One Last Dance

Pretty amazing stuff for New Year's Eve Day! Cloudy and wet, sure. But it was touching 50 degrees today so somehow, despite being up against the clock I got my butt out there and rode for one final time in 2010.

15 miles/5 laps of my Elm Grove crit course. Funny thing is, I rode it like I meant it today because I only had a window of time to get it accomplished in, meaning I did it at 15 mph average...not bad for this time of year!

The ice on the pond is letting go...

The snow is all gone, as was any fear of hitting a patch of ice or black ice along the road. No, this had more of the feel of a ride in late March on a pretty decent spring day. Yet it's December 31st.

By the third lap I actually undid the top of my outer shell because it felt like I was building up too much body heat inside. Who would ever think that!

And no booties today either...
There is actually some bare skin down there with my knickers on.

And I heard a robin singing at one point in the ride today too. All I could think was to tell it, "Fly away fast my feathered friend...this warm weather ain't gonna last!"

So in the end I rode right up until the final day of the year, and my 2010 miles total is now final at 2,849.

Whaaa? An outdoor ride?

The combination of sunshine, 35 degrees, basically clear roads and a little free time in the afternoon was too tempting, even if it is December 29th. So I aired up my third-string bike (Trek FX7500 with Spartacus wheels), dug out my winter riding clothes and actually got one more ride in for 2010!

I managed to turn five laps on my Elm Grove crit course today. That means a 15-mile ride before I have even started to think about the new season's diet and workout regime beginning after the first of the year.

It felt a little funny being out there, and you can tell drivers are not used to seeing riders this time of year. In an area with very little traffic on my way back home a guy in a BMW actually slid it on gravel hitting the brakes hard at an uncontrolled intersection. He didn't see me, but I had a bead on him all along, figuring he'd do exactly what he did.

I guess my defensive riding senses are still sharp despite this being the off season for riding.

It's supposed to be in the 40's Thursday and Friday. Too bad it is also supposed to be raining...but you never know!

SEASON MILES: 2,834

Italian Christmas

So it was an Italian Christmas in more ways than one this year.

As usual, my wife and I were part of the annual Italian feast with her family. Also as usual, I feel I have put on 10 pounds already and still eating my way through the kitchen each day.

What's not usual is that this year, not unlike my entire riding season, there was a little less emphasis on cycling. In fact, there was but one cycling-related gift given to me this Christmas, a beautiful "Italy" riding jersey. I opened the gift on Christmas morning and it made me smile and think of my roots as a cyclist, dreaming of warmer days that now seem like they will be years away.

But for one more week I am anything but a cyclist. I'm a regular guy who is eating way too much but enjoying every minute of that as well.

After the first of the new year the trainer will be set up in the basement and I will devise a regular schedule of weekly rides.

The cookies, candy, dips, pasta, sweets will all be put on the shelf for at least two months. 

I'll get myself a new training log to help with my motivation and then the hard work of January, February and March will begin, as the holiday weight comes off and my legs slowly get worked back into some sort of shape anyway.

It all leads to the next big holiday and how cycling is a part of it. It seems my annual cycling 'coming out' party is usually marked by some sort of early outdoors ride of substance on Easter weekend.

So look for what will probably be a rather dull couple of months here as I at least log trainer workouts. I only write it down here because it does motivate me somewhat to get it done, knowing I have to leave this blank if I don't get on the bike!

Happy New Year and lets hope 2011 finds us safe and with plenty of tailwind.

                                     

Early trainer

Broke one of my own rules today. I hit the trainer before the first of the new year. This is supposed to be a no-exercise zone until after New Year's Eve. But I have been eating so much as of late and I had the time and desire to hit it, so I set up the trainer and did ten miles today.

It felt rather odd being on the trainer while Christmas decorations are up. I do not think that has ever been the case for me before.

But I felt good about burning a few calories anyway.

Now, back to the holiday eating and laziness.
That is all...

My Top Five Rides of 2010

Season's Greetings!
Here in the depths of my time away from cycling I eat and be lazy and enjoy.

But as is my tradition as 2010 winds down, I like to post my list of my top five rides of the past season, a season that saw fewer miles for me but no less fun for sure.

So here they are, my favorite five rides...and the number one ride of the year comes as a total surprise, to even me!



#5 The Madone Mike Ride- 
Much of the season had already gone by when this ride finally happened, and I guess that is part of what made it special. Back in the depths of winter while working out on the trainer in my basement I posted a PhilCast podcast show of nothing more than me on the bike going through my Carmichael 45-minute routine. 

A PhilCast listener named Mike heard the show and sent me an email. He explained how much he enjoyed hearing the unique show. He went on to tell me how he couldn't wait to try it himself, but wait he must. You see his doctor told him he needed to put on more weight before starting more serious training. He was coming back from cancer treatments. I mailed him back promising that we would ride together this season...to hang in there and fight the good fight meantime.


Well, time slipped by and for one reason or another we did not hook up until late in the season. I knew I had to keep my promise. I knew that my riding season would not be complete and that I would kick myself if I let him and myself down by not being a man of my word.


But late in the season we hooked up for a ride. We rode much longer than anticipated, ending up going out to Wales and back on a sunny day. We chatted for much of the ride on the way out, then got busy on the ride home. But me, not having training in my legs, suffered some nasty cramping for about the last 10 miles of the 40-something mile ride. I was off the gas, but it didn't matter. The ride was being put in the books. A promise kept.



#4 My Second Solo Century Ride- 
I always thought that an accomplishment as big as this one would merit being high on this list, perhaps even number one. Yet somehow, the sheer physical accomplishment it represents for me doesn't hold up to the rides that had a high emotional factor for me. A solo century is a very personal thing. It's you, the bike, the road, and perhaps most-importantly your will to keep going.


