Barry Roubaix March 16,2016

First time in this major race for me. The field was huge-thousands of participants. We started in waves according to our distance, gender, and age. I was in wave 11, which started 20 minutes after the first wave. Just lots and lots of bike riders. I knew several people in this race but really only saw a couple of them. This photo is of our wave.

The weather was warm and sunny-starting in the 60s and ending in the 70s. I felt pretty good because most of the faster, younger riders started ahead of me, there weren't too many people passing me other than groups of fast women who must have started in later waves. There was constant traffic but mostly I was passing slower riders. That made me feel pretty good about myself even though my actual speed wasn't really much faster than the other races I did this spring. The finish winds through Hastings on paved roads so I had a little sprint out with someone else to the finish, which I won. Of course with so many different waves, there is no way to know if someone you're riding with is even, behind or ahead of you. The Sager road stretch was interesting. I did have to stop and walk a couple of times there, but due to the fact someone ahead of me stopped and there was too much traffic to go around them. I might have been able to ride that stretch the whole way if there were no other riders nearby. I finished 1033/1475 overall with an average speed of 14.71, 48/80 in my age group. This will be my last gravel race of the spring season. I'm a little disappointed in my results. I'm actually more than one mph slower in average speed compared with past races. I haven't had a chance to train much due to the situation with our business staffing, which will get worse before it gets better. But, even a bad day on the bike is better than a good day anywhere else. I just like to get on my red bike and ride it for all I'm worth.

I think two equipment choices helped me. I kept my Clement MSO 40mm tires instead of going with my narrower (and theoretically faster)  LAS tires. Much of the gravel had been worked up and loose, probably due to the amount of traffic ahead of me and the dry conditions of the course. It hadn't rained all week so the roads were dry and dusty-really making the Paris-Roubaix reference realistic. So I like the wider tires on loose gravel-more secure. That allowed me to push a little harder, maneuver around people even though I had to get onto looser gravel and stay on the saddle in the soft sand. I also changed my gearing to a 50-34 front crankset and 30-12 rear cassette. This lower ratio allowed me to spin while remaining seated on most of the hills. This is a faster way to climb for me, and I think it helps prevent  my quads from cramping. Trying to decide if I should keep this smaller crankset on the BMC or switch it back to my Surly, which I now am using as a Rando bike. 

Manchester, TN 200K Permanent April 2016

A trip to the Nashville area for a conference and Ruth's SR board meeting gave me an opportunity to complete my April Permanent in southern Tennessee.


I abandoned my planned March Permanent in Michigan due to a combination of weather (very windy, cold and wet), a malfunctioning Garmin and a poor choice of equipment-I went with my Gunnar road bike in order to go faster, got my first flat tire 10 miles in, got chilled changing the tube, turned around and went home. That was March 27 so I had no alternate days to recover. Lessons learned-make an attempt earlier in the month, use the tried and true Rando bike, buy a new memory chip for the garmin.

Anyway, the weather was a little cool for Tennessee but considering the snow in Michigan at the time I still felt lucky. Still felt like spring in Tennessee.

Overall I really enjoyed this ride, on my BMC with my dyno hub and lights and full fenders. There were a few smatterings of rain but nothing really too serious. The route took me up two mountains with switchbacks and the occasional grade above 10% which I walked. The gearing on my BMC isn't extremely low-36X30.

I did have a rather major mechanical issue with the chain falling off the back of the rear cassette and jamming the freewheel body against the hub, causing the chain to dangle down close to the spokes whenever I coasted. I rode through Monteagle (with a brief stop to give Ruth a kiss, since she was meeting at Monteagle inn, which was right on my way) and stopped at Woody's bike shop in Suwanne. He had to completely disassemble the rear hub/freewheel in order to un-jam it. That put me behind schedule for completing this ride during daylight so I'm glad I went with my lights. Here's a photo of sunset taken from a bridge that crosses Normandy Lake. 

