The Bontrager stock saddle that was on my used Trek Pilot 1.2 WSD (aka “Pilot”—yes, I named the Townie “Big Blue” so why not the Trek?) when I bought it a year ago was just fine for almost nine months. Then it started getting uncomfortable on rides longer than about 20 miles, which is almost every training ride I do, and forget about doing hills. Thus began my latest quest for the mythical perfect fitting saddle. I Know every cyclist has undergone this quest at some point in his or her riding career, most settling for “comfortable with a few issues,” but a stalwart few never losing hope that the absolutely 100% perfect saddle is out there. Somewhere. Even if it hasn’t been invented yet.
My first candidate was the WTB Speed She Comp saddle, a general use recreational saddle. It’s narrower than my Bontrager, which you would think with my generous fundament would be a disadvantage, but I actually preferred the narrower width and shorter nose on the WTB. Alas, the “love groove” in the WTB was not sufficient. After three off and on painful weeks, I gave up to go back to a saddle with a cutout.
I next tried the Forte women’s road saddle I had ridden on while I rode the borrowed Bianchi (thus far unnamed). The Forte was adequate enough, but I was convinced that something better was out there, so I hit the internet, checking reviews and comparison shopping. The Brooks B17 got very good reviews, but I was leary of trying another saddle with no cutout. The other strong candidates were the Selle Italia Diva, Fi’zik Vitesse, and Terry Butterfly and Liberator saddles. Then I received an email from Performance Bike about a tent sale they were having on the same weekend I received a 10% discount card in the mail for Performance. It was a clear omen, so I went a-shopping.
The Howe Ave store only carried the Terry Fly, a racing saddle too insubstantial for this fat-bottomed girl. In desperation, I called the Sunrise Blvd store and they had a Terry Butterfly in stock. When I got there, they also had a Terry Liberator in stock, but it was $44 more than the Butterfly, so I reluctantly passed on it. I’ve been riding on the Butterfly for about a month. Unfortunately, it is yet another “not too bad” saddle, but I’m holding out hope for it. Now I’ve entered the weeks-long phase of trying to tweak the saddle for optimum comfort by adjusting saddle height, tilt, etc. And there’s that squeak I haven’t been able to solve even after tightening my cleats and lubing the pedals and seat rails…
August 24, 2010
July 18, 2010
I Should Have Just Stayed in Bed
Do you ever have days where you feel like you should never have gotten out of bed? That the universe is just having a laugh at your expense? That was my day Saturday 7/10/10.
Things started off innocuously enough. I actually got up when my alarm went off (8 am) and then reset it for 9 am so I wouldn’t wake up an hour early on Sunday. Luckily, as I later found out, the on/off switch has to be purposely pushed all the way to the “on” position. I didn’t pay attention to this at the time, and I realized as I was biking up the Hazel Ave overpass that my alarm had been going off for over 15 minutes after I reset it, so I called my landlord (also my neighbor) to tell her she could shut off the alarm clock if it was going off.
That was warning #1 from the universe. The second came when I unloaded my bike at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery and saw that I had no water bottles on my bike. I left them at the house, full of nice cold ice cubes and sitting on the kitchen counter. It was going to be 97 that day; not a good day to be biking uphill without water. The week before, I had an asthma (or panic) attack on the last hill to Beals Point. Now I had the threat of being dehydrated and out of wind hanging over my pessimistic head.
So, I made it to Beals Point with only taking a drink at the midway drinking fountain. No hyperventilating, no dehydration. For once, I had cash with me and I made a beeline for the soda machine because, as always, the snack bar was closed. I mean, why would you be open on a summer day at a popular local destination? The universe laughed at me for the third time when I found that the soda machine was unplugged. Exploring the options of a waterless return trip or bothering some poor picnicking family, I clip-clopped over to the family and begged a water or soda from them. They were so nice, they refused the $1 I tried to give them for a bottle of water.
The ride back to the hatchery was uneventful except for the escape attempt of the 6 oz water bottle from the down tube bottle cage. After all I’d gone through to obtain it, I turned around to pick up the water and put it in the seat tube bottle cage where its escape attempts were unsuccessful.
Hoping the universe was done with fun at my expense, I dared to ride again on Sunday 7/11/10. I remembered my water bottles. That day’s little giggle came when I had one of those space out moments and didn’t really calculate that I was on my bike and not driving a car and really didn’t have a right to be trying to squeeze through the intersection at 59th St & Folsom Blvd on a yellow light, but I did anyway. And so now there are several more Sacramento drivers that are convinced cyclists are self-entitled traffic law-ignoring hedonists. I’ve done my part.
Things started off innocuously enough. I actually got up when my alarm went off (8 am) and then reset it for 9 am so I wouldn’t wake up an hour early on Sunday. Luckily, as I later found out, the on/off switch has to be purposely pushed all the way to the “on” position. I didn’t pay attention to this at the time, and I realized as I was biking up the Hazel Ave overpass that my alarm had been going off for over 15 minutes after I reset it, so I called my landlord (also my neighbor) to tell her she could shut off the alarm clock if it was going off.
That was warning #1 from the universe. The second came when I unloaded my bike at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery and saw that I had no water bottles on my bike. I left them at the house, full of nice cold ice cubes and sitting on the kitchen counter. It was going to be 97 that day; not a good day to be biking uphill without water. The week before, I had an asthma (or panic) attack on the last hill to Beals Point. Now I had the threat of being dehydrated and out of wind hanging over my pessimistic head.
So, I made it to Beals Point with only taking a drink at the midway drinking fountain. No hyperventilating, no dehydration. For once, I had cash with me and I made a beeline for the soda machine because, as always, the snack bar was closed. I mean, why would you be open on a summer day at a popular local destination? The universe laughed at me for the third time when I found that the soda machine was unplugged. Exploring the options of a waterless return trip or bothering some poor picnicking family, I clip-clopped over to the family and begged a water or soda from them. They were so nice, they refused the $1 I tried to give them for a bottle of water.
The ride back to the hatchery was uneventful except for the escape attempt of the 6 oz water bottle from the down tube bottle cage. After all I’d gone through to obtain it, I turned around to pick up the water and put it in the seat tube bottle cage where its escape attempts were unsuccessful.
