The month for lovers has come to a very quick and abrupt ending. The weather has been absolutely ridicules throughout the whole nation. Come on snow plows in San Diego Sunday, get real and, again, where is that global warming.
The weather has been frustrating for cyclists. I have not, as of yet, invested in good cold weather riding clothing, at least clothes that are good to ride in the 30 and 40’s. Yes I am a woos, and envy you that I see riding when I know you are not that comfortable but are out there. We can all make excuses but bottom line, we just need to suck it up and get out there and pedal our chubby, but cute, behinds off.
It has been two months since I have rode a first for me in ten years. I can feel it. Though I haven’t gained weight (per Dr. visits) I am sore, don’t sleep as well and find myself to be a touch, just a touch irritable. Ok, maybe a little, all right a lot more than a touch, enough to know I need to ride. So if you are starting out or still at the beginning of your cycling journey, be advised it is hard for all of us to get moving after awhile off. The Pros and their trainers swear by big layoffs. When you are not a Pro, have a busy life with kids, get ill and in general have to personally deal with the day in and day out quirks of life, it is difficult. I will say, that when you return from your first ride this season, it all comes back. Whether it is a ride around the block, 5 miles or 60, the feeling of the freedom, the head clearing and that full body warm feeling will be there and you will be back on your road to physical health and mental wellbeing. I know my pneumonia has passed; we will be pushing the 60’s most of the week on the east side of the Rocky Mountains so I will be starting March off on my way to 2011 miles this year.
Till Next Time
Ride Warm, Ride Safe, Ride Fast, but Ride
G
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
The Ideal Log Book
Yes, the “ideal” log book. I use a 12 column account and record book that can be found at any respectful supplier of office supplies, including drug and grocery stores. 12 columns are not necessary the books come in 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 as well as the 12 column books. One book will get you through three or four years depending how much you ride. I lay out the pre-printed columns with the following headings;
Date, Route, Time, Ave Temp, Trip, Running OD, Ave Speed, Max Speed, Ave Cadence, Max Cadence, ET, and Notes. This year I am thinking of going back to a heart rate monitor and add that.
The log book by hand has a lot of positive sides to it, especially individuality. You have the ability to be very specific in what your own goals are and how you feel is the best way to measure your progress. That alone is an enormous positive. Throw in, you can sit down during your cool down meal, mine is a can of Tuna or mix up some veggies and eggs, and that tilts to the positive side of the scale. You can do this without the cost of buying a book by simply using an excel spread sheet but that has a whole list of pros and cons in itself.
Done by hand to your individual specifications, you get a good read out of your performance and improvement, all in black and white, right in front of you. On the down side you may come to find what you thought you were doing may not have been true. A personal bummer, and apology to any one that has been keeping up with my words of debatable wisdom. I did my year end stats and had an unpleasant surprise. To start with, in my last post I said January was the first month I had not rode in, in over 2 years. Adding up my yearly averages I realized I did not ride in February 2010. I also found a mathematical error and did not ride the 1747 miles I posted I had. I rode 1684. My iffy-Jiffy log book also busted my bubble that I had improved in leaps and bounds. I did improve and if you look over what the results actually say it may be different than the bottom line. I have found through years of experience that the bottom line is only good if you know how you got there, keep that in mind Managers. My yearly bottom line told me I was below last year’s in all categories I use. There were a lot of minus 0.1 and 0.2’s so nothing really extreme. Then it hit me, which is where you must know where your bottom line came from. My totals were for 11 months comparing them to 12 months so my bottom line…………is actually in the positives not negative.
