That was Easy

270 miles in three days!! Every year my brother and I talk about how we are not in biking shape. Well we are. The ride to the beach was easy and fun. Were there any hills?? If it were not for me losing my eye sight the last day, we would have finished this ride in record time. My cornea has repaired itself. Sorry I slowed us down, but I was going to finish this ride no matter how much my eye hurt or could not see. Heck, I had Jim behind me directing as I blindly rode the last 20 miles. It was a great ride to the beach with our new member Jim Vaughn. What a great addition to the team. It was very touching to have Karl and Fred ride with us the first day to get us started. Both Karl and Fred were injured but still wanted to ride the first half of the trip with us for support. Thanks guys, look forward to us all doing the whole ride together next year. I will go ahead and begin the sob story now, I don't think I will be in as good a shape next year. Look forward to doing more rides together in the future. Let's hope Fred recovers from surgery on his leg. We have many more challenges ahead. We have done 3 mountain madness, blood sweat and gears, several other different rides, and the beach trip this year. I have done 7 century rides this year including Blood Sweat and Gears and the beach trip. Wow, I am ready to ride to California and back, are you?

I had to upload my eye photo. The green dye shows where my cornea was missing. No wonder why I could not see. I have also posted the group starting out in Winston and a picture of me at Sunset. Good times.

Success!

As David noted, we made it! We got a great send-off from our wives and significant others and then had the surprise of Carl and Fred pulling us for the first 50 miles to Denton. What a great way to start a long ride! I'm glad to hear I'm a good story teller. Reading between the lines, I think it means I talk too much. In any event, Phillips Patron-inspired miraculous recovery was a real blessing. Having three along for the ride made it much more tolerable. Other than a sore rear end after day one, and fading legs on long climbs after about 70 miles each day, I felt better than I expected I would. We made great time on day 1, considering the amount of climbing we had. Day one was 107.23 miles in 5:36 for an average speed of 19.1 mph with 4,789 feet of climbing. Day two was 100.34 miles in 5:35 for an average speed of 18.0 with 2,083 feet of climbing. We had a nagging headwind all day on days 2 and 3. Day 3 was 61.72 miles in 3:19 for an average speed of 18.6 with 1,045 feet of climbing. So, the overall trip was 269.29 miles in 14.5 hours for an 18.6 overall average with 7,917 feet of climbing. Not too bad considering the headwinds and Phillips eye problem on day 3. I'm looking forward to the next challenge.

2011 Day 2 was windy

We did it!  This time door to door, covering 270 miles.  This year there were but 3 of us - Bothers David and Philip Welch and Jim Vaughan.  But Carl and Fred pulled us the first 50 miles and were picked up by car, which helped us jump start the trip. We covered 107 miles the first day.  Stayed in Ellerbe Springs.  I need to post a link to that website - it was a great treat for us.  Thanks to Donna at the Ellerbe Springs Inn for taking such great care of us!  The second and third day were very windy so it felt like a climb the last 170 miles.  We logged exactly 100 miles on day 2.  You can see the speedometer only shows 16 mph on this video- saw a lot of that and stayed in the small ring a lot as well.  We couldn't wait to jump in the pool after the second day but you can see on the front page of the blog what that looked like.  Philip will have to share his story of the injury, but other than that, things went well. 

Dumb, Dumber & Dumbest?

Well, here's my first post. I am honored and humbled to be accepted among the brethren of the Wheel Ride for Beer team. I will try to uphold it's traditions with proper dignity. I am ready for a scintillating ride through the Uhwarrie Mountains, on to Ellerbe, over to Elizabethtown and finally, to Sunset Beach. I am hopeful that the team of three brave souls has not been reduced to two as a result of Phillip's injury. If Phillip is unable to ride, I expect David to pull for the first 279 miles. I'll be happy to take over after that.

I told David that earlier this year, my regular group had planned back-to-back centuries on consecutive days and that we had begun to refer to the rides as Dumb and Dumber. Looking at our 3-day ride, I referred to it as Dumb, Dumber & Dumbest. After I heard about Phillip's injury, I changed the name to Stupid, Stupider and Stupidest. Heal quickly Phillip. I may be dumb, but I don't care to be called stupid.

