So, after a really crappy week the weekend turned out being a lot of fun. David could not leave for B'ham until Saturday morning and Brooke had a test she was still getting ready for Friday night, so we did not leave until Saturday at 6 am.
I wasn't able to start my ride until 12:00. I found a park in Birmingham that ended up being a 17 mile loop with 1053 ft climbing on each loop. I only had time to do 2 loops. It had several short 4-7% climbs. Nothing hard, but a good safe loop until I can find some people to ride with in B'ham.
Sunday was spectacular! Part of me is disappointed in the fact that I was too slow to complete the whole course. They closed the last 12 miles at noon and I got there at 12:06. It was probably good as it would have taken at least 1.5 hours to do the 12 miles and we did not get home until midnight as it was. My speed is a huge issue on climbs. Over 88 miles I averaged 11.8 mph my total time was 8 hours. BUT there was 6500+ ft of climbing over the 88 miles. For the first 44 miles there was 4000 ft of climbing! This is 2500 ft more than any day in Arizona. Many and I mean MANY of the climbs were 1-2 miles at 10-14%. This is what my bike computer said. The roadies insisted that it was much higher than 14% in spots.
So, I really am stoked overall! I climbed 12-14% grades on a recumbent! Okay, I did have to walk on several occasions. It was just too steep. But I did climb 12-14% grades - not the entire climb, but a significant portion of it. I am going to see if I can download the info to see just how much I was able to climb at those grades. Additionally I am still having FD issues and it caused me to have to walk when it shifted on its own at a 12% grade. There were a ton of 9-10% grades and I did not walk them unless they were at the top of a 12%+ grade I was already walking. I could not re-mount the bike at 9% but could at 7%.
Once again, I got a lot of funny looks and wise cracks about riding a recumbent. I just answered that I wanted a challenge and this ride was the best I could come up with! By the end of the ride, I had impressed several roadies, especially when I would pass them on a climb. There were some significant rollers that I would try and bomb and would be able to scream past some of them. A couple times I was able to out climb a roadie pedal stroke for pedal stroke! BTW, I did reach 50 mph on one hill and tried not to feather my breaks too much. On the 3 mile downhill with the 14% grade, I was pretty nervous and feathered the breaks often.
The funniest thing was on the hardest climb. You were climbing at 9-10% and could not see the top as the road curved. Once you made the curve all you could see was road straight up. Lining this road was at least a dozen uprights walking. Funniest sight I had ever seen! Of course, I could not make it up either, but it sure was a sight to see all the uprights. I am guessing that stretch was 12-14% or more. It was very difficult to push the bike up the hill.
Anyway, my climbing yesterday was more than all but 4 days of the PAC Tour. The first has 5690 ft (Stevens Pass), the 10th and 11th day have 6,200 and 7,300 ft (big horns), the 26, 27, 28 have 6,600, 9500, 9000 respectively (Appalachians). Now, just to work on the speed in which I climb and being able to make it up the 12% without walking.
I do want to mention that I was walking 6% grades on the Natchez Trace trip this past October. 6% are easy, slow, but easy.
So, I will really want to go over there again and do hill repeats. If I can get better/faster at the 12% then PAC tour should be a slam dunk! Okay, realistically, it will still be really hard, but I can do it!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Ridgeland Century Ride and New Century PR
Copied email to my coach:
"OMG!!! Have no idea what my best century time was but it wasn't 6:22!! Ride time was 5:59! LOL!!! 23 min off bike!!! 16.75 ave! Ave cad 81 max 108! Ave HR 150 Max 180!! Spent 13 min 48 sec above 165!
WHOO HOO!! I drafted probably 50-60 miles and rode alone 40-50. Tried to stay in a paceline, but I only wanted to stop at the 25 mile rest stop, 50 mile and 75 mile rest stops. So I would lose my pace line at times. Worked really hard and my legs got more tired than normal after 75 miles. I am very pleased though!"
It was a really good ride and I was very pleased. I rode with a couple ladies from Oxford - Carol Livingston is an avid rider and I hope to meet up with her again. I had seen Carols picture on bike journal and recognized her since she was wearing an Oxford jersey.