Lowell 50, April 2016

One of the main factors in this race was the weather. The race started in sun with temps in the 30s with a stiff west wind. By mile 24 we here headed into a snowstorm with dropping temps. While the roads never were frozen, I spend a lot of time in a pace line which I attempted to hold together as we were in the open areas of the last half of the race.

The other factor was that I really didn't feel that well. All week I felt winded and light-headed with any exertion such as climbing a flight or two of stairs. Must be fighting off something. Felt the same on the initial major climb which is the steepest and longest one of this race. Seems like an average speed of about 14.5 mph is the best I can do this spring.

Finished 101/162 overall at 14.52 mph. 14/29 in my age category. The only photos of interest I took were a before and after of my bike, which was very muddy at the end, due to the wet roads.

Melting Mann-First Gravel Race of the Year

I celebrated the first day of spring with a gravel race called "Melting Mann." This race started in the small southern Michigan town of Vandalia and wound through the surrounding countryside on mostly hard-packed gravel roads. Here is a photo I stole from their FB page of the starting queue with their mascot Yeti.

The weather was excellent for March: clear, sunny and cold-in the lower 30s at the start. Overall, it was a positive experience. I really had a great time and am happy with my result. But I do see room for improvement.

The positives:

This was the first race with my new BMC  bike, with new Rolf prima wheels and Clement MSO 40mm tires:

Lots of cushioning because of the frame design, carbon seat post and allowance for wider tires. Compared to my heavier Surly, the weight difference really helped me get up those hills. The "wider than recommended" tires were really, really nice: they helped smooth out the bumps and I actually felt comfortable sliding around on the loose gravel or soft sand.

The course was fairly smooth, mostly hard packed. Here's a photo I took during a time of where I had to slow down to get rid of some lactic acid:

Beautiful roads, beautiful weather.

I also stayed for the awards ceremony and had some food and beer with everybody. The gravel racing community is really friendly and has a very low, virtually nonexistant "AH" ratio, compared with other flavors of bike racing, in my opinion.

The room for improvement:

One of the main reasons I race is that it gives me a clearly measured, objective result that I can use to measure my efforts to improve. My goal has been to finish above 50% of all participants. I can then consider myself "above average" and this helps to bolster my fragile ego. The actual result was 152nd place out of 219 so not so good. I was basically under-trained. But I do think the 50% goal is within my reach. My average speed was 15 miles an hour. In order to hit my goal, I should have been at 16 miles per hour average. I think the faster pace is attainable. Let's see how I do at the Lowell 50 in a couple of weeks.

Northwest to Nashville 200K-Experience is the teacher of all things

It was the cold, it was the east wind, it was the hills, it was the south wind. At mile 65 I was continually looking down at my rear cassette because it felt like I was pushing too high of a gear ratio. But no, creeping along in a very low gear I passed some flags which confirmed what I was refusing to accept as reality: I was headed South and the flags were flying straight out towards me. The wind, in my face for most of the North-East, 53 mile trek to Nashville had shifted and would challenge me for the remainder of my trip.

Then my legs informed me they had had enough of hill climbing. My price to pay for refusing to ride indoors and keep my conditioning up this winter.  It hurt to go any faster than a soft-pedal pace, and when I needed them to get me up one of the numerous Barry County hills, they began to twinge as a for-warning of a total ride-ending spasm.

Then "The Voice of Reason" got into my head: "You should abandon now, you are only at the halfway point and if you keep going your legs will give out completely. Then you'll have to wait for Ruth to come and get you for that car ride of shame. There's a good chance she will get lost on these god-forsaken back roads while you curl up into the fetal position and hypothermia sets in." You know, that voice. Usually a symptom of bonking.

Anyway, I kept going. Kept eating at the controls, Felt a little better, then a little worse...etc. Another 200K Permanent in the books. Beautiful course-from Portage, past Brook Lodge (a lot of memories there,) then onto much of what I recognized as the 24hr challenge course leading to the small village of Nashville, MI. Then back around Gull Lake to Plainwell south to Kalamazoo. Actually enjoyed the ride through Kalamazoo and Portage in full darkness.

