I say hi to all other riders which really annoys the “super stars” (more on them in a latter post) dressed in their team out fits and fly around slower riders with a presumed attitude of your in my way. Sorry I regress more on them latter back to the subject. After the miles I have put on over the last year I have become addicted and if I don’t ride for more than two days I am miserable. I decided to write this blog due the lack of concern for the true beginner that may not be in the shape they should be. My purpose is to hopefully help a few new riders from going through the hit and miss learning curve I have gone through. I also hope to make this a journal of improving my abilities over the next year. My previous mention of averaging 12.8 mph. and a cadence of 65 is an enormous improvement over last April. I now have the physical prows of the average out of shape old guy. If you are reading this, you must have a semi serious thought of starting to bike for recreation and/or health. Congratulations for doing research. When we all walk into a bike shop we are hypnotized with all of the bobbles and sparkly things to confuse us. Then we talk to a salesman and the old brain is spinning to the point of not hearing the words anymore. We are now officially in overload to the point of wondering what store we are in and why. Bike shops have an edge up on the department store bikes. Fittings, yearly tune ups, free adjustments and the employee’s get to know you and assist in your personal needs. You need to know where you will be riding, your fitness level and your goals. A good salesman is there to help you and get you on a bike you will use. Research before you are ready to buy and get in a general area of what you want. Try a couple of different shops find the personality and the people you feel comfortable with. The bike shop I have come to do the majority of business with is Bike Source and they are about twenty miles and five other shops away. There is a lot of information so I have decided to break it down into two posts.
The Bike; Mountain, Road, cross, hybrid, flat bar road, cruiser, electric so many choices and the wrong choice can be an expensive mistake that will sit in the garage. Try them all, there is an enormous difference between them all. Get a specific style down and ride many brands and configurations. A good bike shop will fit you to the bike to test it. NO! Two inch clearance over the top tube (Bar) on a mountain bike and one inch on a road bike is not a fit. If your salesman wants to fit you that way, run. If you don’t have a good fit or the configuration is uncomfortable you will not ride. Mountain bikes look more cushy and comfortable than a road bike. Unless you will be riding on seventy five percent of non cement/blacktop surface think twice. A mountain bike appears more comfortable and easier to ride. The trade off is they are heavy less efficient and geared very low. If you have a bad back take a serious look at “flat bar road bikes”. The brakes on a regular road bike scare my son so he went that way and is happy. Skinny tires shifters, low handle bars that you need to reach for the breaks, just a few of the scary things about bicycles for the new rider. The skinny tires will hold you up if you are a bit overweight, and the low swept handle bars have multiple places to put your hands so you actually never need to bend over if you are not comfortable with that. A good dealer will set you up on a trainer and let you get the feel of the bike, show you how to shift and brake before they let you go down the street on a test ride. If they don't, ask to be allowed to start that way. I have rode mountain bikes for the last twenty five years and till I bought my Specialize Tricross last August, I thought mountain bikes were the way to go. Now I know why I kept modifying them to get and easier more efficient ride. Bottom line, a well fitted bike that you feel comfortable on will be used rather than collecting dust.
Next post, The Equipment Part Two.
“G”
The Bike; Mountain, Road, cross, hybrid, flat bar road, cruiser, electric so many choices and the wrong choice can be an expensive mistake that will sit in the garage. Try them all, there is an enormous difference between them all. Get a specific style down and ride many brands and configurations. A good bike shop will fit you to the bike to test it. NO! Two inch clearance over the top tube (Bar) on a mountain bike and one inch on a road bike is not a fit. If your salesman wants to fit you that way, run. If you don’t have a good fit or the configuration is uncomfortable you will not ride. Mountain bikes look more cushy and comfortable than a road bike. Unless you will be riding on seventy five percent of non cement/blacktop surface think twice. A mountain bike appears more comfortable and easier to ride. The trade off is they are heavy less efficient and geared very low. If you have a bad back take a serious look at “flat bar road bikes”. The brakes on a regular road bike scare my son so he went that way and is happy. Skinny tires shifters, low handle bars that you need to reach for the breaks, just a few of the scary things about bicycles for the new rider. The skinny tires will hold you up if you are a bit overweight, and the low swept handle bars have multiple places to put your hands so you actually never need to bend over if you are not comfortable with that. A good dealer will set you up on a trainer and let you get the feel of the bike, show you how to shift and brake before they let you go down the street on a test ride. If they don't, ask to be allowed to start that way. I have rode mountain bikes for the last twenty five years and till I bought my Specialize Tricross last August, I thought mountain bikes were the way to go. Now I know why I kept modifying them to get and easier more efficient ride. Bottom line, a well fitted bike that you feel comfortable on will be used rather than collecting dust.
