fermionichadrons

Odds and ends

2008-05-17T15:54:00.004-04:00

Tuesday I went out with a couple of NIST guys looking for a chill ride out in upper Montgomery County and had some great weather. Did about 28 miles at almost 18 mph avg.

Greenbelt Race #2

Wednesday I did my second Greenbelt race and it went pretty well. The race was 2 laps longer (whatever) and a bit faster, over 24mph this time but I felt better, It didn't seem like I was on the brink of blowing on every lap and I did about a lap on the front, which wasn't really planned but while I was there I purposely kept the pace reasonable and it was probably the slowest lap of the race but whatever, I wasn't trying to pull anything back, no one else seemed to get angry about it since they left me there and there were three laps to go. The next lap apparently in my head was the last lap, I was sitting about third wheel on the downhill, second wheel on the flat and then in my head the stars aligned and on the climb I jumped off the front to go for some sweet placings.... ha ha ha, the one lap to go bell was ringing and I realized what I had done... stupid stupid stupid! My lonely sprint cost me and I was cooked. Got dropped off the back and the last lap of the race was my cool down.

AABC DC Velo Ride

Today (Saturday) I met the AABC guys at Starbucks down the street for a 6:30AM roll out time. We were going to latch onto a hard groupride that starts downtown. I hadn't done one of these yet so I was open to pretty much anything. The really strong guys that run this ride (An elite team of cat1's) were doing a race in Wilmington DE. today so the pace was a bit more relaxed... about 25mph average relaxed! There were about 150 guys on this ride from all sorts of teams and abilities, and it is a hammerfest, if you can keep up thats great if not there are plenty others who can't as well. It was pretty cool to be on a major road in DC with over 100 other riders going really fast. On the flats we were pacelining at over 30mph and yes I saw the front once. Not pretty and rather than fracture the group, remove all doubt that I am a cat five wus and get all sorts of hate yells I kept my cool and suffered through it. I did not go to the front again. At some point the ride turns upwards and the speed decreases only modestly, This is where I popped along with what seemed like half the ride. It was a complete disaster, if it was the middle ages it would have been a corpse strewn battlefield and the group I was in would be the wounded slogging our way towards something but not entirely sure what. The group re-assembles at another intersection and we proceeded with another rolling melee. At a pre-determined intersection I got off with the other AABC riders for the climb back home. I was hoping for a little bit of a break on the way back up but thats not how our team rolls. If it was downhill perhaps there would be a chance but whenever the road goes up AABC's pace goes up. Got dropped twice during this chapter of the ride but it was all good natured and I love the feeling of relaxing when this type of ride is over... oh did I say relaxing? I meant going to the grocery store.

Lazy

2008-05-11T19:05:00.003-04:00

A lazy blogger am I. It isn't that I haven't been up to anything, actually been quite busy but it's getting harder and harder to be motivated enough to post regularly. Anyway I'll give a recap of the things I've been up to.

Way back on April 30 I did my second race and did pretty well. There is a Wednesday night series and I signed up for the cat 4/5 race not expecting to last too many laps (1.4 mile circuit) but weathered it out to the end and was in the top 10 when I started my sprint, passed a couple people and then got passed by a bunch of people. Pretty sweet. Average speed 24mph and 100 ft of climbing a lap is pretty fast for me.

Wednesday April 30

Moving Time (h:m:s) 0:42:38
Distance (mi ) 16.95
Moving Speed (mph) 23.9 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,392
Avg. Heart Rate 179 bpm
Temperature (°F) 56.3°F avg.
Wind Speed ( mph) NW 4.6 avg.

My brother came down and visited that following weekend and He, Kelly and I did a bit of a ride on Saturday morning to kick off the days festivities. He took out the griffen and I rode the fixie. We did an hour and I think it gave him a pretty good workout and we felt ok gorging ourselves at an eventful Nats game and an evening at the DC Improv comedy club. Check out the link for the stats

Saturday May 3

The following day Steve M. called and asked if I was interested in a short ride, I was all for it and we hiked out to Sugarloaf for a climb. The highlight of the ride was two pronged, 1) the weather was amazing! and 2) We stopped for a wine tasting at a small winery at the base of Sugarloaf after the climb. In addition to the wine Steve and I dominated a platter of cheese. Now if you know me I really am not into cheese at all, something about the day and the time I guess and I was in. By the end of the estimated 1/2 pound of cheese however I am back to my previous position of anti-cheese... normalcy restored.

Sunday May 4

Kinda skipping the tedium of writing about training rides I'll skip up to the present and near past. Saturday I did a race, which is cool and all but I'm not really into racing a crit in near flooding conditions. It was raining hard and we were posting pretty insane lap speeds on the flat 6 turn course. Unfortunatly I can't really share what I actually did because I never pressed start on my computer. Doh! But as far as the race went I was in a group of about 6 guys off the front for almost the whole race, there was about 4 guys doing work and I was one of them. The wheel suckers where being taunted but perhaps I should have been one of them because with three laps to go after a pull I died... I was feeling good and then I was feeling bad. Really bad. So I got dropped, did a lap by myself and a lap with some other guys and finished after my half hour smarter and stronger.

After the race Kelly and I went into Frederick where we were going to meet Steve and Eva for a particularly hard ride. I kept walking to keep the stiffness from creeping into my legs after the race and really didn't feel bad at all, c'mon it really was only half an hour! After a bite to eat the four of us headed out on an exelent ride spent going up and down. Check out the elevation profile on this one (The Catoctin Climber) ...

And here is the route for those interested...

View Larger Map

I must say one thing... Harp hill (Mile 10) is a killer... one of the hardest things I've done, certainly the hardest thing Kelly has ever done and she was a super star up it keeping the motor running all the way to the top. Again this thing was nasty.

Today (Sunday) I went out with the team for a ball breaker ride after the Saturday I put myself through. It was a joint ride with ABRT that seemed to be focused on climbing. We took a textured ride to Sugarloaf and I did two laps on the sucker while those feeling the love did three. Motionbased Link.

So lets briefly recap the weekend.

>10,000 ft of climbing
7.5 hours in the saddle
1 race.
Sore legs.

Monday will be interesting.

Weekend Riding

2008-04-27T19:55:00.002-04:00

Saturday I was still feeling the effects of the week in my legs so I went on a ride with the Kdog. We did a chill 20 miles and called it a day. Sunday was a bit harder riding with the guys. Harder, colder and wetter. It was pretty miserable but since the suffering existed there was something other the weather to concentrate on. We did a reconnaissance on the Poolsville Race course and the Murad course and booked it home because Doug had a spousal deadline to meet.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:35:06
Distance (mi ) 49.70
Moving Speed (mph) 19.2 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +2,310
Avg. Heart Rate 162 bpm
Temperature (°F) 55.4°F avg.
Wind Speed ( mph) NE 7.1 avg.

Weekday Workouts

2008-04-24T21:01:00.002-04:00

Been pretty active during the week, Did an hour's worth of intervals on Tues, Hard ride with a co-worker on Wed (about two hours and 57% of that time was in the winter's zone 5... I don't even know if that is good for me) and an hour's worth of easy spin on Thurs. I am wrecked right now, it's kinda nice.

Fast Saturday

2008-04-19T13:43:00.004-04:00

Went out with the guys and did an "easy" pace because most of them were racing tomorrow. Dang dude, it was the fastest ride I've ever been on! It was really nice out and there were a bunch of riders to keep the conversation good. It has been a while since I've been on a AABC ride and they have been racing a lot so I was afraid that I wasn't going to be able to pull my weight but perhaps some time not riding with them made me stronger because I felt really good today. I didn't even have a tough time mustering the motivation to go on a hike with Kelly and Wilbur after. Good times, now I just need to get in some races before they fill up and get even faster!

Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:15:33
Distance (mi ) 44.91
Moving Speed (mph) 19.9 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) 2,708
Avg. Heart Rate 165 bpm
Temperature (°F) 61.4°F avg.
Wind Speed ( mph) ENE 1.9 avg. ENE 5.8 max.

Activity LINK

Falling behind

2008-04-12T13:23:00.002-04:00

I haven't been good about updating my blog recently... I have some catching up to do and I think I'll just post the links to my public workouts from garmin to quickly return to the present.

GM Groupride Road Biking 8-Apr-08
Letchworth MTB Mountain Biking 7-Apr-08
NIST Training Road Biking 2-Apr-08
NIST Training Road Biking 1-Apr-08
Sunday Sugarloaf Road Biking 30-Mar-08
AABC Team Ride Road Biking 29-Mar-08

Thursday Intervals

2008-03-27T19:58:00.002-04:00

It wasn't as nice out today, in fact it was raining, so out with the fixie and a workout to suit it. My health seems to be holding, lets hope this foul weather outing doesn't ruin it.

Turning The Corner

2008-03-26T19:10:00.002-04:00

Today is the first day in a long time that I feel like I'm not sick. I've been oscillating between kinda sick and sick since I got back from Colorado! On top of feeling well the weather is incredible. I did some cadence work and some sprint/recovery work. Exellent.

Manic Monday

2008-03-24T21:31:00.003-04:00

Today I had off courtesy of some dead guy (isn't that always the story, I'm not complaining about it I like days off) and I took the opportunity to go for a big ride, my first one since I've been sick. I also decided to go on some new roads... with hills on them (hills not mountians, it's maryland people) and with wind! I'm working on dominating in the gusts. The ride went well and pretty much destroyed me, so I feel good.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 3:10:00
Distance (mi ) 54.32
Moving Speed (mph) 17.2 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +4,562
Avg. Heart Rate 167 bpm
Temperature (°F) 48.2°F avg.
Wind Speed ( mph) NNW 10.0 avg.

View Larger Map

Update

2008-03-19T21:48:00.001-04:00

Finished my first race post.

