Making Progress, Destroying Bikes & Finding My Pop

The cold weather is showing very tiny hints of finally receding.  It is still 10 to 15 degrees below normal.  But "normal" now is close to 60 so that 45 feels tolerable compared to the 35 we've had for the last few weeks.  It has been in the low 20s in the mornings, complete with snowfall on Monday morning.  But this afternoon was sunny and a warm 50ish.  It will maybe hit 60 by the weekend and the forecasters are calling for 70 next week!   I find that hard to believe.  In my heart, I truly do expect to ride in tights and booties all summer long; I just can't conceive of cycling without them.

I took advantage of nicer weather on Saturday (high of 45 with only 12 mph winds) to get in 83 miles with 4500' of climbing.  It was supposed to be a 100 mile ride, but I was making progress slower than I needed to in order to keep to our "date night" plans.  I pulled out the cross bike and headed north on gravel to Mount Vernon.  Then bikepath through Gambier and some backroads over to Millwood.  I diverted from my plan to explore gravel in the Walhonding area and instead stuck to Rte 715.  I met a nice gent cyclist and we rode together through Nellie.  I split off for some gravely adventures with a 300' steep climb up on to a ridge.  For the next hour or so, I traversed the top of the ridge, dipping and climbing as the ridge went.  It was hard going!   I finally bailed on the ridge and dropped off back to 79.  On the gravel descent I almost impaled myself on a road grater that was working the road that day.  Then I immediately sucked on a huge cloud of dust as some local yocal went speeding past.  And then almost became a hood ornament on some pickup truck that was speeding by right in the cloud of dust of the first car.  There was enough of a strong breeze that the second car could have waited 10 seconds back.  But no, it had to drive right down the middle of the road in zero visibility and I almost became the casualty.   Some people are so stupid!

I got back out during my lunch hour on Tuesday for some fatbike hill repeats on Sugarloaf.  I was on repeat #17 when, during the high speed descent, something went askew with the back half of the bike.  The next result was my rear derailleur got torn off and caught in the wheel.  The rear wheel locked up immediately and almost kicked me off the bike and onto the gravel pathway at high speed.  I managed to escaped unscathed but the bike suffered major damage.  It will need a new derailleur, derailleur hanger, shifting cable + housing, and have the rear wheel rebuilt with new spokes.   Hope it isn't too expensive. 

Speaking of trashing bikes, Eli managed to break one of his pedals off his little Gary Fisher single speed.  I bought him a bling set of of pedals today and installed them.  I think he can't wait to ride to school again tomorrow morning.  I'm just hoping it isn't 24 degrees when we do so ... I almost froze this morning. 

I got out tonight to straif the gravel roads on the cross bike in the darkness.  I have to wait till Laura gets home from teaching at nearly 8pm.  I wasn't dressed adequately as the temps dropped much faster than the web said they would.  Frozen fingers and frozen toes.   I'm not sure I'm digging the gravel rides at night as much as I used to.  Maybe on a bike with wider tires like the fatbike, but I felt a little uncomfortable on the cross bike.  Potholes are too hard to see.  I can't see the texture of the gravel surface and thus am always unsure of  the bike's motion.  And it was just darn cold.  But I did it.

I know I am rounding in to shape when I start to get my pop back.  I might be tired at the end of a long ride, or trying to hang with a group of faster riders, and I'll encounter a situation, such as a big hill, which will require me to dig deep for that extra boost.  Most of the time I don't have it and just have to slow down and suffer.  But when I'm on form (at least by my modest standards) I can sometimes magically summon that extra burst and stick with the fast guy trying to ride off the front on the last big climb.  That's my pop.  And I think I finally found some tonight at the end of my ride when I seemed to rocket up that last steep climb on Berg St as I was coming back in to town.  I found myself coming up the climb much faster than I had any business doing and the crest of the hill came toward me surprisingly quickly.  I blew over the top and put the hammer down without the need to gasp for recovery.  Yup, some pop.   And just in time for my first race experience later this month.  Now if I can just avoid destroying any more bikes. 

A Couple of Good Days

The weather still sucks -- winter just won't leave -- but I can't wait any longer.  Cohutta 100 is just six weeks away so I have to ride or not go.   I cleared Saturday afternoon after piano lessons and logged 67 miles by looping through north columbus and back.  A cold windy day, but the strong winds were out of the west and so I got a nice tailwind push on the way home.  Oh, and fatbike all the way.

Today I took a day off from work to log another long ride.  This time I went to Dresden, South to Zanesville and then back through the hills home.  Stats were 85 miles, 6:15 on the clock, 5100 ft vertical.   The ride was truly epic in a number of ways.  First the weather was cold and super blustery -- air temps of 32 deg with 25 mph winds from the west giving a windchill of about 22.  It also rained a ton yesterday which factors in the story too.