Hoping the universe was done with fun at my expense, I dared to ride again on Sunday 7/11/10. I remembered my water bottles. That day’s little giggle came when I had one of those space out moments and didn’t really calculate that I was on my bike and not driving a car and really didn’t have a right to be trying to squeeze through the intersection at 59th St & Folsom Blvd on a yellow light, but I did anyway. And so now there are several more Sacramento drivers that are convinced cyclists are self-entitled traffic law-ignoring hedonists. I’ve done my part.
April 6, 2010
A Futile Effort to Catch Up
So, I have clearly been remiss in my bloggerly duties, which are largely self-imposed based on my readership of one. Rather than try to recreate the last few weeks’ ride reports, let me summarize by saying I have been as lax in my riding as I have been in my blogging. Which is why I have not lost a single pound, and I now have to try a combination of riding and restricting calories (as opposed to just thinking, “well, that sounds healthy” or “I can eat what I want today because I burned 1000 calories riding”).
As much as I take anything associated with Lance Armstrong with a grain of salt, Chris Carmichael has clearly made a success of his training regimen. On the advice of T, I have started slowing my base mile rides (basically all of them) to keep my heart rate at 70% of my maximum heart rate. In my current out of shape, overweight state, this has me pootling along the trail at 12mph, but I don’t feel the effects much at al, which is of course the point. It also allows me to have more energy for those rides when I do expend more effort. Ah, science, where would we be without you?
Saturday, on a partnered ride, T actually hit one of the suicidal ground squirrels that pause when they notice oncoming bicycles and then promptly run across the bike path rather than running to safety away from the bike path. When we turned around to see if the squirrel was all right, it was thrashing in the middle of the bike path. I was wondering how one puts a dying squirrel out of its misery and imagined having to stomp on its head with my biking shoes. Luckily, the thrashing turned out to be the squirrel’s death throes, so all we had to do was drag it to the side of the path. As ground squirrel deaths go, that was pretty smooth compared to the horror stories I’ve been told about squirrels getting caught in front wheels and breaking the fork or stopping the front wheel and pitching off the rider. Naturally, T had to tell me the story about a friend of his who got a squirrel caught in his rear wheel. They had to pull the mauled squirrel out of the bike and finish it off with a river rock.
On a happier note, yesterday I went exploring the bike path on the south side of the river to see where it went. Turns out it only runs between H St and Watt Ave and has two really wicked hills at the Watt Ave access. On my way back to the Guy West Bridge, I made the acquaintance of a very friendly tuxedo kitty that jogged along with me for several yards until a bird or a squirrel distracted it.
The weather has not been cooperating with my brief spurts of good intentions to ride daily. No big deal to get motivated to ride this morning when it’s in the mid-60s and breezy. Very hard when it’s in the 50s, overcast and foggy. Earlier this week I had to dig out my shoe covers, balaclava, and long-fingered gloves. This would have to be one of the few years we have a real spring rather than a couple of weeks of nice weather then summer. At least the cool weather has meant I get to keep my unacceptably short hair hidden under my balaclava or a do-rag.
As much as I take anything associated with Lance Armstrong with a grain of salt, Chris Carmichael has clearly made a success of his training regimen. On the advice of T, I have started slowing my base mile rides (basically all of them) to keep my heart rate at 70% of my maximum heart rate. In my current out of shape, overweight state, this has me pootling along the trail at 12mph, but I don’t feel the effects much at al, which is of course the point. It also allows me to have more energy for those rides when I do expend more effort. Ah, science, where would we be without you?
Saturday, on a partnered ride, T actually hit one of the suicidal ground squirrels that pause when they notice oncoming bicycles and then promptly run across the bike path rather than running to safety away from the bike path. When we turned around to see if the squirrel was all right, it was thrashing in the middle of the bike path. I was wondering how one puts a dying squirrel out of its misery and imagined having to stomp on its head with my biking shoes. Luckily, the thrashing turned out to be the squirrel’s death throes, so all we had to do was drag it to the side of the path. As ground squirrel deaths go, that was pretty smooth compared to the horror stories I’ve been told about squirrels getting caught in front wheels and breaking the fork or stopping the front wheel and pitching off the rider. Naturally, T had to tell me the story about a friend of his who got a squirrel caught in his rear wheel. They had to pull the mauled squirrel out of the bike and finish it off with a river rock.
On a happier note, yesterday I went exploring the bike path on the south side of the river to see where it went. Turns out it only runs between H St and Watt Ave and has two really wicked hills at the Watt Ave access. On my way back to the Guy West Bridge, I made the acquaintance of a very friendly tuxedo kitty that jogged along with me for several yards until a bird or a squirrel distracted it.
The weather has not been cooperating with my brief spurts of good intentions to ride daily. No big deal to get motivated to ride this morning when it’s in the mid-60s and breezy. Very hard when it’s in the 50s, overcast and foggy. Earlier this week I had to dig out my shoe covers, balaclava, and long-fingered gloves. This would have to be one of the few years we have a real spring rather than a couple of weeks of nice weather then summer. At least the cool weather has meant I get to keep my unacceptably short hair hidden under my balaclava or a do-rag.
March 6, 2010
A Visit to the Allergist
The weather is not cooperating with riding this weekend. Unfortunately, I have not found the motivation to set the trainer back up. I bought a commuter bike, a Trek 7700, and will hopefully start commuting in a couple of weeks when the weather settles down.
Today, I have my referral visit with an allergist. She goes over my medical history with me, concentrating on October 2009 and the tentative exercise-induced asthma. When she reviews my pulmonary function test results, she agrees that I did not improve as dramatically as they like to see after I was given albuterol, my lung volume improved enough to qualify me as asthmatic. It's still a tentative diagnosis, and the allergist prescribes me a peak flow meter to monitor for several days and get a baseline measurement for my normal value. Apparently, that will be the deciding factor for an asthma diagnosis.
I tell the allergist that I have not been taking the albuterol because of the side effects, but that my biking seems to improve as the weather dries out/warms up. She is not happy about me skipping medications and prescribes a different bronchodilator that will hopefully have the benefits but not the side effects of the albuterol.
