7/9/11: Bike Ride Outside on the Trail

Weekend Fun

Saturday morning our Ultimate team had a practice in Ault Park. It was a nice, cool, rainy morning, but the drizzle thankfully ended soon after we got there. Lee had us do a couple of drills, which were good...but kind of confusing for us to follow. I think if we did it again, we'd be good. At the end of our time there, he mentioned meeting at 10 rather than 11, so we can actually do the drills and not cut into scrimmage time that starts at 11.

The scrimmage was fun. I started out playing on the team of the others that show up every Saturday, who aren't on our team. It was kind of sucky, because my teammates were all playing together really well and I wanted to be playing with them. I found myself just running randomly around the field again. But then a couple of us switched sides and I got to play with my teammates and it was awesome! I made some plays, handled the disc, did some blocking... it was very fun. By the end, I was pretty tired. No subs! Which really, was great because it was a better workout.

Sunday morning I went to the bike criterium clinic and had a great time. There were probably about 12 to 15 people there. Most had been doing crits, but everyone was very laid back and eager to learn. Coach OB was pretty cool. He started with telling us about cornering: how to shift your weight, the line you should take, and accelerating out of the turn. He had a course marked out with cones in the parking lot and we rode it slow a couple of times. Then he broke off to ride and watch people individually as we did our laps. I found myself gaining more and more confidence on each turn. And the center of gravity adjustments and gear advice helped a lot. It was so much fun. I was told I was looking good, had good form, and took the turns nicely. :)  I did have to work on being in the right gear coming out of the turn though.

Other highlights I learned about:
- You ride a crit in the largest ring
- Hand position, always in the drops...but he also talked about a bone in your hand you should rest on rather than the middle of the base of your palm which can make your hands and arms go numb
- Always have bent elbows
- Shifting weight back and hunkering down more helps lower your center of gravity and go around the turn smoother
- Outside leg is down and you can push a little to help with center of gravity also
- You push to steer similarly to how you push to steer on a motorcycle
- The turn starts and ends out wide, and you cut into the middle (assuming that would be possible with the pack)
- Accelerating happens as you come out of the turn (it's very much like other racing principles)
- Being in the right gear coming out of the turn is one of the most important things

After we were done, I talked to Mary and Candy. Mary complimented my jersey, and I had gathered she had done crits before, so I bugged her as she was changing her gear to go on a ride. She was so incredibly nice. I asked her about how one gets into these races. She said even if you don't ride for a team, you can sign up and enter the race. She said that learning to ride in a pack is helpful and told me about some bigger group rides in the area. Candy joined the conversation too and was equally as welcoming and encouraging. It was great!

So, I think criterium racing is something I might try next year. The Madeira and Hyde Park races are next weekend, but I'm in no shape for them. There is one in the beginning of August, but that might be when we go to Seattle. And then the season is pretty much over. We'll see about next year though. If I had so much fun just by myself going around a parking lot today, I'm pretty sure an actual race would be a lot of fun.

Criterium Clinic

I just signed up for the Madeira Centennial Criterium race clinic that is this Sunday at the high school. I saw a flyer in Starbucks this morning posted by Coach OB. He's a local cycling coach that seems to be pretty popular. The clinic was free to Cat 5 men and Cat 4 women that are pre-registered for the race, and just $10 for those not registered. It's from 7:30 - 9:00 and is supposed to cover drafting, cornering, how to accelerate, tactics, and more. 

I assume that this is going to be all people that are in fact competing in the race. I'm not going to be, but I've been trying to find out what Criteriums are all about for quite some time now. I've watched a few local ones and they look like awesome fun. I figure this will be a way to be able to observe, learn and ask questions.

I'm nervous because I think I'll be the only one there that doesn't know anything about racing. So it could be an hour and half of embarrassment. But if this guy put the flyer up in Starbucks...maybe he is trying to get other people interested. And he's a coach, so he can't be to exclusive, right? Oh well, worse that can happen is I'm embarrassed. It's worth it for me to try to find out about crits.

20 miles in glasses

I went on a 20 mile bike ride tonight...and had to wear my glasses because I'm out of contacts. While my eyes aren't that bad, it makes all the difference for seeing road hazards/debris, etc. It wasn't as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. They actually shielded my eyes from the wind very well. Plus with no contacts in, my eyes weren't bothered by wind anyway. Kind of goofy looking though :)

Fluidity

I bought a fluid trainer to replace my LOUD WIND TRAINER THAT I CAN'T HEAR ANYTHING OVER a couple of weeks ago. I have now tried it out a couple of times. Verdict is it's 100% awesome.

The days are getting shorter and riding after work is hard. I'm happy to have found a trainer at a decent price that works so well for the type of indoor riding I want to do. My setup now allows for a few options: watch Netflix instant cue (TV shows or movies), watch music video playlists, watch shows on Hulu, or just listen to music. I suppose I could pop in a DVD movie too, since I think my laptop has a DVD player in it. All great things to help with various workouts on the bike. I also plan to start doing strength training out here...my jelly arms are getting old. I guess the space is just my own little workout area. Still running outside...that won't change :)

The trainer is out in the "basement" (our attached, heated-but-cooler-than-the-house garage).
So here's my geeky picture of the setup from the bike point of view...

