Chasing the Endorphins | A Blog for Bikers

2011 600K Delavan, WI Brevet

2011-06-09T15:15:00.006-06:00

Friday

I arrived in Delavan around 4:30 pm, and noticed Mike Geuss was already there. Checking in they were going to put me upstairs, and I asked if they could give me a first floor room. Luckily they had one left, and it had a frig too. I saw Mike, he had taken a nap, and said he was going to eat at Perkins. I went to Chili’s again. That place really is a pretty crappy place to eat. But, Delavan doesn’t give you any better options. Only fast food places, or so called restaurants like Chili’s or Perkins.

After dinner, saw Mike talking to Thomas, so I went over to say hello. The parking lot had more cars in it, and I could tell more cyclists had arrived.

Went to bed around 9pm. All my stuff was laid out for the 6am start. Including my stuff for the Sunday morning 200K portion of the 600K.

Saturday

Got dressed, walked outside around 5am to check the weather, and I could already tell it was going to hot. At least, I didn’t need to carry a lot stuff, like on the 400K, due to the warm weather. Next, I ate breakfast. I always bring food with me for the mornings. Then I went and picked up my Brevet control card, and cue sheet, which was three pages long.

After doing a few more things in my room, I headed out to the parking lot with my bike. By now, around 5:40am, the parking lot was full of riders, getting their bikes ready. I saw people I knew, from other Brevets, as well as people I know from Illinois, like Eric Peterson, Mike Geuss and Jon Batek. I walked over to say hi to Jon Batek. He was still getting ready so I didn’t stay long.

Next, Jim Kreps the person who runs the Brevets out of Delavan, inspected my gear, to make sure I had front and rear lights, including a reflective vest.

Jim gave his usual instructions speech, and at 6am, we headed out. I should note, that the 600K was just one of the Brevets offered on Saturday. So, at 6am, the 400K and 600K riders departed, seven riders did the 400K, and 13 were doing the 600K. At 7am, the 200K and 300K riders departed, going a different direction.

The 600K is a long ride, in miles it equals 373.9, but I unfortunately rode some extra miles on Sunday, thinking I was lost. So I ended up with 380 miles. And because of the length of this ride, I’m just going to report on the highlights, rather than describe the 35 hours it took me to complete the 600K.

Highlights

Upon leaving the start, we had a headwind, heading south towards Illinois. I took off, and was alone for a little while. After a few turns, I finally saw the A group coming up behind me. When they caught me, and I knew they would, Mike said “you looked lonely all by yourself.” When they went by, I grabbed a wheel, and rode with them for the next 35 miles. Most everyone took turns pulling, and despite the slight headwind, the temperature was still pretty cool. After falling off the back on purpose, I waived goodbye to Mike.

Arriving at the first control, in Kirkland, IL, the wind really picked up, and it was getting hot. The A group was long gone, but shortly after I arrived, Jon, and then Eric arrived, along with some others. Eric wanted to do his own thing, so Jon and I took off.

Jon and I coming up over this little rise into Oregon, IL, we see a rider off his bike. It was Mike, I couldn’t believe it. Apparently, Mike got a little to close to Bryce’s rear skewer, and it just shredded most of his carbon spokes, on his front wheel. He was lucky he didn’t go down. At the same time, some stranger in a minivan offered Mike a ride to the control Oregon, IL.

When Jon and I got to the Oregon, IL control, Mike was there, with his very messed up front wheel. Soon, Eric and others started to arrive. Mike had called Jim Kreps, and Jim was there to take Mike to a bike shop. At this point, it was getting really hot, around 89°. We asked Eric if he wanted to ride with us, he said “no, go on” - Eric looked really hot, and just bought a bunch a food to eat too.

Jon and I headed out, and now the hills start heading towards Wisconsin. It’s getting hot, and before the first climb out of Oregon, IL, I can really feel the heat. Same on the next climb. I told Jon, I’m going to take it slow. Passing Byron nuke plant, I thought it was raining, or trying too. But, it was just the water vapor from the cooling towers. Jon and I passed a group of about five riders, near the nuke plant, and our next stop was Pecatonica, IL. Pecatonica is a not a control, but an optional stop for water/food, and because of the heat, we needed water. The stretch from Oregon, IL to Brodhead, WI is the longest, about 65 miles, and was really rough with the heat. I would pour water on my head to cool off, which means less to drink.

When we arrived Brodhead, I was toast, I think Jon was hurting too. The heat on the 600K made it really hard, and it was hard not to run out of water, before you reached the next control. Anyway, at Brodhead, besides drinking a lot, I needed to do something about my body heat. I asked gal behind the counter if they sold safety pins. She thought they did, but no such luck. But, she happened to have one, and the right size too, nice and large. So, before Jon and I took off, I took one of my arm warmers, and filled it with ice. Then wrapped it around my neck, and used the safety pin to keep in place.

Our next control was Evansville, WI, and the ice in my arm warmer worked for most of the way. Though, leaving Brodhead, we picked another rider, Glen from MN. He was also in the A group, but fell off like me. Heading to Evansville was also hard, mostly again because of the heat. I was going very slow, around 12 mph. When we arrived in Evansville, it was around 6pm, and it was still 90° out. The high of the day was 95° plus. Paul Danhaus and his girlfriend were there, riding the tandem. The A group was no longer, well I knew Bryce was still out in front, and most likely Scott.

I ate some real food in Evansville, and also started to cramp up. So, I asked Jon, if I could borrow a couple of his Endurolytes. I was using Infinit, but apparently I was loosing a lot of salt. I could tell, since my bibs/jersey was covered in salt. Just back on the road headed to New Glarus, my right cramps up, and stopped quickly. I guess the Endurolytes hadn’t kicked in yet. After riding slow for a bit, my leg was okay. Off to New Glarus.

The temperature was starting to drop a little, so we were able to ride a bit faster. Though still hurting from the heat of the day, I still had to take it easy on the climbs. And there’s even more coming into New Glarus.

To my surprise, we were doing better than I thought time wise. Of course we didn’t get lost, since John had a GPS. Paul Danhaus and his girlfriend were there, and now they looked really fried. We put on our lights and reflective gear, and left for Oregon, WI. After climbing some rather steep hills, it flattened out a bit, and we pushed up the pace. Even in the dark, on the good roads, we were moving right along at speeds up to 24 mph. The cooler temps made a huge difference.

Paul Danhaus and his girlfriend were still at the Oregon, WI control when we arrived. Fueled up, and took off for Edgerton.

Coming into Edgerton, we were still making good time. Off in the distance, we saw red taillights. Jon thought it was a car, but it was actually the tandem.

Edgerton, what a sight. It’s now around a 11:30pm, still pretty good time wise. At the control we saw Paul Danhaus and his girlfriend. While waiting by my bike, some guy comes over to me, and wanted to know about my lights. He was also surprised to see bikes at night. We talked awhile. He’s from the area, and is a mountain biker. He said he has done 24 hour MTB rides so he felt our pain. After riding another 29 miles, back to Delavan, we arrived at 1:45am. Not bad, considering the heat, and 250 miles of riding.

Jon, Glen and I said good night, and I brought my bike into my room, after getting my control card stamped.

Went to McDonald’s, by car, which is right next store to the Super 8 hotel, since only the drive in is open. Bought some food, brought it back to the room, and started to eat. After a couple of bites, I thought I was going to hurl. I think I was border line for heat stroke. So, I took a shower, put on some bag balm, and went to bed.

Sunday (highlights continued)

After 3.5 hours of sleep, I got up, got dressed, ate a yogurt, which went down okay, some infinit, and headed out for the last 200K. Jon and Glen took off earlier, so I was solo. Which was fine, I needed to ride solo, and at my own pace. The sun was out, and the temps weren’t bad, yet. The first stop was at East Troy, WI. I felt pretty good. The lack of sleep wasn’t an issue. About halfway to East Troy, I’m coming to the crest of this hill, and up the other side was Bryce, solo. He rode all night, only stopping at the hotel to have his card stamped, and to get some things. It was great to see him. He yelled out “good job”, and that helped.

When I arrived at the East Troy control, no one was there, meaning other riders. Got my card stamped, and pushed on to Whitewater.

Heading to Whitewater, the cue sheet wasn’t very good, and there were not enough arrows on the road. It was very confusing, to say the least. Anyway, I thought I was on the right road, but I wasn’t sure. So, I decided to ride back to where I saw the last arrow. Which involved more climbing. I found the arrow, and decided I should just stay on Bluff road, and see what happens. I’m riding, and riding and I’m getting worried. Then I see this woman jogging. I asked her if she knew where Whitewater was, she did, and she was sure, if I stayed on Bluff, it would lead me to Whitewater. Sure enough, about a mile or so, I start to see more arrows. That woman was very nice, but she was also doing a 100 run that day - there was some endurance run going on.

Made it to Whitewater, and still no other riders. Shortly after leaving the Whitewater control, I see Jon riding towards me. He stopped and we talked a bit. Good to see him. He said he couldn’t sleep (in the back of his van), so he left around 4am, I think. Next, I saw Scott, and then later Glen riding towards me. Though before I saw Glen, I thought I was lost again. So, I flagged down this cop, who showed me on a map where I was, and how to get to Jefferson, WI. He was very nice, and lucky I saw him.

I arrived in Jefferson, the halfway point, yes! By now, it’s in the 90’s again. My sunburn is hurting, and I need to eat something. An ice cream bar and quart of Gatorade. Filled up my water bottle, and took off for the last 62 miles. About eight miles from Jefferson I see some riders coming towards me. It was the remaining 600K group. Michelle from MN, doing this 600K for training, and behind her three guys, that I don’t really know. It was nice to know I wasn’t the last person out there.

Back in Whitewater, I ate the same thing, before pushing on. I’m back now on Bluff road, and some parts of it were just crap, in fact, lots of bad road surfaces on the 200K portion. Now, I’m riding even slower, not because of the miles, the lack of sleep, or terrain, it was the heat once again. While on Bluff, this rider coming towards me calls out my name. I thought that was odd at first, but I realized it was Rob Schaller. Rob was just out for ride. I know Rob from the Brevets, and the 24 hour ride in Grand Rapids, MI, as well as through Eric. We talked for a bit. He asked if I wanted company, I said I was riding very slow, and wanted to ride solo. So, we both went our separate ways.

When I got to East Troy, the last control before Delavan, which is a McDonald’s, I got a large Coke, and fries. Shortly, after leaving, I see Rob again. This time we ride back to Delavan together, since he parked his car at the Super 8. I was really hurting from the heat - major sunburn, and somewhat dehydrated, and not able to ride fast, so Rob slowed down. It was nice he was there for my last 10 miles.

When we arrived the parking lot was pretty empty. Rob took the photos of me. I let Rob use my shower, since I was staying until Monday morning. I drank my chocolate milk, while waiting for Rob. After Rob left, I took a shower and went to bed. About an hour later, I was starting to get warm, so I went to ice maker, and got some ice. Put the ice in a towel, to help cool my body down, plus drank more cold water, and turned the AC up. It helped a lot, but my sunburn was really hurting.

This was my first 600K, though I have done the National 24 hour ride twice now, the 600K I think is a tougher. Anyway, it was a great feeling to finish this one. Next up, PBP in August, a 1,200K - yikes!

Some stats (some from Jon’s GPS -
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/90471846):
You have 40 hours to complete the 600K, I finished in 35 hours. I had 3.5 hours of sleep, which is included in the 35 hours.
Total Miles: 380
Elevation Gain: 13,350 ft
Max Grade: 14%
Calories burned: 21,354 approximately
Moving Time: 24:23:56
Avg Speed: 12 mph
Avg Moving Speed: 15.6 mph

8 of 13 completed. (26:40 to 38:01). One guy ended up in the Monroe, WI ER with heat stroke

2011 400K Brevet out of Delavan, WI

2011-06-01T08:53:00.002-06:00

Friday
Arrived around 4:30pm at the Super 8. Checked in, got my gear ready. Walked outside around 5:45pm and saw that Mike Geuss had arrived. Mike didn’t want to eat at Chili’s again, so he went to Perkins. In bed early, since the start time was 6am.

Saturday
At 6am we took off. Some riders were doing the 400K and some the 600K – about 25 riders in all. Though those doing the 600K, do the same 400K route as well. Then a 200K route on Sunday. Though some ride straight through. Since it’s Wisconsin, I’m not crazy about riding all night.

The 400K route this year took us into Illinois. From Delavan we headed to Kirkland, IL. We had a headwind, and some light rain on this stretch. I rode with the A group for around 38 miles, and decided to back off a bit. Arriving in Kirkland, I was surprised to see the A group at the control.

It was starting to get warm, and the sun was coming out. Got my card stamped and back on the road. About five miles out, I wasn’t sure about this one turn, and I saw two riders coming up behind me. It was the guys in the Danhaus kits, Mike and John. They said “we go straight.” From that point on, I ended up riding with them the rest of the way.

We were starting to pickup that tailwind, heading into Oregon, IL. As you’re approaching Oregon, you can see the Bryon nuke plant off in the distance. This was also about the same time, John who’s in front yells out dog, and the next thing I know, I’m on the ground. We were taking turns pulling, and I was in the back. I tried to avoid hitting Mike, but since I was carrying so much shit in my large bag, I couldn’t balance very well. I hate that setup. I plan on getting a better system.

Anyway, Mike and John came over, held my bike. They said, “don’t worry about the bike, check yourself out first.” Good advice, and except for some minor road rash, and some minor bike damage, I was able to continue. This all happened around mile 73. I was worried, I did not want to DNF, since it’s the year of PBP.

Oregon was familiar since I had been there before on Eric’s double century last year. We found the control, got our cards stamped and took off, I the wrong direction. We only went about a 100 yards, before we figured out we were going in the wrong direction. Back on track, we crossed the Rock river, and then started to climb up some pretty good hills. Once on top, away from the river, we could see the nuke plant again. In fact we ended up riding completely around it.

The stretch from Oregon to Brodhead was the longest of the day, about 60 miles. We stopped in Pecatonica, IL, for a break, and to refuel. This was also an optional food stop. Brodhead was now 33 miles away, and it was getting warm out. We had a lot of rollers at this point, and coming down one, we missed a right hand turn. Some farmer had cut the grass on the side of the road, and the grass covered up the turn arrow. Mike finally asked someone for directions. We ended up going about 15 miles more than we needed to. Approaching the turn we missed, we saw the tandem going in the right direction. The couple on the tandem were from Ohio, and I have seen them before on the 24 hour race, in Michigan. They were doing the 600K. It was great to be back in Wisconsin, and we were about halfway now.

At this point, except for Mike, John, that couple on the tandem, myself, and Jason, who arrived after we did, there was no one else. I know there was about seven riders in front of us, leaving a bunch behind us.

Our next stop was Evansville and the wind was with us. After leaving Evansville, we soon picked up Jason, and the four of us rode into New Glarus. In New Glarus, we put on our lights and reflective gear, as it was around 7:30pm. I suggested that we all stay together, since it’s safer to ride as a group, at night. Leaving New Glarus, the route sort of back tracks the way we came in, but not before your climb this monster of a hill. After the hill, and within about a mile, I see a rider coming towards us. It was Eric. I wasn’t sure where he was, but it was good to see him at that point.

Now we’re on our way to Oregon, Wisconsin, riding in the dark. But, at least it was pretty warm out, and no rain. From this point on, there are still plenty of hills, but no real monster climbs.

From Oregon to Edgerton was pretty uneventful. One intersection was a bit unclear, but we figured it out. Coming through downtown Edgerton, there were some asshole punks, drinking beer outside of the bars. Yelling at us. At that point Mike, told me about this racer he knows in Colorado. He said, the racer along with some other racers were at an intersection, and some dick, in a car, taps is rear wheel, with the car bumper. On purpose, for a joke. Well, the racer didn’t think it was funny at all, and took his bike and threw it through the front window of the car. I guess, he spent the next seven hours at the police station, explaining to police his side of the story.

Arriving at the control in Edgerton, was a good feeling. We got there about 11pm I think. About 11:30 we were back on the bikes, just as the tandem was arriving. I remember the guy saying, “this is just crazy.” Soon, my rear tire didn’t feel right, sure enough, I had a flat. I think it was a pinch flat, since I couldn’t find anything, and there were some potholes. Anyway, everyone waited for me, and helped too.

Back on the road, the tire held, and we all pushed on to Delavan. With about 26 miles to go now, we were moving pretty slow, around 11 – 16 mph. There was also a headwind. We arrived in Delavan just minutes after 2am.

Stats
Miles: 265.26
Hours on the bike: 16:30:23
Average Speed: 16
Max. Speed: 37.5
Average Grade: 2%
Max. Grade: 14%
Elevation Gain: 11,000 ft.

2011 300K Brevet out of Delavan, WI

2011-05-09T11:44:00.007-06:00

Friday

Arrived at the Super 8 Hotel, and saw Mike unpacking his car. After getting settled Mike and I went to dinner. Eric wasn’t able to join us for dinner, since he’s working again, and wasn’t able to get up to Delavan until around 9pm.

Saturday

The 300K started at 7am, with about 30 riders doing the 300K, and a few doing the 200K. At the start time, it was cloudy, with some rain clouds off in the distance. We had a tailwind heading out to Brodhead. Mike and Bryce were up in the front, along with Jon, Scott and a few others. I had on my rain jacket, before the start, which was a good thing. It kept me warm, but it also started to rain about five miles out. Mike actually put on his rain jacket while riding, doing like 20 mph. Others around him, gave him some extra room, just in case – despite his good bike handling skills.

The rain didn’t last long, and it was warming up, but slowly. I soon fell back, and watched the A group ride off into the distance. About 15-20 minutes later Jim pulls along side of me. We talked for a bit. He asked, why I wasn’t with the A group. I told him I was pacing myself.

Brodhead Control

When I arrived at Brodhead, Jim was there and few others. Mike was long gone. I waited for Eric to arrive. He was running late, since he was still getting ready, when the group left the start at 7am. Eric and I left Brodhead and caught up with this couple, who we met last year on the 400K. Then the four of us bridged the gap to a group of riders, who were also doing the 300K. Our next control was New Glarus, and all eight of us arrived at the New Glarus control together.

New Glarus Control

Jim and Paul were still at the control when we arrived. While there, three other riders, just out for a ride pulled up. They rode out from Madison, and they knew Paul, and some of the guys in the group. They were Randonneurs, at least they looked the part, bikes and all. One guy crewed for Paul, when Paul did RAAM. They just stopped at the gas station to pick up some beer, to drink, before heading back to Madison. They said they wanted to carbo-load. It was a 12-pack of Hamms. I asked "no Wisconsin beer?" One guy said, "cheap beer is the best beer."

Eric and I took off from the New Glarus control, and soon saw Jim and Paul. Paul had a plastic rear fender (on his tandem), that was coming off. Eric gave him a zip tie, which fixed it. Now, we’re on our way to Barneveld, the hard way. The hills just got harder the closer we got to Barneveld. At this point everyone rode at their own pace.

Barneveld Control

When I arrived at the Barneveld control. Jim and Paul were there, including that couple. This was pretty much the halfway point. After using the washroom, and mixing up some additional Infinit, Eric arrived. I think he said he was toast. Eric and I took off. Now, there was a headwind, but the sun was out, and we were heading back. Unfortunately, we were not finished with the hills, at least the bigger ones. From Barneveld to Mt. Horeb, is mostly uphill. I had to stop coming into Mt. Horeb, to take off my rain jacket. I was getting too hot, now that the sun was out. It gave Eric a chance to take care of a hot spot.

The guys that we were riding with earlier came by, and we soon caught up to them. Just before entering the downtown area of Mt. Horeb, I see Jon Batek sitting in the grass, looking pissed off. He seemed like he was waiting for someone, so we didn’t stop. I would have stopped if he needed me to stop. Turns out he broke is crank five miles out of Mt. Horeb, and walked back, and coasted back when he could. He was waiting for Jim Kreps to pick him up.

After leaving Mt. Horeb, on our way to Oregon, the big hills came back into play. Again, everyone rode at their own pace.

Oregon Control

Arriving at the Oregon control, Paul was just leaving. After getting my card signed and stamped, Eric pulled in. Everyone was getting tried, and one guy took a short nap on the sidewalk, though he was having stomach issues too. Eric wanted to do his own thing, and told me to go ahead and ride with those guys. I took off before they did, but they finally caught me, about halfway to Edgerton.

Edgerton Control

When we arrived at Edgerton, that couple was there. They were toast. We all left together, with the idea of riding together, back to Delavan. Within about two miles, the pace line fell apart. The couple fell back, the guy with the stomach issues, fell way back too. I stayed with the remaining group, but I also decided to back off the pace.
Then that couple passed me. Then they stopped about 15 miles out of Delavan, to turn on their tail lights. I also stopped, did the same and took off. I was able to pick up the pace a bit, and soon I could barely see their headlights. I arrived in Delavan around 8:45pm, and glad be to back.

After getting my control card stamped for the last time, I put my bike in the room, and went to get some food. I brought my food into the lobby, and talked with Jim Kreps, and some other riders. That couple had just gotten back. Jim was telling me about the events of the day. Turns out two riders (doing the 300K) finished under 12 hours. I figured one had to be Bryce, and I was not really surprised the other turned out to be Mike. Anyway, it was very impressive.

I waited around for Eric to arrive. He finally pulled in around 9:30pm (with six riders still out, when he arrived). He said he fell asleep at the control in Oregon, while laying in the sun. Which I have to say, is what Brevets are really about. It’s not how fast you are, they're about having fun on your bike, enjoying the scenery, and finishing – within the time allowed.

Ride stats:
My ride time: 13:45
Time on the bike: 12:09
Average Speed: 15.8
Max Speed: 36
Total Miles: 192.2 (the control said 190.9, were as the cue sheet said 187.5, so I’m sticking to my 192.2)
Elevation Gain: 7,795 ft via GPS (otherwise if you use Topo6, it's more like 10,534 ft)
Average Grade: 3%
Max Grade: 12%

Other:
Four DNFs - one mechanical, two got tired, one had nutrition issues.
Mike said he burned around 7,000 calories. So, saying that, since I was slower, I'll assume I burned 6K. I drank about 12 hours of Infinit, about one quart of Gatorade, one and half Cliff bars, and about 3/4 of gallon of water. Eric still isn't sure about that Infinit stuff. I have to say, if I wasn't using it, I would have been toast. I still would have finished, but it would have been much harder.

Mike's Report

Jon's Report

2011 200K Brevet out of Delavan, WI

2011-04-25T12:59:00.004-06:00

Friday

When I arrived at the Super 8 around 4:30pm, I wasn’t the first one there. I saw Mike’s car, and one other car I recognized. Eric arrived before 6pm, and after getting settled in, Eric, Mike and I went to dinner. It was cold and raining, as we drove over to our usual Italian restaurant, only to find it was out of business. Delavan, is looking a little rough around the edges.

So, we ended up going to Chili’s – I don’t like eating at corporate chain restaurants, oh well. Mike ate tones of food, then again his body fat is around 6%.

Saturday

The 200K Brevet start was at 7am. The rain was gone, though it was cloudy, windy, and a little cold – typical. Before heading out we had time to talk with other riders that we knew. Dan and Kae where there, Jon Batek, Larry Gorey – all in all about 70 riders - only four were doing the 300K.

Heading out the we had a strong headwind until the first control. I was in the front for awhile, but soon realized it wasn’t going to be my day. Lack of miles, and no pasta the night before. So, on the way to Brodhead, I was riding alone, and with others off and on. Saw Eric, until his group stopped because of flat.

Got to Brodhead (Mike was long gone), got my card stamped/signed, and left almost right away, after seeing Eric. My plan was to ride the route hard, and only stop for a few seconds at each control. Well that didn’t work out to well. After leaving Brodhead, I took the wrong turn, which was the 300K turn. I should have gone straight. So, I’m riding, and riding into the wind, and up more hills, when I said, “shit this can’t be right.” So, I stopped this car, and asked if they knew where Evansville was. They said, “that way,” the direction I had come from. Fortunately, I had a strong tailwind, so I made good time getting back to the small town called Albany. Though, before I got to Albany, I saw a rider, who was doing the 300K, and I also asked him, how to get to Evansville. At an intersection in Albany, there was this old guy sitting by the road, smoking a cigarette. I asked him, “do you know where Evansville is?” He said, “go down this road about four miles, and take a left at the stop sign.” The road wasn’t great, and no shoulder, with a speed limit of 55mph, but I had a really strong tailwind now, and I just hammered it. I finally saw a sign for Evansville, then the intersection. I was feeling better now.

I turned left, and into a side wind. When I arrived Evansville, I saw another rider heading out, I turned right onto the main drag, and saw the control. At this point, only a few riders were there. Eric was long gone, but I was glad to be back on course.

The next control was Oregon. There was a strong head wind on the stretch heading to Oregon. I finally saw a rider in the distance, and caught up to him. There were quite a number of riders at Oregon. Used the bathroom, got my card stamped, and some water, mixed up four more hours of Infinit, and took off. After climbing another hill, the wind turned into a strong tailwind at last. I started to see more riders on the way to Edgerton, passing most of them.

Arriving at the control in Edgerton, I was surprised to see how many riders were still there. Larry and most of his group were there, along with Paul and his girlfriend I think, who were riding a tandem. I got my card stamped, and left when Paul and his group took off. It was nice to be back riding with others, and on the home stretch.

We had a strong tailwind, and the sun was out. After 8:30 hours of riding, I was back at the Super 8. When I arrived, Mike and Eric asked, “what happened?”

Highlights / stats:
Miles: ended up with 142 miles, rather than the 124
Ride time: 8:30 hours, same as last year, even with the bonus miles
Average speed: 16.7mph
Riding solo: about 90% of the time

Other:
Dan and Kae got lost too, and arrived about an hour or so after me

As far as I know, there some DNFs. One guy, was SAG’ed in, and other by an ambulance. The guy in the ambulance, we know. He’s in his mid-60’s, and an accomplished rider, Brevets, PBP, PACTour, etc. Apparently, he was approaching this Y intersection, where he had the right of way, and this car either didn’t stop, and/or didn’t see him. He hit the car doing 20mph, while the car was doing 50mph. Basically, him slammed into the car, sideways, then he flipped over the car, and landed on his feet, then on his ass. I did not see it, but, he’s very lucky. He was released from the hospital, the same day (I guess) with a broken right hand, some stitches and very bruised legs. Talk about lucky.

Officially: 61 riders finished the 200K (65 started) - only three women rode.

San Jose, California – The Bay area, some of the best riding anywhere.

2010-09-04T18:36:00.009-06:00

My brother who turned 50 this year, lives in San Jose, CA and is also a cyclist. So, it was a good reason to visit him, and get in some very serious climbing/descending.

