Truer Words - A Journal

Rides #78 and 79: Time Trial and Birthday Loop

seth@macrobyte.net — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:31:43 GMT

Ride #78, A Solo Time Trial

Due mostly to Steve's and Penny's wedding on Saturday, I didn't manage to ride from Friday through Sunday. By Monday afternoon I was so full of energy I couldn't sit still, so I went out for a short one. I had time for a longer ride, but knew I shouldn't burn too much before the Tuesday night Birthday Loop ride.

Well, my enthusiasm got the better of me. Instead of riding long, I rode really hard. Like a time trial.

After exactly 22 miles my average speed was exactly 22 miles per hour! That's fast, at least for me. Unfortunately, I wasn't home yet. I had just crossed back over the Mystic River, ridden through downtown, and was turning onto River Road. I had one Gu with me, but hadn't eaten any and decided to continue home without eating it.

That was a mistake, because my speed sank like a stone over those last four miles. Still my fastest solo ride of the year, but not what I could have done if I had eaten the Gu at the halfway point as I had planned.

Stats: 26.19 miles (42.16 km) in 1h 13' 44" for an average speed of 21.31 mph (34.31 kph).

Ride #79, The Birthday Loop

Tuesday morning I had breakfast at Snoopy's with Rich, then worked from his place for a few hours (and had a small plate of pasta for lunch). On the way home I stopped at Mystic Cycle to pick up some more Gu and Power Gel, and get some chain cleaner: my bike is always a big mess after the PMC, and I wanted to clean it before the evening ride.

Corinne and Mom both sat out on the front steps and chatted with me while I cleaned the bike. Mom thought I was coating my chain with something when I was actually doing the opposite. This was all a little odd, though, as I've been washing my bike like that for years and nobody has ever, not even once, sat out there to watch me work.

Due to the chit-chat, it took me twice as long to wash the bike as it normally would. When Corinne mentioned it was 4:20, I rinsed the bike off and ran in to change my clothes. We had agreed to leave the shop at 5:00 sharp this week, so I had to leave the house by 4:40!

Well, I didn't get out until 4:45, and arrived a few minutes late. Didn't matter, because Rick (one of the partners, and the ride leader) wasn't ready yet. We left at 5:15, still earlier than last week.

We left with five (Rick, Matt, someone from Mystic Velo, the blustery older guy who's ridden with us three or four times but I still don't know his name, and myself), and rode through/around two other pace lines on River Road and Rte. 201 the way to Wintechog. Both times, we picked up a couple extra riders, but they only stayed with us for a few miles.

I was fine on Wintechog. Not fast, but I wasn't worried. Then on Rte. 2, heading to Cossaduck Hill, all the wind went out of my sails. Blustery-man set a devil's pace up the slight incline, and I stayed with them but knew I was working a lot harder than I should have.

On Cossaduck it was obvious that I was having some trouble. I wasn't last up the hill (but only barely), but I was slower than I was the last two weeks. I recovered a little on the rest of 201 (but Matt quit, so there were only four), but then Gilliver put the hurt on me again. We kept the pace down on 49 so I recovered a little again.

Wyassup Road starts with a very small, slight ascent (like 0.5% for 1/8th mile), which turns into a very slight descent and then dives into a fantastic free fall to the base of the first climb. Every week we do the same thing: Rick pulls up the baby climb, then rolls to the back to get on my wheel, even if he has to sneak in front of someone else. I told him I was feeling tired and wasn't sure I could do what he wanted.

Still, I stretched my calves and relaxed my shoulders a bit with a few rolls, to get ready. Just before we hit the dive I accelerated hard and shot past the guys in front of me (who never expect this). I hit the bottom of the hill at 51.5 mph, my fastest ever for this ride.

As I told Steve this year, I work almost as hard going down hills as I do going up. (Unfortunately, there's a limit to how fast I can pedal..) I was almost completely smoked, and it took me forever to get up that next hill. I had one of the guys in sight, still, but he was gone by the time I reached the top of the second hill. (Wyassup starts high, so it's down, up, down up, down.)

They waited for me at the end, before we crossed over Rte. 2 back onto 201. I'd recovered again, somewhat, and stayed with the other three. At the top of 201 I joked that this is the part where Rick loves to "race it," so I caught his wheel as he picked up speed. I yelled, "come on baby, go!" and he did. 30. 31. 32 mph, on relatively flat road. 33, 34. He signaled with his elbow and pulled off, and I kept the same pace... and shelled him!

He was only a hundred feet back when we turned onto Wolf's Neck. I *think* this is where the Mystic Velo rider pulled off, but maybe that wasn't until after Town Farm's steep climb. Can't quite remember.

