1 May 2011 Fast America Day 8 Update

Rest Day UPDATE


Flats: 2

What an afternoon. How can anyone have 2 flats on a day off, you ask? (note: I had been tied for the lead with 8, but I think I just took a commanding lead).

I rode 2 miles to the bike store to restock on tubes and CO2 cartridges, replace a water bottle cage (bottle was not being held snugly) and get new sunglasses. But it was uphill into a 25 mph headwind. Most of the time I was doing 8 mph and it felt like climbing a 15% grade.

When I mounted up I realized that I had a dreaded Hotel Flat. So I patiently and carefully changed it and rode off. Got my stuff (a Trek Superstore – largest shop that I have ever seen, and they were knowledgeable on top of that. Gave me a discount because “I respect what you are doing.” Then I went to the Subway next door for lunch; came out and discovered that the tire was soft. First I tried reinflating the tube – it blew up. Changed it again and this time saw the problem: a huge slit in the tire sidewall, with the tube poking through. I had carefully inspected the tire, but when it was not inflated the cut was almost invisible, even though I knew what I was looking for. Fortunately, I was at the bike store, so I bought a new tire.

I rode a total of 6.53 miles and it completely wore me out. The wind was from the east; its direction is going to change constantly as the storm moves through, but if we had been riding through Albuquerque today at noon, it would have been impossible.

I am beginning to appreciate Mike’s ABC rules:

Air:        Check tires and then recheck
Brakes:  Check action and pads
Cables:  Check all connections

Dinner: I had dinner with my friend Marcia Jarvis and her husband Ron Tinsley, whom I had not met before. I think that Marcia and I had been looking forward to reconnecting for a long time. As I said in a previous blog, her first husband Greg and I rode our first centuries together. I always gave Jerry credit for getting me into cycling, but in retrospect, we all inspired the others. When Greg moved to California, he wanted to try everything (hot air ballooning, cycling, etc.) and I think that gave both Marcia and myself the desire to set goals and do things. Marcia and I are the only people that I know who commuted by bicycle through the Sepulveda Ave. Tunnel under the LAX runway. We’ve both been back there and said “We did that? We must have been nuts”. There is a road that allows a cyclist to bypass it now. She now lives with Ron and her mules and horses (and dog) in Pagosa Springs, CO. Greg died on the Challenger in 1986 living a dream that he had set for himself; we both miss him very much.

1 May 2011Fast America Day 8

Rest Day

I’ve posted a few pictures:

https://picasaweb.google.com/hoeberc/FastAmericaDays07?authkey=Gv1sRgCKWe7qHOufPURA#

Well, I caught up with some work stuff that I had to do on my computer. In a little while I will ride to a bike shop to pick up some miscellany.

I am eagerly looking forward to meeting my friend Marcia Jarvis this evening. She is driving down with her husband Ron from Pagosa Springs, CO, just to see me. I feel so honored; I did my first century with her husband Greg in 1972 or 3. And I did my first two day ride with her, Greg and Jerry Dutcher round trip from Manhattan Beach, CA to Hemet, CA, a ride that closely paralleled our Day 1. But I moved from LA in 1975 and we have kept in contact by cards and now e-mail over the years.

The riding has gone about as expected. But I am amazed at where the time goes when off the bike. I appreciate the words I got from Liz, who did a similar ride a few years ago: “All I remember is riding and sleeping”. Between that and laundry, taking care of the day’s wear and tear on the bike and dinner, there is not much time for anything else. Maybe on the 80 mile days in Kansas there will be.

Tomorrow; fear is not a good emotion to be feeling: Tomorrow’s ride is 135 miles, with 8,000 ft. + of climbing, between 5,000 and 7,750 ft. elevation, from Albuquerque to Las Vegas, NM. Tough enough, but it will also be about 26 F when we set out tomorrow morning and the weather reports are full of snow and high wind warnings. Normally, I set about a challenge with realistic concerns and not fear, and I am writing about it to help drive the fear out. I just said goodbye to Gregg in the hotel hallway and told him my fears. He certainly had the right response: “I’ve seen you ride; if anyone makes it, it is going to be you.” I’m feeling better already.