First Race

2008-03-17T20:36:00.007-04:00

Saturday still with a cold and haven't been on the bike since last Saturday (before that I was only on the bike the weekend before that, sickness can hold a guy down) I got Kelog and Wilbur in the car with my griffen and we went down to the University of Maryland for the UMD President's Crit. The weather was supurb, not taking into account the wind. I warmed up for 20 minutes or so checking out the course with Steve (another AABC rider who rode this last year) It was at this point that I realized two things. 1) I had too many clothes on (leg and arm warmers were overkill) and 2) I forgot my cycle computer. Sorry no stats I'm bumming too.

After shedding my warmers I lined up with 49? other guys, every single one of them eager to get into the first turn with a good spot since this is the type of course that early positioning means something. The gun went off and even though I was three rows back had no problem getting somewhere in the top 10 before the first turn which was the sketchiest turn in the whole race.

After that effort and getting through turn 1 alive (just barely) there is a slight downhill and the wind hit me square in the face and I had to sprint (again) just to keep the wheel in front of me. This was a common occurrence, every time I went through this turn I had to FIGHT for a wheel! Every single time it was out of the saddle and sprint while I'm watching guys shed me and just power through it like it was nothing. I blame it on the fact that I'm a little guy and it seemed that the other guys were all at least 6ft. Of course being small also has some advantages in that after that 300 meter section of windblown sprint (and losing position almost every lap here) was the climb and that unfortunately was where I recovered and not made moves but I'll take some recovery anytime over survival sprinting. After the climb came the twisties (and where it got fast again every lap), There was a tight chicane and then two 90 degree turns in quick succession leading into a downhill. Another chance for recovery but it had to be smart, if I stayed too close to a wheel I'd have to slam on the brakes for the 90 at the bottom of the hill, and if I let too big of a gap form someone would try to move into it. A dark art I guess but after a few laps I got the hang of it and it turned out to be the best place for me to work up in the field as bike handling is a strong point of mine and I could accelerate through the turn while others were braking which gave me a sweet advantage through the 600m start/stop straight (thank you mtn biking).

I don't know how many laps I did, but I did hear the bell that signaled the last lap. The plan was just to sit in the group I was in for the whole lap and then bust a real sprint after the final turn. Good plan and I was stoked when I out sprinted everyone to the line. I took a cool down lap even though I didn't want to. I was spent and that's when I started coughing up a lung, something I continued though the next two days and in some capacity am still doing just that (just less phlegm comes up with each hack).

So in the end I feel pretty good about what I did (somewhere between 10th and 20th) and know I can improve. Things I think I'm weak in is recovery after short hard efforts and keeping on the big guys wheels when the wind is coming in strong.

EPIC Baby

2008-03-08T14:25:00.002-05:00

When I woke up to the sound of rain I wasn't too excited about going out for a ride and took my time waking up. I had the 24 hour flue on wednesday and have been having the painful throat cold so I had kinda resigned to not going out but when I was taking Wilbur out for some potty action one of the guys from the team rode by. I felt embarrassed that I wasn't going to go out so when I went inside I changed into sucky weather riding clothing and put my game face on. I selected the fixie given that I still don't want to dirty up the griffen as it is still so shiny and clean. When I started it was mostly drizzling by a half an hour in it was POURING!!! I am talking sheets of rain! I thought about turning around but it was just too badass to give up! During the whole ride the rain came in fits sometimes hard and sometimes not at all and highly inconsistent. After about an hour I was feeling really good, the temps were nice and I never felt the slightest bit chilly and a few times was approaching hot but overall highly comfortable minus the fact that I was soaking to the bone. I went solo on the fixie route I sometimes take with a group and despite the weather and the sole soul in the wind I posted my fastest average speed on the ride! I think I actually didn't work as hard overall because I wasn't chasing down everyone with gears on the flats and downhills but also not waiting for them on the climbs so it evened out my pace. I can honestly say that most of the time I am not inspired to work hard on a long solo ride but thinking about all the spring classics and the horrible weather the pro's endure I kept myself honest (I had to live up to a hardcore self image I imagined myself having today). Anyway it isn't something I would want to do every week, it just worked for me today.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:24:20
Distance (mi ) 41.64
Moving Speed (mph) 17.3 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +2,890
Avg. Heart Rate 162 bpm
Temperature (°F) 45.2°F avg.
Wind Speed ( mph) WSW 3.4 avg.

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Sunday Team Ride

2008-03-02T14:43:00.002-05:00

I got my bike back from the shop yesterday and it is CLEAN! I got my cables replaced, brake pads replaced. New fizik bartape with the gel pads, and my rear wheel rebuilt... of course that was not without complications but the bike is back and looking good so what better way to welcome it back into the fold then by getting destroyed by the team on a lovely sunday morning? I felt really good today and did rather well, I didn't ever get dropped very badly but the rest of the guys did a torture fest yesterday that I didn't have a bike to partake along with them but there is always next week! It was a pretty fast ride for 50 miles (for me) but the sun can do things that make you forget the pain.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:33:19
Distance (mi ) 46.90
Moving Speed (mph) 18.4 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +3,525
Avg. Heart Rate 165 bpm Zone 3.4
Temperature (°F) 33.8°F avg.
Wind Speed ( mph) NW 6.1 avg.

Update...

2008-02-28T21:28:00.002-05:00

Added another chapter to the ColoRADo post.

Fixie Sunday

2008-02-24T21:00:00.002-05:00

Ooh I haven't been on my bike in a while and I felt it today. I was the only fixie rider on a fixie oriented ride... go figure... not only that there was a tandem too... huh? tandems are the opposite of fixed gear bikes. They go wicked fast on the downhills and wicked slow on the uphill. Does not make for an organized ride but it went alright and I was whipped by the time I rolled home. When I checked the average speed was a bit higher than the other two times I've done this ride. Granted I didn't do a torture session on Sat but still it was more than I was expecting. The weather was pretty nice but I'm ready to go on a ride without my jacket and legwarmers.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 3:13:44
Distance (mi ) 52.61
Moving Speed (mph) 17.1 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +3,540
Avg. Heart Rate 161 bpm
Temperature (°F) 37.8°F avg.
Wind Speed ( mph) SW 3.7 avg.

ColoRADo

2008-02-21T20:32:00.007-05:00

So I've never been to Colorado apart from the hour spent in the Denver airport for some random layover. That has changed... Kelly and I spent a couple of days in the mountains with the ever awesome Barron of Blood Lord Johnifer Gerweck and the supremely pleasant dutchess of Crispin Lady Leslie. Off the plane (which was late) as we were gathering our packages John and arm candy jumped us and stuffed us into a casket that had a weird swedish name on it and in oxygen deprived environment I thought it read Mule but I'm not sure that's entirely accurate. I do know that it did not create a lot of wind noise and had significant carrying volume. After being subjected to the ancient torture ritual somewhat obscurely known as "starving" the nobles allowed us some pizza from a small Breckenridge joint but by then my head was swimming from the lack of oxygen. I didn't think I was going to make it, breathing became something I had to concentrate on and sleeping in said condition is nigh on impossible.

To Be Continued... I'm tired and want to go to bed.

After the reluctant refueling we were chain ganged around the town to ensure our nobles had sufficient equipment for the planned excursion up the mountian the following day. When we finally made our way to dinner (there was significant debate weather we were even up for dinner) another rude trick was played on us! We weren't the only ones in the town that desired a bit of the dinner meal, in fact there was no place to eat that didn't have at least an hour wait! In fact one of the options was really unforgivably rude in turning us away, literally laughing in the Lady's face when it was inqired how long the wait was to eat. The employee was chastised and sent on his way, I hope he doesn't have a job anymore, he certainly hurt the public perception of the establishment. We eventually sat down at a mediocre resturant "RastaPasta" yea I thought you might appreciate the name. After the dinner we went to our cabin for a nightcap of cookies, somehting that became a nightly treat. Once we turned in for the night I had the most active night in a while between the urination brakes (apparently somehting that happens at altitude) and then every so often I would wake up gasping for air, just not used to the low oxygen content.

TBC.

Take III

The next day was the first day we expected to go skiing and we attired appropriatly and John went and purchased a helmet by the time he and Leslie came back from breakfast. I'm a big fan of helmuts and was surprised when I found out that John didn't use one but I don't think it was cool (or even available) when he was shredding east coast so he is forgiven. By the way if you are worried that helmuts won't be comfortable and won't be warm enough you will be wrong on the latter and it takes a couple of tries to find the right style and right size for your knoggin on the former.

So we walked into town from our cabin (about 3 blocks) and picked up the free ski bus that took us to the gondola that ferries us up to the bottom of peak 8. We ferried ourselves up the mountian just following John like lemmings albiet I was very slow due to my new rub wax job I had done earilier in the morning. Actually it was the single most pain in the ass thing the whole trip was all the traversing we did on Sunday. These mountians are huge compared to what I'm normally on and to get where John wanted us to ride takes a while and involves many flats which on a sticky snowboard is not fun at all. We skiied until lunch and went to the lodge to find a packed lodge with no place to sit. After much bullying and a few turf wars we got a table and commenced re-neutritioning. Coming back out we really started to feel the cold. Actually mostly what we felt was the wind and all the snow it was carrying! It felt like your face was going to be burned off even with a balakva on! We didn't last much longer but even though I just complained about the various things during the day the snowboarding was quite rad and we had done a significant amount of it. So it was with a satisfied air we left the mountian and descended to our quarters.

Dinner went much smoother and we got a table at a BBQ joint (something I have just gotten into) which served up significant portions of exelent faire. Down the hatch! then it was off to the cookie joint for the day 2 round of icing cookie sandwitches. It's really disapointing when you buy $20+ of cookies and can't finish them, they are so good but there is only so much stuffing one can do. Other than dinner sleeping was the other huge improvement on our second night, I only had to get up once! I was so stoked!

The next morning we collectively decided instead of walking to the mountain that we had down the street we would drive 40 or so minutes to Vail. I know this doesn't sound very smart but in reality Breckenridge was calling for a COLD COLD day and Vail is the king (perhaps prince)of colorado skiing was looking pretty good weather wise. We were not dissapointed! First of all my board was much faster today (all the excess was removed by friction) The weather was way way nice and the Mountian was huge with tons of great terrain! John took us a couple of peaks into the behmouth know as vail and skiied a lot of ungroomed acerage. I have never seen so much open skiing, let alone available right from the lift. It was incredible and We all destroyed ourselves (yours truely especially) keeping the turns coming.

