28 miles in 2:17 on the Bianchi
This is my fourth ride wearing gloves, and (as with most things in this life) they have their advantages and their disadvantages. The main disadvantage is lack of feel for the road. I had not realized how much information was coming to me through the bike, and I lose feedback by wearing gel-padded gloves. The gloves are fingerless, and when I ride with my hands on the shifters, the fingerholes restrict circulation in my first and second fingers. This could be due more to the fact that the Bianchi is too long for me, so I am almost completely stretched out when I ride on the shifters (to have access to the brakes). Riding in the drops bends me in half, but I don’t have to stretch as far forward.
This is my third ride with the wedges on my shoes. I started with two per side, but added a third wedge to the left side, which seemed to still be getting sore from pedaling. “Le wedge,” as I’ve come to call them, was developed by Greg Lemond to redistribute a cyclist’s weight while pedaling and to alleviate ankle and knee strains.
Today I ride the north trail to Elverta again. I’m half hoping to run into Bernie again, but I know that is not likely. I know how far north I’ve gone on the trail by the changing gang graffiti as by the arches erected over the trail announcing each new neighborhood. (Noralto? Robla? I’ve never heard of them.) The Norteños prevail in Del Paso Heights. I know I’m close to the halfway point when I pass Juggalo graffiti in Rio Linda.
The trail occupants seem seedier, more hostile today. Instead of families spread out across the path, I go through/past groups of juvenile boys who barely acknowledge me let alone make room for me to pass. I meet only one or two other cyclists, both going south, and a handful of other bike riders. I am only putting out about 80% effort, but I’m going 16-17mph, so I know I’ve got a tailwind behind me.
At the northern most gazebo, I stop to eat a melted protein bar (must remember to stock up on Odwalla bars). Someone smashed a beer bottle on the cement, and I crack and pop my way to the drinking fountain and back.
I try to concentrate on my form today, reminding myself over and over to keep a bend in my elbow, to keep my back straight, to flex my ankles when I pedal. The size problem in the Bianchi is becoming more apparent the longer I ride it, and it is time for me to get a bicycle sized for me. My right knee is twingy for the first mile and a half on the way back. I have no idea if it’s a knee problem or if I need to do more experimenting with wedges. I recall the osteoarthritic (minimal) changes to both knees noted in my x-rays and decide I probably need to be taking glucosamine supplements.
The headwind on the way back slows me a bit, but this is supposed to be an easy ride. When I get home, I find out another experiment has succeeded: my foster dog did not eat the kitchen while I was gone.
August 7, 2009
August 3, 2009
And the Winner Is...
I received the results of my GTT and knee x-rays on Saturday. My 2-hour post glucose was 83, or normal, and my knees show no soft tissue changes or evidence of trauma, although there are "minimal osteoarthritic changes." Great. At least I picked a low-impact sport to take up in my golden years. I didn't realize my doctor ordered a complete panel, including cholesterol and triglycerides, but those results are also low normal. Yay, I'm healthy!
Ride Report 8/3
20 miles in 1:32 on the hybrid
Today is a recovery day, so I don't push myself at all. Still, I have a nice tailwind on the way north along the Steelhead Creek bike path. I try not to be a snob about riding in the large chainring, and downshift to the middle chainring for the ride back in a headwind. I check my pedal RPMs against the timer on the cycling computer and downshift if my pedal rate is too low. This is a far cry from the biking I did a few years ago on my Iron Horse Outlaw Pro (I still miss you, baby!), when I went for the highest gear in which I could pedal. My knees and lower back thank me for my change in perspective.
It is nice to hop on the hybrid with minimal wardrobe adjustments, but do miss the clipless pedals when it comes time to go uphill. I suppose I am becoming a convert to road biking, although I do wish someone would do something about the road saddles.
Today is a recovery day, so I don't push myself at all. Still, I have a nice tailwind on the way north along the Steelhead Creek bike path. I try not to be a snob about riding in the large chainring, and downshift to the middle chainring for the ride back in a headwind. I check my pedal RPMs against the timer on the cycling computer and downshift if my pedal rate is too low. This is a far cry from the biking I did a few years ago on my Iron Horse Outlaw Pro (I still miss you, baby!), when I went for the highest gear in which I could pedal. My knees and lower back thank me for my change in perspective.
It is nice to hop on the hybrid with minimal wardrobe adjustments, but do miss the clipless pedals when it comes time to go uphill. I suppose I am becoming a convert to road biking, although I do wish someone would do something about the road saddles.
