In the Throes of the Le Tour Challenge

I don't really know why I'm so obsessed with the Le Tour Challenge, but it probably has something to do with my love of analyzing cycling data and my desire to move up the leaderboard. For the uninitiated, participants ride during as many stage days of the Tour de France, then upload their ride data from their GPS devices. Your data only counts if it comes from a GPS device, which is only fair, and then your data is compared with data from all other participants, as well as the Tour cyclists.

Looking good so far—my Monday Cayuga Lake loop had me in 4th place overall for the stage and 9th overall, but now that my distances are more modest, I'm moving down in the standings a bit. Battling the high heat and humidity has been a bit of a challenge, but for some reason, the last two days have been really strong, and I've been able to stay hydrated throughout.  Yesterday was a typical Lansing loop, while today I took on Ringwood Rd. and Snyder Hill Rd. Surprisingly, both of those hill climbs were perfectly manageable, thanks largely to the shade from the forested land on the bulk of the steepest portions. I hope to ride almost every stage this year and take rest days during the Tour rest days, but we'll see.

Wednesday, Stage 4 Data

Thursday, Stage 5 Data

Cayuga Lake Loop in the Humid 90s

My quest to bike five of the finger lakes this summer encountered a roadblock last Thursday, due to yet another mechanical problem. I drove off to Watkins Glen to take on Seneca Lake, but only made it 25 miles when one of my rear spokes broke. I haven't broken a spoke in years, but I think the numerous rude railroad crossings did me in. 20-spoke racing wheels go way out of true when you lose a spoke, so no amount of loosening of brakes allowed me to proceed. Thankfully the amazing Chuck bailed me out, driving all the way to the Mr. Twistees in Dresden to pick me up. It was a perfect day for a ride, with low humidity and temperatures in the low 60s, so I was actually chilly while I waited and took in the view of the Seneca Meadows landfill in the distance. I marveled at the steady stream of garbage trucks heading toward the enormous landfill, and wondered how long it took to get so big.

After calling around ten bike shops around the state in vain for an aero spoke for my Mavic Aksium wheel,  I was pleased to learn that once again, Swan's had just what I was looking for. Keith was incredibly helpful in getting my wheel perfectly trued, and he used his very cool Park Spoke Tension Meter to set spoke tension accurately before doing the final truing. I love learning new things about bike repair, and Keith is incredibly talented and very willing to share his knowledge.

Today I continued my finger lakes quest undeterred, with the goal of tackling the Cayuga Lake loop, a long but familiar ride. If I really spent the time to study the forecast, I might have reconsidered, as the temperatures were blazing in the mid-90s with no relief from the sun. On balance, I'm glad that I went, in spite of the fact that I was suffering quite a bit between miles 50 and 75. I packed a sandwich, clif gels, power bars, and two bottles, and made just two stops along the way, one in Union Springs for liquids, and one at Taughannock for water and a quick dip in Cayuga Lake.

Somehow I thought that substantial weight loss meant that I could handle intense heat and high humidity better, which is probably the case, but I don't remember hurting so bad on a ride in a long time. In spite of stretching, I cramped up in my thighs and in my stomach, and generally flailed around for an hour or so before recovering somewhat. While I'm still a bit cramped, I'm not even close to understanding what cyclists in The Tour de France are going through daily, as they punish their bodies and ride to the edge of exhaustion, only to line up the next day for more pain, and that's not even factoring in all of the crashes in the early stages. It may sound foolishly romantic, but I think that regularly riding to the edge of your abilities is good medicine for the spirit. Perhaps that's what I'm really addicted to, in addition to the endorphins!

Stats:

Distance: 86.28 miles

Avg. speed: 19.8 mph

Vertical ascent: 4059 ft.

Calories burned: 6069 kcal

Max. speed: 37.7 mph

Time: 4:21:14

Mid-Season Assessment

Yesterday we were blessed with perfect cycling conditions, with temperature in the upper 60s, low humidity, a nice breeze, and endless views for miles from the top of Ringwood Rd., unobstructed by the haze so prevalent during the summer months. I enjoyed a fun training ride with my friend Bruce, who is new to road biking. He's a remarkably quick study, and soon he'll be burning up all the glorious hills in the region.