I ask about allergy injections, but the allergist tells me she doesn't like to do them with asthmatics. She prescribes a new nasal spray that will hopefully work better than the Flonase, and I get my blood drawn for allergy sensitivity evaluation. I'm pretty sure it will tell me I'm allergic to Northern California.
Today, I have my referral visit with an allergist. She goes over my medical history with me, concentrating on October 2009 and the tentative exercise-induced asthma. When she reviews my pulmonary function test results, she agrees that I did not improve as dramatically as they like to see after I was given albuterol, my lung volume improved enough to qualify me as asthmatic. It's still a tentative diagnosis, and the allergist prescribes me a peak flow meter to monitor for several days and get a baseline measurement for my normal value. Apparently, that will be the deciding factor for an asthma diagnosis.
I tell the allergist that I have not been taking the albuterol because of the side effects, but that my biking seems to improve as the weather dries out/warms up. She is not happy about me skipping medications and prescribes a different bronchodilator that will hopefully have the benefits but not the side effects of the albuterol.
I ask about allergy injections, but the allergist tells me she doesn't like to do them with asthmatics. She prescribes a new nasal spray that will hopefully work better than the Flonase, and I get my blood drawn for allergy sensitivity evaluation. I'm pretty sure it will tell me I'm allergic to Northern California.
Ride Report 2/28
23.4mi in 1:43, Home to Guy West Bridge-Hagan Park & back
Apparently an upset stomach from last night is not the best biking companion. The weather is pretty nice; a little too overcast to consider a truly pretty day. The trail headed east is more crowded than toward Discovery Park, and pretty much everyone is passing me. I have my lowest moment when I am passed by a couple, the male half on a Roadmaster mountain bike. To make up for it, I pass a few recreational cyclist uphill, but overall I'm slow today. I pause at Hagan Park to try not to lose my breakfast. On the way back, the hills have thoroughly kicked my ass, but my time is good so I'll take the beating.
Apparently an upset stomach from last night is not the best biking companion. The weather is pretty nice; a little too overcast to consider a truly pretty day. The trail headed east is more crowded than toward Discovery Park, and pretty much everyone is passing me. I have my lowest moment when I am passed by a couple, the male half on a Roadmaster mountain bike. To make up for it, I pass a few recreational cyclist uphill, but overall I'm slow today. I pause at Hagan Park to try not to lose my breakfast. On the way back, the hills have thoroughly kicked my ass, but my time is good so I'll take the beating.
February 17, 2010
Ride Report 2/17/10
23.3 mi in 1:46, Guy West-Discovery Park & back
I'm beginning to doubt the veracity of the El Dorado Savings time/temperature sign, which says 77 degrees today. It is absolutely gorgeous out, but doesn't feel like it's almost 80. I have to wear my tights today due to wardrobe failure, but it ends up working out fine. I try not to lose my patience with the students that seem to drift aimlessly in the roads at Sac State. I know I was that young and self-absorbed once, but I didn't have the additional distraction of a cell phone or headphones.
A bit of a stiff breeze, but perfect biking weather. On the way back from Discovery Park, I try to catch up with a rider a bit ahead of me. I'm gaining ground until the rider ditches the bike path for Northgate Blvd. I check my speed and find that I am going 15.5-16mph. I keep it up until Northgate, then I slack off to my comfortable cruising speed of 14mph.
I'm beginning to doubt the veracity of the El Dorado Savings time/temperature sign, which says 77 degrees today. It is absolutely gorgeous out, but doesn't feel like it's almost 80. I have to wear my tights today due to wardrobe failure, but it ends up working out fine. I try not to lose my patience with the students that seem to drift aimlessly in the roads at Sac State. I know I was that young and self-absorbed once, but I didn't have the additional distraction of a cell phone or headphones.
A bit of a stiff breeze, but perfect biking weather. On the way back from Discovery Park, I try to catch up with a rider a bit ahead of me. I'm gaining ground until the rider ditches the bike path for Northgate Blvd. I check my speed and find that I am going 15.5-16mph. I keep it up until Northgate, then I slack off to my comfortable cruising speed of 14mph.
Ride Report 2/16/10
23.3 mi in 1:48, Guy West Bridge-Discovery Park & back
Another gorgeous day, if slightly overcast. It's 76 according to El Dorado Savings. On the Guy West Bridge, a pedestrian gives me a thumbs up, then turns his hand sideways. I can't tell if he is assessing my mood, passing judgment, or hitch hiking. As I'm leaving the bridge, I get a "go blue!" (due to my blue jersey, shoes, bike & helmet) from a Rex Cycles rider as he passes me.
Since I'm not wearing my balaclava, I can listen to music in both ears once I'm on the bike path. (I use the ones that hook over the ear and allow for ambient sound to be heard.) I think this has something to do with my improved time, along with the nicer weather.
The sloughs out toward Northgate Blvd are drying up by several inches a day, and I miss seeing the blue heron that hung out at one of them. In consolation, today I get to see a greater egret. Between Northgate and Sac State, I see my first quail of the season. As always, they make me laugh as they run across the trail and into the ivy. And then the strangest sighting of the day: at Discovery Park I see the tatooed shirtless man (still shirtless and jogging today) who yodeled at us yesterday.
Another gorgeous day, if slightly overcast. It's 76 according to El Dorado Savings. On the Guy West Bridge, a pedestrian gives me a thumbs up, then turns his hand sideways. I can't tell if he is assessing my mood, passing judgment, or hitch hiking. As I'm leaving the bridge, I get a "go blue!" (due to my blue jersey, shoes, bike & helmet) from a Rex Cycles rider as he passes me.
Since I'm not wearing my balaclava, I can listen to music in both ears once I'm on the bike path. (I use the ones that hook over the ear and allow for ambient sound to be heard.) I think this has something to do with my improved time, along with the nicer weather.
The sloughs out toward Northgate Blvd are drying up by several inches a day, and I miss seeing the blue heron that hung out at one of them. In consolation, today I get to see a greater egret. Between Northgate and Sac State, I see my first quail of the season. As always, they make me laugh as they run across the trail and into the ivy. And then the strangest sighting of the day: at Discovery Park I see the tatooed shirtless man (still shirtless and jogging today) who yodeled at us yesterday.
