Winter Cycling: Saved from the Trainer!

After resigning myself to the dreaded trainer, Andy Goodell inspired me to reconsider winter cycling after I read about his ambitious adventures. During the holiday break I broke out the crappy old mountain bike and surprised myself. I guess the hard work is really paying off, because in spite of only being able to use the large chainring (lots of chain slip), I was able to still climb up to Lansing and Forest Home with relative ease.

I started off the winter cycling routine somewhat modestly, but thanks to dry roads and sufficient winter cycling gear I kept upping my distances. On Dec. 26th I rode in 16 degree weather, and managed not to freeze, thanks to my dreamy new mittens and the fact that climbing was involved. On yesterday's ride, lower back pain was a clear indication that the mountain bike wasn't the way to go, so I pulled out the trusty old Miyata 1000 touring bike. I was surprised by how good it felt—it's been almost two years since I rode the Miyata. Then today I decided to test the brand new Mavic Ksyrium front wheel on the 28-year-old touring bike, and it was a truly revelatory experience.

Today was a glorious day, with temperatures in the mid 40s, and after my hillclimb, I met up with a FLCC group organized by Andrejs Ozolins for a short ride to Buttermilk Falls. How great to spend the last day of 2010 on the bike! Final mileage for the year: 5220. It was nice to see Jim, Wayne, Ron, Andrejs and Andy.

Tomorrow's weather promises some rain and continued moderating temperatures, so if the rain washes the salt off the road I'm taking the road bike out on Sunday, my first ride of the new year.

Full-fledged Withdrawal Leads To (gulp) Running!

'Tis the season for cycling withdrawal, and it's never hit me this bad before. Last season I even felt a secret bit of relief when the road salt ended my season, but this year I'm just fit to be tied. While I'm hoping that my 2011 road biking season will start in early May like last year, I shouldn't expect such good fortune. After years of rejoicing at the first sight of snow and celebrating any and every bit of wintery mix, today I confessed to a friend of my hope for drenching rains, followed by several days of sun and warmth. 

Hope alone won't get me through the off-season, so instead I have refined my off-season strategies. The first stage was to save up for a really good wheelset, which I finally picked up last weekend. The new Mavic Ksyrium Elites are sitting in a box under the tree, a marvel of industrial design. The anticipation of testing out what shaving nearly one pound of rotational weight off of my ride will really keep me excited and inspired in the next few months. Comparing the Ksyrium and Aksium wheels side by side, you can really see the differences and refinements, though the Aksiums have held up quite well after nearly 10K miles. Beefier hubs, wider spokes, 18 spokes up front (as opposed to 20 on the Aksiums), and the inter spoke milling are all obvious differences and improvements. I did the math, and the weight savings cost me approx. $45 per ounce, though since rotational weight is evidently three times as valuable as fixed weight, you can argue that it costs $15 per ounce! Either way, I look forward to comparing ride stats next season to see if I can increase my average speeds.

My other off-season survival strategy has been to dramatically increase the cross training. I've been doing a combination of EA active (Wii Fit-based workouts), riding the trainer, swimming and running. I've always hated running, but in the last few days I've noticed some changes. My roundabout walk/jog to school has been supplemented with a 2.4 mile lunchtime walk up Kline Rd to Highland and over to Hanshaw, Devon, and Renwick, a climb of almost 400 ft. After several days of gradually increasing the running, today I ran the whole course. My body is still getting used to the pounding, but as long as the roads stay clear, it's not horrible, and all that fresh air and daylight is so welcome during these short days.

Not Quite Ready to Call it a Season

It's been an embarrassingly long while since my last blog post, and though my priorities have been necessarily elsewhere in the last few months, the cycling blog will undoubtedly continue. As the season wound down, I was seizing every last opportunity to squeeze in a ride, but the writing is on the wall—I have perhaps half a dozen rides left before road salt and ice will drive me to off-season activities. 

Last season I felt a certain amount of panic toward the end of the season that I didn't want to see end. This year, however the addition of some carefully selected winter cycling wear has led to a much more relaxed tail end of the year. I know now that I can comfortably go riding in the low 30s without getting too cold, and damn, do those cold weather trips feel great!

My goal for the year was 4500 miles, which I easily exceeded, thanks to my obsessive quest for yet another ride. What a satisfying season—lots to reflect on in the coming three off-season months. Hopefully I'll be back on the roads in early March, if next spring is anything like this spring. In the meantime, I'm off to Glenn Swan's to get my second chain of the year, and then in a month or so, I'll be upgrading to a Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheelset! I can't wait to see what happens when I lose close to 500 grams (.88 pounds) of rotational weight...

A Reminder of the Joys of Group Rides

While I truly enjoy and appreciate my solo rides, it's hard to beat a good group ride, especially when the cyclists are well-matched and no one rides off of the front and disappears. Add kindness and good cheer to the mix and you have a road biking experience that can't be beat. Also, when someone else chooses the route, it helps me to get out of my routine. I'm feeling so fortunate to have finally found this great group to ride with, and look forward to more adventures in less familiar territory.

Today I had the distinct pleasure of riding with Steve, Travis, Stephanie, Liz, Garth and Ashu, and we headed out to Lansing, then took Cobb Rd. to Moravia. Moravia seems to be a pretty popular crossroads for Finger Lakes cyclists, and it makes sense, since it's a connecting point to Auburn, Owasco Lake, and some gorgeous country with challenging hill climbs. Climbing out of Moravia on the aptly named Long Hill Rd. was an exhilarating challenge, with 570 ft. of ascent spread over 1.5 miles. This hill was around an average 9% grade, which was similar to Ringwood Rd. in terms of distance and elevation gain. The rolling hills that followed took us to right past the Hazard Public Library in Poplar Ridge. I was tempted to get on a ladder and add an extra z to their very cool sign.