Nashville, MI-Remember, it's the journey, not the destination.

So, what did this experience teach? Besides the usual need for better training, more weight loss, warmer clothing; which I always resolve to do but rarely follow through.

Welcome back blogger, wherein I describe my first 200K Permanent of 2016 in Norman, Oklahoma

It's been a while. Since this blog is mostly a way to record my bicycle experiences and read by mostly only myself, I am re-starting posts here for 2016.

So yesterday I took advantage of a trip Ruth was taking to Norman Oklahoma by tagging along and signing up for a RUSA Permanent. Permanents are published courses that can be ridden any day, instead of on an appointed date. There still is a set of control points that the rider needs to pass through within prescribed time limits. These are approved by RUSA (Randoneurs USA) and published on their website. There are many Permanent courses all over the US, so this is a good way to find good cycling routes when you travel. Provided you want to cycle a minimum of 200 kilometers, which is about 125 miles for you silly Americans who aren't metrically minded.

So thanks to Mike Schmit, who developed and published this 200K ride called the "Rollercoaster 202" and originates in Norman, Oklahoma. There is a little pre-planning required to get the paperwork set up, and once you set a date, usually you are locked into it no matter what the weather. This wasn't an issure for me because I only had the one day available to do this ride anyway.

Wednesday, January 20 was forecasted to be in the upper 40s, so I packed accordingly. Unfortunately, I did not note the overnight low that was forecast. I started the ride at about 7 am when it was 25 degrees. It did not get above the freezing point until about 11am, and my feet were not dressed for sub-freezing weather-I was thinking 40s. Lesson learned, the hard way. I made an unscheduled stop at a small cafe in Wanette because the pain in my toes was interfering with my ability to pedal, which was kind of slow anyway. This place was interesting, I was the only customer there without a bib overalls and a beard down to at least the third button down from the collar. A TV was set up on one table showing a re-run of "Pawn Stars" that was the focus of everyone's attention. Despite my being a little out of the ordinary, I was welcomed and treated with the most friendly manner. Oklahomans are really nice people.

Anyway, after my toes started really hurting as an indication that blood was circulating through them, I set off again. Within the hour, the temp warmed up enough to allow a normal bicycle riding mode and I was treated to this highlight of the ride, an old railroad bridge that had been converted to part of the road system, albeit a narrow part.

This was at about 11 am at mile 46. Things smoothed out a a more normal ride after that, with the average speed picking up from about 12 to 16-17 that I would normally do. There was even a total of about 4 miles of gravel roads on this ride, mostly hard-packed through cattle grazing lands.

The roads were in good shape, and the drivers were amazingly courteous. Often they would hang back about 20 ft waiting for a clear section of road to pass me, always staying at least 3 feet away. What is is about Michigan drivers who seem to think only cars belong on roads?

My run to the Border

Today I rode 130 miles south in an 'out and back' to the state line. Here I am with my trusty 'Kind of Blue' bike at a sign that says Ind ana, which we can assume is Indiana. My route was mostly along lightly traveled rural roads from home south of Allegan, through Bangor, Dowagiac, and then Niles. From Niles the state line is just a few miles further south. 

On the way, I saw many interesting things. A wetland in the early morning:

Many apple orchards that were in bloom ( good to see no frost damage:)

And something for my toolbox:

While I do occasionally look at the passing scenery, most of my focus is on the road surface about 5-10 feet in front of me. I'm looking for glass shards, potholes, stones & rocks, etc. I often see many interesting things that have been cast off from passing cars. Some of the more common things I see on just about every ride:

     -clothing, both adult and children's. Often it is underwear. I won't even attempt to explain.

     -beer and liquor bottles. Drinking and driving remains a popular pastime despite legal ramifications. 

Some of the more unusual items I have seen in recent memory

     -iPads. I have found two in the past 6 months. Cracked, wet and unusable. 

     -Today I saw a beehive tray with honeycomb attached. No viable bees though. 

     - D avenue near the Kalamazoo river was littered with hundreds of watch batteries.

