September 15, 2013--weathering the Colorado Flooding of 2013

   It's amazing how quickly things can change!  Last weekend, I went on the longest and most rewarding ride I'd ever made, going up to Hwy 36 then down into Lyons to do the "Fruit Loops."  I wish I'd stopped to take pictures because now the "Fruit Loops" are under water, the road I used to get there is destroyed, and the town I went to--the first time getting to another city--has been evacuated.  So many people have been left wondering what to do next, it's just devastating to think about as we watch the news each night and see the images of the houses and cars under water.  A week ago, everything was fine and carrying on as usual when I stopped in Lyons to refill my water bottle.  The rain started that evening.  It was refreshing.  Then it continued.  And continued.  It wasn't anything that seemed that unusual until schools and county offices were closed on Thursday due to rising waters.  It was just rain!  Then the fullness of the problems revealed themselves as roads began to get closed.

   Now, the water is receding and revealing the level of devastation.  Homes lost and badly damaged, bridges over rivers out, businesses damaged.  It's truly a mess.  To the focus of my blog, a city engineer has stated what I feared: the St. Vrain Greenway is a loss.  It's very sad to see the chunks of 20 to 50 feet of sidewalk that just stop and bridges that lead to no where.  One area had such devastation that the paved path is hanging out over the rushing river and the bridge is half-gone.  Having to rebuild bridges and roads is obviously and necessarily first priority, but at this level of damage, it makes it uncertain when the greenway will be addressed for repair since it's not so much fixing it as much as it is completely rebuilding the entire system.  I feel selfish that it's one of my concerns, but it's something I (and my family) have grown to look forward to!  Of course, just over two years ago, I didn't even know that path was there, but now it's just one more thing the flood destroyed in our town.  The St. Vrain Greenway was described as the jewel of Longmont's recreational paths, and now it's not there.  The irony is that the thing that made it so beautiful is why it's gone: the St. Vrain River that it followed!  Now I have to figure out a new way to take the family for our weekend ride as we bemoan the last time we went being the last time we went.  At least for now.  They're calling it a 500-year-event (so, what, .5% chance of it happening?).  I could've lived without ever having to live through it!  I was a baby when the Big Thompson flooded in 1976, and now I've seen it do it again and a whole lot more.
   For the road cycling, much of my routes were also damaged and/or are closed, so I need to figure out how to get a good ride in still...I've come too far to give up on it now.  I've come to love cycling so much that it's hard to imagine not doing it anymore.  But it's going to be a challenge.  But beyond the flood, I continue to struggle with a sinus infection, so that'll be my excuse for not right now so that there is still hope to get back out next weekend....
   On the bright side, I've lost about five pounds in the last month.  Between being back to work and the activity it brings, getting a couple nice long rides in, and watching my caloric intake, I've managed to get back on the right path.  I was down to 171 two years ago but then put back on a few pounds last year, so now it's time to surpass that and keep it that way (though my wife would say to shut up and move on since it was never more than 8 pounds that I re-gained)!

September 4, 2013--To Group or Not to Group?

   I've been faced with growing a bit bored with my usual routes.  I wouldn't have thought that would happen, but it starts feeling like I'm not being challenged always doing the same way.  Plus, with part of it on the greenway, I get tired of always having to announce myself to pedestrians.  I've looked a lot at mapmyride.com to find rides nearby that others have created, but it's a lot to sort through, plus many of them are basically variants on going to Carter Lake, which doesn't appeal to me for it's lack of shoulder and tight curves.
   I've joined a couple MeetUps that do group rides in the area, but I've mostly been lurking.  One seems to spend most of its time on the path, which doesn't have as much appeal, and the other is road bikes, which has more appeal but comes with it fear I might not be able to keep up, especially since they've passed me before!  Fortunately, one of my colleagues is a member of that group (The St. Vrain Chain Gang), and he encouraged me to join, especially since their ride this last weekend was one that I was curious about: what's known as the Fruit Loops in Lyons.  Life conspired against me, though, with a little one that was sick and kept us up on Satirday night, so I overslept on Sunday.  I was a bit nervous about it, though, so probably about any excuse not to go, I suppose.  I worry that I'm not fast enough and that I'm not familiar with group etiquette...plus bike riding is partly about being out by myself.  I've still got to decide, but it won't be this weekend since they're heading up to Carter Lake!  Oh well...I like to drive a new route once before biking it so I can get an idea of traffic and shoulders, so I've driven the route the group took on Sunday, so I'm ready to go.  I do need to make myself go out since it's getting harder to get all rides in with the return to work.  My plans for rides over the long weekend became none when it was all said and done, though.
   On the bright side, I did bike to and from work today, adding a few extra miles on the way home to get me to a bit over 21 miles for the day...not too bad for the middle of the week!  Now to just get in a couple more rides this weekend.  And decide about doing a darn group ride...

