It's Fall in Florida, Time for a Fast Ride

I just completed the Thursday ride with the 8:30 a.m. "show-n-go" group that I've been riding with. The temperature has finally dropped in the Clearwater area signaling the arrival of fall and better biking weather. This morning when I left our home to ride to the starting point at the Publix at Boot Ranch the temperature was a refreshing 61 degrees (Fahrenheit). Just overnight it seems the temperature has dropped from the high 70's to the low 60's in the morning. This makes biking so much easier. With the temperature drop also came a drop in the humidity. The combination means less stress on the body as one's cooling system has to work a little less perspiring to keep cool. That also means you don't need quite as much fluid. The legs feel stronger, your heart rate goes down and it really makes for a nice fast ride. Perhaps it was also a light wind from the northeast that combined with the favorable weather that turned this ride into my fastest yet for a group ride. My Garmin says we did 69.20 miles in 3 hours 30 minutes for an average speed of 19.7 mph with an elevation gain of 1,357 feet and 6,929 calories burned. There were eight of us of varying ages on this ride. I don't know all the last names and in some cases only the nick names but we had Coach (70), Mike(42), Bob(37), Glenn(38 the Terminator), Ruth(40), Alan(65 the Termite), Jeff(35) and me(61). It's a good group to ride with as they are all experienced bikers and the pace line is very steady (as opposed to squirrelly) staying at 20+ most of the time but moving up to 24-25 with a little tale wind. For September I rode 866 miles averaging 18 mph, average distance 54.14 miles per ride, 48 hours 6 minutes total time, average heart rate 126 and 82,754 calories burned. My weight seems to be steady at 255-260. Still a little more than I would like.

Why Am I Five Pounds Heavier?

Ok. In the last 30 days I've ridden my bike 48 hours and 37 minutes. I've covered 828 miles at an average speed of 17 MPH. I've climbed 16,938 feet and burned 75,623 calories. Seems to me I should lose a few pounds. But no. I have gained 5 pounds. I think it might have to do with my new bike. I'm riding faster and farther but my heart rate is lower. In the last seven days my average speed has increased to 18 MPH (5.6%) but my average heart rate has fallen to 123 BPM from 128 BPM (3.9%). My new bike weighs 7.5 pounds less than my old bike. So what has happened is that I have gained part of this weight back because my new bike is easier to ride. I'm just not burning as many calories on my new bike. So, to lose weight I need a heavier bike or I have to bike a little longer (by 5%-10%). After the ride on Tuesday I replaced the seat post that came with my bike with a new Thompson seat post. It's black and made of aluminum and looks good with the bike. It weighs about the same as the original post but is lightly scored to prevent slippage. During the ride I got to talking to a fellow rider named $Bill who had experienced the same slippage problem with his seat post. He recommended the Thompson solution and has been happy with the fix. Tomorrow I'll be testing it with a little longer ride where I can burn a few more calories.

Back to Double Bagging and a Fast Ride

I've had my new bike for a few days now and have taken 9 rides so far for about 450 total miles. I'm continuing to wonder whether my new bike is faster, sleeker, quicker and generally a better ride than my old bike. I've have a few tune up problems to contend with but nothing serious. First, my seat post has slipped down a few times causing my leg extension to be too short. The slippage has been about one inch. This doesn't sound like much but when this happens it causes one to put more pressure on the knees and the thighs. Your knees get to hurt and your thighs start to burn. This is not good and you notice it after a few hours. It's definitely more fatiguing when the seat post is too low. I took the bike in on Saturday and they adjusted the post. Because the seat post is a composite (light weight and slippery) they needed to add a special lubricant with some grit to prevent the post from slipping down. Just to be sure I moved the back reflector down to sort of act like an extra stop. Also because of the composite post, one has to be careful of the amount of torque you put on the screw which clamps it...in my case 5 foot-pounds. Another thing I've noticed is that the right toe of my left shoe is sometimes rubbing against the crank arm. I need to adjust the toe clip a little to the left and things should be O.K. Finally, my saddle is a little narrower than my Sequoia saddle and I've noticed a little rubbing and soreness on my right bum. Almost a saddle sore. I've doctored the spot with bag balm and have double bagged my bottom to prevent it from getting any worse. By double bagging I mean I am wearing a pair of biking shorts under my biking bibs. This seems to work for now as my last ride with the Thursday pickup group was a personal best for a group ride traveling at 19.4 mph for 64.3 miles. Here's a link to the Garmin site and the ride. You can click on the Player in the upper right and it will replay the ride for you.