Interestingly, I was more tired for several days after this ride. I would compare it to the fatigue I suffer on a longer over night ride like a night time 200 or a 400.
I hope to see faster century times in the future!
"OMG!!! Have no idea what my best century time was but it wasn't 6:22!! Ride time was 5:59! LOL!!! 23 min off bike!!! 16.75 ave! Ave cad 81 max 108! Ave HR 150 Max 180!! Spent 13 min 48 sec above 165!
WHOO HOO!! I drafted probably 50-60 miles and rode alone 40-50. Tried to stay in a paceline, but I only wanted to stop at the 25 mile rest stop, 50 mile and 75 mile rest stops. So I would lose my pace line at times. Worked really hard and my legs got more tired than normal after 75 miles. I am very pleased though!"
It was a really good ride and I was very pleased. I rode with a couple ladies from Oxford - Carol Livingston is an avid rider and I hope to meet up with her again. I had seen Carols picture on bike journal and recognized her since she was wearing an Oxford jersey.
Interestingly, I was more tired for several days after this ride. I would compare it to the fatigue I suffer on a longer over night ride like a night time 200 or a 400.
I hope to see faster century times in the future!
March 27 - Ride South Signiture Ride
Well, I haven't blogged in a while - it is hard to find time to sit down and put my thoughts on paper. I typically email my coach pretty quickly after a ride and should just edit the email and post it.
So, what have been doing since my last post?
March 27th Ride South Signature Ride - My bike came in on Friday in time for it to be put back together for the Recumbent Rally. We had some 40ish recumbents show for one launching or another of this ride. I knew I could not start with the guys doing the 115 mile route as I would be red lining all day long. I decided to do the 80 mile ride (a 40 mile out and back on the rail trail), convincing myself that I could keep my HR below 130. I made arrangements to ride with Beth, a Corsa rider that really has a competitive spirit. So, I failed miserably keeping my HR below 130 :( There were 3 of us doing the 80 mile start that dropped the others in the matter of 1 mile. The two in front of me were in my sight for the first 3 rolling hill miles and I just could not stop myself from catching up with them. I know my HR was too high, but I felt really good. My legs were a little tired to start, but I was glad to be back on the bike. One of the guys and I ended up being very well matched and we rode the whole 40 miles together talking and only drafting off each other when others were coming towards us and we needed to drop to single file. We averaged 16 mph while I was trying to keep my HR below 150. Although my HR seemed high, my PE was lower.
At the turn around the entire group met for lunch and I met up with Beth. She has potential and a lot of fire to keep up and not be dropped. She reminds me of myself several years back, well maybe even just a year back! She wanted to start before the mass start after lunch as she did not want to be the last one in. Since this was the one place everyone would gather, they wanted everyone to stay for pictures and start together. Of course, all of the fast guys had made it, including one of the owners of the company that makes my bike, John Schlitter (first to finish solo RAAM on a bent). So, I went out with the fast guys for 3 or 4 miles at 20+ (26 at a point)mph red lining most of the time! Boy it was fun! I knew I could not keep it up so I turned around and met Beth and her husband Johnny and rode in with her. I had a great time. I did get my HR lower for most of the ride, we had a headwind (if you could call it that) that made us work harder (ha).
John Schlitter, Greg Hammer, and me in Prentiss
Beth and I somewhere on the Longleaf Trace
So, what have been doing since my last post?
March 27th Ride South Signature Ride - My bike came in on Friday in time for it to be put back together for the Recumbent Rally. We had some 40ish recumbents show for one launching or another of this ride. I knew I could not start with the guys doing the 115 mile route as I would be red lining all day long. I decided to do the 80 mile ride (a 40 mile out and back on the rail trail), convincing myself that I could keep my HR below 130. I made arrangements to ride with Beth, a Corsa rider that really has a competitive spirit. So, I failed miserably keeping my HR below 130 :( There were 3 of us doing the 80 mile start that dropped the others in the matter of 1 mile. The two in front of me were in my sight for the first 3 rolling hill miles and I just could not stop myself from catching up with them. I know my HR was too high, but I felt really good. My legs were a little tired to start, but I was glad to be back on the bike. One of the guys and I ended up being very well matched and we rode the whole 40 miles together talking and only drafting off each other when others were coming towards us and we needed to drop to single file. We averaged 16 mph while I was trying to keep my HR below 150. Although my HR seemed high, my PE was lower.