The upside of the online logs, their fun, especially if you want to let the world know your being active. It can maintain that social network mentality of this particular decade. Like anything else they have the cons. They can take up a lot of time when you start perusing the possibilities and contacts you can make. Then if you have a wireless bike computer and are using one of the previous on line logs I discussed you should hand right the results down first anyway. My tall son found that if you set your wireless computer down, next to your lap top or desk top, to record your stats to your preferred log, your bike computer goes wild, racks up the miles and some great speeds. Say What?............If you have a Wi-Fi system in your house, your favorite coffee stop and even your bike shop it will affect the wireless bike computer, it runs off an attached Wi-Fi sending unit so be careful about those free Wi-Fi areas and where you lean your bike. So if you are riding along and suddenly averaging 50 mph and a 199 rpm cadence you may look around for an establishment with a strong Wi-Fi signal. There is a bike path in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that climbs up to the Garden of The Gods, it passes behind HP, the computer company, for about a half mile and it will even freak a wired bike computer.
As a side note to training logs, I even add when I replace parts, so I know the mileage I got out of them as well as tune-ups and even when I cleaned and oiled my chain. Either way you feel like going, a training log is a wealth of information, Information that will help you meet your goals. I use both types and all 3 that I have discussed, I have way to much time on my hands.
Till Next Time
Ride Fast As You Are Able, Ride Warm, Ride Safe, But Ride
G
Date, Route, Time, Ave Temp, Trip, Running OD, Ave Speed, Max Speed, Ave Cadence, Max Cadence, ET, and Notes. This year I am thinking of going back to a heart rate monitor and add that.
The log book by hand has a lot of positive sides to it, especially individuality. You have the ability to be very specific in what your own goals are and how you feel is the best way to measure your progress. That alone is an enormous positive. Throw in, you can sit down during your cool down meal, mine is a can of Tuna or mix up some veggies and eggs, and that tilts to the positive side of the scale. You can do this without the cost of buying a book by simply using an excel spread sheet but that has a whole list of pros and cons in itself.
Done by hand to your individual specifications, you get a good read out of your performance and improvement, all in black and white, right in front of you. On the down side you may come to find what you thought you were doing may not have been true. A personal bummer, and apology to any one that has been keeping up with my words of debatable wisdom. I did my year end stats and had an unpleasant surprise. To start with, in my last post I said January was the first month I had not rode in, in over 2 years. Adding up my yearly averages I realized I did not ride in February 2010. I also found a mathematical error and did not ride the 1747 miles I posted I had. I rode 1684. My iffy-Jiffy log book also busted my bubble that I had improved in leaps and bounds. I did improve and if you look over what the results actually say it may be different than the bottom line. I have found through years of experience that the bottom line is only good if you know how you got there, keep that in mind Managers. My yearly bottom line told me I was below last year’s in all categories I use. There were a lot of minus 0.1 and 0.2’s so nothing really extreme. Then it hit me, which is where you must know where your bottom line came from. My totals were for 11 months comparing them to 12 months so my bottom line…………is actually in the positives not negative.
The upside of the online logs, their fun, especially if you want to let the world know your being active. It can maintain that social network mentality of this particular decade. Like anything else they have the cons. They can take up a lot of time when you start perusing the possibilities and contacts you can make. Then if you have a wireless bike computer and are using one of the previous on line logs I discussed you should hand right the results down first anyway. My tall son found that if you set your wireless computer down, next to your lap top or desk top, to record your stats to your preferred log, your bike computer goes wild, racks up the miles and some great speeds. Say What?............If you have a Wi-Fi system in your house, your favorite coffee stop and even your bike shop it will affect the wireless bike computer, it runs off an attached Wi-Fi sending unit so be careful about those free Wi-Fi areas and where you lean your bike. So if you are riding along and suddenly averaging 50 mph and a 199 rpm cadence you may look around for an establishment with a strong Wi-Fi signal. There is a bike path in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that climbs up to the Garden of The Gods, it passes behind HP, the computer company, for about a half mile and it will even freak a wired bike computer.
As a side note to training logs, I even add when I replace parts, so I know the mileage I got out of them as well as tune-ups and even when I cleaned and oiled my chain. Either way you feel like going, a training log is a wealth of information, Information that will help you meet your goals. I use both types and all 3 that I have discussed, I have way to much time on my hands.
