Life changing

That's what I've described the modification of my blood pressure medication to friends as. About a year ago, I started on a blood pressure medicine to combat my hereditary hyper-tension. It helped somewhat, but didn't get the numbers to where my doctor wanted them to be. My  weight is only about 10 lbs over goal and I both eat a healthy (mostly) diet and get exercise. Instead of upping the dosage again on the drug, he added a second element that works as a blood vessel dilator. To be honest, I don't think it's helped with my blood pressure, BUT, it has helped in several important ways. For one, my habitually cold hands and feet are now warm to normal human temperature. For another, blood flow to my heart is better and my athletic performance is notably better. For the third, I have a much greater sense of well being. Instead of going through the motions of exercise and riding my bike, I wake up looking forward to it each time. I'm really, really happy about it. I may not live any longer, but I am sure enjoying the life I live more. And, my BP is lower than it was. So that may help with more years to enjoy the company of loved ones and friends too.

Speaking of cycling, I've been busy. As the new RBA for Alabama in Randonneurs USA, I've organized a 100K and a 200K and have a 300K ride to administer coming in 2 weeks. I've also ridden several permanent populaires, as I work on a P-12 award with 2 cycling buddies from Auburn. This will be my first RUSA award. I even bought the jersey. My 1st non wool purchase in many years!

The old 1980 Nashbar Mark III (UJB, by Maruishi for Arnie Nashbar) got fresh paint from an excellent nearby source and was rebuilt as a Riv-ish tourer. Gone are the mustache bars and ancient 105 double drive train. The cockpit and drive train from the Saluki frame set only sold last year to Kellie (who has done a lovely job in re configuring that bike) went on this bike, along with a neat decal "Old Man Peterson's Ferrous Velocipedes". The old head tube ornamentation was just a decal which was stripped off in the paint  process. Jeff's  pewter "Madonna del Ghisallo" head badge takes its place. No Roman Catholic here, but the image of Mary and Jesus inside a chain ring is cool.  Here's a picture of the bike, now dubbed "Ferrous Bueller."

I think it really came out well and I've ridden it on two brevets since the rebuild. It's very comfortable. I ride less with the local club these days. Out of town most weeks, and schedule competition with rando events cut into club ride time. It's still nice to get out with the gang when I can though. This week, I worked in the Montgomery/Selma/Birmingham area so I was able to get to the Tuesday and Thursday evening rides. They were very enjoyable and well attended. Yesterday was a 41 mile club ride and my first on a tandem. I stoked for Max and we are going to carry that forward to next weekend's Dothan Tri-States century ride. It was a good workout, and we went faster than I would have solo. Tomorrow is the annual Memorial Day Metric. Ferrous gets the nod as steed of the day. I'm hoping for nice weather and a pleasant pedal. Kathy has threatened to keep me company in the rear of the pack too so i won't ALWAYS be straining for a glimpse of taillights in the distance. My average pace is up a little, but this ride is hilly and it will get hot so I don't expect a fast ride. The next two weeks should give faster times due to the layout of the routes.

It's nice to find satisfaction in riding again. Nice to pedal new roads and find new friends. Nice to enjoy time with old friends on well worn routes too. It's just good. :)

Tailwinds

Sportease Cycling lights Review

Last year, Stephen Dionne of Sportease World (Ontario Canada) contacted me (as ride chair of the local bike club) about some tail lights his company had made but couldn't sell for some reason. We never did connect on that, but I heard from him again a week ago regarding some new products. I was offered a good discount to buy and try their new headlight and they tossed in a free tail light to seal the deal. I bit on the bait and the items were promptly delivered to my door. My review of each follows. Sportease is a small company founded by Stephen and his wife. He describes himself as an avid cyclist who wrecked on a ride and broke ribs and collarbone because he couldn't see a pothole at night and who wanted a better light for less $ than what he found in the current marketplace. Both items reviewed below have a definite quality feel to them.

