Courtesy of foxcycle.blogspot.com

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know by now that Lance has announced his plans to come out of retirement and return to professional cycling. He will be re-united with his old friend Johann Bruyneel and race on the Astana squad. He will not be paid for his racing but will instead use the exposure to promote cancer awareness around the globe. Mr. Armstrong is a cancer survivor himself who overcame testicular cancer to return to the sport of cycling and win seven consecutive Tours de France.

Once he started winning the Tour de France his critics came out of the woodwork. The doping record of professional cycling hasn’t helped. He has undergone test, after test, after test and there have been no conclusive results that have linked Lance to illegal performance enhancing drugs. It never fails though that rumors will begin circulating anytime Mr. Armstrong is in the news regarding cycling. His announcement to return to cycling after a four-year absence is no different. Lance is receiving more criticism in the area of drug use even though he has committed to making his blood tests public following his return. Don Catlin, former head of UCLA’s World Anti-Doping Agency accredited laboratory, will post Armstrong’s biomarkers online for the entire world to see.

Mr. Lemond decided to show up at an Interbike Trade Show press conference last week where Lance was set to outline the details of his comeback. Lance allowed Lemond the first question and he immediately set to questioning Catlin’s testing methods. The press conference was moved along by Armstrong after an exchange between Lemond and Catlin but Lemond wouldn’t let it die stating, “So, the whole history has just been passed over?” Yes, Greg, it has. The investigations, the countless tests, and the court appearances are over with. No charges have been filed. No substantial evidence has been produced. No bans have been issued. No wins have been stripped. You need to get a grip and move on. I almost wonder if you’re not jealous of Lance’s success. Where’s the Lemond I grew up with that was fighting the politics of the European peloton to establish himself? Where’s the Lemond that overcame a horrific hunting accident to win the tour? Where’s the Lemond that put USA cycling on the map? Wherever he is you need to find him, have him step up to the plate with Lance, and make the sport better instead of continually trying to re-open old wounds.

In short, don’t be a tool.

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I rolled out of the driveway around 8:30 and the weather was fantastic. It was clear and about 67 degrees. I didn’t feel any wind but that would change before the ride was over. I made it about 150 feet and noticed the clicking sound again. I pulled over to give the wheel a once-over again. I couldn’t find anything but did meet a new neighbor whose house I had stopped in front of. I talked to him a few minutes and then headed on with no resolution to the ticking. Rats.

I was about five minutes into the ride when another cyclist pulled up next to me. We exchanged pleasantries as he went by on his Cannondale that was setup for triathlons. He was quickly gone though because he passed me like I was standing still. I was going about 16 mph. I saw him again about 15 miles later going the opposite direction. I saw a couple of other riders and walkers this morning too. The nice weather was bringing them out.

For most of the first-half of the ride I was kind of in a funk where I was really sure how well I felt. I would feel ok for a little bit and then feel exhausted five minutes later. The wind was picking up and at times gave me a pretty good headwind. I kept pounding the liquids and tried to replenish some with a power bar gel. I felt like this for about 3/4 of the ride.

At mile 20 I get to my rest stop for a much anticipated break. While sitting on the bench at the church I decided to give my rear wheel a look again since the noise seemed to get louder in the last five miles. It took me about ten seconds to find a spoke that was really, really loose. I tightened it, looked for others, and found a couple more that were loose. In order to make sure I kept the wheel true I used my brake pads as a makeshift truing stand. It worked pretty good and I didn’t have any other problems.

The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful but much better than the first 20 miles. On the way home I was actually able generate some good speeds above 20 mph. That felt great.

Now, why do stoplights stink? Because when they change to red I have to stop. I must have hit almost every single stoplight throughout my entire ride. It was unbelievable and ridiculous. There’s one stretch where there’s a lot of lights and I’d get stopped by a red light. It would turn green. I’d build my speed back up and get caught by the next one. I’m telling you, it was bad. I don’t think I’ve ever hit that many on this route.

All told I got 30.2 miles ridden in 2 hours and 2 minutes with an average of 14.8. Not bad for me.

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Well, it’s a Monday. The alarm was blaring at 5:00 AM and I didn’t want to get up. I laid there for about five minutes and force myself to crawl out of bed. Half-asleep I managed to get ready and roll out the garage for my morning bicycle ride.

