Realization sucks...
Ever since I was a kid with my Huffy Stingray with the banana seat and high sissy bar I loved the freedom and independence that cycling brings. Whether you are young, old or somewhere in between cycling brings a feeling of freedom.
Fast forward about 40 years and cycling is my escape from many things.
Stress of everyday life although my life is THAT stressful melts away with every turn of the pedal.
Pain reliever. I suffer from nearly constant pain in my neck and my back. The pain comes from a herniated disc, dessicated and desiccating discs. Bones were never meant to touch each other. Add to that arthritis. Did I suffer some horrible traffic accident to get these problems? Did I play full contact sports growing up? No and No. It's genetics. You can't choose your parents and both of mine are arthritis sufferers.
I started getting interested in bike racing watching Greg Lemond win the Tour de France. Being the procrastinator that I am I didn't enter my first race until the Tour of Murrietta back in 2004? I did the time trial and the road race. I did OK.
I fell into a sick and twisted relationship with a race called Boulevard in San Diego's East County. My first time I got 29th out of 50. I was hooked.
I invested in a training program and even used a Coach, Gord Fraser for one year. I trained better but my racing results didn't improve much. I even got free training for a couple months from Tyler Hamilton (nice guy). I did see some improvements in my racing, primarily in my time trialing. I started to feel that my R.O.I. (Return On Invest) wasn't justifying the expense, and training programs and personal coaches run into the 1000's of dollars a year. So this last year I decided to just go on my own and use the knowledge I gained from the past coaching experiences to coach myself.
Well after 7 years of racing and never cracking the top ten let alone a podium spot (well I have had some top 5 20 Kilometer individual results) I have come to the conclusion that I am not a bike racer. I train hard and I can ride hard in the weekend world championships but when it comes to race day and proving myself on the road I just can't seem to get it together. Case in point: This years Boulevard Road Race in the Masters 45+ race I was staying near the front where I needed to be. At the 12 mile mark about a mile into the climbs I was was beyond red-lined. I am a "skinny climber dude" and give me an 8% grade of more than a mile and I'll drop your ass but when it's 4-5% and the "sprinters" and big-ring it I get dropped. I closed a lot of the gap by the time I got to the top of the climbs 8 miles later, passing "sprinters" all the way up. The "sprinters" caught up to me about 8 miles later on the slightly downhill/flat section. When we got to the middle of the climb on old hwy 80 I popped. My back had tightened too much to turn the pedals effectively enough to be competitive so I decided to abandon when I got to the finish line instead of carrying on for the 3rd and final lap. The light bulb went on. I am not a bike racer anymore.
A friend of mine whose nickname is NASCAR (he holds the individual 20K Time Trial record at Fiesta Island) says I am more of a Grand Fondo, long endurance event kind of rider. I agree. When I have done these kinds of events I have finished strong and at the front and most importantly enjoyed myself. So my focus from now on will be riding to be the best that I can be outside of racing (with the exception of Time Trialing. I will continue to compete in the race of truth)and for my own health and fitness. Oh yea and to kick your ass on the local group rides and climbs.
Sometimes you just have to let go of your dreams.....
Monday, February 7, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
The worst thing you've ever seen?
What's the Worst thing you have ever seen?
What's the worst thing you have ever seen?
October 1993
I was working at Silo in El Cajon. It was just another day selling audio gear and drinking coffee, killing time. The life of a commissioned salesman. I was up near the front of the store when I heard a shotgun blast. No it didn't sound like a backfire from a car. You cannot mistake the sound a double barrel shotgun makes when it is fired nearby. As I moved to the front window to take a look another blast from the shotgun rang out. As I looked out the glass sliding doors into the parking lot I saw a body lying on the sidewalk across the parking lot about 50 feet away. I pushed between my co-worker Gary and his customer at the front counter and reached for the phone and dialed 911. As I was talking to the Police operator the gunman shot out the front windows of the Family Fitness Center shattering the glass. He walked into the building and you could hear more blasts from the shotgun. As I was describing what was happening to the 911 operator one of our stockers and one of the install guys were running over to check on the first body slumped on the sidewalk. As they reached the body the gunman came back out of gym through the broken glass windows and calmly walked to his brown 280z parked in front of the windows. I told the 911 operator what he looked like, height, size, clothing.Then he sat down in the drivers seat of the his car with his feet still on the pavement. One final blast from the double barrel shotgun and the 'blow back' came. A cloud of flesh, skull, blood and brains came out of the car in a fine mist as his feet lifted from the ground and twitched involuntarily for a few seconds then fell back to the pavement. I told the 911 operator that he had killed himself. She asked if I was sure. I was. I told her what I had seen coming from the car. He had killed 4 people and injured others before killing himself before my eyes. It was a few days later that we learned that he had gone there looking for a girl to kill her. We thought at first that it was just some random killing spree and we had been spared. The media hung out for a couple days. They new the 911 call had come from my store but did not know who had made they call. They wanted to know and kept asking my bosses but they wouldn't say. I eventually told them it was me just to get them out of there. I was interviewed by Mark Walton for PM Magazine. My 15 minutes of fame.