The return trip took us back on the familiar 34B through King Ferry and Lansing, and we had a most excellent tailwind that brought us back to our starting point in Cayuga Heights in short order. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day in mid-October, and now that I'm three miles away from making my 4500 mile goal for the year, any and all road biking this season is yummy fluff.

Finally, AIDS Ride for Life 2010 Recap

From left to right, Walt, Steve, me, John and Hank. Taken by Mary Kaminsky right after arriving at Cass Park at 12:00 noon. Precisely.

It's been almost a month since the 2010 AIDS Ride for Life, and so before I forget any more details, finally here is a brief summary of yet another inspiring event. Thanks again to all of you who sponsored me and supported the Southern Tier AIDS Program. (Just a little disclaimer: Please note that I fully recognize that the AIDS Ride for Life is not a race! It just happens that group at the front of the pack tends to treat the last third of the ride as a fun competitive challenge.)

The weather was gorgeous, albeit a wee bit chilly, so I headed out with arm warmers and the hope that the day would warm up quickly. I had the chills pretty bad as I waited around at the Stewart Park pavilion, trying desperately to find a way of warming up. There were so many familiar and friendly faces, and the opening ceremonies once again reminded us all of our family members, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. (By the way, The Southern Tier AIDS Program will gladly accept donations any time of the year, and if you're not familiar with this terrific agency, just follow the link to learn about their many programs for an 8-county region of Central New York and the Southern Tier.)

We left at 7 am after a somber ceremony, and I headed out in the front of the pack and was quite surprised that I had no company until just before King Ferry, about 20 miles into the century, when I was joined by three cyclists who were not participating in the AIDS ride—they coincidentally chose to ride a century around the lake that day. (I found out later that the Out Spokin' group stopped to help a teammate who had a flat.) Included in this trio was Changxi, a Cornell Cycling Club and Tuesday night races regular, and a really nice guy. These gents kept me company until Union Springs, at which point Changxi and I dropped the others and were joined by Matt, a young, relatively new and very strong rider.

The three of us led the pack until the 55 mile point, when Changzi had a minor mechanical incident and went off the road. While he was surveying his body and bike for possible damage, I noticed the formidable train of strong cyclists heading our way. We took off quickly, but it didn't take long before we were caught, which was good news for my average speed and spirits. I felt great that I was able to ride strong with this bunch of riders, some from the Out Spokin' team, as well as a few Glenn Swan/Chris Cookies teammates. This group included Walt and Steve (Out Spokin') and John and Hank who you see in the photo.

From the 65 mile point, we were pacelining at a really good clip with about a dozen riders in the mix. By this time the weather was absolutely perfect, with only a light breeze, no humidity, and temps in the mid 60s. Hank was an incredibly strong and inspiring rider who effortlessly worked his way up and down the paceline, providing valuable coaching about when to slow down and when to accelerate. Thanks to the paceline and Hank's great coaching, we were able to maintain a very strong and consistent pace right to the end.

We stopped briefly for a nature break and a quick snack at Thee Amish Village, and then headed out for the last stretch. (I was off the bike for a cumulative 12 minutes.) Our lead group kept getting whittled down until there were about eight of us heading up that last tough Glenwood Pines hill, which is much easier if it's not coming at the 95 mile point of a century ride! After the climb, I looked back and realized that Hank and I gapped the rest of the group, but I had no time to think about this, since Hank turned on the afterburners and dropped me like a stone! He graciously allowed me to catch him, but as soon as I caught his wheel he dropped me again, and the once more just before we arrived at Cass Park.

Hank and I at the Cass Park finish line.

As you can see by this photo, I was only about 50 feet from Hank as we arrived at Cass Park, and needless to say, I was totally elated! This was by far the best single day I ever spent on a bike, and it was a real high point for my season. Fortunately I'll have plenty of opportunities to ride with this fun and friendly group next summer and on occasional weekend rides in between.

Hank and I arrived at precisely 12:00 noon, and we averaged 20.8 mph for the century, 1.1 mph faster than my last year's average. After downing my new favorite miracle substance Hammer Recoverite, followed by a restorative massage, then a beer and some kalamari with my new friends, I must say that I've rarely felt more alive!

Cascadilla Hill Climb

The annual Cascadilla Hill Climb was my last race of the year. Much like a tennis tournament, Glenn Swan paired up riders with similar abilities, and they faced off on the .35 mile, 204 vertical ft. climb up Cascadilla Park Place, the prettiest street in Ithaca, with plenty of switchbacks and steep bits. 


I won the first round, lost the second (against Peter Ozolins with an electric assist bike), won the third and fourth rounds, and finally lost my 5th round. By then I was just thankful that it was over. I love hills, but riding full bore on this ascent over and over was fairly brutal. I can't wait 'til next year, however!

8,000 Miles

It's official: I've logged 8,000 miles on my road bike since I bought it in April, '09. My bike has cost me 31 cents per mile, including accessories, upgrades, tires, tubes and repairs. Also, it comes to $48 for each pound I lost in the last 1 1/2 years. Pretty good economics, eh?