1.) The Mini Beacon Headlight. This small unit is impressive. It attaches via a rubber O-ring. The box should contain 4 of different sizes of them (mine had none, but I found one to use in my excess bike parts bin. They are mailing me the ones missing) to fit various sizes of tubing. The unit has a solid strong feel to it. It is made of machined aluminum. It comes in a durable zippered box that fits a plug in recharger, a USB recharger and a helmet mount. The supplied rechargeable battery is a lithium model. It comes in a fabric case that has velcro so you mount it on the bike by wrapping the case around the bike tube of choice and then securing with the velcro. This is okay, but the case cannot be tightly attached this way and the battery slides down towards a bottle cage when put on the seat tube. The battery holder needs a shaped piece of rubber so it can grip the tube, IMO. I took the battery out of the fabric case and tested it bare, securing it with a Dinotte (another brand of bike lite) battery velcro strap.  That was much better. The battery comes with a long cable. This allows you to place it anywhere you want and still reach the headlight mounted on a handlebar or you can wear the battery on your belt and mount the light to your helmet. I had mine on the seat tube and wound the cable around my top tube a few turns which worked perfectly. It did not get in the way of my usual frame pump under the top tube also.
    The light has 4 modes. High (1000 lumens), Medium (600 lumens) and low (300 Lumens) steady beams plus a flash mode (1000 lumens). Battery life is 6 hrs on high and longer on each of the other options. The power button illuminates blue for easy location at night and to tell you that you have enough battery. It turns red when your charge gets low (30% of charge) which is your warning that you have only 30 minutes left of charge. In fact you can do a battery test to see how much you have.  Simple button pushes cycle you through all the choices. On a day light ride yesterday, my faster buddies got way out ahead me. They said that looking back, they couldn't see me, but they sure could see the light flashing. At night, on a dark street, the medium setting lights up a full lane width of road, while high lights up the entire road ahead. Really lights it up. Low would only be useful for urban riding with good street lighting or if riding in a group where many lights provide plenty of illumination.
     The light unit stayed in place on the handlebars despite bumps in the road. The battery pack slid down and stopped at the water bottle cage, but did not get in the way of pedaling at any time. On balance, this is a seriously good light at a reasonable price. The lithium battery keeps the weight low too. The storage box is better than expected. One nit pick; The very skimpy instruction sheet has tiny print if your eyes are old like mine. Overall, a recommended buy. Info here:

http://sporteaseworld.com/product/mini-beacon-headlamp/  (buy it on Amazon)

2.) The Flare Tail light. This ingenious little light is not bright enough for daytime use but is fine for hours of darkness. It has a spring loaded gripper and you squeeze the two legs to open the gripper which then grabs your seat post or other tube when you let go. It has an internal USB charged lithium battery and comes with a charging cable, although it works with the cables that come with many phones and other devices. The two legs each have multiple LEDs and there are two settings of steady light and a flash mode. I show only a handful of seatpost and that is filled by an underseat saddle bag, so I attached mine to the seat tube. Because seat tubes are angled, the light faces slightly down. This did not diminish the night time visibility much. Also, there seemed little difference at a distance in how bright the two settings appear, so I use the low setting for longer battery life. The gripper is rubber lined and will not mar the bike tube. This light has no reflector area, so you still need a red rear reflector to be legal on the roadway at night. Some tailights have both a light and a reflector (which  has to meet state requirements. In Alabama: "red reflector on the rear of a type approved by the department which shall be visible from all distances from 100 feet to 600 feet to the rear when directly in front of lawful lower beams of head lamps on a motor vehicle. A lamp emitting a red light visible from a distance of 500 feet to the rear may be used in addition to the red reflector."  Code 32-5A-265)  This light is visible for 1/4 mile or more behind the bike. When your battery gets low, the unit blinks rapidly to tell you that you are at 20% of charge.
Package Data:
Weight is 50 grams
60 lumens on High steady.
30 lumens on Mid steady.
60 lumens of flash.
6+ hours in High steady
19+ hours in Mid steady
12 hours in Flash

 The best feature of this light is how easy it is to remove it and put on another bike. It would be better with an angled construction that puts the light directly back, but it is still quite visible. 19 hr is a great run time on a usable brightness. Overall, I think this light would be a great buy at a lower price, and is an okay buy at the current price. Something to jump on if on sale or with a coupon. As an aside, with the mini beacon on the bike, this light fits in the beacon's storage case along with the accessories when not in use.

Info Here:

http://www.amazon.com/Sport-ease-World-LED-Flare-Rechargeable/dp/B016FS0OVK

Let me know any questions. I will be using my pair of lights on my week night rides all Summer.

    

Sometimes...

I was telling Kathy R at the ride this morning, "When I picked this route out and posted it on Tuesday night, it seemed like such a good idea. TODAY, I got up and asked myself why I chose a route with HILLS?" No matter, it was a good ride. With cooler air, overcast skies, a breeze, and the threat of hills, I was not going to be surprised if I was the only one to show up and ride today. On the way over, I was already psyching myself up. "You know you need the miles, and the hills will be good," I said to my self. No need, when I got to the start at the high school, there were already 4 other riders and they kept on coming. We ended up, I think, with 15 all told. Great showing. Sometimes the opposite of what you think is what happens, and it's really good. Like the ride. It was a great ride. I stayed within what I could do today, enjoyed it all and didn't finish with tired legs.