Next post, The Equipment Part Two.
“G”
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
And it all Starts
As I was riding down a 6% incline today attempting to get to a cadence (the speed you are pedaling) of over 100, an article in a book came to mind. The article was in a book to assist people getting into bicycling and the chapter was entitled getting a base. I was interested, just to see if my routine this past year was on the right track. It started by saying I was to start out on a 30 mile ride at a relaxed pace with a cadence of 85-88. Now as a novice who has put on a little over 1600 miles on my new bike( in the picture ain't it pretty), I am still not maintaining that cadence on my 20 mile rides. So, can you see where this is coming from? Hopefully I can give some real world advice to some one who would care to start this fabulous activity and have realistic goals.
I have bicycled on and off, mainly off, over the last 25 years. In 2007 while getting things ready to retire I received a severe right wrist injury. Yes I am right handed and did I mention I had been a police officer for the past 30 years. Not a good combination. After various surgeries my wrist was fused together and my retirement had been put on hold till I was medically fit. Medically fit, now that is a blog in its own. While I was going through rehab the workman comp. Doctor and the therapist were avid bicyclist and talked me into getting back into the sport.
Now the saga begins. I squeezed my then, overweight ass into a pair of old bike shorts and took off to a favorite bike trail. I mean after all I used to, in the early 90’s, ride about a 100 miles a week. About 5 miles into this adventure I was sucking some desperately needed mile high air, and then reality set in. I had to get back home. To make matters worse I turned the bike around and felt the strong breeze in my face. Dam I had been riding with a tail wind, and I thought it was because I was going down hill all the way. Colorado has no flat areas above 5000 feet. When I finally made it home, after walking up the last bit of the hill, I had to reorganize my thinking about this undertaking. Now pay attention this is important. I remembered that every body is different and exercise is far from being a one size fits all project. Back in the 80’s I started slow and did short rides extending the distance and doing it faster. So here we go back to ground zero. Short rides with my 14 year old gave us quality time together, after I caught up to him. He is a good kid and would wait for me every 10 -15 minutes to make sure I was OK. I had a heart attack about 10 years ago.
A year ago I was sucking air on a 10 mile ride/walk, was over weight, and had a 44 inch waist not in good shape. Today I did 20 miles averaging 12.8 mph, 29 mph top speed, going down that 6% grade that started this story, with an average cadence of 65. I have lost 50 pounds, now have a 36 inch waist and my last tread mill test was like I was twenty years younger. The 14 year old? He is now 15 plays basketball all year and calls me when we ride to see how far ahead of him I am.
I have, what I feel is, good information that is realistic so hopefully you will stay tuned and get some help and encouragement. I will attempt to write on this blog 2 – 3 times a week.
Next post, equipment.
I have bicycled on and off, mainly off, over the last 25 years. In 2007 while getting things ready to retire I received a severe right wrist injury. Yes I am right handed and did I mention I had been a police officer for the past 30 years. Not a good combination. After various surgeries my wrist was fused together and my retirement had been put on hold till I was medically fit. Medically fit, now that is a blog in its own. While I was going through rehab the workman comp. Doctor and the therapist were avid bicyclist and talked me into getting back into the sport.
Now the saga begins. I squeezed my then, overweight ass into a pair of old bike shorts and took off to a favorite bike trail. I mean after all I used to, in the early 90’s, ride about a 100 miles a week. About 5 miles into this adventure I was sucking some desperately needed mile high air, and then reality set in. I had to get back home. To make matters worse I turned the bike around and felt the strong breeze in my face. Dam I had been riding with a tail wind, and I thought it was because I was going down hill all the way. Colorado has no flat areas above 5000 feet. When I finally made it home, after walking up the last bit of the hill, I had to reorganize my thinking about this undertaking. Now pay attention this is important. I remembered that every body is different and exercise is far from being a one size fits all project. Back in the 80’s I started slow and did short rides extending the distance and doing it faster. So here we go back to ground zero. Short rides with my 14 year old gave us quality time together, after I caught up to him. He is a good kid and would wait for me every 10 -15 minutes to make sure I was OK. I had a heart attack about 10 years ago.
A year ago I was sucking air on a 10 mile ride/walk, was over weight, and had a 44 inch waist not in good shape. Today I did 20 miles averaging 12.8 mph, 29 mph top speed, going down that 6% grade that started this story, with an average cadence of 65. I have lost 50 pounds, now have a 36 inch waist and my last tread mill test was like I was twenty years younger. The 14 year old? He is now 15 plays basketball all year and calls me when we ride to see how far ahead of him I am.
I have, what I feel is, good information that is realistic so hopefully you will stay tuned and get some help and encouragement. I will attempt to write on this blog 2 – 3 times a week.
Next post, equipment.
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