10 days till takeoff!

We are getting close to beach ride. Leaving on July 15. Time to plan the final details. The bad news is that we have lost half the original team which was small to begin with. Carl and Fred are recovering from, or still dealing with injuries, leaving just the 2 Welch brothers to make the trek alone. But just today we had a 3rd person find out he can join us. Jim Vaughan is going to join us. Still trying to work on Carl, although he is being pretty stuborn.

Making a few changes this year. We are officially going door to door. 2 years ago we drove 18 miles to the starting point, but figured, why not leave from our house? That addition, along with the detour to our new hotel the first night, will add somewhere around 25 miles, so we are looking at close to 275 miles this year. Most of those will be added to the second night, possibly giving us 2 back to back century rides, or at least close to it.

Blood Sweat and Gears

We did it. One of the hardest rides on the East Coast. David and I believe it or not did not have a beer(s) the night before, but Karl and Jim did. Only a glass of wine with the pasta. Great job guys on the ride. Had a good time and of course the post ride at the cabin was fabulous. I was very pleased with my time and actually finishing the ride 2 to three hours quicker than I imagined. I had to play catch up for 50 miles for I was tired at the beginning and had a flat tire. My group left me. That is ok, it was a challenge to catch up and I managed to do it. I only made one more stop the for the rest of the 104 mile ride. Looking forward to the beach ride, however there will only be two of us. Everyone is hurt. Now I have to hang with my brother for 280 miles and three days alone....I guess I will have to pull him the whole way except the down hill. Suck on my tire bro.

Three Mountain Madness

I completed the 75 mile course of 3MM yesterday. I felt good the the entire ride. I stayed with the lead pack over the first 20 miles or so to the first mountain, Sauratown. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up the pace during the climbs since I didn't have the proper gear ratio and had a tri bike. I must have had 100 people pass me on the ascent, but I still climbed it as easily and quickly as I had ever done. Throughout the day I must have had a dozen riders say something similar to 'I can't believe you are doing this on that bike'. Those comments weren't great for my psyche, but I really don't know any difference - after all, it's the engine that matters, right?

Anyway, I passed about 30 of those riders back between Sauratown and Hanging Rock going solo like a bat out of hell for about 5 miles until I caught a good strong group and started sucking their back tire. They left me during the climb of Hanging Rock, but nobody else passed me going up. I was out of liquids by then and stopped for a fill-up at the top of Hanging Rock, as did that group. So I was able to re-join them at the top. I started counting the cyclist ahead of me as they came down and I was still going up and counted a total of 80 with leader about 15 minutes ahead of me and I was still feeling strong. The trek from HR to Pilot Mountain proved to be the toughest part of the ride. This section consisted of rolling hill, more like small mountains, with 3 of them resembling the mountain climbs we had just completed. I passed the next pit stop with out stopping, but about half my group peeled off leaving 6 of us to continue. Suddenly without warning, somewhere around mile 45 my hamstring cramped up and I pulled over and was left alone. I had forgotten how painfull a hamstring cramp is. I couldn't get off the bike because of the cramp and was left there still clipped in stradling the bike wondering how I could ride another 30 miles. For the next 30 minutes I would ride about a half mile then pull over with another cramp. I just coulnd't get going. From a fitness standpoint I felt fine, but my legs just kept cramping up. I counted 28 cyclists pass me. And finally the last guy gave me a jell package that he said was full of sodium. It kicked in after about 10 minutes. I spent the better part of an hour riding by myself during this stretch. Hard to believe there are 600 cyclist out there, and I'm all alone. The cramping didn't completly stop, but did subside. I got to the pit stop 2 miles from Pilot and loaded up with liquids, and ate what I could because now I had a stomach ache from the 3 packages of goo that I had eaten to help get rid of the cramps.