13 years later I still can vividly picture that asshole blowing his brains out in front of me (and others). For him it is over. For those of us unfortunate to have been there that day it pops up in the occasional dream or when I hear what sounds like a gunshot. That's the worst thing I have ever seen.
What's the worst thing you have ever seen?
October 1993
I was working at Silo in El Cajon. It was just another day selling audio gear and drinking coffee, killing time. The life of a commissioned salesman. I was up near the front of the store when I heard a shotgun blast. No it didn't sound like a backfire from a car. You cannot mistake the sound a double barrel shotgun makes when it is fired nearby. As I moved to the front window to take a look another blast from the shotgun rang out. As I looked out the glass sliding doors into the parking lot I saw a body lying on the sidewalk across the parking lot about 50 feet away. I pushed between my co-worker Gary and his customer at the front counter and reached for the phone and dialed 911. As I was talking to the Police operator the gunman shot out the front windows of the Family Fitness Center shattering the glass. He walked into the building and you could hear more blasts from the shotgun. As I was describing what was happening to the 911 operator one of our stockers and one of the install guys were running over to check on the first body slumped on the sidewalk. As they reached the body the gunman came back out of gym through the broken glass windows and calmly walked to his brown 280z parked in front of the windows. I told the 911 operator what he looked like, height, size, clothing.Then he sat down in the drivers seat of the his car with his feet still on the pavement. One final blast from the double barrel shotgun and the 'blow back' came. A cloud of flesh, skull, blood and brains came out of the car in a fine mist as his feet lifted from the ground and twitched involuntarily for a few seconds then fell back to the pavement. I told the 911 operator that he had killed himself. She asked if I was sure. I was. I told her what I had seen coming from the car. He had killed 4 people and injured others before killing himself before my eyes. It was a few days later that we learned that he had gone there looking for a girl to kill her. We thought at first that it was just some random killing spree and we had been spared. The media hung out for a couple days. They new the 911 call had come from my store but did not know who had made they call. They wanted to know and kept asking my bosses but they wouldn't say. I eventually told them it was me just to get them out of there. I was interviewed by Mark Walton for PM Magazine. My 15 minutes of fame.
13 years later I still can vividly picture that asshole blowing his brains out in front of me (and others). For him it is over. For those of us unfortunate to have been there that day it pops up in the occasional dream or when I hear what sounds like a gunshot. That's the worst thing I have ever seen.
Tick Tock
Tick tock
Current mood:contemplative
Time
You can lose it
You can keep it
You can make it
You can pass it
You can save it
But you cannot stop it, rewind it or travel forwards or backwards through it (not yet anyway).
We live in a moment of time which we cannot see coming or going only that we are in the moment. The past is billions of moments lost to us and the future is billions of moments which are filled with opportunities coming to us. We cannot know in advance which moments will be important or not so it is imperative that we live as much as possible in each and every moment we can.
Current mood:contemplative
Time
You can lose it
You can keep it
You can make it
You can pass it
You can save it
But you cannot stop it, rewind it or travel forwards or backwards through it (not yet anyway).
We live in a moment of time which we cannot see coming or going only that we are in the moment. The past is billions of moments lost to us and the future is billions of moments which are filled with opportunities coming to us. We cannot know in advance which moments will be important or not so it is imperative that we live as much as possible in each and every moment we can.
Palomar Mountain - Angel of the Mountains
Palomar Mountain - Angel of the Mountains
Oct 2008
Current mood:cheerful
Today was the day I thought some of the other members of the "San Diego Mafia" as Breinne from the CTS forums likes to call us were gong to ride Palomar Mountain. It's next week, lol. For those not fortunate enough to live in the land of arm and leg warmers only in Winter, Palomar is the Alpe'd'Huez of Southern California. The measured part of the climb (for those that like records) is just a tad longer than 11 miles.The "record" is 00:56:00 and it is rumored that a certain individual with a shiny new hip has done it in 00:48:00.
I measured it at 11.7 miles. Now the fun part...the average grade is 9% and the last 7 miles is 11% Average. It's relentless it does not flatten at all. Over 4000 feet of climbing. If you start from the casino parking lot 15 miles away the entire ride is just over 5400 ft of climbing on 46 miles.
This was my first time riding this hill since it is a 65 mile drive to get there and we pay way more for gas here than the rest of the country, price of paradise I guess.
Tall guys can climb (6'3 160lbs) I smoked it! My time was 01:18:00 (9mph average) in an 39x26 gear at 72rpm ave cadence. I got out of the saddle for some of the steeper switchbacks but 95% of the time was in the saddle. I felt good the whole way even though I was either in Time Trail, Climbing Repeat range or Steady State the entire climb.
