Still very much at it! Not as seriously, but such a fine way to stay in shape!
When I get a camera I'll be uploading interesting things from interesting travels :)
Monday, July 22, 2013
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Tires matter
In the short time I've been really into road biking I've realized tires really make/break the feel of the bike as a whole. The epiphony happened when I got my first set of good tires - the 2012 continental attack/force. Since then, I've tried others and nothing has been quite as satisfying - the conti gp4000's are close, more durable but a harsher ride and harsher ride over 60-80 miles means alot!
Giving the 2013 attack/force a shot now. Lighter, better rolling than the 2012's so they say... durability? Well, now I have the beastly Forte Gothams for general riding around duty - so the attack/force can be used solely for their intended racing/fast training. The 2012's gave me 2000 miles as my only tire so I suspect at least the same miles from the 2013's - though the lighter weight makes me question durability its worth a roll of the dice IMO cuz, well, tires entirely change the feel of the bike :)
Giving the 2013 attack/force a shot now. Lighter, better rolling than the 2012's so they say... durability? Well, now I have the beastly Forte Gothams for general riding around duty - so the attack/force can be used solely for their intended racing/fast training. The 2012's gave me 2000 miles as my only tire so I suspect at least the same miles from the 2013's - though the lighter weight makes me question durability its worth a roll of the dice IMO cuz, well, tires entirely change the feel of the bike :)
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Ankling
The most difficult but most rewarding thing I've been working on lately is ankling. There is a good primer on the technique (what I read a few months ago) here: cycling tips . If you want to see this technique in action, see Richey Port in the final uphill time trial of Paris-Nice... this is when I decided to 100% learn how to do it.
The page/Port got me started, and although I could immediately feel the gain in efficiency I did not have the muscular endurance to keep it up
I started ankling up small inclines, I noticed I could maintain my speed much better this way but at first I was unable to keep it up... I could at first ankle for about as long as I could stand/sprint.
After getting the general idea it has taken about a month and a half (note ~2000 miles) and a serious focus on form/feel to be able to sustain ankling for long periods. When I have a mental lapse, and then start ankling again, every single time its a ~10% increase in speed without any increase in effort, amazes me everytime.
I think the gain for me is that once I start getting my ankle into the mix I naturally pedal circles, while this is of course inherently more efficient I also feel like I'm using many more muscles... the use of more muscles is what made it difficult at first - but over time the strength/endurance has come and the benefits are very real.
@ very high cadences I still angle the toe down and keep the ankle stiffer, ankling above 110rpm doesn't seem as fruitful, but for general riding I am doing it more and more and seeing my ability to hold speed go up and up. The technique is also an excellent way to let other muscles recover, right now I'm transitioning from using it for recovery/acceleration/hills to using it nearly all the time.
Give it a shot, a REAL shot... I'm sure some pedal like this very naturally, and perhaps for some it just won't work... but I think its definitely something to at least know how to do even if its only used in limited situations.
The page/Port got me started, and although I could immediately feel the gain in efficiency I did not have the muscular endurance to keep it up
I started ankling up small inclines, I noticed I could maintain my speed much better this way but at first I was unable to keep it up... I could at first ankle for about as long as I could stand/sprint.
After getting the general idea it has taken about a month and a half (note ~2000 miles) and a serious focus on form/feel to be able to sustain ankling for long periods. When I have a mental lapse, and then start ankling again, every single time its a ~10% increase in speed without any increase in effort, amazes me everytime.
I think the gain for me is that once I start getting my ankle into the mix I naturally pedal circles, while this is of course inherently more efficient I also feel like I'm using many more muscles... the use of more muscles is what made it difficult at first - but over time the strength/endurance has come and the benefits are very real.
@ very high cadences I still angle the toe down and keep the ankle stiffer, ankling above 110rpm doesn't seem as fruitful, but for general riding I am doing it more and more and seeing my ability to hold speed go up and up. The technique is also an excellent way to let other muscles recover, right now I'm transitioning from using it for recovery/acceleration/hills to using it nearly all the time.
Give it a shot, a REAL shot... I'm sure some pedal like this very naturally, and perhaps for some it just won't work... but I think its definitely something to at least know how to do even if its only used in limited situations.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
A personal observation on the importance of diet
A personal observation on the importance of diet...
3 days ago I had too much chocolate as I waited for the floors to dry to get into the kitchen - then I ate too many buttery croissants that were not from the bakery I normally get them from (these were full of bad shit but tastey) = TERRIBLE stomach ache all night. This was a with good ride with Beverly - Veepak in the morning.
The next day was easter, eating with family I ate nothing that was prepared because it was either full of meat or came out of a box/package - had to make myself some soup, delicious, but then later a terrible concoction of oatmeal/coffee and too much cinnamon that overall made me queasy before I tossed the rest (hey I try wierd stuff, it works sometimes it doesnt :) )... a bit more candy and no riding on this day.
Then yesterday, no $ to get the food I normally get and totally out of my normal post-ride recovery foods... a hard 70 miles with still fairly good results overall although I was feeling the lack of nutrition toward the end of the ride - stop for a veggie taco helped a bit but I didn't have the usual bananas/bars etc that keep me going for long distances.
Come to today, only thing to eat was oatmeal - none of my usual breakfast foods/shakes... and although lack of sleep was partially to blame - I had NO energy... totally dead and I had to ride 20 miles in the morning. Ate good for lunch but on the return I was totally tired still... was a miserable 50 miles or so total, I've had 100+ mile days and gone out the next day feeling much better than today... in fact I'd say this was perhaps my *most* miserable day of riding as with 0 energy I had to ride 20 miles into a 28 degree/10-12mph headwind... and even with the tailwind back it could only occasionally muster enough energy to get up to my fair weather cruising pace!
Here I made the mistake of eating foods I *know* don't agree with me and will NOT help me to get stronger... and then I totally burned through my good energy reserves and did NOT replenish them *at all*. I ate way too late after the workout, and I didn't have any of the usual banana/protein shake/salad... only tomato soup! Then only ~5 hours of sleep, which on most days isn't a big problem, but that plus the lack of nutrients totally ruined my otherwise fun trip through the wonderful rollers of the palos/willowbrook area. Even a good lunch barely helped at all, I never felt "good" at any part of the ride.
Lots of training can only go so far without a good diet to back it up, today was a reminder of this and I will not soon forget it. I think if I continued with the poor diet choices I would likely regress quickly and lose all that I've worked for. As such, I am budgeting more wisely to ensure I have enough $ to get the foods I need... its more expensive to go organic and can be frustrating to have little to no choices at restaurants... but its days like today that remind me WHY I choose to eat the way that I normally do!
-------------
The next day, feeling drastically better - pretty much back to normal. Got the usual bananas/veggie protein shake and ate a nice big bowl of rice. I just threw on some jeans today and did the ~18 mile round trip ride to Trader Joe's to get my regular eats. Felt so much better! I wasn't struggling or pushing hard at all (hence the jeans, if I'm not all kitted up I feel more like just cruising) - but still spent most of my time (aside from stoplights etc) right around 20mph... this was tough yesterday, even with the big tailwind!