The climb up Pilot was tough. No my left quad cramped up about 200 yards into the climb. I didn't know it was possible to continue pedaling with a cramp, but I found out it can be done. Intense pain that never let up, but I powered through it. I knew if I stopped, I would not finish. So I completed the climb in with a quad cramp and was able to enjoy my descent. That last 10 miles or so after Pilot were uneventful, but slow. I completed the event in just under 5 hours, which was my goal. Had the cramping not hit me, it would have been a very good event for me, but still I'm happy with my performance. Now I can check that one off the list - don't need to do 3 Mountain Madness again!

Party In Da Club / Injury Report

62 mile ride by myself up Pilot Mountain yesterday. Thanks to Fitty Cent I had a good beat to make it up the mountain. Replayed Party In Da Club 3 times on my ipod during the ascent to help me up the mountain. Not many guys my age may even know who he is, but when you have teenage boyz you can't help but listent to some of their music. And, I must admit, I like a fair amount of it.

Not a pretty picture here, but then I'm working with an old worn out model, so I can't expect much. Still the background shows a great view from the top. Beautiful day, close to 90 degrees and sunny with no wind. I drank a tremendous amount of liquid on the ride and this was the first time I used the camel back in over a year, so good training for the beach ride. Drank 5-24 oz water bottles and filled the camel back up twice, but it was frozen solid initially, so it probably only amounted to one full camel back.

As for injuries. In the last 12 months we have all shown our age with each of experiencing some form of injury. Mine happpend a year ago, sidelining me for the summer. Philip had his achilles tendon and pneumonia, Carl with the back problems and now Fred with knee issues. We are still about 6 or 7 weeks away from the beach and barring no more injuries 3 of us are healing or have healed. Unfortunatly Fred's knee is a new one. Waiting to hear results of MRI and keeping our fingers crossed for good news.

Happy Thoughts

Here's a happy thought... Just completed my second half-ironman and I'm ready to focus more on cycling. I had a great time. Here is a picture of me about 30 minutes after the event next to the bike entrance The swim portion got cancelled due to fog, but the day turned out to be beautiful. Just can't compare my times to last year's race because of the swim portion but still enjoyed it anyway. Everytime I do one of these endurance events I catch myself saying I'm won't ever do another one about halfway into the run, but by the time the event is over I'm searching the internet for another one to sign up for. Looking forward to 3 Mountain Madness in a few weeks followed by Blood, Sweat and Gears 2 weeks later and then the ride to the beach. Hopefully the rest of our crew will be healthy by then.

I am back and getting ready for BSG

OK, boys... I am back. The pneumonia and Bronchitis is over. I have been trying to get back to biking shape in the last 2-3 weeks. Have ridden the gap 4 times. I am not near where I was before I got sick, but I am improving. My bike group here, the outlaws, a cool biking club that I have joined and Suwanee Bikes are getting back into shape. They need work on their drinking skills and I am helping or should I say I teaching them the technique of drinking and riding. Speaking of drinking and riding, let me get to that.

I did two rides back to back, 72 miles each and I found out something very interesting. Went out the night before and had 11 beers and two margaritas. I got up at 7 am, not sure how and got on the bike at 9. Yes it took that long for so many reasons that I don't want to comment. Anyhow, rode 72 miles at a pace of 19 miles per hour, not bad. The next day I only had two beers and got up at 8:30 am and got off at 9:00. I rode the same route and my average was 17 mph. Now the temperature was 102 degrees and think it was that way each day. All things being equal, beer seems to really help. I really have cut back on my drinking and will continue to do so, even though this post does not show it. However, how can you not say that drinking the day before does not really help. I don't know, just saying. Here are a few pictures for you, even have one from the new bridge at Sunset. It gives us another hill to climb at the end, but it is beautiful coming over the bridge.

FYI, I will not being doing 3 mountain madness, but plan on BSG. I am going to Vegas for a week and possible two weeks. I will take my bike to try and ride some of the mountains there. After BSG my riding will slow down considerably. Anyway, enjoy the pics and look forward to seeing everyone for BSG. Of course the ride to Sunset is still on, so that will be fun and look forward to it as well.