July 22, 2013

It has been just over two years since I first started cycling, and here I am on a road bike looking back at that first comfort bike with its clunky shifters and heavy drag (exactly where I needed to start!).  In a lot of ways, I feel much healthier than I have in my life to this point...at least, not since the miles of walking around campus when in college!  Even still, to think that I'm technically an athlete is just weird, and sometimes I find it hard to actually call myself a cyclist because it was always a "them" thing.  I'm far more aware of bicycles on the road, which is a far cry from the person who wondered why the idiot went out in the rain (well, the weather was nicer and clear when s/he left two hours before!).

My elbow wounds....

So, to celebrate making it two years, almost exactly two years to the day of my first crash, and fricking fell off my bike with a failure to unclip.  That's not even close to the seriousness of the first fall, which was a failure to balance with only one hand on the handlebars after a five-mile ride while going about thirteen miles an hour.  This one came toward the end of a thirty-mile ride having gotten up to 40 miles per hour coming down a hill.  I think my legs were a bit tired, and I was in a hurry.  There's driveway toward a lake I sometimes stop at to take a moment of rest, and as I pulled into it, I
coasted in and failed to unclip my shoe.  More embarrassing than anything, I basically just tipped right over on the asphalt.  As soon as I righted myself, my first thought was to my bike (the break hood got a bit scuffed, but the derailleur and gears were fine and no scratches to the frame) and my expensive shorts (no holes or snags!), then finally the gushing wounds on my knee and elbow.  These were nothing to the wounds of a few years ago, but they stung as I cleaned them up to get on and finish going home (one brake hood had shifted inward, but I was able to adjust it back out).  The worst part was that I was calling my wife to see how I was doing on time: did I have time before our swim to get a few more miles in or should I head home?  Of course, after that, I headed home and even went swimming with giant waterproof bandages.

I went back out yesterday and got fifty miles in, and I was very aware of the pedal to make sure I unclipped correctly!  I can't believe I did that...I've come close before, but that was just too much!  I did lower the tension a bit in the right pedal so it'll unclip a bit easier...I did stop at the same driveway without incident.  Though I did find myself looking at the ground as if I'd see ripped off pieces of my flesh or drops of blood!  Heck of an anniversary observation, though...next year I'll just send myself flowers instead of the sympathy flowers my wife brought me after I got home!

