82 Miles On The Bike This Week
Boy it felt great to get off my big butt and start riding again this week. I started last Tuesday just by riding from the house I’m staying at down to White Rock Lake and back. Total round trip is about 16.5 miles and I have several options to easily lengthen that distance. Since I’m only going to be in Dallas for two more weeks I’ll continue this route and probably lengthen it to 20 miles so I can build up some more base miles before starting in on my training plan.
A Windy, Wet Ride Today
Today’s ride was interesting in that even though the weather stunk (wind, rain, chili, mist, road grime, etc.) I decided that I needed the miles and that I wasn’t going to get skinnier by sitting at home. Sure, I could have ridden the trainer but the weather wasn’t that bad. A long sleeve jersey instead of short and I was good to go. I thought about wearing a rain jacket but decided against it.
I took my normal route down to the lake and got sprinkled on a few times but nothing serious. It had rained pretty good overnight so the roads were wet and grimy. I could see the dirt/grime building up on the bike but didn’t worry about it too much. Nothing a quick cleaning won’t fix when I return home.
Down at the lake there weren’t many people. That’s to say that there weren’t many dedicated people like myself. Or stupid people like me. Take your pick. I did see 2 or 3 other cyclists and quite a few runners but nothing like it would have been if the weather was good. I didn’t get rained on again the rest of the ride but the wind was pretty bad in spots causing some harsh crosswinds and a bad headwind up The Three Sisters.
Overall I thought it was a great ride and a good way to wrap up a week on the bike. I can tell I’m already getting stronger and riding the new bike surprises me every time I go out. Once I can get some power/endurance back in my legs/body I should be able to really up my training.
Upon returning to the house the bike needed a serious cleaning. While the road grime was still wet I sprayed the whole bike down with simple green and let it soak for about five minutes. Then I took a water hose to it to spray it all off. I followed that with a wipe down with a cloth and it looks good as new. Even with the 5 minute soak it only took about 10 minutes to get it cleaned up. The shoes got a cleaning with baby wipes (I’m so due for a new pair of shoes).
Tweaks to the Bike
A few posts ago I mentioned that I had been having some discomfort on my right side. One fix I made was to re-align my saddle because it was pointing slightly to the right. That helped a lot. I inspected my pedals also and found out that my right one was broken. One of the spring tension screws was totally rusted and looks to have broken. I can’t complain because those Wellgro pedals lasted me for over 10 years. They were built like a tank. So on Friday I headed to a LBS to find some new pedals. They didn’t have the ones I wanted (the ones on sale…go figure) so I ended up getting some Look Keo Plus pedals. I’ve ridden with them twice now and really like’em.
I’m Logging My Rides on DailyMile Now
I think I mentioned this a couple posts ago but I like it so much that I wanted to mention it again. It’s a free tool and it lets you create your routes (using the Google Maps API). I really like how easy it is to input a workout along with the option to share it on Twitter and/or Facebook. They have WordPress Widgets available so I installed one over on the right side that shows my most current workout. If you’re on DailyMile please send me a friend request.
Read MoreImage courtesy of bareknuckleyellow.
Cycling After Being Sick
I spent most of last week being sick with sinus and allergy problems. So much so that I missed almost two full days from work and spent a lot of time in bed on meds. Because of that I didn’t get any time on the bike during the week. About Thursday I started to feel human again and was looking forward to getting a Saturday ride in. Saturday morning finally rolled around and I did get a ride in. The conditions weren’t ideal (see pic below), I was still a little weak from being sick, but I couldn’t resist the urge any longer. Out the door I went.
Surprise, Surprise, it was Windy
Looking at the weather report on Friday I knew I would face some wind no matter what time I rode. I’ve gotten used to it after being here in Dallas for just over a year now but it still makes me shake my head when I see weather reports like the one below. Maybe you can see the problem (it’s spelled WINDY):
Think it's windy?