I can already tell tomorrow I'm gonna be feelin good! And tomorrow is the Beverly Bike - Veepak team ride through the wonderfully hills palos/willow springs area... I'm gonna fly through those hills :)
3 days ago I had too much chocolate as I waited for the floors to dry to get into the kitchen - then I ate too many buttery croissants that were not from the bakery I normally get them from (these were full of bad shit but tastey) = TERRIBLE stomach ache all night. This was a with good ride with Beverly - Veepak in the morning.
The next day was easter, eating with family I ate nothing that was prepared because it was either full of meat or came out of a box/package - had to make myself some soup, delicious, but then later a terrible concoction of oatmeal/coffee and too much cinnamon that overall made me queasy before I tossed the rest (hey I try wierd stuff, it works sometimes it doesnt :) )... a bit more candy and no riding on this day.
Then yesterday, no $ to get the food I normally get and totally out of my normal post-ride recovery foods... a hard 70 miles with still fairly good results overall although I was feeling the lack of nutrition toward the end of the ride - stop for a veggie taco helped a bit but I didn't have the usual bananas/bars etc that keep me going for long distances.
Come to today, only thing to eat was oatmeal - none of my usual breakfast foods/shakes... and although lack of sleep was partially to blame - I had NO energy... totally dead and I had to ride 20 miles in the morning. Ate good for lunch but on the return I was totally tired still... was a miserable 50 miles or so total, I've had 100+ mile days and gone out the next day feeling much better than today... in fact I'd say this was perhaps my *most* miserable day of riding as with 0 energy I had to ride 20 miles into a 28 degree/10-12mph headwind... and even with the tailwind back it could only occasionally muster enough energy to get up to my fair weather cruising pace!
Here I made the mistake of eating foods I *know* don't agree with me and will NOT help me to get stronger... and then I totally burned through my good energy reserves and did NOT replenish them *at all*. I ate way too late after the workout, and I didn't have any of the usual banana/protein shake/salad... only tomato soup! Then only ~5 hours of sleep, which on most days isn't a big problem, but that plus the lack of nutrients totally ruined my otherwise fun trip through the wonderful rollers of the palos/willowbrook area. Even a good lunch barely helped at all, I never felt "good" at any part of the ride.
Lots of training can only go so far without a good diet to back it up, today was a reminder of this and I will not soon forget it. I think if I continued with the poor diet choices I would likely regress quickly and lose all that I've worked for. As such, I am budgeting more wisely to ensure I have enough $ to get the foods I need... its more expensive to go organic and can be frustrating to have little to no choices at restaurants... but its days like today that remind me WHY I choose to eat the way that I normally do!
-------------
The next day, feeling drastically better - pretty much back to normal. Got the usual bananas/veggie protein shake and ate a nice big bowl of rice. I just threw on some jeans today and did the ~18 mile round trip ride to Trader Joe's to get my regular eats. Felt so much better! I wasn't struggling or pushing hard at all (hence the jeans, if I'm not all kitted up I feel more like just cruising) - but still spent most of my time (aside from stoplights etc) right around 20mph... this was tough yesterday, even with the big tailwind!
I can already tell tomorrow I'm gonna be feelin good! And tomorrow is the Beverly Bike - Veepak team ride through the wonderfully hills palos/willow springs area... I'm gonna fly through those hills :)
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Good "climbing" around Chicago?
The route below is the Beverly Bike - Veepak training/group ride. (as far as I know its the regular route). I've been on the xXx Racing ride up through the north burbs and although there are some decent hills, little traffic, and an overall good route. The roads there are of significantly worse quality and the hills are not quite as steep or as plentiful as in the Palos/Willow Springs area.
I've not cycled the world just yet, but around the Chicago area I've been up north - a good mix of slow rollers/hills... out south - flat FOREVER.... the city area - lakefront trail is fun and busy streets have a unique appeal, watch out for doors!!!!... the willow springs/palos area - so far my favorite, I've only been out there once but it was AMAZING! The scenery, the hills, the road quality, excellent training - I can already feel myself getting stronger from rolling up the hills in my biggest gear (great strength training!). Also I had my first trip to 40mph! What an experience, so much wind, any small shift of the bike demands attention... absolutely in the moment looking out for anything that may ruin the otherwise incredible experience that is going 40mph on 23mm worth of tire :)
Next time 50mph... and faster up the hills... :)
Can't wait to do some solo routes. There is also an area called swallow cliff which has many stairs which people run/walk up and down - I may ride to it and run up/down a few times myself... I had forgotten about that place but we passed in on the ride!
If your around Chicago, DEFINITELY study the Strava route below and use it to plan your own, tis some great riding.... and you might see me climbing up a hill or possibly flying down one!
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Personal Bests, wheels or fitness? Either way a step closer to reaching long term goals!
Set alot of personal bests today! The new wheels (vuelta corsa lite) are helping alot. Whether it be the better bearings, the more aero profile, the MUCH reduced weight.... or perhaps my fitness.. probably a combo of all the above!... either way, I feel much faster now!
The way up to work was incredible, I held back so as not to walk in sweated out and too tired to walk, but STILL had some good stretches around 25mph, and this is with very low winds! I've in the very recent past not been able to hold that sort of speed without a tailwind for hardly any distance without getting winded quick!
Also at the end of my commute to work I hit a certain (.5 mile or so) stretch I like to go fast through and ended up in the 27-28mph range for the duration! I've really NEVER been able to pull that off without a strong tailwind or some sort of drafting from a car or something... and I was not totally spent at the end!
The way back was a bit rougher as I was kinda tired and didn't have a meal, but STILL a personal best on most of the Strava segments on the lakeront path... actually I had a great 27/28mph .5 mile sprint (not the same as the way up there) to start things off. The LFP was crowded, which slowed me down in some spots, but still my averages were generally quite a bit higher than ever before - some of which were under more favorable conditions! Really should have eaten, woulda helped alot toward the end of the ride!
At the end I went a bit harder to get my legs tired and tried a standing sprint under these conditions to simulate a race (although I wont be carrying a backpack of tools in a race lol). No amazing results, I think not eating had alot to do with that! BUT its good to get in this practice, as this is one place I fell short in my first race!
Wheels and fitness... I hope to improve greatly over this year and get a bike underneath me that doesn't hold me back! I think I'm getting both of those things taken care of right now - and I have my eye set on the elusive goal of a 40k in less than an hour on my road bike!
The way up to work was incredible, I held back so as not to walk in sweated out and too tired to walk, but STILL had some good stretches around 25mph, and this is with very low winds! I've in the very recent past not been able to hold that sort of speed without a tailwind for hardly any distance without getting winded quick!
Also at the end of my commute to work I hit a certain (.5 mile or so) stretch I like to go fast through and ended up in the 27-28mph range for the duration! I've really NEVER been able to pull that off without a strong tailwind or some sort of drafting from a car or something... and I was not totally spent at the end!