On the way down I couldn't figure out why my bike was wobbly...it wasn't the bike it was me freezing my ass off! I had to stop and put the arm warmers and vest back on and even then I was still shaking at 35mph. Note to self: practice descending more. I was way too tentative going into the corners on the way down.
I have a new favorite ride.
-Scott
ps. Has it been that long since the first time I rode Palomar? Only rode one other time and it was 3 years ago(?) Time of 1:06
Oct 2008
Current mood:cheerful
Today was the day I thought some of the other members of the "San Diego Mafia" as Breinne from the CTS forums likes to call us were gong to ride Palomar Mountain. It's next week, lol. For those not fortunate enough to live in the land of arm and leg warmers only in Winter, Palomar is the Alpe'd'Huez of Southern California. The measured part of the climb (for those that like records) is just a tad longer than 11 miles.The "record" is 00:56:00 and it is rumored that a certain individual with a shiny new hip has done it in 00:48:00.
I measured it at 11.7 miles. Now the fun part...the average grade is 9% and the last 7 miles is 11% Average. It's relentless it does not flatten at all. Over 4000 feet of climbing. If you start from the casino parking lot 15 miles away the entire ride is just over 5400 ft of climbing on 46 miles.
This was my first time riding this hill since it is a 65 mile drive to get there and we pay way more for gas here than the rest of the country, price of paradise I guess.
Tall guys can climb (6'3 160lbs) I smoked it! My time was 01:18:00 (9mph average) in an 39x26 gear at 72rpm ave cadence. I got out of the saddle for some of the steeper switchbacks but 95% of the time was in the saddle. I felt good the whole way even though I was either in Time Trail, Climbing Repeat range or Steady State the entire climb.
On the way down I couldn't figure out why my bike was wobbly...it wasn't the bike it was me freezing my ass off! I had to stop and put the arm warmers and vest back on and even then I was still shaking at 35mph. Note to self: practice descending more. I was way too tentative going into the corners on the way down.
I have a new favorite ride.
-Scott
ps. Has it been that long since the first time I rode Palomar? Only rode one other time and it was 3 years ago(?) Time of 1:06
Cycling Poetry
Cycling Poetry?
A rider and their bicycle work as one
gliding through corners on a fast descent.
A give and take in a dance of sublime expression
between rider and machine.
-Scott
A rider and their bicycle work as one
gliding through corners on a fast descent.
A give and take in a dance of sublime expression
between rider and machine.
-Scott
Scott | blog on Myspace
Originally written January 24th 2007 for my MySpace blog
"Some Walk by Night"
Current mood:sick
For Christmas I received seasons 3 and 4 of the mid 80's T.V. show "MOONLIGHTING" with Cybil Sheppard as "Maddie Hayes" and a new talent Bruce Willis as "David Addison". They run a detective agency in Los Angeles. Originally set up as a tax loss the Blue Moon Detective Agency becomes Maddies sole source of income after her accountant embezzles the money she earned from modeling Blue Moon Shampoo.
Maddie and David are patterned after Nick and Nora Charles from the "Thin Man" movies of the 30's. If you haven't seen any of the Thin Man movies add them to your NetFlix queue. The dialogue is full of double entendre and 'snappy' banter (homage to Thin Man). Moonlighting was fond of breaking the fourth wall and by looking directly at the camera engaging the audiences with a wink or a knowing look. They even go as far as mentioning the writers during scenes. Moonlighting was not afraid to change the paradigm of series televison and borrow form other sources such as Shakespeare for their own telling of the "Taming of the Shrew" (Atomic Shakespeare). A black and white episode in the style of film noir introduced by Orson Welles that takes place in the 40's during the age of Big Band and Swing. Cybill sings "Blue Moon" appropraitely enough and does a very good job with the crooner standard.
I was home from work sick today so it was a perfect time to have a Moonlighting marathon and catch up with my old friends David and Maddie. I still apsire to be more like David and and to meet my Maddie. Well, that has happened but that is for another time. I was 24 when the showed aired and now I am 44. A lot has happened in 20 years. Some good some bad. The clothing styles are no longer in fashion (thank God) but I still dig the women's hair styles. So if you are looking for something to watch that has wit and humour and lots of dialogue get your hands on all 5 seasons of Moonlighting because funny is funny.
I will end this with the immortal words of David Addison...."Do bears bear? Do bees bee?"
"Some Walk by Night"
Current mood:sick
For Christmas I received seasons 3 and 4 of the mid 80's T.V. show "MOONLIGHTING" with Cybil Sheppard as "Maddie Hayes" and a new talent Bruce Willis as "David Addison". They run a detective agency in Los Angeles. Originally set up as a tax loss the Blue Moon Detective Agency becomes Maddies sole source of income after her accountant embezzles the money she earned from modeling Blue Moon Shampoo.