Once we were back on River Road I told Rick that I was heading home after Oral School. I'd felt the telltale signs of cramping in my abductors, so let them ride ahead. Sure enough, I had to stop on Oral School Road to let the cramps pass: I couldn't even move my left leg for a minute.

So, in the end I left out one of the climbs, but still did over 50 miles and managed this year's best pace ~and~ my fastest descent. No complaints!

Oh, and two other things:

At least half of this ride was on soaking-wet, just-rained-on roads, but we never saw a drop of rain. In fact, most of the time the sky was blue and sunny!
I've cramped up more this year than ever before. I'd love to know what's causing it. Rick suggested I need more salt, but I can't find anybody local that carries salt tablets!

Stats: 54.27 miles (87.37 km) in 2h 45' 2" for an average speed of 19.73 mph (31.76 kph).

Oh, and here are the ride stats for

6/17: 18.46 mph
6/24: 18.59 mph
7/1: 18.48 mph (I forgot to have lunch that day!)
7/8: 18.56 mph
7/15: 18.86 mph
7/22: 18.94 mph
7/29: 19.33 mph
8/5: 18.9 mph (PMC was just before)
8/12: 19.73 mph!

Maybe next week we'll finally finish at 20 mph.

PMC Day 1: Sturbridge to Bourne, by the Numbers

seth@macrobyte.net — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 03:03:02 GMT

Saturday, August 2, 2008

This was my sixth year riding the PMC, and my fourth year to include the Huckleberries ride (which makes it a three-day event). Those previous three years, I was totally exhausted on Saturday morning from the hard ride on Friday.

This year was different...

PMC Day 0: The Huckleberries Ride Again

seth@macrobyte.net — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 02:50:25 GMT

Friday, August 1, 2008

This ride was epic.

There were fifteen of us, as shown in the picture below:

15 at the Start

From left to right: Scott, Joel, Jon, Tom, Mark, Dave, Tim, Not Sure, Ellen, Me, Steve, Mike, Mark, Not Sure, and Steve.

Could someone fill me in on the "Not Sures" please?

Did I forget to mention that I was riding with Lilliputians? They may be tiny, but they make up for it with numbers!

Click the image for higher resolution. (This is Mark Stockwell's photo, used with permission.)

Not pictured...

Ride #69: Push It!

seth@macrobyte.net — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:11:32 GMT

My plan was to ask Rick to push me. Hard.

Saturday's century was great. Not super fast, but I felt strong all the way to the end. Sunday I went out again for 40 miles and still felt strong (though I faded a bit in the last few miles).

Monday I rested. Tuesdays are the big hill ride. A group ride with 4400 feet of climbing in about 55 miles, and this would be our sixth time out. We ride hard, but the fastest climbers always wait at the hilltops for everybody else to catch up. Nobody gets left behind. (That's a welcome change from previous years, it makes the ride a lot friendlier.)

So I was feeling strong, and had planned to ask Rick (the ride leader from Mystic Cycle) to push me this time. Make me work. Keep the pace up.

I never asked, because I didn't have to. Two new guys (Alex and ... the other guy, I can't remember his name) showed up who normally do the 5:30 a.m. ride from downtown Mystic. They were both very strong, and brought out Rick's competitive nature.

There were five of us: Rick, Jeff (also from MCC), Alex, what's-his-name, and myself.

At the end of the ride I had my highest avg. speed for this ride so far this year, but that doesn't really tell the whole story. There were lots of places where we noodled around waiting for slower riders to catch up. (Sometimes I was a slower rider, especially on the two biggest hills, but mostly I was near the front.)

(See, the guys who ride faster and then wait for the others to catch up end up with the same average speed.)

My average speeds for the six "birthday loops" (as this ride is called):

6/17: 18.46 mph
6/24: 18.59 mph
7/1: 18.48 mph (I forgot to have lunch that day!)
7/8: 18.56 mph
7/15: 18.86 mph
7/22: 18.94 mph

These rides are good training for the Huckleberries ride, where we have over 6,000 feet of climbing in about 100 miles. That ride is Friday, August 31st, the day before the PMC... so I get just one more of these before the big event.

Stats: 57.96 miles (93.31 km) in 3h 3' 36" for an average speed of 18.94 mph (30.49 kph).

Ride #67: First Century of the Year, with Tom Tinory

seth@macrobyte.net — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 20:01:55 GMT

Rawson Hubbell, who joined us for the first time on the Huckleberries Ride last year, wrote to ask me if we were doing it again this year. I knew we were, but there hadn't yet been any communication between the group, so I (eventually) wrote to everyone to talk about starting times. Even tried to fool them (half-heartedly) into thinking we should start at 6, to beat the heat.