The way back was a bit rougher as I was kinda tired and didn't have a meal, but STILL a personal best on most of the Strava segments on the lakeront path... actually I had a great 27/28mph .5 mile sprint (not the same as the way up there) to start things off. The LFP was crowded, which slowed me down in some spots, but still my averages were generally quite a bit higher than ever before - some of which were under more favorable conditions! Really should have eaten, woulda helped alot toward the end of the ride!
At the end I went a bit harder to get my legs tired and tried a standing sprint under these conditions to simulate a race (although I wont be carrying a backpack of tools in a race lol). No amazing results, I think not eating had alot to do with that! BUT its good to get in this practice, as this is one place I fell short in my first race!
Wheels and fitness... I hope to improve greatly over this year and get a bike underneath me that doesn't hold me back! I think I'm getting both of those things taken care of right now - and I have my eye set on the elusive goal of a 40k in less than an hour on my road bike!
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
First Race/First Crit Recap and Results!
It went as so:
I biked there (about 11 miles) and I was pretty excited so I left too early... with it being cold I ended up doing a ridiculous 29 laps of warmup before the race even started - the course is .8 mile. As the race drew near I really "warmed up" and noticed I was flying by everyone else who was warming up... I wasn't getting winded, so I just kept going and did my thing. Turns out my warmup pace (on some laps) was faster than the actual race pace (on some laps).
The race was 14 laps.
Mis clipped at the beginning, caught up and passed the field on the first straight into the first turn - ended up in a 2 man breakaway right away @ a strong pace, but one I could hold. This was the pace I expected the race to be, I actually expected the pack to swarm me! After the first lap there was a big gap and I let the other guy take his pull... he lasted to around the next corner and blew up... I maintained pace around for another lap and pondered my options. The pack did not yet respond, and it was the turning point - go for it or sit up and save energy for the end.
I sat up and waited, as at this point I wasn't tired at all and figured if the pack responded I might end up dropped after burying myself - I had no idea at this point the fitness of the riders in general but I knew the area teams were well represented and some of them are known to be strong so I just played it safe.
I stayed near the front of the pack for the majority, didn't even draft most of the time because the pace was basically my normal cruising pace (see warmup pace above) and I was constantly blocked out/didn't feel like fighting for a wheel. I was kinda wishing I just woulda went for the solo breakaway at this point! I pondered going for another but I just waited.
At some point there was a 2 or 3 man breakaway and I helped pull the pack up to them after they had a good spread - this was still with a handful of laps to go, totally not needed. In doing so I got a bit tired, but far from killed myself. The teams knew what they were doing, I got off the front after the break was caught and the pace went down.
I sat in the pack till the last lap and waited for a move once the pace FINALLY picked up... the move came and the wheels I was on at that point weren't contesting at all so I had to just go at it myself after waiting for them to make a move (waited just a little too long!) I took the corner wide to get around but it was too close to the finish and the first 3 wheels were too far ahead at that point... actually I imagine someone was on my wheel as I could hear some serious AHHHHHH right behind me, but he didn't pass. Total noob mistake, i'm not sure why I stayed seated and pushed that way big gear... ah, because I didn't know what the hell I was doing... lol, lesson learned.
So, I still managed 4th!
This is on a steel bike with 2200 group (khs flite 220, 2010 model), I do keep it in good condition and just got a set of vuelta corsa lites. And perhaps much cooler is that in September of last year I was 225lbs and riding even 10 miles at a less than average townie on a single speed pace KILLED me, especially what seemed like "giant hills" (overpasses) here in Chicago. Now I'm 170 (6'1"), and fit enough to be an ill-prepared idiot and still manage 4th in a big city race with alot of guys who are on teams and are much more experienced but don't cat up for their various reasons, I feel really great about that
I'm really happy, and I KNOW I can win a cat 5 race (next one?), and I KNOW with tactics I can cat up quick!
You can checkout the ride here: http://app.strava.com/activities/45993637# If you check my profile you can see the other rides of the day (to the place + 4 more laps around the course, back home etc).
Saturday, March 23, 2013
The saga of the xXx Racing - Athletico Group Ride
Basic ride details @ the xXx site
I rode this ride last month 2 consecutive Saturdays in Feb (a month ago). The first Saturday the weather was "nice" for Feb. and quite a few went out on the long route (15-18). This pace wasn't TOO high and I spent most of my time hiding in the pack - and far as I could tell nobody was really attacking the hills... but EVERY hill I dropped back and had to catch back up. I did stay with the group until we were almost back in Chicago, but I got a flat when I was on the back and didn't say anything - so I got left behind (but we were close enough so I could find my way).
The next Saturday I said... I'm GOING to finish this ride!!!! Well, it was extremely cold, the high was about 20... and only 2 others were daring enough to even attempt the long ride (the bulk of the group turned around at the cafe)... I went on the long route and this time not only was the pace higher but I was behind 2 little guys so it was far from hiding in a pack! I could barely keep up, and again on the hills I was getting left behind and had to keep catching up... after a food break in the middle of nowhere, the pace REALLY picked up, we were cruising 25-28mph and I was suffering like no other time - this was after I'd already put in about 60+ miles. I held on and we were almost back to the cafe where we were going to warm up... but with maybe 2 miles to go my pants (yea I didn't have tights yet) got caught in the front derailleur and I had to stop... the other 2 kept going and it took me a while to get everything running properly... that was a tough trip back, freezing, got lost and I was totally whipped!
Well I took a few weeks off from the ride (3 to be exact) and trained on some hills and got some tights. In this time I got a tighter geared cassette and learned how to use it to maintain my cadence... I also really focused on diet and I've been about 99% vegan since that last ride where I got dropped. Also notable is I joined Strava which has helped me to do some strong intervals and put on the miles to get to places others have ridden. And perhaps worth mentioning is that I've now been comfortably around 170lbs in this time, I think the first ride I was 180-185 and the next I was a few lbs lighter.
Today was the big day! I had already had a 70 mile ride earlier in the week, and a good paced ~40 mile ride yesterday... whereas the 2 other times I had a day off before and was 100% fresh. I debated going or not last night as I was pretty tired and my first race is coming up next week.
The ride started with about 20 people, then broke down to a group of about 10-14 after a stop at the cafe up in highland park. Early in this ride 4 riders broke away up front and the rest held a more steady pace... I held back for a while thinking we would soon regroup, but soon the riders were in the distance and pulling fast! The bulk of the group just didn't want to catch up, so I decided to break out of that group and sprint until I caught the faster 4. I caught up pretty quick, and I think this sparked them to go even faster cuz a min or so after that the pace REALLY picked up and the group behind got totally dropped but I held on!
We did wait and regroup at a stop sign after a sprint, and I'm not sure when or how (I was focusing on the guy in front of me or when I was in front focusing on keeping the pace!)... but a good chunk of the riders dropped off after that and there were 7 left. The pace stayed high, and one guy split off to go his own route.
Not too long after that one guy totally ran outta gas after the group got a little split up (I don't remember exactly what happened to cause the split) and we had to sprint to catch the front guys who were really movin - that moment WAS tough and I was feeling it too but I had enough to regroup and hold on, this was a good ways into the ride so I could understand the tired legs.