TBC

But before you get all upset check out some pictures HERE.

Saturday AABC Ride

2008-02-09T13:14:00.000-05:00

So I knew it was coming, I had fair warning...

Chip, Cat2 sprinter extraodinare started out the listserve like this:

The usual rides this weekend? Looking to go hard on sat.

Then Ron responds:

I would be up for a good hard ride Sat as well, maybe even a bit longer than usual.

Then the rest of the team chimes in and everyone is excited... except me.

I know what is coming and it isn't going to feel good... whole lotta pain coming my way. The ride started off innocent enough, good tempo and no VO2 sprints up the hills. There were 10 guys out too, we looked pretty badass going down the road. With so many people it was pretty easy to just ride wheels and be smart prepping for a hurting later on. After about 20 miles or so the velocity climbed way up and it started raining. Pretty hardcore, I was feeling good and stayed on wheels through it all. The pace ratcheted up again at around 30 miles until 40 miles. As it was slightly downhill the average speed though that 10 mile section was pushing 40mph. And thats when I burned out. I was in the red zone for too long and my legs were destroyed. Add insult to injury as we are regrouping down the road I got caught unawares and failed to go over train tracks square and since it was raining and everything was soaked I went down. I wasn't the only one, really embarrassing though since I feel that I have pretty good bike handling skills, just got caught not paying attention after being beat down. No bike damage and bodily damage was limited to slight road rash on my arm and I'll have a good shiner on my hip tomorrow. The rest of the ride was quite difficult for me just because my legs felt like lead. So much work to get them to move, probably inundated with as much lactic acid as they have ever seen. Getting home was a challenge there was this awful headwind though through the efforts of Ron to shield me from a lot of it I got home. Downed a pint of chocolate milk, a clif bar and cold tea and climbed into the shower... so good. I didn't charge up the garmin so I don't have anything pretty to show off, you'll just have to believe me when I say it was everything I thought it was going to be... an epic sufferfest.

Sunday Fixie Fix

2008-02-03T15:28:00.000-05:00

Today I did the same fixie ride as last week but the ride was quite a bit faster. It was also quite a bit warmer. I felt really good finally shaking off my soreness from the Thursday run. I spent a significant time in the wind pulling, I forgot what it was like to not be behind someone all ride, you can see a lot more when your heart rate isn't maxed out while desperately trying to keep on the wheel ahead of you.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 3:07:40
Distance (mi ) 49.68
Moving Speed (mph) 16.7 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +3,271 / -3,238
Temperature (°F) 47°F avg. 51.8°F high
Wind Speed ( mph) NW 3.8 avg. NW 4.6 max.

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All American Ride

2008-02-02T21:15:00.000-05:00

Today we went out at a bit more tempered pace which was nice. The ride turned out to focus on climbing which is what I'm need but not exactly good at it so I got the hurt put on. My legs hurt.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 3:05:50
Distance (mi ) 52.93
Moving Speed (mph) 17.1 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +4,580
Avg. Heart Rate 163 bpm
Temperature (°F) 33.8°F avg.
Wind Speed ( mph) SSW 4.6 avg.

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PPTC Fixie Ride

2008-01-27T17:00:00.000-05:00

Today was quite different from yesterday. Firstly it was significantly warmer (I did go out at 10 vs 7) secondly I rode my fixed gear and thirdly I didn't ride with the All American guys. The ride was advertised as a fixie focused ride for 40-50 miles @16-18 mph. Sounded good, I showed up and there was only one other fixie rider and the rest were on bikes whose price tags were on average I'd guess $6G. Oh well I went along with it and wasn't disappointed. Enjoyable romp around Montgomery county on roads I haven't been on in quite some time and the weather was great.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 3:11:41
Distance (mi ) 50.22
Moving Speed (mph) 15.7 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +3,413
Avg. Heart Rate 152 bpm
Temperature (°F) 37°F avg.
Wind Speed ( mph) NNW 6.3 avg.

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Cold Saturday AABC Team Ride

2008-01-27T16:31:00.000-05:00

Today was the first day the balaclava got brought out. It was 22F when we started and by the time we got back it had passed the 30 degree mark. Good times.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:38:22
Distance (mi ) 46.57
Moving Speed (mph) 17.6 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +5,310
Avg. Heart Rate 165 bpm

Sunday Hiking at Harpers Ferry

2008-01-21T20:59:00.000-05:00

Today we did a great hike at Harpers Ferry climbing the hill that overlooks the town. It was pretty substantial and put in about 6 miles and 1500 vertical feet. Check out the pictures... It was about 20 Deg F and windy!

Saturday AABC Training Ride

2008-01-21T20:36:00.000-05:00

Today was the first time since I got back from holiday vacation that I lasted the whole ride with the guys, that's something I guess. The first hour of the ride was pretty brutal with James out front hammering for just about the entire time. When James turned towards home though things mellowed out a bit, not that I really got a break though!

Moving Time (h:m:s) 3:20:59
Distance (mi ) 57.33
Moving Speed (mph) 17.1 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +5,126
Avg. Heart Rate 169 bpm
Temperature (°F) 33.8°F avg.
Wind Speed ( mph) SSE 2.0 avg.

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First Fixie Ride

2008-01-14T21:10:00.000-05:00

Just got the sweetest fixie, some would call it ugly, I think it's the coolest. Anyway, Yesterday was a pretty substantial ride and I was nervous about riding with two seasoned fixie riders but it went well and I had a great time. The weather was great and the roads were top shelf. Today I'm really really sore, it seems every muscle in my legs and butt is sore, walking is a challange. Good times.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 3:13:23
Distance (mi ) 47.93
Moving Speed (mph) 14.9 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +3,157
Avg. Heart Rate 159 bpm
Temperature (°F) 37.2°F avg.
Wind Speed ( mph) NE 4.5 avg.

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Saturday AABC Ride

2008-01-05T20:53:00.000-05:00

Today was pretty chilly as we set off but as the ride continued it warmed substantially and by the end of the ride temperatures were approaching 40. I stayed with the group for longer than this past Sunday (an hour and a half) and I attribute this to losing 5 of the 10 lbs I gained over the holiday. I also like to think that putting on wicked heavy conti 25 4 season tyres have slowed me down... there's a possibility right? After I got dropped I went for a while and then noticed I didn't have any liquid water left... it was all ice and 20 miles from home I wasn't happy about it. I made it but was pretty destroyed for it.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 3:30:09
Distance (mi ) 57.45
Moving Speed (mph) 16.4 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +5,409 / -5,355
Avg. Heart Rate 165 bpm
Temperature (°F) 28.8°F avg. 35.6°F high

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Bob shows and pulls Jeff around

2007-12-31T20:01:00.000-05:00

Today I'm pretty sore but determined to rectify my fitness situation. Looking at the weather it was supposed to be sunny and 50... at noon. At 7:30 it was 30 and since it rained a bit the night before there were some slick sections. Bob and Ron showed up but Ron was in civvies and declared it too unsafe for his liking and bid Bob and I farewell. The first half hour was quite scary, especially crossing the white lines on the side of the road. Bob taught me not to pedal when crossing a line, I found out why. Pedalling on the line causes some crazy fishtailing as if you were on a set of rollers! We both stayed up so that was excellent. The rest of the ride was nice, it is the first time I've ridden in pure sun in a while and the sun always makes you feel good. It was a short ride but we got on roads that I haven't been on and I spent a significant portion of it in zone 5 (see below) and I didn't do any pulling. Bob the taskmaster kept me in pain while prancing up the hills acting as if he was concerned with my welfare (I know better). Apres ride Kelly and I met Lara and her boyfriend Steve downtown and went to the Corcoran Gallery for the Ansel Adams and Anne Lebovitz exhibit. Badass. Tonight kill some baileys and some cake then go to bed early!

Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:38:41
Distance (mi ) 28.52
Moving Speed (mph) 17.3 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +2,235
Avg. Heart Rate 169 bpm
Temperature (°F) 32.3°F avg.
Wind Speed ( mph) SSE 3.9 avg.

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It's been a while and I am paying for it.

2007-12-31T18:30:00.000-05:00

I haven't been on a bike since Dec. 8th! First sickness and then vacation in upstate put a hold on everything. Adding to my woe was the 16 million cookies, 2 million beers, and 100's of gallons of ice cream I consumed during all the holiday festivities. I am now roughly 10lbs heavier and the cardiovascular portion of my being has gotten somewhat used to doing nothing. So when I got back into town and went for a ride with the guys I got powned! I lasted a half an hour and then unhitched for good. The weather was fine, no wind but it was cooler than I was planning on (the day before was 50!) It was fine I took it easy and tooled around eventually getting to sugarloaf and forcing myself up it. It dawned on me how bad it was when I looked down at the spedometer and saw 5mph! ouch. The decent was wonderful and the new conti 4 season 25's did a a marvelous job keeping me stuck to the road. I kept myself out for roughly three hours (in before it started raining) and when I got back to the Starbucks Ron and Bob were still around so I stepped in to hang (and get roasted by the two of them for my pathetic performance!). Got home showered ate and then got hauled to Leesburg with the OL. What fun.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:53:24
Distance (mi ) 43.84
Moving Speed (mph) 15.2 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +4,885
Avg. Heart Rate 146 bpm Zone 2.2
Temperature (°F) 36.8°F avg.