At the turn around the entire group met for lunch and I met up with Beth. She has potential and a lot of fire to keep up and not be dropped. She reminds me of myself several years back, well maybe even just a year back! She wanted to start before the mass start after lunch as she did not want to be the last one in. Since this was the one place everyone would gather, they wanted everyone to stay for pictures and start together. Of course, all of the fast guys had made it, including one of the owners of the company that makes my bike, John Schlitter (first to finish solo RAAM on a bent). So, I went out with the fast guys for 3 or 4 miles at 20+ (26 at a point)mph red lining most of the time! Boy it was fun! I knew I could not keep it up so I turned around and met Beth and her husband Johnny and rode in with her. I had a great time. I did get my HR lower for most of the ride, we had a headwind (if you could call it that) that made us work harder (ha).
John Schlitter, Greg Hammer, and me in Prentiss
Beth and I somewhere on the Longleaf Trace
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Reflections of the week
Wow! I can't believe I did it! It really amazes me how much fun this past week was. With just over 100 days left before my cross country, I am feeling like I can truely do it!
So, what do I need to improve upon?
1. Speed, I am still too slow. I think with proper time management at the rest stops, I can keep up with the end of the main pack. However, if I can improve by 2 mph I would have more time to take pictures and stop at the rest stops as necessary.
2. Climbing - probably goes hand and hand with the speed. If I can climb faster I can keep from falling way behind.
3. Balance - I am sure I will be blown all over the road at one time or another. Developing better balance will allow me to keep from having to start over after being blown around.
4. Decending - if I was more comfortable coming down a mountain, I can gain much more time on my upright counterparts. I was passed by way too many uprights on the downhills. This is an area where a bent should excel. Of course, I don't want to throw caution to the wind either, but just being more confident about decending would be helpful.
What are my strengths:
1. Mentally I am on - no doubts! I can and will do this cross country tour. I am amazed that I went through the entire week without going mental. I was able to stay in the moment every day. Only the day we did Mule Pass did I let my nerves get to me; however, I never equated not doing the pass with not doing the tour - okay, that probably is a lie. I did do the pass and it was easier than I thought it would be. I was slow, but shortened my lunch time and finished before most everyone that day.
2. I know what I need to fuel my body on the ride. Hammer Rocks! Enough said!
3. I am a Randonneur and proud of it. I know I can do distance and I know how my body reacts to the distance and I thrive on it.
4. I truly want to do this ride. Each day will be different with its own highlights and challenges. This is an opportunity of a life time and I want to live it. I know there will be so really difficult days, but each day will be different.
5. I know the routine. Wake up, get to the trailer, air up, ride, stop for lunch, ride, drink recovery drink, clean the bike,shower, eat supper, get stuff ready for tomorrow, sleep.
Words of wisdom from others:
Many people told me to permit myself to SAG if I really needed to. I don't have to ride Every Fantastic Inch. It would be nice, but it is not realistic.
Other observations:
1. I recovered remarkedly well every day. My legs felt great every morning. I did better on the days that did not start climbing right out of the gate, but my legs were fully recovered each morning. Once again I attribute that to Hammer. I took the enduralytes, Anti-fatigue caps, Endurance amino,and race caps during the ride. I took the AF, EA RC and tissue rejuvinator and premium ins caps after the ride with 4 scoops of Recoverite. I took a combination of Heed and Whey before bed each night. I also rubbed my legs out with the stick each evening.
2. I need to make my gear bag as light as possible. 31 lbs is too heavy to lug every day.
3. I need to come up with someway to keep my bike from falling. It won't fit on Lon's bike racks, so I need to come up with something to keep it from falling over at the rest stops.
So, what do I need to improve upon?
1. Speed, I am still too slow. I think with proper time management at the rest stops, I can keep up with the end of the main pack. However, if I can improve by 2 mph I would have more time to take pictures and stop at the rest stops as necessary.