This was the strongest of the bunch a "ride of attrition", and I hung with em to the end at a really strong pace, definitely the highest of the 3 times I've been on this ride - took my turns in the front (admittedly not as long or fast as a few of the REALLY strong riders cat 3/cat 2!)... and overall it was a blast! Not only did I not get dropped at any point, but I pulled up some hills and didn't 100% catch an attack up a particularly steep hill but after hesitating/watching the guy fly up the hill after gaining some momentum I did manage to pull past the bulk of the group and have enough in the tank to hold a good pace to be the first to catch the guy in front. Just a few weeks ago I remember someone went strong up a particular hill and I was dropped off the back of a relatively struggling bunch!
And a sort of a highlight... somewhere in there a random cyclist joined the group - a pretty strong guy who held on no problem. I was right behind him, and when he got to the front he attacked! I wasn't sure if the group wanted to follow so I hesitated and looked behind, they knew what was up and whatever was said I got on it to catch him, and did! He held a high pace for a while and then settled back to the strong pace we were at before.
This is great, I had alot of fun and I FINALLY finished the ride! I would have likely finished the first week as the pace wasn't so high, MAYBE the second week... but with this being the toughest ride of them all I am very satisfied with the results!
My legs are burnin a bit, but I feel great! I could ride some more and still hold a good pace if I absolutely had to... but, yea, break time :)
You can review the ride on Strava (from the Wicker Park meetup spot north, where I stopped the ride so I could check the time, I don't think I had to do that and now it doesn't officially say I rode 100 miles consecutively, but you can also see the prior 11 miles as its uploaded as well)...
Here
I rode this ride last month 2 consecutive Saturdays in Feb (a month ago). The first Saturday the weather was "nice" for Feb. and quite a few went out on the long route (15-18). This pace wasn't TOO high and I spent most of my time hiding in the pack - and far as I could tell nobody was really attacking the hills... but EVERY hill I dropped back and had to catch back up. I did stay with the group until we were almost back in Chicago, but I got a flat when I was on the back and didn't say anything - so I got left behind (but we were close enough so I could find my way).
The next Saturday I said... I'm GOING to finish this ride!!!! Well, it was extremely cold, the high was about 20... and only 2 others were daring enough to even attempt the long ride (the bulk of the group turned around at the cafe)... I went on the long route and this time not only was the pace higher but I was behind 2 little guys so it was far from hiding in a pack! I could barely keep up, and again on the hills I was getting left behind and had to keep catching up... after a food break in the middle of nowhere, the pace REALLY picked up, we were cruising 25-28mph and I was suffering like no other time - this was after I'd already put in about 60+ miles. I held on and we were almost back to the cafe where we were going to warm up... but with maybe 2 miles to go my pants (yea I didn't have tights yet) got caught in the front derailleur and I had to stop... the other 2 kept going and it took me a while to get everything running properly... that was a tough trip back, freezing, got lost and I was totally whipped!
Well I took a few weeks off from the ride (3 to be exact) and trained on some hills and got some tights. In this time I got a tighter geared cassette and learned how to use it to maintain my cadence... I also really focused on diet and I've been about 99% vegan since that last ride where I got dropped. Also notable is I joined Strava which has helped me to do some strong intervals and put on the miles to get to places others have ridden. And perhaps worth mentioning is that I've now been comfortably around 170lbs in this time, I think the first ride I was 180-185 and the next I was a few lbs lighter.
Today was the big day! I had already had a 70 mile ride earlier in the week, and a good paced ~40 mile ride yesterday... whereas the 2 other times I had a day off before and was 100% fresh. I debated going or not last night as I was pretty tired and my first race is coming up next week.
The ride started with about 20 people, then broke down to a group of about 10-14 after a stop at the cafe up in highland park. Early in this ride 4 riders broke away up front and the rest held a more steady pace... I held back for a while thinking we would soon regroup, but soon the riders were in the distance and pulling fast! The bulk of the group just didn't want to catch up, so I decided to break out of that group and sprint until I caught the faster 4. I caught up pretty quick, and I think this sparked them to go even faster cuz a min or so after that the pace REALLY picked up and the group behind got totally dropped but I held on!
We did wait and regroup at a stop sign after a sprint, and I'm not sure when or how (I was focusing on the guy in front of me or when I was in front focusing on keeping the pace!)... but a good chunk of the riders dropped off after that and there were 7 left. The pace stayed high, and one guy split off to go his own route.
Not too long after that one guy totally ran outta gas after the group got a little split up (I don't remember exactly what happened to cause the split) and we had to sprint to catch the front guys who were really movin - that moment WAS tough and I was feeling it too but I had enough to regroup and hold on, this was a good ways into the ride so I could understand the tired legs.
This was the strongest of the bunch a "ride of attrition", and I hung with em to the end at a really strong pace, definitely the highest of the 3 times I've been on this ride - took my turns in the front (admittedly not as long or fast as a few of the REALLY strong riders cat 3/cat 2!)... and overall it was a blast! Not only did I not get dropped at any point, but I pulled up some hills and didn't 100% catch an attack up a particularly steep hill but after hesitating/watching the guy fly up the hill after gaining some momentum I did manage to pull past the bulk of the group and have enough in the tank to hold a good pace to be the first to catch the guy in front. Just a few weeks ago I remember someone went strong up a particular hill and I was dropped off the back of a relatively struggling bunch!
And a sort of a highlight... somewhere in there a random cyclist joined the group - a pretty strong guy who held on no problem. I was right behind him, and when he got to the front he attacked! I wasn't sure if the group wanted to follow so I hesitated and looked behind, they knew what was up and whatever was said I got on it to catch him, and did! He held a high pace for a while and then settled back to the strong pace we were at before.
This is great, I had alot of fun and I FINALLY finished the ride! I would have likely finished the first week as the pace wasn't so high, MAYBE the second week... but with this being the toughest ride of them all I am very satisfied with the results!
My legs are burnin a bit, but I feel great! I could ride some more and still hold a good pace if I absolutely had to... but, yea, break time :)
You can review the ride on Strava (from the Wicker Park meetup spot north, where I stopped the ride so I could check the time, I don't think I had to do that and now it doesn't officially say I rode 100 miles consecutively, but you can also see the prior 11 miles as its uploaded as well)...
Here
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Getting so much stronger!!!!
This is really great! Now that I've had Strava for over a month I can really gauge my progress!
This is very exciting, as I keep knocking out personal bests and achieving various King of the Mountains all around Chicago! The segments are EXCELLENT as interval training! The results are painfully obvious as I review my rides, very cool indeed! I really love being able to analyze each ride and see how progressively I've grown more capable of going faster for longer periods of time... just a month ago I had trouble holding 20+mph for long durations... now I've averaged over 20 mph through a 20 mile *city* ride with lots of slowdowns/stops - that means most of my moving time was 20-25mph!
I hope this pans out into real races... I'm still getting stronger and 99.9% of my riding is solo so its tough to guage right now!