Time For Some Happy Posts!

The last few posts were a bit depressing! Injury, sickness and the darkside. Time to get some positive posts back into our blog. I had a good ride yesterday. This is the last big training ride for me before my half ironman in 2 weeks. I tackled Pilot Mountain from home by myself. Temps started in the low 50's but by the time I finished were in the mid 60's and as you can see from the picture at the top, the mountain was fogged in. Round trip was 60 miles. I made it non-stop from home, not even stopping at the ranger's station just before the climb. The climb, although still difficult, felt the easiest it ever has for me. I never felt completly challenged. The only stop I had was for this quick picture. Didn't even need to refill liquids. After the ride I did a 4 mile run at a pretty good pace for this old man.

The last time I attempted Pilot Mountain I was exhausted afterwards. Strangely, this time I didn't even need a nap. I wish I knew the difference. I don't think my fitness level was much different from the last attempt. The speed was nothing shattering. I averaged exactly 15 mph on the way up and reset my odometer for the return trip. I averaged exactly 18 mph on the way home. Of course the way home includes a nice 3 mile downhill stretch at about 26 mph so it will be skewed, plus it does seem that the trip there is mostly uphill the last 10 miles and therefore downhill the first 10 miles coming home. Anyway I'm happy. Feeling good today and want to ride again, but I'm going to take it easy today and begin my taper to my half ironman over the next 2 weeks. 3 Mountain Madness is just about 6 weeks away and I will be concentrating more on biking after I recovery from the half.

Out for awhile...I am down, feel sorry for me!!!

I have been terribly sick for 12 days and unable to do anything and will not be for another week or so. I have been diagnosed with Bronchitis and pneumonia; are you serious. Went to the Doctor yesterday for I was not getting better. Tried riding one day last week and felt like I had the flu. I told David while we were riding ( you don't understand) and turned around and went home. Don't know my time frame, but I will be starting all over for it will probably be a total of 3 to 4 weeks before I am better. I am tired just typing. I hope I can catch up for the 3 mountain madness. I am really sad by this lack of exercising for it really does release stress and makes you feel better. I can't even drink during this time for one beer makes me feel like I have the flu. This really sucks. When you don't exercise, it is amazing how you think about everything too much. Enjoy your training guys. Drink one for me since I can't even do that, no joke.

The Dark Side of Training

Coming back from an injury can be a wonderful experience. I was so ready to bike and run again after my knee surgery. I am starting to see the dark side of training now. I have been going at it pretty hard for about 6 months. Building up my endurance of biking, running and swimming, but not following a real plan. Sure, I downloaded a plan for a half ironman to follow. But there is no way to follow that plan. There is so much you have to do. If you have a job and a family (and want to keep them) it's next to impossible. So I resort to just doing as much as I can do, when I can do it. However, the plans usually call for 3 hard buildup weeks followed by 1 week to with less stress to let your body recover. When you don't follow a plan, and do all you can do, you tend to not incorporate that down week. When you do that you become an A**hole. That is what I have become. I am pissed off at everything and everybody right now. I have done too much training and need to rest. Fortunatly no physical injuries, just emotional and mental injuries. Rest is the ticket for me for a few days. Half Ironman is in 4 weeks, so I should be just about over the hump. My max weeks have been the last few and maybe one more, then the taper starts.

I did a 45 mile hard bike ride on Thursday followed by a 2000 meter hard swim on Friday, then a 5 mile tempo run (tempo pace to me is almost as hard as I can go - just below race pace) and a 52 mile bike ride including a climb up Sauratown Mountain on Saturday. The run had me winded before I even started the ride. The ride averaged 16 mph on the way out - I still think something was wrong with my bike. I stopped at mile mile 17 to check to see if the tires were flat or the brakes were sticking - but they weren't. I was just worn out before starting. Interestinlgy enough, the climb up was easy. I climbed Sauratown like it was flat - not sure how that happened after being so tired in making it out there. I averaged just under 19 mph on the way back. Not sore at all today, just incredibly tired. Really strange how I was able to actually get better even though I was worn out. I think that is a good thing physically, but again, I need to recover.