Ride Report 2/15/10
Partnered 21.9 mi in 1:49, east on ARP from Guy West Bridge & back via Bella Bru
This is a recovery ride for T (who has the day off, must be nice), but my normal dogged effort. It is officially a gorgeous day and time for shorts, short sleeves and fingerless gloves. It's a holiday for enough people that there is Sunday-level traffic on the bike path: couples and families sprawled across the trail (on bike and on foot) and the occasional team rider. The display at El Dorado Savings says 73 degrees!
Just past Sac State, a pleasant surprise for so early in the year: turkeys on the trail! Later, a tattooed shirtless man on a bicycle yodels/howls when he passes us and anyone else on the bike path. Spring fever?
We head out for 10 miles, then turn around and go to Bella Bru for lunch. The chopped cobb salad is delicious! I try the Naked protein smoothie. It's not bad, but needs to be drunk cold, so not a good ride option. The meal wakes my stomach up, and I'm grateful I have the smoothie in my back pocket for the ride back.
Slow time, but I blame it on having someone to talk to during my ride.
This is a recovery ride for T (who has the day off, must be nice), but my normal dogged effort. It is officially a gorgeous day and time for shorts, short sleeves and fingerless gloves. It's a holiday for enough people that there is Sunday-level traffic on the bike path: couples and families sprawled across the trail (on bike and on foot) and the occasional team rider. The display at El Dorado Savings says 73 degrees!
Just past Sac State, a pleasant surprise for so early in the year: turkeys on the trail! Later, a tattooed shirtless man on a bicycle yodels/howls when he passes us and anyone else on the bike path. Spring fever?
We head out for 10 miles, then turn around and go to Bella Bru for lunch. The chopped cobb salad is delicious! I try the Naked protein smoothie. It's not bad, but needs to be drunk cold, so not a good ride option. The meal wakes my stomach up, and I'm grateful I have the smoothie in my back pocket for the ride back.
Slow time, but I blame it on having someone to talk to during my ride.
February 14, 2010
Ride Report 2/14/10
23.3 miles in 1:53
Today is nice, not quite cloudy and not quite sunny, but nothing compared to yesterday's sunny low 70s. I am albuterol-less, so I'm breathing hard right out of the gate, but I'm happy that I got my new MP3 clip on holder so I can wear t-shirts while I ride. Yes, I said t-shirts. That's how I roll.
I'm disappointed to see that the GI Joe show signs on 58th St have been taken down. Apparently, it was a yesterday only event.
Yesterday on the bike path, I saw a father on a mountain bike towing his (helmetless) 4-5 year old son on a little BMX with a rope. He had the gall to tell his son "Careful, buddy" when his son drifted toward the oncoming lane. Apparently his son's safety wasn't worth buying a $50 tagalong bike on craigslist.
Today was a repeat of random stupidity. A group of young adults on bikes included an asshat disastrously running his (of course) pit bull next to his bike. The dog was a) scared to death of the bike and was doing his best to run as far away as possible from the bike, b) running on the wrong side of the bike (on the left, into oncoming traffic instead of on the right, protected by the owner's bike), c) being run on a collar instead of a harness and miraculously hadn't pulled out of the collar yet, d) being run on far too long a leash (I run my dogs on a 1.5' traffic lead, which doesn't allow them to build enough momentum to pull me over), and e) held only by the owner's hand (this is a big debate due to safety concerns, but I feel much safer with the dog connected to the frame of the bike or at least to my waist, closer to my center of gravity and again not as likely to pull me off balance).
The coup du jour happens as I am leaving the Guy West bridge on the way home and somehow an idiot driving a scooter on the bike path turns onto the bridge! I'm not sure how he even got onto the bike path in the first place, but my dismayed look makes an oncoming pedestrian turn to see what I'm looking at.
Today is nice, not quite cloudy and not quite sunny, but nothing compared to yesterday's sunny low 70s. I am albuterol-less, so I'm breathing hard right out of the gate, but I'm happy that I got my new MP3 clip on holder so I can wear t-shirts while I ride. Yes, I said t-shirts. That's how I roll.
I'm disappointed to see that the GI Joe show signs on 58th St have been taken down. Apparently, it was a yesterday only event.
Yesterday on the bike path, I saw a father on a mountain bike towing his (helmetless) 4-5 year old son on a little BMX with a rope. He had the gall to tell his son "Careful, buddy" when his son drifted toward the oncoming lane. Apparently his son's safety wasn't worth buying a $50 tagalong bike on craigslist.
Today was a repeat of random stupidity. A group of young adults on bikes included an asshat disastrously running his (of course) pit bull next to his bike. The dog was a) scared to death of the bike and was doing his best to run as far away as possible from the bike, b) running on the wrong side of the bike (on the left, into oncoming traffic instead of on the right, protected by the owner's bike), c) being run on a collar instead of a harness and miraculously hadn't pulled out of the collar yet, d) being run on far too long a leash (I run my dogs on a 1.5' traffic lead, which doesn't allow them to build enough momentum to pull me over), and e) held only by the owner's hand (this is a big debate due to safety concerns, but I feel much safer with the dog connected to the frame of the bike or at least to my waist, closer to my center of gravity and again not as likely to pull me off balance).
The coup du jour happens as I am leaving the Guy West bridge on the way home and somehow an idiot driving a scooter on the bike path turns onto the bridge! I'm not sure how he even got onto the bike path in the first place, but my dismayed look makes an oncoming pedestrian turn to see what I'm looking at.
February 13, 2010
So now what?
Home to Guy West Bridge to Discovery Park & back 23.3mi in 1:50
Today I experimented once again with albuterol and a spacer to see if it would help my breathing. It did, but it also jacked up my heartrate and made me a little shaky, so I think that’s the last of the albuterol for a long while. My doctor just authorized allergy (scratch) testing, so I’m kind of pinning my hopes on allergy shots to correct the shortness of breath issues.