Yes, I was too smug in layers of wool that kept me warm/cool enough as the day went on. Nothing needed to be peeled off as I saw lesser kits of synthetics doing all around me when the temps rose. Then put some back on when the clouds and breeze made it too cool. One rider agreed to TRY some wool if I would loan it! ;) Temps in the 50s really are no issue to deal with, right?

It was great to pedal with folks I see seldom these days.  Max, Mike, and John all ended with avg speeds 3 - 5 mph above mine. Tony kept me company (and good company it was too) for a long stretch, but I spent some miles with John R, his wife Kathy, and Wes from Troy too. Others were touched base with at the regroups and rest stops. It all worked out fine.

No dog troubles today, but we did have wayward riders. Our three lawyers all managed to miss the turn off onto CR 85 and pedaled on in to Deatsville. Wonder why only the lawyers got lost. And the number one occupation of  members of Congress is, wait for it, lawyer. Hmmm..

Tony needed fluids at our 2nd store stop and I was going to share a 32 oz bottle with him. It turned out that they had no Powerade Zero, Gatorade G2, or other non sugary stuff in that size. I ended up with a 32 oz regular Powerade for Tony and a small Propel for me.  The line was long at the register, Too long. I looked out the window and saw another line, this one of cyclists, taking off down the road and leaving me behind. One rider stayed back. Tony. After all, I had his Powerade! What is that verse? "No greater love is there than a man stands in line for his friend?" Well no, not really, but it was odd, watching them all pull away.  The cashier noticed too. I assured her that I was the one who knew the route, so they were on their own. Words that came true for the aforementioned attorney types. Speaking of Tony, I did not realize that it was only lately that he saw my October post and the picture of us together in Sellers AL. One of my favorite pictures, two old cycling buddies having a GREAT ride. Tony, on the other hand, thought that it made him look fat. As in, "Honey, does this dress make me look fat?" Well, sorry Big T, the picture stays. It's got a dear friend and me doing something I dearly love and no one who does not ride thinks we look anything but ridiculous in bike clothes, no matter how fat we are or are not. So there.

Speaking of whiners, and you know who you are, we missed you today. No dirt or gravel anywhere to get dust on that pretty bike. So come on out. At least you have a wool jersey going for you, so you have that part right. :)

Thanksgiving is coming up this week, and weather permitting, 4 days in a row of rides! Who's in?

Hello there Blog! Thought I forgot about you, right?

The truth is, I've been too tired when not too busy to write. I've got two vacation days though, while Sharon is up north visiting our grandson (and his parents too) for his birthday. He's an adorable 9 year old today. Anyway, I have a few SLOW minutes and realized, "Hey, I can type out an entry today!"

It's been a good riding year, all things considered. The Alabama Backroads Series has really generated more interest in the various previously unconnected local rides around the state. Ridership is up across the board. Thanks so much to Pixie Hicks for being the dynamo behind this idea. I only rode one of the 13 centuries this year, but pedal partner Candace and I have agreed to do at least 4 in 2016 and earn the coveted Backroads Series Patch. If we get carried away, we may do more. In addition to the one I actually rode, I volunteered at 3 more rides (Selma, Marion, and Montgomery) and rode 2 events not in the series, at Kymulga and the local Lions Club charity for sight outing. I'm more of a cross country rambler anyway, which is why I tossed my name in the hat to take over the AL Regional Brevet Administrator (RBA) job. A great guy and inspirational cyclist, "Fixed Gear Steve" Phillips was our RBA before passing away this year. Solo, self supported riding is in its infancy here and maybe I can pitch in to help it grow. I doubt my stamina for the long hauls, but I can do the shorter ones and facilitate the rides of others on the ones beyond my strength. You'd think that the national agency (RUSA.org) would be happy to have volunteers, but they're actually very picky and they seek to preserve high standards, so I may not get the nod. Regardless, my OTHER pedal partner Angela wants to do a P-12 (a series of a dozen rides of 100 - 200 KM) so I'm already committed to turn the cranks in 2016. 2015 has been an improvement in mileage over 2014 already with a couple of months left to go.