Till Next Time
Ride Fast As You Are Able, Ride Warm, Ride Safe, But Ride
G
Sunday, January 30, 2011
This Is The Time to Start A Training Log
We touched the 60’s over this past Friday and Saturday. We almost broke a 100 year high record here in Denver, and would you believe over 200 inches of snow In Steamboat. Yes beautiful weather and I lay flat on my back with phenomena. Yes with every breath taken it sounds like I’m gargling, as I watched the groups of cyclists going by. Like I say timing is everything.
While I have been attempting to get around this week, I got out my log book to close out 2010 and get ready for 2011. Looking back through there was good news as well as disappointing. The most disappointing is the fact this will be the first month I haven’t rode in, in over two years. I enjoyed looking back at rides with fond memories of friends and the boys. The bright spot is to be able to see the improvements that are right there in black and white and cannot be disputed. Having a log book that documents effort and improvement is one of the best motivators there are. You may forget about the little victories but when you have the ability to lay them out in front of you, it opens the world before you as to what you can accomplish. This will be a big year on the bike.
There are a few good ways to have a log, I’m going to give you my favorite 2 online sites that are free. The tall son likes Daily Mile (www.dailymile.com) and I used it the last half of the year. It keeps a running account of your mileage with some fun things thrown in, but very basic. You have your choice of activities, i.e.; running, walking, cycling, weight lifting or other exercise. Drop down menus let you pick your sport, and then fill in where you, in my case, cycled, your distance, your time, and how you felt. It gives you a good space to write about the workout and if you click on more details you have more choices, including heart rate to add. It gives you a calorie burn rate for what you have done and you can post it publicly for all to see. At this point it becomes a minor social network without a lot of the annoyances. There are communities where you can get that have challenges. The challenges are fun and let you measure your mileage against others from around the world. I am in two, 2011 miles in 2011 and 1500 miles in a year (this one with my 10 year old). They have a very large assortment to fit all fitness levels. The down side is, people may fudge to make their selves look better than they might really be. A couple of examples are a rider in Newcastle GB who has already rode 690 miles this month. A rider from Vancouver who has put on 898 miles or the two from Indiana that have rode 415 and 370 respectfully. I am not calling them untruthful, there are some extreme riders out there and I respect the hell out of them but I did check what the weather has been in those places and I am, personally, not buying all of what I read. This translates to, there are people who will attempt to win absolutely nothing at any cost and the real efforts are lost in the shuffle. You all have just had a face come to mind.
The other good online log book is through Bicycling (www.bicycling.com) a training log link is on the home page. What I feel is a drawback, a few too many key strokes to get to your own log. Once you get there it is straight forward, no communities or challenges just your stats. It keeps an upfront visible log of your weekly, monthly and year to date mileage. A fun thing is the total Stats in time, hours, minutes, and seconds then converts it to days. You can look at your week in a graph that is set up for what you would like shown. You may also add your routes which is easy if you have a Garmin computer that downloads. If not you are given the tools to make them from scratch on the site. That is not always user friendly and the programs satellite is about a year or so behind so you may not find your route or path. I used this for about 9 months and was happy.
They both work well and are actually fun to use and keep your rides documented. The Daily Mile challenges will not accept anything prior to the time you start a challenge but both have the ability to add previous workouts in. My favorite is a hand written log and I will talk more about that later this week.
Till Then
Ride Safe, Ride Warm, Ride Fast As You Can, But Ride
G
While I have been attempting to get around this week, I got out my log book to close out 2010 and get ready for 2011. Looking back through there was good news as well as disappointing. The most disappointing is the fact this will be the first month I haven’t rode in, in over two years. I enjoyed looking back at rides with fond memories of friends and the boys. The bright spot is to be able to see the improvements that are right there in black and white and cannot be disputed. Having a log book that documents effort and improvement is one of the best motivators there are. You may forget about the little victories but when you have the ability to lay them out in front of you, it opens the world before you as to what you can accomplish. This will be a big year on the bike.
