Season Miles: 1,876
Loomis, 26 miles
15.8 ave. speed
80 ave. cadence
Sun, 80, wind 5-10
Perhaps taking a bike ride can cure a common headache.
I didn't have a good night sleep, which is rare for me. The dog kept barking at something she either heard or smelled in the yard, which many times means the deer were around munching the plants!
Anyway, I woke up with a very sore left elbow. It dawned on me that on Monday while walking into a store the heavy door closed quickly behind me and smacked me in that elbow. I guess the effects took a while to take hold.
After recording my Thursday PhilCast show I had also developed a headache and some eye strain. I felt like I was falling apart so I laid down for about 45 minutes.
When I got up I grabbed a sandwich for lunch and decided despite the headache hanging around I would go out and soak up a little sunshine on the Roubaix, just going down to Loomis and back.
Headache gone. Wonderful.
Nothing fancy here, just some good old fashioned exercise on the bike.
On the way back in Root River Parkway I had a young guy pass me, wearing not only no helmet but no shirt either. Ah to be young and foolish again.
Oh, and I think that was Craig Busche riding past me in the other direction close to home on the path nearing Bluemound. Too bad I didn't see him earlier and then we could have ridden together for a while.
Due to my schedule I can tell you that there is no more riding in my future until after Labor Day Monday.
So until then, enjoy your holiday weekend.
We've got two full months of wonderful riding ahead of us. Some of the best weather of the year happens in September, and October provides some of the best scenery of the season on two wheels.
Season Miles: 1,850
39 miles, Tess Corners route
14.8 ave. speed
79 ave. cadence
Sun, 80, wind 5-8
As much as Sunday was about pushing hard tempo, today was about simply enjoying the near-perfect weather. Would someone please bottle this up and sell me a couple of cases of it in February?
Early in the ride I decided I would try to recreate the new route that der Jan had taken me on with "I Drop You" last Sunday down through Tess Corners, which will now be the name of this route.
I even took the path down to Root River Parkway instead of the road I usually take. It was there that I picked up the story of the ride for you today.
As I approached the Highway 100 underpass I could see a couple of ladies riding ahead of me. I'd have to pass them even though I was taking it easy, but I would wait until we cleared the underpass and got back out in the sunshine of the path.
The woman I was about to pass was not wearing cycling shorts. She wasn't wearing walking shorts either. They were those cloth shorts that kind of look like gym shorts we used to wear with tube socks and stripes in the 70's. Anyway...
I felt bad for her because of what was about to happen.
Just as I positioned myself to the left and was about to shout out "On your left" the woman raised slightly up from her saddle and her left hand came around to her backside as she started to grab whatever it was she was wearing under those shorts to pull it out of her butt.
This happened exactly as the first sound came out of my mouth. In a flash her hand whipped away from back there faster than Charlie Sheen's career ended. Obviously she had no clue someone was behind her and must have been very embarrassed to have been caught in the act of starting to pull something out of her butt.
I didn't stop chuckling to myself about that one for miles down the road. Poor thing. It's all about timing. Busted.
I found my way to Loomis and Ryan, but wasn't quite sure what to do from there. So I called der Jan and he picked up, gladly giving me instructions that would take me down 116th...St. Martins...College...Sunny Slope.
I ate lunch like a pro today, while riding. A sandwich and a granola bar down the hatch while pedaling away on a beautiful day. Funny, I thought to myself, I don't recall any of these surroundings from when we rode this as a threesome last Sunday. Then it dawned on me why that was; because I wasn't looking around. The only thing I saw was the small of der Jan's back as I tucked in behind those guys like a baby in the protection of the womb.
This time I took it all in and am pretty sure I have this route down now. It's a nice loop with that one climb on Sunny Slope before the path connects into Greenfield Park. 39 miles and plenty of scenery with some rollers. I'll be doing this one a few more times before winter gets here.
Season Miles: 1,811
Loomis, 26 miles
Ave. Sp. 16.8
Ave. Cad. 84
Sun, 76, wind 5-10
We were out of town this weekend and within 15 minutes of getting home Sunday afternoon I was on my Roubaix for a quick ride, wanting to burn off some of those calories I packed on 'weekend eating'.
I simply approached it like a 26-mile TT. The problem is that you can not get a decent average speed on a ride like this unless you warm up and start strong. I did neither.
In a hurry, I skipped any type of warm up and the first three miles or so were slow because I wasn't sure what I wanted to accomplish with this ride.
Once I set my mind to it I rode hard tempo for much of the distance. I had some head wind on the way back which slowed me as well.
Still, glad I got out there and squeezed a quickie in.