August 2, 2009
Ride Report 8/2
Partnered 35 miles in 3:10 (including emergency chain repair & break) on the Bianchi
To vary the scenery a little (and to hopefully avoid a headwind on the way home), we ride east on the residential streets off of American River Drive. To my dismay, there are quite a few short hills as well. On the first and steepest hill, the Bianchi skips in every gear I try. Hoping it is a derailleur malfunction, I try shifting chainrings and then going up and down every gear, but the chain still skips. I muddle through, trying not to put undue force on the pedals until we reach Bannister Park, where T fights with the link that has popped off the rivet on one side. While I act as a human kickstand, I mentally add a few more items that need to be bought on payday: a chain tool, a master link, tiny pliers, and a new chain for the bike frame I will be choosing on Saturday (even though I am assured that the repaired chain should be just fine).
We take the bike trail back, coasting down an awesome hill from Bannister Park. I practice drafting again for most of the way home and do fairly well if I do say so myself. Naturally, we still have a headwind. Just east of Hagan Park, a deer calmly crosses the bike path in front of us. We pick up another drafter around Hagan Park, and my (lack of) drafting skill fails to scare him off for the 7.5 miles he follows us. The time and distance fly by as I concentrate on maintaining drafting distance, and at one point I look at my computer and discover that I am going 19mph! We separate from our drafter at Sac State. I whine for a break after the stiff pace I just biked. After planning out a frame shopping session for Saturday, I get turned around as usual trying to find my way off campus and head home.
To vary the scenery a little (and to hopefully avoid a headwind on the way home), we ride east on the residential streets off of American River Drive. To my dismay, there are quite a few short hills as well. On the first and steepest hill, the Bianchi skips in every gear I try. Hoping it is a derailleur malfunction, I try shifting chainrings and then going up and down every gear, but the chain still skips. I muddle through, trying not to put undue force on the pedals until we reach Bannister Park, where T fights with the link that has popped off the rivet on one side. While I act as a human kickstand, I mentally add a few more items that need to be bought on payday: a chain tool, a master link, tiny pliers, and a new chain for the bike frame I will be choosing on Saturday (even though I am assured that the repaired chain should be just fine).
We take the bike trail back, coasting down an awesome hill from Bannister Park. I practice drafting again for most of the way home and do fairly well if I do say so myself. Naturally, we still have a headwind. Just east of Hagan Park, a deer calmly crosses the bike path in front of us. We pick up another drafter around Hagan Park, and my (lack of) drafting skill fails to scare him off for the 7.5 miles he follows us. The time and distance fly by as I concentrate on maintaining drafting distance, and at one point I look at my computer and discover that I am going 19mph! We separate from our drafter at Sac State. I whine for a break after the stiff pace I just biked. After planning out a frame shopping session for Saturday, I get turned around as usual trying to find my way off campus and head home.
Ride Report 8/1
Partnered 40 miles in 3:40 (including all breaks) on the Bianchi
Today's mission: practice drafting. Drafting consists of riding just behind another cyclist to benefit from their slipstream. It decreases the drafter's biking effort by up to 30%, but only when s/he is 4-12 inches behind another rider. I tried this for a short time last week, but it was on the way back from a 50-mile ride and my concentration was fairly nonexistent at that point.
As soon as we hit the bike trail from Sac State, I have to practice drafting. The first obstacle is the mental block on riding that closely to another cyclist. The next problem is what to watch. If I concentrate solely on T's rear tire, I get motion sick because I don't know what's coming on the trail ahead. If I concentrate on T/the bike trail, I'm afraid of overrunning his rear tire and sending myself into a somersault.
Frustrated that he can't watch me, T scouts the trail for other rider(s) going at a good clip that I can draft behind while he rides beside me. Our kindly drafting hosts for the trip east are a senior couple on a tandem that keep up a speed of around 17mph. They are very encouraging about my "metric century" (a compromise since I feel guilty saying "century" for a 100K ride). The woman tells us they ride out to La Bou on Folsom and back for a 40-mile round trip. Even though I feel more comfortable tailgating the tandem bike, I still spend only a small fraction of the ride at a close enough distance to be truly drafting. Sadly, my suggestion that we ride a tandem and just say I drafted is turned down.