Thursday Starkey Park/Trouble Creek Ride

How I Lost 7.5 Pounds Overnight

Today is Sunday, August 16th, 2009 and I just got back from the Sunday Suncoast pickup ride that starts at A-19 and Curlew. Due to the wind from tropical storm Claudette we decided to do the Starbucks route over to Safety Harbor and Oldsmar and back, about 43 miles for me. We usually go out to Honeymoon Island and back at the start of the ride but left that part out since there a was pretty good 20 wind from the east. We'd be heading into the wind over to Safety Harbor and have a tail wind hopefully on the way back. Here's a link to the ride map and statistics: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/11309796 . It was a great ride and somewhat easier than previous Starbucks rides. My average heart rate was 121 which is about 4-5 beats per minutes less than usual. How did I do this? I lost 7.5 pounds overnight and it was really pretty easy. See I just acquired a new bike. It's a 2006 Specialized S-Works Roubaix (see the picture). And the new bike weighs 7.5 pounds less than my trusty but weighty Specialized Sequoia. So, I'd been looking for a way to lose 10 pounds and I'm almost there, only 2.5 pounds left. I found my new bike on sale at Chainwheel Drive. It's a 2006 model that for some reason they couldn't sell. I got it at about 50% off retail so I'm very happy. I'll keep my Sequoia as a rainy day bike and for any visitors who like to ride. I'm also going to ship my Seattle bike (that Brett used) back home for visitors to ride. Now I just need to find out how to lose that other 2.5 pounds.

Good Barbecue at Slows in Detroit

Margie and I took last week off and traveled to Detroit on Friday to attend the wedding of Tom and Joyce Alderson's daughter Courtney. We traveled with Tom and Jean Freeman and enjoyed several days and nights eating our way through Detroit and the surrounding countryside. I gained about 10 pounds so I have to relate how it happened and what my first ride was like after our return to Clearwater. Our first stop after we landed was in Ann Harbor where we enjoyed some tasty corned beef and pastrami sandwiches and excellent service at Zingerman's. A little pricey but very good. Zingerman's is just off the University of Michigan's campus and it brought back memories of playing at the "big house" some 40 years ago. Friday evening we attended the rehearsal dinner at Kruse & Muer in Rochester Hills north of Detroit. This is a very nice establishment in downtown Rochester Hills. The drinks and the appetizers were good, especially the lightly breaded calamari which was delicious as it melted in your mouth. I had the white fish for dinner as it is a Michigan favorite and I thought I'd give it a try. It was a little dry and without taste but apparently that's the way it's prepared in Michigan. Just add tarter sauce, I guess. The highlight was the blueberry cobbler with fresh Michigan blueberries which kept their shape and combined just the right amount of sweetness and tartness. Saturday morning we ventured out to breakfast at the Flytrap Restaurant in Ferndale, Michigan. I had the uncommon red hash made with beets as well as the regular stuff, eggs, potatoes and corned beef. Um good. We were disappointed, however, that the waffle maker was broken. Next we traveled down the road a bit to Royal Oak where we had an early beer at the Royal Oak Brewery in their Beer Garden. Royal Oak looks a lot like Gainesville, FL. and has a young college atmosphere. Up the road we found another place to have a drink and of course some food. The Rochester Mills Brewery. We thought the beers were somewhat flat at this location as they didn't seem to have much effervescence. After the wedding we spent a day traveling in and around Detroit. The first stop was Hitsville in Detroit, the small home of Motown Records for ten years between 1962 and 1972. It's just a small home with a garage that was turned into a studio. They put on a great walking tour of the place where Berry Gordy started Motown and studio A where all the music was made. Quite a good tour for $10. We all enjoyed it. If you have a chance, their is a great DVD out "Standing in the Shadows of MoTown", which documents the saga of the Funk Brother's studio band which played on more #1 records than the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones and Elvis Presley combined. Next we headed to Slows Barbecue we had some good ribs, pulled pork, chicken and beef brisket. We also had sides of macaroni and cheese, corn bread, and green beans. The brisket was especially good, while the pulled pork was a little too crispy for my liking but I did eat it all. On to a walking tour of downtown Detroit, the GM Renaissance Center, and Cheli's Bar next to Comerica Park where the Detroit Tigers play. The stadium was very impressive as it is lined all around by huge carved stone tigers. I would avoid Cheli's next time, however, as the waitresses were a bit unfriendly. We did discover a great Michigan beer at this place, it's called Oberon, a taste of citrus and very refreshing. Next we did a driving tour of one of the nicer parts of Detroit called Grosse Pointe. We stopped at the Beach Grille on the lake and had some hors d'oeuvres and girlie drinks ( I wanted an umbrella but never got one) prior to heading to a local bar in Rochester Hills where we had the Monday special; a burger, beer and fries for $4.99 (burp). This was definitely the best value of the trip. Oh, and just to finish the evening off we went back to Alderson's and had some left over but yummy wedding cake for dessert. Tuesday we headed home but not before having breakfast at Toast in Ferndale. We stopped at the Flytrap first to check if the waffle iron was fixed. To our surprise, it wasn't so we headed a few doors down to the Toast. Margie and I had a regular breakfast of toast, eggs and sausage. Tom Freeman had the best breakfast, a Grand Marne waffle. We arrived early at the airport in Detroit and had time for a few beers and bratwurst before boarding our flight back to Clearwater. It was near dinner time when we arrived in Clearwater so we stopped at one of our favorite pizza places, Anthony's and finished our trip with fire roasted wings and pizza. Luckily, on Wednesday I had a couple of appointments so I did not ride. I probably would have popped my tires anyway with the extra Detroit weight. Thursday morning I was afraid to weigh in before starting my ride and I really didn't feel like riding but knew I had to get it over with. I headed south to do a Six Bridges ride, over the Clearwater Pass, Sand Key and Belleair Causeway and return. This would allow me to test my legs over some Florida mini-hills since my return from RedSpoke. I knew the bridges wouldn't be as tough as any of the RedSpoke climbs so I gritted my teeth and pulled myself up and over each of the bridges actually standing and pumping most of the way. I got my heart rate to 160 or so before dropping down to peddle from the saddle. Not bad, but by the time I got home I was pretty spent and my legs were sore. I finished the 38 miles in 2 hrs 24 min. After a dip in the pool I crashed on the couch for a couple hours (some people call this a nap). It's a few days later now and I'm feeling better as I have ridden the Six Bridges three more times and my time is down to 2 hrs and 10 min. I actually made it up the first bridge at almost 14 mph compared to my usual 6 mph. I have taken off 5-6 of the Detroit pounds so I have a little more Slows barbecue and Alderson wedding cake to go but I think RedSpoke has made me a stronger climber so I'm happy for now.