It’s been three months since lab tests confirmed nothing wrong with my heart or with my lungs, but I started getting disheartened at the difficulty I had breathing when I was cycling and at getting dropped from group rides, so I pretty much stopped riding in December. Then I got caught up in moving/unpacking/getting settled in the new house. The weather was crappy and I couldn’t breathe well the few times I did venture out on bicycle.
I got a cheap tandem so that I could keep up with group rides with a partner, but the bike is a challenge to ride and the cheap-ass rims bent. So, the new rear rim is on order along with slimmer/higher pressure Continental City Contact tires. In the meantime, the weather is still cold, but my lungs aren’t quite as unhappy as they were in December.
A couple weekends ago on a tandem ride, I went to drool over my latest dream bike, an Orbea Diva, and realized how far I am from feeling I deserve that bike. It’s a racing bike; not a tootle around the bike path bike. I have managed to gain back 25 pounds that I lost last year, and am about where I was at this time last year when I was riding the Schwinn Traveler and the Electra Townie. I suspect a good portion of my issues biking recently are from the extra weight I’m pushing around.
The new plan is to ride a minimum of 20 miles 5 days a week in addition to walking the dogs, stretching exercises and yoga. I haven’t been able to convince myself yet to commute to/from work by bike, even though it would add another 12-14 miles a day. I just don’t like the thought of traveling through downtown by bicycle at midnight. I know weight isn’t supposed to be as important as muscle to fat ratio, etc, but I started weighing myself daily. I’m recording the results and watching the overall trend rather than day-to-day changes, but it’s just the easiest tangible measurement I have available. My hope is to set aside $100 per pound lost and put it towards an Orbea Diva. A $5000 bike equals 50 pounds lost, by which time I will definitely feel I deserve that bike!
Today I experimented once again with albuterol and a spacer to see if it would help my breathing. It did, but it also jacked up my heartrate and made me a little shaky, so I think that’s the last of the albuterol for a long while. My doctor just authorized allergy (scratch) testing, so I’m kind of pinning my hopes on allergy shots to correct the shortness of breath issues.
It’s been three months since lab tests confirmed nothing wrong with my heart or with my lungs, but I started getting disheartened at the difficulty I had breathing when I was cycling and at getting dropped from group rides, so I pretty much stopped riding in December. Then I got caught up in moving/unpacking/getting settled in the new house. The weather was crappy and I couldn’t breathe well the few times I did venture out on bicycle.
I got a cheap tandem so that I could keep up with group rides with a partner, but the bike is a challenge to ride and the cheap-ass rims bent. So, the new rear rim is on order along with slimmer/higher pressure Continental City Contact tires. In the meantime, the weather is still cold, but my lungs aren’t quite as unhappy as they were in December.
A couple weekends ago on a tandem ride, I went to drool over my latest dream bike, an Orbea Diva, and realized how far I am from feeling I deserve that bike. It’s a racing bike; not a tootle around the bike path bike. I have managed to gain back 25 pounds that I lost last year, and am about where I was at this time last year when I was riding the Schwinn Traveler and the Electra Townie. I suspect a good portion of my issues biking recently are from the extra weight I’m pushing around.
The new plan is to ride a minimum of 20 miles 5 days a week in addition to walking the dogs, stretching exercises and yoga. I haven’t been able to convince myself yet to commute to/from work by bike, even though it would add another 12-14 miles a day. I just don’t like the thought of traveling through downtown by bicycle at midnight. I know weight isn’t supposed to be as important as muscle to fat ratio, etc, but I started weighing myself daily. I’m recording the results and watching the overall trend rather than day-to-day changes, but it’s just the easiest tangible measurement I have available. My hope is to set aside $100 per pound lost and put it towards an Orbea Diva. A $5000 bike equals 50 pounds lost, by which time I will definitely feel I deserve that bike!
October 19, 2009
The Other Big Day!! 10/17
40mi of 100mi ride completed, Foxy's Fall Century in Davis
For the past few days, I've known I was in trouble. Doing my own diagnosing via online research, I can't decide whether I have bronchitis or side effects of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Or maybe both. At any rate, I have a dry cough, a lump in my throat, and an all-around unhappy immune system. I start dosing myself with acid reducers, snort up my prescription allergy meds, and cross my fingers.
It's just getting light when we drive into the Veteran's Memorial Theater parking lot in Davis. The weather is mild and looks to be a nice day. The parking lot is already about 3/4 full and it's not even 7:30am. The checkin process is ridiculously easy and I walk in, get my bracelet (yellow) and map and then I'm apparently on my own. The rest stops are a little over every 20 miles, and I already know the hills are going to kill me. I set off at a fairly brisk pace, but I start fading as we pass County Rd 97. I send T ahead and tell him I'll meet him at the first rest stop. I get passed by what feels like the entire 1300 registered riders, but amazingly a small group finally passes that is going about my speed. I manage to latch on for several miles and we cruise along at about 15-16mph. There is a mild headwind, but it saps me whenever I'm unprotected.
At some point, I fall behind a little too far, and I can't catch up again. I try to put one of my headphones in, and end up sending my route map sailing into the road. After getting set up with music in my right ear, map back in my pocket, and my will to live fading, I climb back on the bike and putter along at 13-14mph. My heartrate is too high and my speed keeps dropping like it did at the end of the Condor Classic. The first rest stop is apparently a sick joke that doesn't exist because I should have made it there by now. About a mile from the stop, T comes back to check on me. I fuel up at the rest stop and fill one of my water bottles with Cytomax, which still tastes awful but less so than Gatorade.
I know by now that I will not be able to finish the ride. My plan is to limp along until the lunch rest stop at the 60 mile mark, just before the nasty hills, and then drop out. I try to send T ahead, but he doesn't go far ahead of me. About halfway to the second rest stop, we hit very gently rolling hills. My heartrate is in the 180s, my legs won't work. At the top of one of the tiniest hills, I'm in my smallest gear, going about 6mph and I can't pull any more effort from my legs. I keep pushing, and I'm suddenly hyperventilating. I try to stop, but I can't get my right foot out of the pedal, so I fall over. I still can't catch my breath, I'm trapped under my bike, and the fresh scar tissue on my poor, abused right knee is torn open. Other riders quickly surround me. One calls for a SAG car. One cleans and bandages my knee and then hands me a vitamin C supplement. I get loaded up into the SAG car and tell T I'll meet him at the lunch stop. My bike ride is over for the day.
