Live to Ride

Even though I've pretty much bailed on riding this (supposedly) rainy weekend (not one drip has fallen since Friday afternoon), I wanted to say one thing up front: I live to ride. Its hard to imagine that this has happened, and I don't know how it has, but its true.

All the other stuff I do each and every day is merely distraction (and obtaining necessary resources) to fuel my rides. To my friends and family, I truly apologize. Perhaps this short instructional film will assist you in understanding my condition:




Riding is like flying without leaving the ground. Every ride is an amazing adventure. Your whole body working toward one goal: the next revolution of the wheels. The destination is irrelevant, its the ride that matters.

Cars, motorcycles, planes...how could any of them compare to the self-propulsion you feel on a bike? Gliding around a gentle curve; powering through a flat; racing downhill at 40 mph. Or best of all, the feeling of triumph and satisfaction when you've reached the top of a long, slow ascent.

Have a bike? Get on it! Don't have one? GET ONE!

Training Rides, Life Changes, and Stuff

I'm sorry for not writing often over the past few weeks. I've been busy making fundamental life changes, planning for the future, that sort of adult stuff that I've tried like a dilettante to avoid. Why is it that some make the hard choices seem easy, and for some the easy choices are so hard. Anyhow, I suppose this post is really about what I've been thinking about a lot lately. Why am I riding in the AIDS Lifecycle? I suppose there are a host of reasons:

• HIV/AIDS is still ruining the lives of wonderful people all over the world.
• So many of my friends are still fighting this disease.
• People, young and old, have become complacent about HIV/AIDS and are engaging in risky behavior.
• Everyone needs to know his or her status and be tested regularly.

If my little effort helps one person to get the treatment he or she needs, or think twice about engaging in unprotected sex, or gets one person to seek a test, then I did the right thing. It really makes my cry...I'm crying as I type...because I know the desires and social pressures which let this disease thrive, even now. But I also know that we can beat it...have beaten the worst of it.

But that's not all. There is a selfish reason why I ride. Riding is the most amazing adventure.

Every single ride from my 25 minute commute to a 100 mile trial-by-tire is unique and beautiful. Riding makes you free. The mix of angry commuters, dog walkers, open fields, sweeping vistas, sheep and llamas, long slow slogs up steep hills, and bullet swoops down at 45 miles per hour, each and every ride is fulfilling in a way I have no idea how to describe. Here's a little video from someone who must feel as I do:

Then there's fitness. I've never been more fit in my life! Yes, I did change my diet too, so that helps. But riding is the real reason why I've become trim and strong. I commute about 14 miles or 50 minutes a day for about 70 miles per week. Then I ride on average about 60 miles on a weekend (this coming weekend it should be 120 miles!), for a total of about 130 miles per week. By the time of the ride, I'll add 30 mile training rides on Thursday for about 160 miles per week, and probably add a century or two per weekend to get the total to over 200 miles per week. That'll be sufficient.

Then there's the camaraderie which comes with riding.

At China Camp on ALC Training ride China Camp/Tiburon Loop

These are my mates here in Sacramento. I've been going on rides in San Francisco, and am moved by the huge numbers of riders at all levels who come out and how charming and friendly everyone is. Thanks Positive Pedalers for some wonderful rides -- See you in Nicasio on Sunday!

All the stories I hear about the ride itself makes it seem like a life changing experience in itself! Thousands of selfless people together to raise money for their community...our community. Plus, I don't know if this is true or not, but in my mind it is -- it sounds like Burning Man without the drugs and with the positive side effect of being healthy for you. We'll see.

This is my first ride, after all.

2011 Route: Day One

I've just been looking at the 2011 route. The first day alone is a ride from San Francisco to Santa Cruz! That's 83 miles from the City! An impressive ride, and one I'd like to try to do sometime before the ride. Who wants to pic me up in Santa Cruz?

Click Image for ALC 2011 Day One Page

What seems to be remarkable is that part of the ride is on the freeway: highway 280 from Skyline Boulevard to Hillcrest. I told Davey about that, and he said, sure, I've seen cyclists on that stretch all the time; there's no other way to get around Devil's Slide. But that's not right, because Devil's Slides on the ocean side. So, for now, its a mystery why the ride goes for about a mile on the freeway!