The wind would actually get worse later in the evening and I saw one report of gusts up to 41 mph. Ridiculous. It was probably gusting to 20 mph when I rode. The problem though is that even though I’m riding a loop down at White Rock Lake, the wind swirls due to surrounding hills and you end up facing a headwind on most of the ride. So much fun.
Almost Bought the Farm
I was only about a half-mile from the house and came to a four-way stop intersection. As always I slowed to do a brief trackstand stop but saw a car rapidly approaching from my right. The guy driving was going VERY fast and I knew there was no way he could stop in time. Almost falling over I managed to get a foot unclipped and stood there as the guy almost ran down a cat and blew through the stop sign without even looking. He was oblivious to the fact he had run a stop sign. I yelled at him but knew he didn’t hear me. In retrospect, I should have gotten is tag number and sent it to the police.
The ride around White Rock Lake was pretty good. There weren’t too many people out but there were several groups of cyclists out riding in small groups. I really need to find out who some of these groups are and see if I can’t meet up with them at some point to ride.
The new bike is riding great and I’m enjoying it. It glides, accelerates, and stops so much better than my old one. I can easily cruise along several mph faster than on my old one and found myself going at 20 mph plus with no effort on a couple of sections of the loop. It was probably wind aided but it felt great. The only thing holding me back right now is my pathetic fitness level.
The Three Sisters
Because I can now ride to and from White Rock Lake directly from where I live, I have to ride up three hills on the way back to the house. I’ve dubbed them ‘The Three Sisters’. Why that you ask? Because back when I was driving ships in the Navy there were three buoys in the channel approach to Norfolk Naval base that marked a danger bearing and meant that the ship was heading into hazardous (shallow) water if you were on the wrong side of those three buoys. Those buoys were called The Three Sisters and with three hills marking my way back home I thought it was a good name.
The Three Sisters
The first hill is up Flagpole Hill which you’ve heard me talk about here before. The other two are about a half-mile later and come in rapid succession. The three times I’ve ridden them previously have given me some trouble. During this ride I went up Flagpole Hill pretty good but faded quickly at the top. I had a guy pass me like I was standing still. He was just flying up the hill and wasn’t even out of the saddle. I hope to get to that kind of form someday. Sister #2 just about murdered me. It’s not quite as steep as Flagpole Hill but seems to go on forever. At the top of it I was totally spent. After getting down the backside of Sister #2, Sister #3 pitches up quickly. Thankfully it’s a short hill and doesn’t give me much trouble. I think I need to re-start my Hump Day Hill Repeats to get back into hill climbing shape.
Overall I think I had a good ride even though I was still tired from being sick. I really paid for it later in the afternoon as my sinuses really started to bother me. I think it was worth it though.
Reviews, Reviews, Reviews
I’m in the midst of several reviews right now including clothing, electrolyte and recovery drinks, and chamois cream. I rode in a new set of bibs yesterday that I thought were awesome. They’re actually just like an old set I have except the chamois has been updated. I’m going to ride in them a couple more times before I post a review. I’ve ridden in the chamois cream I’m currently using several times now and really like it too. A review on it will be coming soon. The electrolyte and recovery drink review is a ways off as I’m trying several different brands and will compare them all in one big review.
Cycling After Being Sick
Like I said, I had been sick for several days this past week and I do feel like it impacted my ride yesterday. I still felt tired and lethargic from being run down and believe that directly impacted my performance. My ride was OK but when you throw in the wind as well I think I suffered and that was really evident at the top of Sister #2 and during the afternoon. I had initially wanted to do two loops of White Rock Lake but knew after about 8 miles that it wasn’t going to be possible. It was probably better for me to not push it and risk getting sick again.
What about you guys/gals? Do you ride when your sick or do you hold off for a while? When you do eventually ride again how to you ease back into it?
Read MoreFeature image courtesy of effekt!.
It’s Great To Ride Again
All my regular readers know that I went without a bike for about five months after my old one gave up the ghost. I bought a used bike in January and got on a borrowed trainer until the weather started to improve. On Saturday, I was able to get my first bike ride outside in over five months.
