| (Long Distance) Ramblings |
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I like to ride my bicycle - for long distances. I have earned the California Triple Crown and finished the Furnace Creek 508. My goals include qualifying for RAAM and ...(read the blog to find out). "The bicycle has a soul. If you are able to love it as it deserves, it will give you emotions you will never forget." "Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride."
"The important decisions in my life I make while out riding my bike."
"Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever.” Lance Armstrong
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Friday, January 30, 2004
I have been very tired this week. On Monday, I worked out at the gym with Martin. Tuesday, and Wednesday were rest days. I should have trained on Wednesday, but I was lazy. Thursday was another workout day at the gym. I am confirmed for the Spring Death Valley double. Instead of staying at Furnance Creek, I have decided to stay in Beatty, Nv. which is forty miles away, and $83 cheaper per night. Of course, I now have to drive the forty miles before and after the ride, but I can do that. Sunday, January 25, 2004
I did my first Century of the year!!! 100.13 miles of fun. Well, the first 49 were into a strong headwind. My average was only 13.9 mph. Then I turned back to the north and with the tail wind I fly along at 24 miles per hour! My average back was close to 18 mph. I had two flats today, one in the front and one in the rear. One flat on the way down and one flat on the way back. The weather was mostly nice. I did ride through on short rain shower on the way back. My route was to Brownsville and back. There, I found a nice cafe for lunch. Well, they were serving breakfast and I ate a large one. Saturday, January 24, 2004
Today was the Salem Bicycle Club banquet, so I did not have enough time for a long ride. Instead, I did twenty-five miles in the rain. And did it come down hard. So hard that it hurt. The banquet was great. Nice to see so many club members there. Friday, January 23, 2004
Another Link of the Day... Tuesday was a rest day for me. Wednesday I went to Spinning®. My first Spinning® session for many months. It is still work. Thursday was weights. Today is a rest day. Monday, January 19, 2004
I had the day off, so I went for a nice hilly training ride. 48 miles and 2800 feet of elevation gain later, I was happy. I headed to the foothills of the Cascade Range. The weather was dry and I was working hard. I was southbound on Drift Creek Road apporaching a farm house on my left. I notice two dogs running along side of a wire fense that ended in a fir tree. I though I was safe. Al of a sudden, one of the dogs was in the road infront of me and he was running toward me. I held my line, as opposed to riding off of the road and the dog ran into my bike at the rear triangle. The bike jumped to the right several inches but I did not go down. The dog bounced off and then ran home. Bad dog! Sunday, January 18, 2004
This was suppose to be a rest day. I was suppose to take it easy. I was suppose to ride flat roads. I did Gibson Rd. instead. I was a bad boy. Gibson Rd. starts off with a 12% grade for 100 yards, and then continues up at an incline of 6-10%. The climb is roughly three miles long and gains 735 feet. This is my favorite hill to train on. Finished up with close to 40 miles. The weather was misty with wet roads. My Cannondale got very grimy today. I even had to clean it. Tomorrow is a holiday for me, so I will get some more miles in. Training update: I feel I am still on track. Next week the long ride is suppose to be 91 miles, but I have a commitment at 2:00 pm so I may not get all of the miles in. The Eastern Sierra Double has a date change - May 22. This is just one week after the Davis Double. Should be fun. Saturday, January 17, 2004
I met my goal of 85 miles today. And today was a good day to ride. There was no rain, the roads were dry and the temperature reached 47 ° F! I left the house at 9:00 am and did 20 quick miles before the 10:00 am Salem Bicycle Club ride. The SBC ride headed south to Ankeny Wildlife Refuge. There, I did three loops just to increase my mileage before heading home on S. River Rd. In doing the three loops, I rode southbound on Wintel Rd. I came upon a green field filled with sheep. The first time I went by, I started a sheep stampede. The second time, the sheep did not run, but I could tell they wanted to. The last time I rode by, the sheep were used to me and hardly cared anymore. From stampede to ho-hum in three passes! Because the weather was so good, I rode my Cannondale. As such, my average speed was higher and I did not get into difficulty untill mile 65. So I took a quick stop, ate some Glu, drank some Cytomax and off I went. In the five hour, thrity minute ride, I was only off the saddle for 15 minutes. Friday, January 16, 2004
Sunday, January 11, 2004
