39-16-84

Season Miles: 1,706

The new computer on my new Specialized Roubaix (now mounted on the stem which I really like) is set up to show me three numbers in the display as I ride; Speed, cadence, distance. So from now on those are the three numbers I will log from my rides. In today's case it was...

39 miles
16.0 ave. speed
84 ave. cadence
New route, Tess Corners to Sunny Slope (no name for this one yet)
Sunny, 76, breezy, 10-15

This was a Sunday morning group ride with 'der Jan' and 'I Drop You' (I nicknamed 'em both), who met me near Greenfield Park and away we went. We chatted it up about my new Roubaix as we headed south on my Three Bridges route to the sports complex in Franklin.

Once there der Jan suggested a new direction for me. Once again, as he has done in the past for me, he came up with a nice little variation of about the same distance back home but with one added climb.

A couple times we turned into the wind and one of those times der Jan said out loud, "OK Issac, this is why we brought you along!" Dutifully the young stud of the group took the point into the wind. The big strong man der Jan second in line, motioning for me to tuck in behind him in third position.

It's a pleasure to ride with these guys for a couple of reasons. I really like riding with veterans who are very steady on the bike. Heck, I Drop You can hold his own in the front 20 positions of a local race, so the guy knows what he is doing. And der Jan is my super domestique. He's always checking to make sure the pace isn't too hot for me to keep up with these guys. I trust them not to do anything stupid or to fall to the temptation of speed and just drop me, which they both could do in a heartbeat.

Now, having said that, the young buck of the group did stretch his legs up that one hill. Boom. I Drop You was gone up that hill faster than a Jimi Hendrix lick on a Stratocaster. After his most-awesomeness display of power he then pulled it back to once again simply pull me home basically.

The new Specialized was feeling good as was I today. Part of it was the fact that I had two guys in front of me for much of the ride. But I handled that climb fairly well today, choosing to stay in the saddle and take the slow and steady approach with the new compact double gearing.

Each ride I take on the Roubaix is a learning experience now. But I must say that today things felt very 'normal' to me. I never really struggled too much out there, which is always a plus. I could ride the bike faster when needed, yet I felt comfortable like a touring ride at times as well. I guess that's what this bike was designed to do.

Two sightings worth noting from this ride.
-Two big deer on the path toward the end of the ride near Bluemound.
-And he's still out there. Yup, we saw the infamous "Knave" at one point on the path also.


This is the point where I wrap up this post because I invited the boys over for granola bars and Gatorade before they continued home. You don't want to know what the conversation was about at one point. Honestly, cyclists are an odd lot.



 

Blame blinky light

Season Miles: 1,667

Things were not supposed to work out this way today. Nope. The plan was to do a short, easy ride on the new Roubaix today to test the new computer on it. Short and easy because I would have to go out after a lunch meeting at noon, meaning a ride later under the hot sun.

Either someone once told me or I once read that it's not a good idea to ride right after a meal. As I recall it was something about your stomach using blood and oxygen to digest food instead of sending that needed fuel to your legs.


I guess I might have been all right today if I hadn't seen old blinky light I'll call him.


First of all, I'm glad the new Cateye computer is working just fine. I'll have to get used to the new display and the fact that, unlike my old Flightdeck, I have no digital display of what gear I am in.


So things were going fine in the parkway heading toward 76th...my original plan of just the Loomis 26-mile route.

That's when I saw a rider up ahead with one of those blinking red lights flashing on the back of his saddle bag in the middle of the day. I figured to myself, 'How fast can a blinky light rider be going? I'll try to close the gap."


I'll tell you how fast a blinky bike rider can go...faster than me!
For quite a while I was getting nowhere chasing this guy. I was just about to give up when I got mad at myself and decided to ramp it up now.


Just before 76th street I finally caught the guy, a silver mustache, sleeveless jersey and guess what kind of bike? Yup, Specalized. What is it with these guys? Are all Specialized riders fast?


I got up next to him and said, "You're killing me. Thanks for being a carrot for me. I was working on closing the gap."


Crossing 76th I told him to enjoy his ride and away he went. But as I approached 76th I noticed he too was turning around there. Well, I didn't want to seem like a stalker. Looked to me like he was going to stop and perhaps load his bike into a parked vehicle there.


I made a bad decision at that point. I didn't want to seem like perhaps I was trying to stay with him, so I went straight with the plan now being 36 miles on the longer 3 Bridges route.


After a few miles in...what the heck??? It's blinky light dude next to me asking how I like my Roubaix!


Then he took the point and again I made a poor decision. I grabbed his wheel, and mile after mile he was pulling toward the Milw. Co. Sports Complex.


He on his red Specialized in red riding clothes and me on my blue Specialized in my blue riding clothes. I wasn't supposed to be doing this. What was i doing?! 18-19 mph constant, although I was drafting.