June 29, 2013

   First, mapmyride.com is an awesome tool!  I'm using is extensively not only to get estimates of my miles and calories burned but also track my intake of food...excellent, especially since I'm only doing their free version, which also works on my iPad (with a few bugs).
   So, with heading into the final stretch of being two years since I began cycling, I ended this week with three rides but reaching 111 miles with two rides between 44 and 45 miles each!  I'm still spending a little time on the paths, but the bulk of my rides are on the roads now.  Which is how I almost got hit by a car yesterday within my first five miles!
   The light had turned red as I was heading west, so I stopped like a good cyclist should, and of course a car came up next to me.  When the light changed green, I clipped in and began forward.  No surprise, I don't accelerate as fast as the car, and a woman who's going east and turning left pulls out and clearly is paying no attention to me on my bright white bike with my bright white cuffs on my shorts and my bright white helmet...I'd become invisible!  When she finally glanced at me (did she see me yet?), I was swerving not to be hit by her.  But the worst: even as she seemed to finally look at me she didn't slow down!  Two weeks greener on the bike, and I would've probably gone down in my attempt to avoid her...  On a bike, all you have is your voice, and I found myself spewing a few epithets at her as I was pretty shaken up.  Literally as I was shaking.  It was all I could do to throw in the towel and call it good, especially when the ride before that seems to be the one I finally overdid and learned that just because I can does not mean I should.
   The previous long ride on Wednesday saw me getting out on the bike as it the temperatures were climbing (it was already 72 at 7am).  Instead of getting right to the hills, I wanted to make sure I got the distance and so started on the paths, which put me facing the hills about 30 minutes and ten minutes more than if I'd just gone straight there.  So I tackled the hills, but the problem is that I find if there's another cyclist ahead or behind me, I feel inclined to stay caught up or not be passed, so I push myself.  And I did it fine.  I was wearing out, but I was holding my own okay, huffing up the hills.  The being able to actually grab my water bottle without stopping is great to keep going (bad for not getting breaks).  As I finally reach the top of the last major hill, I reward myself by pulling over and getting a drink.  Then almost passing out!  I was dizzy and the world was fading to a tunnel!  I was that cyclist with their head down over their handlebars as I prayed that the world would stop spinning and I'd stay upright.  To their credit, several others asked me if I was okay.  I wasn't, but I laughed and said the hill kicked my butt.  Truthfully, if it hadn't been only gravel on the shoulder in an area known for snakes, I'd have lain down!  As it was, if I couldn't lift my head without wanting to vomit soon, I was going to call for a ride because the last thing I wanted was to get on only to pass out and crash.  But finally, I got enough water in me and cooled down enough to continue.  And I continued for another 20 miles, but I did run out of water in both bottles before I completely got home.  I took the next two days to recover, and when I did head out, except for nearly being hit by a car, I was super cautious about not going too hard and drinking enough.
   And yesterday's ride was also my first time going out despite a bike event...the MS150, which is an awesome cause as a fundraiser.  They cross through the west side of town, and I was worried about getting waylaid by the herds of rides.  My wife assured me that it wouldn't be a problem because they'd be spread out enough.  We were both right.  Going, I did have to wait for a few to pass before I crossed the road they were heading north on as I headed west, but they were well-spread out.  Coming back, though, I went in to head south and saw a long stretch of them and had a hard time turning off the road at the intersection because they were so bunched and so constant, plus the traffic cop seemed to have forgotten to look behind him to see cars and other cyclists waiting.  I did feel a little conspicuous as I was heading home after a long recreational, only-for-me ride while there were all these other people who were doing a ride to celebrate their collection of donations and to bring awareness to people suffering MS...made me feel a bit like a loser.  I was passed by several others out on their roadie rides, though, and they were more conspicuous, plus rude in that not a single one of them announced himself as he passed me!  I wonder when common courtesy fades as you move from being a road cyclist to a roadie?  I don't intend to find out....

June 14, 2013

   I remember last summer when I thought it was hardly worth going out if I didn't get at least twenty miles.  It was my second summer cycling, but I don't know if it was sincerely the case or if I was just making up an excuse for not going out.  I have been struggling to get out five times a week (I have to get up by no later than 5:45am to be on the bike at no later than 6:10 to be back by no later than 7:10 so my wife can head to work), but I'm doing better this year with the idea that any mileage is good mileage during the week, so about 11.5 miles a day on average has been good with the weekend being whatever I can get in.
   Along with a new outlook, I've gone back to some old routes, specifically going out onto the country road that connects to my subdivision.  It was not quite two years ago when I started going that way with my Walmart special, but I avoided it last year except to see how the hybrid handled the same route the other bike.  But I've gone back to it, and I realize now that it's actually a great route because it's a perfectly straight road with some  hills and very little traffic (which is good, because it's also got very little shoulder).  What just dawned on me this morning while on the ride, though, is it's not just a quick seven miles (round trip), but it also give me a chance to practice things like going down on the drops and pulling the water bottle without stopping--with little traffic, it doesn't matter if I swerve a little bit in trying these new mundane activities.  Of course, the other side of it reinforces the idea that I am having to learn the road bike!  And that plays into going out daily, too, I guess, because it's practicing those things so I can do it smoothly.  I know that it's a matter of learning how the center of gravity and shifting of balances work, which is what creates the learning curve I'm experiencing.
   I also switched my bike saddle...I'd bought a new one for my hybrid because the stock seat I'd put back onto it was like riding around on a giant cushion.  I've realized, though, that it's a bit sleeker, a bit firmer than the one I've been using, so I ended up switching them out, so the slightly larger and more cushioned saddle is back on the hybrid.  I'm imagining that by Christmas, I'll be ready for something sleeker, but I also want to keep a saddle with the anatomical cut-out...numbness and pain and other more serious issues don't sound appealing, and if that saddle has the best chance of avoiding these problems, then it's worth it!  Unfortunately, the more I get into it, the more expensive the items I want and need...right now, though, this saddle is working and isn't so thick-looking.  It does declare itself a Nishiki, but that's fine.
    So, here's hoping for some nice long rides this weekend!  Happy riding :)

June 9, 2013

Upon my return after 45 miles!