About thereafter, the route moves coastal, and hugs the shore. It passes San Gregorio Beach. I wonder if there will be time to frolic naked on the shore? Because that is one beautiful stretch of coast line there.

Even if not, the ride ends right in the middle of Santa Cruz, so there should be lots of frolicking there! That is, of course, if the route is the same this year! Then the adventure begins, because we'll be leaving my home, the Bay Area!

Miserable Me

Sunday's ride was a bust! I had planned on turning a medium 40 mile ride into a challenging 65 mile ride by arriving at the meet up point on bike. I got to the meet up spot, Nimbus Fish Hatchery — 15 miles — in plenty of time, and was ready for the last 50 miles. The route is a long challenging hill (Iron Point aka Costco hill in Folsom), followed by incredibly fun downhills. It was grey, but not a drop of rain.

Man, can things change.

The smile is fake. In this photo, I'm so cold, I can't feel my fingers and toes!

We left the fish hatchery, and made it to the base of the hill. We were about 10 riders. About half an hour later, everyone made it to the top in a light drizzle. On regroup, we had some granola bars, and everyone was excited to continue...even though the rain went from drizzle to shower. From the top of Iron Point, the ride is a nice steady down hill on Empire Ridge, past a bevy of gated communities. On this road, it is easy to reach 40 mph, but because of the rain, I checked my speed at 25.

At the very bottom of the first part, I notice that the rain's picking up. "Hmm, I feel a bit cold." Then immediately notice my bike feels a bit too bouncy. With trepidation, I dismount and feel my rear tire and learn it is rapidly deflating.

Changing a bike tire on a group ride is annoying at the best of times. When all your mates pass you in the freezing rain, it can be demoralizing. The worst part is that without the physical effort, you get cold fast.

As I get my wheel off the bike and start in on the tire irons, all the bikers passed me (questioning if I needed help, of course). I waved them on, not wanting everyone to suffer the cold. But Katryna, our auto support, stopped as she passed, and thankfully had a real pump.

I changed my tire pretty quickly, and was, even then, under the delusion that I could finish the ride (there were about 40 more miles to go). So I got on my bike in the rain and watched Katryna drive away.

All was well until the first wave of water poured down my Achilles tendon into my shoe. It really felt like a knife blade. Then my fingers went numb. Both red flags! Still I made it the next 5 miles, and pulled into the Taco Bell where, thankfully, all my friends were waiting.

Katryna, Scott, and Susan drove off to get their cars and returned to pick us all up. It was an ordeal, but really served to underscore how much I love bicycling. And I have a new appreciation for Taco Bell.

Last Week's Ride

I forgot to post my pics of last week's ride. Johnny, Trev, and I did the Nicasio route out of Mike's Bikes in Sausalito. Its a 53-mile, challenging route, with lots of hills. A perfect way to start the training year. Here are a few pictures.

Why Bicycle?

Bicycling is an obsession. Just ask my partner, Davey. Nearly every weekend since I started has been dedicated to riding. My diet has changed to make me more efficient, my wardrobe expenditure has shifted to nearly 100% bicycling clothing, the house is often draped in drying (but hopefully not smelly) bike clothes, my legs are usually sore (and when they're not, I am thinking about how to make them sore).

An "easy" ride is one of 30 miles, lasting about 2 hours. A "moderate" ride is at least 60 miles with no fewer than 3 steep climbs, lasting about 4 hours. A "hard" ride is at least 70 miles, lasting 5 hours or more. I have no intention of ever competing, and, though I want to improve, I do not anticipate making money off this. Why put myself through this agony?

There is really only one answer. It is the simplest adventure one can take. Riding out from my garage on a cold morning, every ride is challenging and unique. Even when I restrict myself to known routes and known locales, there is something different to see, some different feeling you can get from the way the bike rides or the way the air smells. Different people on the trail; different obstacles to overcome; different personal demons to battle.



Though this video shows the premier competitive event, it demonstrates how bicyclists feel about their sport. The wonder of the scenery (however mundane), the thrill of meeting your goals, the exertion of running up a steep climb, or the rush of descending in 2 minutes that hill you earlier climbed in 20 minutes. That's really it. The fun and personal challenge. That I burn thousands of calories on a ride is icing on that cake.

I think cycling makes me a better person in a way the other activities I forgo would not. I hope to be riding for many years to come.

