Easter Weekend

Before a recap of the week's activities, I should amend last week's Tri-State report a little. I under emphasized both the great cause supported and the value riders receive. Riders get to help kids with cancer, get a tee shirt, a water bottle, a discount breakfast, a free lunch, great routes, well stocked rest stops, SAG vehicles and friendly faces everywhere.  It's a ride you should try if you live close enough to get there. They'll start planning the 2013 edition soon.

Friday was Erev Passover (1st night of Passover. Jewish days begin the preceding sundown because in Genesis, there was evening and there was morning, the first day) this year, so it was providential that Sharon & I were able to put on a demonstration Seder at our church. We were told to plan for maybe 50 to attend, and I think about 65 came. We made up 7 Seder plates with the traditional foods and went through the highlights (but not the entirety) of my parent's 1965 issue Maxwell House Coffee Haggadah. Some appropriate aged readers in the audience posed the famous "4 questions," and where I could, I connected the dots to the mentions in the New Testament at the "Last Supper" which occurred on Maundy Thursday. Sharon spoke on preparing for Passover from the woman's point of view and some of the traditions. Although she's a shiksa, my dad used to say she was the "best Jew in the family."  One side note of interest, the left over charoset goes great on matzoh with almond butter.

This morning was a running race in East Montgomery, called "The Resurrection Run," held at Vaughn Forest Church. There was a call for some volunteer cyclists to ride ahead of the runners and I threw my name in the hat. Originally the thought was to drive over, do the escort duty and then continue on to the John Hall store and either hook up with a ride there, or get some additional miles on my own.  Max suggested that we pedal over instead and that of course made perfect sense. We met just after 5:30 AM to allow enough time to cover the 24 miles and be there by the requested 7:30. Max was delayed slightly by a mechanical. His front wheel was not in all the way, and then his cadence sensor had moved and was clicking when hit by the spoke magnet.

It was in the 50s and foggy, but the roads were nearly clear of traffic.  I wore a long sleeve wool base layer under a short sleeve wool jersey, and a pair of wool shorts under MUSA riding pants. The shorts are Ibex Duo, and after last week's success sans a chamois, I had taken the pads out of the two pairs of Ibex that I own. Today was the first ride in them so altered and it was a comfortable setup. My feet were just a bit cold but they warmed up once the Sun came out. Max had on his regular spandex bib and jersey kit, and added a jacket and a helmet cover. With a wool cap, my head was fine, temp wise.

I met a couple of the Montgomery Multisports crowd for the first time including Meagan, Allison, Chad, and Cason. They had a great set up with an equipment trailer, sound system, music, Starbucks, bagels and bananas. Saw old pals like Wes, Roxy and Lawanna, and Greg too. From a photo I see that Kym was there, but did not see here while I was pedaling around. 

Max and I did our duty of leading the runners on the 5K course and were done pretty early. Too early for lunch anyway, so a stop at the mall was not in order. We decided to head home because there was enough time left to get in some other projects. I thought it best to hit the bathroom at the church before we departed so I went in. Max came in behind me, finished before me and on his way out in the outer vestibule, turned off the lights. P.I.T.C.H  B.L.A.C.K.
I couldn't see the nose on my face. So, gingerly, I felt along the walls to find a door, then in the inky blackness of the vestibule, groped the walls until I found a light switch. Coming outside, Max of course is wondering, "What took you so long?"  With a straight face and everything...
"Blog material," was my only reply.

The ride home was good. A swirling wind was at our back for about 1/2 the way, at least. Pretty sunny day and not too hot. Max wanted to stop again at a gas station and use the facility, so we pulled in at Chevron about 1/2 way up the climb out of Millbrook to Prattville. We pulled in just BEHIND a high school team bus. Max was abut 40th in line for the bathroom.. Payback my friend, payback.  :)

Anyway, home in plenty of time to mow the yard, visit the son and grandson, take Sharon to Whole Foods, sit in the back yard for a while and watch some golf. Great day. 

Happy Easter!  