Some thoughts on the first week:

Traffic: It helps to know how to ride and to follow Mike’s safety rules, but it has not been a problem. I’ve seen a few drivers do stupid things, but nothing really dangerous yet. The closest calls have been school buses; the drivers don’t seem to know how wide they are (or maybe they do and that is why they think it is OK to pass you with 6 inches of clearance).

Luck: I know of at least 4 people, myself included, who have taken minor tumbles. But I cannot imagine doing this ride unsupported. Replacing a tube in a 40 mph gale is one thing, but sitting there and patching it would be something else. And what do you do if you have a nail go through your rim? Beside’s Gregg’s rim, the other casualty is Shelley’s bike. It blew over at the rest stop day before yesterday (lending credibility my theory that my sun glasses blew away) and smashed into a log. The verdict is not clear but it chipped a seat stay and we aren’t sure of the remaining integrity. She rode SAG yesterday and is getting a new bike built up (new frame, her existing components) at the Trek store 2 miles away from our hotel today.

Brenda: In our first day in Arizona, we had lunch in the town of Brenda, on S.R. 60. I wonder who Brenda is or was, and how the town got its name, but the town seemed to consist of three trailer parks, a gas station and café, and 12 trees. The town colors are gray and gray.

30 April 2011 Fast America Day 7

 Gallup, NM to Albuquerque, NM

Mileage:                     138.11 miles

Riding Time:              8:09     Riding Speed 16.9 mph

Total Time:                 9:40

Climbing:                    2937 ft.

Flats:                           1

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/82604325

http://app.strava.com/rides/495616

This is the second of three consecutive 130+ mile days (not counting tomorrow’s rest day) and was much harder than yesterday. It went up for the first 25 miles, and was then basically downhill the rest of the day except for a 400 ft. 6-7% bump at the end, that seemed endless at the time.

There was a huge weather change. It was 32 F when we started and I wore a vest, long fingered gloves, and arm and leg warmers most of the day. My fingers still froze. Unlike yesterday, which I rode entirely alone, I did ride a four person paceline (to which I contributed almost nothing) for about 40 miles mid day. Because it was cool, I had no problems ith my foot.

Really not much more to say about a grind-it-out day, until I got to the hotel. Gregg, who leaves us tomorrow (He thinks that attending the New Orleans Jazz Festival is more important than riding all the way) came in after me and greeted me: “Chris, did you have your flat today?”. I lamely answered “Yes, of course” and he said “But I’m sure that was a girlie flat, let me show you a real flat. (apologies to those of you who are offended, but I have to report accurately). Well, he had a flat to end all flats on the fast descent into Albuquerque (I clocked my ride high speed of 45+ mph). He had a nail; not just any nail, but a fancy cabinetry nail, run clear through the middle of his tire casing through the rim. It will definitely make replacing the tube problematic. Fortunately, he only lost the last 10-15 miles of his ride in the SAG Wagon. More on the luck of the draw in tomorrow’s day-off blog.

I’ll have more on my reflections on the week and my fear of Monday’s Queen Stage (Wikipedia: The most difficult stage of a multi-day road race, typically involving multiple low- or beyond-category climbs.) in tomorrows post. This is hard, and when this is over I definitely

29 April 2010 Fast America Day 6

Winslow, AZ to Gallup, NM

Mileage:                     134.05 miles

Riding Time:              6:33     Riding Speed 20.4 mph

Total Time:                 8:09

Climbing:                    3305 ft.

Flats:                           2

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/82362168

http://app.strava.com/rides/490603

There was a different game plan today. Gallup is 1600 feet above Winslow, and it was straight up all the way for 134 miles. But if you do the math it works out to only 12 feet of elevation gain per mile. Most every cyclist dreams of doing a century in 5 hours (except for those who dream of doing it in 4 hours). I completed the first 100 miles in 4:57:03, a time I had not reached since 1975. And the final 34 miles were even faster.