To do that stuff, as well as work on my public cycling safety initiative, I'm stepping down as the chair of the local bike club ride committee. They will be better served by someone who is local more than I am, and who appreciates carbon and clips more than I do. I'll still come out and ride whenever I can, but I won't HAVE to be there, if you know what I mean. In the overall spirit of re-working my cycling, I culled some jerseys and other items I don't wear from the hoard and put them up for sale. It's turned out better than a garage sale! The $ comes in handy and it feels good to have less clutter. There is more out there to clean up though. Does anyone really need a half dozen front deraillers PLUS the ones already on their bikes? And so on.

The cities of Prattville and Millbrook have responded positively to my requests to present public cycling safety instruction through their Parks & Recreation departments. Looks like that will kick off in February. Maybe Wetumpka and Montgomery will get on the bandwagon too. The impetus was seeing a car right hook a casual rider, who was at fault, a few weeks ago.

Cycling continues to be an avenue to reach out to and connect with people. I've had some heartwarming interactions with people recently that still make tremble with awe and appreciation. How do we continue to show the care we exhibit to those stranded road side when we are off our bikes? That's the next challenge. I'm thankful for some of the friends made in my other hobby (pen collecting) too. One in particular really touched me recently. It is a real blessing to have friends. I am thankful for all of them. Here are just two.

It's also still a blessing every time I get on my bike and pedal. I was reminded this weekend that there are those whose circumstances keep them from doing something like this and who would trade places with me gladly. There is a verse in scripture that tells us to learn contentment in our circumstance, whatever it is. It's easy to be content when you have a great family, good friends, and opportunities to spend enjoyable time with both. I pray that I am able to be as content when the deck is not so stacked in my favor.

My 1st Century Ride in 2 years

Saturday was another appearance for me at the Tri-States 100 in Dothan, AL. I consider the ride director to be a friend, and have ridden in the event many (but not all) times since it started up 13 years ago. (http://www.tristates100.com/). I've mostly done the metric century, but have ridden the full 100 miles too, although before there were Backroads Series medals for it.(http://www.alabama-backroads-cycling.com/) The backroads series is a cool concept and has greatly helped promote these events in a state chock full of great places to pedal. (Don't tell too many people that. With AL ranked the 50th most friendly state for cycling, no one thinks we can ride down here)

I knew it was going to be a rushed affair for me. I work in GA most weeks (I've been in NC and SC this week as it happens, but will head back to my GA office before going home) and the long drive home gets me to Prattville at 7 PM. Our usual Friday night dinner date custom has become "meet me at Panera" so we grab some You Pick Twos there and enjoy some social time before arriving to the mad barking of two whacko dogs (73 and 92 lbs each) who are exploding with joy at seeing us. How high can a 92 lb dog jump? You'd be surprised.  Anyway, it was after 8:00 when I put the bike rack on my car, filled water bottles, pulled out the clothes I would ride in, found the garmin, the road ID, made sure I had my gloves and helmet and sun block spray. Took the bike down and checked the air, brakes and chain (ABC quick check, anyone?). Then unpacked from the week, and sat for a few minutes in the recliner before heading to bed because

At 2:30 AM, the alarm was set to go off. I HATE that alarm so I always get up before it sounds. I woke up at 2:21 and started my coffee, and grabbed a bowl of cereal as I flashed through the rest of the get up and go routine. There was even time to read my daily Bible portion (I like and use the M'Chyne system.   No commentary, just readings organized in an interesting way. (http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/one-year-tract/) before heading off to meet Candace at 3:25 by Academy Sports.  We threw her bike on the rack and hit the road for the 2 1/4 hr ride to Dothan.

The ride down was fine and we arrived at the start just 15 minutes after they opened for sign in. Plenty of time meet and greet in the parking lot. Super turn out (28?) of Montgomery area riders in all. I got to meet Alton, who was wearing the same Selma50 jersey that I was, as well as say hi to long time buddies I don't often ride with anymore like Joe. (Because I am so slow). There was plenty of time for a group picture but some confusion as to where to take it. In the end we got many but not all in the picture.

We all look excited and fresh here. It doesn't last :)

I was looking forward to doing this ride. The fact that it has been two years since I've done this distance didn't matter to me. I felt good, had dropped a few pounds and had a confirmed buddy for the trip (Candace). I was surprised throughout the day how awake and energized I felt, other then a few times late in the day when the heat and the wind and climbs and the loss of salt and fluids make me just a tad knocked silly. But brief rests and some drinking fixed that.

The check in went smoothly and the ride start was mishap free. My only gripe is that the picture that I'm in of the start shows me looking down at the pedal strap I was aiming for with my left foot.