Dothan Tri-States Recap

Yesterday saw the 10th edition of this fund raiser which supports Children's Hospital. I think that I've only missed doing it once since 2004, my 1st full year in Alabama. The ride organizers have become friends, and most years I reconnect with folks only seen at the various organized rides around the state. This year, I shouted hellos to Karen and Debbie (organizers of the Greenville Tour For Wishes ride of a few weeks back) and the Pecan City Pedalers (Organizers of the Albany GA Nut Roll).

Some 200 riders pre registered and there are always day-of sign ups. Here's our view at the back of the starting pack.

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 Our plan was to do a reasonably paced ride and we did not want to be buffeted by the race horses and wannabes sprinting at the start. The Montgomery area contingent included Robert and Bonnie doing the 25 mile loop and Curtis doing a quick pace century. Frank, Max, Rob and I did a slower century.

Max and I drove down together the night before. Our biggest hurdle was deciding where to stop for dinner. Max loves steak, I'm a plants-only kind of guy. I assured him I could find a meal anywhere he wanted to stop, except for some fast food places. We opted for a Mexican place in Troy, called "Rodeo."  We were the only two male customers in there. The place was packed with co-eds from nearby Troy University. Where was Rob (young and single) when we needed him? They had several veggie offerings and it was good.

We stayed in a Hampton Inn using Max's frequent traveler points, but left in the morning before breakfast was severed. At least they had coffee. I got up before Max and went down to drink a cup in the lobby while using my Kindle Fire to check email and news. We figured that we would eat at the ride sign in since we thought they would have biscuits etc there. Nope. Just rider packets. We each ended up chewing on one of our own bars. Fruit and Nut for me. Not sure what he had.  (Worked out okay. I just ate some food at each  rest  stop and never felt hungry.) We met the others in the parking lot and assembled under cloudy, humid skies for the ride.

We got going on time and the route was always well marked. There was a slight breeze behind us and it was generally down hill to Florida.

Rob was taking his 1st crack at a century ride. Last Saturday was his 1st metric. He's moving right along! We never could figure out what made a clanking noise on his bike. At one stop, we removed and ditched his kick stand, because we though he might be hitting it as he pedaled. Nope. It held together all the way, and he can figure it out at his leisure now.  Speaking of rest stops, they were all staffed by pleasant volunteers and had plenty of supplies. I ate apples, bananas, oat grain bars and some Honey Stingers energy gels, which I rate as superior to Gu.brand products. As the date was April 1, there were humorous touches everywhere. Port-a-Johns labeled, "Please use other door", or "Welcome to Tennessee", etc.

The route was generally very pretty. Florida was flat, Georgia had rollers and Alabama a combination of flat and rollers. Total climb was under 2,000'. Some coarse roads in Georgia were made more liveable by 650B tires running 60 PSI. I was on the Road Standard and it was fine. No padding needed in the shorts on the now broken in Brooks leather saddle. No chamois means no chamois butter needed either. I did wear a wicking pair of boxers under the Joneswares shorts.

Around 11:00, the Sun came out and it became hotter and less humid. Good thing the Coppertone was on! By 80 miles, some riders were starting to suffer from the heat. Here are two bikes (a carbon Merckx and a carbon Softride) in the back of a SAG truck that dropped out, and a steel one using a click-stand that did not :)

Rob started to have some leg issues around this same time but was determined to soldier on. I flagged down a SAG wagon for him but instead of a ride, he just wanted some water and Advils. Letting Max and Frank go on ahead, I slowed down and pulled for him, as we had a brisk headwind in addition to the rollers. Finally, at mile 88, his hamstrings wound tight and he couldn't pedal, so we pulled off and called for help. I left Rob for the SAG driver to pick up and tried to pick up my pace again. As it happened, the other two were waiting for me at last rest stop so we reconnected. Rob came in with the driver and after a rest and recharge, wanted to get back on his bike and finish the ride. "Just stubborn," he said of himself. He made it, so if he didn't quite get 100 miles, it was awfully close.  My own legs were fatiguing the last few miles, so I babied them up the hills. That worked and no cramps ever actually happened. I did drink plenty today and that was a major reason why I never felt exhausted or at the end of endurance.

We still had a decent time, my moving time was 6:45 for 102 miles, or about 15.1 avg. The post ride showers at the Civic Center felt GREAT, and the free lunch coupon at Moe's translated into a tofu, mushroom and black bean burrito, also great. They were OUT of rice!  We watched a criterium race right outside the store as we ate too. All part of the CityFest activities.