I like to climb, and I have ridden many of the hard climbs in Wisconsin, and some in Michigan over the years. And even Mount Lemmon in Tucson, AZ. But, the routes my brother took me on, made the others seem like nothing. Plus, I have never experienced such hardcore technical descents before. I thought Mount Lemmon was technical, but not compared to the hills around San Jose.

I arrived in San Jose on Friday afternoon, the weather was perfect, and after arriving at my brother’s home, we headed over to pick-up my rental bike at http://www.svcyclingcenter.com/

I thought the bike was going to be a carbon frame, but it was aluminum. The bike was a Cyfac, the frame was fine, but it wasn’t a Moots, and the fit was poor. I’m not complaining, because without the bike, I wouldn’t have been able to ride the amazing routes. With tax, the rental bike came to $164, for the two days. Actually, we rode on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for a total of 123.7, and climbed 11,088 feet. So, I think I got my monies worth. For those who have done the Horrible Hilly, WI, forget about it, CA is harder, then again it’s all relative.

Redwood Gulch Ride

On Friday, we only had a couple of hours to ride, since we got a late start, and we needed to get back for dinner. Friday, I got a taste of what was to come on Saturday and Sunday. We rode up to Redwood Gulch, you can see my brother’s Garmin data here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/46587970?sms_ss=email

I wish I had brought my camera, oh well.

Tunitas Creek Ride
Ride Data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/46587957?sms_ss=email

We headed out around 8:15am, and about 2 miles into the ride, we hooked up with some other riders, my brother knows. The 5 of us (Christian Paquet, a Belgium, my brother, Paul, Wim Van Schooten, and me) continued on heading northwest towards Stanford. This road is very popular, you’ll see hundreds of cyclists, no joke. One thing about the Bay area, it’s a mecca for cycling. I need to repeat this word, mecca! I have never seen so many cyclists in my 6 years of cycling. Bike lanes on every road, including bike sensors for bikes, at red lights. From what I could tell, it doesn’t matter what kind of bike you have, because it works off of your crank. Plus, all intersections have cross walk buttons.

The first climb of the day, went through the woods, dotted with very upscale homes. This climb I was told (by Christian) is a must ride in the Bay area, as Eric Heiden, has ridden this climb in like 14 minutes – most average riders do it in around 30 minutes.

At the top, we waited for Wim, before heading down a very technical descent. A one lane narrow road, and if you took the turn too wide, you’d fall over the side. It wasn’t straight down, rather about a 45° drop off, around 100 feet to the bottom.

This road finally dumped out onto a two lane highway, but you’re still descending, till La Honda, from La Honda to the Pacific coast it was downhill, with some slight up hills, plus a headwind. The view was fantastic, it was an usually clear day, and you could see the ocean, and the cliffs. From there we headed to Tunitas Creek road. Once there we had a rest stop. There was no town to speak of, but there was this store/bar, and a bike friendly stop. They gave you free water, bike stand, etc. When we arrived, there was a trainer, with about 12 riders, all looking worried about what was coming next. Which was the Tunitas Creek climb. The Tour de California does this climb, so pretty cool. The trainer dude, along with his group, left before us. Next we also stopped at the Bike Hut (as seen in Bicycling magazine and on Facebook).

After regrouping at the Bike Hut, we started the climb, 6 miles if I recall. I was going at my own pace, and let me brother, Paul and Christian pull away. Soon, I saw the group the trainer was coaching. I passed them all. This climb was mainly in the woods, very prehistoric, with the creek on the right hand side, and it got colder, the higher you went. As I was going up, the trainer would come down, looking for his people, then up again, passing me. Not the whole way down, mind you. Though, he was cool, he said, riding strong, a couple of times to me, as he was heading down. Note, I was wasn’t pushing myself on this trip – it was so beautiful, it was fun just to take it all in. Plus, the rental bike was killing my lower back, it wasn’t fun to ride it. Had I had my Moots, oh well. Next time, I ship my bike.

Once at the top, we waited for Wim, about 20 minutes. It was windy, and very cold, about 50°, in my book, maybe 48°. Glad I wore my Assos 851 jacket, with two base layers. It was a cold day in San Jose, that day, and unusual for August. Before Wim arrived, Christian said goodbye, he needed to back at a certain time. Paul, then lead the rest of us down this very technical descent, with a 180° turns. The lower we got, the warmer it became. That felt great.

Heading back the way we came, Wim’s cramps were getting worse. Those Dutch. Anyway, we all made it back. This was a truly epic route/ride.

Montebello Road Ride
Ride Data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/46919644?sms_ss=email

On Sunday, my brother and I just rode together. Of course, it was also the hardest climb of the trip. His 50th surprise birthday party was the night before, yet I had no hang over, he said he did, a little – maybe the belly dancer got to him. Nonetheless, we both rode easy. Montebello Road, is very close to his home, and a fantastic ride. It’s only a 23 mile route, but it’s a hardcore workout. There are third stages to this climb. The first stage has an average grade of 8%, halfway up, it levels out for a bit, then the second climb takes place, with an average grade of 6%. The views on the way up are fantastic. You also pass the Ridge Winery, towards the top. You can buy this wine in Illinois, and is very good. Like I said, we only rode 23 miles on Sunday, but it was the equivalent of say 50-60 miles in flat Illinois.

It was a great long weekend of riding some fantastic roads, and beautiful scenery. I have never ridden like this before, I now know the true meaning of technical. And why my brother is so strong – we simply have nothing that equals the climbing here in the Midwest (especially the descents), AZ too, at least what I saw in AZ back in 2007, when I was out there for the El Tour.

2010 National 24 Hour Challenge, Middleville, MI

2010-06-22T15:53:00.021-06:00

Friday

I arrived in Middleville around 5pm. Went to the Thornapple Kellogg Middle School to pick up my ride packet. Thornapple Kellogg Middle School is also where the ride takes place. While there, people were busy setting up there tents, gear, etc. It was very hot, and sunny. But, like last year a major storm came through later that night. So, tents went flying every where, and things got wet, at least that’s what I heard from other riders who camped.

After picking up the packet, I headed to my hotel room, in Grand Rapids, about 18 miles away. Had dinner, and went to bed around 10pm.

Photos by Allison Alonzo
(Thanks Allison for the photos, and asking me if I needed anything. Allison did not ride this year, she was crewing for her friend, Alison Murphy. The photos taken on the start of night loop.)

Saturday

Got up Saturday morning around 5am, got dressed, ate some food, and headed over to the start. If you’re not camping, you need to get there early, to get a good parking spot, near the start line. I ended up about a 150 feet from the start line. Also, since I didn’t have a crew, I needed my car to be close, since my trunk contained all my nutrition and gear.

The storms were gone, and the sun was coming up while I was getting my bike ready. During this time I saw Jim Hlavka - I rode with Jim this year in WI, on the 200K and 300K Brevets. Jim is a long time 24-hour rider, and just an outstanding rider, you would never know he’s 71. He has also done PBP.

I was already to go by around 7am. The start is at 8am, so I was just hanging around near the start line, watching other riders get ready. I happened to see Bryce Walsh, and talked to him for a bit. Bryce is one of those freaks of nature, I mean that in a good way. Meaning, he’s a hardcore ultra-cycling racer. He’s done RAAM, PBP, etc., etc. He was wearing his Vision Quest (VQ) kit, since he’s a part-time coach / trainer for VQ. I know Bryce, because I see him on the Brevets we do out of Delavan, WI. I also know him, because he coaches a friend of mine, Mike Geuss.

It’s getting closer to 8am, and even though this is not a sanctioned race, it certainly is not a recreational ride either, so I always get a little nervous, just a little mind you. But, that always goes away, as soon as the ride starts. Anyway, again, while waiting for the ride to start, this guy comes up to me, and says, “are you from IL?, is your name Rick?” Turns out he reads my Blog, and my ride report of the 2009 24-hour ride inspired him to try it. I thought that was pretty cool. His name is Richard, he’s 68, and is from Northern Michigan.

Ride Start

About 10 minutes before 8am, riders started to line up. I was near the front, and at 8am sharp, 352 riders from around the country and from four countries were off. There was the usual pace car out in front, and within minutes the front end of the peloton was snaking through the country roads, a beautiful sight. Soon the pace really picked up, 28 mph or so, and riders were making moves to find a group to ride with. As the A group pulled away, I was able to jump on the B group. Keep in mind the A and the B groups are rather small, I would guess the A group had about 30 riders, and about 20-25 in the B group. That means there are about 300 or so riders behind us, that I can no longer see.

First Loop (121.6 Miles)

This year I decided not to race the first loop. I was so fried last year, after finishing the the 121.6 miles, I had to rest for awhile, before heading out for the second loop, which cost me miles. So, after racing the first 71.5 miles, with the B group, I backed off and rode solo. Also, mile 71.5 is another control stop, and I had to use the bathroom, and the group doesn’t wait. Jim was also in the B group, as well as Al Muldoon, another long time 24-hour rider and a Brevet rider. The group averaged 21+ until the 71.5 mile control. One other thing, as we were getting closer towards the 71.5 mile control, we were picking up A group riders along the way.

As I was nearing the third control at mile 96.2, I see the pack of riders approaching behind, I said to myself, “where did they come from?” Once they came along side of me, one of the guys says, “Moooo ... I know you!” It was Keegan Greene. I met him last year at the 24-hour. I was wearing my Assos cow print jersey, hence the Moooo. It was a big hit at the 24-hour ride. Anyway, one of the guys said “jump on”, which was a nice little rest, even if it was only like two miles to the control.

When we arrived at the control, I took about a five minute break. It was pretty warm now that clouds had gone, and I needed to drink. I took off by myself, and got back to the school around 2pm I think. Though, about 10 miles out from the school another pack of riders were coming up behind me. It was one of those moments, when you realize where you’re at on the ladder of life or ability, in terms of cycling. Well it wasn’t the C group, if there was one, no it was the A group, what was left of it. They were on their first lap of the second loop. Of course Bryce was in the pack, I jumped on the back for a bit, but dropped off – only because I felt guilty for sucking their wheels.

Second Loop (23.7 Miles)

Before heading out for the second loop, I needed to eat and hydrate, so I went back to my car. I had all my stuff in coolers, including my Bag Balm. You need to keep that on ice, otherwise it turns into soup, in a hot trunk. (Speaking of Bag Balm, it’s just not for after along ride, I used it during the ride, before parts got sore, and things were much better than last year.) Last year, I was only able to do two laps, of loop two, this year I got in three. I would see riders who were still doing the first loop. On the third lap, I saw Richard, he was doing his first and only lap of loop two. You need to do one lap of loop two, in order to ride the night loop. Richard looked good, and was going for 200 miles, I’m sure he made his goal.

One last thing. While doing the second loop, I saw some A group guys who just blew up. One guy was holding this guys bike, while his friend was on the ground resting. Then another guy was on the side of road, bent over. He didn't look good either. Not sure how they did, meaning if they recovered enough to ride through the night.

Third Loop or Night Loop (5.5 Miles)

Before heading out on the night loop (around 8pm), I had to put on my lights. At 9pm, the lights went on, by around 9:30-10pm, it was very dark out. Since I like to wear a mirror, I popped my lenses out of my Rudy Project sunglasses, so I could see better. The night loop this year was shortened by two miles, due to road construction. All the corners of the night loop are blocked off by the police. Though, cars are still allowed on the roads, but hardly any at around 3am.

Some interesting things happened on the night loop this year. First, some people didn’t turn on their lights, and the police got after the event staff, which made them mad. Then, some riders were taking the right turns too wide, and again the police got after the event staff. Then as I was pulling into the control, a staff member was calling out rider numbers, apparently a group of racer boys, were doing something they shouldn’t have done, and they were disqualified. Stupid, all that effort wasted.

At around 2am, I was riding next to Paul Danhaus, another rider I know from doing the Brevets. Paul is also RAAM racer. He was riding a tandem, with a gal, not sure who she is. Anyway, fun to see folks that you know during the event. Paul’s crew chief was also a guy I know from the Brevets, though I’m sorry, I can’t remember his name.

The night loop is the most intense part of the 24-hour, and the most spectacular, with a never ending stream of lights. On the night loop you will see folks just riding at a pace they can maintain, and you’ll see some riders just screaming around the loop. Some riders will change out their wheel sets, to arrow wheels. One guy had a full disc wheel on his road bike. Others put on arrow helmets. Not sure if any of this helped them. Bryce had bolt on arrow bars, on his road bike. He was riding like the wind at around 4am. I would see Jim a lot on the course, and he would always say, “hey young man.”

I had some pretty ambitious goals this year, but I knew by midnight, there was no way to reach them. So, since I 304 last year, I had to at least do a little better this year. So once I reached 300+, around 5:15am I took a 15 minute break. Then headed back out for a few more laps. At around 6:35am, I was hitting the wall. Mostly due to my slacking off on my nutrition, and my left leg was starting to hurt. I should have pushed myself to do more laps, but it’s so easy to stop. I did make one goal, which was to ride until the sun was on my face. I’ve done that before, but not on this 24-hour ride, so I was happy about that.

Stats:

Day Miles: 192.7
Night Miles: 132
Total Miles: 324.7

Average: 16.6 mph (I need to get a better bike computer, or a Garmin.)
Time on the bike: about 19.58 hours (I didn’t realized my breaks added up to 2.5 hours. I quit at 6:40am, so I gave up some time there too.)

Average Grade: 1%
Max Grade: 8%
Elevation Gain: Roughly 6,000+
Miles riding without help from others: About 260 miles

Official N24 Stats:
Once again, overall rank was 35. Same as last year. I need to work harder next time. Though out of the 352 riders, that still puts me in the top 10%. And likewise in my age group, I'm also in the top 10. More to learn about ultra-cycling.

What I have learned

My goal was to ride 400 miles, and after doing this ride twice now, I know what it takes to do that. Besides the Brevets that I do, and all the centuries, I need to train harder. I need to be training like one does for PacTour Elite, or something close to it. My nutrition has improved since last year, but there’s still room for improvement. Next year is PBP, which I plan to do, and I would like to do the 24-hour again next year, I’ll see how things go, and if I really want to train that hard.

Woodstock, IL 2009 Cyclocross Race, Masters 50+

2009-11-23T18:58:00.019-06:00

I arrived around 8:20am in Woodstock, 10 minutes before registration opened. After paying my $10, race fee, since I pre-registered ($30), Ace found me. Ace is a friend mine who I ride with, his real name is Tom. Great guy, and he talked me into riding cyclocross.

While Tom was in the registration line, I rode the 2 mile course (as recon), and to be honest, I knew I had no chance. Anyone who says it’s not the bike is kidding. When it comes to racing, the bike really matters. I rode my Kona Jake which weighs around 25 lbs +, and sucks for racing. Saying that, I have a lot to learn about CX. You just can’t expect to be good at something you have no experience with. Five years on the road, doesn’t make one a CX rider or a MTB rider. Different skill sets.

Anyway, once Ace was ready to ride the course, again recon, I rode with him. The course was very hilly (one very fast descent), some mud, sharp turns, trees, and some paved trail riding. Only two barricades, which was good - since I’m new to this cycling sport, I don’t know how to dismount, then jump back on my bike - in one fluid motion. Bunny hopping would not be possible, on this course.

Once the race started I was riding near Ace, then passed him, until I took out the tape marking one section of the course (the corn maze section). It got stuck in my bike. Oh well. What a dork.

We both completed four two mile laps, and given the fact the judge/marshal before the start suggested our 50+ age group would only be able to do five laps - I was good with the four. Which was pretty much the case for all. I was pretty tired after four, on that crappy bike. Ace said he could taste blood after the ride, stud!

I found Ace after the ride, and this gal walks up to us, and says hey boys. Well sort of. Heather came out to see us, another friend. Unfortunately, she missed our awesome day on the course. We took some pics, then since there was no beer at the event, the three of us went to Pizza Hut (nearby) for some beer, before heading back.

Note: about 400 riders rode today, if you add up all the different races. Some “very” expensive CX bikes, and some “very” serious riders/racers. But, these folks are like MTB’ers, very nice, on and off the course.

Finally, this was Ace’s second CX race, this year, my first. And for both of us, we didn’t care about where we placed. Rather, it was just fun to be out there doing it!

2009 National 24-hour Challenge, Grand Rapids, MI

2009-06-25T12:54:00.038-06:00

Friday
I arrived in Middleville, MI at the Thornapple-Kellogg High School around 5:30pm. From 5:30pm to 9pm, you can pick-up your rider packet. The high school grounds were filled with tents, cars and lots of folks, when I arrived. Some were out riding their bikes. On my packet, they had my name as Jon, not sure how that happened. I hope the final results will have my correct name.

After picking up my packet, I drove to my hotel, about 14 miles away, in Grand Rapids. It was a Super 8 (located at 4855 28th Street SE), the price was right, but I won’t be staying there again. There's a Hilton across the street, I might try that next time.

Saturday

Thornapple-Kellogg High School (click photo to enlarge)

Around 7:30am (click photo to enlarge)

I got to the high school around 6am. The start time was 8am, so I had time to kill. Though, by getting there early, I was able to get a good parking spot. Which is important, you want to be near the control area, so you can get back to your car, and refuel or whatever.

I saw Jon Batek (he’s from Batavia, IL and I know him from the Brevets I do each year, out of Delavan, WI), I talked to him for a bit, then I took some photos. After that I got my bike ready. One thing I liked about the high school grounds, is you could put your bike anywhere, and no one is going to bother it.

Just before the start

Jon taking his helmet off at the start (click photo to enlarge)

Jon at the start (click photo to enlarge)

The start, looking back (click photo to enlarge)

At around 7:45am, I was at the start, right near the start line. Jon was there too. They have a public address system to announce the start. They also use it during the day to play music and to talk about the riders.

At 8am, we were off. The pace car took off, and right behind it were two recumbents going about 30mph. One recumbent rider, when he rides RAAM, always wins it. Behind the recumbents was the main field of at least 500 riders. Though, on the Challenge website (http://www.n24hc.org/event.html), it states 1,500, but that number also includes crew members.

The pace car will stay in front of the lead group (or fastest riders) for the whole first loop, which is 121.6 miles. At about mile three, I couldn’t hold the pace, since it takes me along time to warm up. But, I soon found a group of riders to hang with. The first 10 miles, the police have all the roads blocked off, so the cyclists can just fly. Also, you ride through some small town, and the local folks come out to cheer you on. Just like the Tour de Tucson, very cool. Before rolling through the small town, I was riding with around 25 guys. We were the B group, meaning there were riders in front of us, but we couldn’t see them. The A group contained the elite riders, and folks like Jon. One of Jon’s goals this year was to hang with the A group – and he did. There were also riders behind us (the bulk of the participants), but I couldn’t tell how far back they were.

Soon, before I knew it, the group hit the first checkpoint, at mile 34.4 mile. All the crews were there to hand food/water bottles to the riders. Since I didn’t have crew, I just got my control card punched (which is pinned to your jersey back) and continued on with the guys. We were only there for about 30 seconds. Back on the road, we were flying, even with the hills and headwinds. Not everyone in our group was pulling, but I was, and maybe too much. But, one guy said to me, “hey, 114” that was my number, “was that you upfront pulling?, nice work! So, that made my day.

At the 62 mile mark, our group was averaging 21.6 mph. When we reached the next checkpoint at mile 71.5, everyone took a longer break. That gave me enough time to fill up my water bottles. After getting my card punched, we were off again, after about five minutes. On our way to the next checkpoint, our group started to fall apart a bit. One guy flatted, some started to fall off the back. About five miles out from the last checkpoint before heading back to the main control area at the high school, I fell off the back. It was really on purpose, since if I stayed with the group, what was left of it, I was going to be really fried.

When I arrived at the 96.2 mile checkpoint, my bike computer was showing 100 miles. Not sure why it was more, than what was posted. At the first checkpoint, my bike computer was dead on. Anyway, my computer is one I trust, and we crossed the 100 mile mark in 4:55 hours. I was really happy with that. At the 96.2 mile checkpoint, I got my card punched, and then ate some fruit, took a couple of Endurolytes. The sun was out, and it was pretty hot. While taking a break, I saw one of the guys from our group, he was from Indiana. (I should note, this 24-hour Challenge attracts riders from all over the world, and from many states, and not just from the Midwest. Plus, you’ll find RAAM and Brevet riders there, racers too.)

If I remember correctly, the guy from Indiana - his name was Keegan Greene. Anyway, the two us rode back to the high school. The final leg of the 121.6 mile loop had some hills, and mostly a headwind. We took turns pulling, but I did more, since he looked tried. Plus, he said he can’t handle headwinds. When you arrive back at the high school, you get your card punched, and they remove the first loop strip. I went to my car to get more food, and after about 20 minutes, Keegan and I took off for Loop 2. Since this was Keegan’s third 24-hour ride, he knew the way to the second loop. That was a help, since it wasn’t too clear. Before you even get halfway into the second loop, which is 23.7 miles long, you have a checkpoint. I got my card punched, and told Keegan I needed to go alone. I wasn’t feeling great, and I needed to ride at my own pace. The 23.7 mile loop eventually connects to the 121.6 loop, and you ride the same roads back to the high school. As I connected with the 121.6 loop, I saw riders just coming back from the 121.6 loop or I should say, they were just finishing the last leg of the 121.6 mile loop.

After finishing one 23.7 mile loop, I got some more water, and headed out for another loop. (I saw Jon on my second 23.7 mile loop. He ended up doing five laps.) You’re required to do one loop, if you want to ride Loop 3, also known as the night loop. When I got back, after doing two 23.7 laps, I still wasn’t feeling great. I think most of my issues were due to the heat. Anyway, I asked a guy at the main control area, when you can start riding Loop 3. He told me 7:15pm. So, what to do? I still had time to ride more 23.7 loops, but Keegan told me you can really rack up the miles on Loop 3, since it’s mostly flat. So, I decided to take a break.

They were serving Sloppy Joe’s inside the school cafeteria, so I had some real food, which helped. Next, I went outside and sat down on one of the benches. While resting Allison Alonzo walked up. I know Allison from my bike club, back in Naperville, IL. We talked for a bit. She was headed in to take a shower, before heading out for the night loop. If I had taken a shower, I wasn’t getting back on the bike. Allison was going for 200 miles this year.

At 7:15pm, I hit Loop 3. The wind had died down a bit, but it was still there, and the sun was still out too. Before heading out, I put on my lights, including my helmet light, so I could see better, but also, so I could read my bike computer.

Click here to see a Flash diagram of Loop 3

After riding the night loop 18 times, I called it day, at 4:30am. In hindsight, I should have pushed myself more, and rode until 8am, when the event ends. I wasn't tired, though my ass was hurting. Unlike a Brevet, this event makes it easy to quit. Next year, knowing what I know now, I'm good for 360, maybe 400.

I can highly recommend this event. They do a fantastic job, and the night ride is very safe. They have police stopping traffic (which isn’t much, if any), so you can just blow threw the intersections/turns. Finally, this event is all about personal best. Lots of folks come out and never ride all night, or for that matter, they don’t even finish the first loop. And that’s okay. I think the reason this ride has a good turnout, is that it's really well organized and it's very safe. And that is always an appeal, to all riders, despite your experience.

Highlights:
Hanging with the B group from the mass start, and pulling. Plus, crossing the 100 mile mark, under five hours.

Riding at night, and seeing all the taillights, as well as the headlights heading back out. (I ran my lights from around 9pm until 4:30am. I also ran the helmet light at full power. The one on the handle bars, I would dial down, when the road was smooth, and back up to the control area. My lights are made by Dinotte, their LI - Endurance Series.)

I slept in my car after I turned in my card. The sun was just coming up (as I was heading back to my hotel), and there were many riders still on 7.5 mile loop. I was stopped by security, so some of riders could blow threw the intersection, like I did earlier. But, what was truly amazing, was I got to see the A group go by, or what was left of it. There were seven riders, the guy in front still had on his arrow helmet, and he had a full disc rear wheel. They crossed the intersection at around 24/26mph (WOW). Not sure where the guy was in that group, but he always wins, with 502 miles for the 24 hours.

No mechanicals or flats. But, I take good care of my bike.

Stats:
Official Miles: 304
CPU Miles: 313.46
Overall Average Speed: 16.3
Hours on the Bike: 18:06:22
Crew: None (A crew would help, but now that I have done this event, you really don’t need a crew. Maybe it’s the Brevet rider inside of me.)

Learn more about the National 24-hour Challenge at:
http://www.n24hc.org/index.html

The 2009 Delavan, WI 300K Brevet

2009-06-01T18:02:00.003-06:00

The 2009 300K Brevet was yet another test of endurance. Not because of the distance, but once again the weather.

At the 7am start, we had 37 riders. After Jim Krepps gave his instructions/encouragement, we took off. For the first 10 miles or so, I was riding with the A group into a really strong headwind, 20 – 30+ mph. Things were going well, then all of a sudden, I decided, screw this and fell back to ride alone – still not really sure why. It was sunny, but not very warm for my taste, I prefer 75°.

About 23+ miles from the first control stop, I saw this rider about a half a mile in front of me. I wasn’t sure it was a Brevet rider, but I soon caught up to him, and discovered it was. I could tell he was really hurting, and for good reason. When we hooked up, I found out he was just getting over the flu, and this was his first long ride in six years. Though, I’m sure he had been riding, before coming out to do the 300K. Though perhaps not. His name was Al Muldoon, and he has a lot of accomplishments. One of his accomplishments was riding the 24-Challenge in Grand Rapids, MI. Anyway, he said he rode 500 miles in 24-hours. When he told me this, and other stuff, he made a point, to say, “I’m not bragging or saying I’m some jerk for saying so”, and I told him, “I know, I understand.” Though, after looking up his stats, it wasn’t quite 500, more like 469, still very impressive.

Al also told me he routinely rode with Lon Haldeman, and that the Brevets, back in his day were very easy. Hmm, everything is relative. Al also told me he could ride 200 miles in 8 hours. Most likely on a tandem. In his defense, it was hard to hear in the strong headwind.

After, the first control stop, Al and I pushed on back into the headwind. Before getting to Verona, our second control stop, I was feeling like crap. I had know energy, and had nothing. My problem was nutrition, and hydration. I ate a good meal the night before and got plenty of sleep, but shit happens.

After regrouping in Verona, Al, and Kevin (who was with the A group), the three of us continued on to Sauk City. About five miles out, Al said he forgot to take a pee in Verona. So, instead of stopping he did a rolling pee – he use to be a racer too. Once we started to hit the Ironman course, on our way to Sauk City, I had nothing, and I can climb. So, Al and Kevin dropped me. That’s okay, I felt like doing my own thing.

I forget the road, but well before Sauk City, there was a secret control point. Larry was there to sign your control card. I asked him, how many in front of me, he said “only five”. Cool, I’m still in the B group. At mile 97, I realized I missed the turn to Sauk City. Now, I’m like in the C group. So, I turned around, and saw some other riders. I followed them to the turn I missed. It’s easy to miss the white arrows painted on the road. After some hard climbs, I finally arrived in Sauk City, though before arriving I saw the A group on their way back, then I saw Al and then Kevin.