2. Climbing - probably goes hand and hand with the speed. If I can climb faster I can keep from falling way behind.
3. Balance - I am sure I will be blown all over the road at one time or another. Developing better balance will allow me to keep from having to start over after being blown around.
4. Decending - if I was more comfortable coming down a mountain, I can gain much more time on my upright counterparts. I was passed by way too many uprights on the downhills. This is an area where a bent should excel. Of course, I don't want to throw caution to the wind either, but just being more confident about decending would be helpful.
What are my strengths:
1. Mentally I am on - no doubts! I can and will do this cross country tour. I am amazed that I went through the entire week without going mental. I was able to stay in the moment every day. Only the day we did Mule Pass did I let my nerves get to me; however, I never equated not doing the pass with not doing the tour - okay, that probably is a lie. I did do the pass and it was easier than I thought it would be. I was slow, but shortened my lunch time and finished before most everyone that day.
2. I know what I need to fuel my body on the ride. Hammer Rocks! Enough said!
3. I am a Randonneur and proud of it. I know I can do distance and I know how my body reacts to the distance and I thrive on it.
4. I truly want to do this ride. Each day will be different with its own highlights and challenges. This is an opportunity of a life time and I want to live it. I know there will be so really difficult days, but each day will be different.
5. I know the routine. Wake up, get to the trailer, air up, ride, stop for lunch, ride, drink recovery drink, clean the bike,shower, eat supper, get stuff ready for tomorrow, sleep.
Words of wisdom from others:
Many people told me to permit myself to SAG if I really needed to. I don't have to ride Every Fantastic Inch. It would be nice, but it is not realistic.
Other observations:
1. I recovered remarkedly well every day. My legs felt great every morning. I did better on the days that did not start climbing right out of the gate, but my legs were fully recovered each morning. Once again I attribute that to Hammer. I took the enduralytes, Anti-fatigue caps, Endurance amino,and race caps during the ride. I took the AF, EA RC and tissue rejuvinator and premium ins caps after the ride with 4 scoops of Recoverite. I took a combination of Heed and Whey before bed each night. I also rubbed my legs out with the stick each evening.
2. I need to make my gear bag as light as possible. 31 lbs is too heavy to lug every day.
3. I need to come up with someway to keep my bike from falling. It won't fit on Lon's bike racks, so I need to come up with something to keep it from falling over at the rest stops.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Day 7 Back to Tucson
Once again we wake up to a beautiful morning! I am wearing the exact same set up as everyday except the day of the Chiricahauas. I am wearing my long sleeve base layer and jersey, shorts and leg warmers. Some mornings i wore my wind vest. Since I had not worn my rain jacket all week I packed it in the main bag.
For the first time the entire week I am ready before everyone else. Joan from Houston and I get a huge head start. Plus the first 20 miles or so were downhill so I had a good head start. Almost as if someone hit a switch, the winds started picking up the instant we left the rest stop. Plus this is where the gradual climbing began to Sonoita Pass. I like climbing the pass better in this direction better than from the North. At mile 40 we start the climb. I wasted too much time looking for a bathroom at this stop and am all of a sudden one of thevlast on the rode. Boy I wish I were faster!
Even though I know I am one of the last on the road, I am having a good day! Even with a headwind I am enjoying myself. The pass from the south is beautiful and I really notice how the road is cut into the mountain. The mountain with interesting shadows today is gorgeous. I also notice rain streaks in the sky! Of course since I packed my rain jacket!
The desent was not my favorite and I will really need to get more confident at desending. I make it to lunch and notice many has already left. The bunch from Chicago were still there but everyone else planned to ride. I would definately be the last one in today! The next 15 miles would be one of my favorite roads of the whole trip. Sahuarita road was lined with beautiful cactus especially the saguaro! Unfortunately I thought my camera was dead so I could not take any pictures. I finally make it in, last, but very happy and pleased with the ride.
I had decided not to ride on Saturday but to sleep in and maybe go sight seeing. Then I ran into Rob who had room in his truck for me and my bike to ride to Mt Lemmon. He knew that I was training for the transcon so I knew I needed to at least attempt the climb.