Pedal Stroke and Correct Gearing

One of the areas I'm trying to improve is my pedal stroke. The technique is simple: instead of pushing down with the lead foot, you push the top foot forward and the bottom foot back. When the feet reach the 3 and 9 o'clock positions, pushing with the forward foot (which is headed down) and unweighting the back foot (which is headed up). This creates a circular motion instead of a mashing motion with only one foot at a time.

The advantages are that by using muscles in both legs on nearly all of the stroke, you don't tire them out as much...spreading the load, so to speak. Another advantage is that you get more power out of each stroke. Still another is that you avoid wasted effort, if the technique is done correctly.

This video describes it fairly well:

Road Bike Pedaling Technique -- powered by ehow

My main trouble is that my stroke sometimes "bounces" or unweights a pedal mid-stroke. This results in wasted effort.

I think the key to correcting this is (practice and) being in the correct gear for the terrain. Some of my bicycle companions like to "spin," or to propel the bike by having it in a light gear where the pedals spin easily. A more experienced rider explained that this engages your aerobic strength (getting your heart rate up by moving your muscles more rapidly) more than your muscular strength (whereas a heavy gear would require more of a push). But I think the choice of gear depends more on your physical capabilities. When in a lighter gear, I tend to "bounce" or lose pressure on the pedal.

For that reason, I try to select a gear where I am giving sufficient pressure on the fore pedal to avoid bounce. Its a delicate balance, and one that I suspect will take lots of practice to perfect. Looking forward to those miles on the road.

To Beals Point!!

Feet so warm...

Socks purchased just now at Folsom Bike:

Second Christmas weekend ride...

Looking forward to group and training rides in the new year, but I'm going to finish out Christmas weekend with a 50 mile ride to Beals Point and back. Its my "easy" ride. There are few hills and I know the route by heart. A pleasant, if cold, day today: about 47° F, sunny, no wind. My goal is to do it in 3.5 hours, including stops.

Guy from the trail

Helped him with a flat

Woodpecker on trail

Sent from my iPhone.

50-mile Christmas Ride

To Beals Point and back...then for cooking lasagna and delicious bread!

Ride SF to San Mateo

30 miles. AVS 18 mph.
Sent from my iPhone.

What Cycling Means to Me

In case you are wondering, this is what cycling is all about:

Trev and I in Folsom

Nice ride today. A bit cold, but had a nice pace and great conversation. Looking forward to more rides in the new year.

On the ride

Stopped at Folsom Bike for warmth and shopping.

Sick but Healthy

Had to put my rides on hold this weekend. I have a cold and sore throat. Nevertheless, I'm going to try my typical 50 mile ride to Beals Point with my friend Trev. I hope that I'm not too slow, but know I won't be able to do my typical time. If I can average 15 mph and do it in 3.5 hours, I'll be pretty happy.

Last night was Davey's birthday, and we ate lots of rich, expensive food and drank rich, expensive alcohol. So I need to burn those calories off!!

Speaking of healthy, I'm very pleased that, though I've been slacking a tiny bit on my training (doing only about 110 miles per week), I've not gained any weight and hover at about 173 lbs. My goal by the end of winter is to lose another 10 lbs. I hope that weighing about 160 will help my speed and overall fitness.

But today is all about having a nice ride with a friend, and burning a few unneeded calories.

See you on the trail!

Ride from Guerneville to Duncan Mills

22 miles, 1 hour 10 minutes, AVS 18.1 mph, MXS 28 mph. 55 deg F. I turned around after 11 miles because I felt like I was going down hill all the way to Duncan Mills and was afraid the return trip would be hard -- turned out that was wrong. Lol.

Today's Ride

Went on a 50 mile ride to Beals Point and back...my standard ride. I meant to take a picture of the mistletoe which adorns the trees in several areas, but I couldn't bring myself to stop.

It was cold (about 62° F when I left and about 55° F when I returned) and clear, but very windy. The trail was strewn with leave and branches which crunched under my tires sometimes pleasantly, sometimes disturbingly. There were not many other riders out — maybe there was too much cross- and head-winds for most riders.

But my time was on-par with my average times. I did the 52 miles in just about 3 hours, with an average speed of 16.5 mph (max 33 mph).

I'm planning on riding 30 milers on Sunday and Monday, for a total weekend ride of 110 miles. I hope I can make the time to do so.