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VO2 and Sickness goin on

2007-12-17T21:01:00.000-05:00

I'm sick right now, crazy inflamed throat, stuffed nose, cough, headache, tired and end of year deadlines at work up the wazoo. But that's not why I'm posting, I just wanted to get the last thing I did before sickness felled me... VO2/metabolic test. I had a health/wellness fair at work and under that guise they allowed an opportunity to do the aforementioned test at a reasonable price. I jumped on board and had a go. The drawback is that it was done on a treadmill and doing it on a trainer wasn't an option. I haven't been on a treadmill in ages, and I don't know if I have ever gone to the top end of my HR on one so I was rather terrified at the start (my HR actually went down before it went up when the test entirely attributed to my nerves). The test lasted for about 12 minutes and basically involved me working harder each minute until my HR plateaued. At the end my legs were shot but I wasn't entirely wasted, I don't know if that's how it's supposed to be but my HR was also well under what I regularly goto on rides (a run vs ride disparity?) Once the tech was done she was quite surprised at how little fat I appear to burn... essentially none. She explained that she has never seen such little fat usage in a somewhat fit person. The idea is that it is much easier/more efficient to run on fat during endurance events than only carbs. She asked how much I gu during my workouts and how much weight I drop per workout... I gu alot and I can drop 7lbs on a 4hour ride... and I'm a skinny guy. She went on to guess that I have such little body fat... is that possible? that my body relies solely on carbs for energy... I don't know I'm not the expert but while I am skinny I have a hard time believing I'm that skinny. I pound burgers, ice cream and cookies like it's going out of style! Anyway regardless she suggested I eat more and do low intensity intervals (zone 1 to 2 and back) to try to convince my body to use more fat.

Check out the results HERE

Sunday Rain Again!

2007-12-09T14:37:00.000-05:00

I woke up got all dressed with every intention of riding outside, yesterday when I checked the weather it said that it was going in to be cold and cloudy which would have been a welcome forecast compared to yesterday however looking outside completely demoralized me... rain. I still continued to get ready and at some point I just sat down in the couch... not to get up until Kelly came down to get ready for a spinning class. I ditched the outside ride idea and embraced a spinning class idea. Did about an hour's worth of work in only a shirt and shorts ! Sweet! Tomorrow I don't have to work, perhaps I'll do a longer ride on the fixie!

Rainy Ride

2007-12-09T13:45:00.000-05:00

Cold and wet wasn't so fun. If I had worn some foot gear I probably would have been quite comfortable but it wasn't so. After an hour or so and being soaked completely through my feet were in pain, cold pain. Wiggling hurt and wasn't doing anything for me. About six miles from the ride end we had to stop at an intersection and I put my foot down... it felt like a wooden appendage. After the final climb James got a flat (he also got one last Sunday!) and we all stopped I could hear air leaking but James already had his tube out, everyone thought I was crazy but I started listening to all the wheels and discovered that Ron's was also leaking! Ron shot off hoping to make it back to the Kentlands before a roadside tube exchange was necessary and we followed. Ron got back alright and we settled down in Starbucks for some warm fluids and I pulled my shoes off to try and warm my feet. OOOOH so much pain... I really need a bath to fix this problem! I bid everyone goodbye (but not before picking up pieces of the team kit I'll be sporting now) and went the two blocks to my house, which I discovered didn't hold anyone else and I didn't have a key (yea, second time in as many weeks). That didn't make me happy, I'm cold, wet, gritty mouth and dirty as hell (gotta love rainy days) and I can't get into my f'ing house!!! I take a chance and go over to Bally's (one block away) with the hope that Kelly is working out inside and not out running in the rain (she's not a moron like other people I know). I was in luck and after getting made fun of by the lady at the desk for my looks (dirty grimy gritty tight cycling clothes) and Kelly for my persistant lack of remembering keys as well as my grey face (grey as in dried dirt grey) I got a key, went home and took a really long hot shower.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:43:20
Distance (mi ) 30.84
Moving Speed (mph) 17.9 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +2,408
Avg. Heart Rate 167 bpm
Temperature (°F) 36°F avg.
Wind Speed ( mph) ENE 0.9 avg.

Clothing: Thin hat, long sleeve baselayer, Giordana Forma Jacket, Descente Mitten gloves, 2 chamois, Long johns, legwarmers. Could have beefed up thumb heat and really needed some booties!

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Sunday hitting the Maryland rollers

2007-12-04T20:24:00.000-05:00

James and Ron were at the ride in the morning... partially. Apparently they both had significant quantities of mind altering fluids on Saturday night causing erratic lines and questionable bike handling on Sunday morning. Quite entertaining... when I wasn't above threshold (a total of about ten minutes). The ride was sweet lot's of rollers which work me over and I feel like I'm getting stronger. Going out to Clarksburg is always a challenge and I love it.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:18:34
Distance (mi ) 42.68
Moving Speed (mph) 18.5 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +3,562
Avg. Heart Rate 162 bpm
Temperature (°F) 36.2°F avg.
Wind Speed ( mph) SSE 7.3 avg.

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Saturday AABC Ride

2007-12-04T20:12:00.001-05:00

First time back on the bike since the Ithaca to Syracuse ride and it wasn't painless. In fact I got destroyed, good thing Travis was around or I'd be all by myself. We did the standard ride, apparently Matt never gets tired of the route... that's ok, I don't mind I'm in too much pain most of the time to even care.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:54:11
Distance (mi ) 51.83
Moving Speed (mph) 17.9 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +4,984
Avg. Heart Rate 167 bpm
Temperature (°F) 38°F avg.
Wind Speed ( mph) NNW 13.4 avg.

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Saturday Ithaca to Syracuse

2007-11-25T18:44:00.000-05:00

Jeff and I planned out a rather ambitious route hitting as many hills as possible while keeping the distance between points reasonable. There were really four drop dead hills during the ride that had unbelievable grades. The first was Skinner hill which topped out at 18%, with three steep pitches and comprised the single most elevation gain of the day. Next was a slow steady climb up Ripley hill which provided ample time to take in some stunning views of the lake. Next up was Otisco witch was pretty rude from the outset but didn't last too long, just long enough for me to really hate it. The next portion of the ride was the most enjoyable, enjoyable in that I really wished I had a camera. The following decent was quite rigorous on the brakes and I look forward to the day I go up it. The next climb was the consistent type, long constant grade bottom to top, It must be the max for a NYS Route, averaging 12% over two miles. The next climb was at mile 70... Frank Long Road see my other post for more of a description. Bottom line. I actually had to walk up some of it... oh the embarrassment. DuBois had the kick and like the previous climbs, dominated me. The way back down into Syracuse was wonderful... All down hill.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 5:06:07
Distance (mi ) 77.10
Moving Speed (mph) 15.1 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +7,108
Avg. Heart Rate 153 bpm
Temperature (°F) 30.5°F avg.
Wind Speed ( mph) SSE 8.1 avg.

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View Ride Details

Download Google Earth File here

Sunday No Rain Ride

2007-11-18T17:38:00.000-05:00

Today it was supposed to rain but when I got up it wasn't so I got ready with my normal gear but when I was leaving to meet the guys it was sprinkling. I quickly shed clothing and put my mtn shell on. I think the most rain that jacket saw was heading over to the ride. I got to remember that this isn't Rochester! Anyway the jacket was quite breathable and so I wasn't too uncomfortable, the biggest issue was that it was a bit bulkier than I would have liked and flapped a bit whilst we were hauling ass... oh and that it really offended Ron's sense of style, he went so far as to offer to stop by his house so I could wear a "cycling" jacket. By his own admission: Euro Elitist. Ron's a good guy though and is letting me borrow a set of rollers to f myslef up on, that should be interesting.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:00:20
Distance (mi ) 37.31
Moving Speed (mph) 18.6 avg. 40.8 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +2,800
Avg. Heart Rate 163 bpm
Temperature (°F) 43.4°F avg. 44.6°F high
Wind Speed ( mph) WSW 6.9 avg. WSW 8.1 max.
Jersey, Cloudveil Shell (not the best idea), mitten/gloves (too much), Shorts, Legwarmers.

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Saturday AABC Ride

2007-11-17T12:46:00.000-05:00

Big group again today which is awesome. Took a while to get warmed up though... I was dying on an early climb and set myself up to get dropped. Ron gave me the hard time I deserved. The ride got a bit more comfortable as it progressed and I felt better. New Design Rd had a good headwind for our pacelining and we ended up going almost 10mph slower through the section than we did last week. I'm adding what I wore for the day along with the weather for next year I'll have a better idea what to wear

Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:50:41
Distance (mi ) 52.40
Moving Speed (mph) 18.4 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +4,739
Temperature (°F) 40.4°F avg. 44.6°F high
Wind Speed ( mph) S 8.1 avg.
Windblocker shirt, armwarmers, legwarmers, hat, mitten/gloves...Cold at first into comfortable.

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Sunday, Small Turnout

2007-11-13T21:10:00.000-05:00

Today a lot of guys were at the cross race in Baltimore but two other guys showed up to work me over. It was shorter than a typical ride but I was ok with that as I was still in incredible pain on Monday. Nothing too special just a ride in the countryside. The one thing I will complain about though is the temp. Just look at that delta down there! when I left within 10 min my fingers and toes were wood. By the time I got home I was wet with sweat!

Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:47:09
Distance (mi ) 31.84
Moving Speed (mph) 17.8 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +2,320
Avg. Heart Rate 159 bpm
Temperature (°F) 24.8°F avg. 48.2°F high

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Saturday, good ride turnout.

2007-11-13T20:53:00.000-05:00

Today we had 8 All American riders out, it was the biggest AABC club ride I've been on. It was pretty badass to be out hogging the road like a team that knows what it's doing. The highlight of the ride was New Design Road where we paceline'd at 30 mph for about five miles and ended in a sprint. There was no way I was keeping up with the guys for the sprint but the last time we did this I got dropped in the paceline.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:38:04
Distance (mi ) 48.14
Moving Speed (mph) 18.3 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +3,561
Avg. Heart Rate 163 bpm
Temperature (°F) 41.4°F avg.
Wind Speed ( mph) NNW 8.3 avg. NNW 10.4 max.

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Thursday Spin

2007-11-09T14:43:00.000-05:00

Haven't gone spinning in quite some time but since it's dark out and I got no home trainer this is the way to get some bike time in. I forget how much you sweat during these things at the conclusion of the class I must have had about 2lbs of a salt water solution sitting under me. Avg HR: 184, Max 199.