Getting Ready
I was in no hurry to get out first thing in the morning because it was cold (around 35F) but was due to warm up to around 60F during the afternoon. I targeted a ride time of around 10:00 AM to let it warm up some. I spent most of the morning making sure everything was ready – moving gear from my old seat bag to my new one, oiling the chain, putting air in the tires, making sure cleat bolts were tight, and so on. It took longer than I thought but I wanted to make sure everything was good. The only thing I didn’t find was my favorite water bottle that Cliff gave me. I had a backup but will need to go pick up a couple better ones.
The Ride
Back in October 2009 I moved to a place that now lets me ride straight from the front door and cut through some neighborhoods to get to White Rock Lake here in Dallas. I had mapped the route out on Google Maps and driven it once. I have to cross a couple of semi-major roads but the traffic isn’t bad at all. The route spits me out at Flagpole Hill and then I just cross Northwest Highway to get to the lake.
As I was cutting through the neighborhoods and approaching the backside of Flagpole Hill I noted that I was going downhill quite a bit. That would mean going uphill on the way home. I didn’t care though. As I approached Flagpole Hill I saw my first challenge of the day – a two-level hill that didn’t look fun. About half-way up there was a flat section that gave me a small break which helped. After getting to the top it was back down and on over to the lake.
There were a few people out but most were runners. There were a few cyclists but not near as many as there will be in a month. I’m sure the temperature kept them at bay this morning and boy did they miss out. Seeing White Rock Lake during this time of year was a big change. The trees were barren and everything was brown. With no leaves to block views I could see more of some of the beautiful houses lining the lake. It was nice but I miss the green.
I made one full loop of the lake and then headed back for home (about 18 miles total). This would be the hardest section of the entire ride. The first hill I saw the approach to Flagpole Hill. Some of you may remember that this is the hill I used last year for hill repeats. It’s just as brutal as I remember and it literally punched me in the gut. I crawled up it full of shame. Once on the backside I coasted down but knew I had two more hills to get up. Both of them were just as bad as I thought they would be and totally wiped me out. Once past the last hill though it flattens out for the last mile or so home.
The New Bike Performed Great
The new bike is awesome. It accelerates so easy and the extra gears (my last bike was a 7-speed cog and this one is a 9) really helped on the hills. I found that I can cruise along several miles an hour faster than I could on my old bike which really surprised me. Even as out of shape as I am I felt like I was already performing at a level above what I could on my old steed. Once I really start getting the miles in, and attacking the hills, I’m looking forward to seeing where this year in cycling will take me.
The day wasn’t without issues though. Namely my poor, unfit, ghastly looking body. I’m so out of shape. This short 18 mile ride totally wiped me out and left me sore on Sunday. I’ll get over this as I put the miles in. Going without a bike for 5 months didn’t help but there were things I could have done to take care of myself in the meantime. Can’t focus on that now though. Eyes front.
I’ve Missed Riding
I didn’t realize how much I had missed riding. I was only a few hundred feet from the house and was already feeling great. The cool air, wheels rolling on the pavement, clicking of gears, heaven. I found myself saying ‘Goodmorning’ to almost everyone I came across. I’ve needed this so bad.
Thanks to all my readers who have put up with my whining, posturing, and lack of posts these last five months.
I’d also like to point out that Jeff over at 331miles also returned to the bike this weekend and Mike over at Mike’s Bike Blog wrote a great race report.
Read MoreImage by Fluturilla.
Five Ways to Measure Cycling Success
As we ride our bicycles we need to know how we’re doing, if we’re getting better, and if we’re on track to meet goals we’ve set for ourselves. The way to do that is to take measurements to see if we’re on track to success.
Five Ways to Measure Cycling Success
- Keep a log. This can be as elaborate or simple as you want it. It can also be free or available for a price. I’ve used both Excel and online tools and it’s a matter of personal preference and requirements as to which method you choose.