   I finally broke 40 miles again and then some by a bit!  I actually made it basically to 45, which was quite an undertaking!  I began with breaking the pin inside my Presta valve!  Thankfully, it stayed in place and held air through the ride.  I've discvered the wonders of using MapMyRide.com to track my mileage and calories.  I've enjoyed using the mapping tool, so I planned the ride ahead of time to make sure I had something that was about 40 miles.  It and my cyclocomputer are usually within .5 - 1 mile of each other, so I figure that's pretty good.  I know the cyclocomputer can be affected by how I corner and any side stops I make versus the online tool, that's using stalite imagery and average mileage input.
   So, once I decided to try the ride, I started out the ride with my old ride out into the country and back then out to the greenway as I made my way to the highway.  The road I take up to the Foothills Highway is definitely hilly.  It's amazing what a hill looks like compared to a bike, and by the time I got there, I'd already truly gone 20 miles, so it kicked my butt to get up some of those hills, but no snakes or flats this time, so that was a bonus!
   I did get passed a few times on the climb up then on the ride back down.  I'd say only about 50% of people announce themselves as they come up on you, which I find surprising and rude.  On the greenway, people mostly do, but it's so much more dangerous out on the road going much faster in much more dangerous conditions with cars and cliffs...
   The only other downside is that I forgot my protein bar, so I was pretty much starving by the time I got home.  I need to make sure that a bar begins being part of my regular equipment when I leave.  I've also gotten very good at changing the tubes on the bikes.  Unfortunately.
   Now if the scale would start reflecting all my hard work....

May 24, 2013

I still can hardly believe that I'm officially riding a road bike!  I biked in to work today, though my timing was a bit off as far as getting in to work, but it was a great morning. Then leaving work, I rode the long way and got in about twenty more miles, getting in about 31 miles for the day!  It did kick my butt, and I did et past by a couple people.  It still freaks the hell out of me to go over 30 mph, but I also love it--the promise of that speed is what keeps me going up those endless hills!

One of the more interesting things I've noticed is that I get waves and nods now that I didn't get as often on the hybrid.  Of course, I can only nod back since I'm still not taking my hands off he handlebars much yet...I still have to stop to drink water!  My goal is to eventually be able to move my hands on to the drops now that I can shift my hands a little more easily on top.  Maybe in the next couple weeks?  I know my crash on the first bike is keeping e more cautious, but I rather be cautious than broken because I did something before I was ready...

May 12, 2013

We left from home for the very first time as a family...it was a big deal for my wife to go that far: just over 18 miles!  Of course, one of the last stretches of the way home is a hill...I think we've concluded that we're uphill from about everywhere.  It was unavoidable, though it could've been mitigated better.  I thought there was something wrong with my bike as I'd shifted all the way to 1 and was about to switch to the granny-gear, but it does occur to me after that it was probably gravity working on the 80 pounds I was dragging!  It was a good thing that, among other things, we had stopped for a picnic!

I've had the road bike for a couple months now, but I've pretty much kept to my usual routes on the paths.  In fact, we did our first long family ride yesterday, taking the hybrid and attaching the kids in the trailer to go to the local farmer's market via the trails.  However, the city is using the greenway trails for an event (CycloFemme), so it behooved me to get out of my comfort zone and go a new route that was completely road.  I'd even driven the chosen route on Thursday after work, thinking it wasn't too bad (a few hills, but manageable .

Despite its being Mother's Day, I set out early (maybe because of the day?) and headed toward the new trail that would take me on a road out of town to meet up with a highway that runs along the foothills.  Really, logic wasn't on my side or I would've thought about how UP that would all have to be.  I'm pretty sure it was mostly climbing for five plus miles in there, so I was pretty warn out in a new way when I finally reached the highway, which still left me just under twenty miles to get home!