Why I Suck on Steep Climbs

Brett found this article on the web somewhere. It basically explains why I suck on climbs of 6% or more and offers some advice on how to get better. Here it is:

Why Do Only Steep Climbs Defeat Me?

Q: I'm a strong climber with good endurance on long, gradual hills, even at the end of long rides. But as the climb steepens to 6% or more, I fall apart, especially if I stand. How come, and how can I get better? -- Mel S.

Coach Fred Matheny Replies: You didn't mention your size, but from the nature of your problem I'll assume you are relatively large guy.

Size is important because climbing always depends on power-to-weight (PTW) ratio. If another rider puts out more watts per kilogram of body weight than you do, he'll climb steep hills faster even if you generate more power in an absolute sense.

Example: A 90-kg (198-lb.) rider who can produce 360 watts for 20 minutes has a PTW ratio of 4.0. A guy who's 70 kg (154 lb.) and produces 300 watts for 20 minutes has a ratio of 4.3. He'll climb the steep stuff faster even though he's putting out fewer watts.

But a big, powerful rider will go faster on the flat where gravity isn't an issue. That's why horses like Fabian Cancellara time trial better than lightweight climbers like Carlos Sastre.

As the grade steepens, the advantage of pure power lessens -- and the advantage of a superior PTW ratio increases. So, if you're pretty big and typically ride strongly on the flats, this explains why climbs get harder for you as they get steeper.

You mentioned having trouble when you stand. That's often the case with larger riders because when you get out of the saddle, you have to hold up your body weight as well as push the pedals. The more you weigh, the more of your available power goes to supporting your body.

Now, how can you improve on steeper climbs? Here are 4 fundamentals:

• Lose weight if you carry extra body fat.

• Increase power with well-designed hill interval training as described in my eBook, Climbing for Roadies.

• Get to the front of the group before steep climbs. You'll probably slip back and may even lose contact, but heavier riders can descend faster so you'll have less ground to make up.

• Finally, employ the technique all good climbers know: Suffer!