Maddie and David are patterned after Nick and Nora Charles from the "Thin Man" movies of the 30's. If you haven't seen any of the Thin Man movies add them to your NetFlix queue. The dialogue is full of double entendre and 'snappy' banter (homage to Thin Man). Moonlighting was fond of breaking the fourth wall and by looking directly at the camera engaging the audiences with a wink or a knowing look. They even go as far as mentioning the writers during scenes. Moonlighting was not afraid to change the paradigm of series televison and borrow form other sources such as Shakespeare for their own telling of the "Taming of the Shrew" (Atomic Shakespeare). A black and white episode in the style of film noir introduced by Orson Welles that takes place in the 40's during the age of Big Band and Swing. Cybill sings "Blue Moon" appropraitely enough and does a very good job with the crooner standard.
I was home from work sick today so it was a perfect time to have a Moonlighting marathon and catch up with my old friends David and Maddie. I still apsire to be more like David and and to meet my Maddie. Well, that has happened but that is for another time. I was 24 when the showed aired and now I am 44. A lot has happened in 20 years. Some good some bad. The clothing styles are no longer in fashion (thank God) but I still dig the women's hair styles. So if you are looking for something to watch that has wit and humour and lots of dialogue get your hands on all 5 seasons of Moonlighting because funny is funny.
I will end this with the immortal words of David Addison...."Do bears bear? Do bees bee?"
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Riding "naked"
About three weeks ago I built up a new Cannondale CAAD9 frame set. "EVA" is her name. I rode the previous bike "Jane" for what is a relatively short amount of time for me, about 7 years (50000+ miles). The rode the previous bike for 14 years! I decided I would make it as light as I could afford to and left off the PowerTap (hub is about 3/4lb) and did not install any cycle computer. Now anyone who knows me knows that I have always been a numbers guy. I want as much data as I can get. I run RACEDAY and WKO+ training software on my computer and immediately after a ride would upload mt wattage data. So after 3 weeks and best guess about 500 miles later I am riding sans data of any kind. And I must say riding "naked" is very liberating. I still occasionally look down at the stem to see my speed while bombing downhill, habits are hard to break!
I thought it would make group rides harder by not knowing how hard I was going but it actually freed my head up from the constraint of LT and Max efforts because now I am either bridging across the gap or not. No more checking to see if the effort was "sustainable" or not. Like Yoda says "There is no try, only do" I am also enjoying just riding and plan to ride "naked" until the end of June the start training on the TT bike (Sonja) for the fall Southern California Time Trial season starting with a TT at Fiesta Island in September. I may just run the PowerTap on the TT bike and just keep "EVA" pure ;)
I hope EDDY Merckx would be proud!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Friday, April 30, 2010
April Showers Bring May Flowers
The end of April has brought a new beginning. May promises to open a door that has been closed far too long. In rewinding the YouTube channel of my past life experience I have finally learned the lesson it has been trying to teach. When I have someone of interest in my life I become more interesting to other women. Something that I never acted upon or from which I reaped any benefit. In the past I have always followed the path of one person at a time. There is nothing wrong with that except I would follow this pattern even at the first date stage. And when that didn't work out I would realize I missed out on opportunity with another woman. I would then think "ah now I can go ahead and ask out (insert name here)" but someone else would always have beaten me to the punch! Right now I am in what could probably at best be called a "limbonic relationship" (Yes I made up LIMBONIC, think "limbo" and you get the gist) with a woman I consider special in many ways and frustrating in others. A dear friend of mine got married last week and at the wedding I had a chance to voice some of my concerns and my desires about said relationship (or whatever the Hell it is!) and she listened and understood. We had a great evening. I had never felt more comfortable with someone in a very long time then I did that night just talking and enjoying a friends wedding. Well of course this mean that I started giving off the look at me I'm happy vibe for the next few days. And a funny thing happened. My sense of humor came back to me (yes I used too be a damn funny guy) and apparently it is to women what a light bulb on a warm Summer evening is to a moth. So I have laid before me opportunity. An opportunity to enjoy life without drama, without conditions. And I am finally doing something about it! Don't get me wrong I really want the "limbonic relationship" to become a well-defined relationship but until then I will not repeat the mistakes of my past.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Mount Laguna Bicycle Classic
Yesterday was the inaugural Mount Laguna Bicycle Classic (See link above for ride profile and description) . Advertised as 100+ miles (102 actually) and 10,000ft of climbing (9708 according to my Suunto) and for those Euros or cycling aficionados who deal in kilometers (like me) 164km and 2959m. There were 7 climbs (3 major) spread out among 3 loops. The ride started in waves of fifty riders per wave every ten minutes beginning at 6am. I was in the 2nd wave and it was chilly! 41f at the starting line and 32f in the shade. I chose fingerless gloves, knee and arm warmers and a vest. I knew it would warm up quickly once the sun cleared the ridge line so I was willing to deal with being cold for a short time. A short time ended up being the 1st hour! It was so cold my fingers were painful and ghostly white on the edges directly in the wind. Later in the ride it was in the low 70's. Nothing like a 40 degree temperature swing.