So the dark side of training can be physical - inuries that can prohibit you from cointinuing, but they can also be emotional and mental, such as what I am experiencing now. Hopefully this type of injury is shortlived. A little rest and I hope to be good as new. Only my wife can tell for sure. Sorry I'm such an A**hole, honey. And thanks for putting up with me!

4 gap yes not 3

Well,

I managed to do 4 gaps instead of only 3 gaps. I had only ridden once in the last 8 days due to inclement weather so decided to do the gaps. Not smart I know but so what, I have been making some stupid choices lately so why not make another one. After the first gap I felt good and coasted down the other side of the mountain to head to the second gap. Well in a split second decision as I was doing about 40mph I decided that I would not take the turn to do the 3 gap loop but go to the bottom of the seven mile down hill and go right back up. I figured if I were going to do 4, this was the best and really the only way to do it. If I did an extra gap it would add 20 miles and almost twice the altitude of the ride. I did it, I am pleased and feel really good. Maybe taking the week off really helped. Total ride was 50.2 miles and took 3:30 to complete.

I really cool feature that I purchased is an Iphone, what I great computer and will not go into that for I will go forever. I downloaded a program on my phone for $5.99. It gives altitude, speed, avg speed, graphs of my ride, keeps the history of my ride, keeps the map of the ride etc. It does everything a $500 GPS system does but for a fraction of the price. There are few programs like the one I downloaded that are the same price or more that you may be able to download on other smart phones, not sure. I downloaded Pro Cyctastic. Check out the Ap stores, some really cool programs. I am going to love this to see how I do on each ride and compare my progress. Its awesome.

Philip

Pilot Mountain or Mt. Pilot

Just a couple of guys hanging out at the top of Pilot Mountain. The brewmeister is in great shape. 64 miles of hard riding. This was the most miles I have done in 6 months. After 55 miles I will have to say I was spent. Felt good the entire time, until the last 30 minutes. I was ready to take a nap. Wow, this was a good workout. I have to double my endurance miles and work on mountains and/or hills. I am glad I got to do this ride to see what we are up against at the three mountain madness in June. I know I can do one mountain, but three of these in one day. OMG... Enjoyed it Bro. No stories to tell, just exhausted.

NEED TO FIND A TRAINING SCHEDULE

I have been told to train effectively that you should every night spin on a bike trainer for 15 to 20 miles to keep loose regardless if you ride or not outside. Take only one day off a week. So this is what I have been doing for the past week. Riding and spinning on my bike trainer. I went on the 3 gap ride today that I destroyed the first time. Well that did not happen today. I was totally spent by the time I got to the simple last gap (which it really is simple). I will say the wind was 11mph in my face all the time and really quit fighting it. I don't know if the wind added to my fatigue, but don't want to use excuses. I do know that it did not bother another biker who on wolf gap, the steep gap passed me like I was standing still. That did not bode well with me, for I have never been passed up a hill, or mountain before like this guy did. It was unbelievable. It may have shot my confidence too. No kidding when I say this, it was as though I was going up hill and he was going down hill. There was that much difference in our speed. He had to be a professional. He looked as though he was going as fast as car. This is no joke. I have never seen anyone climb like this guy did. Well I did not get to see much of him actually. It was embarrassing and put me in my place of, I am not ready to do any of these rides we are planning.

I don't think the owner of this particular store knows what he is talking about spinning every day and or riding every day. Of course I am not riding every day, but I am not spinning every day either (stupid). He even said you should spin on the trainer after a hard ride the same night (Don't see that happening tonight). I think I have done too much in a week for I am trying to get caught up with you guys for the lost time. I will not get caught up with you guys but need to find some type of regimate to be some what in shape for the summer. You obviously can't force getting in shape so I am going to have to find another system for this system does not work. I am worn the %*^%* out. I am going back to spinning on the trainer at night once or twice and ride on the road twice a week. Maybe I should take up runinng like the rest of you. Not sure how you swim,run,bike, and lift weights in the same week. Go iron men go!!! Any suggestions let me know.