There are a few good ways to have a log, I’m going to give you my favorite 2 online sites that are free. The tall son likes Daily Mile (www.dailymile.com) and I used it the last half of the year. It keeps a running account of your mileage with some fun things thrown in, but very basic. You have your choice of activities, i.e.; running, walking, cycling, weight lifting or other exercise. Drop down menus let you pick your sport, and then fill in where you, in my case, cycled, your distance, your time, and how you felt. It gives you a good space to write about the workout and if you click on more details you have more choices, including heart rate to add. It gives you a calorie burn rate for what you have done and you can post it publicly for all to see. At this point it becomes a minor social network without a lot of the annoyances. There are communities where you can get that have challenges. The challenges are fun and let you measure your mileage against others from around the world. I am in two, 2011 miles in 2011 and 1500 miles in a year (this one with my 10 year old). They have a very large assortment to fit all fitness levels. The down side is, people may fudge to make their selves look better than they might really be. A couple of examples are a rider in Newcastle GB who has already rode 690 miles this month. A rider from Vancouver who has put on 898 miles or the two from Indiana that have rode 415 and 370 respectfully. I am not calling them untruthful, there are some extreme riders out there and I respect the hell out of them but I did check what the weather has been in those places and I am, personally, not buying all of what I read. This translates to, there are people who will attempt to win absolutely nothing at any cost and the real efforts are lost in the shuffle. You all have just had a face come to mind.
The other good online log book is through Bicycling (www.bicycling.com) a training log link is on the home page. What I feel is a drawback, a few too many key strokes to get to your own log. Once you get there it is straight forward, no communities or challenges just your stats. It keeps an upfront visible log of your weekly, monthly and year to date mileage. A fun thing is the total Stats in time, hours, minutes, and seconds then converts it to days. You can look at your week in a graph that is set up for what you would like shown. You may also add your routes which is easy if you have a Garmin computer that downloads. If not you are given the tools to make them from scratch on the site. That is not always user friendly and the programs satellite is about a year or so behind so you may not find your route or path. I used this for about 9 months and was happy.
They both work well and are actually fun to use and keep your rides documented. The Daily Mile challenges will not accept anything prior to the time you start a challenge but both have the ability to add previous workouts in. My favorite is a hand written log and I will talk more about that later this week.
Till Then
Ride Safe, Ride Warm, Ride Fast As You Can, But Ride
G
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Road Bike vs. Cycle Cross Bike
I was reading a self proclaimed cycling expert, I’m not an expert just opinionated, answer to a 50 year young lady, who was asking what would be a good road bike for her to start cycling after years of running. She lived in an area that had quite a few integrated bike trails with a system that incorporated cement, asphalt and very fine hard packed grave. Her Husband was an avid cyclist but she was not looking for something as expensive or performance orientated as his. She had quite a few answers which gave her some nice choices and pros and cons of the different bikes out there. A lot of people said to look at and ride a cycle cross bike, fondly known as just a cross bike. Without going into the “Experts”, who happened to be a physiologist who is a bicycle and ski boot salesman that rides 10,000 miles a year, in Michigan, all according to his profile, he did not seem to know what a cross bike was. He advised against the cross bike because “they are light mountain bike, resembling a road bike, with narrow mountain bike tires”.
Now having a cross bike myself, his description irked me to say the least. Then I started thinking, I have had a lot of riders, at rest stops, ask if my Specialized Tri-cross was a new type of hybrid. Cycle Cross bikes are not new to the USA, but are not real common place either. Cycle Cross racing has just started catching on over the last 5 years and bringing the bikes more into view of the riding public. At first look they are nothing but a road bike with a higher handlebar stem.