As I was advising Bruce on his setup, adjusting seat height and handlebar angle, swapping saddles,  and cleaning the drivetrain, I was reminded of how much I have yet to learn in the realm of bike mechanics. I noticed that when I move the handlebars from left to right, my wheel locks into the middle position, which can't be good. After a little bit of online research, I found out that this problem is referred to as "indexed steering." The headset bearings tend to remain in one position (straight in line with the frame) much more than any other, and the bearings wear depressions in the bearing races. While I'm stressing a little about causing more damage or losing the ability to easily turn, I also welcome the opportunity to learn about headset bearing maintenance and replacement.

Now that I'm four months into the nine month cycling season, it's time for a mid-season assessment. My goal is to at least ride 4500 miles this season, but of late, vertical ascent stats have become even more important to me than mileage.

Overall Stats, March 6-June 29, 2010:
Mileage: 2180 miles
Vertical Ascent: 124,827 ft.
Calories Burned: 146,700 kcal

Here's where I've cycled so far this season:

Mileage per Month:

Vertical Ascent per Month:

I'm fairly pleased with these stats, and look forward to some longer summer rides. Tomorrow it'll either be Cayuga Lake or Keuka Lake, though Cayuga is the more likely choice. This is to fulfill my random goal of biking at least five of the finger lakes this season. Owasco is already crossed off the list, so now comes Cayuga, Keuka, Seneca and...to be determined.

Yesterday's ride with Bruce:

Marketing Madness

Summer vacation means skimming back issues of Bicycling Magazine for helpful tips on nutrition, training,  and gear. Some little tidbits are most helpful, like the suggestion to line up the tire logo with the valve stem, in order to make it easier to search for bits of glass or metal. (Why didn't I know that?) It's always gratifying to read a suggestion that you already follow, based on intuition, but there's always helpful knowledge to be gained, that will improve the quality of your riding.

Of course this glossy magazine couldn't exist without substantial advertising revenue, but the ads are the part that really gets me down. I paid $1500 for my bike, a generic, very comfortable carbon fiber road frame (made in Taiwan along with 90+% of all contemporary road bikes) equipped with ultegra components, FSA hollow carbon crank, and entry-level Mavic Aksium wheels. Sure, my ride isn't nearly as fancy as the majority of bikes that I see at the races, but aside from the wheels, it's certainly not slowing me down and I have no complaints whatsoever. If I wanted to substantially improve my bike, I would have to invest somewhere between $600 and $1600 on a new ultralight wheelset, and that pricetag doesn't include tires and a cassette. If you didn't do research and used Bicycling Magazine's reviews and ads exclusively to guide your purchasing decisions, you'd think that you'd need to spend 3 grand or more on a road bike or just deciding to buy much less bike. Sadly, I believe that many would-be cyclists are scared away by the daunting pricetag.

It seems as though the big bike manufacturers are determined to keep those of us with limited bank accounts just out of reach, but I guess someone has to subsidize those expensive glossy ads in Bicycling Magazine! First time buyers or those people looking for their first new bike in many years can be easily confused by their visits to local bike shops or researching online. The forums such as roadbikereview.com can be equal parts helpful and confusing, and if you're like me, parting with $1500 or more on a product sight unseen is a worrisome prospect. Fortunately those of us living in the Finger Lakes region have a shop like Swan's cyclery, where we can get a reality check and have access to much more reasonable options and some thoughtful advise from the most avid cyclists around. And if Swan's is too long of a trek for you, the best option is to seek out lots of advise from friends or folks who publish independent reviews online. I finally make my decision after a very helpful e-mail exchange with someone who bought the same bike that I was interested in. Knowing that my bike was all I was hoping it would be removed all stress except for the obvious concerns about damage during shipping.

So don't let the ads and reviews get you down—you CAN get lots of bike for under 2K. Just keep your head on straight, do good research, talk to your cycling fanatic friends and don't believe the hype.

At Last, A Long Ride

While there are certainly lots of stresses in the life of a K-12 educator, summer vacation is unquestionably one of the greatest benefits, especially if you have young children. Our summer vacation is starting off on a great note, with lots of parties, special events, camps and trips to Taughannock park to look forward to.