So, the coach says lose some weight, do more training, get to the front and suffer. I actually did the last two suggestions on RedSpoke so maybe I should try the first two in future climbs. I'm surprised he didn't mention my special technique of switch-backing. Perhaps this isn't legal.

RedSpoke Reflections

It's now Wednesday, July 22nd, 3 days after the RedSpoke ride ended and time to reflect a little on my experience. First, I think the ride was great. The soreness has left my thighs finally, three days after the ride ended. On the way back to Seattle from Loon Lake I was too tired to drive more than 40 miles. With the warm car, sun in my eyes and tired body I found myself nodding off and turned the driving over to Margie. My arms, legs and hands were all swollen from loading up on Gatoraid, Incite, Gui and other high potassium compounds for five days in a row. With the accompanying water retention I gained 6 pounds over five days although I burned over 33,000 calories which is almost 10 pounds. After getting off the plane in Tampa it felt like I was walking on stumps. Thankfully, the weight gain is now gone and I'm feeling more normal. Yes, it was many times more difficult than I thought it would be. The pace was not that difficult for me but the climbs were. The hills and grades were much steeper than I am accustomed. I could stay with Brett, Scott, Deb, Juan, and Ron on anything flat and up to 3% grade. Beyond that I was droppped like a hot potato. I have much more respect for the people who climb hills and especially for big people that climb hills. There was a rider named Mongo (I don't know his real name) who was 6' 6" and probably weighed 360 or more. I have the utmost respect for him.

Support was the Best
The support provided by RedSpoke was the best. From the SAG support team and stops every hour or so to the superb mechanic from R&E everything was top notch. They loaded our bags into the van at the start of each day and unloaded everything for us at the next camping spot. Debbie even put up our tent at Davenport which was extra nice and she isn't even a Rotariat or part of the SAG team. The food was plenty and varied and for the most part delicious. Scott, the mechanic accommodated everyone's request for help as near as I can tell. The first evening in Skykomish I asked him to check out my bike and I told him the strange noises it was making. He pulled the rear wheel off and gave it a spin. In less than two seconds he had diagnosed the problem; a bad rear hub bearing. At first he wasn't sure he could fix it since he did not have the exact replacement parts for my Velocity wheel. Like McGiver would do, he used a hub off an Easton wheel. However, this hub was one millimeter too short causing the bushing to stick out one millimeter too far. That did not stop him. He fashioned a 1 millimeter washer out of a bottle cap to fix the problem and handed me my bike back. Later in the ride he adjusted my front derailleur as I had crossed over some "wake-up" bumps and this had caused me to be unable to hold my big ring. Can't say enough for Scott's support.

Implications for a Ride Across America
The RedSpoke ride has given me much to think about and ideas on how to better plan for a ride across America. I now know that it's not just miles to be considered in determining how far to ride each day. The terrain, weather and support conditions play varying roles in setting mileage goals for each day. Perhaps one way to estimate mileage is to consider and calculate calories burned. I would guess my limit would be about 15,000 for one day with 10,000 being a very good ride and 5,000 being a fairly easy ride for a day. Considering elevation gain, 5000 feet is a pretty good achievement. I know what that feels like now. In Florida, my rides are averaging 40 plus miles and 700 feet elevation gain. On RedSpoke, the average mileage was nearly 70 and the elevation gain averaged 3,600 feet. On both counts RedSpoke was tougher than my daily rides. But the significant difference is five times my normal elevation gain. I'd have to ride 200 miles in Florida to get the same gain. How to carry enough water for a long ride without support is a good question. I'm not sure the RedSpoke could be done (including the Century) without carrying additional water. Perhaps a 100 ounce camelback plus two 24 ounce bottles would work. Another unknown is bike support. If you follow the Adventure Cycling routes that might not be a problem as there are lots of bikers along the way and bike shops too. But on our RedSpoke ride it was nice to have support nearby and every evening to attend to problems that crop up. Ideally, I like to ride with only a credit card and with my own support vehicle. Getting a nice shower every evening would be great. There is a web site at www.warmshowers.org that matches cyclists with folks that have offered to provide lodging and warm showers for a night. I'm not sure how it works but if you were traveling unsupported it may be a way to get a good night's sleep and a warm shower. Finally, it would be good to have someone to ride and chat with on a long ride. Although I was dropped numerous times on RedSpoke as we climbed up the hills, there always seemed to be someone at the top or at a turn to help me along and get me back to the others. Finding a rider who rides a similar pace would be perfect as you could help each other maintain a good pace and take turns pulling.