Finally, we got back in the car and drove home. It was a good day on a bike

Ahh, Spring

The relatively wet and warm winter has given way to a lush green spring, here in the sunny South. The skies are brilliant blue and the azaleas in particular, but not alone, are exhibiting especially dense coloration.  Almost overnight, there are green leaves on the Arapaho crepe myrtles and red ones all over the Japanese maple. Ivy is already in need of trimming to keep it off the garage windows as it fulfills its intended purpose of providing cover on that brick wall. The desiccated looking brown sticks left from last year’s hydrangea blooms are shooting all kinds of new green buds and of course, there are weeds everywhere. I’ve already uprooted a ton of them.  The autumn blaze maple out front is showing red tiplets and the tiniest little signs of new life are now showing on the oak tree out back. The maple always leafs out ahead of the oak. It loses its leaves in the fall earlier as well.

And that’s just our yard. Get on a bike and pedal around and there is beauty to see everywhere. Saturday, we rode the Autauga-Elmore metric. It’s a big loop that starts near home in Prattville and winds through Millbrook, Coosada, Elmore, Slapout, Marbury, Posey Crossroads and back to Prattville. The first ½ is fairly level and the back half is anything but. 8 riders turned out, including new rider John G, and nearly new rider Robert B who rode with us for the first time last week down in Greenville. Robert is a strong rider and fits right in with our gang, style wise, He has a Surly Long Haul Trucker, like Frank does. They differ only in paint color.  John is relatively new to cycling and picked up a 90s Diamondback road bike at a thrift shop. It is a great find. Very little usage, cleanly lugged steel frame, decent Shimano EX component set, and about the right size for him. He needs to tweak the set up, but after a ride, he has a better idea of what will be comfortable and what won’t. I suggested he find a better saddle (it currently has a TREK tush-cush. These are agony after about 10 minutes for many people) and raise his handle bars (Simple to do with his quill stem and threaded headset) and rotate them back to provide a nice flat landing area for his hands behind the brake hoods. I also suggested he ditch the Look pedals in favor of some platforms. “Riv” it out in other words. :)

We broke up into 2 groups about ½ a mile out. At the first climb actually. Steve, Joel, Robert B, and Frank powered on ahead. They finished about 45 minutes ahead of us. Rob A, Max, John, and I rode steadily, but more slowly. John had only gone up to 5 miles on a ride before, and did not notice that the advertised distance for this ride was 63. The early going was pretty flat, so he decided to come along for as far as felt okay, and then use his cell phone to call for a ride back to his car. That worked really well. Our pace was fine on the flats and just a tad slower up the hills, but the conversation was good and we all enjoyed a beautiful early morning pedal. Foggy to start, but the mist burned off quickly with the rising Sun. At the second store stop, John made his phone call and we parted company. Turns out his dad was in the steel business for many years, so we had common interests to talk about beyond cycling. Also at the 2d stop, we ran into the Club Lite group which left from Millbrook and hour after we did.  The usual catch up chit chat ensued and finally after banana and bathroom breaks, we saddled up and turned uphill and into the wind. As it happened, it was calm when we started, but the Sun brought a breeze along with it and it only grew as the day went on.

We continued on at a pretty steady pace, and I was careful to keep drinking and manage my energy levels, especially up hills. The steepest grade was 14.7 according to the uploaded data, and that into a tough wind. I geared lower than I normally would have and honestly, does going 2-3 mph slower up a hill REALLY matter? Not to me. This was Rob A’s first metric century, 51 being his previous long ride and Max and I were pleased to be with him for it. Rob started to cramp pretty badly about 15 miles from the end but he was locked in on the finish line and he made it there. He says he drank plenty of water, but it was just water, and salt loss may have been the cramps culprit. It did not help that he got off work at 3:00 AM that morning, either.

I was pleased to feel almost as ready to go at the end of the ride (I rode the short distance to and from home adding a few miles) as at the beginning and not cramping in the least. No intense need for a post ride snooze either.In fact, after a shower, Sharon and I went grocery shopping. I drank about 2 oz per mile which made a huge difference for me. I have a bad habit of not drinking until well after the point that I am dehydrating. I also grabbed a banana at the 2d store stop and a fruit/nut bar at the 3^rd. That was enough and hunger didn’t enter into it.