Initially my plan was to ride with a couple friends who I see on the weekly group rides. That went down the drain fairly quickly. While they are in some way much stronger riders than I am i wanted to warm up so I started the short but steep climb out of Pine Valley which begins the 1st loop (the Laguna Triangle)at a brisk pace just for the sake of not freezing to death ;) Standing on the pedals I quickly dropped the majority of my 'wave mates' and soon found myself with just myself and my mp3 player (one ear piece only, low volume) to keep me company.
I was beginning to wonder if i started to quickly for some a long distance, a distance I have ridden less then ten times in 25 years of riding. I was slowly but surely catching a variety of other riders going at a more leisurely pace (do they know something I don't?) My PowerTap said my watts were in the endurance/tempo range so I kept cruising along and up one of my favorite climbs in San Diego to the summit at Paso Picacho campground. The climb is twisty and still a little surreal since it is still barren of trees since the fires more than 5 years ago. I passed a dad and his two daughters cruising through the two switchbacks, past the fire station with the fireman outside sitting on the bumper of the fire truck watching riders go by. Bombed the descent to the store at Lake Cuyamaca and on around the lake to start the next series of climbs on Sunrise Hwy. Although this starts a 13 miles stretch of climbing it has a lot of rollers and false flats to break it up. Keeping a steady pace I was soon joined by a group of four riders and I slipped onto the back of their group. It's always better when you can ride with someone on a long climb. Once cresting the 6000ft summit there is a mandatory check-in about 1/2 mile from the top. Great support workers filled bottles and gel flaks with Hammer Nutrition products. I took advantage of the free Perpetuem and Endurolyte caps (my biggest concern was cramping later in the event).
The start of the 2nd loop was the first of three descents down one of my favorite mountain descents...Sunrise Hwy! The asphalt is smooth and the corners can be taken at 50+ mph. You can choose not to pedal at all for about 20 minutes or go for it. I usually get as aero as possible by sitting on the top tube and getting my chest onto the handlebars. There are two concerns when descending down Sunrise Hwy this way. First is a front tire blowing out and second a cow on the road as you go through the pasture area about 1/3 of the way down No blowouts, no cows! Onto the next climb up Kitchen Creek. Kitchen Creek is a local legend of a climb. Narrow rough paved road with 1/3 of it closed to cars. Steep in sections and exposed to the sun since it is on the south face of Mount Laguna. I found the climbing was relatively easy and it helped that I was riding with two other riders. You always ride a little faster when next to someone. By this time my back was starting to hurt. I have serious issues with my lower spine but rarely does it bother me to ride. In fact riding a bike is my sanctuary from nearly constant pain. I was convincing myself to not do the 3rd loop. However checking it at the sag stop I was told there were probably only twenty riders ahead. Crap! Bombed the descent again through a thick cloud of bugs. Little bugs hurt when you hit them at 40mph. You try and keep you head tilted down to keep them out of your nose. You cannot open your mouth and you hope your sunglasses keep them out of your eyes.
3rd loop. I checked in at the start/finish and noodled around for 12-15 minutes. Dropping off my vest and warmers at the car. I saw that no one else was here which meant that I was far in front of many other riders including my friends. WTF I should do the loop. I wasn't feeling good about it and with trepidation refilled bottles and reloaded on Endurolyte caps and pedaled out of town to Pine Creek rd. I hate riding a climb that I have not scouted out before. I had talked to my friends who had pre-ridden that climb and it wasn't going to be any fun. I enjoy a tough steep (above 8% grade) climb more than most. There are a few 20%+ ramps. I knew I may have to walk parts of it. After 80 miles of riding and 7000ft of climbing in the legs it was going to be brutal. I was riding a compact with an 11-23 cassette. Had I had fresh legs for Pine Creek rd it probably wouldn't have been an issue but it was this time. I climbed off the bike 4 separate times to walk the 20% ramps. In all the years I have ridden or raced my bike I have walked a climb only once before. Walking is Hell on your cleats! I do not recommend walking rough pavement without cleat covers. It grinds your cleats down very quickly. I had to change them this morning before the group ride. Funny thing about walking those sections is that the men and a few women going by still pedaling were not going by much quicker than I was walking. I must admit I got a little worried for my health at one point when I had to lean over the bars and rest to catch my breath. Altitude doesn't usually affect me and being at only 5000ft shouldn't have had any affect at all. I was having trouble breathing. I seriously thought that the irony of being incredibly fit would catch up with all those that say you are getting older ( I am 47) and I might keel over. I pushed through and kept going knowing that once I got of this Mother F***ker of a climb I could coast downhill back to the finish. I rode the last part of the climb with an older guy named Len (not Pettyjohn!). We both agreed that having Pine Creek at the end of the ride was going to be too much for a lot of people and they wouldn't know how bad it was until they were past the point of no return. The words of the first Tour de France racers went through my head "Assassin's!" is what they said to DeGrange after completing the brutal climbs he had inserted into the Tour. Finally reached Sunrise Hwy and a familiar rode! 2-3 miles of climbing then the check-in and one last time to bomb the descent and hopefully bug free! I remembered to once again thank the sag volunteers as I rode out to head down the hill. I was aware of my time and wanted to get in under 7 hours if I could so that meant pedaling hard down the descent instead of coasting for the next twenty minutes or so. A few bugs this time and a few cars later I rolled into the finish to get my race number marked and time recorded. I survived and rode a good pace.