Season Miles: 1,785
53 miles
14.8 ave. speed
80 ave. cadence
Dousman
Sunny, 80, wind 5-10
There is an unwritten rule that many cyclists follow that you should ride your age on your birthday. I did it a day early. I did it today instead of on my 53rd birthday tomorrow because my schedule allowed for me to take the extra time for a longer ride today. And what a day! Not a cloud in the sky from the time I left at 11:00 until I got back home at 3:00.
As I left today I literally had no idea where I was going to ride. All I knew was that I felt a little tired and had a PB&J stuffed into my jersey pocket.
At the last second I decided to go west instead of south, heading toward Wales where I thought I might eat my lunch if I could make it there. Like I said, I wasn't feeling the best as I started out.
But the ride came to me and it became clear that I would ride out to Wales for lunch and then back. After grabbing lunch there the thought of making this my birthday ride took over in my head and my goal quickly became to go 53 miles today.
Next I rode from Wales to Dousman where I stopped in at Bicycle Docs for a bottle of water and a couple of packages of Bloks. Boy was I glad I had remembered to stuff a $5.00 into my saddle bag. Black cherry and cran-raz to keep me fueled up on the way back.
(Dear Maker of Bloks,
I love your product but for the love of God would you please make the package easier to open?! I struggled for four minutes trying to rip the package open with my teeth!)
I rode back to Wales and stopped again there for more Bloks and water. It was a short stop because I knew I would hammer it from Wales to Waukesha on that slight downhill portion of the path.
Boom. I was on it and feeling good.
I have ridden my new Specialized Roubaix now for a week and it really feels like MY bike now. Today's ride was a great example of what I think this bike is all about.
On the way UP the false flat into some wind toward Wales I rode easy and in comfort, as I did at the end of my ride too. But in the middle in that section from Wales to Waukesha I put the Roubaix into racy mode and she responded. So did I.
At one point after holding a steady 22-23 mph I was starting to feel really gassed. Seeing a clean chunk of path ahead of me yet before the next stop sign I told myself no, you are not stopping yet. I dropped into the drops and said to myself, "You're kicking 53 year's-old right in the ass... right here, right now."
I dug deep to push the last little bit out of myself, and then I was done.
Waukesha to New Berlin Trail sitting up, and one more push on the Roubaix toward the end of the path.
Then it was just a matter to taking it easy coming home.
53 miles was just enough too. The last mile I had the long muscle that runs down the inside of my left thigh about to lock up. If that happens you're done. In some cases you have to get off the bike. I babied it home and hit 53.5 miles a day before my 53rd birthday. Mission accomplished, which I have done for the past few years.
Under that brilliant blue sky I quietly thanked the Lord that I am healthy enough to have done it again this year.
Season Miles: 1,732
26 miles
16.0 ave. speed
84 ave. cadence
Loomis. Sunny, 80, wind 10-12
My legs still a bit tired from the hard Sunday ride with the boys, my plan today was to do a recovery ride. But the wind was mostly at my back on the way down, so I rode the first half pretty fast. Then, turning back into the wind, things really slowed down.
No shortage of something to write about though...two things to note from today.
On the way back I was minding my own business tooling along into the wind doing 18 mph when a car went past me. Right behind the car a rider I had seen coming at me from the OTHER way just a bit earlier went blasting past me on the left, huffing and puffing and rocking all over his bike out of the saddle like he was trying to draft off that car.
The odd thing was that once he got about a hundred yards in front of me he suddenly sat up, then did a U-turn in the middle of the road and continued on in the direction I first saw him coming at me. WTH? It really made it seem like all he wanted to do was chase me down and pass me for some reason. Well, to whoever you were...you are welcome. I guess I played your carrot today.
Then under the overpass at Wimmer Wetlands I saw a first. Two bikes...two riders...a man and a woman...in full lip lock and blocking the path totally. Again...WTH?
My exact words...
"On your left"
Nothing from them...I get closer.
"I'm on your left"
Nothing from them..still in full necking mode, helmets on and all.
"HEY....I'm coming on your left!!!!"
I also had to come to a stop to inch around the woman who was startled by my passing. She started laughing and said, "Oops. Busted."
Honestly. Hey, I don't mind a couple of people getting frisky under an overpass, but do your business off the middle of the path. Go get a room.
Ya never know what you're gonna see on a ride.
Watching the TT opening the USA Pro Cycling Championship on Versus. There will be coverage all week long each afternoon this week. I think it's great that big-time pro racing has returned to Colorado. Cadel Evans and the Schlecks are here too. This should be good.
Tuesday and Wednesday are rest days. Back on the Roubaix on Thursday and Friday is the plan.
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.
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