I could just about hear Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen broadcasting this as a breakaway in the Tour de France. They'd put that graphic up on the screen showing the Italian in blue was doing 0% of the work at the front and talk about what a tool I was for not helping the break. But the truth would actually be that I had nothing. I was lucky to be hanging onto his wheel.


He peeled off just before the complex. I rode down to the end of the road and turned around.


That's when I realized I only had ONE water bottle. Remember, this was supposed to be  a short ride. Dumb, dumb, dumb. I was now rationing a quarter bottle of warm water with no place to get more.


I limped home for most of the second half of the ride. The final 5 miles or so were a real pain.


I was very glad when I finally got home and off the bike.


New stat on this computer now too..average cadence...which today was 88.

36 miles, Three Bridges route
Sunny and warm, 85-ish
Wind 5-10

Specialized

I am Phil Cianciola.
And I am "Specialized"

I always liked those TV commercials for Specialized bikes that I would see while watching the Tour de France.
Now I too am Specialized.

When I wrote here last week that I had completed an historic ride I wasn't kidding. In ten years of cycling I have never thrown my leg over anything other than a Trek bike. That all changed the day I jumped onto my new rig.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The back story here goes something like this...

Someone at Specialized read of my frustrations and came up with a creative offer. The next thing I knew I was visiting Crankdaddy's on Prospect for the first time since they, pardon the pun, specialize in Specialized.

After a complete, high-tech fitting session I was presented with not only a bike but the Specialized shoes to go with it. "Just go try it all out and tell us what you think," they said.

Well, the rest as they say, is history.

May I present my new Specialized Roubaix!

From the moment I rode this bike I was impressed. The Roubaix delivers a combination of comfort and performance, with no sacrifices on either end. The combination of the fitting and the bike was so amazing that for the first time in 10 years I was actually riding on a new saddle that felt like I was in an easy chair.

This being my first experience on a compact crank made things interesting too. So much was different that I had to soak it all in on some of my usual routes to compare and contrast the bike to what I had. The Roubaix passed my every test. That's what all the secret experimenting has been about for the past week.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Specialized for working with me to make this switch possible, not an easy thing for me to do until I felt the quality of the product. Then making the switch became so much more easy.

And these shoes. These shoes! As I described them to someone earlier, they're sex, drugs and rock 'n roll all wrapped into one!

These are like wearing soft wings on your feet.

Not to mention they're just drop-dead sexy too. As I always say, if you can't BE fast then at least LOOK fast!

Steve at Crankdaddy's took painstaking time to make sure the fit of both the shoes to my feet and my body to the bike were just perfect. I'd recommend a fitting like this to anyone who rides on a regular basis. Fit is everything folks.

When I visited there today my jaw almost dropped as I waited for my new computer to be mounted. Guess who mounted it? The dude who blew past me on a Specialized that I wrote about earlier this week. It's true. A random meeting while on a ride on the south side...an exchange of info about Specialized while we were riding...and who would have guessed he ended up being one of the guys working on my new bike! He was pretty amazed at the story himself today. Thanks Mike. Crazy. Just crazy the randomness of it all.

I took the Roubaix out on three very different rides on tried-and-true long-time routes of mine to really get a feel for her. Each ride I became more comfortable and realized the potential of the bike. I first rode long and flat. Then it was laps on the Whitnall Crit race course. And finally some climbing. That's where I still need some work and bonding with the gearing. I look forward to not only continuing to learn about and bond with the Roubaix, but writing about the entire experience here.

Having this sexy sports car-like bike has lit the fire in my belly to not only ride out this season, but to ride harder and faster too. Because I don't think you should be out there on a bike like this just taking in the scenery, although you could. No sir, I'll take that combo of comfort and speed that the Roubaix has nailed.

It wasn't something I took lightly at all. But as I round out my tenth year of cycling since my total hip replacement I can tell you this:

I am Phil Cianciola.

And I am Specialized.

Important story to tell

No ride on this hump day Wednesday. Although the rain held off it is important to rest as planned. Without it, injury is knocking. So I stuck to my plan for other chores today.

Still, I felt there is an important cycling story to share that I forgot to mention with all the news from yesterday's ride.

This is important to me because all you ever hear about is the negative when it comes to the relationship between the cyclist and the car driver. This is not a match made in heaven, lets face it.

But I feel to be fair I need to tell you about the positive.

Tuesday's ride really proved a triple-header of 'nice' things happening. I wrote about how for the first time in 10 years of riding in Whitnall Park someone actually offered me something cold to drink from their party supply.

And I talked about how friendly that super-serious-looking roadie was to me once I caught him and asked him all about the bike he was riding.

But here is another story that proves that all those drivers, 'cagers' as many riders call them, are not bad people.

Approaching a four-way stop sign on my route there is a steep little hill, making this a place you really don't want to have to unclip and stop at as you prepare to go left. 

Keep in mind there is usually no traffic here either.

As I begin to go up the short hill wouldn't you know it...I hear a car behind me. I glance back and signal a left turn. What does the driver do? The right thing! The car hung back clearly letting me know it was cool for me to drift over to the left lane at the sign to make my turn.