But when I finally got to go down...well, I remember when it was a big deal when I was reaching twenty, but I didn't even check until after to know that I hit about 33mph heading down toward Lyons!  I admit, it was terrifying and totally fun all at once as I made my way down all that altitude I'd gained.  There were a few more hills on the way home on Highway 66, but I made it.  And now I'm sore in ways that I haven't been in some time; plus, I'm exhausted.  Oh well, now I've done it and now know that I can!  It was only about 30 miles as opposed to the 40 I've been aiming for, but those 30 were much harder fought than 40 tootling around on greenway trails....

March 31, 2013

   Despite the holiday (Easter), I went out on the bike after a bit of a hiccup...gotta love washing machines that decide to leak and have to be replaced!  But after getting back from Lowes, we had lunch, then I donned my gear (70F, so shorts and short-sleeve jersey!) and headed out onto the trails on the new road bike.
    It's amazing how much easier it is to get up to higher speeds with the road bike, to the point that down is still somewhat intimidating!  I felt more natural on it this time as I made it through town in a lot less time than it usually takes, and did I mention that it was 70F?  WOW!  I did mess up at a tricky intersection (not very busy, so it sometimes doesn't change) as I dropped my water bottle as the light changed and had to wait until more cars came along to trigger it, and then another cyclist came up behind me.  As I took off from the light, I was keenly aware of two things: there was someone behind me who was probably either pacing me or passing me; and I couldn't see them or the cars at all as I'm still not confident enough in the new posture to look over my should on the new bike.  I kept up at about 18-20 mph until I reached the trail head and pulled over, only to see that another cyclist than the one I remembered was behind me and the other one was way behind.  Nice!
     I did two laps of the greenway path, then I headed back onto the busy road, a bit tired and sore: my neck and hands were definitely feeling it!  I have found that going up the hills is far easier than it was on the heavier hybrid bike, though I'm still not quite there with standing on this bike to climb.  Toward the end of the ride, though, is a hill that I have to also turn left while going down, and I was again keenly aware of no mirror and jerked the handlebars in a way that scared me as I looked over my shoulder (or tried to).  So, upon further reflection on the desire to not meet a car on the road, I moved the mirror from the hybrid to the road bike and look forward to seeing how it works.
     In the meantime, I made it home from Easter dinner.  So I made 32 miles on the bike...and the perma-sleeves, gloves, and shorts that had been fading with the winter months out of the sun?  Well, I unfortunately reinforced them all with a bit of a sunburn...I will definitely be doing better about putting on sunblock in the future....

March 28, 2013

   Tonight was my first official time on the road bike for an extended ride (about 21.65 miles).  My computer was a bit glitchy (getting used to the new bike?  or needing a new battery?).  I was a bit hesitant to leave from home and had thought seriously about taking the bike to a trail head.  Ultimately, though, I left from home to get to the greenway and then back.  It did take some getting used to the shifting and the posture, and my back, shoulders, and hands are feeling it.  I tried to move my hands around, but my being thrown from my bike way back when has taught me to be cautious and get used to my center of balance, which means I'm barely moving my hands; I mostly keep them on the hoods.  I did get them moved a couple times to the top of the bar, but it felt like my hands were too close together.  It really took quite a bit of the ride before I didn't have my hands hovering over the brakes....

   Even with the headwind I faced (gusting at about 10 miles and  hour) I found I was going faster with less work than on the Nashiki.  However, I realize now that when I first started cycling, I was woefully out of shape, so my distance didn't much outpace my skill.  This time, though, I had greater skill and endurance for the cycling itself, but I'm not sure my body was quite there with the bike...I guess I'll know in the morning!

   Interestingly, either people were friendlier than usual or it made a difference about the bike because I got more nods and greetings than usual.  Was it the bike?  I don't know.  For my part, I did the best when I relaxed and forgot I was on the "new" bike but simply biked.  Hopefully, I can get my hands used to the new positions...from the hybrid, I'm used to having my hands hovering over the brakes, but that's simply not an option with a road bike for several of the hand positions (going onto the drops is not going to happen for a long time, though).

   Anyway, I'll be heading out again tomorrow if I'm not too sore...