Wow! I had finished the official week and really felt good. Marcy and I grabed a good pasta dinner with the first decent salad and veggies all week!
For the first time the entire week I am ready before everyone else. Joan from Houston and I get a huge head start. Plus the first 20 miles or so were downhill so I had a good head start. Almost as if someone hit a switch, the winds started picking up the instant we left the rest stop. Plus this is where the gradual climbing began to Sonoita Pass. I like climbing the pass better in this direction better than from the North. At mile 40 we start the climb. I wasted too much time looking for a bathroom at this stop and am all of a sudden one of thevlast on the rode. Boy I wish I were faster!
Even though I know I am one of the last on the road, I am having a good day! Even with a headwind I am enjoying myself. The pass from the south is beautiful and I really notice how the road is cut into the mountain. The mountain with interesting shadows today is gorgeous. I also notice rain streaks in the sky! Of course since I packed my rain jacket!
The desent was not my favorite and I will really need to get more confident at desending. I make it to lunch and notice many has already left. The bunch from Chicago were still there but everyone else planned to ride. I would definately be the last one in today! The next 15 miles would be one of my favorite roads of the whole trip. Sahuarita road was lined with beautiful cactus especially the saguaro! Unfortunately I thought my camera was dead so I could not take any pictures. I finally make it in, last, but very happy and pleased with the ride.
I had decided not to ride on Saturday but to sleep in and maybe go sight seeing. Then I ran into Rob who had room in his truck for me and my bike to ride to Mt Lemmon. He knew that I was training for the transcon so I knew I needed to at least attempt the climb.
Wow! I had finished the official week and really felt good. Marcy and I grabed a good pasta dinner with the first decent salad and veggies all week!
Day 6 Bisbee and Mule Pass Up and Back
Today is the real test day. Consciencely or not, I knew today was as important as any day of the trip. Earlier in the year Lon indicated that Mule Pass would most resemble the climbs I would encounter during the transcon. So, today was my personal test to see if I could do it. I was so afraid of failing that this was the first day I awoke with trepidation. Once again the day started out very beautiful with very light winds. Every morning I attempted to get down to the trailers early as the earlier I started the more time I could bank on the faster cyclists. The more time I can make up for starting early the less my slow climbing would affect me. Today everyone and his brother was starting early! This put even more mental pressure on me. I was taking this ride too serious and I had a nervous stomach for the first time in a long time.
The ride started with two really nice downhills that if not for the traffic I could have bombed. We then started a slow accent toward mule pass. I was riding slower than I wanted but I did not want to blow myself up at any point of the day. Getting to the first rest stop At 15 miles I had already climbed 710 ft. And now the real test started. I am scared. I have no idea what mule pass even looks like. I just try to stay focused and go. There is more traffic than I would like while climbing - there is some shoulder but it has a lot of skree on it. I just try to hug the white line as much as possible. So far so good. The climb waivers between 2 -6% and although I am slow I am doing it! Thanks to God, I am doing it! At one point an additional slow vehicle lane opens up and I become more comfortable with the slow climbing. Grace, dan, and Susan all pass me on the climb so I am pretty sure I am the last person on the road. Finally I reach the summit. Lon is there taking pictures but the incline is still so steep I can't take my hands off the bike to wave. We make a left turn and still have a few hundred yards to climb! I reach the top to find Grace, Dan and Susan taking pictures. Yeah I have just climbed 1300 ft in 5 miles!
The desent would be tricky and I wasn't looking forward to it. This part of mule pass had eroded and had suffered a landslide. Fortunately this meant the pass was closed to cars but was full of dirt mounds every so many hundred feet. Little did I know that it was a built in speed hump! The 4 of us defended slowly taking caution with the areas covered in skree. Once we got back to the open road the desent went much faster. I felt like I could control the bike pretty well on the fast downhill even with the traffic.