Checkout my profile on Strava: http://app.strava.com/athletes/1611804
This is very exciting, as I keep knocking out personal bests and achieving various King of the Mountains all around Chicago! The segments are EXCELLENT as interval training! The results are painfully obvious as I review my rides, very cool indeed! I really love being able to analyze each ride and see how progressively I've grown more capable of going faster for longer periods of time... just a month ago I had trouble holding 20+mph for long durations... now I've averaged over 20 mph through a 20 mile *city* ride with lots of slowdowns/stops - that means most of my moving time was 20-25mph!
I hope this pans out into real races... I'm still getting stronger and 99.9% of my riding is solo so its tough to guage right now!
Checkout my profile on Strava: http://app.strava.com/athletes/1611804
Giro's Train Like Taylor Challenge
Just completed the Giro Train LIke Taylor (Phinney) challenge!!! Great riding, woulda been easier if this March wasn't so so cold!
Was a great couple weeks - Lots of KOM's, lots of PB's and I'm so happy to be able to see clearly the progress I'm making! Among the highlights is covering the 6.9 miles from one of my friend's house to the other in 18:33 - A year ago I was amazed that it took me less than 30 minutes!
From Strava:
03/02/2013 — 03/17/2013
Was a great couple weeks - Lots of KOM's, lots of PB's and I'm so happy to be able to see clearly the progress I'm making! Among the highlights is covering the 6.9 miles from one of my friend's house to the other in 18:33 - A year ago I was amazed that it took me less than 30 minutes!
From Strava:
03/02/2013 — 03/17/2013
Do you have what it takes to train like Giro athlete Taylor Phinney? Last December, Taylor shared all the rides from his Santa Barbara, California training camp,
giving us all an inside look at what it takes for him to achieve his
goals. Now, it's time for you to put in the work so you can achieve your
own!
Between March 2nd and March 17th, Giro, Strava and Taylor Phinney are challenging you to train like Taylor, with the goal of putting in at least 31 hours and 51 minutes of riding in sixteen days*.
Over this period of time you’ll be challenged to dig deep and push the pedals hard. To give you some extra incentive, Giro will be giving away a pair of Giro Empire™ shoes in a custom Strava colorway to five lucky winners drawn at random. Visit Giro's site to enter the giveaway and see a mock-up of the shoes.
*While Taylor's training camp lasted only eleven days, we thought it fair to give everyone else five extra days to make it happen. That said, we're pretty confident some of you will be finishing in eleven days (or less)!
Between March 2nd and March 17th, Giro, Strava and Taylor Phinney are challenging you to train like Taylor, with the goal of putting in at least 31 hours and 51 minutes of riding in sixteen days*.
Over this period of time you’ll be challenged to dig deep and push the pedals hard. To give you some extra incentive, Giro will be giving away a pair of Giro Empire™ shoes in a custom Strava colorway to five lucky winners drawn at random. Visit Giro's site to enter the giveaway and see a mock-up of the shoes.
*While Taylor's training camp lasted only eleven days, we thought it fair to give everyone else five extra days to make it happen. That said, we're pretty confident some of you will be finishing in eleven days (or less)!
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Computrainer 41k!
So I finally took a spin on the computrainer @ Kozy's on Milwaukee. Long story short, I want to do a sub hour 40k... and since its freezing cold outside/I live in the middle of an urban environment I can't just go out and hammer it for a full hour... its more like stoplight to stoplight.
I wish I didn't have to ride 15 miles to get there, but I suppose this is good for a "warmup"... although in this weather its more like a "freeze".
I asked for a flat course... and I got a course with 2 BIG hills and a handful of smaller rollers - the rolling hills were still bigger than anything around Chicago! The big hills each with at least a mile climb @ 5%+ grade... this was killing me! The decents threw off my power average, I kept running out of gear and had to pedal like crazy to try and keep my power numbers up (I wanted to try to maintain a high average power).
Well, I ended up with a 244 watt average, and finished in one hour ten minutes... but then I decided to look into the profile I was riding under.
I am about 77kg... the profile was set to 133kg! The computrainer uses the weight input to adjust resistance, especially in the climbs. This means I would have gotten through the climbs much faster, and overall been quicker... thats 170lbs compared to 293!!! Thats like running the 40k with someone riding on my handlebars.
Exactly the difference, I duno, but given the size of the hills, I can imagine it may make up for the 10 minutes and get me under an hour. I'd also bet my average power numbers would be higher since I'd be spending less time in the climbs and overall less time on the course.
After the 133kg 40k, I setup a profile for myself @ 77kg... and did a quick 3 mile course (my hour was up at this point + I was totally beat!)... In this 3 mile course I averaged 290 watts, and didn't have too much trouble holding in the 300 watt range. I was told weight doesn't matter to the power numbers, maybe I just got a second wind?
Next time I'm going to do a truly flat course and get a real FTP measurement with the parameters setup properly. My goal is to get into the 4.0 watts per kg range, which would be 308 watts. I know what it feels like to hit 300 watts and hold it, and I'm certain I can hold it for 20 minutes... and with some more training I know I can get to a point where I can pump out that sort of power for an hour or more... which I think becomes more of a reality when I can get more into the 350 watts for 20 minutes range - which I really hope I can, a 5 watt per kg (385 watts) reading would be amazing! Not sure how long I could hold that much power now, probably just a few minutes.
I wish I didn't have to ride 15 miles to get there, but I suppose this is good for a "warmup"... although in this weather its more like a "freeze".
I asked for a flat course... and I got a course with 2 BIG hills and a handful of smaller rollers - the rolling hills were still bigger than anything around Chicago! The big hills each with at least a mile climb @ 5%+ grade... this was killing me! The decents threw off my power average, I kept running out of gear and had to pedal like crazy to try and keep my power numbers up (I wanted to try to maintain a high average power).
Well, I ended up with a 244 watt average, and finished in one hour ten minutes... but then I decided to look into the profile I was riding under.
I am about 77kg... the profile was set to 133kg! The computrainer uses the weight input to adjust resistance, especially in the climbs. This means I would have gotten through the climbs much faster, and overall been quicker... thats 170lbs compared to 293!!! Thats like running the 40k with someone riding on my handlebars.
Exactly the difference, I duno, but given the size of the hills, I can imagine it may make up for the 10 minutes and get me under an hour. I'd also bet my average power numbers would be higher since I'd be spending less time in the climbs and overall less time on the course.
After the 133kg 40k, I setup a profile for myself @ 77kg... and did a quick 3 mile course (my hour was up at this point + I was totally beat!)... In this 3 mile course I averaged 290 watts, and didn't have too much trouble holding in the 300 watt range. I was told weight doesn't matter to the power numbers, maybe I just got a second wind?
Next time I'm going to do a truly flat course and get a real FTP measurement with the parameters setup properly. My goal is to get into the 4.0 watts per kg range, which would be 308 watts. I know what it feels like to hit 300 watts and hold it, and I'm certain I can hold it for 20 minutes... and with some more training I know I can get to a point where I can pump out that sort of power for an hour or more... which I think becomes more of a reality when I can get more into the 350 watts for 20 minutes range - which I really hope I can, a 5 watt per kg (385 watts) reading would be amazing! Not sure how long I could hold that much power now, probably just a few minutes.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Strava 15 hour Challenge!