The Salem Bicycle Club starts its rides at 10:00 am this time of year. Most everyone arrives early so they can chit chat till 10:00. But some never seem to arrive on time. My dear friend Al Dependbrock is one. Al usually arrives at 9:59 and quickly unloads his bicycle from the bed of his pick up truck. So Joanne and I were surprised to see Al at 9:50! But there was one small problem. Some members have forgotten their helmet, some have forgotten their shoes, but Al forgot his bicycle today. We said we would wait for him while he drove home to get it. Today's ride was nice. The pace was easy to moderate and we all stayed together for the entire ride. Nice. We headed north into the flats north of Salem before returning to town where Kristin had chili waiting for us. After 45 miles, her chili was great! The weather today was a bit colder, but there was no fog. In fact, as we approached town, the sun came out! Yes, that great big bright ball in the sky shined on us today. I can't remember when we saw it last. Training update: I am on track. I have been riding the long rides as per my training schedule and working out at the gym or riding rollers on the during the week. However, the long rides seem hard. Perhaps it is the fact that I'm riding my 30 lb touring bicycle instead of my 18 lb fast bike. From now on, the rides start getting real long. This Saturday, I'm suppose to ride close to 85 miles. I hope the weather warms up and the rain does not fall. But if it does, I'll still be out there, on the touring bicycle. Saturday, January 10, 2004
Today was dreary. I left the house this morning at 8:00 am for a long, 75 mile ride. While the temperature has warmed up, it was still in the low 40s. A persistent fog hung over the valley. At times, I could only see for an eighth of a mile, while other times the fog would lift off of the valley floor but would hang in the air. I never saw the sun today. At 70 miles, my front tire suffered a catastrophic loss of air containment. It went "bang" and I was on the rim before the "bang" was over. I had just turned south on commercial St so I got up on the sidewalk and started to fix it. However, fixing the tire was not to be. I went through three tubes and still air would not be contained. My ride was over. Using my cell, I called for help and Al Dependbrock was kink enough to rescue me. Thanks Al! Friday, January 09, 2004
This week has been very difficult for me. You see, I have been snowed in for the last five days. Work has been closed every day due to snow and ice. None the less, I have been able to do some training... Monday: Weights and 30 minutes on the stair climber. Tuesday: Very icy - did not leave the house at all. Wednesday: Used our Subrau Outback to get to Yoga in the morning and Spinning in the evening. Thursday: An hour on the rollers. Friday: Yoga in the morning. Tomorrow is supposed to be a long day - 75 miles. But there is still ice and snow on the roads, but it is now melting. Hopefully, I will be able to ride tomorrow. Wednesday, January 07, 2004
Tuesday, January 06, 2004
Sunday, January 04, 2004
Joanne was the ride leader for both rides today. So, out came the tandem again. The first ride was to Hopewell. Four of us started off and we keep the pace slow. We were having a nice enjoyable ride when the tandem stopped shifting. We discovered that ice was forming on the cables as they went underneath the front bottem bracket. A little cleaning and a little lube kept us going, but shift preformance was poor. The second ride began at 1:30 in the afternoon and Joanne and I were hoping that no one would show. The temperture was dropping fast and we were cold. But, Martin and his son Jeff were foolish enough to venture out so we had to do the ride. I have not been so cold in a very long time. My fingers were freezing! But, any day on the bike is a good day. The ride went quickly and soon we were in our nice warm home. Saturday, January 03, 2004
I did eighty miles today! I had intended to ride before the Salem Bicycle Club scheduled ride at 10:00 am, but when the time came for me to get up, I rolled over and went back to sleep. When 10:00 am came, it was cold and rain was threatens. That is probably why no one else showed up. Well, it was just a 36 mile ride so off we went only to find out that there was a strong south wind blowing in our faces. Yes, there was enough head wind to make the ride worthy. Soon, the threat of rain came true. But we stopped in Almsville and ate a quick lunch while we warmed up. The ride back into Salem was quick as the wind was now helping us. As we neared Salem, I decided that if I was serious about doing a double in March, I needed more miles. So leaving Joanne at the house, I jumped on my touring bicycle, I one I ride in the rain, and did another 45 miles. This time, I headed east out to Howell prairie, then north. Finally, I completed a loop by Touring west, and then south to home. Friday, January 02, 2004
My work was closed on Friday due to the snow. Here in Salem, it was not that bad, but there was enough snow on the ground to prevent me from going out on a ride. So, I had another session on the rollers. Session details...
Thursday, January 01, 2004
The first day of the year! The Salem Bicycle Club schedules a ride on this day every year. And I have ridden it every year that I have been in Salem. But today, no one rode. A snow storm hit on Monday dumping about six inches on the valley floor. Most of it had melted off by Wednesday evening but the ride was till in question. Then, on the morning of the ride, it began to snow. After four more inches, there was no more questions. The ride was cancelled. Take a look at the snow!.
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