Riding while on vaca and why I blog

For the past 10 days I have been vacationing on the Western coast of Florida. I was in Ft. Myers, Sarasota and Lutz, which is a suburb of Tampa, (who-knew). I brought my ‘B’ bike so I would be able to ride as much as possible. One of the problems I have when traveling to a new city is figuring out where to ride. When I can, I ask friends for riding recommendations, however I cannot always find people who know the bike paths and the ins and outs of the cities I am visiting.

The best solution has been to use the web sites of local bike shops. I simply fire-up goggle and use it to find local bike shops. I then go to each shop’s web site in the hope of mining the best rides. Data mining for bike rides worked extraordinarily well. In Ft. Myers I found a long stretch of road where I could do my interval training. I Sarasota I rode along Long Boat Key, which is where the various bike clubs do their training (Long Boat Key had long stretches with low traffic and very strong head winds, 15-20mph) and in Lutz I found a great path next to the Sun Coast Hgwy. The path was 40 miles long and had side trips through nature preserves. The preserves were really cool because it was like riding through the forests of Jurassic Park. (One rider told me to be careful of wild boar, they do have a tendency to chase people. What a great way to increase my LT and overall power, taunt a wild boar then ride like hell. I will have to tell Robbie.) Each ride was mapped on a local bike shop’s web site. The shop also had local group rides and contact numbers. Needless to say I had a great time on the rides.

Finally this is my last blog for 2009. My goal this year has been to write 1 blog a week that highlighted my adventures as an amateur cyclist trying to get better. I plan to keep writing my blog but at a slower pace in 2010. My new goal is 1 blog a month. I hope you have found the blogs fun and informative. I have had a blast riding and writing. May 2010 find you on the road and riding strong. Have a great season in 2010. JAM

Taking the Next Step

I rode well in 2009. I achieved my goals of finishing the ETape and getting on the podium at bike camp. However I have been unhappy with my progress. I discovered that my core is not as strong as it could be, I am extremely tight and I have been having recurring muscle injuries. I have been discussing those issues with my coach Joe W and he said he has been seeing a trainer, HJ, that we both know, and she has been helping him with his core and muscle issues. I have known HJ for a long time and hold her in high esteem so I decided to take the plunge.

HJ said her goal was to work on my foundation. She spent the first 90mn session teaching me how to breath. HJ said breath from the core , expand the chest. I want more, no more side, now more core. I hyperventilated several times. Eventually I got it, sort of. Now I have to practice breathing every day. I also need to learn how to engage lower stomach muscles while remaining loose and not hyperventilating. It's surprisingly hard.

My quest is continuing. I now breath every day with as much concentration as I can muster. So if you need me just breath, I'll be there soon.

Wow It's Cold Outside

December has blown in and baby its cold outside. Last Sunday I bagged the cyclocross ride and rode inside for 3.5 hours because it was 28. This week has been in the 10's. Wow what to do? How to dress?

Here are my helpful hints on dressing for the cold.

1. Know your limits because cycling is suppose to be fun. Joe Wroble loves riding in the snow and will go out as long as he feels it is not icy. I hate the cold and 30 is my cut off. My goal is to have fun and if I am freezing I am not having fun.
2. If you ride outside protect the toes and the fingers. I use either lobster claw gloves or heavy gloves with liners and I wear Lake winter off road shoes. I also include those chemical warmers in my shoes and gloves for an extra layer of protection. (Those have helped me remain warm during many a cold ride.)
3. Its best to start out a little cold because you will heat up during the ride but make sure you have an thin over layer you can put on if you have to repair flats or for whatever.
4. Take a cell phone; better be safe than sorry.
5. and finally; cycling is suppose to be fun so have fun. I keep telling myself that during the really cold rides. "this is fun, dam it."

Well I am off to cycle in a sauna. See you in the schvitz.

The Zipp 202s

This is a quick follow-up to the saga of the Zipps. As I mentioned in my last post the Zipps are the premo climbing wheel. However they have some drawbacks for the amateur rider. The Zipps are tubular only, which means they take a certain type of tire that is glued to the rim. I emailed several biker friends and asked what their opinions were of the zipps. I said, " My heart says go for it, but my head says are you nuts?"

One response was; "go for it; tubulars are great." The other response was a little less positive. "Well the tubulars are hard to change and if you get a flat you may have to abandon the ride. etc etc etc."

Well here is what happened. My heart won and I unwrapped the Zipps and slapped them on my new racing bike and went for a ride. I thought, what the hell, I am going to ride a pro wheel even if I am a poser. I rode about a mile and I felt a slight jerking when I applied the brakes. I then sped up and braked again and felt the rhythmic pulsing of a wheel out of true. These wheels were suppose to be new and they looked new so the pulsing was a giant red flag. I dismounted and looked at the rear wheel. The wheel looked true but when I rotated it the wheel grabbed and the section what was rubbing was 2 inches long. At that point I decided to return the wheels. Carbon fiber is amazingly stiff but has some play, about 3%. However once carbon exceeds its give the carbon will fail catastrophically, meaning the wheel will blow apart. Because the Zipp was out of true I was not sure how it was treated and I did not want the wheel to fail while I was descending at 50mph. That was a very scary thought.

So where am I now? I decided to wait and not buy anymore wheels until the spring. I have also sworn off EBay for a while. Now I am back on my ksyriums riding happily and because it is cold outside look for me on the computrainer; see you on the road in the spring.