In hindsight I am glad I chose to finish the 3rd loop. It showed me that i can ride through some incredibly difficult challenges and this should transfer over to some of my races.
The numbers:
164.2 Kilometers
2959 meters elevation gain over 7 climbs
3989 kilojoules (calories) work
Avg Power (watts) 162
Max Power 681 watts
Avg Cadence 64
Avg Speed 23.98 kilometers per hour
Max Speed 73.69 kilometers per hour
Avg Heart Rate 143 bpm
Ride time (moving) 6 hours 48 minutes and 9 seconds. Overall time probably about 7:20 (check in stops and waiting too start 3rd loop and add to actual time)
The majority of the ride was at Endurance pace and Tempo which was the goal although 52 minutes were at Race Pace and above (above LT) this was probably the steeper climbing sections.
Initially my plan was to ride with a couple friends who I see on the weekly group rides. That went down the drain fairly quickly. While they are in some way much stronger riders than I am i wanted to warm up so I started the short but steep climb out of Pine Valley which begins the 1st loop (the Laguna Triangle)at a brisk pace just for the sake of not freezing to death ;) Standing on the pedals I quickly dropped the majority of my 'wave mates' and soon found myself with just myself and my mp3 player (one ear piece only, low volume) to keep me company.
I was beginning to wonder if i started to quickly for some a long distance, a distance I have ridden less then ten times in 25 years of riding. I was slowly but surely catching a variety of other riders going at a more leisurely pace (do they know something I don't?) My PowerTap said my watts were in the endurance/tempo range so I kept cruising along and up one of my favorite climbs in San Diego to the summit at Paso Picacho campground. The climb is twisty and still a little surreal since it is still barren of trees since the fires more than 5 years ago. I passed a dad and his two daughters cruising through the two switchbacks, past the fire station with the fireman outside sitting on the bumper of the fire truck watching riders go by. Bombed the descent to the store at Lake Cuyamaca and on around the lake to start the next series of climbs on Sunrise Hwy. Although this starts a 13 miles stretch of climbing it has a lot of rollers and false flats to break it up. Keeping a steady pace I was soon joined by a group of four riders and I slipped onto the back of their group. It's always better when you can ride with someone on a long climb. Once cresting the 6000ft summit there is a mandatory check-in about 1/2 mile from the top. Great support workers filled bottles and gel flaks with Hammer Nutrition products. I took advantage of the free Perpetuem and Endurolyte caps (my biggest concern was cramping later in the event).
The start of the 2nd loop was the first of three descents down one of my favorite mountain descents...Sunrise Hwy! The asphalt is smooth and the corners can be taken at 50+ mph. You can choose not to pedal at all for about 20 minutes or go for it. I usually get as aero as possible by sitting on the top tube and getting my chest onto the handlebars. There are two concerns when descending down Sunrise Hwy this way. First is a front tire blowing out and second a cow on the road as you go through the pasture area about 1/3 of the way down No blowouts, no cows! Onto the next climb up Kitchen Creek. Kitchen Creek is a local legend of a climb. Narrow rough paved road with 1/3 of it closed to cars. Steep in sections and exposed to the sun since it is on the south face of Mount Laguna. I found the climbing was relatively easy and it helped that I was riding with two other riders. You always ride a little faster when next to someone. By this time my back was starting to hurt. I have serious issues with my lower spine but rarely does it bother me to ride. In fact riding a bike is my sanctuary from nearly constant pain. I was convincing myself to not do the 3rd loop. However checking it at the sag stop I was told there were probably only twenty riders ahead. Crap! Bombed the descent again through a thick cloud of bugs. Little bugs hurt when you hit them at 40mph. You try and keep you head tilted down to keep them out of your nose. You cannot open your mouth and you hope your sunglasses keep them out of your eyes.