I took the Riv Road Standard bike and tried out a few changes. A new Black Rose saddle roll underneath the Brooks B17 stayed out of the way at all times. The blinky strap is placed just right and the bag expands to hold a surprising amount of stuff. Very well made and durable looking. This is my 1^st item from the Pacific northwest area co-op and I like it. Speaking of the new green B17 saddle, at 300 miles since puttinf it on for the post paint job re build, it felt comfortable, dare I say broken in for the first time. Also new were the Keen cycling sandals that I got as part of a great deal (less than 1/3 of retail) from a fellow RBW list-er. I pedal in plain old Keen sandals all the time, but these have a firm sole and SPD cleats. A pair of Wellgo road pedals  that had been gathering dust on the parts shelf since coming off a long gone Fuji Touring were a perfect match.  It was a pleasing set up and will see service again for the Dothan Tri-States 100 next weekend. Max noticed the pedals and exclaimed, “Who are YOU and what did you do with Bruce?”  Uh, yeah. Pretty much. Not to fear though. Unpadded Joneswares wool shorts,  Woolistics Italian team reproduction wool jersey, Synaptic Cylces (by Walz) wool cap, and wool socks all attested to the authenticity of the rider. As did the terrapin-like pace.

Sunday afternoon, I pedaled over to Millbrook and met the social ride crowd. I took the hound dog (Riv Saluki) and just one bottle of water, expecting a low pace and chatty ride over flat terrain. Old friends Michelle, Curtis and Roxy were all there, and it’s been a long time since riding with any of them. Roxy brought 2 new riders along,  and there were also Phil and Shirley, a couple from our church, who came by. So did Frank The Crank. It was very windy, and Shirley’s upright rail trail bike gave her some difficulty, so she and Phil peeled off. I thought they were headed home, but they did the whole 22 miles, just at their own pace. Curtis, Michelle and I clicked it up a notch and added some distance. Michelle has been off the bike on medical for a while, but you’d hardly know it.  Still cranking a slow cadence in a big gear, she easily rolls along at 18 mph. Tying her yellow wind jacket around her waist, it billowed out behind her like a brightly hued sea anemone. Easy to spot her in the distance ahead. Curtis also looked none the worse for time off the bike. Like me, he came over from Prattville. Just more quickly.  Coming back from the ride to town was a long climb into a tough wind. It slowed the ride average down, but the pace was quicker than I planned on, dressed for, had the bike for, etc. Regardless, it was all good and I am delighted to have another 100+ mile weekend in the books.

Tailwinds!

Tour For Wishes Ride - Greenville AL

The 1st supported ride of the year for me, and my 1st time riding this venue. The weather was great. About 60F to start and mid 80s by end, but low humidity and some breezes. 5 locals made the hour-long trip South: Max, Rick, Robert, Joe, Larry and me. Joe and Larry paired up and did the whole ride at 18 mph, and NO rest stops. Or so they say. Joe is over 50, so there had to be a stop behind a tree somewhere.

Good organization, quiet roads and nice scenery. Rick and i paired up and did the ride together. He is faster than I am on flats, I climb quicker, so we looked like a mini slinky at times. Both of us ride lugged steel frames and both use free wheels, so there you go.

Here is Rick on the right with his '74 Raleigh and Max in St Pat's Day green on the left. Robert in the center did not get the memo, and sports orange socks. Green bike though. Joe had no clue on the calendar, and came with an orange bike. He smoked the course at an 18 avg (no rest stops over 55 miles) to be sure no one stopped him to question his allegiance to Ireland.  Larry told us that growing up back home (Boston area) his job was drive Mom around to the bars so she could observe the day properly. Since he was still wearing the bar band from last night's entertainment on one wrist, it seems he made up for all that sober drive time back in the day.

 

ALL hills, all the time. The downslopes went by too quickly and the looooong up grades were grinds. No steep ups, just 5% after 6% after 4%, after 7%. You get the idea. After a calm morning with nary a breeze, we turned into a stiff flags-straight headwind for the last 25 miles home. Pretty though. Wisteria wafted perfume across the pavement, azaleas adorned the ample yards, and the hill tops offered nice views.