I bought some food in Sauk City, and walked out back to my bike. This woman, comes out, and says, “sir, you didn’t pay”, oops! I guess I had other things on my mind. I chatted with some of the riders, before pushing on.

Back on the road to Delavan, I had a tailwind, finally, after 100 miles of a very strong headwind, and mostly solo.

When you turn around at Sauk City, you basically back track. Which means, the hills you flew down at about 40 mph, you need to climb back up. Though, after Verona, it’s mostly downhill, well sort of. In Verona, I saw some of the guys, I saw in Sauk City. But, I never saw them again until the finish.

On the way back from Verona, you need to ride through downtown Stoughton. As usual, they had a parade, though when I rode through it was over. But, the town was very busy with people and cars, so you had to be careful. Upon arriving in Stoughton, I came across this rider. I stopped, because I knew he was a Brevet rider. I asked, “are you lost?”, he said “yeah, this cue sheet sucks”. He was pissed, because he had ridden through the town, but could figure out how to get through to the other side. I said, “follow me, I know the way”. After finding out he lives in Delavan, I was surprised he was lost.

I could tell he was tried, so I made sure he was in sight behind me, as we rode through the zoo, in downtown Stoughton. Once through, we saw the arrows, back to Edgerton. With a tailwind, I started to pickup the pace. They guy from Delavan was about 200 yards behind me, and seemed to be struggling. He was wearing a full kit, and no lights. Well, he did have a taillight.

Before we got to Edgerton, I slowed down, and we basically arrived at the same time. Like I said, he had on a full kit. And as he turned into the control stop, in Edgerton, some chick from the back of a pickup truck yells, “nice ass!” He thanked me, and headed back to Delavan, hoping to get back before it got dark. I told him, I was just going to limp back.

After getting my control card stamped, and eating, I put on my lights, and reflective gear. At about 8pm or so the sun was basically gone, and I was glad I brought my lights. Even though I slowed my pace down, I could still see that guy way off in the distance, for awhile. By 8:30pm, it was pretty dark. I still had some tailwind, and the roads were pretty free of cars. Plus, it was a good feeling to know, there were at least 15 people behind me, some hours back.

About 10 miles out, I could see familiar signs, and I knew I was getting close to Delavan. Plus, my front light is so bright, cars thought I was a motorcycle, and gave me more room. It was also starting to get cold, and with 200 miles under my belt, and I was ready for the beer I had waiting back I my hotel room.

When I arrived back in Delavan, the guy in the kit was still filling out his control card. So, I was only about 10 – 20 minutes behind him. There were a lot of control cards in the box, but most of them were DNFs, due to the wind. A lot of people got to Verona, and said screw it, and turned back.

After putting my bike in my room, and grabbing a beer, I headed to the meeting room. Jim Krepps, and some other riders were in there. I chatted with them for awhile, and then walked to McDonald’s to grab some food. It felt great to be back, and 211 miles under my belt.

Total Miles: 211.55
Time on the bike: 13.30.55 hours
Average Speed: 15.6
Average Grade: 2%
Max. Grade: 13%
Temperature range: 48° - 65°
Wind: 20 – 30+ mph
No rain, some sun/clouds

The 2009 Brutal 200K Delavan, WI Brevet

2009-04-27T18:52:00.017-06:00

Here's Eric's ride report, if you're interested,
click here to download a PDF.

Well, what can I say, Wisconsin showed no mercy. Another brutal brevet, I’m starting to think Wisconsin, isn’t a great weather state. Actually, it’s not, but it does harden the soul, and because of that, you can manage almost anything on a bike.

I arrived at the Super 8 around 5pm (Friday), and the weather was great, 86°, sunny, but very windy. I checked in, and got a call from Eric. He was still on his way, with Tom. After they arrived/checked in, we all went to dinner. There’s an Italian restaurant nearby, not great, but good enough and cheap. Plus, the food you can trust, before along ride. The place is in downtown Delavan, and is now called Benny’s. Same owners, not sure why they changed the name, from the Italian Village.

We were all in bed by around 9pm, though Eric had a cold, so he didn’t get a very good night sleep. Though the Super 8 isn’t a real quiet place for sleeping. Before going to bed, I checked the Weather channel, and the weather was looking in our favor, to a point. A tailwind up to Verona, and then the wind was going to change, giving us a tailwind back from the north. Plus, the temps seemed okay, though I expected to ride in some rain.

Got up around 5:30am, and after getting ready, headed down to pickup my cue sheet/brevet control card. After checking out, I got my bike ready. By this time the parking lot was filled with cars, and brevet riders. Eric yelled, “hey boy, you want to come over and work on my bike.” I use my work stand to get my bike ready.

At the start, it was around 70°, with the sun, coming through the clouds. Jim, the new GLR guy, who took Frank’s place gave us instructions, the usual. At exactly 7am, about 70 riders took off – at least 50 plus. Though right before the start, Doug McLerran came by, and said hi to Eric and me. He also took some photos, see photo credits.

(Photo by Doug McLerran - Click to enlarge.)

Heading out we had tailwind of sorts, and within a mile it started to rain, if that. I stopped to put on my rain jacket, big mistake. I had ideas of riding with Doug and company, but even though he also stopped to put his jacket on too, I was not warmed up enough to chase him down. Though perhaps, given the weather, I didn’t see the point. For those who don’t know Doug, he’s an amazing rider. Though the only time, I have truly ridden with him, was on a Fleche, I did last year, along with Eric. It was a 24 hour ride, and speed wasn’t the main issue. Saying that, I need to do some of his Park District rides, this year. If you want to ride faster, you need to ride with the big dogs. If you get dropped, no big deal, just keep coming back for more. It will pay off, and you will get faster.

After watching Doug pull away from me, I caught up to Eric, (putting on the rain jacket was stupid – it stopped like two minutes after I put it on). Eric said, “what are you doing here.” He thought I was ahead. We rode together for a bit. Since Eric had cold, he said he wasn’t going to ride hard. Yeah right, even with a cold he was very strong.

Anyway, I took off, and soon came across some riders. One was Jay, I guy I might last year on the 600K. He’s from Richmond, IL, when he’s not riding he’s a school teacher, and a volunteer fireman. In fact, he had to respond to a call around 5am, the day of the 200K, and still made it to the ride start. I rode with Jay for about 10 miles, side by side, and then we saw Doug Slack. Doug Slack rode with the A group, until he said he had enough.

The tailwind was now a side wind, and Jay, Doug and I started a pace line, meanwhile the temps were dropping. We rode together for a about 10 miles, and we picked up one other rider into the first control point. (I saw Rich, the brewmaster from Verona, who is also Ironman. And Jon, from Batavia, on the way to the first control.)

Once at Edgerton, we all regrouped for awhile, and some talked about the 400K ride from hell, with the tornados. Rich said we should all do Quadzilla. It’s a ride out east, you only climb like 40,000 feet, in like 300 miles, in 24 hours – sorry, I forget all the details, but it’s very hardcore.

Jay and Doug Slack took off a few minutes before I did, including the others. Once we left, the wind really picked up. Our tailwind was gone, and so was temp. It was now around 55°, and dropping. Now, I’m riding alone. I did hook up with some guys from Wisconsin, one large guy and smaller guy. The smaller guy, his name was Brian. He said he did PBP twice. At mile 43, all hell broke loose, can you say buckets of rain, it was now around 51°. Oh, plus thunder, and lightening. At times, the headwind was so strong, you had to really hang on, otherwise you’re going down. You know it’s bad, when the rain is hurting your face.

It rained like this all the way to Verona. The two guys I just mentioned seemed to be slowing down, though, I never really drafted them. So, once we hit some of the rollers about 20 miles out from Verona, I took off. Keep in mind it’s raining, cold and just crap weather. About five miles before Verona, there’s a long climb, and I caught a guy near the top. He was a riding a single speed. I thought I was really fast, but, considering he only had one gear, it was a little disappointing.

After passing him, there was no one I could see, in front of me, only the rain - heavy rain. About two miles out from the Verona control point, also our halfway turnaround point, I saw Doug McLerran and company. I think around eight riders, they all looked like wet cats, like myself. I waved to Doug, and he waved back.

(The A group - click to enlarge.)

I didn’t realize, but when I arrived, and walked into the Verona control point, and gas station/mini-mart, I was shivering, prep-hypothermic. Almost stupid from the cold, and I was soaked to the bone, as they say. I ate a hamburger, that helped, but others were also like me. Eric soon arrived, and when he was ready, I left with him. Getting back on the bike, made all the difference. I keep the bike in a hard gear, and powered up the hills for the first couple of miles to warm up. I rode with Eric for about five miles, but I need to go faster. Plus, we had a tailwind, and I had enough of the cold, so I left Eric, and caught up to the riders in front of me. It was Jay, Doug Slack, Brian and the guy on the single speed. They were also riding too slow for me to stay warm, so I took off, and never saw anyone until Edgerton – the last stop before the end.

I arrived in Edgerton, and no riders. Soon, Jay and the others showed up. Jay said, “Rick you’re a machine” - I said, “no, I was cold, and I had a tailwind” - plus, I wasn’t giving it my all, but since I’m doing the 24 hour ride in Grand Rapids this year, I wanted to go harder than normal. After checking in, I saw Eric arrive. I said I was sorry for not riding with him, he understood. I said I would wait, but he knew I was cold and very wet.

I took off, and with 25 miles to go, no problem. Well unfortunately, there were some old arrows that were not removed, and I took the wrong turn. I ended up in Milton. Still following the arrows, I see Doug Slack, and the guy on the single speed. Doug gave me this look, dude, where are you going? I turned around and followed them back to Delavan, sort of. Doug and I dropped the guy on the single speed, and we paced lined for awhile, because the tailwind was gone. Nearing Delavan, about eight miles out, there was this farmhouse, with a big black dog. It started running along the property line, so Doug says, “It’s okay, there’s an invisible fence.” - WRONG!, the dam dog, almost bit Doug, but backed off after I yelled at it. Doug, was pretty funny. He said, “Come on doggie, let’s see if you can catch us?” The dog was getting tried, and gave up. Eric said he saw that dam dog too.

When Doug and I arrived at the Super 8, I was wiped, but the cold was the big factor. It was great to warm up again. No beer this time, but I could have used some. After changing, Eric and I went to McDonald’s for some food. I took off shortly after that, Eric had to wait for Tom.

This is my third 200K in Delavan, and I have to say the worst. Though, now that I have been doing these for awhile, I have met some really hardcore riders, and good people. It never ceases to amaze me, that you’ll be riding along, and perfect stranger riding near you, will be looking out for you.

Since I got lost, my ride stats dropped:

Miles: 137.3 (it should have been 128 miles)
Ride Time: 7:41
Average Speed : 17.8
Max Grade: 9%
Average Grade: 1%
Temps: 70° at start, but dropped to 51°
Weather: Rain, strong wind, and heavy rain too, for most of the 128 miles

Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen screw up?

2009-02-14T19:13:00.006-06:00

Today was the first day of the 2009 Tour de California http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com and what a day it was,
depending on how you watched it. I decided to watch the time trial (Prologue) on Amgen’s Tour Tracker - http://tracker.amgentourofcalifornia.com/
(It requires the latest Flash plug-in.) It was very much live, and had a few bugs. Plus, you can chat online with other fans, very cool. Overall, very impressive.

As much as I like Phil and Paul, I realized a few things about these guys. They’re actors (duh, I guess), and they don’t have a clue about technology.

I logged in at 3:30CST, when the Tour de California was suppose to go live, at http://tracker.amgentourofcalifornia.com/ only to find the site was not working. Then after the time trial started, the site went live. What was wild, was Phil and Paul either didn’t know they were online or didn’t have a clue. For example, Phil and Paul couldn’t understand how to login, so they could talk to the online audience. Plus, you could hear every word they were saying, and they sounded like they were high. This went on for sometime, and the folks on the chat, were having a grand time, LOL! Next, Paul said something in regards to the technology, they couldn’t figure out, and Phil said, “oh fuck all” - that’s a first, I never heard that from him. Then the audio improved, and it was like, let’s put on our acting voices, and let’s pretend we want to do this job. I have to say, I was kind of disappointed by these two.

Next, for some reason, Phil and Paul were no longer heard online (only on Versus), and the online audience got stuck with Frankie, and some other terrible (hack) announcer. Anyway, Amgen’s Tour Tracker - http://tracker.amgentourofcalifornia.com/ is really cool, despite the bugs.

Check it out, http://tracker.amgentourofcalifornia.com/ even without Phil and Paul, it's great to watch cycling for FREE, without commercials. We need more cycling in this country, on TV, on the major networks.

Chicago Cyclocross 2008

2008-12-08T19:30:00.008-06:00

It always seems to be really cold, when we make our way downtown (Chicago) to watch cyclocross in early December - and this year was no exception.

Waiting for the train.

On the train.

We always take the train downtown, and this year we left Naperville around 10:30am. When we arrived at Union Station, John and Brandi were there to drive us to the cyclocross race, at Montrose Harbor.

The group.

After spending some time at the race, we headed over to Bar on Buena - one of our favorite bars.

I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Registration for the racers.

The race and course.

The race and course.

The race and course.

Snow tires.

Some guy giving the bike a test ride.

That guy again.

A racer warming up.

More of the course.

More of the course.

More of the course.

More of the course.

More of the course.

Leelanau Harvest Tour 2008

2008-10-03T08:13:00.019-06:00

Jim and Mark, heading north.

I have been riding the Leelanau Harvest Tour now for three years in a row. It’s a great invitational that takes you by beautiful lakes, including Lake Michigan, the Sleeping Bear Dunes and vineyards – yes, Michigan has vineyards. This year they changed up the route, and it included some roads I have not ridden.

Around 7am.

When I arrived it was still dark at around 7am. Though, it was a little cold, nothing like last year, when we had a 37° start. The day of fee went up this year, that’s okay, they put on a good invitational, and the routes are very well marked. I guess they had around 700 riders this year.

I took off on the 100 mile around 7:30am, and the sun was not quite up yet. This year the 100 mile route made you work hard, almost from the start. Because they made you climb up to Inspiration Point, the hard way, which is only like 3 miles into the 100 mile route. So, needless to say, I wasn’t warmed up yet, when I hit the climb. I passed some riders on the way up, and a few more as I rode through Glen Arbor. Out side of Glen Arbor on M-22, I saw someone behind me, and closing in on me.

This rider caught up to me, and passed me. But, he wasn’t going all that fast, and I decided to ride near him. Soon, he slowed, and we started to chat. Next, we noticed a large group about a half mile back, and we slowed a bit, in other to catch a ride. Unfortunately, when they caught us, we only had a few miles to the first rest stop, so the rush of riding in pack didn’t last long.

First rest stop.

At the first rest stop, I introduced myself to the guy I met. His name was Jim, from Ludington, MI. He’s done the LHT around 10 times, and is a very strong rider. He also likes to do 24-hour rides, one of his passions. After leaving the first rest stop, we decided to ride together. It’s always nice to ride with others, especially those who are experienced with pace lines. Soon, the peloton caught up with us, but not until we met another guy. His name was Mark, and he was doing his first century. He was from Traverse City, I think. Anyway, we actually let the peloton catch up. Now in the peloton, the peloton hit a long climb, and it fell apart. Next, and a lesson learned. Don’t party the night before a hard ride, otherwise, you’re going to feel like crap, and suffer. Soon, Jim and Mark dropped me. I saw them again, at the second rest stop, and told Jim to go on without me. While at the stop, I ran into Dan who I rode with last year.

On the way to the second rest stop.

Second rest stop.

Jim (far right with white cap) and Mark (far right, hands on hips)

Another view of the second stop.

I took off solo, climbing like crap, and I can climb, so rather embarrassing. Anyway, about a mile or two out Jim and Mark caught up to me. Apparently, they used the bathroom, and that’s how I got ahead of them. At this point, I was beginning to feel better, so rejoined them, and we headed to the Northport lighthouse. Jim did a lot of pulling, and I was thankful for that, since I wasn’t feeling very good or strong. After the lighthouse, I soon felt good enough to pull. Plus, I felt guilty for wheel sucking.

On the way to the third rest stop, we took turns pulling, and stayed together on the climbs.

Third rest stop.

Third rest stop.

Back on the road.

After the third rest stop, I was feeling better, but still not my usual self. The three of us pushed on, and we didn’t bother to stop at the fourth stop. After passing other riders, we hit the last hard climb of the day. The climb was about a mile long, not real steep, but when your tired or feel like crap, well it didn’t feel all that great. Especially, when I was passed by this guy, knowing I could drop him, or at least match him.

Last big climb of the day.

After the ride, around 1pm.

About three miles out from the end, the three of us passed this tandem, something that usually doesn’t happen, unless you’re climbing. Saying that, it was one of the highlights of the day. The tandem contained a grandfather (or perhaps father) and a young boy in the back. The young boy was thrilled to see us fly by him. Then again, I’m assuming grandfather said, “hey look at those guys!” Next, the grandfather hammered it, and caught up to us, and drafted for awhile, until we hit a hill. Though, I’m sure that little boy, never had so much fun.

Despite not feeling very good, it was the fastest LHT to date, thanks to Jim and Mark. We averaged 18.3 at the 100 mile mark. So, not bad.

Actually, it was a good day on the bike, and I’ll be back next year.

Ride Stats:

Miles: 102
Time: 5:33 hours
Average Speed: 18.3 mph
Top Speed: 37 mph
Average Grade: 2%
Max Grade: 9%
Elevation Gain: Around 4,000 ft.

2008 New Glarus, WI Trip

2008-09-16T18:50:00.005-06:00

Those who ran 6 miles, before Saturday's ride.

View a slide show of the trip.

Well once again the trip was great fun. The weather on the other hand was not so good. Though, we rode two out of the three days, some in the rain. Plus, some surprised me. On Saturday, while waiting for the rain to lighten up some of the gals decided to run. Yes, run in the rain. Six miles too. Had I know this, I may have have gone for it, though running is not my thing. It does help, if you want to go fast on a bike, too a point.

Friday

Friday, the ride started around 1pm as posted. No rain, but humid, and not much wind. Those who rode on Friday were: Larry, Bill, Jane, Laurel, Moo, Bill and Karen, and Lee. We rode to Blanchardville and back. It was a loop and some out and back. We met a guy in the parking lot of the hotel, who was from Skokie (Larry), and invited him to ride with us, but he wanted to do his own thing. Though, we ended up seeing him on the route, only briefly.

After the Friday ride, we all headed out to dinner at the Glarner Stube restaurant/bar in downtown New Glarus. During dinner Ruth and Kevin arrived and ate dinner, while we finished. After dinner we head back to our hotel, the Chalet Landhaus. Some had a few more. While hanging out in the lobby, Jan and Heather arrived. Larry and Moo had a few drinks with them.

Saturday

The next morning, while we waited for the rain to lighten up and the temps to increase, some decided to run. That would be Janet, Laurel, Laurel’s sister, Heather (too my surprise) and Ruth ran six miles. I was impressed – I guess they all want to be “Dwarfs.” A private joke, sort of. The “Dwarfs” is a tri-group of gals, you had to be at the 2007 Udder century to understand. Soon, we decided we were going to ride, rain or no rain. So, after some lunch, we headed out around 1pm. One even had a beer before the ride, not Moo. It was one of my first NBC rides, where the guys where the minority. Bill had taken off in the morning, so it was Larry, Moo, Heather, Jan, Jane, Janet and Ruth. There was no rain at the start, but it was very cloudy and humid, and not looking good. Before we got to Mt. Horeb, we had some small climbs. Then almost to Mt. Horeb, there was this small hill, which looked bigger from a distance. Some of the gang said, “what the hell is that?” They did fine.

After leaving Mt. Horeb, our plan was to ride to Blue Mounds, and climb Blue Mounds. Well Heather’s pedal fell off. The bolt that screwed into the shaft, came out. The shaft was still screwed into the crank. Anyway, that consumed some time, and since Jan wasn’t feeling good, she let Heather use her bike. Lucky, they both use SPD clips. So, we called for a SAG. Kevin, who was back at the hotel, came out to get Jan, and Heather’s bike at Tyrol Basin ski resort. Kevin knows the area, since Ruth has done Ironman, WI, and they know the area well. So, we said goodbye to Jan, and continued on. By this time, it was almost 4pm and we had dinner reservations back in the New Glarus. I always forget, as an example. 20 miles flat vs 20 miles of hills, allow more time - it doesn't matter how fast you are.

So, after climbing one of my favorite hills, heading towards the town of Blue Mounds, we decided not to go up to the top of Blue Mounds. The weather was also looking bad, and time was short. I did offer a good challenge though. The first one to the top, the very top, I would buy dinner for and drinks for the night – maybe next year.

Once we were all together again, we decided to take the fastest way back to the hotel. So, we took the road “ID” back into Mt. Horeb. This stretch was not too long, and three miles maybe. But, we hit the rain, during this time. Once back in Mt. Horeb, we refueled at the Kwik Trip gas station, and headed back. I felt like I was doing a Brevet again. Except for a few hills, it was mostly flat/downhill, though with a headwind at times.

We got back around 6:15pm, cleaned off our bikes, showered, and still made the restaurant in town by 7pm. After dinner some danced. Hmm, who could that be. Well Janet got Larry to dance and Moo. She was so impressed by the folks on the dance floor, she almost ask some locals to dance. Then, I suggested we should all go to the Glarner Stube, for drink. I’m glad I did, since we didn’t ride the next day, it was a nice end to the trip. On the way out of Glarner Stube, Janet saw this guy at the bar. She said, "oh, you're very tall." He had a few, and was very curious by her comment or blonde hair. Moo said, "let's go Janet."

Sunday

We all met for breakfast, and decided it was too cold and rainy to ride. So, after some conversion, we all departed. Larry, thanks again. Great trip/ride, good people/friends – still had fun without the sun.

I'll be back.

The 600K Delavan, WI Brevet Ride Report

2008-08-27T10:31:00.019-06:00

Waiting to cross the Wisconsin River.

This year I had some different goals on the bike. I had done some long rides last year, and this year I wanted to ride the full Brevet series out of Delavan, WI. So, on Friday afternoon, June 27, I drove back up to WI, to finish the series. The series is made up of the following – a 200K (124 miles), a 300K (186 miles), a 400K (248 miles), and a 600K (372 miles). Usually, you end up with four or five extra miles on all the rides.

Anyway, I checked in the Motel 8, where Frank bases his Brevets out of each year. I saw Frank, and talked with him for awhile, and then went to dinner, to carbo load – pasta of course.

The next morning, I saw Eric in the lobby, eating on my way to setup my bike. The weather was looking good. It was sunny, and around 68°. There was some wind, but wind always trumps rain. There were 16 riders at the start. Anna was there, so was Rich, and Bryce, just back from RAAM, after serving as crew chief for Scott. Who by the way, finished in 10 days, solo – very impressive.

Before getting to the first control stop, the fast guys/group were nowhere insight. Then, I see this paceline coming up behind us, hmm, it was Bryce, Bill, and some others. Apparently, they got lost – I hear they do that a lot.

Edgerton stop.

Pace line to Verona.

After the Edgerton, our first stop, we headed to Verona. We had side/headwind to deal with, but for a change there was six of us, and we took turns pulling. After Verona we headed to Sauk City. This section gets very hilly, and you ride part of the Ironman course and where our paceline fell apart, and everyone basically did their own thing. Eric and I waited for Jay, a nice guy from IL, that Eric knew from other Brevets. We only waited to make sure he was okay. While waiting some tri-gals asked us if we were okay. Eric said, "yeah, were just waiting for someone." You gotta love those short shorts!

After leaving Sauk City, we headed for Baraboo, where on the 400K, the weather turned nasty. This time, we could see the storm clouds once again, off in the distance. Sure enough, about 10 miles out from Baraboo, the rain comes down in buckets. Plus, thunder, lightening and hail too – and it got cold. Eric and I stopped to put on our rain jackets. We were soaked, but at least the jackets help to keep us warm. When we got into Baraboo, Eric stopped at Walmart to buy some long socks. He didn’t bring any arm warmers, so he made some out of the socks. Then we headed to the Baraboo control point. Frank was there, and the sun was out. Once we got some real food for lunch, and put on some dry/warmer clothes, we headed to Lodi, but not before I called my bike club back in IL. Some of them were doing a pub crawl, and I thought it would fun to give them a report from the road.

Frank at Baraboo control stop.

The route to Lodi changed a bit, since some of the roads were still closed, from the bad storms back in June, that we rode through, during the 400K. After you take the ferry across the Wisconsin river, it’s not far to Lodi. Plus, we now have a tailwind. After arriving in Lodi, Jay and another guy arrived. We didn’t stay long, and Jay didn’t want to ride with us. He didn’t ride much this year, and wanted to ride at his own pace.

Jim gave us some news about the road ahead.

On the way to Columbus, we had a crazy tailwind, and riding at 25-28 was easy. At one point this raccoon walks out in front of us, during the day, and came close to taking us down. Once in Columbus, Jim (in the orange shirt) who was helping out Frank, told us there was some water on the road before Whitewater, but you could ride through it. The next stop was Lake Mills. When we got to Lake Mills, we put on our night riding gear before heading for Whitewater – the last control stop before Delavan.

The road to Columbus. Eric dropped his banana.

Another view. Eric is just behind me.

Unfortunately, this is where the shit hits the fan. Sometimes even great cyclists run into danger or danger runs into them. And Eric is one of those riders. He’s done countless long rides, and completed PBP last year. Anyway, below is what happen next. It’s rather graphic.

The Crash

We left Lake Mills, WI around 8:50pm with one more control stop before heading back Delavan. There was no rain, the roads were dry, and it’s dark. We had our required reflective gear on, lights of course and there wasn’t much wind, but mostly going in our direction. Even though we were riding strong, we weren’t pushing it. Anyway, we were riding down County A Road, and we needed to turn onto Crossman Road. I did not see any left turn arrow. The whole route is marked by spray painted arrows before the turns, and after.

I was riding the paved shoulder, and I heard Eric yell, “left turn Rick”. As soon as I passed the turn I hear, this loud thud, and I knew what happen, and could not believe it, all I thought, he’s dead. The next thing I saw, and yes, I saw 95% of it. I saw Eric’s bike skip across the road, and bounce 100 ft, from impact, into a ditch. I could tell his bike was toast. Then I saw him on the car, and when the car stopped, he flew through the air, without a helmet, which popped off on impact. When he hit the ground, he rolled three or four times, very hard, for about 30 feet. When he stopped, he was laying down face up.