I spend a good part of the afternoon at the Lake Solano (or Sonoma) park, watching riders come in. I see the fabled bride and groom come to the stop, but don't get to witness the ceremony. When another SAG car stops in for lunch, I don't dare pass up a ride back to Davis. I run some errands in Davis, checking in a few times on T's progress. Just before he makes it to the finish, another rider comes in who is so wasted that he can't dismount his bicycle and it has to be pulled out from underneath him. His wife runs to get him electrolytes while a volunteer walks him over to a bench and works on getting the rider's legs to unlock. T is at least mobile when he arrives. The post-ride dinner is fantastic and includes sodas.
For the past few days, I've known I was in trouble. Doing my own diagnosing via online research, I can't decide whether I have bronchitis or side effects of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Or maybe both. At any rate, I have a dry cough, a lump in my throat, and an all-around unhappy immune system. I start dosing myself with acid reducers, snort up my prescription allergy meds, and cross my fingers.
It's just getting light when we drive into the Veteran's Memorial Theater parking lot in Davis. The weather is mild and looks to be a nice day. The parking lot is already about 3/4 full and it's not even 7:30am. The checkin process is ridiculously easy and I walk in, get my bracelet (yellow) and map and then I'm apparently on my own. The rest stops are a little over every 20 miles, and I already know the hills are going to kill me. I set off at a fairly brisk pace, but I start fading as we pass County Rd 97. I send T ahead and tell him I'll meet him at the first rest stop. I get passed by what feels like the entire 1300 registered riders, but amazingly a small group finally passes that is going about my speed. I manage to latch on for several miles and we cruise along at about 15-16mph. There is a mild headwind, but it saps me whenever I'm unprotected.
At some point, I fall behind a little too far, and I can't catch up again. I try to put one of my headphones in, and end up sending my route map sailing into the road. After getting set up with music in my right ear, map back in my pocket, and my will to live fading, I climb back on the bike and putter along at 13-14mph. My heartrate is too high and my speed keeps dropping like it did at the end of the Condor Classic. The first rest stop is apparently a sick joke that doesn't exist because I should have made it there by now. About a mile from the stop, T comes back to check on me. I fuel up at the rest stop and fill one of my water bottles with Cytomax, which still tastes awful but less so than Gatorade.
I know by now that I will not be able to finish the ride. My plan is to limp along until the lunch rest stop at the 60 mile mark, just before the nasty hills, and then drop out. I try to send T ahead, but he doesn't go far ahead of me. About halfway to the second rest stop, we hit very gently rolling hills. My heartrate is in the 180s, my legs won't work. At the top of one of the tiniest hills, I'm in my smallest gear, going about 6mph and I can't pull any more effort from my legs. I keep pushing, and I'm suddenly hyperventilating. I try to stop, but I can't get my right foot out of the pedal, so I fall over. I still can't catch my breath, I'm trapped under my bike, and the fresh scar tissue on my poor, abused right knee is torn open. Other riders quickly surround me. One calls for a SAG car. One cleans and bandages my knee and then hands me a vitamin C supplement. I get loaded up into the SAG car and tell T I'll meet him at the lunch stop. My bike ride is over for the day.
I spend a good part of the afternoon at the Lake Solano (or Sonoma) park, watching riders come in. I see the fabled bride and groom come to the stop, but don't get to witness the ceremony. When another SAG car stops in for lunch, I don't dare pass up a ride back to Davis. I run some errands in Davis, checking in a few times on T's progress. Just before he makes it to the finish, another rider comes in who is so wasted that he can't dismount his bicycle and it has to be pulled out from underneath him. His wife runs to get him electrolytes while a volunteer walks him over to a bench and works on getting the rider's legs to unlock. T is at least mobile when he arrives. The post-ride dinner is fantastic and includes sodas.
Ride Report 10/14
~30mi group ride to Elverta & back
I took a couple days off after the Condor Classic. Storm on Tuesday, but headed out Wednesday morning for the group ride. There are only three of us this morning, and we head north on E Levee road to Elverta and have breakfast at a little diner. It sprinkles while we eat, so I get to try out my new (too big) jacket on the ride back. The north branch of the bike trail has not been cleared of storm detritus yet, and at one point we have to walk our bikes through the mud to get around an entire tree that has fallen across the path. A little farther on, I get a flat tire. My spare tube is patched, but not well, and it goes flat a short time later. I get a spare tube from the ride leader and I get my patching skills, pump choice, and my use of liners all critiqued while the tube is changed. I make it home spattered in mud and haul the Trek into the backyard for a quick rinse off.
I took a couple days off after the Condor Classic. Storm on Tuesday, but headed out Wednesday morning for the group ride. There are only three of us this morning, and we head north on E Levee road to Elverta and have breakfast at a little diner. It sprinkles while we eat, so I get to try out my new (too big) jacket on the ride back. The north branch of the bike trail has not been cleared of storm detritus yet, and at one point we have to walk our bikes through the mud to get around an entire tree that has fallen across the path. A little farther on, I get a flat tire. My spare tube is patched, but not well, and it goes flat a short time later. I get a spare tube from the ride leader and I get my patching skills, pump choice, and my use of liners all critiqued while the tube is changed. I make it home spattered in mud and haul the Trek into the backyard for a quick rinse off.
The Big Day!! 10/10
65mi (100k) fun ride in 5:20, Condor Classic in San Juan Bautista
We get to the ranch at a few minutes after 7am. It's a gray day with high fog and there is a 300 yard walk through the churned up dirt parking lot and up a steep hill to the starting line. I get my bracelet (blue), map, number (291), and have my bike inspected. Then it's time to head out.
We go through tiny San Juan Bautista and catch a quick view of the church from The first rest stop is only a few miles out, so we skip it. The pattern continues relentlessly throughout the day: rest stop then hills. The first hills are much more brutal than the ride description led us to expect. I put the Trek in the smallest chainring and twiddle away in the granny gears as best I can, but hills have never been my friends or even nodding acquaintances. It doesn't help that I get a puncture flat on one of the first climbs.