In reality they have some other distinct differences also. A more relaxed riding position, simplified as a shorter top bar on the frame. This lets the rider sit up a little more upright rather than in a racer aerodynamic stretched out position. The overall frame geometry is not overly extreme in any direction to make it work efficiently on any type of road and the option of wider tires lets you choose what works the best for you where you are riding. You see the heart of a Cycle Cross bike is off road mud racing. The front forks and the rear stays are a little wider spaced than a traditional road bike to clear mud build up. This gives the owner the option of high performance 700x23mm road racing tires or up to about 700x42mm with little knobby things that grip fantastically in the snow or on loose gravel. I ride on a 700x32mm with a slight tread that works well on all surfaces other than deep sand. A closer look and you may see that the front chain rings appear a little smaller that your typical road bike. They are, the typical big chain ring is a 52 tooth job that gives you some really rip roaring speed if you can get it going. A Cycle Cross bike’s big ring is usually 48 tooth which gives me a steady, with a slight decline and long flat 20-25 mph. You need to realize that I cannot keep up with my son on his flat bar road bike, but I have been known to hit a blazing 34 mph on a nice downhill. Due to they are built to race in the mud on a closed circuit track, they are built strong and durable. Strong and durable does not translate to heavy. My middle of the line Tri-cross with 32mm Specialized Armadillo tires, two water bottle cages and a under the seat tool bag and junk, wired computer with cadence weighs in at a whopping 20 lbs. The flat bar road bike my son kicks my butt on with wired computer and two bottle cages weigh in at about 30 lbs. Now on the other end of the spectrum and not even at the other end, is my son’s new Ridley Cross Fire, a high middle range Cross bike. A Full carbon fiber, frame, fork, and seat post with two imitation carbon fiber bottle cages, and a wireless computer, a disgusting 15 lbs. Please someone rich adopt me.
Bottom line, ride what you’re comfortable on but keep an open mind. If you have made a lot of modifications to your road ride whether it be a road, hybrid or flat bar bike take a test spin on a Cross bike next time you are at your favorite dealer. I believe you will find they make an extremely comfortable ride and there are even a couple of manufactures that are putting on front and rear rack mounts for serious traveling.
One last bit of advice, watch the “self proclaimed experts”. Take what you read, hear or are told from anyone, with a grain of salt or two.
Till Next Time
Ride Fast As You Can, Ride Safe, Ride Warm but Ride
“G”
Now having a cross bike myself, his description irked me to say the least. Then I started thinking, I have had a lot of riders, at rest stops, ask if my Specialized Tri-cross was a new type of hybrid. Cycle Cross bikes are not new to the USA, but are not real common place either. Cycle Cross racing has just started catching on over the last 5 years and bringing the bikes more into view of the riding public. At first look they are nothing but a road bike with a higher handlebar stem.
In reality they have some other distinct differences also. A more relaxed riding position, simplified as a shorter top bar on the frame. This lets the rider sit up a little more upright rather than in a racer aerodynamic stretched out position. The overall frame geometry is not overly extreme in any direction to make it work efficiently on any type of road and the option of wider tires lets you choose what works the best for you where you are riding. You see the heart of a Cycle Cross bike is off road mud racing. The front forks and the rear stays are a little wider spaced than a traditional road bike to clear mud build up. This gives the owner the option of high performance 700x23mm road racing tires or up to about 700x42mm with little knobby things that grip fantastically in the snow or on loose gravel. I ride on a 700x32mm with a slight tread that works well on all surfaces other than deep sand. A closer look and you may see that the front chain rings appear a little smaller that your typical road bike. They are, the typical big chain ring is a 52 tooth job that gives you some really rip roaring speed if you can get it going. A Cycle Cross bike’s big ring is usually 48 tooth which gives me a steady, with a slight decline and long flat 20-25 mph. You need to realize that I cannot keep up with my son on his flat bar road bike, but I have been known to hit a blazing 34 mph on a nice downhill. Due to they are built to race in the mud on a closed circuit track, they are built strong and durable. Strong and durable does not translate to heavy. My middle of the line Tri-cross with 32mm Specialized Armadillo tires, two water bottle cages and a under the seat tool bag and junk, wired computer with cadence weighs in at a whopping 20 lbs. The flat bar road bike my son kicks my butt on with wired computer and two bottle cages weigh in at about 30 lbs. Now on the other end of the spectrum and not even at the other end, is my son’s new Ridley Cross Fire, a high middle range Cross bike. A Full carbon fiber, frame, fork, and seat post with two imitation carbon fiber bottle cages, and a wireless computer, a disgusting 15 lbs. Please someone rich adopt me.