 I always want that heroic master of the road look, and never get it. If I'm looking up then all that really stands out is the spare tire I'm carrying around my middle.  Not bandoleer style like the good old days, Michelin man style. Maybe if I lose 10 more lbs!  Btw, I'm down about the weight of a steel framed bike these days and only 1.88 mph faster on average. So there is NO reason to spring for big bucks to buy a carbon frame bike only to save what, 4 lbs maybe? Another .4 of a mph? Not really.

The ride started off with a gentle downhill and police controlled intersections which was lovely. About 2 1/2 miles out though, my trusty OLD Zefal XP4 pump dislodged from the seat tube and got wedged sideways between the seat tube and the rear wheel as well as in the chain and jammed into the big chainring. INSTANT stop. fortunately, I did not wreck and pulled off to see about it. Candace and Sarah stopped with me as did a nice local guy who I do not know. After spending a few minutes bending over it, and trying to disengage the pump while not breaking anything on the bike (so I could continue to ride) I decided to let the air out of the tire, hoping the pump would re fill it. The air did the trick and we got the pump out, but it was damaged and no longer able to work, Candace offered a CO2 unit she had. I asked how it works and she replied by shrugging her shoulders. Yeah, when you're cute like she is, plenty of help around to pump your tires for you, I'm sure. After fiddling with it, she figured it out and we sprayed some into the morning air by accident, and put the rest in my tire. This was a 33 mm 650B tire so I ended up with 20 lbs of pressure. I like to run my tires light, but not quite that light. 50 - 60 is more like it. I hoped a floor pump might be available at the rest stop ahead. We did run up on a SAG truck helping some folks, and they had a pump, so we didn't have to wait for the rest stop. It turned out fine. The tire held pressure and no other flats happened.

When we got to the rest stop, we were way behind all the metric and century riders due to about 20 minutes of mechanical fix and tire pump time. Instead of the rest stop being picked clean though, it was totally well stocked! It turns out that they had a little mix up and were late setting up so most of the riders had gone by and either waited for rest stop 2 or hit a store along the way as needed.  We caught up with 3 other century riders at the rest stop, and passed them when we departed.  Further on, we overtook several more. I told Candace that this would happen as some who jumped out fast started to lose steam. We (and by this I mean me, and Candace who graciously remained in hailing range) lost some steam too on the later hills, but were still able to pull in the 16 - 18 range on flats even at the end. We only slowed to the 14 is range on flats in the face of headwinds. Our overall average at the end was right at 14 too, which is dead center of the target range we had set.

We met up with and rode for a while with the Pecan City Pedalers. Richard and Sharon said to say hi to Prattville riders John and Kathy. I rode with them years ago on this event and they invited me to do their century, over in Albany GA. It's a good one. I've only ridden it the one time though. Maybe two. I forget. We also made some new friends at the rest stops including "PK" a British exchange student officer at Maxwell AFB. We ran into old friends too as we gained ground (remember we had almost a half hour penalty to start) and at least saw them leave rest stops as we got there. We rode with Chris for a while, or rather played leapfrog with him. We'd pass one another and then rest and then vice versa.

Finally, we made it in, and had our "happy to be off this saddle!" photo.

We thought the rest stop volunteers were very nice, and the Gorp, PB&J and pickle juice all went down well. So did the post ride pizza. The new route is generally good. The roads heading north from FL in west GA are very rough and hammered us, especially since that was into the headwind. In parts of GA, that's what you get, so next time, I'll run my 38mm tires instead and get real cush. Or man up and stop being such a wuss. One of the two.  I loved the conversation driving down and driving back. You know, solving the world's problems and getting to know a friend better. Not a bit of sleepiness crept in. Much more energy than 2 years ago, once I had cooled off and re fluidized.

Good ride, GREAT company, and fine performance by a 31 year old bike. It's a 1984 TREK 660, 650B conversion. Campy Victory headset, brake levers (awesome levers) and front der. Campy Veloce compact double on the drive side (the original Victory 1/2 step requires more power than I have. I kept the original Victory non drive side crank arm.) and Shimano Ultegra rear der. Wheels are old Suntour hubs with Dura Ace freewheel 12- 28. Velocity Aerohead 28s wheels (rare). Dura ace bar ends. Front tire is a Rivendell Speedblend (original version) and the rear is a Grand Bois Cypres Here it is: "The Flash"with the original crank, and a Brooks B5N that I switched to a black Selle Anatomica.