How is this possible? I always thought that Bob Seeger wrote the song Against the Wind for me. No matter where I was going with my bicycle, the wind would be in my face. Well – not today! Today was payback time for all those headwinds. The wind at our backs was 25-40 mph. I didn’t think that it was possible for a wind to push you uphill, but today it did. Of course when one stopped, it also was capable of blowing you over, and thankfully, it was never a serious crosswind. I did have trouble riding back from the hotel after I had checked in to Denny’s for my post ride milk shake, though. I am very, very grateful for the wind direction today; if we had been going the other way, I don’t think that the day would have been possible.

A great day for me; and I was among the first riders to finish, ahead of the van. I shouldn’t be tired; my pulse never got above 120 all day, but I think that the wind and the sun took a toll; my face is burning (under layers of SPF 50 sun block) and although I feel hot, the motel air conditioner is giving me chills. I did lose another water bottle on the incredibly rough streets leading to the hotel, and my sunglasses just disappeared at the last rest stop. I looked everywhere but it is possible that I put them down and they blew away. I do have another pair.

Please children, the riders were all serious and experienced and respectful of Mother Nature. Don’t try this at home! I only know of one rider who was blown into the sage brush (and not into Interstate 40) but we were all fighting it.

There were 35 flats today among us (I had one, and also blew up my replacement tube because the bead was not set properly, so I will count that as two). Most were caused by little tiny wires that are remnants from truck tires that blow up (the shoulder is littered with tire parts). I wondered where they came from until I saw a tire blow up on the pickup truck just ahead of me. There was rubber everywhere.

Tomorrow is another 135 mile day to Albuquerque. I am beginning to get a little afraid of the weather, which has been good to us so far. A cold front is coming in and it will only be 31 F at departure time tomorrow. Sunday is a rest day. I need to do some work on the computer, go to the bike shop, and I will have dinner with my friend Marcia; whmo I have not seen for many, many years.

For a slightly different perspective of the ride, and some great pictures, see Mike’s blog at:

http://www.bamacyclist.com/BAMA/Fast/Archive.html

28 April 2011 Fast America Day 5

28April 2011

Fast America Day 5

Cottonwood, AZ to Winslow, AZ

Mileage:                     109.18 miles

Riding Time:              7:50     Riding Speed 13.8 mph

Total Time:                 10:02

Climbing:                    5360 ft.

Flats:                           1

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/82222159

http://app.strava.com/rides/487490

The plan for today was simple: ride up for 40 miles, and hope you get to the next motel from there. We rode through the beautiful red rock toursity town of Sedona, with an informal SAG stop at the Episcopal Church (Mike’s daugheter’s mother in law is the pastor there and she wanted to make sure that we had enough nourishment.

The ride went up for 4,000 feet and then down for 2,000, but there were some surprises. 4,000 feet in 40 miles doesn’t sound like much, but check out the wiggles in the map on one of the links above at about mile 33. We climbed a wall like I have never seen. When I got to the top, I went to the scenic viewpoint and said “No way did I climb that!” But my Garmin doesn’t lie, I did. As Mike said: “If you fall from the overlook at the top, you will bounce on the road 4 times on the way down.”

I think that the Eagles nailed the ambiance of Winslow perfectly. There was a mural on the building on the corner but it burned down. Rather than write about it myself; here is the link: http://www.standinonthecorner.com/history.htm.

BUT our fearless tour leaders said we could either eat at Denny’s, or take a cab to a fantastic restaurant, About half of us opted for the latter. If you are ever in Winslow, go to the Turquoise Room at the Posada Hotel and tell them Chris sent you it’s a real winner.

http://www.laposada.org/turquoise-room.html

We actually went there in an Econolodge van, but Steve and I walked back a mile and a half or so because we didn’t want to wait for the van.