Bottom line, ride what you’re comfortable on but keep an open mind. If you have made a lot of modifications to your road ride whether it be a road, hybrid or flat bar bike take a test spin on a Cross bike next time you are at your favorite dealer. I believe you will find they make an extremely comfortable ride and there are even a couple of manufactures that are putting on front and rear rack mounts for serious traveling.
One last bit of advice, watch the “self proclaimed experts”. Take what you read, hear or are told from anyone, with a grain of salt or two.
Till Next Time
Ride Fast As You Can, Ride Safe, Ride Warm but Ride
“G”
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Cold Weather, Thoughts Turn to Diet
Happy New Year!
How about this date, 1-11-11, cool. As I lay here on the couch comfortable dressed, for being alone, and a touch cold, listening to the rhythm of the washing machine doing its thing, looking out the window at the beautiful white settings of my back yard, I think about the lack of riding I’m doing and the effect it will have.
Good news and bad news on that. It has been proven that time off of the bike can actually be an advantage. It gives the muscles a chance to get a good rest, refresh and regenerate. The bad news to that is you go longer than a month and you may be starting from square one again. The good news, here in Colorado, is that though the streets and paths are still ice packed, they will soon be open again. As far as the weather, right now I’m looking at 9 degrees, it will be in the 50’s by the end of the week. It may be only for a day or two but there will be ridable surfaces and temperatures for us Recreational riders during every week of winter.
Not exercising can cause a concern for all the weight you have lost through bicycling. I, personally, have fallen back to the South Beach diet that jump started my metabolism moving awhile back. I don’t go back to week one, I just stay a little truer to the maintenance. It consists of eggs, lean meat and other good protein high fiber as well as lots of fruit veggies and snacks of yogurt, nuts and cheese and even some carbs. It is not difficult when you have those choices. If you are comfortable with what you have lost before the cold set in, stick with the diet of your choice, for two of the three meals and snacks a day, that way you can splurge on the meal of your choice. South Beach, which by the way I have absolutely no connections with, has a meal replacement bar that is fantastic. Not only is it really good, it is very filling as well and 12grams of protein. My 16 year old loves them, and they are great to take on a long ride. They satisfy the hunger, give you energy and don’t make you feel stuffed. An added plus is they are approved by the American Diabetes Association.
Don’t get me wrong you cannot stop exercising all together. This is a good time to start strength work. A few simple dumbbells and maybe a yoga ball will do wonders. You will not get muscle bound but you will tone that weight you have lost by working with light weight and many repetitions. I have started doing some bicycle specific back exercises with the yoga ball and have thrown in some dumbbell work on it also, to help with core muscles (Fat Belly) and balance.
Put this all together and you can enjoy life maintain what you have lost, stay warm and be able to splurge a few extra calories once in awhile. If you want to partake in coffee and a bagel with some bicycle or life talk, drop me a note and we will do that.
Till Next Time
Ride Far, Ride Fast as You Can, Ride Warm, But Ride.
“G”
How about this date, 1-11-11, cool. As I lay here on the couch comfortable dressed, for being alone, and a touch cold, listening to the rhythm of the washing machine doing its thing, looking out the window at the beautiful white settings of my back yard, I think about the lack of riding I’m doing and the effect it will have.
Good news and bad news on that. It has been proven that time off of the bike can actually be an advantage. It gives the muscles a chance to get a good rest, refresh and regenerate. The bad news to that is you go longer than a month and you may be starting from square one again. The good news, here in Colorado, is that though the streets and paths are still ice packed, they will soon be open again. As far as the weather, right now I’m looking at 9 degrees, it will be in the 50’s by the end of the week. It may be only for a day or two but there will be ridable surfaces and temperatures for us Recreational riders during every week of winter.