By this time, I had turned around, and was off my bike. When I got to him, there were sounds of extreme pain coming from his mouth, and his face was mostly covered in blood. I yelled to him, “don’t move Eric”. And said “hang in there”, all the while, I thought, shit, he’s going to die here. The girl, who hit him was around 18-20, apparently coming back from work, as a waitress. She was freaked out. I saw a cell phone in her hand, I said “call 911 now!”. She said she did, and while she was on the phone, I kept talking to Eric. I said, “hang in there”, etc, never let a person loose consciousness. The girl did not know how to explain to the 911 operator were we where. So she gave me the phone. First, I said, “I need ambulance here now!, I have rider down with major trauma to the head, etc”. The operator, asked me to give the intersection. I walked over to the street sign, it said County A/Crossman. I also asked her, can you see this phone, the gal’s phone, as it was a GPS. If I recall, she said yes. And said the ambulance was on it’s way. What felt like years was only minutes. As soon as I hung up, I could hear the sirens. Note: before I hung up, the 911 person said I need to tell you how to stop the bleeding. I said, “he’s bloody, but not gushing blood.” The she said, put something around him to keep him
warm. I said, “we have nothing”. The police did have a blanket. We should probably carry space blankets.

Before this, other bikers behind us showed up, and I told them to keep Eric talking, and the girl was there talking to Eric per my advice. I knew she was shook up, but my main concern was Eric. She felt very bad, but despite everything I now know she was the main cause of the accident.

Anyway, after hearing the sirens, three police cars arrived from Lake Mills, even though they were from Jefferson County, I think. Then two big fire trucks, and one ambulance, and then another. Then I saw the fireman block off Crossman Road. This all occurred at a “T” intersection. They put down red and blue lights, and they stood on the road to block any traffic. I thought, they were going to just use an ambulance, and one of the fireman said, “no, there’s a chopper on the way, with a doctor onboard, from UW Hospital”, hence the landing lights. Meanwhile, Eric is now in the larger ambulance, getting looked over and wired up, IV, you name it. Note, before Eric went into the ambulance, he was talking, and I saw him move his feet.

I talked to the doctor onboard the chopper, he said things look good, but he couldn’t say for certain. Also, the police said, which I’m not sure was much help, “we usually see cyclists in much worst condition”. I was really impressed by how fast, and how much support arrived on the scene. The chopper took off like a bat out of hell, on a closed vector course back to Madison.

Before the riders left to continue their 400K, I asked one for Frank’s cell number. I told Frank what happened, and I told him, I would wait by the crash site, until he arrived. So, we could bring Eric’s bike back. I thought about continuing, but given the fact I had really no idea how bad Eric was, and plus after seeing the crash, I decided to quit. So, Frank drove me back to the Super 8, with Eric’s bike.

I never want to see another friend get hit by a car or anyone for that matter.

Finally, note: If Eric was not wearing a helmet, I’m not sure I’d be writing this. The car was a newer Saturn. When Eric landed on it*, he broke the windshield, and smashed down the roof, between the “A” pillars of the car. And you can see the dent in the roof, where his helmet hit. Plus, there was some hood damage. I wish there was something I could have done to prevent this, perhaps, if I was riding closer to him, I could have seen this coming. Then again, perhaps both of us would have been taken out. Anyway, the good thing is, he’ll live to ride another day.

* The car was traveling at least 35-45mph. The road allows for 55mph. And according to the police report, the gal said she was going 55mph.

Eric's bike, after I dropped it off at his home.

When I got back to the motel, it was around midnight, and I checked my cell, and I had a voice mail. It was Eric’s wife. So, I called her back. She wanted to know more details. After giving her the info I had, I went to bed. In the morning, I got the directions to the hospital, and after taking care of the bikes with Frank, I drove up to Madison.

Eric took this photo while in hospital, some time Monday I think.

Eric before the crash, on Saturday afternoon.

The people at the hospital were very nice, this one guy, walked me to Eric’s floor, since it’s a little hard to figure out the building. When I saw him, he looked great, much better then Saturday night. He was in good spirits, and he said everything was working. I told him, “you’re one tough son of bitch” - and said “you’re so lucky to be alive.” I didn’t stay long, but I felt a lot better, knowing he was going to be okay. I called Eric’s wife, and told her about my visit. She was driving up later that day.

I didn’t get to finish the 600K, but I didn't care. I know I would have, and friends are more important. I’m not sure if I will do PBP in 2011, but I will being doing Brevets again.

Finally, Jay wrote a nice article about the 600K, and I thought I would include the article (page 5 of the Newsletter). Download PDF.

Tour de Benzie 2008

2008-08-26T12:29:00.007-06:00

Ride start, 7:30am

What can I say, Eric’s 2008 Tour de Benzie route was another good one. Challenging climbs, and loads of fun. The weather started out, like it was going to rain, but then the sun came out. A perfect day. Though, this year Dave did not join us, since he crashed earlier in the year, and was still recovering in California.

This year, there was a bunch of us at the start, and for the first nine miles or so. After we left the group, we took off up the south side of Warren Road, then down the steep side, where I hit about 46 mph – others reached 50mph. We (Joel, Eric, Peter, Jim, and myself) made our way up to Empire, then past Sleeping Bear, through Glen Arbor, around big Glen Lake, and up to Inspiration Point (up the steep side).

Once at Inspiration Point, we took break, and had some food/drinks. We had a SAG vehicle for the whole century (actually, 110 miles this year). Thanks Jim. It was pretty cool to have a car following for the whole way. Just like RAAM.

After leaving Inspiration Point, we headed to Thompsonville, then we started the return, through Elberta, and back to Crystal Lake. But, not before stopping in Frankfort, for an ice cream cone.

Some photos of the Tour below.

Jim on the climb.

Eric and Joel.

Inspiration Point.

SAG car and rest stop.

Eric, on the longest climb.

Where's Joel?

Here comes the SAG car, Joel must be close.

There's Joel.

The Caucus Rides in Michigan

2008-08-23T14:48:00.021-06:00

Click here for a slide show of the trip.

I have now ridden in a number of states (well not too many, just IL, IA, WI, AZ, and MI), and some in Europe. Though, my favorite place to ride is still Michigan, northern Michigan to be exact. There are a lot of reasons why (some I can’t mention), and just to name a few. One, it’s close to where I live in Illinois, only a six hour drive or less. Two, the roads are bike friendly, and if you like hills, this place is for you. Three, the weather is usually very good for the Midwest during the summer. Not much humidity, cool temps and the scenery is beautiful.

Well, after a lot of planning I finally got my bike club to come up for a long weekend, well at least some of them. For those who missed it, I think we can make this happen again. It won’t be the same, but it will still be a blast. Anyway, here’s what took place over the extended weekend of riding, including photos and ride stats.

I arrived a few days before to get the cottage in shape, and to buy the food, etc. My club was coming in Thursday, well some of them, the rest would arrive on Friday.

Thursday

After some final tweaks, like putting up the signs, Rick and Linda arrived around 5pm. After showing them around, I walked them down to beach. When we got back, John and Roy along with his family arrived. A little later Dietmar arrived and Larry. There was no ride on Thursday, just eating and drinking. Friday’s ride was at noon, so those who came Thursday, didn’t get to bed until around 1am. The large garbage can was 2/3’s full with empties. Wine and good Belgium beer bottles.

Dietmar, Rick and Linda where staying in town at the Betsie Bay Inn, so Rick and Dietmar would ride to the cottage.

I also took Larry over to the camp site, before it got dark.

The camp site, before the campers arrived.

Friday

While eating breakfast, the phone rings. It’s Janet and Eric, they’re in Holland, MI, and where calling to say they would make the noon ride. I thought they might leave later, but I was glad they left when they did. They called again, about 25 miles out, too confirm that they indeed would make the ride.

Friday’s ride was an easy pace, and was basically a tour of the area. We headed north on M-22, which has a nice wide paved shoulder, and then turned left, down this road that takes you to Point Betsie Lighthouse. It’s a well-known lighthouse, and it’s a beautiful spot. We stayed a few minutes, and headed back to M-22. We turned left onto M-22, and made another left into Crystal Downs. Crystal Downs is a private golf course, but they don’t mind people on bikes. I took the group there, because it has some nice views of Crystal Lake, and Lake Michigan. It’s also pretty hilly, and John and Roy were worried the whole weekend was going to be like golf course. Once we left the course, Roy and John soon realized my route had plenty of flat roads too.

We then rode around the north side of Crystal Lake, it’s nice and flat, and you’re riding just feet from the water. When we got into Beulah, we stopped briefly, to look at the lake. Then we climbed our first real hill of the day. Everyone made it up just fine, as I knew they would. Then we headed down M-115 to Mollineaux Road, and down to the paved trail. Once on the trail, we continued on into Elberta. Then we crossed M-22, and picked up the trail again. Though before we crossed, my sister drove by, not sure where she was going. She also has a place near the cottage. Then we rode into Frankfort, part of it, and down M-22 back to the cottage.

Stats for Friday:
Elevation Gain – 1,486 ft.
Miles – about 35
Weather – perfect

Got back, and some started to drink. I was still in my bike clothes, on purpose. I need to show those who were camping, where the camp site was. A friend of mine, who lives in Michigan offered his land to the campers. That worked out great, Joel thanks again. Joel’s property is very close, maybe quarter mile away. So, first I took Eric and Janet there. Janet has a Mini, and was chasing Eric around the nine acres of grass, like she was the bull, and Eric was the bull fighter. Using his tent as a cape. Janet also unknowingly pitched her tent in poison ivy. Joel informed her of this, and she moved her tent.

Next, Carla and company followed me over to the camp site. Now with that done, I could finally have a beer, and start dinner.

Just a little fire...

On the deck...

Gossip?

At around 9 or 10pm, Heather finally showed up. I was getting worried, as I knew she took the day off, and she should have arrived by now. When she arrived I parked her car, and smashed my finger in her car door. I guess I had a few to many. Anyway, everyone who was coming, made it.

Saturday

Heading out, north on M-22.

With a few hung over riders, we were able to get on the road by our 10:30am start time, or pretty close to it. We had 10 riders, mostly wearing the Caucus kits heading north on M-22. Our destination was Glen Lake and back. Only part of the route was out and back. The first climb of the day was about mile 18, and I had used spray chalk on some of the hills earlier in the week, for inspiration. Before arriving at our first rest stop, we had some good descents. Roy hit 52mph on one. Eric noted, “man, look how how Roy is already.” The first was a small deli, and John wanted to have some lunch, and then others ordered. We sat outside on the deck. I didn’t eat anything, as we still had some climbing to do.

Inspiration Point look out.

View video of the Inspiration Point Descent >

We pushed on a few miles, after nice climb, and stopped at Inspiration Point to take in the view. You can see Lake Michigan, Glen Lake – it doesn’t get much better than this. The next stop was at a gas station, just outside of Glen Arbor. Some bought some food. Roy bought a sandwich, which apparently was still frozen, but he ate it anyway.

The Narrows, the bridge that divides Glen Lake. Sleeping Bear Dunes in the background.

Our next stop was Empire. So, headed down M-22 going south through Glen Arbor, then over the bridge, that divides Glen Lake. There was now a headwind, so we stayed together somewhat, while heading to Empire. We turned right off of M-22 into downtown Empire, and left, which took us to Wlico Road. Wlico is a winding road, that is a pretty respectable climb, and must climb – actually it’s the fastest way to get out of Empire. Because M-22 has no shoulder out of Empire, and the road surface is crap. I’ve done it solo, and it’s still a hard climb, and not very safe.

When we got to the top, Rick said John and Roy were turning around. Then I saw in my mirror they made it up. Roy talked John into it. John said it was harder than TOMRV. Anyway, we all regrouped. Once back onto M-22, there was still no shoulder, but only for about a mile or so. Though, we had another hill to climb, and then we would soon pick up the nice paved shoulder. We regrouped again. John and Roy said we’ll meet you at the Platte River, which was only about 7 miles away. So, we kind of broke into three groups. I told Dietmar to pick it up. I knew he wanted to go fast. So Dietmar, Eric, Janet, Carla and Moo took off. Dietmar pulled at least four miles, at around 24-26mph. Very impressive, given the headwind. At the Platte River, we all regrouped. Those who wanted to do the optional climb of the day, came with me. The rest headed back for a beer or swim.

When we all returned, it was late, so we ate on the late side. John did all of the cooking on the grill. Others pitched in, it was great to have all the help. We decided to start the Sunday ride at 10am, instead of 10:30am, since some wanted to leave by 4pm on Sunday. I wished they could have stayed, but I understand.

Stats for Saturday:
Elevation Gain – 2,615 ft.
Optional Gain – about 300 ft.
Miles – about 66
With Optional Miles – 70+
Weather – perfect, some clouds later in the day.
(Rain at night, late.)

Sunday

Very early Sunday morning, around 1 or 2am, it started to rain hard, and then there was thunder, and lightening. I was worried about the campers. So, I got up to check the radar, and saw this small storm passing over. I figured they would be fine. Though, I guess Eric’s tent leaked a bit, and Janet apparently jumped, when the first clap of thunder occurred. Larry never heard the thunder. And Carla’s group was a little concerned.

Getting ready.

The next morning, the weather was prefect. After eating Carla’s Frittata, thanks again. We headed out. Janet did not ride, she’s in training for the Chicago Marathon, and wanting to run 17 miles, along Crystal Lake. So, the nine of us took off for Onekama. About mile out on M-22, John decided he had done enough climbing, so Roy and John rode around Crystal Lake again. About five miles into the ride, you hit the first real climb. I think it’s one of the hardest. We would regroup at the top of each hill. This route has nice wide paved shoulders, and some great views. On one climb, I heard Eric and Dietmar talking. They were talking about, where the top of the hill was, since you couldn’t many of them. We had a headwind heading out to Onekama, so the ride had to be easier going back. Except for three climbs, the return is easier, and usually the wind is at your back.

The first real climb of the day. "Who picked this route?"

Regrouping (heading south on M-22)...

Onekama, our turnaround point, and rest stop.

We stopped for some food in Onekama. Rick took off early, but we soon caught up to him. The ride back also has some long fast descents. When we got to the top of Arcadia hill, which is 13% near the top, we stopped at the look out area, to take in the view, and for a photo. When we arrived back in Elberta, we rode through Elberta to Trick Dog. A nice place to get a cold drink (no beer), and sit outside, taking in the view of the harbor (Betsie Bay), and Frankfort, on the other side.

Those who rode the Sunday ride at Trick Dog.

I called Roy, when we got there, and Roy and John came over by car. Elizabeth and Norah came over as well. Then Linda. Soon Larry came by with Betsy and her cousin. I asked Larry why his pants were wet, he said he was tubing on the Platte River. Carla said he didn’t bring a bathing suit. After some drinks, and photos, Eric took off, to take down his tent. I rode back with Carla, Heather, and Larry. Heather wanted to know if there were more hills. “Just one”, I said. Plus, we had a tailwind still.

Sunday night dinner.

We said good bye to those who had to leave on Sunday. The rest of us went to dinner in town at 7pm. We ate in the wine cellar, at the hotel in town. We had a case of McCouffe waiting for us.

Stats for Sunday:
Elevation Gain – 2,939 ft.
Miles – about 54
Weather – perfect

Monday

Monday morning, before leaving.

Those remaining left around 9am or so. I was a great time, I was worried the weather would be crap, but it was perfect. No one crashed, and no flats.

Thanks again, to those who came.

The Melon Weekend

2008-07-28T12:25:00.005-06:00

Wally talking to Lenny and Mark in Earlville, IL.

Saturday

Got up early, packed the car and drove out to Momi’s. The day before I bought a GPS for the car, partly for route marking, but I’m tried of getting lost, driving to WI and back (other places too). While driving out, I saw Greg behind me, and he followed me to Momi’s. Ace was there already. Then Roy and Rick M. arrived. John D. arrived a little later. The six of us went for a ride, an easy 25 miles, then came back and split into three groups. Roy and Tom took the Paw Paw route. Rick M. and John D. did the 62 mile route, and Momi, Greg and Moo did the 32 mile route. We had to put down all three arrows.

The GPS helped, though Momi knew most of the roads. Apparently Ace thought he was flying a jet. According to Roy, he was doing 80. After marking we all headed back to Momi’s. Roy, Ace, Rick M., and John D. got back before us. Roy already polished off four beers. Momi made us burgers and ribs. Thanks again Momi, very nice of you. We all left Momi’s around 2pm.

Sunday

Got up even earlier than Saturday. Left the house around 5am, and got about a mile from the house, and realized I forgot to put my magnet on my front wheel. So, I turned back to get it. Because of that, I lost some time, but since there’s not much traffic that time of the day, I still got out to Plano around 6:55am, for our 7am start. I found the Caucus heads in the parking lot. Then I went over to the registration area to say hi to Heather, and saw some other folks I haven’t seen in awhile. Roy was there chatting with Heather and the others.

When we left the start, our group consisted of the following: Greg, John D., Roy, Wally, Tom (the BIL), Doug Moss, Jen and Moo. I was surprised to find that Rick M. and Ace were not doing the century. Ace was riding with a gal, who had never ridden 62, so he was coaching her.(I never saw Andrew.)

Our group soon broke into two groups. I slowed down to ride with Roy and John D. and Greg came back to join us. Before Somonauk we came across Tom (the BIL), and told him to jump on. We didn’t stop at the Somonauk rest stop, and the five of us pushed on to Earlville. Around 5 miles out from Earlville, I saw this pack of riders behind us, and they were not moving slow. Soon, they caught us, and it was Jos, Edward Hospital folks and Endure It people. There was about 14 of them, and as soon as they passed us, I told John D., “I’ll see you in Earlville”. So, Roy, Greg and Moo jumped on. It was a really great ride. I met Mary Mars, who leads the Endure It intermediate rides. She was only doing the 62 mile route, and most in the group were. She asked me, how many miles I was doing, and told her the “170 mile option”, that blew her away. Then I talked to Donna for awhile, and I also met her husband, Dave Jansen, while riding in the pack. The pack was moving along at a pretty good clip, 22+. At one point we almost had a huge pile up. Apparently, those at the front, did not see the route arrows, or didn’t see the turn coming up. So, everyone slams their brakes on, yelling “slowing, slowing”. Plus, there was a lot of gravel on the road. Thanks again Jos and company for a great ride.

A note about the arrows: Everyone thought they were great. Though, I think next time we need to place a few more further out, before the turn. And on the Paw Paw route, we need to place more on the road, since some of them were partially gone. I think from farm equipment. I would also recommend that we use some spray chalk, indicating 100 mile route outbound, and also for return routes.

When we all arrived in Earlville, Eric was out taking pictures. I was surprised to see him, since he was iffy about coming out.

I saw a bunch of folks at the Earlville stop. Also, Ace, say’s, “hey, how did you guys get ahead of us?” Roy, told him, “didn’t you see us pass you?” I told him the truth, that we didn’t stop in Somonauk. Then I saw Doug, and he said he was trying to catch the Jos and company pack. And he wanted to know how fast we were going. I also talked with Carla and Eric. They were getting off around 11:30am, and wanted to ride with us. So, Greg, Tom (the BIL), Wally, and Moo took off for Paw Paw. Before leaving, we saw Lenny and Mark. They were coming back from Paw Paw. Lenny asked me, “did you ride out?”, I said yes. He said to Mark, his brother, “see I told you he was riding out, and back” We had a good pace line going until we hit the hills. Wally and Tom (the BIL), thanks for pulling. Sorry we dropped you guys. Before we got to Paw Paw, we saw that crop duster plane again. At one point, it came right over us, spraying the crops. Nothing like breathing in pesticide. It was the same plane we saw out at Momi’s. Greg, thanks for pulling me, and slowing down at times. I was getting a bit tried after leaving Paw Paw. We did regroup with Wally and Tom (the BIL). But, dropped them again before returning to Earlville.

Note, we saw Jos and company at Paw Paw rest stop, though his pack was a bit smaller. We also saw Laurel and Omar, Jan and her friend. I don’t remember her name.

When we arrived Earlville, I did not see Carla and Eric. I asked Terry, if he knew where they went, he thought to Paw Paw. I said “what?” So, I called Eric. They were riding the reverse route out to Paw Paw, but somehow took the wrong road, and that’s how we missed them. While waiting for Eric and Carla, this rider comes up to me, and asked me, “are you Rick Cosaro?” I’m going who is this guy? It turns out he reads my Blog, and just wanted to say hello. Sorry, I don’t recall his name. Though he does ride with Elmhurst. Anyway, I thought that was pretty cool. After Eric and Carla got back Earlville, we took off long with Wally, Greg, Rudy, Tom (the BIL) and Lou. I was thinking the pace would be a little slower, no chance

I was letting Eric pull, since I was getting tried and he had fresh legs. Though I did pull at one point, and we lost Lou, Tom (the BIL), Wally and Rudy – sorry guys. Then Eric says, "where's Carla?" I said, "she's just hiding behind me" - and Carla say's, "I like it back here". Before we crossed this busy road, Carla turned around, to head back to Earlville, since her car was there. After we crossed the road, we saw Larry. So, the four of us rode back to Plano. It was a great Melon, for a lot of reasons, the main reason, was seeing all my biker friends, as well as riding with some of them.

Some things to mention:
Momi, thanks again for your hospitality.
Roy, sorry your legs were cramping up. Hope you made it back okay?
Larry, sorry I did say goodbye, thanks for the pulls.
Wally good riding, thanks for the pulls.
Tom (the BIL), nice riding with you.
Jos thanks for some great pulls, from you and your pack.
John D. sorry we didn’t stay together for the whole ride. Thanks again for the beer too.
Greg, you’re a stud. Thanks for all the strong pulls.
Eric, it was great to ride with you again.
Carla, thanks for the ride.

Ride Stats:
Miles for the day: 165
Hours in the saddle: 8:52
Average Speed: 18.5 (Thanks to all the pullers.)
Average Grade: 1%
Max Grade: 9%

Finally, I heard the Melon had about 450 riders who actually paid. So, not bad considering Oswego had their century on the same day.

The 2008 Insane Terrain Ride (125K version)

2008-07-21T18:39:00.014-06:00

Lenny and Mark chowing down after the ride. I just had some free beer. Since I was having lunch later.

The circle represents where I stayed. As you can see, my relatives live way out in the country.

A closer view of where I stayed.

Call me sick, but I like to climb, the steeper the better. To date I have never ridden anything more than 19%, but then again I live in the Midwest. Anyway, some folks in my bike club mentioned they might be interested in doing the Insane Terrain Ride, in Blue Mounds, WI this year. I have a hard time saying no to any ride, if I’m in town, so I said that sounds like a good ride. Which it was.

I met Lenny and Mark at the top of Blue Mounds State Park, around 6:15am for our 125K ride. Lenny and Mark are brothers, and riders I have met, since riding with the Naperville Bike Club. When we took off the fog was so bad, you could hardly see, though it was pretty cool. Our 125K (or 77 miles) route took us mostly south of Blue Mounds, all the way out to Blanchardville, right near where I stayed, with my relatives. My relatives live in Blanchardville (in the countryside) around 16 miles from Blue Mounds, so it makes it an easy drive to the start, and they’re great hosts.

These hill climbing invitationals always claim the worst. And I’m not sure where they get the stats from. But we only climbed about 6,500 ft, in 77 miles, according to my bike computer, which records elevation gain. It was hard, and I was tried, but not that tired. Lenny was kicking my ass, only because I rode nearly 400 miles the week before. Remember to taper.

Anyway, the fog broke, and it never rained, even though it was predicted. I stayed with Mark and Lenny for the first 15 miles. Then I fell back. The Insane ride had a good turn-out for the first year. About 120-150 riders, from WI, IL, etc. Of course it was well organized, since it was put on by the Viking Bicycle Club (VBC), the same folks who do the HHH. And I have no complaints, except, some of the course could have had more arrows. I never got lost, Lenny did, and you always hate to be unsure. VBC had a great cue sheet, and they used arrow stickers, very cool. Color coded. They bought these stickers at: http://www.routearrows.com/ They seem to stick to anything.

Lenny and Mark are (very) very good riders, and more importantly very nice guys. They did drop me, but we always regrouped at the rest stops. 10 miles from the finish they were nowhere insight, and other places too. Note: once you drop into a valley, you can’t see anyone one, etc. On the approach to Blue Mounds, I see this Endure It jersey. It was Mark, and I felt better for bridging the gap. From there we rode up to the top. Lenny was already there. I asked him, how long, he said about 10 minutes. I asked him, are you on EPO? I’ll be honest, I’m tried, very tried from all the long hauls this year. But, I wouldn’t change anything. Lenny also said, I’m glad you or others did not see me. He said he was going around 5mph up Blue Mounds. Climbing Blue Mounds after 77 miles or more is extremely hard. You want to stop, and walk, but no way. And most folks cannot manage much more than 5mph, unless you’re a freak.

Nonetheless, it was a great ride, albeit short (meaning, I would have liked to have done the 200K option, but given what I rode the past week, the 125K was enough), no rain, no wind, but hot towards the end. Finally, after riding in WI this year since April, the weather was perfect.

More photos:

David Fix should be paying us to wear his colors.

Lenny and Mark who you can't see, kicking my tried ass.

Moo at the finish, after 81 miles and very tried after riding 400 miles the week before, stupid. Well it wasn't a race, just a great day in the saddle.

Ride Stats
Posted Miles: 77
Actual Miles: 81
Ride Time: 5:13
Average Speed: 15.7 (It was higher, until I hit the last 10 miles.)
Max. Speed: 39mph
Elevation Gain: 6,412
Average Grade: 4%
Max. Grade: 15%

Finally, this was the first year for the Insane ride, and if you can’t get into the HHH, this is just as hard, and I would recommend it. Though, last year I did the 200K HHH, but I’m going to assume the 200K Insane is just as hard.

No More Sore Ass - Bag Balm It

2008-06-17T13:04:00.006-06:00

Anyone who rides a lot, especially a century, knows your ass can get very sore, from sitting in the saddle for five or more hours. And mine has.

I remember my first century, WOW! I did nothing about it, and it just got better on it's own. Of course the more you ride, you do build up a certain resistance to the issues below. That is, if you're riding a 100 or less in a day.

This year I have been spending some long hours in the saddle. When I rode to Iowa in May, we logged 252 miles in around 19 hours (that's actual time in the saddle). The whole trip took 24 hours. Anyway, spending that much time in the saddle, is way different then doing a century. Things really get sore, and it's like getting a very bad sun burn. Luckily, I ride with some folks who have had the same experience, and without hesitating, they said Bag Balm.

I can now recommend this product. Bag Balm really works. It's greasy, but if you apply it after along ride, the next day, no issues. Note: Bag Balm was not originally developed for people, but it is used by cyclists. Learn more about Bag Balm, click here.

You can buy it at Walgreen's, usually it's on the lower shelf, near the sun tan lotion.

2008 Tour de Leelanau Road Race

2008-06-13T13:43:00.012-06:00

The Tour de Leelanau was early this year. Not sure why, I heard it had something to do with the Tour de Georgia. Anyway, I was up riding around Glen Lake, and stopped into a gas station to get some food. The clerk asked me if I was racing tomorrow, I said,"racing?" He said, "yeah, in Tour de Leelanau." I said, "tomorrow?, it happens in September", he said, "no they changed it." Anyway, I told him I was not, and I didn't bother to explain to him why.