My route started heading east on flat bike paths and country roads.  I hit 25 mph with the strong tailwind push and averaged 17mph without working.  I got to race a train through Newark which was a treat since there are rarely trains on that track.  I could almost reach out over the 3ft fence and touch the box cars moving right along side me.  I snapped this nice pic of a dilapidated farm house; seemed scenic framed by that tree.  I wonder who used to live there. 

Once I hit Dresden things got tough.  I turned south on SR666 and had a glancing wind from the side and partially from the front.  My speed slowed to 10-14 mph.  To make things more interesting, there was a stretch of SR666 advertised as closed, but it was nearly all the way to Zanesville.  I decided to take a chance that I could somehow get around it instead of heading back already. 

When I got near the construction zone it was clear that a long part of the road was closed so it wasn't suitable for a simple walk-a-round.  I detoured further east on some remote gravel roads.  The climb up from SR666 was super steep (20% in places) and a real tough dig.   The detour added only about 3 miles extra distance, but it was a super tough 3 miles. 

I got lunch in Zanesville and then started the hard slog home.  3+ hours straight into a 25mph headwind.  At times I was struggling on flat ground to go 10mph.  It was that impossible.  I knew today would be a character building day.  I knew it would be a mental slog home.  I made it.

The first stretch back had two major ascents followed by hilly ridge top riding.  It added substantial climbing and the fatbike is a super pig when the road goes up.  I hope that if I train enough on the fatbike, my race rocket will feel extra fast come race day.  

After the two ridges, I dropped to Toboso and got on the Blackhand Gorge bikepath.  Snapped a nice pic of a waterfall.  With all the rain, there were lots of healthy runs coming down crevices in the ridgelines.  

However, my next big obstacle came at the stream crossing at mile 3.5 on the gorge trail.  There is a stream crossing which is normally an inch or two deep.  But today it was 2 to 3 feet deep in fast moving water.  With temps around 25 deg it would be suicide to get wet.   Initially I thought I would have to go all the way back to Toboso and then make my way north back to the bike path.  This would be at least an 8 mile detour.  I really didn't want to do this.  Then I noticed a fallen tree across the creek.  It seemed big and sturdy enough.  But one wrong move and I'd plunge in to deep, cold, fast moving water.   Or I might drop my bike and watch it go floating out to sea (with little chance of retrieving it).  It was a big risk but I decided to take it.  I inched my way across the narrow, mossy, slippery log.  The 35 lb fatbike made things very difficult.  I took it one slow, careful step at a time.  And made it high and dry.  Problem solved.  Adventure by Bike indeed!  

On the way back, Mother Nature threw some snow in my face for good measure.  As if the 25 mph headwind wasn't enough.  I think MN was afraid I was going to win and make it back home safely!  

Finally ... a Nice Day!

We've been below average temps for five straight weeks.  Maybe just a day or two squeaking above average but they have all been rainy and then a cold front moves in immediately afterward to drop the temps 15 degrees below normal.  Today, we've finally had an above average day ... with sun.

Yesterday was 50 and today it reached 60 or so.  Yes, both were windy days but hey, sun and warm and no snow!

I went out late yesterday afternoon for a hard 31 mile ride of hilly gravel.  Really pounded the pedals and paid the price with tired, sore legs.  Today (Sunday) I went out for a longer spin.  The stiff wind from the south made the progress down toward Lancaster very painful.  I turned away from the wind about 6 miles short of Lancaster and then sped home with a nice tail wind.  I averaged 16.2 mph on mostly rolling roads with a few big climbs at the end on Canyon.

Three hours seems like a long time on the bike right now.  I've got about seven weeks to go before I hit my first NUE race in GA.  So I'll need to add mileage quickly.  But I can only take what the body is willing to give.

This is my spring break week so I'll try to ride nearly every day.  I'm planning on a road trip to State College at the end of the week.  Last year we had temps in the 70s.  This week it is forecast for temps in the upper 30s or lower 40s.  Cold!  The mountain roads may still be iced over so I may have to stick to paved roads.  My goal for the week is to be consistent and push myself but not get injured.

Highs and Lows

Most you know that last weekend Louisville, KY hosted the world championship cyclocross race.  John, Todd and I drove down to see the activities.  The ride down was challenging as we drove through a snow squall and the "southern" DOTs were not exactly ready for the snow.  We left at 6am, expected to arrive at 9:30 but didn't make it till 11am.

We caught the second half of the women's championship race.  Vos was already well out front, but we got to see Compton make her run from 7th up to 2nd.  And some last lap theatrics between 3rd and 4th places.   We then saw the U23 men and finally the big men's race.