Not exercising can cause a concern for all the weight you have lost through bicycling. I, personally, have fallen back to the South Beach diet that jump started my metabolism moving awhile back. I don’t go back to week one, I just stay a little truer to the maintenance. It consists of eggs, lean meat and other good protein high fiber as well as lots of fruit veggies and snacks of yogurt, nuts and cheese and even some carbs. It is not difficult when you have those choices. If you are comfortable with what you have lost before the cold set in, stick with the diet of your choice, for two of the three meals and snacks a day, that way you can splurge on the meal of your choice. South Beach, which by the way I have absolutely no connections with, has a meal replacement bar that is fantastic. Not only is it really good, it is very filling as well and 12grams of protein. My 16 year old loves them, and they are great to take on a long ride. They satisfy the hunger, give you energy and don’t make you feel stuffed. An added plus is they are approved by the American Diabetes Association.
Don’t get me wrong you cannot stop exercising all together. This is a good time to start strength work. A few simple dumbbells and maybe a yoga ball will do wonders. You will not get muscle bound but you will tone that weight you have lost by working with light weight and many repetitions. I have started doing some bicycle specific back exercises with the yoga ball and have thrown in some dumbbell work on it also, to help with core muscles (Fat Belly) and balance.
Put this all together and you can enjoy life maintain what you have lost, stay warm and be able to splurge a few extra calories once in awhile. If you want to partake in coffee and a bagel with some bicycle or life talk, drop me a note and we will do that.
Till Next Time
Ride Far, Ride Fast as You Can, Ride Warm, But Ride.
“G”
Monday, December 20, 2010
No I Haven’t Blogged in A Month, Give Me A Break
Give me a break, it’s a crazy holiday season and a time of the year that no one should really have the time to be reading such smatterings of rambling nonsense. After all there is food to prepare, guest to entertain, shopping for that special item for that special person, not to mention a rare lunar eclipse. Throw in being the “Team Mom” for your 10 year olds basketball team can just run a house husband ragged. With the hustle and bustle of the season I foresee a nice relaxing ride on Christmas Day before I prepare my goose less hunk of meat and the typical side dishes, to make a colorful presentation, to offer up to juveniles that only want to be bothered if there is a newly found present to unwrap that may have been previously lost in the piles of wrapping paper thrown about. Yes Mothers of the world, I have true and sincere empathy for you.
Well my break is over, the eclipse will soon arrive and there are boxes Santa needs to finish wrapping while Mrs. Clause is putting finishing touches on presents Santa needs to take to the neighbors. So for you die hard followers, thank you, and may your stocking be filled with the latest cycling gadget you have dreamed of and have a,
Till Next Year
Ride Safe, Ride Warm, But Ride
“G”
Well my break is over, the eclipse will soon arrive and there are boxes Santa needs to finish wrapping while Mrs. Clause is putting finishing touches on presents Santa needs to take to the neighbors. So for you die hard followers, thank you, and may your stocking be filled with the latest cycling gadget you have dreamed of and have a,
Very Merry Christmas and a Safe Healthy New Year
Till Next Year
Ride Safe, Ride Warm, But Ride
“G”
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Cyclocross in Arapahoe County Colorado
On November 20, 2010, at about 7:00 AM cyclists of all sizes and ages made their way through the fog in the 20 degree weather to converge on the Arapahoe County Community Park. Why are these crazies doing this? The “Alphacross”, a Colorado Cross Cup event of the 2010-11 Cyclocross series, sponsored in part by Alpha Bicycle Company of Centennial.
What is a Cyclocross you ask? Good question but difficult to answer. A cycling sport, that starts in the late fall and into the winter, when normal everyday cyclist wrap their selves in layers of warm clothing and ride around a closed, off road course, on what appears to be expensive European road racing bicycles to have the time of their life. Now that is probably not an exact purist definition, but to the laymen recreational rider it sure sums it up.