The first part of the ride is along one side of the valley. Nice views. The downhills don't quite make up for the climbs since they are curvy and can't be taken at speed. The rest stops are frequent, about every 11-12 miles, and stocked with local produce (Fuji apples, raisins, carrots, walnuts) and pretzels. I haven't found a sports drink I like yet, but I water down some Gatorade with a ton of water. Wrestling myself out of and back into my bib shorts is a discouraging experience, and after the second time (only for wardrobe adjustments), I vow not to even attempt it for the rest of the ride.
By 11am, the fog is lifting and the sun is peeking out. The temperature climbs quickly and I no longer freeze as soon as we stop. The middle portion of the ride circles us around some of the back farm roads, long, flat and boring. Then more hills on the other side of the valley. By now, I haven't been eating enough or had enough electrolytes or something. I'm getting cranky and want the ride to be over. One amazing downhill almost picks up my mood. I hit 43.7mph before I start to panic and start milking the brakes.
Then it's more unending flat farm roads with semis that give no leeway and a 25-30mph head/crosswind for the last 12 miles. My speed creeps down from 15 to 10mph. I'm going so slow and I'm so cranky that I can't even muster the concentration to draft. The ride lasts far too long by the time the ranch driveway finally comes into view. There's still a couple miles of driveway to negotiate, then checkin for my swag bag, then muscling the bike down the steep hill and across the field to the car, then quick change out of sweaty biking clothes, and back across the field and up the hill to get our post-ride barbecue (which is very tasty, but spoiled by the complete lack of any caffeine to drink). According to my computer, my total distance is 65 miles and riding time 5:20.
We get to the ranch at a few minutes after 7am. It's a gray day with high fog and there is a 300 yard walk through the churned up dirt parking lot and up a steep hill to the starting line. I get my bracelet (blue), map, number (291), and have my bike inspected. Then it's time to head out.
We go through tiny San Juan Bautista and catch a quick view of the church from The first rest stop is only a few miles out, so we skip it. The pattern continues relentlessly throughout the day: rest stop then hills. The first hills are much more brutal than the ride description led us to expect. I put the Trek in the smallest chainring and twiddle away in the granny gears as best I can, but hills have never been my friends or even nodding acquaintances. It doesn't help that I get a puncture flat on one of the first climbs.
The first part of the ride is along one side of the valley. Nice views. The downhills don't quite make up for the climbs since they are curvy and can't be taken at speed. The rest stops are frequent, about every 11-12 miles, and stocked with local produce (Fuji apples, raisins, carrots, walnuts) and pretzels. I haven't found a sports drink I like yet, but I water down some Gatorade with a ton of water. Wrestling myself out of and back into my bib shorts is a discouraging experience, and after the second time (only for wardrobe adjustments), I vow not to even attempt it for the rest of the ride.
By 11am, the fog is lifting and the sun is peeking out. The temperature climbs quickly and I no longer freeze as soon as we stop. The middle portion of the ride circles us around some of the back farm roads, long, flat and boring. Then more hills on the other side of the valley. By now, I haven't been eating enough or had enough electrolytes or something. I'm getting cranky and want the ride to be over. One amazing downhill almost picks up my mood. I hit 43.7mph before I start to panic and start milking the brakes.
Then it's more unending flat farm roads with semis that give no leeway and a 25-30mph head/crosswind for the last 12 miles. My speed creeps down from 15 to 10mph. I'm going so slow and I'm so cranky that I can't even muster the concentration to draft. The ride lasts far too long by the time the ranch driveway finally comes into view. There's still a couple miles of driveway to negotiate, then checkin for my swag bag, then muscling the bike down the steep hill and across the field to the car, then quick change out of sweaty biking clothes, and back across the field and up the hill to get our post-ride barbecue (which is very tasty, but spoiled by the complete lack of any caffeine to drink). According to my computer, my total distance is 65 miles and riding time 5:20.
Ride Report 10/7
Would have been about 43mi total, group ride to Amore in Gold River & back
I'm over my cold, and breathing fairly normally except for a dry cough that has stuck around. Today we have four or five in the group ride and head out to Gold River. On the way back, I just don't feel quite right and drop back to shed a layer of clothing and to eat a Powerbar. As I poke my way home, the ride leader has come back to find me and joins me the rest of the way to the Guy West Bridge, where I split off to go home.
At 39th & M Sts, I check the intersection and see oncoming cars, but neither is at their stop sign yet, so I proceed through the intersection. About halfway through, I realize the southbound car is not even slowing down and is going to hit me. I don't remember leaving the bike or landing on the ground, but I remember the hood sliding underneath me and then standing up from the ground. Of course, my first thought is what damage has been done to the bike (very little, it turns out). The northbound driver is a godsend and takes over the scene, ordering the driver who hit me to write down his information and then loading me and my bike in her SUV to give me a ride home. Amazingly, all I have wrong is 2 bruised knees and stiff/sore shoulders and neck. The Trek needs both wheels trued, the rear derailleur hanger straightened and the headset tightened. Oh, yes, and my doctor reminds me on Thursday to replace my helmet just in case.
I'm over my cold, and breathing fairly normally except for a dry cough that has stuck around. Today we have four or five in the group ride and head out to Gold River. On the way back, I just don't feel quite right and drop back to shed a layer of clothing and to eat a Powerbar. As I poke my way home, the ride leader has come back to find me and joins me the rest of the way to the Guy West Bridge, where I split off to go home.
At 39th & M Sts, I check the intersection and see oncoming cars, but neither is at their stop sign yet, so I proceed through the intersection. About halfway through, I realize the southbound car is not even slowing down and is going to hit me. I don't remember leaving the bike or landing on the ground, but I remember the hood sliding underneath me and then standing up from the ground. Of course, my first thought is what damage has been done to the bike (very little, it turns out). The northbound driver is a godsend and takes over the scene, ordering the driver who hit me to write down his information and then loading me and my bike in her SUV to give me a ride home. Amazingly, all I have wrong is 2 bruised knees and stiff/sore shoulders and neck. The Trek needs both wheels trued, the rear derailleur hanger straightened and the headset tightened. Oh, yes, and my doctor reminds me on Thursday to replace my helmet just in case.