The next day I rode back up from Crystal Lake, it's about 27 miles to Glen Lake, and to the top of Inspiration Point. Inspiration Point is a good hill to climb, from either side. But, the racers come up the steeper side, and there's King of the Hill (KOH) points at the top. So, it's a great place to watch the lads hammer up the hill.

Click here to few some photos.

A short video clip. Racers coming back from the town of Empire,
heading north on M-22.

2008 Delavan, WI 400K Brevet

2008-06-13T13:05:00.010-06:00

Below is the overview of our ride.

Click here to read the full report. Flash player required.

We started at 6am, Saturday morning and finished at around 4:30am. The key word is finished.

The ride out to Baraboo, the halfway mark, was mostly a tailwind, so Eric and I made great time. Our plan was to be back around midnight, and we would have been, until all hell broke loose, when we arrived in Baraboo. I tried to call Roy, just for fun, to tell him what he was missing, but no answer. Just before entering the town of Baraboo, we saw these firemen on top of this hill. I wasn't sure what they were doing there, until we heard tornado sirens going off in Baraboo.

A large line of very bad weather was going through Baraboo, and east, the way we had to ride.

We hung around Baraboo, for 2.5 hours hoping the storm would pass. It did, so Eric and I took off. Soon, it started to rain again, plus wind. You could see some storm damage, trees down, flooded roads, water racing down the sides of the road. I mean a lot of water. Once we got to Devils Lake, there was just tons of water on the road, some moving quite fast across it. The sun came out for a bit, but due to the amount of water, we were very wet. Some ass, with his car flies across this very large lake in the road, and just sprays us from head to toe.

Once we hit Lodi, everything fell apart. Keep in mind there are tornado warnings nearby, and watches. We leave Lodi with a 100 miles to go, and as soon as we hit some very good climbs, the rain comes down in bucks, plus strong winds. We make it to Columbus, and it’s still raining, and getting colder. The skies also look very ominous. When we arrive at the control point, Rich (the beer guy), Anna and John were there. People asked us, why are you riding in the rain, and in the dark. They also told us the town was flooded, and you’ll need to take another way.

At this point, the five of us decided to ride the rest way together, and given what came next, it was a very good idea. So, we decided to stay on our route. When we got into town, a small creek that runs through Columbus, turned into the Amazon. The police were there, and not allowing any cars to pass. The police said, "there’s no good way to get around" the swollen creek. So, given our options, we asked – "can we walk through it?" They said, "sure", and thought we were crazy. We were already soaked, and so we carried our bikes across, about 300 feet to the other side. The town folks were taking pictures of us, and thought we were nuts too I guess. The deepest point was about up to your knees, with a current. I think it’s time for some new SiDi’s. Not sure, but the water looked like it had some floaters in it.

After leaving Columbus, we had a tailwind, not sure why, the weather up there was going crazy. Then we heard the tornado sirens going off behind us, about five miles out. I turned around, and the skies looked like they were going to swallow us up. Very scary, to be honest. Nonetheless, we kept riding.

Waterloo, WI - during a tornado watch

As we neared this small town called Waterloo, it started to rain again. So Rich said, "lets stop." So we stopped at this gas station. While waiting for the rain to stop, or at least to ease a bit, this cop pulls up. She wanted to tell us there was a tornado watch until 3am, in the direction we were headed. The station was closing at 11pm, and our next control point was 13 miles away. So, we decided to go for it. The rain is still coming down, and it’s dark, and the skies look scary as hell, just like the Wizard of Oz. At times, the wind was blowing around 40+, and rain hurt when it hit your face, bare skin. Oh, did I mention the thunder and lightening part.

We arrived at the control point, what a relief. I asked the clerk, is there a tornado watch in effect around here, she was not aware. She did put on the weather radio. From what I could hear no. Only serve thunder storms, okay we can handle that. So, we push off to our last control stop in Whitewater. We arrive around 2am. Again, people would ask us, what are you people doing, riding at night, and this crap weather. We also would tell them, we’ve been on the road since 6am, and riding 250 miles. This always blows them away.

At around 2:30am, the five of us push off, for the last 20 miles back to the Super 8 Motel in Delavan. It’s still raining, hard at times, with some thunder, and lightening off in the distance. I felt pretty sure, the tornado's were gone. We were all getting tried, and were cold. But the climbs kept us warm. Six miles out, I get a flat, in the rear. Eric thought I crashed into the brushes, since he didn’t see my light. Eric came back to help me, thanks Eric. And so did the others.

It was great to see the Super 8 sign. Our hands looked terrible, from all the water. I thought riding in the rain with Bill aka Frog was bad. I was amazed with these folks who rode with us. Hardcore comes to mind. Plus, Anna, what a tremendous rider, and was always up beat.

On my way to my car this morning, I checked to see who else came in, after we did. I was surprised no one! Some quit, and according to Frank, he had at least 12 riders still out there, and it was still raining, hard. Those poor bastards. Frank is going to decide if he will extend the time, since the weather was so bad. Two riders came in before us (just two, that’s it), this guy named Bill, and this young kid, actually I think they’re both 30 or under. They never really stopped, only to get their cards
stamped, and missed most of the bad stuff.

What a ride! The full report above has photos.

300K Delavan 2008 Brevet

2008-06-04T14:38:00.011-06:00

Since Eric already wrote a report on the 300K (about 190 miles), I thought I would just add to his.

Rick’s input:
It’s May 17th, and it’s sunny and warm for a change. It’s still windy, but not as bad as the 200K or our ride to Iowa. I don’t like wind, but wind trumps rain and cold. Anyway, back on the bike for another long ride, and I think we’re both still a bit tired from our Fleche adventure.

Similar to the Patty Hearst syndrome, I've come to love the wind. Henceforth I will not venture out on any long ride unless there is aconsiderable headwind, preferably coming in at an angle so that drafting is for naught. Not that you can catch much of a draft from Rick anyway.

Rick’s input:
Apparently, I don’t make a good wind block.

I did have sunscreen on the 300K and need it - no sunburn to report from our day on the bike yesterday. We had a lot of sun at least in the morning. It rained on us toward the end but we were just getting starting to get a little wet as we finished up at the Super8 - Rick got a little cold towards the end.

Rick’s input:
I was getting really cold. I should have put on my rain jacket, that would have helped a lot. So, I just hammered it to keep warm, and keep Eric in sight, via my mirror.

Unlike those completing events like the Galena triathlon in less than two hours, our event lasted over 13 hours - of which I estimate almost 12 hours of which was spent pedalling. We got in at 8:15PM just over an hour after the fastest riders who got in at 7:07PM. We kept our time pretty short at the five controls where we stopped. Our rolling average for the whole ride was 16.3 mph. I brought some "real" food - mainly boiled potatoes and ham sandwiches, plus bars and gels, which worked out pretty well. All I bought along the was was some grape juice and a Coke. Larry (another support person) met us at the halfway point and he had snacks, bananas, and water.

Rick’s input:
I just ate the normal bike crap food, Cliff Bars, food you find at the gas stations. I wanted to eat a burger, but no time on the last stop.

After we got in we sat around for a few minutes with David Rosenblum (who rode part of the course and was helping with ride coordination) and he served us some home-brewed beer. Some more riders came in before we went up to shower so we could go out to dinner. On the way out we talked with a couple of other recent arrivals, including the only woman (Anna, a triathlete) and Thomas Berube who had helped to design the route changes. After a filling meal at Italian Village we came back and sat around with Frank until almost midnight waiting for more riders to show up. When we went up there were still six riders out on the course. The wind had died down but there were wet roads and temps in the low '50s. One of the later arrivals said that the last leg (riding in the dark on wet roads) was his favorite part. He said it was rather pleasant since by then the wind had died down. Everyone we talked to planned to come back for the 400K in three weeks - no one was dismayed by the conditions. A hardy bunch! I think 23 started and there were four DNFs.

Rick’s input:
David only rode a 200K, so he was back early to help Frank with the riders, as they came back in. He was also in-charge of the beer. It appeared, he was really enjoying it. He’s a nice guy though. He carried my back up to my room. “I said you don’t have to do that.” He said, “you earned it.”

Our route was Delavan - Edgerton - Verona - Sauk City and then back. Not quite an out and back since the out portion went around downtown Stoughton but passed through it on the way back (there was some festival called Stoughton Days or something, including a parade, which Rick and I missed). The new section from Verona to Sauk City had three pretty good hills (each ridden twice) including one of the hills on the Madison Ironman course, which for our route was the easiest of the three. We kept up with the fast riders for about an hour then I dropped off because it was a pace that for me would not have been wise to maintain. Rick might have stayed with them but since he was burnt at the end I wonder. Anyway when he noticed my absence he too dropped off and we rode the remainder of the ride together. The lead group itself broke into pieces and missed some turns adding about 10 bonus miles to the ride. At the turn-around point the NW wind was now at our backs for quite a while until late in the ride when it shifted to the north. Before that shift there were some sections where we were just flying along at 25+ mph. All in all it was a lovely day - blue sky in the morning, dramatic cloud landscapes, lots of blooming trees along the route - crab apple, red bud, Bradford pear - and just the general bursting out of greenery everywhere. The temperature did get up to 70.

Rick’s input:
I came to ride with Eric. So, when I didn’t see Eric on the first leg, I fell back to wait for him. I know I could have hung with those lads, but given the Fleche, I wasn’t feeling all that strong.

Frank, Larry, and David did a great job supporting this ride. Thanks guys.

Everyone seems to complain that in Chicago we have winter, then two weeks of spring then summer. Well this year I think we have a real spring - which means wind, rain, and cool temperatures, and I've decided that that's OK with me. I'm also thankful that our apparently well-maintained bicycles had no mechanical problems.

The 2008 Fleche - Road to Waterloo

2008-05-12T08:51:00.022-06:00

View Route Map
View Cue Sheet (PDF)
View Eric's Ride Report (PDF)
View some photos

Earlier this year Eric sent out an email, looking for riders who might be interested in doing a team endurance event - called a Flèche. A Flèche is not a race, and you must have three riders on your team, but no more than five. A Flèche must be completed within a 24-hours, and your route must be at least 360K. Here’s a link for the official rules - Flèche rules (PDF).

So, after receiving the email, I responded. And agreed to be a team member. It was something I haven’t done, in fact I have never ridden that far before. Though, last year I did ride 170 miles, under 12 hours, and I did some 200Ks, and some back to back centuries – so I felt it was doable. Unfortunately, this year has been difficult to ride outdoors, due to the bad weather. I would have liked to have gotten in more centuries prior to the Flèche, but no such luck.

Doing a Flèche or any long distance ride, requires a lot of planning. Plus, your route must be approved by RUSA. Eric did a great job planning the route. He even rode part of it earlier this year, out to Clinton, IA. The balance of the route Doug scouted out by car, but Robert (the RUSA Flèche organizer), who put on this event, gave Eric a route (or recommendations) to Waterloo, IA, our final destination.

Besides route planning, you need to determine where your control points will be. At the start, just like a Brevet, you get a control card. This card needs to stamped at the control points, signed, and the time must be indicated as well. Usually a control point is a gas station. And a place that is open all night. The stamp can be anything official, like a check endorsement stamp.

The next thing, besides being mentally prepared, is your bike needs to be in perfect condition. Then, you need to watch the weather, so you can bring the right gear. Lights are required (as well as a reflective vest, and ankle bands). Not the wimpy lights you find at LBS, you need headlights that will work all night long, and that will allow you to see the road, well. Eric and Doug have hub generator lights. They work great. I was using a high-end LED system. It’s made in the USA, by DiNotte, and I would highly recommend this system.

Now it’s April, and we have our team together. There are four of us, and I’m the rookie in the bunch. Our team:

Eric Petersen (also the team captain)
Eric is an amazing rider, and has a lot of accomplishments under his belt. Such as the GLR Brevet series, including Brevets in Iowa. And most importantly PBP 2007. Plus he rides 10,000 miles a year.

Doug McLerran
Doug is one of those riders you hear about, but never get to meet. But, we did meet him, and it was great experience to be able to ride with Doug. Doug has so many accomplishments, it’s hard to know where to start. I’ll just give you the highlights. First, he’s a Cat. 2 road racer. He’s also an Ironman, and has done PBP three times.

Ken Priddy
Ken has done many Brevets, but he also enjoys trail running. His claim to fame, is running 100 miles on trails, in one day.

Rick Cosaro (the rookie)
I haven’t done a lot in the four years that I have been riding, but enough. Plus, I have ridden a lot with Eric, who’s been one of my mentors. I also like to climb. And that helped on the Flèche, since we climbed 12,000 ft., according to Eric’s GPS.

So, with the team in place, we had a team meeting the week of the Flèche. We went over gear, the route, the pace, nutrition, etc.

May 2, we were to depart from Hinckley, IL at 4pm. Though, due to the weather, Eric called up Robert, to see if we could change the start to Saturday, May 3 at 8am. Robert said that would be fine. Plus, this was going to be better, since the other teams were also arriving on Saturday at 8am. I don’t mind riding in the rain, for special rides, but not in lightening/extreme weather.

Saturday, May 3

We all met at Eric’s home at around 6am. Eric had his van, with the roof rack on it. Kathy his wife drove us down to Hinckley, for our 8am start. It was sunny, with some wind when we arrived at Jacket’s Amoco (535 E. Lincoln Ave.). We had enough time to get our bikes and gear together. Then we went inside the station to get our Flèche/RUSA cards stamped. The gal who stamped our cards, said she was honored to do so.

And we’re off. Within a mile we were heading west, right into a very strong headwind/cross winds. As bad as what we had the following Saturday in Delavan, WI on the 200K Brevet. So, since the road didn’t have much traffic we used the whole lane doing an echelon paceline. The sun is now gone, and it’s starting to rain. We pulled to the side of the road, and put on our rain gear.

First leg, into the wind. Ken's rain jacket, or should I say sail. :)

The first leg was 51.7 miles to Dixon. On long rides, it’s best to think in terms of legs, it helps to make the journey sound easier. As we were on the first leg, Ken would fall back from time to time. Once we arrived in Dixon we got our card stamped at Amoco Super Pantry, at 101 E. Everett Street. We also grab some water. Then we headed over to McDonald’s for lunch.

Still windy...

Back on the road, our next stop was Lyons, IA (aka Clinton, IA). This leg was 44.7 miles. The rain was still coming down, and the headwind was still blowing hard. About halfway into this leg, the sun started to come out, and Ken was falling back again. Soon, we regrouped and Ken said it wasn’t his day, and that he did not want to hold up the team. So, we said our goodbyes, and Ken rode back to Naperville. He had a tailwind the whole way back, and ended up with 170 miles for the day.

We pushed on to Lyons (crossed the Mississippi), and found our control point at Kwik Star, 249 Main Avenue After getting our cards stamped, we found this Italian restaurant. Real food is so much better than bike food. We asked the waitress if she could serve us fast, since we had a short window of time. We had a salad and pasta.

I think it was around 8pm when we pushed off again. Our next control point was Maquoketa, IA a distance of 34.8 miles. Now, the hills are starting. Though, there’s no rain, but there’s still some wind. About 15 miles out we stopped to put on some warmer clothes/reflective gear, and to turn on our tail lights. No blinking tail lights, because they’ll drive you crazy starring at them all night.

Doug asked me if I have ever ridden at night. I said yes, but just around town. When you’re in the country, it’s really dark. So, powerful lights are a must. It was really cool to be riding at night. We looked like some UFO riding down the road.

We arrived at KJ’s Convenience & Deli Mart, 916 1/2 W. Platt Street. Got our cards stamped and ordered a large pizza. Our next stop is Monticello, IA, 35.4 miles away. If I recall, we missed a turn, but only went a few miles out of our way. When we arrived in Monticello, at Casey’s General Store, 627 S. Main Street, the parking lot was rather busy at 1:30am. Apparently, it was prom night. There was also this cop talking to a bunch of kids in a car, by the store. I think we freaked the cop out a bit, when we came rolling in looking like a UFO.

Everyone is starting to get tired on. Plus, the back of my neck, right arm, and other body parts were getting very sore. So, I took some Ibuprofen. I have never taken pain pills while riding, but then again, I have never ridden all night. They seemed to help for awhile. The store had no place to sit, so Eric and Doug sat on the floor. Now, after a short break, we had the hardest stretch to complete. This is the stretch was were I hit the wall, but I would not give up. I wouldn’t let the team down. We had to be in Jesup, IA by 6am, and he had 62.6 miles to go. There were a lot of hills, but no cars. At Maquoketa this guy said watch out for the deer. We said we already saw one. Though, on the way to Jesup, three large deer ran right across the road, of course in front of us. Doug hit his brakes hard, so did I, and I could hear Eric behind me yell, holly shit or something like that. This stretch also had a lot dogs. One dog ran after Eric, but missed him. At around 4am, I’m just wiped, and things are really hurting. I was pulling, and pulled off, and almost went down. Lack of sleep does weird things to your body.

I asked if we could stop for a bit, so I could eat something. Doug also gave me a No Doze pill, though I’m not sure it helped. So, back on the bikes. I said to Doug, I can’t pull anymore. I should note, the wind is gone, and has been since around 10pm. But, it’s getting colder. So, Doug did most of the pulling until the sun came up. Keep in mind we would ride at our own pace up the hills, and then regroup at the top. I remember at one point Doug asked Eric, “is Rick still back there?” Eric said yes. I should have said, don’t worry, no matter what it takes, you’re not going to drop me.

We made good time on the stretch to Jesup, thanks to Doug. Around 5am you could hear the birds coming to life, and the darkness was starting to fade. But it was still cold, around 38° I would say. When I saw the sun coming up, I felt some sense of relief. We arrived in Jesup, IA around 6:27am at Casey’s General Store, 1330 6th Street. We missed our time of 6am. But, it was still possible to make Waterloo by 8am. We got our cards stamped, used the bathroom, ate something, and hit the road. My stomach was upset, I can’t imagine why.

It was around 18 miles to Robert’s home in Waterloo, and I kept asking Eric, how many miles to go. I needed to know so I could pace myself, as I’m just fried now, and every mile was torture. There was a construction detour on the route to Robert’s, out in the country, and we decided to go for it. The road was fine until the end. We had to ride through the dirt, hard dirt, and walk about ten feet. These two little dogs chased Doug, as he crossed the dirt first.

We’re now heading into Waterloo, and it’s getting very residential. Then we see some riders. It was another team, and we knew we were getting close. Eric was talking to some of the riders. One rider had the same bike as Eric. When we pulled onto Robert’s street, I could see Eric’s van, and knew Kathy was there waiting. It so great to be done. Kathy asked how do you feel, I said like shit, and I smell like it too.

We arrived about 7:55am. Robert had no problem with the fact we missed the 6am time slot in Jesup. He was surprised that we actually made it at all – due to the weather.

After having some food at Robert’s, we drove over to the hotel, were Kathy had her room, and used the shower. Then we drove back to Naperville, in the sun, after stopping for some food.

Ride Stats

Mileage: 252 (per Eric)
Ride Time: 18:40:59
Average Speed: 13.6 (thanks to Doug)
Max Speed: 33
Elevation Gain: 9,065 (Eric had 12K on his GPS)
Average Grade: 2%
Max Grade: 9%
Sleep: None, up for 24 hours

Finally, I just wanted to say thank you Kathy for all your help. You’re the best.

200K Delavan 2008 Brevet

2008-04-27T13:22:00.008-06:00

View GPS map >

First, I have to say I feel bad that Greg was unable to ride with us. And had to abandon the ride due to a broken spoke. But, at least he made theeffort to get there, despite problems with his alarm clock. Greg, chalk it up to a learning experience. We have all had issues with alarm clocks, and for important events, I would recommend two or even three alarm clocks. As for your spoke, that’s just one of those things.

Next, I want to say Jane and Ace rock. They both rode strong, and hung in there given the fact we had a side/headwind until we got to Verona, the halfway point. Those who rode the Sudden last year, and the Scary had to contend with wind, but that was easy compared to wind we had yesterday. I almost got blown off my bike a few times. Eric got blown into a ditch, but put a leg down to stop from going down. The wind speed was easily 35 mph, with gusts to 50. And it was pretty cold at the start (37°), until the sun started to come out around 9:30am. I think it hit 53° around 1pm. My bike computer said 63° at one point, but with the wind it felt colder.

So, here’s the 200K report.

Ace arrived around 6pm Friday night. He gave me a beer, while he was unpacking in his room. It was Miller Lite, but hey. Then we drove over to this Italian restaurant for dinner in the rain. It was really nasty Friday night.

Then early to bed. I got up Saturday morning, to find the roads dry, but the wind was howling at 20-35mph. I turned on the Weather Channel, to find it was only 36°, oh well. At around 5:30am, my cell phone rings, and it was Eric. He was on the road, and he told me Greg wasn’t with him.

At 7am, there were about 50 riders (from what I heard from Frank) at the start. Eric, Jane and Moo did not leave with them, as Eric got a call from Greg. Ace took off with them. Since Greg was running late, we took off too. This meant, Greg would possibly be riding alone, but a lot of folks do ride alone on Brevets - like Ace did. Anyway, as we were heading out, about a mile or two away from the start, we saw Greg.

About 10-15 miles out, we caught up to Ace. We rode with him for awhile, and at the first control stop, we saw Ace again. The first stop, is gas station, about 31 miles out.

Eric, Jane and Moo took off. About mile 40, the wind was really getting on your nerves. But, it seemed we were going to have a tailwind on the return from Verona, so everyone tolerated the wind, hoping that would be true. As we were approaching Verona, the fast group passed us, heading back. Some of the guys in that pack, have done RAAM, and of course PBP. They use the Brevets as training rides. Shortly after leaving Verona, we saw Ace, and we had the wind at our backs. There was still side winds to contend with, from time to time, but mostly it was a very strong tailwind. At one point I wasn’t even pedaling, and I was doing 18mph.

When we got to the last rest stop, which is also the first one, I was really running out of fuel, so I went and got a Big Mac, and fries, across the street. The last leg of the ride is always a good feeling, and we got back around 4:55pm. After getting our control cards stamped, we had some beer, and waited for Ace. Ace showed up around 5:50pm.

Highlights:
This year, they did a really good job marking the route. You really didn’t need a cue sheet.

There was this guy, who rode a fixed gear Litespeed. He has eight of them, and that’s all he rides now. This was his first 200K on a fixie, but has done centuries before on a fixie.

Good beer at the end.

Dinner with the gang afterwards.

Ride Stats:
Mileage – 129.7
Riding Time – 8:23 (because of the wind)
Door to Door Time – 7am – 4:55pm
Average Speed – 15.4mph
Max Speed – 34.5mph
Elevation Gain – 4,621
Average Grade – 2%
Max Grade – 9%

Finally, since this wasn’t a PBP year, GLR folks said the route was made to be easier. I don’t know what they’re talking about. Because last year we climbed the same amount elevation gain. Though, last year there was one big climb, which we didn’t have this year. Only a bunch of small 9% climbs.

2008 Hillsboro-Roubaix Race Report

2008-03-30T19:02:00.018-06:00

Some photos at the Start/Finish

I left Naperville around 9am Friday morning for Hillsboro. Hillsboro is about 226 miles south of Naperville,and about 60 miles east of St. Louis. When I arrived I had lunch, and then proceeded to locate the
race start. It’s a small town, but not that small, so I had to ask someone for directions. I should have used Google to find the race start.

I found the start, and drove the course. I started to use the cue sheet I got from the race director, and soon realized the course was already marked, and very well I might add with arrows, and mile markers. About mile three Iwas getting rather nervous, as the back roads of the course are very hilly,steep, with tight turns, and full of gravel, bumps, etc. Plus, theroads are narrow. And this is freaking me out, because how is a group of 50 riders, going to navigate these roads, at race speeds. Riding it at normal speeds, no big deal. Though, the gravel is still something to be careful of

The are 17 turns on the course, and full of gravel, even though they sweep the turns, the gravel is still there. Around mile 13 or so, two dogs started to chase my car, I almost hit one of stupid (Lab) dogs, as it tried to bit my front wheel. Soon after, I’m out on the flatter part of the course, though the gravel is worse, and I’m getting more worried about the actual race, because of how dangerous this course appears to be. Again it would be a great ride, but at race speeds, pretty scary. At mile 20, or around there, you hit the last two big climbs, at the top of the last climb you turn left, and then fly down a paved road, only to hit the the brick pavement at 25+ mph. There’s about a mile of the brick, then you hit the last turn, which is paved, and you can see the finish. No yellow line on the finish.

After checking in, I drove the course one more time, and this time the dogs didn’t give chase.

Came back, watched some TV, had dinner in the hotel, and was in bed by 10pm. No booze, I mean beer, or anything else.

The course stats:

Course: 22 miles
Elevation Gain: 894 ft.
Average Grade: 2%
Max. Grade: 9%
Race Start Temp: About 48-51°, sunny, most of the time
Wind: 20 mph headwind for 80% of the course.
(It’s like that every year, I’m told.)

Here’s the course and course profile:
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/il/hillsboro/1031905867

Saturday, race day:

I stayed at the Red Rooster Hotel, it’s a 100 year old hotel, and it looks it. Though, it’s right in the heart of the town, and about two miles from the race start. It’s also cheap at $45/night, and it’s a smoke free hotel. It could be really nice, but it has a good location, and the people are very nice. So, not too bad.

Saturday morning I went down for breakfast around 7am, met some racers from IN, and talked with them for awhile. They were Cat. 3/4. Soon, some more racers walked in, it was Jason, and two of ABD buds. Jason also stayed at the hotel. I think other racers stayed in the hotel, but the breakfast dinning room was empty, otherwise.

I checked out, and headed over to the race start to register. Registration opened at 8:30am. There weren’t many cars in the church parking lot, but it soon filled up. The race start takes place at this church, and the church has bathrooms, a registration area, etc. So, it was pretty nice. After I signed my life away, I went back to me car, to stay warm. Around 9am, I started getting the bike ready, and went back into the car to get warm. By now the lot is pretty much full, and there’s a bunch of racer chicks behind me, with one of those tents, without sides. The kind you see at outdoor events. Anyway, it was quite the party. They had music going, and dancing, and it’s not even 10am.

I saw some XXX racers, and asked if they knew Erik Didriksen. They said yes, but didn’t know where he was. I also met Luke from XXX, he’s the guy that runs the Chicago Bike Racing site. I finally found Erik, and he was racing the Cat. 5 race, as well. He said you’re welcome to join us, which was nice of him.

Well due to the weather reports the week before the race, the fields were not as big, as scheduled. Meaning, as an example. The Cat. 5 group was supposed to be 50, but at the start, we only had 37.