I wondered if this business exits on the googler  (the aptly named 'Field Plumbing Heating':)

This ride will be my last long one before I attempt the 300K (185 mile) Brevet in Wisconsin on June 30. I would have liked to go a little longer, but overall the 130 miles went smoothly with no major pain in my hands, feet or butt; the three critical points of contact on long rides. My eating/energy level was good also, as I learn what and when to stop and eat along the way.

Randonneur



Saturday I rode my first Brevet. At 200 kilometers (actually 128 miles) this was the longest ride I have ever done in one day. Yet this is the shortest distance offered by Randonneurs USA.

It took me just a little over 10 hours to complete. Since this sport is not about racing, what matters most is that I finished inside the time limit of 13.5 hours. There were many who finished ahead of me, and many who finished behind me; we all get equal credit.

 

 

The Start Meeting 6:45am


As this picture I snapped during the pre-ride meeting shows, Central Wisconsin was sunny, cool (high in the mid 50s), and very windy. More about the wind later. There were a total of about 50 riders on this day, but rode mostly in small groups of 2-5 riders which broke up and re-formed throughout the day. As the day progressed, we spread out according to our preferred personal pace and the sight of other riders became less common, except at the designated checkpoint locations. I rode the last 40 miles entirely by myself, not able to keep up with a group of three ahead of me but not wanting to slow down for the group of two I knew were behind me.

 

Besides turn-by-turn directions printed on a cue sheet, we each received a Brevet Card: 

This card needs to be stamped/initialed with the time at each checkpoint. I took a picture of mine after it was completed because I don't have it in my possession just now. This card is being sent to the Audax Club Parisien (another French term, which may be appropriate since it is in France) for official entry into what I like to think of as "The Book." This book must be very large, since the club was founded in 1904 by Henri Desgrange, who also founded the Tour de France. It will be mailed back to me after they add yet more French words to it. I will call it a souvenir.

There were two things I learned on this ride: First, this is an eating contest. The body can perform on it's own stores of blood sugar at the level of exertion required for about two hours. After that it must use whatever you eat during the ride. If you wait too long or don't eat enough you will experience a rapid decline in blood sugar which we call "bonking" (or maybe I should say "le bonk.") Having done this to myself many times in the past, I can say it is a form of suffering. Besides the obvious decline in energy, your body becomes racked with pain-my back, neck, butt, and arms all demand that I stop riding. Your mental state also deteriorates: poor decision making, despondency, and an overall pissed-off attitude ensues. So it is important to eat enough to keep your blood sugar up. The problem is, your stomach doesn't always agree with the high-carb, high energy stuff you keep cramming down into it. So you can experience 'gastro-intestinal distress.' Most of the conversations with other riders are about what they have, are, or will eat. This seems to be a trial and error process that is unique to every body.

Second, in the words of Gilda Radner, "It's always something. If it's not one thing it's another...." Saturday was about riding into the wind, especially during the last leg when we were tired. This was a stiff east wind that slowed my pace from it's typical 15 mph to below 10. I remember looking up to see a flag flying straight out with it's halyard slapping against the flagpole. I was beginning to feel le bonk but also felt queasy, so it was a mental challenge to keep going. And there was a detour I had to follow on a separate map off the cue sheet, which was new to me anyway. So that was a challenge. But future brevets will have their own challenges: rain, heat, lack of sleep, navigating in darkness, more wind, mechanical breakdowns, etc. It's about having the perseverance to finish each brevet within the time limit.

So my future plan is to attempt a 300K on May 30, also in Wisconsin. This distance may well involve some riding after sunset, so the appropriate lights and reflective gear is required. In June I hope to do a 400K, which means basically riding all day and almost all of the next night. My goal is to do one event of at least 200K each month for the next twelve months, qualifying for the R12 award. After that, maybe I will attempt some of the very long 1200K events that are held throughout the world.