Then ahead I see another vehicle already stopped and ready to cross from the opposite direction. Despite obviously having been there first and having the next right of way the driver signaled me to go ahead through and make my left turn, thus saving me from having to unclip on the hill.

Two cars. Two drivers. Two people who did something nice for a cyclist. 
I simply wanted to mention it to readers because too often the bad guys are the only ones who get any attention.
....

On another matter, I have a second appointment on Thursday as it relates to my secret experiment which remains on going. Part two of all this will play out on Friday and the weekend. Then, at last, a final decision will be made and I will write all about what has been going on behind the scenes...probably early next week.

"The Offer"

Season Miles: 1,631

They say things happen when you least expect them. Such was the case today in Whitnall Park. The great experiment of the 2011 riding season continued today as I headed into familiar turf, the Whitnall Park crit course where I completed five laps in wonderful summer weather today.

Sunny
83 degrees
Light wind
Whitnall Crit, 5 laps, 30 miles

After 10 years of riding it finally happened, and when I least expected it to happen...on a weekday afternoon. You see for years when I have ridden laps in the park on the weekend I always stop at the same picnic area bubbler for water, an area that, on weekends, is usually buzzing with people gathered at some sort of family party. Not once has anyone offered me something cold to drink as I pull up to get warm water from the bubbler there. But that all changed today.

There was a large kids' blow-up bounce house set up on the grass and what looked like quite a bit of food and some coolers up under the shelter where two women were sitting. They were obviously waiting for the others to arrive....and checking out the dude on the bike who just pulled up.

After glancing over at me a few times one of the women offered me a cold water. I could hardly believe it. At first I said no thanks, that I had the bubbler. But then I thought better of it and told them what the heck...that bubbler water is kinda warm. One of them reached into a cooler and grabbed me an ice-cold bottle of water that tasted great after five laps in there.

They started asking me all about my fancy shoes (no more info on that...it's all part of my experiment....you'll see soon) and I was happy to chat them up while sipping my water.

Finally...someone offered me a cold drink. Mark this date down!

Then on the way back I have a story too...
I heard a noise behind me in the parkway and sure enough there was a rider back there. Not for long. Some guy who looked like a pro racer just blew past me in a flash. As he started to distance me it occurred to me that I should pick his brain about the bike he was riding. (the mystery deepens)

It took a really hard effort on my part to bridge the gap. But I managed to get up alongside of him and asked him straight out about his rig. He was more than happy to sit up and answer all my questions. Really nice guy. After about a mile or so I told him, "Thanks for the info. I don't want to hold you up. Have a good ride."

Away he went. There was no grand effort on his part to leave me in the dust either. No rocking shoulders. No hammering out the saddle. Just a smooth-as-silk acceleration away from me and within minutes I couldn't even see him ahead. Wow. That guy has to be a local racer.

All in all a really good ride today.

I need to point out here that this entire experiment I am in the middle of has rejuvenated me like I can not tell you. It has put the fire back in my belly to not only ride, but ride better and faster again. It has been fun. And as much as I would like to tell the story right now, I fear it may be delayed. Based on the info I received from the rider today, I may be extending this experiment into next week.

Stay tuned!

Climbing

Season Miles: 1,601

Part two today of my secret experiment. I promise, I'll have plenty to say about all this at the end of this week.

I had to do some climbing today specifically, so I took to the hills of the Minooka Park route.

Mostly sunny
80 degrees
Light wind
Minooka Park, 30 miles

This ride features a steep jump up into the dog exercise area of the park, and then the more drawn-out climbs of Guthrie (Wauk. water tower road) Rd. and Beheim Rd. I'll explain later this week why it was necessary today to put my legs into a bit of bother. But the point is, it was only a BIT of bother today.


All is well on the riding front as I type this.


One more experiment planned for Tuesday, then it's meetings and behind-the-scenes stuff before I go public with any of this.


Stay tuned!


Great weather for riding though, that's for sure.

Special ride

Talk about perfect riding conditions. Today was it!

Sunny
80 degrees
Light wind, 5-10
Wales, 41 miles


This was an historical and very specialized ride for me because I did something today that I have never done in my 10-year cycling career.


I rode out to Wales to have a sandwich and granola bar, then quickly got back on the bike and cranked it out coming home, when I ran into a chap and chatted for a bit as we headed to GF park on the NB trail.


But the thing that made this ride historical and special can not be revealed here just yet. I probably will not write about all the details until next week, when final decisions have been made.


Best rest-assured, when the time comes I'll have plenty to share with you here.


What great weather for riding. I only wish we had a day like this coming on Saturday for my Tour de PhilCast II ride out in the countryside. Rain seems likely, and if it's wet the ride will be postponed until a later date. An announcement will be posted Saturday morning by 9-ish on both Twitter and Facebook accounts. 

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Season Miles: 1,571