Decision made - focus on riding

For the last several days I have been toying with the idea of possibly competing in the Pumpkinman Sprint Triathlon coming this October.  I've been looking at where I am and where I want to go fitness-wise and trying to decide if I want to put my limited time over the next few months into a multi-sport effort, or if I want to focus on one sport.  I've decided to focus on one sport for this year, but I will do Pumpkinman in 2014.

With the upcoming rides and a few more I want to do in the next year, I think I should focus on improving both my speed and stamina on the bike.  I want to get to a point where the 100 MON next year is no problem.  I want to be able to do the Tour De Cure and other events without being the last rider.  In order to do that I have to be more disciplined and focused on riding.  Besides I enjoy riding so much more than running that I'm more likely to do it.

I've spent a lot of time over the last few day reading other's report on rides they've done.  From Fatty's epic 10 part (so far) report of the Rockwell relay (Part One here) to a few of the other teams reports like team Crankenstein and Team Keep It Clean.  I've also read all of the 100 MON reports that Fatty has posted.  These have all inspired me to ride more.

Add to those stories various journals on Crazy Guy On A Bike and there is a real desire to improve my ability to ride longer distance and to experience more of this country from my saddle.  Andy Peat's journal of going south from SanDiego through Central and South America is really inspiring.  Especially his images from Macchu Picchu.  Mark and Julie Lovegood's Transam journal on a Pinot tandem is inspiring as well.  All the people they've met and the kindness shared restores my faith in the goodness of people.  Then there is Bobby and Thane's journal of their Transam journey.  Their insights and passion for meeting the people and rejoicing in the freedom and ability to tour is infectious.  That they are from Michigan makes them kindred spirits.that they only met less than a year before starting their tour is just astounding and shows great faith in each other.

These journals make me want to improve my abilities so I can get out there on the road and experience some of this first hand.

So Starting now, I have new goals and a plan for improvement.  Acknowledging that it is just too blasted hot to ride during the day, I will get out at least 3 times per week for the next couple of months.  These will be early morning rides to hopefully beat the heat.  Once we have some cooler weather, probably about mid-September,  I will be increasing this to 5 rides per week.  I am still planning on hitting my goal of riding 2013 miles this calendar year.  I realize I am a bit behind where I wanted to be, but there is still 1/2 a year to make that up.

Get out there and ride your bike!

Cycle touring

The open road, no set schedule, seeing the country at a slow pace, meeting people and learning their stories - these are all the things I think about when I think about touring by bicycle.  Reading others' journals of their journeys across the country, even across continents makes me want to get out on two wheels and see what its all about.

Of course at this point I am in no position to do some of the epic rides I've read about. Between work and family commitments and the fact that my longest ride in the last 30 years has been a mere 22 miles, the likelihood of my touring is very low.  At least for the near future.  I think that will change, though.

My plan is to build up to longer rides and tours.  I would love to be doing multi-day rides by the end of the year.  I know it won't be as tough or as much of an accomplishment as what Bill Saint-Onge has done and plans on doing this year, but it will still be great!  the journals on Crazy Guy On A Bike (CGOAB) are so inspiring!

I would love to take weekend or even week long "tours" using my home as a starting and ending point.  Maybe do a ride from home, up to Reno or LA and back just to do it.  Lots of thought and planning has to be done before I start my touring career, though.  Not only do I have to get myself in shape physically, but i know I will need a trusty steed to ride and I don't have faith in my Diamondback for any real distance.

I would love to find a sturdy, dependable steel framed bike with beefy tires and strong wheels, able to haul 500 or 600 lbs and with a decent gearing.  Oh and all of this for under $500.  What do you think - is there such a beast out there?  If not, there might be a business idea!

Keep riding!

Some times you just have to do it

This is something I have to remember.  Often lately I find myself thinking about riding, about how I should head out towards Red Rock canyon and put in some miles.  Of course I usually have these thoughts while not in a position to actually go out and ride.  I have these thoughts while I'm working away at my desk in the office, or while getting ready for bed in the evenings, but rarely do I think this when I have the time and opportunity to actually ride.

Yesterday was an exception.  It was President's Day and since where I work treats this as a holiday I was sitting at home and it occurred to me, as I am reading cycling journals on CrazyGuyOnABike.com, that I shouldn't be thinking about riding, I should be riding.  Reading how Bill Saint Onge rode the northern reaches of Quebec and Labrador last summer, or how the Genner Family is touring all of South America as a family, have really inspired me to, in the words of Freddy Mercury "Get on my bike and ride!" So I got into my riding gear, threw a Powerade into the bottle holder and headed out.  There was a light breeze and the temp were close to 60 degrees a beautiful day for a ride.

I took the long way out to Blue Diamond road and then started uphill towards Red Rock Canyon.  It was a work out, let me tell you.Only saw one or two other cyclists on Blue Diamond Road, but once I got to Highway 159 and made the turn towards Red Rock Canyon that changed.  Many other cyclists were out enjoying the weather.

I crossed the cattle guard and headed toward the gypsum mine and the steeper climb there.  Of course i decided to drop into my middle ring and dropped my chain.  It reminded me that I've had issues with the front derailleur since they replace the crank for me last year.  I just can't seem to get it adjusted right. I suspect the rings are slightly closer together than the Suntour were and that is why the index shifting is off.  Going to have to take it and see if a professional can improve things for me.

Anyway I got the chain back on in short order and made it past the mine and continued on past Blue Diamond itself.  Just as I approached the road into Blue Diamond a group of about 20 riders come out and headed towards Red Rock Canyon in front of me.  It took only a couple of minutes for them to disappear ahead of me.

At just over 10 miles into the ride I stopped.  It appeared that the road headed slightly down hill ahead of me and I decided that the downhill would be nice, but the uphill coming back would be a bit more work than I was ready for, so I made the decision to head back home.

Now the advantage to my route is that it is pretty much up hill all the way out until I turn around, which makes it downhill all the way home.  This is the pay off for all of the hard work.  I rode 10.28 miles in 1:13 to get to the turn around point.  I made it the 8.3 miles back home in just 31 minutes.  It might have been quicker were it not for the headwind of about 10 miles an hour.

Here is the map of my ride:

Once I got home I thought about the ride and how much I enjoyed being out there.