I just returned from Taughannock with the boys, where we enjoyed a refreshing afternoon swim, and this morning I was able to at last go on my first longer ride of the year, a 78 mile trek that took me through Lansing, Locke and Moravia, then along gorgeous Owasco Lake to Auburn and back. This was only my second time on this route, and I forgot how spectacular the lake views are. The road conditions on Rt. 38 heading north to Auburn left something to be desired, but the weekday traffic was light enough not to really matter.

I was deep into my velotrance as I passed through the town of Scipio. For a minute I forgot how to pronounce the name of this small town, so I started playing word association, thinking about the gritty movie Serpico, then when I remembered that it was pronounced "skippy-o," I started imagining a fictional goofy Skippy peanut butter TV commercial. Ah, the mental ramblings of and endorphin-fueled mind! Serpico, Skippy-o, let's work the whole thing out.

My pace ware really good today, and I was averaging around 20 mph when I hit Auburn, just after 9 am. The return trip was a little challenging, with some unexpected climbs on Rockefeller Rd. (did they name it that in hopes of getting some money from his estate for road improvement?), and then one hell of a climb up Lamphier Rd., heading east out of Locke. That sucker was around a 14% grade at the steepest section, and I knew it was coming up, though it didn't make it any easier, especially considering the fact that this came along at the 60 mile point of the ride. This detail from Ride With GPS shows the 14% grade wall, which is the equivalent of eating a big bowl of wasabi.

This was my longest ride without stopping, though I did have to get off the bike for a few minutes because the thoughtless person living at this house on Sharpsteen Rd. in Lansing didn't see the importance of having her dog on a leash or behind a fence. Let's just say that we exchanged some sharp words (no, no obscenities, but some very direct and forceful statements and gesticulations), as she failed to recognize the importance of corralling her barking, chasing dog (not to mention her goats). Get a clue, lady! After chasing me, her dog then chased a car, so I had to wait until all traffic was out of the picture. Finally a neighbor helped out, but by this point I was fully enraged and adrenalized, which did help boost my speed in the final miles!

In spite of the dreaded doggy incident, this was a strong and memorable ride. Now I know that all of my training translates to riding strong for a long stretch without stopping, which means I'm ready for longer races if I so choose. And thanks to the overcast skies and cooler temps, I came home with water left in my bottles!

Stats:
Distance: 77.76 miles
Average Speed: 19.7 mph
Vertical Ascent: 3530 ft.
Top Speed: 37.7 mph
Calories burned: 5607 kcal
Time: 3 hrs., 56 min., 42 sec.
Conditions: overcast then sunny, low humidity, upper 60s and lower 70s

2K Goal Met

It sure felt good to make my goal of 2,000 miles before summer vacation. Last night I chose a longer solo ride over racing—riding alone felt like the right decision, given my state of mind and my desire to make an arbitrary goal. Conditions were rainy and blustery, but the rain was intermittent, so it wasn't miserable at all. Once again, I chose the lovely lightly trafficked rural roads of Lansing, Locke and Genoa with a small extension to the previous ride in this direction.

In addition to topping 2K, I'm just under 115,000 vertical feet of climbing for the year, which I think is the more valuable stat. While I haven't set a goal for the year, I'm hoping that I'll be closing in on 4,500 miles by November.

Baden-Württemberg Memories

On my heavenly solo evening excursion through Lansing, Locke and East Genoa, I connected with a long-lost memory from 29 years ago in southern Germany. As I was riding on Breed and Lane roads heading toward East Genoa with stunning views of rolling hills forever toward my north and west and a picture-perfect sunset in the distance, I caught a waft of sweet smelling manure, and suddenly I was transported back to Baden-Würtemberg in the summer of 1981. That was the summer that I worked for my grandfather's printing and silkscreening company in Ulm, and spent all other spare moments on my uncle Martin's moped, exploring the beautiful rolling hills that look surprisingly similar to our finger lakes geography.

Unfortunately, only moments later I encountered another memory that partially neutralized the memory of the pastoral rolling hills of southern Germany. I was attacked by gnats, which were getting into my ears, eyes, mouth and nose! That brought back distinctive memories of cycling on the recreational trail on the west side of Buffalo near Niagara river, where sandflies used to swarm me in the evening.