A. TV monitor
B. Lappy, the hook-up for mtvmusic.com and anything else on the internet
C. Receiver
D. The Wii, which has a disc in it from which we can stream our Netflix instant cue
E. Books to stack my lappy on so it can reach the cord and be away from the speakers
F. Speakers which fill up the room nicely with sound (still working, Dad!)

I'm thinking the Netflix type of workouts will just be time in the saddle, moving at a decent pace but more for longer times. The music workouts will be more like a spinning class. I've already done this once, for a few songs. It was great.

I'm slightly excited about all this!

One Tire, Two Flats

Friday afternoon I was in the land of invoices. It's not a sector of the world I care to be in for long, which probably seems weird since invoices = money. I just hate doing them. A lot.

Around 1 p.m. I decided to take a break and go on a bike ride. I originally had wanted to get through a certain chunk of invoices and then use the bike ride as the reward, but I caved early. I just needed some fresh air! So I changed, had a snack, filled up my water bottle and went down to the trail.

It took me a few miles to warm up. I was riding into a headwind. Eventually I got up to cruising speed between 16 - 18 mph, mostly in the 16s. It felt pretty easy. My breathing was easy, but I did feel the fight against the wind in my legs. I originally thought I'd just do 20 miles and push hard the whole time. But then I decided I should do 30 since I didn't do the longish ride Monday night. I was happy that I was gliding along at the pace I was going, and was really looking forward to flying back with the wind gently pushing my back. I was curious what kind of speed I would settle into on the return.

14... 14.5... 15 - there! I'll turn around now. I made the tight turn in the trail width, just above Morrow. Then I stopped and was going to take a picture of some cool rolled up grass I saw off the side of the trail in the sun when I heard a very loud hissing noise. It came from my back tire... no no no no! I put my finger over the obvious location and the hissing changed to a loud squeak, like the sound you can make with a balloon by pulling on the part you put your mouth on to inflate. Took my finger off, put it back on, took it off, put it back on... crap! I was in denial. This will be flat in 2 more seconds. There was no time to ride on it for a bit to get closer to home. Oh well, I guess it's time to actually change a flat!

I've only ever had one other flat. It was during the Tri for Joe in 2006 or 2007, I forget which. I got a puncture maybe around mile 12 in my front tire. After noticing it, and asking various race volunteers if they by chance had pumps (none did), the only thing I could do was race it back. It was a slow leak. I made it back just in time, and had a pretty good bike average speed thanks to it! :)

This flat was sudden and all the air was gone. I walked my bike up to a bridge area and took the back wheel off.

Then I got the tire off of the rim and the punctured tube out.

The chain made for some dirty hands. I need to clean my chain. I also got grease on my new jersey. Hope it comes out.

Then began the fun part, which I've never done... putting the new tube in and tire back on. In summary, this didn't go well. I spent many many minutes, while the springtime gnats munched on me, wrestling with tire and tube. I had to let one passer-by help get the tire back on – and it took him a long time and three breaks resting his hands before he was successful. Then I couldn't get the new tube pumped up (don't ask – combo of pump I've never used before and missing part on valve stem), and had to allow another guy to help with that. But as he was pumping up the tire, a fresh hissing began. The next tube was also punctured. Crap again!

I had rubbed my thumb along the inside of the tire, trying to remove any debris that maybe had stayed inside after I plucked out the shrapnel that punctured the first tube. But apparently the slit was so large, some of the wire that is in the tire was frayed and sticking out, puncturing the tube as it got nearer to full size. So, now I need a whole new tire too. :(

With a completely flat tire, that meant I had to walk, in my rigid bike shoes. I called my friend Erin, who works near by. She was my only hope of someone possibly being able to come get me. I was so mad and disappointed. I couldn't believe I was done for the day. Initially I was disappointed because I needed help to get the flat changed and get back on the road. I would really like to be able to do this myself. But after the second puncture, I can't even say that I got a flat, had a little help, and was able to ride back! Argh! 

After about a 1.5 mile walk down the trail to Morrow (glad it was only that far), awesome Erin found me at the old train depot near Miranda's ice cream shop (which I have yet to try). 

View along the bridge just north of Morrow.

Main street and the bike trail.

I took my wheels off and shoved my bike in Erin's car. She drove me back to my studio where I put my bike into my own car, grabbed my clothes and went home. (Thanks so much, Erin!!)  It was 5. Ug.

There is a lot of disappointment I feel because of this ride. Changing tires unsuccessfully, interrupting someone's day to come pick me up (and so soon after having to have people come pick me up after bonking), not having a ride partner(s) so I can go out on rides like this more often and with support. But hey, it's only May. I suppose I have some time to iron out all the kinks of my road biking through the season.