More info on the challenge: LINK TO STRAVA 15 HOUR CHALLENGE (
02/25/2013 — 03/03/2013)
Signed up for this knowing a big winter storm was gonna sweep through! Luckily I got in some good hours so far - 4 hours 26 minutes as of today. As long as the snow doesn't pile too high (it might!) I should be able to get those 10.5 more hours by the end of the week. I should/could just slow down... but... :)
I hope I can pull it off!
----------
I did it! After some lengthy rides this weekend I pulled it off! Interestingly enough, when I arrived home from my bud's house in the burbs... I had about 1 hour 15 minutes remaining to get to the full 15 hours.
Went out for a ride... rode for about 1 hour and 15 minutes... got in, loaded up strava and thought I had made it... but I was 2 minutes short!!! So I took a quick spin up and down the street and squeaked past the full 15 hours.
02/25/2013 — 03/03/2013)
Signed up for this knowing a big winter storm was gonna sweep through! Luckily I got in some good hours so far - 4 hours 26 minutes as of today. As long as the snow doesn't pile too high (it might!) I should be able to get those 10.5 more hours by the end of the week. I should/could just slow down... but... :)
I hope I can pull it off!
----------
I did it! After some lengthy rides this weekend I pulled it off! Interestingly enough, when I arrived home from my bud's house in the burbs... I had about 1 hour 15 minutes remaining to get to the full 15 hours.
Went out for a ride... rode for about 1 hour and 15 minutes... got in, loaded up strava and thought I had made it... but I was 2 minutes short!!! So I took a quick spin up and down the street and squeaked past the full 15 hours.
One of My Fav Runs
From friends house to friends house, I've been doing this ~7 mile run for a few years. Most of the time I was on my old Roadmaster Mountain bike (the first time I could barely make it without stopping.. lol..). Now this feels more of a "sprint" rather than the "long ride" it used to be.
Since getting a road bike I've made the run a few times. I don't live in the burbs anymore so I don't get to ride it very often. This is my best time from Matteson to Homewood so far - consider it was midday with a handful of stops for traffic, and I'm comparing it to when I used to run it at 2am specifically to avoid the traffic, and my best time before was closer to 22 mins and I had a nice tailwind. Today a slight/chilly headwind. (42 degrees - 6mph NE wind)
At night I'll definitely get under 20 mins, my goal is under 18 mins... which one warm spring/summer night I should be able to pull off.
Since getting a road bike I've made the run a few times. I don't live in the burbs anymore so I don't get to ride it very often. This is my best time from Matteson to Homewood so far - consider it was midday with a handful of stops for traffic, and I'm comparing it to when I used to run it at 2am specifically to avoid the traffic, and my best time before was closer to 22 mins and I had a nice tailwind. Today a slight/chilly headwind. (42 degrees - 6mph NE wind)
At night I'll definitely get under 20 mins, my goal is under 18 mins... which one warm spring/summer night I should be able to pull off.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Continental Attack/Force Tire Combo
Excellent tires!!!!
Swapped from Kenda Kontender 26c's and I *could not believe* the difference! I decided on these after much research.. reading rolling resistance and puncture resistance tests. I don't have these bookmarked, but if you seek you will find.
Not only did I pick up some speed, but the ride is so so so much smoother, truly the best of both worlds. Before, I could feel every bump in the road, now lumpy passages are easily passed... and there are plenty of them around Chicago!
I would not have completed my first century ride with my old tires... I couldn't say the same for my clipless pedals (105's), or my longer stem. These tires have so far been the biggest upgrade I've made, very very worth the relatively high cost.
The puncture resistance is amazing as well! The Kenda Kontender's had a so called puncture resistant layer, but it was useless... my first 2 days on the bike I got 2 flats from 2 of the smallest pieces of glass - and then I had to drop in Mr Tuffy's to compensate. The Tuffy's kept me without flats, but roughened up the ride to bone jarring levels... the Kontender's already were not very smooth - even at the "larger" 26c size.
I was nervous about going to such a small tire set given I'm not the smallest guy (when I bought these tires I was about 185) and I ride on some of the roughest pot hole infested roads out there + I ride a 26lb bike.. but they have held up very well. 2 pinch flats later I've run higher pressure and had no issues. I run the rear @ about 115psi, the front at about 105psi... less than that is where I had problems. The case is so supple, I can fill both to 120psi (max rec'd) and still have a much smoother ride than my old setup.
Very happy, if pondering buying these, definitely do.
Swapped from Kenda Kontender 26c's and I *could not believe* the difference! I decided on these after much research.. reading rolling resistance and puncture resistance tests. I don't have these bookmarked, but if you seek you will find.
Not only did I pick up some speed, but the ride is so so so much smoother, truly the best of both worlds. Before, I could feel every bump in the road, now lumpy passages are easily passed... and there are plenty of them around Chicago!
I would not have completed my first century ride with my old tires... I couldn't say the same for my clipless pedals (105's), or my longer stem. These tires have so far been the biggest upgrade I've made, very very worth the relatively high cost.
The puncture resistance is amazing as well! The Kenda Kontender's had a so called puncture resistant layer, but it was useless... my first 2 days on the bike I got 2 flats from 2 of the smallest pieces of glass - and then I had to drop in Mr Tuffy's to compensate. The Tuffy's kept me without flats, but roughened up the ride to bone jarring levels... the Kontender's already were not very smooth - even at the "larger" 26c size.
I was nervous about going to such a small tire set given I'm not the smallest guy (when I bought these tires I was about 185) and I ride on some of the roughest pot hole infested roads out there + I ride a 26lb bike.. but they have held up very well. 2 pinch flats later I've run higher pressure and had no issues. I run the rear @ about 115psi, the front at about 105psi... less than that is where I had problems. The case is so supple, I can fill both to 120psi (max rec'd) and still have a much smoother ride than my old setup.
Very happy, if pondering buying these, definitely do.
My 50lb weight loss in 6 months
 | |
| 175lbs - today |
How? Well, 1000+ miles of bike riding in the winter helps, for sure... but my diet has been the biggest boon to getting into what I'd consider is the best shape I've been in.
Though I've been vegetarian for about a year now - I was big on cheese pizza and buffets... my 225lbs was distributed evenly so I didn't care too much... but after getting into cycling (see the first post of this blog) I realized just how out of shape I was... and thought about what I COULD do.
First the goal was 200lbs... which I easily dropped to after cutting out so much cheese pizza - I was eating alot of spaghetti at this point, it was probably 75% of my diet. Alfredo sauce, parmesan... I was still layering it on but I was riding alot so I felt justified. I hovered in the 200-210 area for a month or so... then I thought about getting into some racing.
I read how skinny some of the top racers were, and how this gave them an advantage. I learned about power to weight ratio and how important this was. I got dropped by the random roadies I would run into, over and over... and I'm not one to blame the bike - I knew it was me that just wasn't there yet.