 

We had motorcycle safety escorts and they were good folks. This guy was parked at the top of a long climb and after noticing the sign on his windshield, I mentally started to run the numbers.

  It was a good day. Just a hair off 60 miles, around 2,000' of rollers, and good company.  The Rambouillet on 37 mm Paselas at lower pressure were very comfy. Rode it in unpadded shorts and Keen sandals. No problems. A bit slow for me, but I was enjoying the looking around and chit chat. 13.2 mph avg. The wind affected our forward rate. Tailwinds!  Larger versions of the pics and some comments are here: https://plus.google.com/photos/103372863272345033417/albums/5720979760893582033?authkey=CPmUo6XgjrGMxQE

 

Riding Season is here

DST began today, which is the same thing as saying, "get off the couch and ride!" Isn't it?  It was good to get in 3 rides this week. Hill training on Thursday night, a 60 miler on Saturday in the face of very brisk winds, and today's relaxer outing. I very much appreciate the opportunity to get out and ride and remarked to Max somewhere along the way that riding slow enough that I actually ENJOY it has a very strong attraction! 

It was Larry, Max and I on Thursday. Larry needed to get back early so we swapped elevation for miles. We climbed Gin Shop Hill twice (from 2 approaches) and then did the long grind up Durden. The moon, stars and several planets were out and lovely to behold once we were clear of the city lights.

Yesterday, Max and I did a 20 mile hilly meander to meet up with the Club Lite ride over in Millbrook. We did 33 with them and then pedaled the 6-ish miles back to Prattville. Although we had some pretty decent grades to scale, it was the head wind that was most daunting. Steady 10 - 12 with frequent gusts to 24. It started out from the East, and shifted to South so he headed into to it twice. Bummer! I have to say though, when you go slow, the wind is less of an issue.  We rested when we needed to, and enjoyed some social banter. I have to agree with Glen though, we could have made our rest stops a little shorter.

Here are our bikes in repose while we dry out some of the sweaty stuff.  I rode the Riv Road and it behaved like a dream. The saddle is about 4 or 5 rides from being broken in, but it was bearable already.  Riv's MUSA riding pants work very well on windy days. I had a pair of Joneswares merino cycle shorts (unpadded) under them. Up top, it was a swobo merino tee under a Joneswares Robinson jersey.  Heavy wool socks in Keen sandals down below, wool cycling cap and wool blend thin Giro Westerly gloves. Temps ranged from 44F to 71F and no issues with clothing. Someone asked me about where to get wool stuff. Besides the retail web sites like Joneswares, Swobo, Ibex, Portland Cyclewear and Kucharik, the bike owner email lists and Ebay are good places to look. There are several cap only places too. Walz, Pace, Randi Jo to name a few. Riv and Synaptic Cycles have nice caps they buy from makers like these to specs. I have a saved Ebay search for wool in cycling and there are 100s of items every day.

The skies were not especially nice today, but we still had some folks turn out at 2 Pm for the social ride. Good to see Bonnie and Robert T, and Robert A as well as Robert B. Mike came by to harass me for not pedaling to the start (I was mowing the lawn before the ride, Mike. If you'll do my lawn, I'll ride the bike any time) Frank came by to say "Hi" and let us know he'll be back in action soon (back strain) Frank looks way slimmer than last time I saw him. Joe better watch out in the slim and fit dept. His lead is shrinking! And Chris says he's working out too! He's been out on medical for a while but soon to return. Still windy today but no one complained too much about it. The pollen was worse for some people. Mike looked like he was going bank robbing, wearing a neckerchief like a wild West train bandit. He says it was just for pollen. right.

My first charity ride is next week in Greenville. Only a metric, but has some hills. Then in a few more weeks, it's the Dothan Tri-States Century on 4/1, a populaire in Leeds (108K) on 4/7 and our local Tour Autauga coming up on 4/30.  Like I said, Riding Season is here!  Next month is the official start of our 7th or 8th year (I forget which) of Prattville rides, and we need to start our Tri County Gastronomical excursions again too.  Busy busy busy....

Tailwinds!