Monthly Archives: April 2014

Return to Sebring

Posted on by
Reply

I am looking forward to spending a spring weekend rolling around the hills, lakes and orange groves of Sebring, FL  with Ken and company from the Highland Pedalers. Two metric centuries should be just what I need to dislodge my fitness worries and add some much need miles to my base. I wouldn’t call the regular diet of rollers climbing, but the grades are just enough to shake you loose from the peloton should you arrive unprepared.  

The Highland Pedalers proudly host the Everglades Bicycle Club providing route marking, ride marshals and SAG for the EBC Spring Break Weekend. The routes are well marked, the rest stops are well stocked and the people are friendly. What I really dig about the weekend is the rural countryside we cruise around for a few hours each day.

If you are looking at getting the hell out of Miami for a weekend of countryside riding, pack up the SUV Wednesday night, skip work at 1:00 and head north to Sebring.

That’s what I will be doing.

Wasted

Posted on by
Reply

The day after a big ride can sometimes leave you without your mojo. Gym rats don’t get it. Tell a gym rat you were cooked after a hard 75 mile ride and they will ask, “are you sore?”  These guys don’t understand. An endurance athlete doles out the effort over four to five hours, exhausting energy stores of glycogen, draining his will, depleting his very soul.

No I am not sore, I am wasted.

Almost like a hangover, you pull yourself out of bed moving slow and deliberate. The mind in a haze, simple tasks take your entire focus. You slide your tongue across the roof of your dry sticky mouth to confirm the headache you feel is caused by dehydration. This is the kind of dehydration that takes an entire day to cure. After a few hours you give in and take some NSAIDS for relief. Staring off into the distance you keep telling yourself, “I have to ride. Just 30-40 miles will be good. Just go easy”. Then nothing, you don’t move an inch. Almost paralyzed you keep staring while feelings of guilt however strong cannot motivate you to ride. Your body knows what it needs and it is taking control.

Last night I spent an hour in the gym with Thomas providing direction. Today, I am a little sore…but I am not wasted.

Easter’s Best

Posted on by
Reply

Riding out on Saturday I came across Alex Labora returning from his morning jaunt. He was kind enough to roll in my direction for a while providing enough time to catch up and make plans to ride Sunday’s regular ride to Gorgio’s. This ride is usually pretty spirited and with the winds we have been enduring lately the lactic acid will flow.  Whether out front pulling or sucking wheel there will be little respite, no quarter for the weary.

The thought of Sunday’s effort made me rethink my Saturday mileage. I can feel Thomas’ Friday evening strength training on my legs while anticipating sixty at tempo while keeping cadence at 90-100. At Deerfield I topped off the hydration supply and squeezed in a bit of honey to fuel the Mito. I have changed my onboard nutrition towards the simple. Tea, lemon, and honey fill the bidons while a concentrated mixture inside a recycled EFS bottle is nestled in my right jersey pocket at the ready for quick refuels. The legs feel fine so the original sixty stay as planned.

20140419_152738

The return home consisted of a series of chases as I encountered solo riders en route. These carrots help me keep the pace high while maintaining my target cadence. Road construction forced me to ride some rough tarmac laden with debris. A quick fix following a flat was executed in the shade of the mangroves lining the sidewalk. A bench makes for light work by limiting time spent bent over the wheel. Five miles later while rolling through the city the rear tire took another hit. This time a serious gash was torn into the sidewall. Application of a Knog Porno Patch to the inside of the tire and a Park Super Patch to the tube had me mounting the wheel in less than 5 min.

Knog Patch

20140419_193414In a fit of hunger I pan roasted chicken breast in herbs and GI then quickly dispensed with it. My simple on board nutrition leaves me little in the tank post ride and my restricted diet does not provide for quick fixes like recovery bars and drinks. As my hunger subsides so does my aggressive sense of urgency. No time to relax, must rush to the LBS to restock on tires and tubes. I prefer the comfort of a 24mm width tire. This store had only 23mm, so after some muttering under my breath, an impulse buy has me carting home a couple of Continental Grand Prix 4000… in Yellow! I am sure the racing thoroughbreds will be scoffing as yellow is exclusively reserved for the wearer of the maillot jaune, the leader of Le Tour.  “Sometimes as cigar is just a cigar”. I just like yellow.