So I set a goal of 180, and it was easy to do, I was still riding quite a bit (at least 100 miles a week, some weeks over 200)... but my diet topped it off.
I started to have Garden of Life Raw Meal for one meal of the day. Expensive.. but still way less than even a tank of gas! I started eating more fruit and salads and nearly cutting out spaghetti (definitely no more alfredo sauce!)... this got me down to 185 without much trouble, and from then I've lived fairly vegan. The only meat I eat is sushi on rare occasion and I seriously avoid cheese. I make alot of my own meals - including these energy balls I take on the road... a blend of oatmeal/dates/flax meal/almond butter/trail mix (no chocolate etc) and some fresh squeezed orange juice to make it interesting... eats kinda like a sesame ball and is curiously satisfying.
Eating more often but smaller meals helps ALOT as well, this way I'm always satisfied but never overly full.. keeps the fire burnin.
Right now I'm right around the 175 mark, with 170 being the goal. I'm in no rush to get there, but I think simply sticking to the diet I'm on and putting in the miles will be plenty.
The best part is that I've dropped all this weight, but my legs have definitely gotten stronger in the process. With less weight came much more endurance, and overall I just feel better. I've done a few century rides and though I was tired at the end, I could have kept going if I had to.
I chalk it up to the near vegan diet... its more of a natural way of eating, and inherently offers a balanced nutrient rich diet that enhances mind as well as body. I had my doubts of being vegetarian, but after just DOING it, and exploring the great variety of meals that don't include meat + feeling the difference... I have no desire to ever eat cows or pigs or birds ever again... and I feel strongly that my diet is a big big part in how I can now ride *so much* harder and longer than I could even just 2 months ago.
I wish these concerns were greater with the population in general, so many ailments can be resolved by merely paying attention to what is consumed and what the results of that consumption are... and I'm not just talking about food.
My First Thoughts of Strava
After finding out about Strava I did alot of research and really wanted to get in on the action. I'm very competitive, and the whole KOM thing sounded like fun.
After reviewing some of the KOM's I came to realize that some segments are clearly dominated by people who caught just the right sort of weather... a KOM for one small hill climb I roll through often was set a few days ago when there was 23mph south winds with big gusts - a day I was thoroughly enjoying cruising through traffic at 35mph (until I turned... lol)... and this puts a question upon overally validity, but I guess anyone could have gone out there on such a windy day - "it is what it is".
There is a greater concern of safety, is it REALLY safe to go 37mph on a bike path? I guess thats up to the rider in the situation... I'm not one to tell someone to slow down or be careful, I myself have a tendency to be... "adventurous" when it comes to my cycling... I take responsibility for my actions and assess risks accordingly, I hope others do the same.
With that said, I really LOVE the service! Its cool to gauge my progress as I go, I've setup a few segments around my area where there were none before... and to my surprise others had ridden them - though I am the KOM for the segments I put up (we'll see how long that lasts!).
I like the ability to review other people's performance - and I follow some pro's as well to see at least a portion of their training.
Its really early, but I can see this helping to get me into some structured intervals and get me into some routes I wouldn't have tried before. Generally I just ride long and hard, and cool off when I feel like it.... but with Strava I've already had a few efforts that were well beyond what I would generally do - and it has helped to build my confidence!
One is a particular hill climb (really short hill). Its a segment I didn't start, but its a hill I'm familiar with. Generally I just chug up the hill at a reasonable pace and continue on... but to get the KOM I went a bit down the street - turned around - and hammered it up the hill. This is the first time I actually accelerated the entire way up this little (but steep) ridge, which helped me to maintain my speed to the end of the next segment. I didn't get KOM because the others who had done it entered the segment going a higher speed (though I finished at a higher speed), and the second stretch I slowed down before the segment was over, thinking I had passed through the end of it, which hurt my time just enough to land me second in both.
Now I have something to shoot for, and climbing being my worst asset right now, doing some hill repeats trying to get a KOM or at least a PB definitely won't hurt me. In fact I might setup a hill repeat loop on some quiet streets farther north on the ridge mentioned above after trying to top myself in a sprint I setup.... right now :)
I'm outta here!
After reviewing some of the KOM's I came to realize that some segments are clearly dominated by people who caught just the right sort of weather... a KOM for one small hill climb I roll through often was set a few days ago when there was 23mph south winds with big gusts - a day I was thoroughly enjoying cruising through traffic at 35mph (until I turned... lol)... and this puts a question upon overally validity, but I guess anyone could have gone out there on such a windy day - "it is what it is".
There is a greater concern of safety, is it REALLY safe to go 37mph on a bike path? I guess thats up to the rider in the situation... I'm not one to tell someone to slow down or be careful, I myself have a tendency to be... "adventurous" when it comes to my cycling... I take responsibility for my actions and assess risks accordingly, I hope others do the same.
With that said, I really LOVE the service! Its cool to gauge my progress as I go, I've setup a few segments around my area where there were none before... and to my surprise others had ridden them - though I am the KOM for the segments I put up (we'll see how long that lasts!).
I like the ability to review other people's performance - and I follow some pro's as well to see at least a portion of their training.
Its really early, but I can see this helping to get me into some structured intervals and get me into some routes I wouldn't have tried before. Generally I just ride long and hard, and cool off when I feel like it.... but with Strava I've already had a few efforts that were well beyond what I would generally do - and it has helped to build my confidence!
One is a particular hill climb (really short hill). Its a segment I didn't start, but its a hill I'm familiar with. Generally I just chug up the hill at a reasonable pace and continue on... but to get the KOM I went a bit down the street - turned around - and hammered it up the hill. This is the first time I actually accelerated the entire way up this little (but steep) ridge, which helped me to maintain my speed to the end of the next segment. I didn't get KOM because the others who had done it entered the segment going a higher speed (though I finished at a higher speed), and the second stretch I slowed down before the segment was over, thinking I had passed through the end of it, which hurt my time just enough to land me second in both.
Now I have something to shoot for, and climbing being my worst asset right now, doing some hill repeats trying to get a KOM or at least a PB definitely won't hurt me. In fact I might setup a hill repeat loop on some quiet streets farther north on the ridge mentioned above after trying to top myself in a sprint I setup.... right now :)
I'm outta here!
How I Found My Love for Cycing!
Last September I got a job that required me to go all around the city of Chicago to different retail stores. The pay was (is..) not phenomenal, and given the locations of the stores a car was totally unreasonable....
So, public transportation? No way, too restrictive, too slow, and then I'm bound by wherever the CTA/Metra goes.
Walking wasn't happening, so... a bike! Sure, I love biking (not cycling at this point!)... I'll get a bike and cruise around to these stores, the farthest being about 18 miles... I'm in decent shape (lol...) I can make it and I'll get in even better shape!
At this point I had an old roadmaster mountain bike that I broke the crank arm off and it was never the same .. it was *not* suited for anything more than a few miles - even with the cool slicks I had put on to lower rolling resistance.
So, I got my first road bike. A 70's'ish Schwinn Traveler... 62cm frame which was WAY too big (the price was right and the guy lived within walking distance). The much too large frame actually worked to my advantage, though!