Sunday AABC Ride with Travis

2007-11-09T14:16:00.000-05:00

Waited at the Kentlands Starbucks at the pre-arranged time for about 10 min before I decided no one else was coming headed out and up to Germantown park to meet Travis. It was warmer than Sat though not by much (about 50 avg over the ride) and the pace was a bit more tame than the typical club ride, which was enjoyable (check out my HR distribution... it's shifted way to the left!).

Moving Time (h:m:s) 3:08:29
Distance (mi ) 52.45
Moving Speed (mph) 16.7 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +5,310

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Small AABC ride with a Sugarloaf Climb

2007-11-03T15:44:00.000-04:00

This morning it was pretty cold and windy, it didn't break 50 and when we started it was about 44 an then an average wind speed of 10 mph, I feel tougher already. It was a really nice ride once you got used to cold and really this time a year with the leaves changing color it's really beautiful. Added a sugarloaf lap to the ride, something I should probably do more of.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:34:44
Distance (mi ) 43.82
Moving Speed (mph) 17.0 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +5,287
Avg. Heart Rate 171 bpm

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Halloween!!! Only in Kentlands...

2007-10-31T20:45:00.000-04:00

Yea that thing IS as big as a house and the whole ally was inundated with people... in fact all the streets were jammed packed with people... it is the closest thing to Park Ave Fest I've seen in Maryland, and it's at night. Wilbur joined in on the festivities as well, he was into the crumbs strewn all over the sidewalks, couldn't keep his head up and kept on running into people, trees and signposts. There's more pictures than just these two... Take a gander. Oh yea and I did a mtb ride before all of this brew ha ha. I finally did the whole seneca creek park loop... not that it's long it's just every other time I've tried I missed turns I needed to take.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:02:09
Distance (mi ) 10.21
Moving Speed (mph) 9.9 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,123

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October 30...

2007-10-30T20:58:00.000-04:00

Got to get ready for the high holiday tomorrow. Mine is the ghost of course.

Boo.

Down Low Glow

2007-10-28T20:40:00.000-04:00

Oh yea baby, my ride to work every morning just got a whole lot more interesting... The DLG.

the other thing I did today was walk around and cheer a bunch of insane people obsessed with crossing a finishline on their feet. I have no idea what possessed them, the sky was nice and clear (something it hasn't been in three days... 50 some days of no rain and then three straight... the apocalypse is upon us folks...) but the wind was crazy and based on no scientific measurement I'd say it was about a 12mph constant with up to 17mph gusts. ouch.

Solo Kentlands Kaper

2007-10-26T19:04:00.000-04:00

unbeknownced to me my weekly tuesday group called it quits for the year. I showed up and no one else did. I road anyway and quite quickly at that. I added a tenth of a mile an hour faster to my average speed of last week. Nothing to brag about really and probably gets lost in the uncertainty of the measurement but whatever it makes me feel good.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 0:37:52
Distance (mi ) 12.45
Moving Speed (mph) 19.7 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,314
Avg. Heart Rate 176 bpm

Sore Sunday AABC Ride (10/21/2007)

2007-10-23T20:13:00.000-04:00

This morning the legs and bottom were quite sore from the previous days effort. It was a bit chillier but I opted to keep with the same thermal scheme (thermal undershirt, jersy and shorts) with much success. The ride seemed to be flatter than the day before and I had more success staying with the group. There were two instances that I couldn't keep up with them. The first was on a long straight road with a bit of a headwind at about mile 30 where they just started cranking (thier target speed was 28) and even though I wasn't expected to pull through I couldn't keep up. The second came on Big Woods Rd. which is a slight incline (1-4%) for about 5 miles when they took off again. I'll be happy when I can stay with them during the whole ride. Overall I'm feeling better after the rides and am not dropping directly into bed or becoming essentially useless for the rest of the day. Mondays are still really tough though.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 3:00:18
Distance (mi ) 54.23
Moving Speed (mph) 18.6 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +4,886
Avg. Heart Rate 163 bpm

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After more than a week off (10/20/07)

2007-10-23T12:48:00.001-04:00

I was feeling a bit under the weather last weekend so I did nothing... really nothing. Sleep eat read movie. I figured if I'm going to give myself a fighting chance to not get really sick I might as well go for it. Today was the first time in a while that I got on a bike and didn't have sore legs which was nice but it really didn't help me keep up with the All American guys. The ride started with a bunch of climbs and I just can't match them, I need to get stronger!!! It was nice to get on a bit different roads and today we went up into Clarksburg and almost to Damascus. Eventually coming back down south of 270 the ride flattened out and I could stay with them (as long as they don't drop the hammer). The ride had really nice weather, it started out pretty cold but became just about perfect after an hour. On the flatter roads we did pace lines until I couldn't keep up and then I just rode their wheels.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:37:59
Distance (mi ) 48.56
Moving Speed (mph) 18.9 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +4,650
Avg. Heart Rate 164 bpm

Interactive Map Here

Wednesday Solo

2007-10-11T20:32:00.000-04:00

Slightly tired from Tuesday's ride but it was so nice out and I was feeling a bit antsy so I went out on a short ride. My goal for the ride was to go really hard on the uphills and take it a bit easier on the downhills. I don't know how well I actually did at this but it was something to concentrate on. I still had a pretty fast average speed which I'm happy about but I didn't have any really wicked climbs and that certainly helps.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 0:41:18
Distance (mi ) 12.80
Moving Speed (mph) 18.6 avg

Kentlands Kaper

2007-10-09T20:25:00.000-04:00

It's Tuesday and that means Kentlands Kaper! Only two other people showed up today and It's been getting darker sooner so I went out strong. I posted a personal fastest average speed on this ride, normally I can pull 18 mph by myself on the shorter routes but today I demolished it I averaged 19.6 mph! Good thing too, It started raining when I got back.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 0:41:38
Distance (mi ) 13.85
Moving Speed (mph) 19.6 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,178
Avg. Heart Rate 162 bpm

AABC Sunday Ride

2007-10-08T20:01:00.001-04:00

Today there was a bigger group than it has been going out (and the weather was nicer with lots of sun and blue sky however warm), I met two other guys at the start (Bob and Aaron) who would be joining Matt, Frank, and James. Matt thought that we should work on pacelining and suggested that it be a small ring paceline to keep everyone together so we could just work on technique. This was good for me because I've never truely been in a paceline and I have to admit it's tricky moving to the front smoothly due to the lack of eyeballs in the back of my head to see when I've cleared the guy behind my wheel. I got somewhat comfortable with it and by the end of the day I could not stay up with them, I was shot which isn't a bad thing. They waited up for me at a road and I just road their wheels for the next six miles when we got back to Kentlands.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:41:49
Distance (mi ) 49.68
Moving Speed (mph) 17.0 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +4,319

Interactive Map

Saturday Mostly with Frank Some with James

2007-10-08T18:49:00.000-04:00

Today was quite warm and quite foggy. Not excatly nice but I might as well get used to it because if I ever go back to Rochester this is what I'll be stuck with. I met James and Frank at Starbucks and we headed out. We went a good clip, soon enough my glasses were fogged over and I was soaked because of the fog/humidity. James could only do an hour and a half so he turned back while Frank and I tooled on. The sun didn't come out until well after our ride but came out early enough so that it was quite enjoyable when Kelly and I went out kayaking.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 3:01:32
Distance (mi ) 54.47

Moving Speed (mph) 18.0 avg.

Elevation Gain (ft) +5,036

Interactive Map Click Here

All American Team Ride II

2007-09-30T15:05:00.000-04:00

This morning I woke up and my legs were hurting! I was more than afraid to go out but the guys had said it would be an easier pace today go I pulled together my gear. I was the first person at Starbucks so I took a seat and waited. Two guys I haven't met showed up James and Matt they were really friendly when I introduced myself, Frank showed up and we were off. The first climb out of Riffle ford was painful but it loosened up my legs and I started to feel like I would survive the ride. The pace was noticeably tamer and I only got dropped twice and even then I wasn't dropped alone! The day was perfect for riding, cool temps, lots of sun, blue skies, and not a lot of wind. When we got back I was whipped and pumped about taking a shower. I thought my legs hurt this morning but they didn't... they do now.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 3:04:07
Distance (mi ) 53.99
Moving Speed (mph) 17.6 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +5,034
Avg. Heart Rate 159 bpm

Interactive Map

All American Bike Team Ride

2007-09-29T13:41:00.000-04:00

I am hurting right now... this was the fastest long ride I've ever done. Most of the time we were well above 20mph! The kicker is that I'm messed up tired and I did zero pulling... that's right folks I did nada. My goal for the ride was to stay with these guys but I ended up getting dropped 5 times! I just could not keep up the pace on the longer steeper climbs. There was one guy that was a cat1, a cat2, two cat 4's and me... All of these dudes were cut and fast. Today was also a "take it easy day" because two of them were racing cross tomorrow! After the ride I had a coffee with two of them and chatted a while before I rolled home to eat, shower and stretch. Frank asked if I wanted to go out tomorrow, I don't know what I was thinking but I agreed to go, I was assured that it was going to be a slower ride and it better be if I have any hope of keeping up.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 3:10:28
Distance (mi ) 59.82
Moving Speed (mph) 18.8 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +5,997
Avg. Heart Rate 168 bpm

Click Here For Interactive Map

Tuesday ride.