The races, of various timed lengths, anywhere from twenty minutes for the junior class, 8 and 9 year olds, to forty-five minutes for the serious levels of the experts. Yes 8 & 9 year olds and believe me they are fast, well equipped and are having a ball, even at thirty two degrees when their race started at 8:31 AM. After observing a Cyclocross at the Centennial City Hall, my tall son wanted to try one. The “Alphacross” held a “Newbies” race which was just a handful of those present, doing thirty minutes around the approximately mile and a half course. The “Newbies” start time was scheduled for 7:50 AM the riders were whistled off, to start the day of racing, at 8:01 AM. The fog was thick and from the starting line, you could not really see where you turned out of the parking lot and on to the course, but the seven riders were guaranteed they would be able to see it when they got there. My son only made about a half a lap before he could not feel his fingers and was not sure if he was squeezing the breaks or not. Being on one of his teachers, very expensive, carbon fiber, competition Cyclocross bike he felt it might be wise not to destroy it. A friend that we sometimes ride with finished but became so cold she was unaware of hitting her shins on her pedals, causing multiple bruising, until she was home and thawed out. A note to self for next year, start collecting cold weather riding gear.
The course was very professionally laid out by the Alpha Bicycle Company and was available to pre-ride the course, the afternoon prior to the event, which, both of my boys and I did take advantage of. Alpha arranged for a free pancake breakfast, some vendors, and a jump house for the kids when they were done and Mom and Dad were riding their races. Yes this was a full out family outing of great camaraderie and just plain fun for family and friends. The event could be as short as a couple of hours or spend the whole day. The last 45 minute race went out at 3:46 PM. If this sport peaks your interest, check out the American Cycling Association’s web site (www.americancycling.com ) for a race near you. This is a very large sport in Europe and has been catching on here in the States over the last ten years.
Since I mentioned Alpha Bicycle Company as a sponsor, I should mention that they were assisted in that sponsorship, by the Groove Automotive Group, United Health Care, Raleigh Cycles and Moots Hand Built Cycles.
Till Next Time
Ride Safe, Ride Warm, But Ride
“G”
What is a Cyclocross you ask? Good question but difficult to answer. A cycling sport, that starts in the late fall and into the winter, when normal everyday cyclist wrap their selves in layers of warm clothing and ride around a closed, off road course, on what appears to be expensive European road racing bicycles to have the time of their life. Now that is probably not an exact purist definition, but to the laymen recreational rider it sure sums it up.
The races, of various timed lengths, anywhere from twenty minutes for the junior class, 8 and 9 year olds, to forty-five minutes for the serious levels of the experts. Yes 8 & 9 year olds and believe me they are fast, well equipped and are having a ball, even at thirty two degrees when their race started at 8:31 AM. After observing a Cyclocross at the Centennial City Hall, my tall son wanted to try one. The “Alphacross” held a “Newbies” race which was just a handful of those present, doing thirty minutes around the approximately mile and a half course. The “Newbies” start time was scheduled for 7:50 AM the riders were whistled off, to start the day of racing, at 8:01 AM. The fog was thick and from the starting line, you could not really see where you turned out of the parking lot and on to the course, but the seven riders were guaranteed they would be able to see it when they got there. My son only made about a half a lap before he could not feel his fingers and was not sure if he was squeezing the breaks or not. Being on one of his teachers, very expensive, carbon fiber, competition Cyclocross bike he felt it might be wise not to destroy it. A friend that we sometimes ride with finished but became so cold she was unaware of hitting her shins on her pedals, causing multiple bruising, until she was home and thawed out. A note to self for next year, start collecting cold weather riding gear.
The course was very professionally laid out by the Alpha Bicycle Company and was available to pre-ride the course, the afternoon prior to the event, which, both of my boys and I did take advantage of. Alpha arranged for a free pancake breakfast, some vendors, and a jump house for the kids when they were done and Mom and Dad were riding their races. Yes this was a full out family outing of great camaraderie and just plain fun for family and friends. The event could be as short as a couple of hours or spend the whole day. The last 45 minute race went out at 3:46 PM. If this sport peaks your interest, check out the American Cycling Association’s web site (www.americancycling.com ) for a race near you. This is a very large sport in Europe and has been catching on here in the States over the last ten years.
Since I mentioned Alpha Bicycle Company as a sponsor, I should mention that they were assisted in that sponsorship, by the Groove Automotive Group, United Health Care, Raleigh Cycles and Moots Hand Built Cycles.
Till Next Time
Ride Safe, Ride Warm, But Ride
“G”
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