3rd loop. I checked in at the start/finish and noodled around for 12-15 minutes. Dropping off my vest and warmers at the car. I saw that no one else was here which meant that I was far in front of many other riders including my friends. WTF I should do the loop. I wasn't feeling good about it and with trepidation refilled bottles and reloaded on Endurolyte caps and pedaled out of town to Pine Creek rd. I hate riding a climb that I have not scouted out before. I had talked to my friends who had pre-ridden that climb and it wasn't going to be any fun. I enjoy a tough steep (above 8% grade) climb more than most. There are a few 20%+ ramps. I knew I may have to walk parts of it. After 80 miles of riding and 7000ft of climbing in the legs it was going to be brutal. I was riding a compact with an 11-23 cassette. Had I had fresh legs for Pine Creek rd it probably wouldn't have been an issue but it was this time. I climbed off the bike 4 separate times to walk the 20% ramps. In all the years I have ridden or raced my bike I have walked a climb only once before. Walking is Hell on your cleats! I do not recommend walking rough pavement without cleat covers. It grinds your cleats down very quickly. I had to change them this morning before the group ride. Funny thing about walking those sections is that the men and a few women going by still pedaling were not going by much quicker than I was walking. I must admit I got a little worried for my health at one point when I had to lean over the bars and rest to catch my breath. Altitude doesn't usually affect me and being at only 5000ft shouldn't have had any affect at all. I was having trouble breathing. I seriously thought that the irony of being incredibly fit would catch up with all those that say you are getting older ( I am 47) and I might keel over. I pushed through and kept going knowing that once I got of this Mother F***ker of a climb I could coast downhill back to the finish. I rode the last part of the climb with an older guy named Len (not Pettyjohn!). We both agreed that having Pine Creek at the end of the ride was going to be too much for a lot of people and they wouldn't know how bad it was until they were past the point of no return. The words of the first Tour de France racers went through my head "Assassin's!" is what they said to DeGrange after completing the brutal climbs he had inserted into the Tour. Finally reached Sunrise Hwy and a familiar rode! 2-3 miles of climbing then the check-in and one last time to bomb the descent and hopefully bug free! I remembered to once again thank the sag volunteers as I rode out to head down the hill. I was aware of my time and wanted to get in under 7 hours if I could so that meant pedaling hard down the descent instead of coasting for the next twenty minutes or so. A few bugs this time and a few cars later I rolled into the finish to get my race number marked and time recorded. I survived and rode a good pace.
In hindsight I am glad I chose to finish the 3rd loop. It showed me that i can ride through some incredibly difficult challenges and this should transfer over to some of my races.
The numbers:
164.2 Kilometers
2959 meters elevation gain over 7 climbs
3989 kilojoules (calories) work
Avg Power (watts) 162
Max Power 681 watts
Avg Cadence 64
Avg Speed 23.98 kilometers per hour
Max Speed 73.69 kilometers per hour
Avg Heart Rate 143 bpm
Ride time (moving) 6 hours 48 minutes and 9 seconds. Overall time probably about 7:20 (check in stops and waiting too start 3rd loop and add to actual time)
The majority of the ride was at Endurance pace and Tempo which was the goal although 52 minutes were at Race Pace and above (above LT) this was probably the steeper climbing sections.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Don't Panic!
Today was just another Monday for me, a day off work. For those of you who work in retail you know that our 'weekend' usually doesn't correspond with the rest of the World's Saturday/Sunday Dogma. Slept in until 7a.m. Yes that is sleeping in for me. Climbed on the Time Trial bike (Sonja) and got in a quick ride (60 minutes) to spin out the legs and refresh my body's memory before Friday's 8.4 mile Time Trial which opens the San Diego Cyclo-Vets Omnium this weekend. There was a threat of rain and I guess getting caught by a brief shower was indicative of the rest of my day.
I recently started dating again and I think it's going well although technically we have only had one date, and one coffee date with my daughter Delaney while she was visiting. The woman I am 'dating' keeps herself very busy so sometimes I feel like i need to make a reservation well in advance to see her. I do send texts but not everyday and in reality only a couple a week to let her know my schedule (my social calendar is pretty much wide open as opposed to hers). Today she texted me that she was on her way back home from her weekend camping trip and that I needed to "slow down the texting because I was kind of driving her crazy" WTF?
Maybe it's me but I am beginning to believe that I can no longer judge people at all. I have lost my ability to see through bullshit and spot the flower blooming underneath. Maybe I am just over thinking what she said? If this one fizzles then I am officially done forever.
I recently started dating again and I think it's going well although technically we have only had one date, and one coffee date with my daughter Delaney while she was visiting. The woman I am 'dating' keeps herself very busy so sometimes I feel like i need to make a reservation well in advance to see her. I do send texts but not everyday and in reality only a couple a week to let her know my schedule (my social calendar is pretty much wide open as opposed to hers). Today she texted me that she was on her way back home from her weekend camping trip and that I needed to "slow down the texting because I was kind of driving her crazy" WTF?
Maybe it's me but I am beginning to believe that I can no longer judge people at all. I have lost my ability to see through bullshit and spot the flower blooming underneath. Maybe I am just over thinking what she said? If this one fizzles then I am officially done forever.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
A Haiku for Kelsey
Time may pass on by...some will come and some will go...the right ones come back.