Anyway, at this point I'm around 225lbs, 6'1", and my longest trip on a bike had been around 20 miles - I remember on this "long distance adventure" I ran into a roadie and tried to keep up... my roadmaster totally ran out of gear (~20mph?) and I could only stick with the roadie for about .5 a mile.
I struggled on the big frame, I wasn't used to the stretched out leg position. I felt it was too big, but something told me this was the way I was *supposed* to be riding, so I learned to stretch my legs out. Learning the bullhorn handlebars was an experience as well - this old bike was not made for riding on the hoods, so I spent just about all my time on the drops after the very first few rides being on the bar tops. My first commute was only about 7 miles... and I was definitely tired, but at the same time felt so invigorated - I felt as if I won the Tour De France by beating google's estimated travel time... lol...
The first time I hit the store that was 18 miles away was when hurricane sandy hit New York. I rode right along Lake Michigan and the wind was tremendous! I could barely move forward, I thought of turning back many times but I pushed on. The beauty of the rough waters kept me going - I've never seen the lake so choppy before! This day I was late and dead tired, and on the ride back I just wanted to fall over and die - it was ROUGH! But I did it, and I felt amazing for completing such an odyssey!
Fast forward into late November and I'm really learning the bike.... very comfy low in the drops and the stretched out legs feel great. I'm now really getting into the sport of it, and studying all the elements of cycling... getting to be a "cyclist" at this point =). This is about the time where I started being able to keep up with the roadies I would happen upon on the lakefront path for at least a mile or 2, and by this time I was around 210lbs.
In December I felt it was time to get a new bike - I wanted updated components, particularly to brifters... I had previously been using only the front derailleur as it was too much hassle to deal with the rear + it never stayed in place anyway. I wanted to get myself on a more modern frame so I could have ready access to upgrade parts.
So, on Christmas Eve, I found the bike that fulfilled my needs at a price I could afford... it had the basic components I wanted, was a smaller frame, not too flashy so as to attract thieves, and had a good overall geometry for my needs. A used KHS Flite 220 - 2010 model courtesy of Craigslist.
Wow, its only been 2 months that I've had this bike????!!! In this time I've grown so attached, it feels like I've had it forever!
At this point I was around 200-205lbs, and had decided to get down to 180 after studying the weight of many great cyclists.
At the start of the new year I went clipless (Shimano 105 SPD-SL), and a few weeks later I got a longer stem and dropped the bars as low as I could/cut the fork down. This is how the bike is now, and at this point I can get into a really nice aero position and hold it - which I am accustomed to after being forced into the drops on my schwinn! I also swapped the Kenda Kontender tires to Continental Attack/Force - WOW what a difference!
At the beginning of February (after having already dropped to 180, I was serious about that weight loss!) I went on my first group ride. An ambitious endeavor, my longest ride was 65 miles a few weeks prior and it really killed me (butt more than anything)... I was riding often, definitely over 100 miles a week between commute/leisure, but the rides were not continuously long (winter played a part, this is when it started actually getting cold).
One of the best decisions I made was to get my derailleurs setup and buy some cycling shorts the day before the group ride. Smooth shifting and comfort go a long way!
My first group ride went extremely well, I hung with the group and even took some pulls up front! This was after riding 20 miles to the meetup spot, and then 30 more casual miles to the splitting point, and then I went with the more serious drop ride. When we were about 15 or so miles from the original meetup spot back in Chicago, I was relishing in the fact that not only did I hang on for all this time, I wasn't particularly tired... and POW a flat and I got dropped. I wasn't too upset though, I had made it through about 90% of the ride and would have easily finished with the group - I had proven to myself that I could hang. This turned into my first century ride as well! At the end of the day I pulled right about 110 miles total. I was beat at the very end - this is the day I learned the wonders of drafting!
The next week I went back determined to finish the ride... it was even colder now - high of about 20. The group was much smaller, and only 2 others wanted to go the long route. I went with them, and this time the pace was higher! The riders were smaller, and I had on more/baggier layers PLUS I had to go to work after, so I had my backpack full of tools AND a change of clothes AND shoes! I still held on! I've never suffered so much, but I was determined.
The lack of drafting/me being less aero/the weight on my back made this the greatest suffering since dealing with the high winds of Sandy when I was in much worse shape. My legs were burning and my back was killin me, but I hung on! In the home stretch back to the cafe where the ride had split between shorter/longer... the pace went WAY up! We were cruising at 26-28mph and at this point I was absolutely giving it my all to hold on, but I was holding on! I was so happy, even through the pain and misery, that I was holding on.... but my joys were cut short by my baggy pants!!!!
My pants leg got caught in the front derailleur and I had to stop to fix it... I yelled out, but they kept going. It was bent, and it took me some time to jam it back into place (at least I had my tools... lol). After this my spirits were down, and I was totally unsure of how to get back... plus it was freezing cold! I knew I was close to the cafe, and I knew what turn was next, but once I got into town I wasn't sure which way to go - so I headed south and figured I'd wing it.
I did find my way back, after getting plenty lost and riding on a stretch of Sheridan road that is forbidden to bikes.. coincidentally it was the coolest little stretch I've ever ridden on - A short steep/twisty decent and a short steep/twisty ascent, dangerous with traffic though - I can see why its closed off. This ride turned into another century plus, not sure of exact mileage I was on 65 or so when my pants caught the derailleur - I set my bookbag on the top tube and I guess it caught the reset button on the computer... after that I was suffering so much I didn't care to check the mileage... and then I had to go to work!
That was just last week! I decided to skip the group ride this Saturday (today) after the heavy snow... I probably could have made it, the streets aren't as bad as I thought they would be... but I'm also whipped after having such fun with my latest purchase...
A Garmin edge 200! I'm so in love with Strava right now, after just a few days (see widget). I can't wait to try to top myself on all my favorite haunts - and I really want to get the KOM on a loop near the town I grew up in! I know I can do it!
Also I JUST ordered some pants tights... no more parachute pants catching the air and my chain! Also I JUST ordered a 12-23 rear cassette to replace my 11-30. The wide gearing kills me in the hills and flats alike, its hard to stay in my optimal cadence range - plus I've never used the biggest cogs on the rear cassette anyway... I only have a 50/36 up front.
Cant wait to have nice tight gears and I yearn for less leg and wind resistance that I hope tights will offer. I've learned so much and come so far in what seems like a long time, but it really hasn't been! I really can't believe I've only been on this bike for 2 months, and been riding clipless for a little less than that. I've become quite obsessed, but that's just how I am.
My hopes for the future are to enter and win a cat 5 race or 2 this year, and I'd like to make it to at least cat 3. If I can go higher I will strive for it, but now I'm just focusing on doing my best from diet to getting in the miles.
So here I am today, 27 years of age and 6'1" 175lbs of disproportionate mass (body builder legs and wimpy top according to my sister). I'll be adding to the great cycling blogosphere, and hopefully someone will enjoy reading what will hopefully be an interesting journey!
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