2007-09-26T20:15:00.000-04:00

The Tuesday ride route was still stony and barely ridable according to one rider so we headed out on a different route that took me on some roads that I haven't been on before which is good but I also got lost which wasn't good. My legs felt like logs and my upper body was really sore from lifting the day before... it wasn't my best day. I really like the loop as a replacement for the regular ride. Here are the stats.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:01:50
Distance (mi ) 18.28
Moving Speed (mph) 17.7 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,675

Interactive Map

Marlu Both Ways, 80 mile day

2007-09-22T16:34:00.000-04:00

Today was pretty hot compared to what the weather has been the past week and oooh so humid. I wasn't feeling all so solid on the ride out to the Groupride start but picked up some guys in the middle of their ride and tagged along which was a good thing because it was all into the wind. The apparent leader gave me a card to contact him and get on the ride list which was nice. When I got to the groupride I still felt sluggish and at the start of the ride some guys went out really fast and I decided I wanted nothing to do with them. By mile 10 I was riding with them and feeling much better. The pace was kept at about 20mph up until Marlu which is pretty formadable and we slowed way down. On the other side there is a rest stop, they kept on going but I had to fill my water bottles. Some other guys came in and one suggested doing the climb back up to the top, the "easy" way. I took it and 11% climb is much easier after one has pulled through 18% Since going back up the climb and to the next rest stop essentially lopes off three miles to the ride when we got to the rest stop the fast group was right behind us. I started back out with a group of three other guys, two of them were 54 and one was 60... and they were wicked fast. I was an idiot and only gu'd once during the ride and bonked about 5 miles from the ride end... which wasn't good because I had a 12 mile ride home! I made it home... pulled my clothes off and stood in the shower for a while... so nice. Got some water and a protein bar then went to bed.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 3:08:09
Distance (mi ) 55.39
Moving Speed (mph) 17.7 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +5,040
Avg. Heart Rate (bpm) 163
Temperature (°F) 84.8°F avg.
Wind Speed ( mph) SSW 3.4 avg.

Interactive ride Map

Revised Kentlands Kaper

2007-09-18T20:47:00.000-04:00

They had stoned a portion of the regular ride so we changed up the route, we went from 28 to Riffle Ford, Through Germantown Rec Park, Black rock, back to 28. A bit shorter than the normal ride and a bit slower since we didn't have que sheets and most weren't very familiar with the roads. The surprise of the evening was a Highschooler that was riding a fixie who probably could have pwned me if he knew where he was going.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 0:43:33
Distance (mi ) 12.96
Moving Speed (mph) 17.9 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,192

Long Mtb ride (09/16/07)

2007-09-18T20:31:00.000-04:00

It wasn't supposed to be like this... I just wanted to move my legs a bit after yesterday, get the heartbeat up and most importantly get on some trails with my mtb. The first part of the ride I was just looking for a trail I've hiked but have had little success finding on my bike. Eventually it was found and the ride continued. I reached a point in the ride where I could have went home but I was having fun and felt pretty good so I continued on to Shaeffer Farm where I continued my day until I realized I had been out for almost three hours. Yea my legs were on fire but they still worked! why would I go home? (this I would find out the next day at work). Almost a thrity mile ride put this weekend at 100 miles split between the road ride and this one.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:59:12
Distance (mi ) 28.21
Moving Speed (mph) 9.4 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +3,229

Link to Interactive Map

New Marlu

2007-09-15T17:29:00.000-04:00

Today was nice and cool, (67 degree ride average) Mostly sunny but WINDY!!! Whoa the first half of the ride was torture, get this the wind speed (mph) was 19.8 avg!!! 23.0 max!!! ouch. Anyway besides the wind the ride was awesome. It was the first time I had gone up Marlu the hard way (all the elevation in one push and steep... up to 18% grade steep) I was a bit nervous but it really was tame compared to the Frank Long Road in Syr. I figure if I get good at this one (Marlu) I may be able to handle FLR. I went with Chris and for a time we worked hard and took 3min pulls which was necessary in the wind if we wanted to go fast but it quickly became apparent that if we kept working that hard we were going to burn holes in our legs and not finish the ride we (I ?) wanted to do. We decided to take it easy so we could get the whole thing in and I rather enjoyed concentrating on the scenery rather than how much my legs can push. The climb went fine and I tried a different route back around which for the first time in a while went really well. The land was beautiful, the road was smooth, the shoulders were wide, what more could you ask for. Once we got back on my side of the Catoctin range we stayed with a tried and true route that brought us back home feeling on the hungry and tired side. Our local pizza shop Giuseppe's really hits the spot after these rides (today it was white pizza with meatballs and double dough meaning really thick)... so does Kelly's cookies!!!

Total Time (h:m:s) 5:14:30
Moving Time (h:m:s) 4:39:02
Distance (mi ) 72.99
Moving Speed (mph) 15.7 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) 5951

Link To Interactive MAP

Wednesday Triple Climb Lollypop

2007-09-13T18:53:00.000-04:00

Got home from work with antsy legs and went out for a ride. I did the three climbs closest (Berryville, Blackrock, Riffle) to the house the steep climb way. Kept a good average speed and would have been faster if they hadn't just stoned the Berryville decent... I hate that also it took me a couple of minutes to cross 28, I hate that too but it comes with the time and territory. I did this ride the reverse (steep decent way) two Monday's ago and had very similar results.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:04:06
Distance (mi ) 19.52
Moving Speed (mph) 18.3 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,851
Avg. Heart Rate 175 bpm

I hate/love FRANK LONG ROAD! (09/08/07)

2007-09-10T16:20:00.000-04:00

In upstate New York for the weekend for the Fey family clambake and got out on the bike with John and CJ before the debauchery. WOW, I was crushed... I really should have thought a little bit more when at mile 5 CJ asked me what gearing I was running and said he wasn't going to have it easy at ratio's better suited for steep climbing than I did (He is a cat 3 rider and is way way stronger than I am) so between mile 6 and 7 of this ride (Frank Long Road) was the steepest thing I've ever been on! The GPS says that it went up to 21% grade... disgusting... I got to the crest of the steepest section, saw how much more climbing I had to do, looked at my HRM alarming like crazy @ 205 (never been above 203 before) and got off my bike to compose myself... (compose means if I went another couple of feet I would have passed out) I draped my useless carcass over my bike and hoped my breath would return. Five minuets later I got on my bike and pedaled as hard as I could to get my bike up to 4mph and willed myself up the next rise where I promptly dismounted and had another breather... I wasn't done yet though and once I felt I could move my legs I finished it out where CJ and John were waiting for me with concerned expressions. My cardio system felt better pretty quick but my legs were heavy for ages fortunately most all of the climbing was done in that one little section of road and the vast majority of riding was downhill from there on out. It didn't hurt that it wasn't hot and there was good visibility for appreciating the agricultural land we were out on.

Total Time (h:m:s) 2:31:36
Distance (mi ) 36.21
Moving Speed (mph) 15.0 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +3,032

Interactive MAP HERE.

Tuesday Kenltands Kaper. (09/04/07)

2007-09-10T16:13:00.000-04:00

Bunch of guys I haven't ridden with today and none of the regulars (except the Gerry and Mike) . We started out casual and then when things didn't really speed up I started to push it after rt112. We got a lot quicker and by the end of the Berryville climb we were up over 17mph avg speed. Up the gradual climb Mike and I took turns pulling, I would pull on the uphill and he would on the down (he's riding a recumbent) and it worked out well. Don't really have the stats for the ride because I hadn't charged my gps but I'm guessing the average speed was around the high 17's.

Marlu With Jeffrey (09/02/07)

2007-09-03T15:34:00.000-04:00

Today Jeffrey DuBois and I went for a sweet ride in some sweet weather. I forgot to charge my gps again and so decided to break the trend and use mapmyride for mapping and elevation data. The upside to this is that you can export the raw data so you can plot anything you want as long as the data is there and you have a spreadsheet program at your disposal. However the website only sprinkles a few datapoints on the trail and uses those points along with a topo program of some sort to get you elevation data. this is all good but doesn't really give you all the elevation you actually gained with the sensitivity of a barometric altimeter such is found on my nerd gadgetry. To illustrate my point THIS is nearly the same ride and the total elevation gained is much higher. As far as stats go we have what Jeffrey gives us...

Time: 4:05:33
Dist: 70.8 miles
Avg Speed: 17.2

Interactive Map Here.

Compairable Ride Elevation HERE

Tuesday Kentlands Caper. 08/28/07

2007-09-03T12:22:00.001-04:00

There were some different faces today, Lynn and Gerry were there but so was Lynn's husband Brian (who is also very fast) and a guy I think was called Paul... Anyway started out moderatly fast and and ended pretty fast. It wasn't the fastest we've done this ride but not too shabby. I was really sore from yesterday. It was the first time Lynn hasn't beeten the snot out of me on the Berryville climb however I'm sure she could have if she wanted too, she was just coming off a race and took it moderately easy.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 0:46:44
Distance (mi ) 14.60
Moving Speed (mph) 18.7 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,116

Monday Solo 08/27/2007

2007-09-03T12:02:00.001-04:00

I got restless at work and ditched out as soon as I could, rushed home and went for a ride. I felt fairly good and went at a pretty good clip. I was sore the next day.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:04:06
Distance (mi ) 19.36
Moving Speed (mph) 18.1 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,816
Avg. Heart Rate 175 bpm

Interactive MAP

Almost to Harpers Ferry. (8/25/07)

2007-09-03T11:09:00.000-04:00

This ride was one the the more stupid things I've done this year. There were heat advisories on the radio before we started but we payed them no heed. I will next time. The average temp for the ride was 98.6 with the high topping out at 107!!!! We were hauling ass for the first portion keeping the average speed up around 17 but gradually got slower and slower as it got hotter and hotter. That final average speed is embarrassing but actually not as embarrassing as knowing I actually went out in that stuff. Our original plan called for about 70 miles of riding though even then we ended up going the wrong way (almost all the way to Brunswick!) and adding almost 20 miles on which would put us at the 90 mile mark. However at around 35 miles I was done and made the call to Kelly to come get us. Chris pulled me into Harper's Ferry and I was lucky that the road was about 90% downhill for over 8 miles. By the time we got to within a mile of Harper's ferry it was clear that we would be waiting a while for Kelly so Chris and I went further towards Brunswick. Chris who up until this point had been solid started to deteriorate just as I was rebounding. Of course it was at this point that Chris got a flat and we gave up and resigned to a wait. The ride was visually beautiful and it was cool to cross the Potomac and see about 100 tubes, rafts, and boats in the water trying to beat the heat. I brought my camera and took some PICTURES but at some point it was too painful to stop because we would lose the convective cooling from moving... and I was too spent. I want to do the actual ride in its entirety sometime soon and properly document it but for the conditions I'm glad I made it through it as well as I did!