I get to lunch hungry but too nervous to eat. I had not had much sustained energy duringvthe climb as I needed both hands on the bars at the steeper inclines. I choked down my favorite combination of tapioca pudding and mixed fruit. I sat with the young canadians and Lon. I meantioned something to Lon about the climb back out of Bisbee and he said I better get used to it as there would be at least 20 more just like it. Now I really feel the pressure. I could not enjoy the shopping in town with the climb back up looming over me. So I sucked it up and started up the back side of the pass. Immediately I was rocking up the climb. Even with the traffic I could tell the climb was way easier than I thought it would be! Another reason for my nervousness is this is one of the only climbs I did in 2007. Could I climb better on my bent or on my upright? I stop at the road blocks and heavy skree areas. Even on the steep grades I can easily mount my bike and continue the climb. I summit much more quickly than I thought I would! I did it! I did it. This climb was more like 750 ft over 2 miles or so.
The desent was also nerve wraking and I kept it below 40 mph. Susan N was behind me part of the way and commented later that she thought I handled the bike well. So, yes, I did it! I had just proven to myself that I can do the transcon! Yes, it will be a difficult but an amazing journey! Yes!
So, had I passed Susans test? I got lucky to be one of the first in and Susan was out working at the trailers. I asked her if I could talk to her about the transcon and she indicated that now was a good time. We talked for at least 20 minutes. We discussed the pros and cons of the week and the pros and cons of the transcon but through the entire conversation she appeared to have confidence in my abilities! Omg! I am doing the transcon!!!
The ride started with two really nice downhills that if not for the traffic I could have bombed. We then started a slow accent toward mule pass. I was riding slower than I wanted but I did not want to blow myself up at any point of the day. Getting to the first rest stop At 15 miles I had already climbed 710 ft. And now the real test started. I am scared. I have no idea what mule pass even looks like. I just try to stay focused and go. There is more traffic than I would like while climbing - there is some shoulder but it has a lot of skree on it. I just try to hug the white line as much as possible. So far so good. The climb waivers between 2 -6% and although I am slow I am doing it! Thanks to God, I am doing it! At one point an additional slow vehicle lane opens up and I become more comfortable with the slow climbing. Grace, dan, and Susan all pass me on the climb so I am pretty sure I am the last person on the road. Finally I reach the summit. Lon is there taking pictures but the incline is still so steep I can't take my hands off the bike to wave. We make a left turn and still have a few hundred yards to climb! I reach the top to find Grace, Dan and Susan taking pictures. Yeah I have just climbed 1300 ft in 5 miles!
The desent would be tricky and I wasn't looking forward to it. This part of mule pass had eroded and had suffered a landslide. Fortunately this meant the pass was closed to cars but was full of dirt mounds every so many hundred feet. Little did I know that it was a built in speed hump! The 4 of us defended slowly taking caution with the areas covered in skree. Once we got back to the open road the desent went much faster. I felt like I could control the bike pretty well on the fast downhill even with the traffic.
I get to lunch hungry but too nervous to eat. I had not had much sustained energy duringvthe climb as I needed both hands on the bars at the steeper inclines. I choked down my favorite combination of tapioca pudding and mixed fruit. I sat with the young canadians and Lon. I meantioned something to Lon about the climb back out of Bisbee and he said I better get used to it as there would be at least 20 more just like it. Now I really feel the pressure. I could not enjoy the shopping in town with the climb back up looming over me. So I sucked it up and started up the back side of the pass. Immediately I was rocking up the climb. Even with the traffic I could tell the climb was way easier than I thought it would be! Another reason for my nervousness is this is one of the only climbs I did in 2007. Could I climb better on my bent or on my upright? I stop at the road blocks and heavy skree areas. Even on the steep grades I can easily mount my bike and continue the climb. I summit much more quickly than I thought I would! I did it! I did it. This climb was more like 750 ft over 2 miles or so.
The desent was also nerve wraking and I kept it below 40 mph. Susan N was behind me part of the way and commented later that she thought I handled the bike well. So, yes, I did it! I had just proven to myself that I can do the transcon! Yes, it will be a difficult but an amazing journey! Yes!
So, had I passed Susans test? I got lucky to be one of the first in and Susan was out working at the trailers. I asked her if I could talk to her about the transcon and she indicated that now was a good time. We talked for at least 20 minutes. We discussed the pros and cons of the week and the pros and cons of the transcon but through the entire conversation she appeared to have confidence in my abilities! Omg! I am doing the transcon!!!
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