At 11am, the Cat. 1/2 took off. They had to ride 88 miles, or four 22 mile loops. Next, the Masters left, I think they rode 66 miles. Then, the Cat. 3/4 group left about 10 minutes later. Jason was in that group, and they had to ride 66 miles. No feed zone, I believe for them, only the Cat. 1/2 had a feed zone. Next, if I can remember correctly, the Cat. 1/2/3 women took off, not sure how many miles they had to do. Then the Cat. 4/5 group, and I believe they rode 44 miles. Then the Cat. 5, followed by the Juniors class, and Cat. 5 women. The last three groups only had to race one loop of 22 miles.

It sounds like a lot of riders out on the course, and there were a lot, but we all left at different times, so you didn’t have any issues on the course – between the different races – unless you got dropped.

At around 11:28 the Cat. 5 group took off, my group. As soon as we started to roll, I felt like I had no energy. I should have ridden my trainer before hand, and I brought it with. I did ride some of the course earlier, but not enough to get the juices flowing. At mile two or so, after flying down the first hill, and with a tailwind we hit the first climb. And that’s where I blew the race. Actually, I blew it at the start. What I should have done at the start line, was to be right next to Erik, and the other XXX racers. Because when we hit the climb, I got stuck behind some slow asses, and I had no where to go. Sure I could have passed them on the left, and crossed the yellow line, but I would have been DQ’d. Once you hit the top, you make a right hand turn, and you hit the very narrow roads, with the gravel and sharp turns, and the technical descents. Now, I’m with about four guys, trying to work together to get back to the main group, or what’s left of it. At times I’m pulling at 28, and saying to myself, what I’m doing racing this early in the season. About mile seven that was it. There were some others around me, and but I was toast. Soon, I was all alone, and only the headwind to contend with, a 20 mph headwind for the remainder of the ride, I mean race.

So, what to do. I’m pretty sure there are still Cat. 5 racers behind me. I can still see some in the distance. So, I push on. At about mile 15, I guess, I pass a racer, who I thought was a person in my group, only to find, the person was a woman, who gave up or called it a day. Note: Another rule, is you are not allowed to draft anyone who’s not in your race, also a DQ. That goes for cars too. Speaking of cars, each race group has a front and rear pace car. If you fall back like I did, the rear pace car passes you, and speeds up to stay behind the main pack.

At about mile 17/18, I see another pace car coming up behind me, I’m hoping it’s not the 1/2 racers. It wasn’t. The Juniors were catching my ass, and not a good feeling. These kids look like there about five years old, and I could easily be their Dad. As Jason says, those kids are fast. Now, I see the 20 mile maker, and I have two more hills to climb. On the last hill I pass another woman racer who wasn’t having a good day, like me. I make the turn at the top, hammer down the last hill, hit the brick at about 26 mph, make another left hand turn, onto more brick. Then I pass another woman, and make the last turn of the day, onto smooth pavement for the finish. I see the finish line, and another racer in front of me. I couldn’t believe it was a guy from my group. Now, I’m feeling stronger, because I’m warmed up, duh! This other racer wasn’t going fast at all, but he was pretty far in front of me, nonetheless, I was able to catch him, and cross the line before him.

It wasn’t a great performance, but I met my goals. Which were, not to crash, and not to finish dead last.I came in 27th out of 37 racers. The main pack finished 1:10, what was left of it, I finished 1:14.

The overall race had a lot of people who were unable to finish. Even the Cat. 1/2 racers who won, said it’s too early for this kind of race. They were totally wiped. Actually, I heard a lot of racers say, that it was a really hard course. I didn’t see anyone go down, but I heard there was a bad crash in the Cat. 4/5 group.

Some things to point out:

First, anyone who’s interested in racing should just do it. Yes, there’s danger, but after doing the Tour de Tucson and now Hillsboro, racers take care of each other. Meaning, smart racers will warn others of their actions, and road conditions. This may not be the case, if you’re in front, and have chance to win.

Next, anyone can race. You don’t have to be associated with a team. And you can wear anything you want. I saw plenty of solo riders. Though, be prepared to pull, if you aren’t in the main pack.

As far as gear goes, I saw racer with mirrors, on their glasses, and all kinds of bikes. High-end from Ti to carbon and lower end.

And most importantly, I didn’t meet any ass holes. The racers I met, saw, associated with at Hillsboro, were extremely nice people.

Finally, Rich Pierce, who is the race director of Hillsboro-Roubaix does a great job. The course is extremely well marked. They have 60 people on the course directing traffic and keeping the racers safe, along with the police and ER vehicles. So, you feel very safe, in that respect.

All in all, it was a great learning experience. And it’s a good way to judge your performance. Looking forward to my next road race.

Cyclists See Bone Density Suffer by Jeannine Stein

2008-02-07T12:55:00.000-06:00

This subject isn't new to the biking community, and it comes up now and then on our bike rides. And the article below, by Jeannine Stein, I felt was worth posting.

Cyclists See Bone Density Suffer
By Jeannine Stein
Los Angeles Times

Cycling is terrific exercise, hitting the cardiovascular system and major muscle groups simultaneously -- but it may not be the best thing for building strong bones. Compared with male runners, male cyclists appear more likely to have lower-than-normal bone density.

"You would think that cyclists are very healthy, because they spend all those hours training," says Pam Hinton , associate professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia and co-author of the study accepted for publication in the journal Metabolism. "In other aspects they are -- cardiovascular health and body composition. But in this one aspect, they're not doing so well."

The study tested the bone mineral density of 27 cyclists and 16 runners ages 20 to 59 who had engaged in their sport a minimum of six hours a week for at least two years. Hinton controlled for diet, past exercise and weight training. Whole body scans and blood tests showed that 63 percent of cyclists had osteopenia of the spine or hip, compared with 19 percent of the runners.

Osteopenia is bone mineral density that's lower than normal but not so low to be considered osteoporosis, or very low bone mineral density. Not all who have osteopenia will develop osteoporosis, and treatment isn't always required .

Some of those with osteopenia were in their 20s and 30s, " and that was pretty alarming to me," Hinton says. "I thought I'd just see it in guys who were older and had been riding for years."

In general, men may not be as much at risk for low bone density as women -- especially postmenopausal women. But Hinton says they should be concerned, because osteopenia can lead to osteoporosis and injuries such as hip fractures.

Bone cells are surrounded by fluid that, when hit with an impact force, moves back and forth. That action signals to the bone cells to add more mass. "You lose bone mass quickly if there isn't some kind of mechanical loading on the bone," Hinton says.

That, she adds, best comes from movement involving impact -- running, playing basketball or soccer, or doing plyometric exercises such as jumping.

Weight training also can exert force on the bone, says Hinton, but not as much as during impact, perhaps accounting for the lower bone mineral density in cyclists. Some of the study participants protested that the muscle contractions that occur when pedaling and standing on the pedals should account for some impact. "But the pedal is moving with you," she says. "You don't have the earth resisting your body."

Hinton recommends that cyclists add a little variety to their workouts to help increase bone density: running, playing basketball, jumping rope or doing plyometrics a couple times a week .

"When you're young, you should be maximizing your bone density," she says, "and as you get older, exercise slows the rate of loss. So it's really important, no matter where you are in your life, to be doing some kind of bone-loading exercise."

Caucus Rides in Tucson

2007-11-24T14:54:00.000-06:00

This is an overview of their trip to Tucson. The main reason for the trip was to ride/race El Tour de Tucson.

View a slide show of the Caucus in Tucson.

Moo arrived Monday the 12th, and found his condo with little trouble. His dentist, also his neighbor let him stay in it - which was very nice. He thanked JP and Nancy with some vino. Roy and Elizabeth also arrived on Monday, but they went to Scottsdale to see their old homestead, and so Roy could ride around there, and Elizabeth wanted to do some shopping.

On Tuesday, Moo when out to Rick's home in Saddlebrooke, about a 42 minute drive from Moo's condo. Moo got there around 8am, setup his bike and Moo & Rick rode 36 miles. Around Saddlebrooke, and out to the Bio-sphere and back. Some good climbing, I here.

Moo had lunch and drove back to the condo. He went out to dinner at a very good Italian restaurant called North, located near AJ's.

The next day Moo rode up Mt. Lemmon, he had a very good time. When he got back to the condo, he called Rick. By now, Tom and Libby had arrived, and Tom's bike too. Moo took a quick shower, and headed back over to Rick's home.

Roy and Elizabeth were on there way down from Scottsdale, meanwhile the bar was open at Rick's with snacks. Yummy! They waited for Roy and Elizabeth until around 7pm, but no show. So they called Roy and Elizabeth and told them to meet the gang at this cowboy restaurant. Finally, Roy and Elizabeth appeared, and everyone ordered their meal. I heard Tom paid for the meal, that was very nice of him.

Everyone called it a night.

The next day, Moo arrived at Rick's home to ride with Roy, Tom and Rick. They went out to the Bio-sphere, and around Saddlebrooke. Roy wasn't doing so well, as he was not drinking enough water. I tell him all the time, but does he listen to me, no!

After their moderate ride, they all had lunch, and discussed nicknames. The name Javelina kept coming up. Moo thought that was a not a nice nickname. But give the boys some beer, and things go crazy. After lunch Moo used Rick's shower, so he wouldn't have to drive back to the condo. Tom went back to his hotel, as it was close to Rick's - to shower.

Then Tom, Rick, Roy and Moo drove in Rick's car to the convention center to pickup their ride packets for El Tour. Tom was like a kid in a candy store. The convention center was filled with bike vendors, even a Moots booth. Tom bought Moo a Moots poster, Moo was surprised. After they dragged Tom out of the center, they headed to a pub. Go figure, I guess they were parched.

There was this brew pub nearby, and Roy and Tom ordered a sampler. Moo and Rick just had a pint or two. They also ordered some appetizers, as no one had any lunch. Soon, Elizabeth and Libby joined the party. But, they couldn't stay long since Roy had to get back to this bike shop near Rick's before it closed. Roy needed some adjustments made, because it wasn't shifting right.

That evening for dinner, Rick drove the group to a great Mexican restaurant near the town of Oracle. You could bring your on liquor, and the food was cheap. Under $20 per person. It's was a dive, but didn't bother anyone.

The next day, Moo drove back to Rick's home. The boys were going to ride an easy, short ride, just to get the legs going. They rode around Saddlebrooke, and then Tom said, he wanted to climb this big hill. Rick said, "You're kidding, right?", Tom said, "No, I want to see how my gears work." So they were off. Tom told Moo to call out the grade every 20 feet. Everyone made it to the top, I knew they would. Then they turned around, and flew down the hill. I heard the hill only reached 13% at one point. When I was a young pup, that was just another day out for me.

After their 19 mile right, Moo called FedEx, and scheduled a pickup for Monday morning from Rick's home.

Moo said goodbye, and headed back to prep for El Tour. The others went out to dinner. Moo wanted to stay, but he was on a mission.

The next day, everything worked out pretty well. Except for Rick, he went down, but all things considered, very lucky. Roy was also lucky, his crash wasn't too bad, so he got back on his bike.

For those who haven't read Moo's El Tour report, click here.

Also, you can read his Mt. Lemmon report here.

After El Tour, everyone went back to Rick's for drinks - but first Tom, Moo and Roy packed up their bikes - easier before it gets drunk out, and had a very nice dinner. Rick and Linda are great hosts. Thank you for taking care of my friends, and masters.

--- Kramer

(PS - Thanks Heather for taking care of me. The snacks and beer hit the spot.)

Mt. Lemmon - One Hell of a Bike Ride.

2007-11-23T13:26:00.000-06:00

Once I knew I was riding (racing) El Tour de Tucson, I had to ride up Mt. Lemmon. There was no way, I could spend time out in Tucson, and not climb it. So here's my ride report and I have included photos I took on the way up.

View a slide show of my Mt. Lemmon ride.

Wednesday, November 14 at 9:45am I arrived at the parking lot, where Le Buzz Cafe Bistro is located. Le Buzz Cafe is a hangout for road bikers, before or after riding Mt. Lemmon.

Here's the location of Le Buzz Cafe.

At 10:00am I was on the road, and very excited to finally climb my first mountain. About four miles into the ride you see the first road sign for Summerhaven, my destination, but not my final destination. The final destination would be the ski area, which is a little higher up.

When I started the ride the weather was prefect, though it's Tucson. The temperature was around 70°, and no wind to speak of. I should note, that as soon as you leave the Le Buzz Cafe parking lot, you're climbing. Not much, but you are climbing - about 1% grade. Once you pass the Summerhaven road sign, you can feel the grade change, but the views are fantastic. I have to say, the climb up wasn't too bad, and I was expecting it to be a lot harder. Saying that, I wanted to save my legs for the El Tour on Saturday, but if you want to make the climb really hard, just hammer it the whole way. I have been told people do race up it, and average 18mph.

As I'm climbing I stopped along the way to take photos. The traffic was pretty light, and I saw about 12 riders while riding up and down. While taking my photos, I noticed something, which was how quiet it was. I could hear metal guard rails expanding, as the sun warmed the metal. I also heard a rattle snake, glad I didn't see it though.

When you start the ride from the Le Buzz Cafe, the elevation is around 2,563 ft. Note, I never had an issue with altitude in Tucson or at the top of Mt. Lemmon, coming from the Chicagoland area. Not drinking enough water was more of an issue. Or making sure you do drink enough water, I should say.

While riding up you pass mile markers and elevation signs. There are some restrooms along the way, mostly near the bottom and near the top. So, make sure you grab some water along the way, or before heading back down. When I reach 6,000 ft., the temperature was still around 72°. I brought my arm warmers with, but I never needed them. All I wore was a jersey, a base later, and bibs.

At 8,000 ft., I was very close to Summerhaven. The temperature now is still warm for a person from the midwest, about 62° and sunny. Note, the climb up, like I said wasn't all that hard, the average grade is 4%, but mostly the grades vary between 2% and 5%, and at times would go to 8%. I only encountered one 10% section, around the top of the mountain, but it was short. Also, for the most part, the whole way up, you're climbing, but there are some flat sections, and even a downhill section towards the end for about a mile or so.

When I arrived at Summerhaven, it was around 1pm. It took me 2 hours and 58 minutes of riding to get there. I know I could have done it faster, but again, I wanted to save my legs for Saturday. The only place open in Summerhaven was the cafe, the one that's known for it's pies. But, it was crowded, and I didn't see any water for sale.
Also, they had a small bonfire going (outside), I thought that was weird, since a few years back the whole town of Summerhaven got wiped out due to a forest fire. So, I headed for the ski area, in search of water. Oh, the post office was also open in Summerhaven.

Climbing up to the ski resort, I started to feel a little sick to my stomach. Probably because I hadn't drank enough water. When I got to the top, there was nothing open. I took a few photos, and this woman, who was eating her lunch, along with her husband, said, "would you like me to take your picture", I said "sure." We talked for awhile, they were from San Diego, and were traveling around the southwest in the their camper van. They asked me if I needed some water, I say no I was fine, and that I would get some on the way down. I did have some Gatorade left.

Now for the fun part, or the big pay-off, the fast ride down. Well sort of, you do have some climbing to do, before it's mostly downhill, but not much. About 3 miles out, I found water. There was a parking lot, where hikers can park, use the restrooms, and take on water before hitting the trails. I filled up both water bottles, and took off.

Riding up is a challenge, but riding down is one too. You have to like going fast on a bike alongside cars, and around fairly tight turns. When I descend I usually try and take the whole lane (when I can), rather then just using the shoulder. It's safer, because the shoulders usually have a lot of crap on them, and because you can take the turns faster. Plus, coming down, sometimes there was no real shoulder. I also wear mirror, so I can see cars or other riders behind me.

Around the 6,000 ft. level, there's a nice scenic look out area, with restrooms, so I stopped for a bit. Some people stopped to talk to me. I think they were surprised that people would want to ride a bike up and down Mt. Lemmon. Another guy asked me if I was going up or down. I told him I was coming down from the top. He was a nice guy, but rather rough around the edges, and with a slight southern accent, he said "You must be one tough son-of-a-bitch" - I said,"I'm not sure about that" - you had to be there, but it was one of those weird bike moments.

So, back on the bike, and it's all downhill for about the next 23+ miles or so. I never let the bike go over 39mph. Because I didn't want to crash before the El Tour and because I'm not that crazy. 90% of the way down, I was in the drops, and I would constantly scrub my brakes. As the miles ticked away, I could feel the temperature climb, almost a degree per mile. When I got to the last turn, I was glad, as my arms were getting sore from being in the drops the whole way. Now, it's really warm, about 86°, and I'm headed back to the car, that's parked near the Buzz Cafe.

Climbing Mt. Lemmon is a must for any road biker, especially if you like to climb, like I do. Also, it's a lot closer and cheaper than going to Europe to climb the Alps - but I have to say, I felt like I was doing a stage in the Tour when I was climbing and descending Mt. Lemmon.

Here are my stats:

Total Riding Time (hours) - 4:41
Total Miles - 62.52
Average Speed - 13.3 (That's round trip.)
Top Speed - 39
Average Grade - 4%
Max. Grade - 10%
Altitude Gain - 6,907 ft.

2007 El Tour de Tucson Ride Report

2007-11-19T19:15:00.000-06:00

View a slide show of the TdT

If you asked me about El Tour de Tucson (TdT) three years ago, I would have said, I have never heard of it. If you told me how far it was, and how fast some riders go, I would have said, no way. Well a lot has changed in the past three years, and without sounding like I'm full of myself, which I'm not, the TdT changes you. No it's not like doing PBP or RAAM, but it's the type of ride, which is really a road race or can be, and that changes you.

I have to be honest, my biggest fear was not making a fool of myself. In other words, I didn't know how other riders would interact with me, a perfect stranger or more to the point a newbie. And how I was going to navigate through all those riders, without going down. Well, when I arrived the morning of the TdT, most of my fears were for not.

So, here's my report, of what to date, was the most intense, dangerous, and exhilarating ride I have ever done.

Note: The ride really started weeks before - I should say the prep. But, the night before, everything was well organized, and I ate dinner around 5pm. Pasta salad, some chicken, a banana, and drank lots of water. After making sure all my gear and bike were set to go, I went to bed at 7pm sharp.

I'm not sure Rick, Roy or Tom did the same. Meaning, the time they went to bed.

After hearing how fast the "Gold" section of the cue fills up, I decided to get up early, and I mean early. My alarm went off at 2:30am. I ate some breakfast, did the usual bathroom ritual, packed up the car, and headed to downtown Tucson. Tucson only has street lights in the downtown area, and not in the foothills. So, it's dark, not unlike Michigan. Anyway, when I arrived, there were already at least 50 bikes parked at the "Gold" start. I figured there would be, since if I'm crazy enough to get there by 3:45am, then surely, others would do the same.

When I found out where the parking lot was, the back way in, it wasn't open yet. So, the parking attendant let me park off to the side. Around 4am, the lot opened up, paid the $10, and I snagged a good spot, right near the "Gold" start. I quickly got my bike and gear together, and walked my bike into the "Gold"area, about 50 feet from the Platinum back area. The barricades were not completely up yet, so I was able to walk into the "Gold" section without any trouble.

Now, it's about 4:15am, I'm standing with my bike in the dark, only wearing my moo jersey, but not really cold, it was around 51°. While standing there, more people started to gather, and soon, people are sleeping on the street around me. Apparently, they got to bed late.

Here's a diagram of the how the TdT start is configured:

Around 5am, things started to rock, literally. The loud speakers started to crank out the rock music, and the announcer started to talk about all the goings on. By this time, I decided I was getting cold, so I climbed over the barricade, and got my sweat shirt in the car, and that felt good. (Instead of laying my bike down, I took the front wheel off, and used the fork to keep the bike upright.) While waiting, and waiting, I saw Rick, and Tom. Roy came by, I think around 6am, but I was in line, by the porta-johns. Roy, Rick and Tom were in the "Gold" section, about 200 yards behind me. When I got back from the john, it was starting to get light, so I put my sweat shirt back in the car, and climbed back over the barricade, and back to my bike.

Note: Get this, right near me, there were these guys on trainers, okay that's weird.

Around 6:30am, the scene was getting juiced up. I ate a Cliff Bar, took two Hammer pills, and put my front wheel back on. Now, all 5,000 (or so I was told) riders doing the 109 route had gathered. What a sight.

The music is still cranking, and at 7am, the start gun went off. Before I go on, I want to make a point about how they time this race/ride.

The TdT is really first come, first served, or I should say, the people upfront get the better averages. Even if you were Lance. If Lance got stuck at the very end, there's no way even a pro could bridge the gap, plus there's a very high danger level just trying to make your way through the pack. But more to the point. The clock starts when the first riders cross the line. That means rider 4,000 +, is already 30 minutes behind or more. This is unfair. They should have the chips record individual times, not when the clock starts.

Also, even though I was close to the Platinum riders, who don't have to show up, until around 7am, since they have a guaranteed spot, like the pros. It's nearly impossible to bridge that gap. Remember, where I was located, I still had about 300 riders in front of me.

Okay, we're on the course, and there's a sea of riders, moving at 27-30 mph, using all three lanes of the road. Totally crazy. Keep in mind, the police block off the entire route. And people are cheering you on. This goes on for about 3 to 5 miles, until you find a pace line you can hang with. When I say pace lines, I'm talking about 30 to 60 people. Once inside, you're not doing a lot of work, as long as you keep it tight. Most importantly, you must stay alert, at all times, on the TdT. If you don't, you will go down. Saying that, the closer to the Platinum back end, the better off you are, as those riders are more experienced - at least one would think.

So, the key to getting a good time is:

Don't pull, let the pace line do all the work, this is number one. When you're in a pace line of 30 to 60 riders, you just fly. But, with this comes danger.

Don't crash, or get a flat.

Don't stop, except for the river crossings.

Walk as fast as you can over the crossings, run if possible, while carrying your bike.

Make sure you can climb, and don't get dropped on a climb.

Bring the right kind of food with you. I did not. Now I know. So, what would I bring next time; 2 water bottles, 1 gel flask, 2 Cliff Bars, Hammer anti-cramp pills, and 2 small water bottles, filled with liquid food. You want nutrition that's quick and easy to eat, without chewing, if possible.

So, about 5 miles out, and after passing by two down bloody riders, I hooked up with a fast moving pace line. This was very much welcome, as I needed some rest. Still we're doing about 26 mph, but I'm not working all that hard.

Around 8 miles out, we hit the first river crossing, this one is the longer of the two. Some guys try to ride it, only to fall down due to the deep sand. It was pretty funny. This crossing was about 1/4 mile, I'm guessing, and wasn't too crowded, since I got there early, due to my spot in the start. Climbed up the sand dune, and jumped on my bike, and pushed it to regroup with the pack.

Now, the course is going downhill, and we are hitting speeds up to 39 mph. At every intersection there are police, and they do stop the traffic. In fact, I never stopped, except for getting off my bike for the river crossings. That's a first for me, 109 miles in the saddle, literally. During the second river crossing, I grabbed some water. Now, some of the good climbs start, up to 8%, based on my bike computer. I should also note, that we would ride on the shoulders, if there was one. The shoulders out there are designed for bikers. If there wasn't a shoulder, we would take the whole lane. But, the police motorcycles would come along our left side, keeping the oncoming cars out of our way, very cool. You felt like a pro for the day, plus all the people on the course cheering you on helped too.

As you're climbing the pace line falls apart. And soon there's no one around you. Don't worry, soon the whole pack comes back together, or another fast moving pack comes by, you can latch onto. After climbing up Sunrise and down and up, which was very close to the condo I was staying in. We turned onto Oracle, I took the corner a little to wide, and almost hit the traffic cones in the road. But, before that, some fool on a tri-bike stops in the middle of a climb, and almost takes me and the group down. I saw three tri-bikes, and I thought they weren't allowed. Guess not. Though, that guy who stopped got an ear full, from the other guys. I also saw people with ipods, sorry very unsafe. Also, you had to watch out for water bottles popping out of the water cages - this happened a lot.

The course has quite a few turns, most of which are sharp, with some gravel, and some bumps. There are also some real crappy sections of road, out on the course.

Once we turned onto Rancho Vistoso, we were more than halfway, and we had a little bit of a climb to do, then it was downhill for at least 5 miles, perhaps 10. There was no shoulder, so we used the whole lane. There was a tandem pulling the pace line at 35mph the whole way. Soon, we came to Tangerine Road, which crosses train tracks. At this point, we're doing about 25mph, and there's a train coming, and the gates are going down. No one could believe it, and the "F" word was coming out. Next, one guy said, let's do it. So, we all hammered it, just clearing the gates, by inches. The train was around 1,000' away, when we crossed the tracks. Kids don't try this at home. I'm also surprised the cop stopping traffic just ahead of the tracks didn't arrest us. Yes, pretty crazy I know. But, if we stopped, any chance we had for Platinum would have gone out the window.

We're now approaching the 100 mile mark, after going through some remote desert, and the water is getting low. Some of the guys seem to think they're pros, and they start to throw away their empty bottles - okay, that's stupid. Once we reached the 100 mile mark, the grade started to go up. And the pace started to go down. Here's where we lost our chance to make Platinum. We should have worked better together. And we should have just hammered the last 9 miles. But, I could tell some of the guys were getting tried. About 3 miles out, one guy said "5 minutes left to make Platinum", and we picked up the pace a bit. We also got a police escort for those miles, as we were the last group out, with a chance to Platinum.

Soon we could see the buildings in downtown Tucson, that felt great. We turned the last corner (right), and sprinted to the finish line. One guy said, did we make Platinum, the time keeper said no. We missed Platinum by 3 minutes and 22 seconds. Getting Platinum wasn't my goal, rather trying to average 20mph was.

I got back at 12:03:22. I turned in my ankle chip, and got some water. I walked around for awhile, not realizing Rick had crashed 61 miles out. Some guy fell in front of him, while Rick was doing 20mph. Rick went over the handle bars. After an MRI on Sunday, he's okay, he'll just be sore for awhile, and has to stay off the bike for 2-6 weeks. So, again not knowing that Rick crashed, I stood around the finish line waiting for Roy, Rick and Tom to show. (I also saw Robbie Ventura, and the Cheerwine gals.) About an hour or so later, Linda, Rick's wife came by and told me what had happened. Then I hooked up with Libby and Elizabeth. It was getting very hot standing in the sun, waiting for Tom and Roy show, but I wanted to take their picture.

They eventually appeared, took their photos, and walked over to where Rick was sitting. Even though the Caucus had two crashes, Roy was still able to ride after his, since it didn't involve a postal vehicle - the day was one of those amazing days on a bike.

Moo's Stats via the chip:
Time: 05:03:22
Average: 21.6

Tom's chipped stats:
Time: 07:12:11
Average: 15.2+

Roy's chipped stats:
Time: 07:49:30
Average: 14.0

My Stats via my bike computer:
Miles: 109
Time: 4:55 (minus the river crossings)
Average Speed: 22.2
Max. Speed: 39
Altitude Gain: 3,159 feet
Average Grade: 2%
Max. Grade: 8%

What I ate/drank during the 109 miles:
1 flask of gel
1 bottle of Gatorade
3 bottles of water

Pros:

You feel like a pro for the day.