I could tell right away that it was going to be a long ride because of the way my legs felt. I was right too. For some reason my legs felt really tight. Especially in the hamstrings. I hoped it would work its way out but it never did.

The weather was another big factor in the ride too. It seemed to be out of the Northeast and the one or two flags I saw said it was pretty stiff. Because of the route I take in the mornings I felt it most of the ride except two legs near the end of the ride. I’m glad I didn’t have to face it in the homestretch or it would have been ugly when combined with how my legs felt.

I did get my 13 miles in but in only 56 minutes. Not as slow as I thought it would be but about 5 minutes slower than normal.

One bright spot of the ride was a family of raccoons I saw just past half-way. I’m riding through an area that is a little populated but there are some areas of trees where they haven’t been cleared for either apartments or homes. I’ve ridden through this area a lot and not seen any creatures of the night until this morning. I’m making a long sweeping left hand turn and I see a momma raccoon leading two kids across the street. The kids have got their noses down following moms lead straight across. They pass about 20 feet in front of me and head for the bushes/woods on my right. As they get on the curb I saw, “Good morning.” All three turn around, give me a look, and then head into the bushes. Very cool. I say very cool. They were probably just returning from a nightly raid of wreaking havoc on the trashcans at the apartment complex across the street. Ha, Ha!

Bike to Live.

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It’s that time of the week for my weekly update but things around here have been kind of slow. My wife continues to mend from her surgery (a six to nine month full recovery time frame) and I got in a couple of rides. The weather played some weird games this week which caused me only to get two rides in. I was all set for a long ride on Saturday but mother nature wouldn’t cooperate. I got up at 7:00 AM, looked outside, and it was iffy at best. I pulled up the weather map on my computer to have a look and I wondered if I could slip a ride in anyway. As I’m sitting there I look out the window at the tree tops and they’re moving some. Looks like it would be a windy ride. After about five minutes I look out again and it’s raining. It looks like a light rain and I decide to try and wait it out. After about 30 minutes it’s still raining but the wind is really gusting. It turned around to rain on and off all day and then it rained all night last night. Needless to say, no riding was accomplished.

That brings me to today’s subject on bicycle contests and giveaways. I came across three this week with two on one site. Here’s a quick rundown of what they are.

At The Bicycle Tutor

Alex over at The Bicycle Tutor has got one contest and one giveaway going on. The contest is a Logo Design Contest where the winner can take home $100 cash. The deadline for entries is September 26, 2008 and contest details can be found here.

The second item Alex has going on is a giveaway each month thanks to the fine folks over at Genuine Innovations. They sent Alex six SecondWind Road Carbon Minis to give away. Alex will give away one a month for the next six months. Entering your name into the giveaway is simple. All you do is enter your email address here and click on the verification link that gets sent to the email address you entered. If you already receive email updates from Alex’s tutorial feed then your name is already entered. At the end of each month he’ll choose a winner at random.

On a side-note, if you’re not visiting The Bicycle Tutor or reading his feed then you are missing out on some great stuff. I’ve used several of his video tutorials to do maintenance on my bike.

At Ride-Strong

This giveaway has been going on for a while but I just got a reminder for it today. If you don’t know about it, Ride-Strong is giving away a new 2008 Colnago Carbon CLX road bike that retails for $5,500. How cool is that? Entering your name for this giveaway is easy. Just visit this link, Ride-Strong.com Colnago Carbon Bike Contest, and follow the directions to subscribe to the Ride-Strong RSS feed and newsletter. A winner will be randomly chosen when Ride-Strong reaches 1,500 RSS subscribers. At the link above you can also find information on how to increase your chances of winning.

I’ve entered both the Colnago Bicycle and CO2 inflator giveaways. I just don’t think I have the talent to enter in the logo design contest. Anyway, I could sure use that Colnago bike just as I’m sure many of you could too. I will tell you that I would subscribe to both The Bicycle Tutor and Ride-Strong even if they were running some contests. They’re both have great content on their sites. Good luck to anyone who enters.

Remember, Bike To Live.

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Riding down the street I noticed a clicking sound coming from my rear wheel area. I stopped a couple of times to try and find what it was but couldn’t. It seemed to go away as I rode. I hope it isn’t anything serious.

Remember the roadside radar gun I told you about back on Ride 33? As I approached it this morning I wanted to to try and post a better speed than last time (16 mph). I shifted up a gear and began pushing a little harder. I went by it at 22 mph which is respectable for me. I’m pretty sure I can do better but I was technically still in my warm up phase and didn’t want to push it too much.