 

Pm006

Saturday night I changed two tires while simultaneously cooking dinner for Renate and me. Who says men don’t multitask. Dinner was delicious. The wheels look great. A quick chain cleaning completes the Mooney’s preparation for Sunday’s ride.

 

 

 

 

 

Pm003As it turns out, I did not wake early enough to join the group ride. Good thing too. The legs were well worn and a decision to keep the ride down to two hours was a prudent one. Still the bike looks great wearing it’s Easter’s Best.

 

2014 Six Gap Century

Posted on by
Reply

It may be premature, but I am setting my sites on the Six-Gap Century in September. It seems almost idiotic that this is the result of surviving a four day training block without any residual Sciatica pain. Friday night I cruised through the gym, Saturday I put in forty miles with decent results and Sunday I turned in another forty-two. Tonight’s gym workout finishes the four day block.

Planning out the annual training calendar is always exciting. You look forward with childlike enthusiasm at the coming months. Free from the pain of injury, the stress created by deadlines, the concern of time consumed by family affairs and free from self doubt, all is possible. Soon you have a Grandfondo scheduled every weekend and a training schedule that looks more like a professional race calendar. More than a little pruning produces a more realistic calendar and promises to keep Renate from going AWOL.

So that’s it.

The 2014 Six Gap Century.

One big event to focus on.

Everything else is training.

The ride consists of eleven thousand feet of climbing over six mountain passes with none tougher than Hogpen Gap averaging a 7% grade over seven miles. Your thoughts transcend reality as Hogpen slows you to a crawl while expending maximum effort. Once you crest the gap you descend at break neck speeds while experiencing a freefall into fear.  

Oh yes please, more…more of this.

Good Biker

Posted on by
Reply

I am going on my 15th month of Base Training.

Consistency has been difficult with sickness and injuries plaguing my return to the bike. Returning Sciatica pain is my current obstacle to progression. This time it took five days to overcome and consisted of 2-3 waves of excruciating pain per day lasting 60-90 minutes long.  Ibuprofen doesn’t touch the pain and doctors won’t prescribe the good stuff. You just have to curl up into the prone position with a pillow between the legs and deal with it. Sciatica has introduced a whole new level of suffering for me. After the painfest, it has taken me a few weeks of light training to return to workable condition and have the confidence to start base training again.

So April I begin all over again.

Yesterday’s ride started slow while a steady headwind kept the effort higher than the MPH would indicate. On a time schedule, I turned around after an hour and headed home. Construction detours lead me onto traffic heavy South Bayshore Drive. Before long a fellow rider rolled up behind me dressed in Discovery Channel kit from the late 90’s. Apparently annoyed at my pace, he veered erratically left in a small gap between cars and started passing a bus on the left while its left turn signals were blinking then ran a red light. I caught up with him at the next red light where he was impatiently waiting for the obstructing traffic to clear. The light turned green while I rolled by blurting out, “not the brightest bulb in the box,  are yah”.

The Discovery rider, apparently pissed, rode by at a brisk paceand without thinking, I gave chase. “What are you doing?” I asked myself in disbelief. “You are not the guy rider you were in 2012, let him go – this is BASE TRAINING”. Before I could quit I caught his wheel.

He poked his head up from his effort to forget me and noticed I was on him. He then commences to attempt to ride me off his wheel. To my surprise, he cannot and so he begins playing track style cat and mouse. Dart to the left, sprint, Zig right, Zag left. I remained the tenacious cat exhausting his prey. Disgusted he could not drop me, he slows thinking he will jump on my wheel when I pass. His move fully anticipated, my mind and drive train were prepared for a full on sprint. With Cars to the left, the road narrowed to fit only one bike. I knew the idiot had pigeon holed himself. Out of the saddle, I launched myself passed him and into the narrow gap between car and sidewalk. A red light would soon shorten the affair. Discovery rider had once again decided to pass cars on the left into oncoming traffic and travelled through the intersection at speed without concern for the red light nor the cars swerving to avoid collision.

For a moment I watched him as his image waned. I wanted to chase and wondered wantonly if I should have ditched the red light myself. Then a SUV pulls up alongside with his window down…

“You’re a Good Biker “, he exclaims.