First Solo Century Ride of the Year

After three attempts in March that I cut short to save my toes, I have finally completed my March Century. Lunch at Country Fare Restaurant in Grand Junction was my reward. The RUSA 200K Brevet in Wisconsin looks possible. Then I can change my Facebook status to "Randonneur*"

*Randonneuring: Randonneuring is long-distance unsupported endurance cycling. This style of riding is non-competitive in nature, and self-sufficiency is paramount. When riders participate in randonneuring events, they are part of a long tradition that goes back to the beginning of the sport of cycling in France and Italy. Friendly camaraderie, not competition, is the hallmark of randonneuring.

Spent a Lot of Time Here in March

Cold, snowy, more cold, more snow. Somehow I managed over 500 miles though.

Five Reasons I am Smiling

1. First day over 20 degrees means I can still feel my toes

2. Two days since the last snowfall means the gravel roads are hard packed and smooth.

3. I have a new Fred (that's biker speak for super dorky) mirror sticking out in front of my glasses.

4. My water bottle hasn't frozen solid yet. 

5. My knee doesn't hurt any more. 

The View is Worth the Climb

If I look tired it's because I had just climbed about 800 feet up a snowy gravel road on a bike that has only one gear, and that gear is a little "tall." I am on the back side of the hill that is Bittersweet Ski Area. The whitish hill way off in the distance is Timber Ridge ski area.

Sure felt good to get outside though, and the today was a lot less windy than yesterday. Today's ride wraps up January at 412 miles. Not really where I wanted to be, but the weather was a factor-I hate riding indoors on my trainer.

100 Miles in One Beautiful Day

Yesterday I rode 100 miles with the Shut Up and Ride Club and we all agreed that there was no better way to spend the one sunny day we get in West Michigan in November.

The hub of our ride was The Good Earth bagel shop in Holland, where we stopped for comestibles and warmth in between loops.

The first loop was 30 miles south to Saugatuck and back, which is done weekly by this group and called "The Bagel Ride." As you can see from the photo below, we move along in a double paceline at an easy speed. 

After a quick bite at the bagel shop, most of us headed north to Grand Haven for the next 45 miles. We found the wind and got a little more serious about drafting. 

As you can see, the sun was shining. After passing by the lakeshore,

 we stopped at a coffee shop that had a very cool sign:

Then yet another loop to complete our 100 miles. No better way to spend a day.

Need...More...Oxygen

Cycling in the Colorado Rockies. A popular 30 mile loop from Boulder to Jamestown and back. The mountain roads had as many bicycles as motorized vehicles. The climb up was an easy 6% grade most of the way.

Here's photographic evidence of my climbing accomplishment. Jamestown is at 7200 feet, so a climb of about 2000 feet. I don't know if you can see the lack of oxygen in my face, but cycling at this altitude only two days into our visit was not easy.

There were many interesting sights in Jamestown. A sign warning motorists to slow down in order to avoid hitting bear families. Or maybe this sign is meant for us cyclists to motivate us to go faster because we may be chased by bears?

There was also a cyclist oriented drive-in library.

And, most conveniently, water.

Jamestown is a nice place to ride a bike to and then turn around and fly down the mountain at a high rate of speed. These vistas are something you see out of the corner of your eye as you are mainly setting up for the next curve in the road.

After another steep climb up Old Stage Road I was rewarded with this view of North Boulder.

Here's the map and profile:

Posted with Blogsy

Just another old barn

Cut my ride short and went past this.

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Creatures along the side of the road, real or imagined

Here's a sea serpent that is sporting a new pink color. I call him Cecil. Not really sure about the new color scheme, but that is a personal thing.

Wherein I Recount Today's Ride to South Haven

Today I rode 55 miles to South Haven and back. Here's the data:

Most of the way is through blueberry fields like this one.

Actually kind of boring- it's like riding through cornfields but instead of corn you see blueberry bushes. Another drawback of monoculture.

My rear tire flatted as I entered the South Haven trailhead so that was as good a time as any to stop for lunch and repair the flat. I found a very small stone chip that had imbedded itself into the rubber and worked its way through the casing. Could have been there for weeks. I do inspect the tires for such things, but this was too small to be noticed.