2/3 of 3 Mountain Madness

My odometer has been broken for a few weeks, so I don't have the speed or exact mileage, but I did tackle Hanging Rock AND Sauretown today in one ride. I drove to the Food Lion at Highway 66 and Mountainview and rode from there. The distance was probably close to 30 miles, so I can't really call it 2/3 of the 75 miler coming it, but 2 out of 3 mountains in one ride was a confidence builder. I did Hanging Rock first and it has not gotten any easier. The drizzle started just before the ascent and the temperature dropped. I didn't think I would have anything left for Sauertown. Something very strange happened though. I don't remember the second climb. I remember the wind started blowing directly in my face, the rain got worse and suddenly the fog was so thick I couldn't see the lines in the road. My knee started hurting and my ipod went out - I think it got wet. Next thing I remember I was at the top and felt great. I think I was so scared I was going to get run over that I focused so hard and don't remember the pain of the climb. The conditions were awful, coming down was quite scary. The fog lifted about halfway down the mountain, but I do remember the intense cold - evidently my jacket is windproof, not waterproof. It was an exhilarating experience and gave me a great boost to my mental confidence in being able to overcome obstacles in biking. I'm ready to take it to another level after this ride. 4 weeks in a row doing some big climbs and I'm feeling good about my schedule. My goal is to learn how to spell Sauratown Mountain before I ride 3 Mountain Madness.

3 Gap vs Mountains in NC

Ok, I can not believe I did this, but I did it. The 3 Gap in Ga was not as hard as anticipated. I only did 38 miles for I started at the bottom of Neel's Gap for I thought I would only do it and coast back to the car. I also wanted to limit my miles. I can start 20 miles further which is what I will do next time to make it a total of 58 miles or try the gaps twice or add one gap. The 20 miles prior to the hills will add miles of course and make the hills seem more like climbs I am sure. Really had no intentions of doing three. I was nervous that I would not make it to my car because of fatigue or lack of food, water etc. I am really not ready for these type of rides especially 100 miles %$%# BSG, but you have to start somewhere and hope for the best.

A little about the ride for I know you are so interested in this. You can't sleep at night for you want to know what Phil is riding. Ok, I guess I will tell you. Check out map if you want to see what I am up against. Wolf Pen Gap was very steep (3.2) miles and Neel's Gap was very long ( 8 miles). I have to say these hills do not compare to anything that I have done in NC. I am impressed I did these three Gaps don't get me wrong, with the lack of riding I have under my belt since October. The down hill from Woody Gap was a blast. Your hands get tired of breaking, but one of the best downhills I have done since my Tahoe days. Woody Gap was a joke going up however. Not sure how Woody Gap is considered a Gap. I could not believe I was at the top when I reached it, for I had just started the climb so I thought. I am going to have to check the other three gaps for there are 6. I have heard the other 3 gaps are much tougher. I am pleased that I accomplished this route, but believe me when I say sawertown (spelling), pilot mountain, snake mountain and hanging rock are much much much much tougher. I never had to get off my saddle to pedal. I only did so when needed for comfort or sprint. I finished these three "hills" in 2 hours and 30 minutes. It took that long because of my picture taking and sight seeing over the valley, very breath taking. You do get a sense of accomplishment when looking at the valley and you are on your bike while everyone else is driving their cars looking at you like how did you get to the top. For me, I try not to forget that I really can do this and feel fortunate that I can. Enough of getting in touch with nature. This ride was just a confidence builder, which is what I need in so many aspects.