- Use a cyclocomputer. You don’t need anything fancy but if you’re a numbers nut there’s high-tech computers available. Some of the nice cyclocomputers have options to download data into logs for convenience. Bike Noob recently wrote a good article on What’s the Best Cyclocomputer?
- Note how your clothes are fitting. I found out last year that one of my best indicators that I was making progress was how my clothes were fitting. Because I was riding so much, and building some muscle, I wasn’t losing a ton of weight but my clothes were fitting so much better. I was even able to get into clothes I previously couldn’t wear.
- Listen to people. Are co-workers asking if you’ve lost weight? Is your family asking if you’re still riding all those miles? If people are taking an interest then they’re more than likely noting change. It also means they care.
- Listen to your body. I think this is huge. Only you know your body and only you can tell how you’re feeling. I can notice significant changes in how I feel when I haven’t been riding.
What I Noticed Last Year
While training for my first century ride last year, I spent a lot of time riding a bike trail here in Dallas that loops around White Rock Lake. It’s right at nine miles per loop. When I first started training it took me around 45 minutes to make the loop. As I neared the end of my training program, and on days when the riding effort was required to be hard, I was able to cut ten full minutes off that time. That was a huge number to me and was a great measurement of the success I was seeing in my training.
How Do You Measure Success?
Now I want to hear from you. How do you measure your success on the bike? What worked and what didn’t?
Image courtesy of orcmid
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Read MoreCentury Training Series: Day 11
Yesterday was Day 11 of my Century Training Plan and consisted of the same workout as Day 10 which was 1.5 hours overall endurance with 4×8 intervals stuck in there. I was looking forward to trying the intervals again since Day 10s intervals were interrupted with road side assistance. I was thrilled to find no flat when I opened my trunk. I did patch the tube I took from Fernando after I helped him so I would have a spare. I still need to pick up some more CO2 when I get a chance.
Since I wasn’t starting until 6:30 PM I shortened my warm up to 15 minutes and then rolled right into the first eight minute interval. I started it on what I consider one of the toughest portions of the White Rock Lake loop which probably wasn’t a smart idea and probably should have waited a few minutes until I was passed it. Why this one section is tough on me I’m not sure. It is slightly uphill but I think it may be steeper/longer than it looks. I pushed through it and finished the first interval but a little slower than I wanted.
Eight minutes of spinning at a lower speed followed with another eight minute interval on its heals. I repeated this cycle until I had completed four eight minute (4×8) intervals. For the third and fourth intervals I actually picked my speed up quite a bit because I felt like I could. I didn’t have any problems maintaining 18-19.5 mph on those intervals. It wasn’t easy though. By the fourth interval I was really feeling it in my legs and felt it all over this morning. I’m guessing that means I’ve pushed myself a little further than normal which is a good thing.
Here are the numbers (these are very close estimates since I dropped my computer and dislodged the battery thus wiping out all my data…bummer):
Total Distance: 27 miles
Total Time: 1h:50m (15 minute warm up and 5 minute cool down)
Avg MPH: 14.7 Total (13.7 for 15 minute warm up and 15.7 for 1.5 hour intervals/endurance/cool down)
Overall I’d say that’s a good ride for me.
I won’t be able to ride the 30 minute recovery ride scheduled for today due to traveling out of town but I do have a 3 hour endurance ride scheduled for Saturday and a 1.5 hour ride on Sunday. My next post will probably be on Sunday since I’ll be without Internet access.
Read MoreCentury Training Series: Day 7
Today marks the end of my first week of training for my first century and I’m glad tomorrow is a rest day. I’ve ridden more miles this week than I have in over 15 years (I’ll post my week 1 mileage tomorrow).
Today was a 1.5 hour endurance pace ride and I waited until this evening to do it because tomorrow is a rest day. I arrived at White Rock Lake at about 6 PM but ended up having to fix a flat on my front wheel before I could even start. Very frustrating. The tube was one that I had patched before so I should have expected it. I put in my last new tube which means I need to hit the bike shop tomorrow to pick up a couple. Another good reason it’s a rest day tomorrow.
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