After lunch I rode to the lake. A strong west wind was kicking up swells in the channel and no swimming was allowed. The sign said "Avoid Contact With Water." I wondered if monoculture could be the culprit here too.

So, homeward bound. I passed this old schoolhouse on the way home. I remember first seeing this years ago and thinking it would be a nice project to restore and convert to a home.

Every year the project increases in scope. At least someone loved it enough to place a wreath on the front door.

That's all folks. Ride lots!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Sea to Sea-final day for me!

The last post was submitted prior to dinner with Ruth Friday evening, which was at her favorite place-The Curragh Irish Pub. When I returned to my dorm room I could see that dorm living seems to have brought out the sophmoric prankster in someone:

Turns out the signs were correct because there were both women and men in the rest room. Crazy fun!

 

Saturday's ride was sort-under 50 miles. A ride from Hope college to Calvin College stopping at Calvin CRC in Grand Rapids for lunch. There was an open invitation for anyone to ride along so the number of people riding was at least twice as many as usual. Here is what most of the ride looked like:

Many new riders who were not experienced in riding in a group. There is a set of behaviors that those of us who are experienced look for in others who want to ride with us. Things like keeping a constant speed, not crossing wheels, not swerving, calling out or signaling obstacles, etc. so this ride made me nervous. The last few miles were done all in one mass of riders. Here we are queuing for departure from Calvin CRC:

I felt this was the most dangerous part of the week, but everyone made it to Calvin College without incident.

 

So, now that I have completed my week, a couple of thoughts.

The most valuable lesson of doing this didn't have anything to do with bicycling or anything related to that. It was that I can sometimes completely loose control of the situation and still have a positive experience. I rode in weather that I wouldn't choose to ride in. I camped in conditions I wouldn't choose to camp in. We took routes I wouldn't choose to take. I have been very fortunate to adjust my lifestyle so as to be in control of most of it. But spending a week out of my control was a good thing for me. Because when it really comes down to it, I'm not in control of anything.

 

Would I do this again? Yes! Probably a different part of the country, maybe more than one week. Not the full ride unless we somehow retire from innkeeping entirely. But if Sea to Sea rides again, I will be participating.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Sea to Sea week 6 Day 5

Today we rode 59 miles from Benton Harbor, MI to Holland, MI. Not many pictures since the route was through some very familiar territory and I had the "been there, done that" syndrome.

Two things of note, first the night spent in a tent on the church lawn in the heart of Benton Harbor. After walking to a "Canadian Bible Study" with three other adventurous Sea to Sea riders, I settled into my tent at about 10pm. I could hear the sound of two or three men yelling at each other coming from a neighboring house. This continued until about 2am, interspersed with groups of men walking by talking loudly, most of which I could make out word for word. Some of the conversation had to do with us in our tents-I'll leave it that we were the butt of many jokes. Fortunately everyone passing by kept moving and the yelling match did not escalate to gunfire. I spent much of the night praying that we would be "passed over" like the Israelites in Egypt. One of the first things I did when I got up in the morning (5am) was to circle the trucks to see if they got tagged. They were clean. Maybe I was over-reacting, but it sure felt like we were in an evil place. What a difference from the very high-end properties we saw along Lake Michigan surrounding Benton Harbor. We had a praise service-here are the musicians warming up

prior to our nightly Peleton meeting and heard about the various efforts Christians are making in this city to improve the situation. One thing I heard is that by many economic measures, Benton Harbor is the worst place in the country. And so very close to us.

The second topic was the weather for today. This picture of Donald sums it up:

I was wringing him out again. I rained rather heavily most of the way to Holland. I'll spare you the gory details but riding in the rain is not something I would choose to do but the tour must go on! Eventually we happened upon This sight in Holland.

We never thought dorm life would be such a luxury. Actual hot showers! More than one toilet for all the men of the tour! A dry place to sleep! And Ruth is coming out to treat me to dinner tonight!

 

Posted with Blogsy