Keep Up the Good Work Team WRFB

It looks as though everyone but myself will be doing these mountain rides for the next three months that the Brew Dave is so excited about. However, I have found a group of riders here in GA who are dedicated to riding weekends, but not to the extent of your insane routes. I will not be riding like I did last year, but I have your wheels to suck on. I am going to be sucking on everyone's wheels at BSG, the three mountain ride in NC, and of course BANC "Bike Across North Carolina". Hope you guys continue your insanity of mountain rides so I can coast in the middle of the pack, with a six pack and Patron shots. I have some make up miles to do and wish I were in NC to do your insanity rides. Keep up the good work guys for you have a huge responsibility to your fellow team mate of pulling him up the hills and on the flats. I will pull you down hill when needed of course to give you a breather and allow you to take a drink.

PSW

Assault on Saratown Mountain

Jim Olson and I conqured the first mountain this weekend in a 52 mile bike ride up Saratown and back. Jim probably added another 3-4 miles on top of that because of his starting point compared to mine. The goal for me is to tame one of the 3 mountains every week from now until at least my half-ironman on May 7. Allowing for a week a tapering for that event,and a week of spring break that only leaves 9 weekends for me. The rest of the group will have an additional month of training. Somehow we need to work in at least a day trip to Snake Mountain. It will either need to be in mid April if there is a warm weekend then, or between my half ironman and 3 Mountain Madness (May 7 and June 4). That is a tight time frame.

The ride was good for me. I made the trek with no issues and felt surprisingly fine on the ascent. Even the ride back felt easy. It was a rather tough day - windy and still cold. Despite how easy it felt, I was wiped out when I got home. I had to take an hour and a half nap afterwards.

I was impressed with Jim, though. He has only done a handful of rides in the 50 mile range ever and only been on his bike 2 or 3 times in the last few months. He made the climb up without stopping on his first attempt. Pretty good for an old fart! His energy level was not quite as strong over the last 10 miles, but he managed to complete the ride wihtout having to call in the calvary. A 40 mile ride would have been more appropriate for both of us, but now since we started we might as well keep it up.

Winter Biking

The days are short and cold. There is snow on the ground and ice on the streets. It's hard to get a training ride in. But Lance Karpinski is very convincing after a couple a dozen visits with his little buddies, so we took a 40 mile tour of Lake Norman this week. This particular shot had a section of the lake still frozenn over and covered in snow, but the temperature managed to get above freezing for the first time in about a week so cabin fever reigned out.

Happy New Year

It was difficult, but I took the Polar Bear Challenge again this year. On Jan 1, 2011 I entered the metric century ride in Winston-Salem. My peak bike fitness occured sometime in early November, and because of the shorter and colder days I haven't been able to ride much and have lost my conditioning. I know, I know, I know - everybody has, so it really isn't much of an excuse. Fitness is an unfair beast. It takes so long to build it up and you lose it so fast! Anyway, temperature was in the low 40's there was a fog warning with visibility at 1/4 mile and it rained the whole time. Dangerous potholes littered the streets from the recent winter storms and I couldn't wear my glasses because the rain would cover them so bad that I couldn't see anything. Salt from the snow plows and street grit kept spraying into my eyes and mouth. Conditions were poor. However, I stayed with the lead group at what felt like a relaxed pace for the first half. After about mile 30 the pace did quicken. I made the mistake of chasing everybody who broke away from the pack so all the other bikers used me as a sheild to the wind to catch back up. I led for several miles, which was a bit uncomfortable, but I consistnely stayed in the lead 5 bikers for the first 47 miles. I didn't feel like I slowed any, but I went from the lead position directly to the rear and was spat out on a small hill. I could see the group moving away, but there was no way I could catch them. The next 6 1/2 miles were lonely - just me and the fog and the rain. I finally caught another rider who had been dropped and we helped each other limp back to the finish line. Not sure how far off the pace we finally finished, but my average speed said 20.0 mph over 60.15 miles. I know my odomoter is always off - the cousre is 62 miles and my speed and distnace always are short. I didn't check the average before I got dropped - I wish I had, although the effort wasn't as hard with the group as it was by myself, even though I went substantially slower by myself. What really sucked is that I was so worn out I had to sleep all afternoon Saturday, slept late Sunday, took a nap on Sunday and went to bed early on Sunday. I was worn out! Time to start training again.