People cheer you on along the way.

Great SAG!

Lots of rest stops.

You don't need a cue sheet, since there are police at every turn.

Plenty of paramedics

Cons:

There could have been a few more ports-johns at the start.

I saw tri-bikes on the course, not good.

ipods as well, also not good.

The timing chip should record your time when you cross the start, and stop when you cross the finish. Not when the gun goes off.

Finally, El Tour de Tucson is a fantastic ride/race. This should be on your list of rides to do. Learn more about El Tour de Tucson at: http://www.pbaa.com/

View rider results at: http://www.pbaa.com/!ETT/ETT07Results/ETT07-FS.html

Here's some video of the 2007 tour,
more to come, as it becomes available:

El Tour de Tucson XXV (2007) from casademora on Vimeo.

This video I also found on the Web.
It was produced by Sara Cole, ©2007 Starnet
Click here to view (QuickTime)

2007 New Glarus, WI Trip

2007-10-03T10:08:00.000-06:00

Friday
I arrived in New Glarus (NG) around 10am, perhaps a little early, but I wanted to give myself enough time, in case I got lost, etc. But, Larry's directions were very good, and the traffic was light, so it didn't take too long. I couldn't check-in when I arrived, so I just took a nap in the car.

About 10:30 or so, Lee arrived. We walked around the town, since we had time to kill, Lee was pointing out the hot spots in town. I guess Lee has been coming to NG for about 15 years. We also grabbed some lunch at Puempels Olde Tavern. The woman behind the bar, isn't very friendly, if you just order food and water. Though, if you order beer, her personality improves greatly. Go figure!

When Lee and I got back to the hotel, which is very close to downtown NG, the Schwartz's arrived, and Larry called Lee, telling him, he was running late. (Walking is the best way to get around the area - especially, after beer.) When Larry arrived it was getting close to the ride start time, of 1pm. The Schwartz's, Lee and Larry checked in, and I got my bike ready. The hotel is located in the valley of NG, and is next door to a 24hr gas station, that's also a convenience store. So, I would buy water there for my water bottles.

Unfortunately, Friday's ride didn't have a big turnout. It was just Lee, Larry, the Schwartz's and me. The weather was prefect, except for the wind, which Karen didn't care for - at one point, it was so strong, she had to get off her bike and walk, which I only heard about. As we headed out towards Blanchardville we stayed together for the most part. Though, soon Lee and I took off, since he knows the roads well. Lee and I arrived to find the wooden bench next to the bar was still there, and empty, no Harley guys using it. We sat down on the bench, taking in the sights of downtown Blanchardville waiting for Larry, Karen and Bill to arrive. Lee went over and bought a gallon of water across the street, and within five minutes after Lee got back the pack arrived - Larry, Karen and Bill.

The route to Blanchardville had the steepest grades of the entire trip, not the steepest in the area though, like the Horrible Hilly. But, some of the climbs were 10%. But, you throw in the wind, and it feels a lot harder. We ended up with about 40 miles on Friday, and we got back around 4:30pm. Put the bike in the car, and took a quick shower, and met the others in the lobby around 5pm, and headed to the bar. Beer after biking, when it‚s hot out, nothing better. The bar was located in the Glarner Stube restaurant, were everyone was meeting for dinner. Others joined us, who arrived later in the day, and did either the trails, or the easy/moderate road ride. After dinner we all went back to the hotel. Omar and Laurel arrived about that time. Larry and I got a beer in the bar, and went out to the lobby. About 10pm Brenna and Tom arrived.

Saturday
At 7am the hotel has breakfast, which is included in your room fee. We all met at 7am, had breakfast, and did whatever we had to do, in order to make the now 8:30am ride start. We made the start at 8:30am, instead of 8:00am, since it was rather cold, and some did not bring the right gear. So, at 8:30am Brenna, Tom with his new red bike, Larry, Lee, Omar, Laurel, the Schwartz's, and me headed out to Mt. Horeb. We were together in the beginning until the hills. Then everyone rode up the hills, at their own pace. In Mt. Horeb we stopped at a gas station for drinks/food. It was the busiest station I have ever since. There was also some Porsche convention going on, and there was about 8 or so Porsches at the station, alone. Omar walked over to talk to one of the owners. He found out this guy's Porsche cost $140,000 and he‚s coming back next weekend for the Ferrari convention, he has one of those too. Lawyers - that's what the guy is. The Schwartz's did not want to ride the whole route on Saturday, so they just rode back. They had already ridden a lot of miles prior to the NG trip. And Bill's leg was hurting him.

We took off for Blue Mounds, some really good climbs, long but not too steep, up to 9%, and the views from the top of the climbs are great - you can see for miles. The wind was light, never really an issue, and mostly a tailwind at this point. Once in the Blue Mounds area, we headed down "F", WI likes to label their roads using the alphabet. Not all, but enough. We soon came to the junction of "A" and "F", and Larry says we have gone too far. I mentioned to Lee, my relatives live within 3 miles from here. He said, you want to ride by and say hello. I said no, but we should have. Not sure anyone would have been home. They're cool people. They have 35 acres, with a great view, you can see for miles. They also have lived in MI, and still love that area, and might go back. What they don"t like about WI are the taxes. 5th highest in the nation. The husband is currently working in mainland China, and the wife works in Madison. I stayed at their home, the night before the Horrible Hilly, and after the ride. Imagine driving home, after you‚re totally wiped. No thanks. So, we take "A" down this really steep hill, and what goes down also goes up. After a few good long climbs, we reach this small town. Larry and the others know about the church, as they have been there before, and because it's open to bikers. It's been written up in guide books. It was actually very nice. Clean bathrooms, and a drinking fountain. I also have seen this church, since I drove by it, and also with my relatives. It's a famous church in the area, though I didn't know about the biking aspect.

From there we headed back to NG. Our group got a little spread out. Lee took off, Larry, Brenna, Tom and Moo rode together, and Omar and Laurel were in the back. Laurel said she had some knee issues. We ended dropping Omar and Laurel, and rest of us headed for Puempels Olde Tavern. As I was getting off my bike, some woman wanted to know where I got my Moo jersey, she liked, plus the fact it was Swiss - Larry said he always wears that. We had some lunch, and Lee ordered the first pitcher of Fat Squirrel Ale. We called Omar and Laurel, but they had already stopped at another restaurant. As I mentioned beer and biking goes together - I ordered two more pitchers for our group - I was thirsty, but I had a debt to pay - Eric will tell you about that some Wed. night. No big deal, actually as Lee said, it's the prefect day - well it was better than that. I think Lee was feeling it, a little bit. But, he was able to ride back to the hotel. But, it was a great day! Brenna and Tom weren't staying the night, and drove back. I let them use my shower, since they already had checked out.

Dinner was at 6pm at the NG Hotel, in downtown NG. Larry reserved a big table for all the riders. The Polka band started at 7:30pm, so we were done eating by then. Can't say I like Polka. Jean does - she wanted to dance with me, I declined. She did dance with Omar. Jean, Jan and some others stayed for the Polka. Larry, Laurel, Omar and I, went for ice cream. I forgot, we rode about 64 miles on Saturday.

Sunday
It started out a bit cold again, but it soon warmed up, especially after the first climb. Unfortunately, Sunday's road ride was a small group. Larry, Lee and Moo. Perhaps next year, schedules permitting the Caucus can come out for the NG trip. We also had to cut the ride short a bit, since we started later due to the cold, and since we had to be back for our extended checkout time of 12:00pm. Sunday's ride had the most hills, just a like a roller coaster. In fact, this one stretch, if you hammered down, you could carry yourself over the top of the next hill. This happened about three times on this road. We passed a lot of cows over the trip, and on Sunday, this group got spooked and started running towards the gate - and I wasn‚t even wearing my Moo jersey. The cows always look at me funny, when I wear the Moo jersey - no joke. Towards the end, some dog started to chase Larry and Lee - but it just wanted to play.

We got back at 11:30am with around 43 miles and plenty of time to shower and checkout. Larry and Lee, and I went and got something to eat, then we took off. It was a fun time, great weather and some very good riding. I'll do it again.

2007 Tour de Leelanau and the Leelanau Harvest Tour Report

2007-09-19T14:20:00.001-06:00

The map above shows the race course for the Tour de Leelanau. But Leelanau Harvest Tour takes place in the same area, and uses some of the same roads.

Watching a pro bike race and riding a century the next day in beautiful Northern Michigan, who could ask for more.

Saturday 9.15.07 I left the Crystal Lake area around 11am, heading north on M-22. My destination was Inspiration Point, were the Tour de Leelanau was scheduled to come through at about 1:57pm. It would be their first KOH climb, up the steeper side of Inspiration Point. The ride up took me through Empire, following some of the same roads the racers would soon be on. When I arrived at Glen Lake (about 27 miles from where I began), I bought some Gatorade and ate a Cliff bar. Before I finished eating, the race volunteers showed up, and began sweeping the roads, and putting signs.

I finished my snack and headed up to Inspiration Point. It's 4-6% grade serpentine climb for about a mile and three quarters. Large trees line both sides of the road, and it's a well maintained road with nice paved shoulders - smooth asphalt. When I got to the top, the KOH was already marked with traffic cones, and a line across both lanes of traffic. There was also an official there, too keep track of who came over the line first. I also saw some folks setting up a picnic, along the road side, enjoying their wine and food in the sun, waiting for the racers to fly by. As I was early, I rode down towards the bottom of the hill, thinking it might be a better view. It was okay, but since this hill has curves, and is huge, I couldn't see the KOH line, so I rode back up. It's about 1:40pm, and people are showing in droves to watch the KOH climb, on bikes, and in cars. I met a guy on the side of the road, who is a member of the Cherry Capital Cycling Club, his name was Dan. He was telling me, last year, a lot of the racers dropped out of the race, because they were not prepared for hills, and the very tough climbs. Meanwhile, some other cyclists, a gal and two guys came over, to were I was standing, and handed me one of those big foam rubber hands. The ones you waive as the racers go by. We started to talk, and the next thing I know, this gal is laughing at her husband, at least I think it was her husband. He was taking a drink, and put the big hand between his legs (not on purpose), with the index finger pointing out and up. She said something like, "oh, you wish", and the other guy said put it between your legs again, so I can take a picture of it. Since he was embarrassed, he declined and no photo.

Just then, the police escort appeared at the bottom of the hill, well not quite the bottom, about a third of the way up from the bottom - since you can't see the actual bottom, due to the curves. About two minutes later, a break-away group of racers came flying up the hill at about 18 mph. It may sounds slow, but it's a very fast pace for this long climb, and it's very steep. Once the main pack of riders went through, I hammered down the hill I came up. I was great to fly down this hill, along side the cars, that were also on there way to Glen Arbor to see the sprint there. Once at the bottom, I rode over the bridge on Glen Lake, and into Glen Arbor. I had plenty of time to get there, as the racers were on their way to Empire, and then back around Glen Lake via the Sleeping Bear dune side, then a straight run into Glen Arbor.

When I arrived, the crowds were starting to gather. I saw bikers that also rode over from Inspiration Point. The scene was a little like the Downers Grove Crit in Illinois. The Toyota gals were there, in their short-shorts, people had cow bells, and you could see Lake Michigan in the background. Okay that part is not like the Crit. While waiting for the racers to appear, I saw an old friend there, with his son. They were there for the same reason - to watch the sprint. He said he was up in Maple City earlier, watching the race go by. The Tour de Leelanau also has a women's race about the same time. In other words, as soon as all the men cross the sprint in Glen Arbor, the women come by, in the other direction. And out in front was the Team Cheerwine, who just in August raced at the Downers Grove Crit. I mention Cheerwine, because some members of my club - the Naperville Bike Club had the honor of riding with some of the Cheerwine gals. So, it was great to see them go by.

Once the gals went by, I headed back to Crystal Lake. I met biker along the way, he was from Texas, and a racer down there. He rode back with me for about 15 miles before turning off. He was also doing the Leelanau Harvest Tour on Sunday, but I never saw him.

If you're ever in the area, I would recommend to anyone, check out the Tour de Leelanau. Learn more about it at: http://tourdeleelanau.com/default.php

Sunday came early. I got up at 5am, ate breakfast and drove to up to ride the Leelanau Harvest Tour (LHT). In Northern Michigan, there's really no light pollution, so it's really dark at 6am, when I left the house. This is my third year now, riding the LHT - I always get a good parking space, as I get there around 6:40am.

It's still dark when I arrive (at the Glen Lake High School, where LHT starts from, and finishes), and this year, it was freezing. Quite a few people camp out on the school grounds the night before - too cold for me. I don't pre-register for this invitational, so it's $35 for the century. That's fine, since the money goes to the local bike trails (TART). So, after registering, I got my bike ready, and waited for Dan to arrive. Dan was the guy I met at Inspiration Point. He thought he would have others to ride with, but I guess the cold kept them away. We took off about 7:45am, and the temperature was 41°, but the sun was coming up, and the skies were blue. The only problem was, for the two miles or so, it was downhill, making the 41° seem like 32°. After the first 6 miles, the first real climb starts, back up to Inspiration Point, again for the third time in three days. But, at least the climb got the blood flowing, and we soon felt warmer.

The first rest stop is at mile 28. They always have good food at the LHT, and the rest stops all have water views of Lake Michigan or of small lakes. The temperature is improving, though I'm still wearing my leg warmers. I'm so glad I packed my Assos 851 jacket for this trip, I'm not sure I could handle just a jersey. Dan and I head for the halfway point, with a strong wind at our backs. We hooked up with some other guys for awhile, and unintentionally dropped them on a long climb. Just before the second rest stop, you climb up to a plateau, and you see this spectacular view of Lake Michigan and the Manitou Islands with orchards, and vineyards just off to your left.

Now for the fun part - after we left the second rest stop. We still have quite a bit of climbing to do, but we have a 20 - 30 mph headwind to content with for 40 of the 50 miles we had left to travel. So, we took turns pulling, always better to ride with someone, when you have wind to deal with. This year they changed the course a bit, which made it more interesting, then doing the same thing over and over. Anyway, were on M-22 going south, just after passing through Northport, and the wind is always a killer at this point. Going up this one hill, which wasn't all that steep, about 6%, all I could manage out in front was 8 mph. And your legs are burning, you can't wait for the wind to stop, and it doesn't. We finally make it to the third rest stop, also right by water, Lake Leelanau. This stop always has chilly, but it's not something I can eat while riding. Dan meets a friend of his, Bryce and the three of us ride together the rest of the way.

The wind is still an issue, but it's warm now, about 67°, and sunny. Soon were on one of the harder stretches. The grade is about 3%, but it carries on for about six miles. No it's not like riding out West, but it wears on you. We make it to the last rest stop. Bryce wanted to know where I got my climbing legs, living in Illinois. I told him, from riding up here a lot, and from riding in Southern Wisconsin. We leave the last stop, only to find they changed the course again, and made it a bit harder. Just when we thought the climbs were done, up pops this 10-11% grade hill, that's long. The people at the top looked like ants, and whenever I see people walking up a hill, I say, excellent - not because they're walking - I just like to climb, and if some are walking or traversing, rather then going straight up, I know it will be a challenge. After this climb we only had a few miles to go. Despite the cold start, it was a good day on the bike and no flats.

The Leelanau Harvest Tour is a great invitational. The routes are well marked, very scenic, like riding in Europe. The food is good, the people are nice. And I always forget how hard it can be. If you like hills, but aren't crazy about climbing a lot, just enough to feel like you did something. Then the LHT is your ride. If you do the century, and push it, you will be tired.

Dan and I had the following stats:

Miles: 107
Riding Time: 6:06 - due to the wind and climbing
Average Speed: 17.7 mph
Max. Speed: 40.5 mph
Average Grade: 2%
Max. Grade: 11%
Altitude Gain: 4,231 - the LHT, could easily make this more.

Learn about the LHT at: http://www.cherrycapitalcyclingclub.org/

Paris-Brest-Paris 2007

2007-09-06T18:40:00.000-06:00

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/seattlerando/1267249106/

When Paris-Brest-Paris comes around again in 2011, I plan on doing it. I wish I had the time to do it this year, but there are limits. Anyway, a friend of mine did complete PBP this year, and his ride report was very good, so I had to pass his report on. You can read about his challenge, and learn about PBP at: http://erp4599.blogspot.com/

The Melon Metric Weekend and Century Ride Report

2007-07-25T10:42:00.000-06:00

It must have been the weather or the company or the full moon - whatever it was, it turned out to be a perfect weekend of riding, and riding related events. Those who didn't make it out, there's always next year.

So here's the whole weekend, since the whole thing really started on Friday night.

Friday:

I arrived at Momi's riverside cottage around 5:45pm (would have been there sooner, but the traffic on 34, around Route 30 was hideous). I setup camp Moo, near the river bank. I bought my tent at REI on Thursday, along with a sleeping bag, and few other items (I'll use it again, on some other bike outing). Though, before another outing, I'll be buying a self-inflating mattress, like Rudi has - pretty cool.

Soon after setting up my tent, Roy and Norah arrived. The beer also started to flow. Then John Tunnell showed up with the route maps. Soon after that Rudi arrived in his VW Beetle. Then Carla and Heather. Momi had plenty of food, and she's a great hostess. Roy and Norah left early, since they wanted to go to the Harry Potter fest, in downtown Naperville. Carla also left a little later for the same fest (but stayed for part of the bonfire).

Before John Tunnell took off, we told him to be back by 10am on Saturday. Which would give us enough time to get in a quick 30 miles before 10am.

After the BBQ, we got the bonfire going, with a little help using some tiki lamp fuel - my idea - worked great! Before the fire really got going Rich and Donna arrived. Donna said she wasn't aware there was any natural beauty left in Illinois or so close to Chicago. Anyway, we all sat around the fire - Rich put a beer bottle into the fire, because they melt sort of (I didn't believe it), but sure enough it did go flat.

Around 10:30-11pm Rich and Donna, and Heather took off. Rudi, Momi and Moo killed the last bottle of beer. The good stuff, that Carla brought over. Thanks Carla. (It was Delirium Tremens.) At around 11:45pm we called it a night, as we had a 7am ride start. Rudy drove his car near the river, and used his car lights to help him put up his tent.

Saturday:

I woke up around 6am. Slept well, though the wildlife noise around and from the river is quite loud - the fish or beavers in the water sound like they're going to flop into your tent.

Before 7am Rick M. arrived, then Rich showed up, then Roy, and soon after Irish. We waited a little bit, hoping to see John D., but no show. So, we all followed Momi. She took us to Lake Holiday, Somonauk, through Sandwich - then back. On the leg back we saw John Tunnell already putting out some of the flags - we passed him doing 26mph - Momi was pulling.

We got back around 9:40am, and we saw John D's. car parked by the cottage. We could tell he was out riding, since his bike stand was next to his car. When John Tunnell arrived, everyone who was going help mark the routes, had also returned - Carla and Heather.

After, a quick change, the marking teams took off. Rich and I took the 100 mile loop, I don't remember what the others took, but they were back before us. It also took awhile to find Earlville, since Rich and I had never been there before. On the way there, Rich asked this guy in a pick-up truck, where's Earlville - he said follow me. Once we figured out where the Earlville rest stop was, we were able to use the cue sheet, and the marking went pretty fast. Though, there's so much gravel on the road side, it was hard to get the flags into the ground.

Rich and I got back to Momi's around 1:20pm and Heather, John D. and Roy were sitting on the porch enjoying some vino and lunch. John Tunnell was still there as well. Momi made Rich and I some lunch. It was a great day out, and terrific weather.

Sunday:

I woke up Sunday morning, after sleeping in my own bed around 3:30am, and hit the road around 4:55am. It was dark out, but the street lights illuminated the roads. About six miles into the ride, the sun started to come up, just as I was riding away from the street lights. It was also a bit cold, and the sun felt great. The roads that time in the morning were basically empty, and I was able to ride without stopping, only slowing down at intersections. When I hit Douglas, the morning fog was out over the crops, and it looked like a European postcard. Throughout the ride, I kept looking at the time. I wanted to be at Plano by 6:45am. I also didn't want to hammer it the whole way, as I was going to have along day on the bike, but I didn't want to miss the start - so kept a pace that was doable, considering me legs were cold, and it takes me 30 miles to get warmed up.

When I arrived in Plano, I saw Roy and Rudi driving in. I checked my bike computer, and it took me one hour and 38 minutes, averaged 18.1 mph. I arrived with time to spare, and it was great to see everyone. After taking a group photo, we - all 17 of us hit the course. It's so cool to ride with a lot of people. While riding out to the first rest stop, we picked up a few more riders. So, now we have like 18-21 people doing a pace line. We weren't going too fast, at a 19 mph pace, but doable for all. Carla wanted to keep it at 20, and I went too fast a couple of times.

After the first rest stop, we lost some of the folks we picked up, but gained a few more. Squirrel boy was one of those riders. On the way out to Paw Paw, Roy got everyone to ride in a pace line, he was shouting out orders like a sergeant. And our huge pace line was steaming towards Paw Paw. Then Roy yells out, turn right, turn right. Oops - the corner wasn't marked too well, and it looked like we were to turn right, when it said to go straight. So, the pace line blew apart. From there the pace line sort of came back together, though once we saw the wind farm at near Paw Paw, everyone took off and did their own thing.

At Paw Paw, we saw Eric working. He was also counting heads - he said it was research. Eric asked us if we would wait 45 minutes, so he could ride back with us. He was sort of kidding. Our group kept the rest stop time to a minimum, and then back on the road (too short for Wally - I think, sorry Wally). After Paw Paw, our original group split into a few different groups, but none of us were that far apart, time wise - well maybe Dietmar.

On the way back to Somonauk, Dietmar had a fast moving pace line going, up to 26 mph. Carla's tri-friends were in it, along with Momi, I think Rich for awhile, and Janet. After Somonauk, most of those folks picked up the pace line again, Lenny and his friend passed us, but we caught them and rode back into Plano with them.

Anyway, it was a great day out, not just because of the weather, but when you ride with friends - it makes it special. Dietmar wanted to average 20, but came back with 19.6 - my average came up to 18.8, but dropped back down 18.2, when I arrived home, after 170 miles. The Caucus also averaged 18+ thanks to Roy's efforts, meaning, getting everyone to pace line. Rich thought pace lines was cheating, he now knows they're not.

Highlights and mishaps of the day:

Some great pace lines.

Three people rode their first century - Rich, Tom's friend, and Dietmar

Momi cut-off Roy (not on purpose), almost causing him to go down.

Janet while stopping hit some gravel and went down. She was okay, but her saddle was twisted, Lenny fixed it.

I was waving goodbye to Roy and fell off my bike, ouch!

I took a wrong turn on the way back to Naperville, and rode more miles then planned.

Finally, the Naperville Melon Metric was well organized, plenty of food, and good rest stops, the 100 mile route had some really long stretches, which are prefect for pace lines, lots of corn, but hey it's Illinois. Anyway, this invitational should be on your list, as a classic Illinois ride.

2007 Tour de Benzie Review and Ride Report

2007-07-07T11:18:00.000-06:00

The Tour de Benzie (TdB) is one of the best unknown century rides in the Midwest, and has been going on since 2005 - not along time, but it's must, if you're in town. It takes place the first week in July, usually on Friday, around 7:30am at Standish Road and M-22, which is about two miles north from downtown Frankfort, MI.

Every year the 100 mile route gets more challenging and it's a whole lot of fun. The tour is organized by some friends of mine, Eric and Joel (who are avid bike riders) and they have others that help as well. The route Eric came up with this year included 3,390 feet of climbing, and some nice descents (especially going down Arcadia hill at 46+ mph). Here's a link to the actual route: http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/mi/frankfort/438550856

The TdB is open to anyone willing to ride 100 miles. Though this year, as in the past, there are opportunities to cut the ride short for those who are not interested in doing a century.

At the start, we had about 15 riders - all different kinds of bikes and skill levels. Joel even got his kids to ride for part of the tour. After about the first three miles, the eight people doing the century hit the course, and the rest took a shorter option. And those eight were: Dave (the Hammer) from CA, Eric and Joel, Eric's sons Peter & Jim, Shaun, a guy from Chicago, I forgot his name - and Moo.

We all had maps of the route, but for the most part we stuck together, so we didn't really need them. Plus, most of the turns were marked, and the hills were marked for the sprints. Also, the County borders were marked - because the first one over would get extra points. No it's not a race, just something to make it more fun. I should point out the route is designed so you ride to all four borders of Benzie County.

The TdB is more or less a self-supported century. Yes, there is a car that follows us from time to time to video tape the riders along the way. And there are three spots on the route, were the video car will supply us with water/drinks/some food, and has room for two bikes, in case someone can't make the distance - but, for the most part you're out there without SAG. I usually bring enough food with me, and plenty of tubes - but I do appreciate the liquids they supply.

After about 40 miles, one of the riders called it a day, and another one after about 75 miles, if I remember correctly. When we arrived in Empire, the one rider who stopped at 40, came back to ride with us, after resting in the video car. We also picked up two more riders - they were riding a tandem. This was now the home stretch, and we drafted behind the tandem for few miles, then broke away with about three miles to go until our ice cream stop on the Platte River. After the stop we had to ride to Point Betsie lighthouse, in order to make it an even 100. Back on M-22, with less then three miles to go the pace really picked up, with the video car just ahead of us shooting our mad dash to Standish Road. At one point the video car was going too slow, and we almost rode into it.

Everyone who rode the century came back in one piece, and with pretty good stats. Eric had t-shirts made for everyone who rode, and colored t-shirts for those with the most points. After the ride some went for swim in Crystal lake, I went home for a beer. It was a prefect day for a century, and next year I'll be there to it again. When the video is ready, I'll post it - so look for it here.

Ride Stats for the 2007 TdB
Miles: 100.98
Ride Time: 5:30
Average Speed: 18.3 mph
Average Grade: 2%
Max. Grade: 9%
Altitude Gain: 3,390 ft
Top Speed (for me): 46 mph

View the 2006 Tour de Benzie video:

Note: The TdB was my very first century, as well as for those who started the tour. So it's something special for me each year I do it.

2007 MS - Tour de Farms, Maple Park, IL

2007-06-25T19:23:00.000-06:00

I have never done an MS ride, and this year I had the time, so I rode with Team Encompass. Below is my ride report of the two day ride, 185 mile journey.

Saturday:
I arrived at the start - Kaneland Middle School, in Maple Park, IL around 6am. The parking lot was pretty full when I arrived, and people were getting ready in the rain. I didn’t see John’s car, so I gave him a call. He was about ten minutes out, and Bill was with him. John does the MS ride every year, for a friend of his, who has MS. And every year, he puts together a team of riders, all with different riding abilities.