I road about another half-mile when a cement truck passed me. If you recall, I’ve been seeing these trucks every morning as they head out to the new high school that’s under construction. This truck was cruising pretty good but got caught at a stoplight just ahead of me. As I rolled up next to him I couldn’t resist the temptation to have a little drag race. Assuming he had a full load of concrete I had about a 66000 pound weight advantage and should be able to smoke this guy right? Yes and no. The light turned green and I rolled away from the stop line quickly. I immediately began forming a gap as he was fighting to get out of first gear. I still had a good 10 yard gap when I heard him shift. I pushed it a little harder because I knew he would start catching me as he worked his way through the low gears. I was at about 20 mph when I started to ease up (my legs were heavy and I was still warming up). He eventually got his momentum going and passed me pretty quickly after that. The result was as expected. It takes the cement truck a while to get going so I have the advantage off the line. Once he gets through the low gears and builds up the momentum I’m toast. Oh well.

That’s about the extent of the excitement for today’s ride. I saw a couple of runners (must have been some lazy folks sleeping in this morning) and got my 13 miles done in about 52 minutes. The weather made it a great ride.

BTL

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Because I basically had to trash my cycling plans last week I’m performing week three of my fitness program this week. That means I’ll be riding 3 workdays at 13 miles each and a 30 mile ride on Saturday. I Shouldn’t have any problems with that at all. Especially after having a week off the bike.

As usual for my weekday bike rides, the alarm was going off at 5 AM, and I was rolling out of the garage by about 5:10. The weather outside was near perfect. There was a little humidity in the air but there were no clouds, no wind, and the Harvest Moon was shedding quite a bit of natural light. I hoped the pristine conditions were foreshadowing a pristine ride.

Leaving my neighborhood it was quiet out. There was much less traffic than there was back on Ride 32 but I did see a couple more cement trucks heading out to the new high school. Overall though the roads were virtually empty for me and it was nice. I always feel a little anxious when cars approach me from behind and today there was very little of that.

After a couple of miles I really began to fall into a rhythm and I noticed my speed was a little higher than normal. I was pushing the 52T like I said I would but I think the week off may have had something to do with it. Since my last ride, I had also moved my saddle forward a little bit to try and take some weight off my hands. It seemed to help my hands but I wonder if it also helped with my pedal stroke. I guess I’ll see how tomorrow’s ride goes. I really need to take my bike down to the local bike shop and have the fit checked.

Nearing the half-way point I started to notice several runners I hadn’t seen before. I do see a few over near my house but I’m usually the only person out-and-about near my turnaround point. All told I saw about six runners today and one other cyclist. I saw the bike rider on my home stretch and I’m not sure if he saw me wave. If you’re reading my blog, “Hey!”

Today’s ride was great. I felt refreshed the entire time and had no after-effects from taking a week off. I road my 13 miles in 51 minutes today.

So, why were there dreams of the movie ‘The Rookie’? If you don’t remember the movie, it’s the one where Dennis Quaid plays a high school baseball coach who makes a bet with his team. The bet was that if the team wins the district championship he would try out for a major league team. Well, the team wins and he has to try out. Before he does, though, he’s driving down the road at night and comes upon one of those portable speed display systems that let you know how fast you’re driving. Police usually put these in places as a deterrent to get people to slow down. Anyway, he decided to throw his fastball by it to see how fast it is and if he’s fixing to make a fool out of himself at the tryout. He throws a ball and it registers 68 mph on the digital readout. He’s obviously disappointed and goes to pick up the ball. What he doesn’t see is the display tick up to 98 mph after he walks by.

Well, they had one of these gadgets placed on the long straightaway leading away from my neighborhood. I see it and wonder if it’ll pick me up on the bike. I hunker down (that means getting about as aerodynamic as a brick) and press on. I get within a couple hundred feet and it registers 16 mph. As I get close it flickers to 17..15..16..15..17..16. I go by the radar wondering if it was having a hard time tracking me and it was actually trying to read out 26 mph. I look down at my computer and it says 16.2 mph. I guess I’m not as fortunate as The Rookie and won’t go home and find a message from Garmin-Chipotle on my voice mail. Oh well. You gotta have dreams right?