On the ride back, we draft behind a trio of cyclists who keep a pace of 16-17mph (guaranteeing we get passed by just about every other road biker on the path). The time flies for me when I am so busy concentrating on the riders in front of me. Again, I only draft successfully for a tiny fraction of the time, but I don't freak out quite so much at riding so closely to another cyclist. We pass a large group of recumbent cyclists getting ready to ride and I can't help feeling jealous that they get to ride bikes you can nap on.
Today I rode with the wedges on my shoes and with cycling gloves (gel padded). My feet are still sore, but not screaming in the road shoes. The gloves are a mixed blessing. I give up sensitivity/responsiveness to the handlebars and they are not very comfortable when I ride with my hands draped on the shift levers, but I will reserve final judgment on the gloves until I ride my new bike that will be sized for me.
Today's mission: practice drafting. Drafting consists of riding just behind another cyclist to benefit from their slipstream. It decreases the drafter's biking effort by up to 30%, but only when s/he is 4-12 inches behind another rider. I tried this for a short time last week, but it was on the way back from a 50-mile ride and my concentration was fairly nonexistent at that point.
As soon as we hit the bike trail from Sac State, I have to practice drafting. The first obstacle is the mental block on riding that closely to another cyclist. The next problem is what to watch. If I concentrate solely on T's rear tire, I get motion sick because I don't know what's coming on the trail ahead. If I concentrate on T/the bike trail, I'm afraid of overrunning his rear tire and sending myself into a somersault.
Frustrated that he can't watch me, T scouts the trail for other rider(s) going at a good clip that I can draft behind while he rides beside me. Our kindly drafting hosts for the trip east are a senior couple on a tandem that keep up a speed of around 17mph. They are very encouraging about my "metric century" (a compromise since I feel guilty saying "century" for a 100K ride). The woman tells us they ride out to La Bou on Folsom and back for a 40-mile round trip. Even though I feel more comfortable tailgating the tandem bike, I still spend only a small fraction of the ride at a close enough distance to be truly drafting. Sadly, my suggestion that we ride a tandem and just say I drafted is turned down.
On the ride back, we draft behind a trio of cyclists who keep a pace of 16-17mph (guaranteeing we get passed by just about every other road biker on the path). The time flies for me when I am so busy concentrating on the riders in front of me. Again, I only draft successfully for a tiny fraction of the time, but I don't freak out quite so much at riding so closely to another cyclist. We pass a large group of recumbent cyclists getting ready to ride and I can't help feeling jealous that they get to ride bikes you can nap on.
Today I rode with the wedges on my shoes and with cycling gloves (gel padded). My feet are still sore, but not screaming in the road shoes. The gloves are a mixed blessing. I give up sensitivity/responsiveness to the handlebars and they are not very comfortable when I ride with my hands draped on the shift levers, but I will reserve final judgment on the gloves until I ride my new bike that will be sized for me.
August 1, 2009
Research
Since I'm missing the incentive to ride this week, I'm hoping a trip to the library will help reignite my motivation.
The Noncyclist's Guide to the Century and Other Road Races by Dawn Dais. Not only is the author a local, she is also hilarious. This book chronicles the trials and tribulations of the author as she trains for a century (100 mile) ride. Full of practical beginner advice, this book is also great just for sheer entertainment.
Bicycling for Dummies by Allen St. John. As with all of the Dummies series, this is a great book for spelling everything out. Great book for beginners or for experienced riders who want to learn more. This covers all the basics from types of bikes, riding styles, maintenance, and activities.
The Complete Guide to Road Cycling & Racing by William Peveler. This is a more technical book than the first two. Full of good information, but more oriented to intermediate/advanced riders. Still, a nice comprehensive book.
Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair by C. Calvin Jones. Haven't read this one yet, but it comes highly recommended from multiple sources.
Changing Gears by Jane Schnell. This is not a how-to book but rather the journal of a woman who biked the perimeter of the United States over the period of a year. Inspiring, if rather dated (published in 1987).
The Noncyclist's Guide to the Century and Other Road Races by Dawn Dais. Not only is the author a local, she is also hilarious. This book chronicles the trials and tribulations of the author as she trains for a century (100 mile) ride. Full of practical beginner advice, this book is also great just for sheer entertainment.
Bicycling for Dummies by Allen St. John. As with all of the Dummies series, this is a great book for spelling everything out. Great book for beginners or for experienced riders who want to learn more. This covers all the basics from types of bikes, riding styles, maintenance, and activities.
The Complete Guide to Road Cycling & Racing by William Peveler. This is a more technical book than the first two. Full of good information, but more oriented to intermediate/advanced riders. Still, a nice comprehensive book.
Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair by C. Calvin Jones. Haven't read this one yet, but it comes highly recommended from multiple sources.
Changing Gears by Jane Schnell. This is not a how-to book but rather the journal of a woman who biked the perimeter of the United States over the period of a year. Inspiring, if rather dated (published in 1987).
Ride Report 7/30
27.65 miles in 2:?? on the Bianchi
I am feeling very unmotivated this week. I have to bully myself into going for a ride. My stomach has been bothering me all week, my body aches, and I am almost constantly hungry. A small part of it is the dread of cycling the same miles of the bike trail over and over. Another part is not having a working MP3 player at the moment and having to rely on the 100 or so songs I really like on my cell phone. So today I decide to just bike for biking's sake and take the north bike trail off the American River path that goes all the way to Elverta.
The weather is actually pretty nice and I maintain 17+ mph on the way north. The path goes through some skanky parts of town, but it's prettier than I recalled. Unfortunately, the drinking fountains at almost every little gazebo/rest stop are broken or just missing. So few cyclists use the path that the pedestrians don't know what to do when I approach and/or they spread over the entire width of the path and I have to squeeze past them on the wrong side.
The trail ends in Elverta, and the final gazebo has a working drinking fountain. Grateful, I pull in to park in the shade, eat an Odwalla bar (chocolate chip something, highly recommended) and top off my water bottles. I also take off my shoes for a few precious minutes. Just when I am pondering leaving to finish my ride, another cyclist joins me in the gazebo.
We don't actually introduce ourselves until just before he leaves on the ride back. Bernie (or Bernard) looks to be in his mid- or late-60s and has been biking since the 50s. After I admire his Steve Rex road bike, he tells me about the bike with a Brooks saddle he rode from '53-'83 when it was stolen, then the bike he rode until 1996 when it was stolen from right outside his house when he went inside to get a tool to adjust the bike, and then the Rex bike which he has ridden since. I hear about some of the rides he's done, get advice on road biking ("always keep a crook in your elbow" and "do miles"), and where to bike locally. Bernie joins me for five miles on my return trip, and, as always, the time flies when I have a biking partner.
Bernie was someone I needed to meet today. Someone to help me get centered, a little more motivated, and also someone to reassure me that I'll be fine for my century. I feel embarrassed that he kept calling it a century, when in my mind, a true century is 100 miles, not 100 kilometers.
I am feeling very unmotivated this week. I have to bully myself into going for a ride. My stomach has been bothering me all week, my body aches, and I am almost constantly hungry. A small part of it is the dread of cycling the same miles of the bike trail over and over. Another part is not having a working MP3 player at the moment and having to rely on the 100 or so songs I really like on my cell phone. So today I decide to just bike for biking's sake and take the north bike trail off the American River path that goes all the way to Elverta.
The weather is actually pretty nice and I maintain 17+ mph on the way north. The path goes through some skanky parts of town, but it's prettier than I recalled. Unfortunately, the drinking fountains at almost every little gazebo/rest stop are broken or just missing. So few cyclists use the path that the pedestrians don't know what to do when I approach and/or they spread over the entire width of the path and I have to squeeze past them on the wrong side.
The trail ends in Elverta, and the final gazebo has a working drinking fountain. Grateful, I pull in to park in the shade, eat an Odwalla bar (chocolate chip something, highly recommended) and top off my water bottles. I also take off my shoes for a few precious minutes. Just when I am pondering leaving to finish my ride, another cyclist joins me in the gazebo.
We don't actually introduce ourselves until just before he leaves on the ride back. Bernie (or Bernard) looks to be in his mid- or late-60s and has been biking since the 50s. After I admire his Steve Rex road bike, he tells me about the bike with a Brooks saddle he rode from '53-'83 when it was stolen, then the bike he rode until 1996 when it was stolen from right outside his house when he went inside to get a tool to adjust the bike, and then the Rex bike which he has ridden since. I hear about some of the rides he's done, get advice on road biking ("always keep a crook in your elbow" and "do miles"), and where to bike locally. Bernie joins me for five miles on my return trip, and, as always, the time flies when I have a biking partner.
Bernie was someone I needed to meet today. Someone to help me get centered, a little more motivated, and also someone to reassure me that I'll be fine for my century. I feel embarrassed that he kept calling it a century, when in my mind, a true century is 100 miles, not 100 kilometers.
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