The course was awesome.  And hard!  I would have struggled on this course.  Lots of mud but lots of steep hills and off-camber type stuff.   Mix in some runups and it was a challenging, slippery course.  And there was snow on the ground in the morning that eventually melted away.   It was cold, it snowed some more, and it was generally nasty conditions.  In other words, perfect.

That other thing that was evident is exactly how good these guys (and gals) really are.  They are FAST.  I think you develop a whole other appreciation for their skill and talent by seeing them in person. Sven Nys won the men's race.  Belgiums and Dutch dominated the front of the field.  The crowd was rowdy but respectful.  Most were cyclists themselves.   The food line was impossibly long.  And this event was special since the Ohio river was threatening to flood the course; events on Sunday had to be compressed on Saturday since the course wouldn't have lasted that long.

Overall the experience was a total blast.  I am still just giddy.  It will be one of those special experiences I'll remember my whole life.

On the flip side, my own riding is going miserably.  This has been the winter from hell.  We've basically had snow on the ground since Dec 22 with maybe only 2-3 days of clear, dry roads in between.  We had a stretch where it snowed 14 of 16 consecutive days.  Each day bringing 1" or 2" -- not much, but enough to mess up the roads.  And it has been unusually cold and windy.  I like snow/winter riding, but this is too much.  My body is tired of being cold and pushing through snow.  I'm ready for warm sunshine.

This weekend the roads were finally clear.  Sun but chilly 30deg on Saturday and a slightly cloudier but warmer Sunday.  I should have logged 6 hrs on one day and 3hrs on the other.  But I'm stuck inside saddled with a cold.  I tried riding yesterday and just didn't have the energy to go more than an hour.  I'll rest up today.

I had a slight hamstring pull while trying to lift.  I slipped on an icy sidewalk and tweaked my knee.  We've had 3 interview candidates and a big guest speaker and a trustee dinner over the last two weeks. So I am out late many nights eating too much food and not riding.   And my return to teaching has left me scrambling to stay up with grading -- working weekends and late at night.   I just can't seem to get my training program on track.  11 weeks away till Cohutta ... I've got to get hammering.

Two weeks ago I took Eli to Ray's Indoor Mountain Bike park.  It was lots of fun.  Challenging to stay on all the skinnies, but lots of fun.  I had to drag Eli out the door after 4 hours of riding.  Glad we did that.

Is Winter Over Yet?

I seem to be in a bit of a cycling funk.  It has snowed here a lot.  And it is darn cold too.  Real winter this year.  Yeah, playing around on the fatbike was loads of fun, but it does get old eventually.  And the snow transforms from fluffy good stuff to icy nasty stuff within a few days.  I think I'm ready for winter to be over.

The roads have dried up a bit in the last two days so I've been out on fatbike road rides and even got the cross bike out today.  On Tuesday's fatbike ride, I discovered a bridge completely missing on Stone Quarry Rd.  I had to tip toe my way across deep icy water on slippery rocks to keep my feet dry.   The county engineer makes it sound like it could be 6months or more before the bridge is back again.

Today was a real grind.  I did 53 miles but most of it was painful.  My legs just felt dead today and to boot there was an icy wind of about 10mph for the last half of the ride.  I just couldn't seem to power in to it and so was resigned to two hours of torturous 13 mph average, pushing into the nasty headwind.  Wind blowing over snow and ice covered fields, it feels like standing in front of a huge ice box with a high powered blower aimed right at you for four straight hours.

I seem to alternate really good rides when I am sure I'm ready to go pro with really awful rides where I can barely get the bike to move forward.   Maybe I'm a bit overtrained (I'm doing regular trainer intervals and weight lifting on in between days).   Maybe I'm a bit sick of winter and cold headwinds.

I think I'm skipping Southern Cross.  I just don't want to waste a 3 day weekend, drive 9 hours each way, spend $500, etc.

The highlight of today's ride was finding this little school house perched on a cove of Hoover Reservoir.  I've been in this area many dozens of times but have always missed this road segment.  Glad I found it today, it was just beautiful.  

Winter Is Here

Again, my blog entries seem to be few and far between.

I had sketched a plan and secured spousal approval to ride the C&O/GAP trail from Washington DC to Pittsburgh after Christmas.  My dad was to drive me down to DC from State College on Dec 27.  I would ride the 27th, 28th, 29th and possibly the 30th to finish in Pittsburgh and take a Greyhound to Zanesville.  Well, mother nature intervened.  We've had 3 major snow storms and a few minor ones.  Long story short, 8" of fresh snow on half of the trail made things impassable even for the snow bike.  So trip postponed for now.

Speaking of Christmas, I did very well for cycling gifts.  Bar Mitts for both the mountain bike and cross bike, and a new air compressor to mount tubeless tires.    Laura got some Wolvhammer boots and I must admit to being a bit jealous.  They seem way nicer than my Lakes.  