Moving Time (h:m:s) 3:27:32
Distance (mi ) 48.64
Moving Speed (mph) 14.1 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +3,602
Avg. Heart Rate 158
Temperature (°F) 98.6°F avg 107°F high

Interactive Map HERE

Doorstep Lollypop with John (8/19/07)

2007-08-28T21:24:00.000-04:00

I was a bit sore from the day before, John said he was fine but I'm not sure what that means. We did a little lollipop with some quick elevation drops and gains while sampling the scenery available from outside my doorstep. We crossed Great Seneca Creek Six times!

Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:46:09
Distance (mi ) 27.42
Moving Speed (mph) 15.5 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +2,650
Avg. Heart Rate 155 bpm

Click Here for Interactive MAP

John and Jeff Leesburg Loop (08/18/07)

2007-08-27T21:19:00.000-04:00

The week before with Chris was mostly just a scoping mission for the VA area riding. I wanted to do something different for John and wanted to make sure we would both survive and be amply entertained. Following the good ride the week before I thought it was a go and went ahead and made three rides that we could do using the new roads. The temperature out was great but the wind was vicious (see below) and therefore stuck with a very similar route that chris and I did with the notable addition near US-15 and MD-28 we went up ballanger creek and straight towards Sugarloaf via Lily Pons (where we could see the Lily Ponds). We also passed a flower farm somewhere but I don't really know where it was. Also somewhere in VA we passed by what looked to be an Arboretum.. again, not really sure where except that we were going fast downhill. Got some pictures, click on the John mug above for a few more!

Total Time (h:m:s) 4:12:21
Distance (mi ) 54.49
Moving Speed (mph) 14.9 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +4,898
Avg. Heart Rate 149 bpm 193 max.
Wind Speed ( mph) NW 12.7 avg. NW 16.1 max.Interactive Map HERE

First Trip to VA. (08/11/07) Leesburg Loop

2007-08-27T21:14:00.000-04:00

Got this ride from the clubs' website, looked interesting so I invited Chris along for a ride. Chris nursing his foot, me nursing my knee, we went out slow but had a quality ride. My computer was dead so no pretty maps today. Going over the Ferry was a first for both of us and was quite entertaining. A short 5min and a dollar for cyclists gets you across to Virginia. Leesburg is very much a nice old VA town with what I would guess is mostly original buildings all done up southern style in downtown. You quickly get out of town and head into the country. Rolling hills galore and views of the Blue Ridge. Coming back over the Potomac on 15 was nice, it's a good view from the bike, from there we took some of the standard MD roads home. Like I said, slow day, we are still getting out legs underneath ourselves. We averaged 15.5 mph and went 58 miles (courtesy of Chris's computer)

It's been a month...

2007-08-27T21:12:00.000-04:00

So after a battle with Comcast I have internet again and hopefully will be a bit more regular again...

I won't even back up to where I left off, too much work and the rides I did were not particularly inspiring. My knee was inflamed and so I wasn't doing much except small rides and feeling sorry for myself. Let the post's begin...

I'm Back...

2007-07-22T13:51:00.000-04:00

Took some time off because my knee was bothering me a little but today I did some sweet riding... The total miliage for the day is over 80 miles, almost 7,000 ft of climbing and an average speed of around 17mph! About 24 miles of that was riding to and home from the proper groupride and since it was windy took my average speed down a bit. The groupride is nearly the same ride Chris and I did a couple of weeks ago but this time I finished it a little less than an hour faster! The groupride stats are as follows:

Moving Time (h:m:s) 3:11:43
Distance (mi ) 58.14
Moving Speed (mph) 17.5 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +5,183

Avg. Heart Rate 169 bpm

Click Here For Interactive Map

Tuesday Spinning

2007-07-11T13:09:00.001-04:00

I can't stand the spinning instructor that teaches on tuesdays, I find her offensive. Anyway, I still created a puddle of salt water under the bike and I guess that's all that matters. I forgot my HR monitor so no pretty graph today.

Sunday Ride

2007-07-08T11:30:00.000-04:00

Short ride today, I got Piet to come out and we started in my stomping ground earlier than most rides (which is good). The first half of the ride we kept about 16mph which was good because my legs felt heavy and slow still from the State College rides but I made it a point to keep my cadence up (avg 88). The second half of the ride after the rest stop (we rest stopped for about 30 seconds) we started pushing it a bit and by the end of the ride our average speed was pretty respectable, I was pumped that Piet was so strong.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:59:21
Distance (mi ) 35.08
Moving Speed (mph) 17.6 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +2,460
Avg. Heart Rate 158 bpm

Interactive Map Here

Masochistic?

2007-07-06T22:03:00.000-04:00

Oh Yea, follow a hard day on a mtn bike with a hard day on the road. Insane climbing here people (at least for me) with already burning legs... how is it even possible to complete the Tour De France? The average speed is embarassing but the elevation profile is not. Excuse the funny parts of the elevation, I had stopped the computer (on purpose this time) and forgot to start it back up again after that first climb until the bottom of the massive climb.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 3:02:06
Distance (mi ) 41.71
Moving Speed (mph) 13.7 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +4,663

Avg. Heart Rate 156 bpm

Click Here For Interactive Google Map

The Fourth!

2007-07-06T21:45:00.000-04:00

Back on my mtn bike! Yea that was a ride, something to celebrate over. Technical trails, some roots, lots of rock gardens and plenty of elevation to keep the legs burning. I wasn't so smooth at certain points and as a result my bike took a beating. I lost a shifter pod lever and my rear wheel is way out of true on top of that I kept on stopping my computer accidentally (the weird portions of the elevation graph are a manifestation of this). The shifter I thought was going to be a pain (it was for the rear cassette) but I found a good gear and just three speeded for about 60% of the ride. Even without the gearing I kept up with the local hard-men and ladies and didn't embarass myself into the city softie role that I am somewhat accustom to... good thing I've been road riding a lot recently. The stats don't really say much for the terrain and the views, awesome and excellent respectively or actually interchangeably. Thanks Meredeth, Rena, Jen, Josh, Brian, Steve and Luca.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:56:13
Distance (mi ) 17.76
Moving Speed (mph) 6.0 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +3,349
Avg. Heart Rate 156 bpm

Interactive Google Map Click Here

Saturday...

2007-06-30T18:21:00.000-04:00

Today was pretty crappy... I woke up went to work. I got home all excited to go riding but Kelly only wanted to do a short ride. We do a short ride (About 20 miles) and my knee starts bothering me. Damn, won't this pain ever go away, it really bums me out.

Kentlands Kaper

2007-06-26T21:47:00.000-04:00

Faster again! This was the short weekday ride but it's the fastest I've gone on it too. I think we had some help from the wind though and can't get too excited about my prowess. Didn't have too much trouble getting my heart rate up this ride either.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 0:43:47
Distance (mi ) 14.60
Moving Speed (mph) 20.0 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,101
Heart Rate (bpm) 175 avg. 198 max

Monday painful push/pull

2007-06-25T19:28:00.000-04:00

Still sore from Friday (so was Yaak) we decided to increase our suffering by lifting again. Glutton for punishment? maybe.

Sunday Groupride

2007-06-25T19:02:00.000-04:00

Still wicked sore from my Friday workout I went on a short group ride starting out of Laytonsville. We went fast!! It was pretty sweet. Add the 11 miles it took me to get out there (I was a wuss and had Kelly bring me home... hey I had a wedding to go to!) and I got 50 in, all before noon. 19.2 is my fastest average yet.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:06:33
Distance (mi ) 40.50
Moving Speed (mph) 19.2 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +3,156
Avg. Heart Rate 165 bpm

Lazy Saturday

2007-06-23T18:38:00.000-04:00

Kelly and I took Wilbur to the park. He still has a bit of a cold but he was way into it. He was running around, crashing into things left and right. We went for about four miles and the dude was still going strong. I didn't feel like doing anything else the rest of the day, I finished a book and watched a movie. Simple things.

Pushing/Pulling

2007-06-22T13:49:00.000-04:00

Lifted some weights, I'm going to hurt tomorrow. I haven't lifted in a long time and I didn't take it easy... I'm kinda scared.

Thusday Spin

2007-06-21T21:02:00.000-04:00

It was raining out, though the temp was quite nice, I went indoors to sweat in the spinning room. I was pumped I got a bike right in front of the large industrial strength fan thus minimizing the puddle/pond that typically forms beneath me and kept me cool... ahh the luxury. I again had problems getting the HR up. Is it because my cardio is no longer the weak link in the equasion? Need to get some more leg strength to equalize the effort? I donno. Here is a plot of today's and today's vs selected spinning efforts over the past two months. For the combined plot the Red trace is again today's HR.

100 mile weekend #2

2007-06-17T18:38:00.000-04:00

Did it in two days this time and today was hard... My legs were dead halfway into the ride and it was HOT! It was a four water bottle ride @88 degrees! Not quite used to that yet. Chris Pieter, and a Pieter friend started out together but Piet and Friend haven't been out a lot so they kept it sane. Chris and I suffered and probably will continue to suffer well into the week. I feel good about it and would like to keep pushing my mileage up or keep it similar without taking such a speed hit. Probably would have been better if I did this ride on Sat and the Sat ride on sun though I don't think I would have been excited about Sugarloaf it was that way around. This marks Chris' return to the bike after taking care of some knee issues... I didn't ask him how he felt at the end, I'll have to tomorrow. The only thing I really want to complain about is having a flat 5 miles from the finish, what a pain!!! oh it got me steamy, oh right that was just the heat.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 4:06:22
Distance (mi ) 63.33
Moving Speed (mph) 15.4 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +5,867
Avg. Heart Rate 157 bpm

Sat. Sugarloaf

2007-06-17T18:32:00.000-04:00

Today was gorgeous out! Not too hot, pretty cool actually. Kelly and I put on our climbing legs and blasted some elevation.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:44:54
Distance (mi ) 41.51
Moving Speed (mph) 15.1 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +4,369
Avg. Heart Rate 155 bpm

If its wet then spin!