This day I rode out to my lake place where I re-fuel in a short stop and then head back, trying to pace myself and my food and water consumption for the long haul. I remember the biggest issue with this ride came at the end. Round-trip out there and back showed 80 miles on my computer. Drat. I knew this was coming. I had to ride past my house and put 20 miles on to hit the magic number. Those were tough miles, especially the last 10 or so. Never have I seen an odometer turn so slowly. 


But in the end I was able to grind it out, an all-day affair that finally clicked over to a 100-mile ride, the second solo century of my riding career.




#3 The PhilCast Group Ride- 
In the end this ride is what cycling is supposed to be all about isn't it? Fun. We gathered a couple dozen riders of all levels, from hammers to beginners to ride through the countryside on a beautiful summer afternoon. My wife Sandy led a group of listeners on a shorter route while I led a group on a slightly-longer route. Afterward we all gathered for lunch and stories outside at Backyard Bikes in LaGrange. Great day all around.



#2 The Lois Dedication Ride- 
This should have been #1. Never ever did I think that any ride could top this one, a ride that had it all really. I packed my bike and gear and took it on an annual trip to the Waupaca area where we visit each July for the Iola Old Car Show. That would be on Friday, and this year Saturday would be a day to ride for Lois. No need for details here, but Lois was a long-time good friend who ran an inn where we stayed for years. We attended her funeral in March. Cancer took her from us way too early.


That Saturday was sunny and hot. I watched that morning's stage of the Tour de France and could hardly contain myself as I got ready to take on this dedication ride. I had it in my mind that today I would attempt a solo century in honor of Lois, riding through pine bluff after pine bluff on roads I had never been on before. This was going to be an adventure. Little did I know.


I rode early-on with great emotion. It was as if I could sense Lois in my shadow appreciating my effort and thoughts. At times I had goose-bumps just thinking about the memories of many many summer visits with her on this annual trip.  Sure I had a detailed map I had planned out, but maps lie and about 25 miles in I was lost. No worries, I had a general idea of where I was and would make this work.


I stopped in a small-town tavern to get water and continued on, noticing now that by mid-afternoon there seemed to be some sort of line in the sky in the distance. Was it smoke from a fire? Was it haze. Was it there at all? Yes, it was. As the miles clicked off the line got closer. CRAP...that's a line of storms! It came on fast, going from brilliant hot sunshine to dark nasty clouds. 


Somehow I had the smarts to turn around at one point and head back to another town I had passed through earlier. I knew there would be shelter there, when the path I was on would have none. Winds gusted so hard that several times I heard large limbs snap. I was, for the first time ever, really worried on a bike. Just as some hail pellets started to fall in that wind I could see a gas station on the outskirts of town. I made it safe and sound. The storm unleashed. There was flooding in Waupaca that afternoon and tree limbs down too. 


The new owner of the inn had to drive out and rescue me from the storm. It was not the ending I wanted. It was 50-some miles instead of 100, and a dedication ride with an ending I won't soon forget.




#1 The Chain Ride- 
Never would I have thought THIS would be the number one ride of my season. But here it is, a little non-eventful, routine 26 miles on a route that I have done as training hundreds of times. But this time it really meant something to me.

I had found a worn spot on the rear tire of my Madone. Now, not being one who is any good at changing tires on my own, I just took the rear wheel off and took it over to Rainbow Jersey. It would be a chance to visit my friends there and have them outfit me with a new tire. My personal meltdown came when I got home.

As I began to put the rear wheel on I started to struggle with it. Keep in mind this is a task I have done plenty of times before with no issues. But this time for some reason I struggled. The more I fumbled with the greasy chain the bigger mess I was making, both on me and the bike. My hands were like blocks of wood. The bike seemed to have a mind of its own, twisting and turning to fight me. Then my brain shut down. I tried to envision where things were supposed to be going, but the more I tried the bigger mess I made.

I snapped.

I quit. I literally threw everything down and walked away from the bike in disgust. I was mad at myself. I sent a note to my friend and coach Jerry at Rainbow Jersey explaining what happened. I asked if he could drop over to help me the following week when he had time. It pained me to have to ask that. I felt like an idiot. I felt like I didn't deserve to call myself a cyclist. I really let myself down.

That night I had trouble sleeping. I was really bothered by all this. My bike, a bike I'm now thinking I don't even deserve, was sitting out there all full of grease with no wheel on it. And I'm to blame. All I could do was wait for help like a little baby.

The next day I mustered up the courage (I had thought about attempting it again but told myself, 'who are you kidding') to give it a try again by late afternoon. I couldn't get it out of my brain.

I went into the garage and saw the heap of a mess and really didn't have much hope. Something made me try anyway. I did it. I got the wheel back on. But did I do it right? I went for a test ride at a time when I thought I would never be able to ride this bike until I got help putting it back together.

Everything worked perfectly.

I rode that 26-mile route with an excitement I don't think I have ever felt before. I did it. I didn't need help. I did it!

To this day I have no idea why I blacked out that why. Like I said, I've changed out the rear wheel many times on my own with no issue. When I explained all this to Jerry he simply told me it has even happened to him. He blames age. You just go blank. It's true I guess, because I have no other explanation for what happened.

All I know is the feeling I had on that bike that day after overcoming the whole incident on my own....priceless....and it's my #1 ride of the 2010 season.

Have a great holiday season and the trainer posts will begin here after the first of the year when I get my motivation back to start it all again for 2011.