My right knee: all better. I can even tie my shoe laces without painful contortions.

My left foot: I need to continually monitor it. So far, so good.

We don’t get our route sheet for tomorrow until tomorrow. I know we ride 130 miles, but I have learned two things: the published (pre ride) climbing totals are not very meaningful and the mileage is always greater than the published number.

27 April 2011 Fast America Day 4

Wickeburg, AZ to Cottonwood, AZ

Mileage:                      104.75 miles

Riding Time:              9:17     Riding Speed 11.3 mph

Total Time:                10:41

Climbing:                   8385 ft.

Flats:                           0!!!!!

The hardest climbing day is now behind me. Wow, was it a long day.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/82025373

http://app.strava.com/rides/482369

There is one big difference between 8485 feet of climbing at home and in Arizona. There is shade at home; there is none in Arizona.

The second difference is that I had never, ever, climbed a 7% grade into a 30mph headwind. Fortunately, after awhile the mountain blocked the wind, or I would still be out there. We hit 7,000 feet elevation and then had a 4,000 foot howling descent. I stopped half way down to take pictures of the incredible view of red and white cliffs, and also because I had to nurse my numb hands back to life; the road was very bumpy.

But everyone made it. Four of us were a little slower than the rest, but I was NOT the last one in (not counting the guys who stopped for hamburgers in the very cool town of Jerome, an old copper mining town hugging the cliffs).

But my foot was no problem until the third and hardest climb; I stopped at the top to take care of it before the hair raising descent.

Tomorrow, we go through the beautiful town of Sedona, on the way to our motel in Winslow (I don’t have the map yet, but I am sure it is on a corner that I can stand on). The rule of thumb is that if you can make it to Albuquerque, you can make it all the way; and I am half way to Albuquerque. To make the last 2,000 feet of climbing, though, I needed to mentally break it down to twenty 100 foot climbs. Every once in awhile my brain has said “time to quit” and I’ve told it to shut up.

You’ll notice that these entries are getting shorter. Maybe I will have more time after the 80 mile days in Kansas, but I need to return my borrowed computer, shower and get to the session where I learn about tomorrow. And, lest I forget, I need to eat too.

26 April 2011 Fast America Day 3

Blythe, CA to Wickeburg, AZ

Mileage:                      1109.9 miles

Riding Time:              6:46     Riding Speed 16.4 mph

Total Time:                8:54

Climing:                     3788 ft.

Flats:                           1

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/81820784

http://app.strava.com/rides/477388

Today started out badly, and ended well.

I was all ready to go when I discovered the dreaded motel room flat. My front tire was flat. Mike easily diagnosed it – there was gravel in the tire bead from changing the tire in the howling wind at the end of Day 1. So now I have had two flats, and I have had each of them twice! When will I ever learn?

Also, my knee had frozen up overnight and at first I could not clip in and when I did, I could go no more than 11 mph. I said “This is going to be a long day”. But after 15 minutes, I was spinning just fine.

So I got a late start, and at mile 15 or so, I saw everyone standing on an off ramp yelling at me to get off. There was road construction ahead and the sheriff kicked us off the Interstate. As the staff explained patiently: You may ride every AVAILABLE mile, but this is inevitable on every trip. I found out that they had had to register their route with the DOT. If I had been alone, the sheriff might have just thrown my bike in the back of her car. So this took five miles off of our trip and, more importantly, 500 feet off the climbing. It also wasted a half hour. The day was one long shallow climb, followed by a 10 mile fast descent. It wasn’t too hot and although my foot was hurting by each SAG stop, 5 minutes of elevation was good for another 25 miles.

The rest of the day was uneventful, except for the 25 mph crosswinds. Everyone, including me, rode strong. Clay, whose computer I am now using, took a spill; I don’t know what happened but he has beautiful road rash.

Tomorrow WE CLIMB.