October 6, 2009
Ride Report 10/6
Solo 24 miles Riverside Blvd past Garcia Bend Park & back
I refilled my prescription allergy meds and have been snorting away for a couple days, so I can breathe relatively well today. As usual, I drool over the houses by the river and even eye an apartment complex I've been considering as a possible candidate for my next move. Weather is beautiful, as always.
I refilled my prescription allergy meds and have been snorting away for a couple days, so I can breathe relatively well today. As usual, I drool over the houses by the river and even eye an apartment complex I've been considering as a possible candidate for my next move. Weather is beautiful, as always.
October 4, 2009
Ride Report 10/4
Partnered 39 miles ARBT Discovery Park-Hagan Park & back
I'm over my cold, but the allergies have moved in. This ride was supposed to be the ARBT from end to end (about 72 miles), but a few miles in I'm wheezing too hard to make a go of it and can't go much faster than 15mph. Also, both of us are stunned at how chilly it is this morning and just can't seem to warm up. So, after stopping at a Raley's for a last-ditch hope that decongestants will allow me to go the whole way, stop at a picnic table just outside Hagan Park and call it the halfway point. Sitting in the sun, we're both still cold and don't want to stay too long. We help a couple of women who are trying to put more air in one of their tires and then it's home to hot soup, cider and bed.
I'm over my cold, but the allergies have moved in. This ride was supposed to be the ARBT from end to end (about 72 miles), but a few miles in I'm wheezing too hard to make a go of it and can't go much faster than 15mph. Also, both of us are stunned at how chilly it is this morning and just can't seem to warm up. So, after stopping at a Raley's for a last-ditch hope that decongestants will allow me to go the whole way, stop at a picnic table just outside Hagan Park and call it the halfway point. Sitting in the sun, we're both still cold and don't want to stay too long. We help a couple of women who are trying to put more air in one of their tires and then it's home to hot soup, cider and bed.
Ride Report 10/3
17 miles S Land Park Dr south & back
Just need to try to rack up some miles. Mostly over my cold. Down to the coughing/stuffy nose phase. Still a little dizzy and sniffly.
Just need to try to rack up some miles. Mostly over my cold. Down to the coughing/stuffy nose phase. Still a little dizzy and sniffly.
Ride Report 10/2
Solo 24 miles Riverside Dr south & back
I'm mostly over my cold, but I get short of breath riding, so I head out to enjoy the sun and see how far I can go on my bike today. I feel a little dizzy and my nose is running merrily, but the weather is nice and I'm on my bike.
I'm mostly over my cold, but I get short of breath riding, so I head out to enjoy the sun and see how far I can go on my bike today. I feel a little dizzy and my nose is running merrily, but the weather is nice and I'm on my bike.
September 27, 2009
Ride Report 9/26
Partnered 18 miles back roads around Clarksburg/West Sacramento
Well, it turns out I was nursing a cold. A very minor one, but still a cold. Since I can't make the Twin Cities Bridge loop, we cut out the first half of the ride and park in Clarksburg and tootle around the backroads. Trying to figure out a way up to the levy, we manage to catch a small group of riders. T's road racing blood cannot be denied and we overtake the other riders. Then we see and pass (at about 18mph) another group of riders. Then we see a huge group at the school in Clarksburg. This luckily means a pitstop for T and we find out the group is actually a tour ride (and I've forgotten the company's name) that travels the south Sacramento River vineyards over a few days, averaging about 60 miles a day. I ask T if this still counts since we passed people that were doing a multi-day long-distance tour. He confirms that of course it still counts.
Well, it turns out I was nursing a cold. A very minor one, but still a cold. Since I can't make the Twin Cities Bridge loop, we cut out the first half of the ride and park in Clarksburg and tootle around the backroads. Trying to figure out a way up to the levy, we manage to catch a small group of riders. T's road racing blood cannot be denied and we overtake the other riders. Then we see and pass (at about 18mph) another group of riders. Then we see a huge group at the school in Clarksburg. This luckily means a pitstop for T and we find out the group is actually a tour ride (and I've forgotten the company's name) that travels the south Sacramento River vineyards over a few days, averaging about 60 miles a day. I ask T if this still counts since we passed people that were doing a multi-day long-distance tour. He confirms that of course it still counts.
September 23, 2009
Ride Report 9/23
55.6 mile group ride Sacramento to Davis & back via long detour West Sac
I can't tell if I'm getting a cold or just having a bad allergy attack today. Regardless, I set out to join the Wednesday morning Sacramento Wheelmen ride. We take a fairly direct route to South Davis with a fairly large group of about eight. The rest of the group goes for breakfast at Cindy's while I run errands in Davis (pick up my contacts, license the Trek & buy a tiny cable lock, bigger seat wedge, and a bell). On my way back, I see the group leaving Cindy's and just manage to catch them. We take a meandering ride back through West Sacramento and some really beautiful housing developments. I can't help but wonder what the occupancy rate is, given the economy, though. I manage to eat both my Odwalla bars on the go, not having stopped to eat in Davis. I never knew Jefferson Blvd was this long, and after a few decades, we finally make it back to W Capitol Blvd and back to downtown Sacramento. I decide it must be allergies because I managed to bike that far and not collapse.
I can't tell if I'm getting a cold or just having a bad allergy attack today. Regardless, I set out to join the Wednesday morning Sacramento Wheelmen ride. We take a fairly direct route to South Davis with a fairly large group of about eight. The rest of the group goes for breakfast at Cindy's while I run errands in Davis (pick up my contacts, license the Trek & buy a tiny cable lock, bigger seat wedge, and a bell). On my way back, I see the group leaving Cindy's and just manage to catch them. We take a meandering ride back through West Sacramento and some really beautiful housing developments. I can't help but wonder what the occupancy rate is, given the economy, though. I manage to eat both my Odwalla bars on the go, not having stopped to eat in Davis. I never knew Jefferson Blvd was this long, and after a few decades, we finally make it back to W Capitol Blvd and back to downtown Sacramento. I decide it must be allergies because I managed to bike that far and not collapse.
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