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1. Lance Armstrong. Unless you are living under a rock you’ve probably heard about this. There’s been a lot of positive and negative feedback on his decision to return to professional cycling in 2009 and I find myself undecided. Part of me is very happy to see him return because I think the sport needs him. I want him back because he was the one of the first cyclists I remember following. Another part of me doesn’t want to see him ruin the perfect retirement he orchestrated after winning his 7th consecutive Tour de France. Too many other athletes have retired and then decided to make a comeback tour only to leave the sport disgraced or disappointed. I don’t want Lance to do that. I also see another side of his comeback as well. His efforts in the area of cancer awareness and fund raising are legendary and is the main point in his video over on his website. Lots of speculation has been made as to which team he will join. He says he won’t be racing for money, which is admirable, and may make it easier for teams to sign him. Which of the teams will want to make a spot for him though? Only time will tell. I hope it will be one of the American-based squads of Garmin-Chipotle or Team Columbia. I wonder if he’ll ride in a LiveStrong kit? I’d be interested in hearing my readers thoughts on Lance’s return.

2. Mark Cavendish. Can anyone match this guy in a sprint? I think not. Foregoing his native Tour of Britain, he’s been participating in the Tour of Missouri this past week and has won three stages so far. That puts his yearly wins at 15. The man is a monster in the final 1 Km. A big head-nod has to go out to his teammates though because they are the ones positioning him for all these sprint finishes. They maintain such a high pace in the last couple of kilometers that the other teams have a hard time keeping near the front. Mark is always a class-act after the race when he goes to each of his teammates and thanks them for the work they did. I think we’re seeing the birth of the sprinter to beat over the next several years. Maybe we should just call him Speed Racer.

3. 331 Miles LIVESTRONG Challenge. Jeff Contreras of 331 Miles is participating in the 2008 Austin LIVESTRONG Challenge and needs your help in raising money for cancer awareness. He has a fund raising goal of $1,000 and is already more than 25% there. Do what you can to help out. Every little bit helps. You can donate to Jeff’s fund raiser by clicking here.

4. Team Climb On! MS Bike Tour. Arlyn Asch, owner of Adventures On a Bike and member of Team Climb On!, is participating in the 2008 Bay to Bay MS 150 next month. Team Climb On raised over $22,000 last year and have raised over $13,000 so far this year. The riders are doing what they can to get in shape for the 150 mile ride but need your help in reaching their fund raising goals. Here’s the link to make a tax deductible donation: http://www.biketofinishms.com/arlynasch. What I want to know is how to get one of this awesome looking Team Climb On jerseys.

The first two items are big news in the bicycling world while the later two are just as important and deserve recognition as well. I’m hoping that next year I’ll be in shape enough to be able to ride in some of these fund raising/charity events as well. These guys set a good example for all of us.

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The bicycle seat bag. It’s that small package of assurance that we keep tucked under our saddle. It sits under our rears, ignored and neglected until we need it. When we do need it we wonder if we restocked it the last time we used it. You’ll find quite a few articles around the Internet about the bike seat bag and what bicycle accessories need to be in it. These articles are always popular and get a lot of feedback because everyone has their own preference of what should be stowed in their seat bag. Just like everyone else, I have my preferences too. I think this article will be a benefit to anyone just starting in bicycling, or returning to the sport after a long layoff (just like me), or the enthusiast who has been riding everyday. Regardless of your experience, I think you’ll find the info below useful.

So, what needs to be in that seat bag? There’s quite a few things you can carry in your saddle bag but I think there’s a core list of essential items every cyclist needs. They are:

Patch Kit. You’ll find both glue and glueless patch kits. Which one to use is a topic all by itself but I believe most people use the glue patch kits because of their durability. I’m not sure it really matters which kind you have as long as you have one. They take up very little room in your seat bag and you will need it at some point.

Spare Tube. Some of you may ask, “Why carry a spare tube when I have a patch kit?” After hearing advice from other riders, and my experience back on Ride 21 and 1/3 I carry a spare tube now. I carry the spare tube because, if I do get a flat, it’s much easier to just put the new tube in rather than try and patch the old one. Especially if it’s dark outside. I carry the patch kit in the event my spare tube flats. I also carry the spare tube so I can give it to another cyclist if they need it. I did this back on Ride 28. If you give your spare tube away you’ll need the patch kit if you get a flat.
Tire Irons. You could probably change a flat without them but why take the chance? You only need two to do the job right and they take up a small amount of space in your seat bag. A lot of times, you can buy a patch kit that comes with a set of nylon tire irons like the Park set to the left.
CO2 Inflator. I carry one of these so it’s in my seat bag. If you want to carry a frame pump then you don’t need one. You’ll easily find bicycle riders who do either one and some that do both. I like CO2 because of it’s ease of use and because I’ve never liked frame pumps. Your experience and desires may vary. Just make sure you have at least one method to fill up that tube when you flat 10 miles from nowhere.