About a month ago an old (well she's not old) friend came by work to tell me she was back in town and would like to get together. She needed to get her school (grad) schedule sorted out first. Well this past Sunday we connected and made a date for tonight. I picked the restaurant "Il Fornaio" in the beautiful town of Coronado California. Great view of the San Diego skyline out our window from across the bay. I must admit I was a little nervous not quite knowing what to expect. I wasn't 100% sure she wanted to go on a date or just catch up with a friend. We dated briefly 8 years ago before she moved to Oregon. One look at her smiling face when I arrived at the restaurant and all doubt was erased. A quick embrace and kiss and it was like 8 years was erased. We are both older and wiser, well I am older she is still young by most standards (28 years old). Conversation flowed through us, we didn't even open the menus for the first 10 minutes. We rarely looked away from each other the entire meal. 2 hours later after paying for the meal I asked if she wanted to go for a walk (it was quite chilly outside) and she said yes. We walked into the chilly night air and she put her arm around me and I reciprocated and somehow it wasn't cold anymore it was just the two of us sharing warmth and still talking. We found a bench to sit on and looked across the bay. We looked at each other and kissed. It was just like 8 years before. This may be both a beginning and an ending in another episode called my life. Right now I am happy, that hasn't happened in a long long while.
-Scott
About a month ago an old (well she's not old) friend came by work to tell me she was back in town and would like to get together. She needed to get her school (grad) schedule sorted out first. Well this past Sunday we connected and made a date for tonight. I picked the restaurant "Il Fornaio" in the beautiful town of Coronado California. Great view of the San Diego skyline out our window from across the bay. I must admit I was a little nervous not quite knowing what to expect. I wasn't 100% sure she wanted to go on a date or just catch up with a friend. We dated briefly 8 years ago before she moved to Oregon. One look at her smiling face when I arrived at the restaurant and all doubt was erased. A quick embrace and kiss and it was like 8 years was erased. We are both older and wiser, well I am older she is still young by most standards (28 years old). Conversation flowed through us, we didn't even open the menus for the first 10 minutes. We rarely looked away from each other the entire meal. 2 hours later after paying for the meal I asked if she wanted to go for a walk (it was quite chilly outside) and she said yes. We walked into the chilly night air and she put her arm around me and I reciprocated and somehow it wasn't cold anymore it was just the two of us sharing warmth and still talking. We found a bench to sit on and looked across the bay. We looked at each other and kissed. It was just like 8 years before. This may be both a beginning and an ending in another episode called my life. Right now I am happy, that hasn't happened in a long long while.
-Scott
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Trying to get back♦
Sorry I haven't written here in awhile...
I have been struggling with getting weight back on. That's right, GAINING weight. I lost 8lbs in 3 days between Christmas and New Years Day when I picked up some kind of stomach bug/flu while out on a ride. It was a very cold morning, 34F in the shade and I believe my immune system was down (typical for someone after hard prolonged exercise)and later that day WHAM!. I couldn't eat or drink (bad idea I know). I gained as much as 6 lbs back only to watch it disappear after a 4 hour ride. I am currently hovering at about 4 lbs back. Why is it important for me to gain the weight back? Strength! I spent a year gaining 3lbs in muscle mass to improve my Time Trialing ( I race bikes sometimes)and it wasn't easy to do. I had to eat 3600+ calories a day.
My strength seems to be coming back and I am slowly gaining back my ability to ride above Threshold for longer periods of time. I have a little over a month to get ready for some racing. I have taken what I learned from Carmichael Training Systems and what i learned from have Tyler Hamilton coach me for 6 weeks last Summer and it seems to be working.
We'll see how it goes!!
Stay tuned and I promise to regularly update this blog!
-Scott
twitter id "Scotteeg"
I have been struggling with getting weight back on. That's right, GAINING weight. I lost 8lbs in 3 days between Christmas and New Years Day when I picked up some kind of stomach bug/flu while out on a ride. It was a very cold morning, 34F in the shade and I believe my immune system was down (typical for someone after hard prolonged exercise)and later that day WHAM!. I couldn't eat or drink (bad idea I know). I gained as much as 6 lbs back only to watch it disappear after a 4 hour ride. I am currently hovering at about 4 lbs back. Why is it important for me to gain the weight back? Strength! I spent a year gaining 3lbs in muscle mass to improve my Time Trialing ( I race bikes sometimes)and it wasn't easy to do. I had to eat 3600+ calories a day.
My strength seems to be coming back and I am slowly gaining back my ability to ride above Threshold for longer periods of time. I have a little over a month to get ready for some racing. I have taken what I learned from Carmichael Training Systems and what i learned from have Tyler Hamilton coach me for 6 weeks last Summer and it seems to be working.
We'll see how it goes!!
Stay tuned and I promise to regularly update this blog!
-Scott
twitter id "Scotteeg"
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
The Blues
Friday, June 23, 2006
 | Category: Life
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