March 27, 2013

So, after a week of using the trainer to get use to the bike, I'm faced with actually taking it out of the house and riding on the road, which I've only done twice. Short. And before I had the clip-less pedals! I think I'm as anxious and nervous now as I was when I got that fist bike less than two years ago. Do I go on the road? Take it on the car to a trailhead? I guess I'll wing it at the moment and hope I have the bike all adjusted correctly....

March 21, 2013

   It's amazing to me that it still hasn't even been a full two years since I started cycling.  In some ways, it doesn't feel like something I was terrified of doing for twenty-five years.  This hasn't been a good season for getting out on the bike, for sure.  Between ridiculous wind, cold, and sporadically predicted snow, it's been too easy to chicken out.  I have the gear for the cold...but I do hate going out in wind.  Despite it all, though, I'd see cyclists on the road on the way home from work, and I've been looking more and more at their road bikes, feeling that my poor hybrid wasn't really ever going to be able to compete.
   And then I did it.  That niggling thought became a full fledged desire, and we found a good bike on sale: a 24-speed Diamondback Podium 1 road bike.  It took some doing to get as the Dick's Sporting Goods by us is small and has nothing, and the next one closer only had a 54...I need a 56.  So my wife helped me out and called a store closer into Denver, and they had and held one last night.  So we left right from work, piling the kids into the car, and braving Denver rush hour to get down there.  It was getting dark by the time we headed back with my new bike strapped to the back of the car.  The first time I very timidly got onto it, I found the seat to be way too high, so I spent some time adjusting last night, but that was it.
     I knew a couple things going into it this time, among them being that the bike itself was only part of the cost.  Thankfully, found some SPD clipless pedals to replace its stock toe-clip pedals, at Amazon as well as a couple bottle cages.  I have mountain bike shoes that will do for a time, and thankfully I thought to put the stock hybrid saddle back on the Nashiki Montour and use the purchased saddle onto the new one to replace the very rigid racer saddle...I was actually surprised when I took it off and found that it wasn't much lighter than the one I put on!
    So today, I got it all adjusted, so sans my bike shoes and water bottles, I took off.  Right away, I found the clips are harder to get into than I thought (I'm impressed my wife makes them work so easily); I spent too much time trying to get my right foot into the darn thing!  It was a bit windy, but I found it bothered me less as my profile was lower.  I also quickly discovered I'm right back to where I was not even two years ago with the inability to do too much shifting of my hands as I need to get used to my and the bike's balance (I won't misjudge so badly again!).  But best and most of all, I discovered that the bike handled very well and was definitely a lot of faster...which is also terrifying.  Part terror and part exhilaration, I was rather tremulous when I got home.  The web of my hand between my thumbs and index fingers is sore from holding onto the bars, which is unexpected.
   I'm going to keep my hybrid as it'll be great for family outings and can handle rougher roads that the road bike can, but the road bike will now be my main bike.
   A quick comparison of two years ago and now:

Barely able to stay upright and find my balance when on a bike for the first time in 25 years....

Taking off on my first ride through the neighborhood on my new road bike....

February 10, 2013...on the trainer

Well into year two of riding, this winter hasn't been a very conducive one to getting out on the bike.  It's not been so much the snow, which we've had very little of, as the cold and the wind.  I also am finding that if I don't get out for some time, it starts to feel like an upward battle to get momentum going again to get out.  Of course, once I do, I have a great time and feel refreshed.  When I don't get out, I get mad at myself and feel lazy...I have gear for going out in the cold, but I really do hate the wind.  And, of course, every weekend that's a bit cold but otherwise okay that I don't go out, the next is one that's too windy or, in this weekend's case, I'm recovering from being sick.

The trainer is definitely helping with keeping in shape, but it's a different kind of experience.  I've been bringing it into the house and watching television.  What I've found is that it's a lot harder to get going as it's a fluid trainer, so the back wheel has to get the roller going.  It also makes you heat up without making your own breeze like out on the road, so I have to keep a fan on me.  I've ended up using the shorts I first got and aren't my favorites while I work out, and I use the back pockets of my old jersey for the remote and the telephone.  Because of the "whirring" of the trainer, I'm actually using headphones to hear the television better!  It's a great way to catch up on some of my shows on Blu-Ray!  Of course, it's a mess of cords, but it's also nice when I'm not feeling 100% to be able to stop whenever I want without having to face getting all the way back home from somewhere on the trails.  Of course, I can't wait until I can get out on the path more regularly....