Presta-Schrader Adapter.. I don’t actually carry this in my seat bag but leave it installed on one of my wheels. If you’re using your own pump, or inflator, then you probably won’t need one of these. But, if you find yourself having to borrow someone elses gear/tools, or needing to use a service station air compressor, you’ll probably need one. Better to be safe than sorry. If you are a CO2 inflator user, you can find inflators that work on both Presta and Schrader valves like the Genuine Innovations Ultraflate 2 shown to the right.

Have you noticed a trend up to this point? All five items above are directly related to fixing a flat while out on the road. The flat is probably the most common problem you can/will experience while bicycling so you need to be prepared for it. The list continues:

Multi-Tool. The mini-tool is a compact set of allen wrenches and screw drivers that are usually hinged together to save room. You’ll need one of these for any minor work you need to perform while out riding. Work like adjusting your brake pads, derailleur, or pedals. There are many different kinds available with all kinds of options ranging from six function compact tools to more robust 27 function models with integrated chain tools. Finding one you like is usually a matter of personal preference.
Money. You should always carry a little bit of money in your seat bag for emergencies. Make sure you have at least a dollars worth of quarters for the air compressor machines at the corner gas station. I learned this the hard way back on Ride 21 and 1/3. A dollar bill can also function as a boot in the event of a cut tire. Just fold it up, place it on the inside of the tire, and it’ll keep the tube from bulging out when you pressurize it.


Identification. Should you be involved in an accident it will help if you have some kind of identification on you. The easiest thing to do is to put your license in your seat bag before departing for a ride. Some riders make up an information sheet that they keep in their seat bag permanently. Another very good option is to invest in a Road ID from www.RoadID.com. The RoadID is available in either a wrist or ankle option and can be engraved to display the information you want first responders to see in the event you are in an accident.

Cell Phone. I’m not a huge fan of cell phones. They are convenient but I hate the intrusiveness they can have. While out on a ride, though, they can be very valuable. I’ve had to use mine to call for a ride as I’m sure others have as well. They also provide another way for emergency personnel to identify who you are. Nothing says you can’t set it on silent or vibrate while your riding so it doesn’t bother you or others who may be in your group.

There you have it. The items above are what I feel are essential items you need to have in your seat bag. If you have them you’ll be prepared for your next ride and be able to make it home. I’m sure many of you will have your own opinions on what should be in your seat bag so I welcome your comments.

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I started off as usual by rolling out of the garage at about 5:15. The sky was partly cloudy and dark. I believe I actually felt a couple of sprinkles. On my way down the driveway I had to stop and admire my lawn. I mowed it yesterday after I got home from work and I always love the look of a freshly mowed yard. After patting myself on the back I rolled out the driveway.

Just like Saturday’s ride, I started in the big chain ring and stayed there the entire ride. I feel like I’m already accustomed to riding in it so there’s no going back now. Maybe it’s a manly thing. Anyway, I was still working on my 500 mile base fitness so I wanted to take it somewhat easy today and not push it too hard. I felt really good though after warming up. I was able to maintain a good 13-14 mph average speed with no problems at all. A couple of times I found myself riding a little faster than that and had to reign myself back in. With the humidity that was already building I worked up a good sweat though which felt great.

I saw a few runners this morning (mainly on my return trip) and one other bicyclist. The bike rider I saw about 5 minutes into my ride and he looked like he might be a commuter. He was going the opposite direction of me and I barely saw him. He was on a hybrid wearing dark shorts, a dark shirt, no helmet, and no lights. Talk about suicidal.

Anyway, that’s about it. Today’s ride was 13 miles in 56 minutes. With me heading out of town tomorrow morning I’m not sure I’m going to be able to ride tomorrow or not. I plan on taking my bike with me on my trip to Gainesville so I can still get my rides in. We’ll just have to see how things go with my wife and her surgery.

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