2007-06-17T18:12:00.000-04:00

Did some spinning, was planning on going on a group ride but there were some booms and some flashes so I quickly shifted course. I don't know why I didn't get my heart rate up, I pushed it, I didn't feel like I was being lazy...

Weekned "Kentlands Kaper"

2007-06-10T11:06:00.000-04:00

I don't know why the this ride has the same title as the leaders Tuesday ride but just so you know I'm not getting lazy in my entry titles. The roads were a little wet so we got pretty decorated but since it just rained it kept the humidity down and it was downright cool compared with the past couple of days (it was about 70 out!). The ride started out at a pretty good clip (it was all downhill) but the pace didn't slow much when we started going up. The first half of the ride I rode with about 5 other guys keeping it to 18mph then after the rest stop for the second half of the ride I was mostly with two other guys. It was a good time and I think I could keep that speed up for a while longer now so that feels good perhaps a BB level ride next time?

Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:53:21
Distance (mi ) 34.39
Moving Speed (mph) 18.2 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +2,539
Avg. Heart Rate 163 bpm

Caught UP.

2007-06-05T21:38:00.000-04:00

Went on a tuesday Kentlands kaper! Good fun, short fast ride.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 0:49:00
Distance (mi ) 14.75
Moving Speed (mph) 18.1 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,249
Avg. Heart Rate 167 bpm

katchup 4...

2007-06-05T21:29:00.000-04:00

The day after our loop we did a sweet out and back that was really supposed to be an out around a lake and back but they were doing work on the road and we only got partially around before we had to turn back. Gigantic (for me) opening climb and then some flats then a stiff climb and a fast decent home. We saw a touring bike rider who had come from San Fran. Not too shabby and definatly inspiring.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:14:36
Distance (mi ) 34.40
Moving Speed (mph) 15.3 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +3,279
Avg. Heart Rate 158 bpm

Ketchup 3...

2007-06-04T20:50:00.000-04:00

Going to the Adirondacks was quite nice here's our first ride, Kelly, Kelly's Dad John, and The owner of the cabins we were staying it. It was short but had quite a climb in it. The roads were in good condition and the scenery was great.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 0:54:03
Distance (mi ) 14.02
Moving Speed (mph) 15.6 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,447
Avg. Heart Rate 168 bpm

Ketchup 2...

2007-06-04T19:36:00.000-04:00

This was a short weekday group ride that starts less then a mile from my house. There was a diverse group even though total there was six people. In my nerdness I will give you the rundown. Two steel bikes, One aluminium, one carbon fiber, one titainium, one boron carbide. One singlespeed fixie, One recumbant and the rest gearies. Two females, four males, one 50-65, three 35-50, two 25-35. Approximations of course. Went pretty fast, the one girl dropped me twice but then again I don't have much pride when it comes to these things and I got to prep myself for when Kelly drops me every ride.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 0:53:10
Distance (mi ) 15.32
Moving Speed (mph) 17.3 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,240

Catch up...

2007-05-30T21:07:00.000-04:00

I've been poor at keeping up at these posts... here is my HR from spinning on the 21st... I worked hard and felt good in the legs.

Saturday road ride

2007-05-19T17:19:00.000-04:00

Friday it was all grey and cold but this morning turned out to be blue and warm, with a bit of wind. The ride itself was supposed to be a bit of an extension of last weeks ride with a mid ride jaunt up sugarloaf but as it happens Chris has been nursing some kind of knee injury that just got bad today... We had Chris wait at a school to watch some little league baseball while Kelly and I rode home to get the car. When we got back to the school chris was asleep in the grass, pretty funny. Anyway Kelly and I did about 30 miles and chris did the first 20. Stats:

Total Time (h:m:s) 2:05:50
Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:56:06
Distance (mi ) 29.22
Moving Speed (mph) 15.1 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +3,187
Avg. Heart Rate 153 bpm

Thursday mtb ride

2007-05-18T21:14:00.000-04:00

Had a good time with chris on our SS's We biked from work out to Schaffer farm and did a loop before comeing back in (subsequently going to puppy class and then back to work for some late night fun). It's roughly 6 miles to the trail head from my house and on singlespeeds it's not all that fun. When we got there in the first five minutes of being there Chris spilled hard, it made a lot of noise, when I looked back all I saw was a mess that contained chris and the bike, couldn't really tell the difference between the two. After that we did some sweet single track on some smooth fast trails. Chris got to practice on logs, there are a lot bigger obstacles here than at seneca creek park. Chris's knee started bothering him (aggrivated by the fall) and we went back home. Good ride.

Total Time (h:m:s) 2:11:24
Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:01:08
Distance (mi ) 21.14
Moving Speed (mph) 10.5 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +2,135

Tuesday lifting and squeezing in a singlespeed run

2007-05-15T21:38:00.000-04:00

Lifted a little but it's been a while since I got all aggro so I kept it real light, I want to be able to move around tomorrow. But the excitement of the day was also getting in a mtb single speed ride. It was a bit drier today, actually very dry and fast. I did the same loop that I did on Sunday but I did it faster on the SS. That's kinda cool, I didn't fall as much and of course the fast, dry trails didn't hurt. I was traveling really light too, just a single water bottle.

Total Time (h:m:s) 1:25:02
Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:23:03
Distance (mi ) 13.42
Moving Speed (mph) 9.7 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,713

Sunday's sorry excuse for a mtb ride

2007-05-15T21:34:00.000-04:00

I was a bit tired from the day before and so decided to add a little plushness to the ride. Went full squish and did my new and improved seneca creek park loop. I went slow and fell a lot, it was a bit wet and I haven't been out in mud in quite some time.

Total Time (h:m:s) 1:35:05
Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:29:34
Distance (mi ) 13.34
Moving Speed (mph) 8.9 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,755
Avg. Heart Rate 158 bpm

Saturday Group Ride with Kelly

2007-05-12T18:27:00.000-04:00

Got Kelly to come out and do her first group ride we did a "CC" ride with a Hilly designation and by that standard the average speed of the ride should have been 10 - 12 mph... we went a little faster. It was nice though and we got to bike to the beginning of the and back home removing petrol power from the equation and it added 12.6 miles and about 1000 ft of vertical to the trip. She was a bit iffy with the group thing and has been a little hesitant to let it all go on decents but something happened today on the ride and now K dog is a demon on downhills and a fan of group rides! We will have to bump up a group level next time.

Total Time (h:m:s) 2:10:55
Distance (mi ) 30.47
Moving Speed (mph) 14.3 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +3,046
Avg. Heart Rate 162 bpm

Thursday Single Speed with Chris and Yaak

2007-05-12T17:29:00.000-04:00

I am stoked because I discovered a different way to get into Seneca Creek Park! It adds a bit of fast smooth trail that goes down the pipeline we cross during the normal route and has some added elevation changes which is good. We didn't take advantage of the entire route because it was hot humid and a thursday... besides when Yaak is complaining... "GUYS I'm 39!!!" you know respect is due. I'm guessing the loop will hit about 15 miles now but here are the stats for this ride:

Total Time (h:m:s) 1:26:45
Distance (mi ) 9.36
Moving Speed (mph) 8.2 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,154

SS'ing with Chris, His first ever.

2007-05-08T19:26:00.000-04:00

Chris just got a sweet new Gary Fisher Rig from Josh and I do mean sweet, it's a 29'er 19" frame that is lighter than my 26" 16" frame SS! Damn. Anyway to break his SS virginity I took him out on the local trail (It's been getting some use lately!). I had hoped to find a back way into the park but no luck and as a reward we got to ride on a bunch of grass. When we got on the trails He started out like a deer in headlights and the handlebars are probably a few mils thinner in diameter from him squeezing so hard but as time progressed he quickly got better. The trails here are confidence building because there are some rough spots but mostly just smooth stuff that lets you set up for the occasional interesting bit. At one point early in the ride I watched Chris get over his first log and much to my pleasure he guffawed "That was huge" Uhhh well he quickly learned otherwise... Despite the size misunderstanding he was a quick learn and tamed much larger diameter obstacles and was a trooper when it came to going fast down some good grades with roots, twisty trails and rocky bits. After about 12 miles I think I had him whipped.

Stats:
Total Time (h:m:s) 1:39:20 7:41 pace
Distance (mi ) 12.91
Moving Speed (mph) 9.3 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1254

Map

Cat Classic

2007-05-06T16:04:00.000-04:00

So I had thought I would do 3 laps but when I considered all my options and outcomes it seemed a better idea to do two. On top of that I didn't do such a good job operating my gadgetry...

The course was pretty sweet, made me want to get a lot stronger, and get on rocky trails more often.

Anyway one day later I am sore and tired though don't take that as complaining, I feel good, good sore and good tired.

Total Time (h:m:s) 2:49:37
Moving Speed (mph) 5.4 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +2,693
Avg. Heart Rate 171 bpm

Here is the elevation profile for a single loop.

Monday Mtn Ride

2007-05-02T18:34:00.000-04:00

Monday jaunt through Seneca creek park. Rode with my neighbor and a few of his buddies, it was pretty sweet.

Total Time (h:m:s) 1:36:11
Distance (mi ) 10.77
Moving Speed (mph) 9.3 avg.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,158
Avg. Heart Rate 156 bpm

Friday Spinning

2007-04-28T09:40:00.000-04:00

Looked like storms so I went inside for almost two hours of stationary bike torture. It felt good and the instructor was flamboyantly crazy, It's good motivation when you're not going anywhere.

Sunday hits 100

2007-04-24T19:34:00.000-04:00

So when I woke up my legs didn't feel so bad so I let kelly talk me into going for a ride. We did a nice loop with a few short steep climbs but nothing really extended and nasty. The weather was great and we had a good time. I was pumped that my combined milage for Friday Saturday and Sunday hit 100! When I got home and off the bike, I could barely move. Stats:

Total time: 1:38:08
Distance: 23.75 miles
Avg. moving speed: 15.1
Total elevation gain: 2,138 ft.
Avg HR: 150.Interactive Map Here
Ride Deets Here