Once I knew they were close to the school, I got ready. Before I left in the morning, it felt pretty cold out, so I decided to bring a t-shirt base layer, my arm warmers, my rain jacket, and my rain booties (BTW, don’t bother to invest in rain booties, they don’t work.) - and I’m glad I had all that gear, not the Assos rain booties that don't work.

I found John’s car, and due to the party the night before, we didn’t make the 7:30am start. It was more like 8am. After our team photo, we all pushed off. John did not ride initially, he’s going for his MBA, and had to leave. He did ride the reverse route when he got back, but we never saw him. People kept telling him, "dude you’re going the wrong way."

After pushing off, I soon realized not everyone had the same riding abilities. So, I just took off, and rode at my own pace. I should make an important point here about the MS ride. This ride attracts all kinds of riders (and folks are riding MTBs, hybrids, and everything under the sun), but most of the 2,100 riders were not hardcore riders. They’re just people who like to ride, but not very often. More to the point, they’re there to ride and to push themselves, in order to support the cause. And for some, 35 miles is a big deal – and that’s fine! - at least they’re out there.

Anyway, I left the team, and I thought Bill would follow me, but he didn’t. Bill is a member of my bike club. At the first turn/intersection, I stopped, because the person directing traffic told me to. 90% of the turns, had motorcycle people directing traffic – pretty cool. While I was waiting, I said "hey dude, I know you." The guy directing traffic is my brother-in- law’s - brother-in-law – so I talked to him a bit, in the rain.

About 15 miles out, I stopped at the first rest stop. One thing about the MS ride is that there are a lot of rest stops, with tons of good food, music, SAG, medics, mechanics, etc. and people cheering you on as you pull in. I didn’t really need to stop, but I guess I thought if I did, the others would catch up. They didn’t so I took off.

So, it’s still raining and it’s mile 20+, and I look ahead, and I see Bill. It was great to hook up with him, and we stayed together for the whole 104 miles. We stopped at the halfway rest stop, which is the best stop. Tons of food, including burgers, hot dogs, etc. I had two burgers, Bill had one. And it’s still raining and cold. At this point everything was wet, and you might as well do the 100, plus we came to ride it period. About mile 60, on the 100 mile option Bill and I didn’t see anyone out there, though soon we saw a SAG person asking us to get off our bikes and walk over the RR tracks. I said "why." He said "these folks just crashed, because the tracks were slippery." I didn’t walk, just unclipped one foot. Apparently, 4 people crashed on those tracks, so soon after Bill and I crossed them, they shut down the 100 option. Personally, it was no big deal. Hell two riding friends on mine Kevin G. and Rich would have bunny hopped the tracks – I’ve seen them get big air - I'm talking three feet off the ground.

Bill and I were only passed a couple of times, otherwise we passed everyone out there. When we got back into the 75 mile route, and on the way back, we saw Rip, another Encompass team member, doing the 75 mile route. Talked with him for a bit, and continued on. At this point it’s still raining, and we passed the 85 mile rest stop. And the people at the stop, were calling us in for the food, not because it was still raining, and Bill said to me – why would I want to stop with 15 to go, when there’s a keg of Fat Tire waiting for me, vs drinking some Gatoraid. I totally agreed.

By now the rain had stopped, and the roads were starting to dry out. But, it was still pretty cold. Cold for June in IL. When Bill and I got back, the party was well under way, because some only did the 35 – Bill and I were the only ones from the team to do the 100.

Saturday Stats:
Mileage: 104
Time: 5:53 (in the rain)
Average Speed: 17.70
No mechanicals or flats.
Soaked to the bone.

Saturday day (after the ride) and night
Team Encompass had food on the grill for the riders, beer, and the tent was near the band. After having some food, John and I went back to the hotel to shower. That felt great. I tried to dry out my shoes and clothes for Sunday’s ride. They weren't too bad next morning.

Highlights (after returning from the hotel – back at the tent)

John gives everyone a ticket to get a massage. There was this tent nearby, with these really cool massage chairs. It did your back, neck and calves. The ticket was a also a raffle ticket, and the winner would get one of those chairs. So, the next time you’re at John’s house, try it out – yes, Brandi won a chair.

Cindy came out to see Bill (Bill's better half). She stayed awhile.

There was some fire by our team tent, which was put out quickly. Not sure what happened, apparently something caught on fire. :)

Someone tried to push over a porta-john, with someone inside.

We watched the jersey judging contest – ours didn’t win.

We also watched the movie Breaking Away.

Erik and Jace ended up with 5 cases of Coors beer, since the Coors tent was giving it away after closing for the night.

Sharing a room with Jace and Erik. The room had three beds. Jace and I were sleeping and Erik comes in with hamburgers. I didn’t want one, Erik just flung the burger into Jace’s bed. He didn’t want it either. Not sure what happened to that burger.

Jace thought the keg was a mistake. :)

Sunday
The plan for Sunday was to hit the course by 7:30am. I got up around 6am, with a hang-over, not a bad one. Got ready, brought my gear and bike down to the lobby, and got some food. My roommates also managed to get their asses out of bed.

Around 7am John was out by his car, and Erik and I rode over to the start, about a 3 mile ride.

We didn’t see Bill at the start. Not all of the Encompass Team was riding on Sunday, and Jace and Brandi did not ride, due to the night before.

So, John, Erik, Alan and Moo (that's me) took off. We had to stop at the first rest stop, since Erik wasn’t feeling well, too much beer. Once back on the road (dry roads, and warmer) we saw Rip, and John fell back to ride with Rip. At the about the 30 mile rest stop, we found Bill. Bill rode with us for most of the way, but paced it down a little due to the night before. Erik and Alan race and the pace picked up at times. We also got others to join us, and one time we had 10 people pace lining behind us. We also found others to pace line with.

Some guy asked my on the course, do you ride with NBC - Naperville Bike Club? His name was Chris, not our Chris. I also saw Roger at the finish. He did the 35 on Sat., drove home, and came back out on Sun. for 75, I hope it wasn't for the 35 option – not sure I would have done that.

We ended up with 78 miles, the stats were good for Sunday, but it was just a fun day, with hang overs. At the finish, they had a band, food, etc. We all waited for John, (Brandi and Jace to arrive by car), since my bag was in Erik’s car back at the hotel and Bill needed a ride back to his car in DeKalb.

It was a fun weekend, I’ll do it again, if I’m in town, and if the weather is good. Plus, I need my own room. Jace and Erik are great guys, but I like my own space. :)

PS - the MS ride, at least this one, and there are lots of them around the country, are very good rides. Meaning, no matter what your skill level is, you'll be well taken care of. It's not a cheap day or weekend, but it's for a good cause, and it provides hope to all. So I highly recommend doing it, or at least writing a check to someone who is.

Learn more about the MS rides in IL, at: http://www.msillinois.org

Useful elevations, if you're in to knowing your elevation gain

2007-06-22T14:12:00.000-06:00

If you're like me, I want to know how many feet I have climbed during my rides - especially those where hills are to be found.
I don't have a GPS for my bike, but I use the VDO bike computer, which tells you all kinds of data, including elevation gain. Just enter your ride start elevation, which you can find using Google Earth, and you're set.

Here are some elevations that I use on occasion:

Blue Mounds, WI -- 1,236

Delavan, WI (Super 8 Motel) -- 940

Frankfort, MI -- 612

Maple Park, IL -- 840

Naperville, IL -- 669

New Glarus, WI -- 864

2007 Horrible Hilly Hundreds (HHH) -- Ride Report and Review

2007-06-22T10:36:00.001-06:00

30 ft. from the finish line, and wiped.

Friday:
I left Illinois around 1pm, and drove to Mount Horeb to pickup my ride packet, at the high school there. You could pick them up between 5 and 9pm (even though there Website said between 4 and 5). Or the morning of the ride. After picking up my packet, I drove to the Blanchardville area. I have relatives who live there, and it was a nice alternative to staying in a hotel. And they were very gracious hosts.

Saturday:
I woke up at 4am, and left my relative's home at 5am, for Blue Mounds.

Blue Mounds is about 30 miles west of Madison, but before Dodgeville, where the Dairyland Dare is held. Blue Mounds also has a state park, called Blue Mound State Park. The park sits at the top of the mound, and that's where everyone parks for the ride.

I arrived around 5:45am, and there were already cars and bikers about. I was talking to some folks while getting ready, and they said, and even though the event has a mass start, it's not required - especially this year, since the timing chips were not used. (They want to make it a ride, rather than a race.)

So, after hearing that, I set off, at 6:15am. You ride down the mound, scrubbing your brakes, as it's very steep, and because there's a river of cars coming up the road, to park and ride the Horrible Hilly Hundreds (HHH) - 1,000 riders, and 2/3 of those did the 200K option. There were cars from all over, that I could see; CO, IL, WI, IA, MI, IN.

At the bottom, I met some riders, and ended up riding with them. One guy was an Ironman, and had a broke collar bone, from a crash. I forget his name, but he was only doing the 100K, along with this gal. Her name was Ann, also an Ironman, and has done Hawaii. They were both from Madison. The guy I rode with the whole way is from St. Charles, and his name was Bret. He's a tri-guy, but prior to the HHH, he had never ridden over 70 miles. He wants to be an Ironman.

Maybe it was the heat, or a mental thing, but I wasn't feeling strong. At the Stage 2 rest stop, which is at the top of this very steep climb (that you do twice, because it's also the Stage 1 stop), I was waiting in line to get some water, and someone pokes me. I turn around and it's Doug. He was there with Jen, and couple of other people (I know Doug and Jen, from my bike club). Anyway, he was dripping in sweat, like everyone else. I asked, "Doing the 200K", he said no! He's done the 200K in past years, but the 100K option was his game plan for 2007.

I could go on, but I'll just say this was the hardest ride I have done to date. It was hard for number of reasons. A) It was very warm, even at 6:15am, and only got hotter. B) The hills were steep, and long. C) The grades were up to 16%, and the hilltop finish which was 3.2 mile climb, with grades up to 12% was really hard, after 131.8 miles, and I had major cramps, at mile 80, which got better. But, I never got off my bike, and walked. I saw at least 6 people walking, even some over the finish line.

Highlights:

On Stage 3, this guy asked me, didn't you ride the Dairyland Dare last year. It was one of the guys I rode with.

Since I took off early, I didn't do the mass start, but got to see it, as the first loop swings back, and through where the mass start begins.

Like I mentioned, at mile 80 my right leg cramped up on a steep climb, and had to unclip fast so I won't fall down. Recovered a little, and then my other leg started to cramp up. I made it to water stop, (after 3 more hills, and having to stop to try and work them out) and they had some Hammer Endurolyte pills there. Took two and my legs slowly improved. I highly recommend this pills.

The final 900 feet or so, the HHH organizers had people with cow bells, cheering on the riders coming up the 3.2 mile climb. There's chalk on the road, with positive sayings, and there's a person on a microphone announcing the riders, as you cross a real finish line. They also photograph each rider. I also heard some call out my name, not sure who that was -
good weird. I went back to see who it was, but didn't recognize anyone. (I finally found out who that person was. It was Donna, she did the 100K, and was waiting for her husband Dave Jensen to finish the 200K - I had no idea she was doing the HHH.)

Finally, HHH organizers really have their act together. Great rest stops, water stops, tons of SAG, 20 ham operators, mechanics, medics, routes are well marked. The roads except for some gravel, in a couple of places, you could fly down the hills, without worry - which helped to cool you down. You get a free T-shirt - beer, music, and food at the end (and a pasta dinner on Friday night). For $70 they should I guess. Also, this ride could easily handle another 1,000 riders, there was plenty of parking.

Didn't see any bandits.

Some Course Stats for the 200K:

Total Miles: 135 (They had you take a detour this year, due to road construction, making the route a little longer.)
Elevation Gain: 10,380, not 10,700 like the advertised
Avg. Grade: 4%
Max Grade: 16%
Total Hills: 40

All in all a great day of suffering on the bike. And I'll do it again some year.

Learn more about the HHH at: http://horriblyhilly.com

2007 Sudden Century

2007-06-19T15:02:00.001-06:00

(Seven of us rode, including the person taking
the picture - Momi, a club member.)

I wasn't planning on riding the Sudden, but something came up, and at the last minute I decided to do it. Plus, some members of my club were planning on doing it, and they're a great bunch of folks to ride with.

I arrived in Joliet, IL around 6am to register, and too hook up with my club for a 7am start. The registration is in front of the Rialto Theatre in downtown Joliet. Unfortunately, registration didn't open until 7am, which is also when the course opens up. Registration should have been open at 6am, and they should have had more porta potties at the registration area.

Anyway, it was a sunny day, but it was also pretty cold for May 6. But that wasn't the worst part, can you say WIND! I have ridden in worst wind, but not 30+ winds for 75 miles. I'm glad I brought a base layer with, plus my arm warmers, because it didn't warm up until we got back.

We finally took off around 7:30am, and soon realized the wind was going to be a major issue. Before you hit the main route, there's a NASCAR track in Joliet, and it's open for all the riders to ride it. Pretty cool, to bad it can't be used for bikes all the time. Once we got back on the 100 mile route, some of my club decided the wind was going to make for very unpleasant day, so they took a shorter route option - never to be seen again. I decided the wind was doable, and so did Larry and Tom. When we arrived at the first rest stop, everyone there had something to say about the hideous wind. Note, this early Spring in farm country, and there's no wind breaks out in the middle of no where. Actually, there were times on the route, you felt like you were in the Wizard of Oz, it was that windy. Plus, and I kid you not, there were women crying, because they couldn't handle the wind.

After the first rest stop, it was back into the wind. If you could manage 16mph you were doing good. Most people had trouble doing 10mph, and a lot people couldn't hold a straight line. So, you had to be careful when passing on the left. When we arrived at the last rest stop, before you 100 mile loop, which was the best rest stop, we decided to skip the century and just head back doing the 70 option. The wind was getting to everyone, and I also heard the 100 mile loop isn't worth doing, because the roads are in poor condition.

We left the rest stop, saw the arrow for the 100 mile option, and wished those doing it luck. As we made the turn to head back (doing the 70 mile option) the wind was now at our backs. I started to pickup speed, I thought Tom and Larry would stick to my back wheel, and soon I could no longer see them. When you have a tailwind of 30+mph, you just have to go. There was one last rest stop, before heading back to downtown Joliet, and I was there in about 30 minutes, doing 30-35mph like it was nothing - well not like it was nothing, but it felt great.

Tom and Larry arrived at the last stop about 10 minutes later. Tom said it must have been the meat you ate at the last stop. After a little break, the three of us headed to downtown Joliet. At this point you ride this paved trail, all the way into Joliet. Unfortunately, the route was poorly marked, so we weren't sure if we were going in the right direction.

When we got back, there was no food, or a gathering place for the riders. I really like invitationals that have a reception for the riders, food, etc.

The rest stops weren't bad. Only one had decent food. SAG was good, and they did have some people directing traffic for the riders also a plus.

Overall there wasn't anything special about this invitational. Except for the wind, the course was flat, and not very interesting. The day was fun, because I got to ride with my club, not sure I would do this one without a group of friends. Note: Because of the wind it took us 5.5 hours to do 75 miles - keep in mind we we're in a pace line.

To learn more about the Sudden Century visit:
http://www.jolietbicycleclub.org

April 2007 200K Delavan, WI Brevet

2007-06-19T13:33:00.001-06:00

When I started riding three years ago, if you asked me what a Brevet was I'd be lost for words. Well in April 2007 I did my first brevet, a 200K starting in and returning to Delavan, WI.

This brevet was the first of seven this year, that Great Lakes Randonneurs organized. Though, you need to do the following brevets in order to qualify for Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) an endurance ride. Which are, the 200K, 300K, 400K and the 600K. All of which are self-supported rides, and you're allowed a certain amount of time to complete each brevet.

I did this brevet because a riding friend of mine is a serious endurance rider - he's a serious rider period. Anyway, he put out an email to our club, and thought it would be fun to try a brevet, and I've done 200Ks before, so I joined him in Delavan, WI. Though, before the brevet, weeks before, I needed to signup, and pay $15 for the 200K. Yes, there's no SAG, but the organizer does have some costs to cover.

The brevet was held on Saturday April 21, 2007 with a mass start at 8am, sharp, from the Super 8 Motel in Delavan, WI. I drove up that morning, leaving home around 5am. I got there too early, but I'm the type who likes to take his time, and not rush.

If I recall, there were about 60 riders, of all ages, and all were serious riders. Once we pushed off, the pack soon split into different groups, meaning everyone found a pace they could manage. I stayed with my riding friend Eric, and I soon realized he wanted to ride hard. We had a strong tailwind for the way out - our group - the lead pack of about 15 riders was flying towards the first checkpoint at racing speeds.

At one point the pack was doing about 35mph, and this squirrel runs out, hits my crank, flips around, goes under my back wheel. I don't think it made it. But, I was lucky it didn't cause me to loose control of my bike, because I would have taken most of the group down.

I should note, that brevets are not races. Though, from what I understand the 200Ks tend to be fast, if you want to hang with the lead group.

At the first checkpoint, about 30+ miles, we refueled, got our cards stamped, to prove we had been there. It was a pretty quick stop, and Eric and I continued to hammer it with the lead group. At about mile 44 Eric decided to pace it down. We still had a strong tailwind, but he knew better not to push himself too hard, as we had some good hills coming up, not to mention a head wind the whole way back.

The second checkpoint (located at another gas station/mini-mart) was the half way point of the 200K. We managed to keep our average speed at 21.6 up to now, but that was about to change. As soon as we left the second checkpoint, the head wind hit us like a brick wall. We rode with the lead group for awhile. Then Eric began to slow down, I think he pushed too hard in the beginning. Too much testosterone I guess. I hung with the group until after we climbed the last hard hill. I didn't see Eric. So I slowed down, as I came to ride with him, and I was too lazy to read my cue sheet, so I waited for him. A few minutes later, I could see this rider way off in the distance, and I could tell it was Eric.

When we got to the last checkpoint, before returning to the start, some of the lead pack was just leaving, and the ones still there, looked pretty wiped. The head wind was around 20-25+ mph, and to took it's toll on everyone. Eric and I hung around for about 20 minutes, resting and fueling up for the last leg.

I can't remember exactly when we arrived back at the Super 8 Motel in Delavan. But I think it was around 2:30 - 3:00pm. Not the fastest 200K ever, but it's not about speed. As long as you come in, in the allotted time, that's the important thing. We got our cards stamped one last time, and had some free micro-brew beer - and watched the other riders come in.

When Eric and I left the Super 8 Motel for dinner, then home, there were still riders on the course. I was told everyone made it back okay.

All in all, it was a great day to ride, minus the wind. And I'll be doing more brevets in the future - longer ones.

For anyone interested in brevets, you can get more information at:

Great Lakes Randonneurs
5038 N. St. Louis Ave.
Chicago, IL 60625
http://www.glrrando.org/index.html

(Special note of interest: Eric will be doing the 2007 PBP in August -
congrats Eric.)

2007 Udder Invitational Ride Report and Review

2007-06-05T09:53:00.000-06:00

I arrive in Union around 6:15am. I saw Wally, who had one of the best parking spots, and I couldn't believe how crowded it was when I arrived. I talked to Wally on my way into the registration area. He was on the course by 6:30am, and gone when we got back. Wally left a note on my car, stating he did the whole century, and he got rained on twice. I also learned the Udder had 1,200 riders this year - which is a great turn-out.

At 7:30am as planned Jane, Donna, Roy, Momi, Rudy, Chris (the TX Chris) and John D., and Moo took off for the 100. We also saw Doug and Jen at the start, with some other tri-gals.

After the first rest stop the pace increased and certain groups happened naturally. The course is a pretty easy one, with the moderate hills (about 7% grade) at mile 90+.

Here are some highlights...

Mile 30, Rudy, Jane, Chris and I came to a stop, as the first crash of the day happened. It seemed some people touched wheels, and this poor gal was on her back, in the road, next to the turn. A SAG car was called, but after hearing her speak, and there was no blood, we decided she was going to be okay - plus she had plenty of people around her too aid her.

At the turning back point for the 62 miles, Donna, Jane and Chris went back. There was some talk Roy and Momi might turn back, but they decided to go for it, as they should because they're good riders.

When we arrived at the outer most rest stop, the sky was getting black in the West. The SAG/Udder people said, if we wait 20 minutes of so the shit weather would pass over. And it was nasty. Strong winds, heavy down pour, and the temp. dropped at least 15°, from 72°. Rudy offered me two Clif bars for my rain jacket I carried with me. I failed to mention two Clif bars would hardly cover the cost of an ASSOS rain jacket.

So, we all waited in the cold and wind, in a WI pavilion. Roy mentioned he should call Elizabeth - "come and get me, I'm only somewhere in WI." He was kidding of course.

Once it let up, we headed to the last rest stop. When Rudy and I arrived, we learned from Mark (a rider I know), Lenny's brother went down hard doing 25mph. Allegedly, some rider, in front of Lenny didn't like him drafting, so this rider slams on his brakes, allegedly on purpose causing Lenny to crash. I guess his bike frame was okay, but both wheels had broken spokes. Otherwise he's okay, but has some good road rash.

When we got back, those remaining had a some pasta (supplied by the Udder folks) - all in all a very good day out. Despite some rain for a 20 mile section. Not much wind, pretty easy hills - I suppose that's a relative statement. Very good SAG, and food. The roads were in pretty good condition. Very little traffic, and the routes were very well marked.

This was my first time doing the Udder, and I'll do it again schedule permitting. The Udder is held in Union, IL and has been around for
25 years.

Learn more about the Udder at: http://www.mchenrybicycleclub.org

Indoor Time Trial (1.27.07)

2007-02-03T13:41:00.000-06:00

Last year I had quite a few opportunities to bike, outside of Illinois - where I live. One of my trips was to Scottsdale, AZ. As a boy, I traveled to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon with my family, but never to Scottsdale. I found Scottsdale to be a great place to ride and very bike friendly.

While riding one day in Scottsdale, with some local riders, I mentioned that back in Illinois, during the Winter months, we ride indoors, either on trainers, rollers, on a CompuTrainer or at the gym in a Spin class. Well, the person I mentioned this to, was taken back. He wasn't really familiar with trainers, or the other indoor gear we Midwesterner's use, especially the CompuTrainer. I guess if you live in a warm climate, the indoor gear isn't really necessary, and sounds like some torture device to those folks.

Well it may sound like one, and I can tell you it feels like one.

This year one of my biking goals is to get faster. (This is my third year of road biking, and as bikers, we all have goals, some easier to make happen then others.) Anyway, one of the ways to stay in shape over the Winter, in Illinois, is to ride indoors, when the weather gets really bad around here. So some of my bike club friends decided this year, we would do a CompuTrainer session once a week, until around March 1 or so. I find it much better then a Spinning class, and the overall experience combined with time in the gym and some Winter road time, will/should help to increase our speed, come Spring.

Our CompuTrainer sessions are held at place called Endure It!, they have a great setup, and the folks that run it are very nice, and are great instructors. We'll the other day, they had their first indoor Time Trial (TT) which was a big success, and a fun time. Yes, Time Trials are about suffering, but nonetheless, it was still fun. Saying that, some of us from my club, signed up for the event, we all did pretty well, considering we were up against Iron Man folks. So, for those who live in warmer climates, and haven't seen a CompuTrainer setup, not to mention what an indoor TT looks like, here's a slide show of the 9am group. : : View Slide Show : :

(Note: The TT was a two person race. The two teammates help each other out, one would pull, and one would draft, and so on. The person to cross the finish last, well, that would be the final time for that team. Two different teams would ride at same time (my teammate was Jason, who's wearing the hat.). The team with the best time wins, the day. Then it was also broken out into age groups. Jason and I won our age group, but then again, we were the only team in that age group. Age groups are determined by adding your teammate's age to your age.)

Endure It! will be having another TT on March 3, 2007 if you're interested in trying one. Sign up for their newsletter, for more info. No, I don't work for Endure It!, I'm just a supporter.

Numb Hand

2007-01-06T20:01:00.000-06:00

90 miles into my first century, certain body parts started to go numb. And I said to myself, this sucks. I love this sport, but things going numb, is kind of a downer. I soon realized the impotance of having the right gear. So after talking with some of my riding friends, and some research, here's what has helped me.

For the numbness in my right hand, I wear Spenco Ironman Elite gloves. Occasionally my hand still goes numb, but not like before.

Glove Pros:

Reduces or elimates the numbness

Relatively inexpense at $34.99

They feel good, unlike some gloves that pinch

Glove Cons:

They're made in China, but what isn't

They don't seem to last much more then one year, and they start to fall apart

The black dye used in the making of the glove can make your palm dirty, but no big deal

For the numbness where my body touches my saddle, I switched to a saddle that has a cut-out, and it makes a big difference.
The saddle is a Selle Italia Flite GelFlow saddle.

Saddle Pros:

It's made in Italy

Looks and feels good

Has titanium rails for extra comfort

Great price point at $89.99

Saddle Cons:

None that I can think of

Spinning vs CompuTrainer

2007-01-06T16:16:00.000-06:00

Photo take at endure it!

In the Midwest, where I happen to live, riding year round can be a real challenge, yet I do (with some members of my bike club) every Saturday morning, despite the weather we ride, even if it's -25° with the wind chill - but not very far.

There's something about riding a real bike, year-round, despite the weather that you just can't get riding indoors, going nowhere.

Saying that, sometimes the weather is just too crappy to ride outdoors. And even though we do ride year-round, there are times, on a real bike, when it's too cold, or when it's snowing hard, the workout isn't the same as during the warmer months. So, we head to the gym, or find a Spin class, or schedule a CompuTrainer session. Which brings me to the title of my post, "Spinning vs CompuTrainer."

This post isn't to make light of Spinning, not at all. Rather just to point out the differences between Spinning vs the CompuTrainer.

Spinning

Pros:

Great for aerobic and anaerobic training

Safe, no cars to worry about

You can hide (meaning no one can really see how hard you're working or not working)

Meeting new friends

Cons:

You can't use your own bike

Spin bikes don't always have pedals that match your clips

You can't see your data (or any data), in realtime. Outside of your heart rate monitor

The classes are too large for proper coaching/technique training

Computrainer

Pros:

You can use your own bike

It's a more intense workout

CompuTrainers are designed for bikers, who want to improve their road performance, or who want to get an edge, when racing

You can't hide in the class, since your data is displayed on a flat panel monitor

The sessions only allow for eight riders, which means better coaching

Cons:

The cost per session can be more, then just a standard Spin class

In conclusion, Spinning is great for your health, even if it's all you do. Meaning, if don't ride a road bike or a MTB. But, if you're a serious road biker or MTB'er, I would recommend CompuTrainer sessions over Spinning classes. And you'll be ahead of the game come Spring, no matter what you choose. Ride safe, and ride as often as you can.