Andy's Blog

Like I said I did 20 miles on Saturday and it was HOT. Memo to myself and anyone else listen:

1. Drink LOTS of water (1 bottle per hour minimum). It's hard to do but if you don't you'll BONK hard.
2. Clif Shots are AWESOME. I was starting to run out of steam but I forced myself to eat one of these (they taste great, but you don't feel like eating in hot weather) and within a few minutes I was starting to feel better. Could be psychosomatic, but hey, if it works!
3. Use sunscreen. It keeps you cooler. That's not the best article, but I couldn't find a better one. I originally read about it in this book or this one. I forgot to wear it on Saturday and I imagine it would've helped (despite the fact that I didn't burn)
4. Pace yourself. Know what you can average pushing yourself as hard as you can across a short distance (less than 10 miles) and don't expect to get anywhere near that across a longer one. At least not until you're in much better shape.

I went riding on Saturday. Temperatures were in the mid-nineties and I was returning from a 20 mile ride so perhaps my recollection isn't terribly objective. However, the hill up Grassy Creek Rd. from Osceola Springs Road is a big one. It's about .75 miles and gains about 200 feet in vertical. The average gradient is easily 7% (though my cyclocomputer doesn't do averages... I think) but the part that makes it brutal is a 100m section towards the top where it averages 10% and regularlly bumps up to 11% or 12%. Then to add insult to injury there are 2-3 other little hills on the way back out towards Port Republic that just remind you that you're out of shape.

Sigh Now I'm REALLY going to have to go

I admit it. I judged Mark's Bikes too early. I had previously bought stuff from them for a trip and their people are amazingly friend, but when I took my bike in last for a tuneup and replacement of a broken shifter they seemed a bit incompetent. It took almost a month, and on a couple of occasions I called in to check up and they either didn't know what was up or they had ordered the wrong part, etc.

However, I went on a ride for the first time in 3 months and the first time since their repair job over the weekend. The weather was crisp December weather; sunny, calm, and around 40 degrees. It felt really good to get out (though it is AMAZING how quick you can lose form... I'd shed about 4 mph off my normal average for this route). However, what felt most amazing was the bike! The shifters (which I'd had them work on) have NEVER felt better. They shift so smoothly, and almost can't be heard. I don't think they worked this well when I first bought the bike. Brakes are also perfect (they replaced a bent front brake). It was truly a pleasure to ride.

So, while Mark's Bikes had some hiccups administratively. They're still great folks and whatever they did mechanically was a dream.

We're in Seattle for the next two weeks. I borrowed a bike from my friend Steve. It's an old skool Tomassini with friction shifters, but it's beautiful and it rides SO nicely. However, Steve rides with lots of power (man he's a strong rider!) so he's got it set up with a 53/42 chain ring and a pretty big cassette too (though I don't remember the specs.) My bike is has a 30/42/52 triple chain ring setup with a smallest gear at 30/27. I'm not used to having to ride such a big gear up hills and boy does it hurt! You go pretty fast, but you're up out of the saddle grinding away with all your power. My legs are aching right now.

We moved to Virginia last summer. In the craziness of our move, cycling, probably my favorite hobby now and almost my only form of serious exercise, took a back seat. I got out on a few rides, but probably less than 200 miles in the first 6 months in Virginia (granted we have real winters compared to Seattle and cycling is only for the insane from pretty much Nov. to Mar.).

Upon returning to a more regular cycling routine once the weather got nice, I learned that there are three new hazzards in Virginia.

• Rednecks
• Rolling hills
• Road kill

I've been honked at aggressively with the intent of "scaring me", blasted intentionally with tail pipe smoke as I approached a red light, and "buzzed" (as in "Goose, it's time to buzz the tower.") on several occasions. Always by men in big trucks <insert stereotype here>.

As to the hills... Seattle had it's share of hills, but somehow they're easier to stomach when they're long and big, and usually followed by significant downhills or flats. Somehow this area of Virginia has TONS of rolling hills and they're killer. They never end, it's hard to get a rhythm, and they're steep enough that you often need to get out of the saddle (there's one I regularly do that's about 11% the rest run 4-8%).

Finally. Road kill... (takes a while to get to the point ;) Being a more rural area there is actually wildlife living around the people. In Seattle, I don't remember seeing much more than crows and squirrels regularly within the city. However, there are lots of animals around here, and animals and roads don't mix. I've seen dead snapping turtles, beavers, deer, opposums, ground hogs, and birds. But to be fair to our vegetarian bretheren.... Today I saw a dead cucumber. Just lying there in the middle of the road. Lifeless. Waiting to cause a wreck for some poor guy like me.

Speaking of wrecks... Always check your brakes. I had a wreck on a 30-mile ride yesterday with my friend Mark Veerman around the 18th mile. I came down a hill and started entering a corner around 30 mph. I didn't give myself enough time and my brakes weren't helping. I opted for a ditch instead of road rash. Unfortunately, being a corner, there was also a stop-sign. I guess (I say guess because you don't think at moments like this so it can't be so intentional as it sounds) I decided to try to pop off the back of the bike because next thing I know, I slam into the sign, and the back of the seat smashes into my gut and get's bent in half:

(for those not "in the know" that seat is more or less supposed to be flat not bent at 20 degrees). The amazing part is that I didn't suffer anything worse than a sore abdomen (no bruising, just a couple small cuts... I was thinking I could've ruptured my bladder or something) and a tiny cut on my finger. The worst damage to the bike was the seat and a minor pinch in the shifting cable. Anyhow, I say check your brakes because mine needed some serious tightening, and probably would've prevented my crash

A stage race for serious cyclists in Harrisonburg. Too bad I didn't discover this until yesterday. Maybe I'll be fit enough next year. Hah.