I've had a very good two months of training, logging one of my highest mileage months in Nov and did well in Dec too until the snow hit.  I even got a 96 miler in on the bike trail from Mount Vernon through Amish country to Fredricksberg and back.   After losing some fitness from taking most of Sept and Oct off, I feel very fit right now.  I am concentrating on weight lifting and intervals to build speed and strength -- my two major weaknesses.  

This past two weeks I've been forced to enjoy major snow rides, many with John.  It is fun but produces low mileage.  It is good for bike handling as we've been sliding all over the place on those fat bikes.   Every two to three days we've had another 2" to 8" of new snow, it just won't stop coming.   And now the cold is setting in so it will stick around plenty long.  I think we've already tripled the total from last year and winter has hardly begun.  Last year's mild winter won't be happening this year.

I've got my race schedule lined up for next year.  My A races are: Cohutta 100, Mohican 100, Lumberjack 100, Wilderness 100 and probably Shenandoah Mountain 100.   I may also do Southern Cross if John decides to go.  And I've had my eye on this race in the Black Hills called the Tatanka 100; I may add that too.   I feel like this is the year to commit to being fit and going after some good races.  I don't have many years left of being a spring chicken! :)  I would like to shave at least an hour off my race times from last year; I think that is realistic given my fitness level right now and the time I have available.

Boy would I like to add a Salsa Warbird Ti to my stable.  Freeze Thaw has one in my size and it is beautiful.  But I don't see the funds becoming available unless I win the Dirt Rag Lit contest ... still waiting to hear about that long shot.   I would be willing to sell my Ti Grove Innovations and my current cross bike, but I'll still be well short.  It is also possible to unload the road bike ( I only rode it 3 times last year ) but I would need to know that would bridge the funds gap.

It looks like Todd and John and I will go to see the World Championship Cyclocross race in Louisville on Feb 3.   That should be fun!  

Getting Back in Gear

Again, a single entry to catch up on a bunch of things.

Half Marathon

I had taken about a month off from serious cycling to get ready and run the Columbus Half Marathon.  See my previous post about the actual race day activities and results.  The next two weeks sucked as I caught a cold for the first week and then it rained the entire second week.  So I had two weeks without much exercise at all, gained a few pounds. 

Essay Contest

 On Oct 30th I saw that there was an essay contest in Dirt Rag.  The due date was Nov 1.  So I hastily scrapped together an essay about riding the whole of the GAP and C&O trail in one day/night.  340 miles in 30 hours.  It is a ride I very much want to do, but at this point it will have to be a fictional essay.  I have been thinking for a year about writing a murder mystery novel that features this area, so I brought out some of those ideas for the essay.  I hope I win ... a Pivot Mach 5.7 is first prize.   Trick or Treat night was actually on Halloween this year.  We went out for a cold hour ... in the rain! 

Riding Again

I was finally able to get out a ride again after 7 straight days of blustery, cold rain.  That hurricane Sandy did a number on us with precip but nothing like the NY/NJ coast.  So I can't complain too much.  I got out on Thursday evening for a short 30 mile ride.  Then all day Friday for a long 68 mile ride to Columbus (see below).  Today (Sunday) I joined Gorrilla and a group of five others for a solid gravel ride.  We started in  Glenford and did 43 miles with 4500 feet vertical.  It was beautiful roads, several I've been on before but some new stuff too.  The whole route was up and down, a real climbing sufferfest.  Sada was having a bad day and so it was fun being in front of him most of the day; I know he can kick my ass without problem on a regular day.  I was surprised that I was able to hang in with the group and not be the one at the rear that everyone waits for.  I was strong right through the last climb!  I did almost lose it on one gravel corner; got the rear going sideways and managed to save it.  John said it looked impressive, I said it wasn't intentional.  Guys were on very different bikes.  Regular cross bikes (as in $15k bikes that weigh nothing), a single speed steel rig and even a 29er hardtail. 

Bikes

On Friday I rode in to Paradise Garage to test ride a couple of bikes.  Mostly the new Salsa Warbird.  I got there to discover it was the Aluminum version, not the Ti as I had been told.  They had it set up way too high, more like a geriatric hybrid than a gravel RACING bike.   So it was very hard to get a feel for the bike since the set up was so wrong.  But Salsa did design this bike with a tall head tube so it does sit up a bit more anyway.  The Al was very stiff, probably too much.  I really need to try the Ti.  I also got on a Foundry carbon Auger.  It was very sweet and soaked up the bumps with aplomb.  I thought it outshone the Salsa even though I thought I would like that bike better.  The Auger has these sexy carbon seat stays.  It is super light.  I really like John's Ti Warbird so I will wait to try one at Freeze Thaw.  Either way, I don't have the $4k for a new warbird so I'll have to win the essay contest or wait a while.