We'll be starting at 7:30, at the same spot on the MA/NY border, on Friday, August 1st, the morning before the PMC.

In the burst of email which followed (between the fifteen or so riders on the cc list), one mentioned being in CT for vacation so he wouldn't be available for a proposed hill-ride sometime in the next couple weeks. "In CT?" I thought. So, I asked him if he was in my area, and (if so) if he would like to go for a ride.

Not only was he in my general area, but he's staying at his mother-in-law's house right in the very same town. Another Huckleberry right here in town? There's only one thing to do.

So, at about 5:40 on Saturday morning I set off to meet Tom Tinnory somewhere between...

Er, what's that, you ask? No, it's not a typo. 5:40 a.m., that's right. FIVE FORTY IN THE MORNING. No, really, I'm not kidding. Stop it, I'm serious!

As I was saying, I left the house at 5:40 AM, just a few minutes after sunrise, to meet Tom somewhere between his place and mine. That place happened to be on Route 117.

I mentioned the ride on Twitter, yesterday, and someone asked me for the route. My response managed to compress the whole ride into a twoosh! (A twoosh is a post on twitter that uses exactly the limit of 140 characters.)

@dreimiller 184->201->Cossadduck->49->184->River Rd->1->Watch Hill->Misquamicut->1a->1->215->117->184

That doesn't include the approximately 4 miles from my place to the meeting point on Route 117, but it says, in English: Route 184 to Route 201, to Cossadduck Hill Road, to Route 49 (actually, I forgot to include Route 165, as 201 never intersects 49 as far as I know), to Route 184, to River Road into Mystic and Route 1, to Westerly and the back roads into Watch Hill Road then Misquamicut, to Rotue 1a, back onto Route 1, to Route 215 in Mystic through Noank, back onto Route 117... er, hang on.

In fact, that route was wrong. After Route 215, we turned right on Long Hill Road (still Route 215?), which ends on Route 1 at the top of the hill. Tom turned left to head home, I turned right — away from Route 117 — and took Flanders Road back to 184, then to Haley Road and home. Whatever, it was close enough.

There were two mechanicals on the trip: the first was Tom getting a flat on Route 49 after riding over some glass. We saw quite a bit of glass, in fact, because we haven't had rain in ages so there's been nothing to wash it out of the road. The second mechanical was shortly after his flat: my bike started making this incredibly annoying metallic ringing sound! Turns out it was just a broken bottle cage.

With Cossadduck and Route 49 in the first half of the ride, we were mostly done with the hills before the temperature went too high. Our first water stop was actually my house, where we went for a little side trip after returning from Route 49 (about 45 miles into the ride) because I had left my Gu (energy gel) there. Second water stop was a gas station on Route 1 a couple miles East of Mystic Cycle and just a couple minutes after 9 a.m.

Another bit that my "twoosh" left out: from Route 1 in Stonington we turned right onto Greenhaven, followed that to the Pawcatuck River and swooped left onto River Road. This takes us into Pawcatuck, right on the border with Westerly.

Tom had never seen Watch Hill from the road, only from his boat. Not sure he really saw it this time, either, as he was focused on both not being hit by any tourists in their big cars and not running over any of the many careless pedestrians.

In Misquamicut I did what I always do: pick my way through the stopped cars waiting to enter the beach parking lot, and then crank up my speed to whatever maximum I can manage all the way around the big curve of the parking lot. This time, that speed was 30.1 mph, for about 30 seconds, then about 26 mph for another 45. Slowed down at the far end so Tom could catch me (I didn't warn him), then told him Steve Davis hates it when I do that. It's nice to stretch my legs a little, sometimes.

After the beach area we had rabbits: five cyclists ahead of us, and I wanted to catch them before the end of the road in Weekapaug. It was a struggle, but we did it with just a few dozen yards to spare. Rode with them to our next water stop, the Mobil station Dunn's Corners. Turns out they were all from URI, and were also doing a century.

Tom was a little concerned that we were going to end up with a lot more than 100 miles, but instead of retracing our route we took the most direct route back to Mystic Cycle. It took almost 30 minutes for them to replace the bottle cages on both bikes, because one of my bolts was completely stripped (the inside, where you put the allen wrench). They finally ripped the cage off and then used pliers to grab and turn the round bolt.

After last year's disastrous PMC ride, I was really worried about how I'd handle my first century this year. Would I be ready for three days in a row?

Once this was all done, though, I felt great! Tired, of course, but still far better than I expected. Plus, I got to ride with a friend instead of going out solo. Thanks for a great time, Tom!

Stats: 101.46 miles (163.3 km) in 5h 30' 13" for an average speed of 18.43 mph (29.68 kph).

My weight for this ride was 244 pounds. Last year at the PMC I was 253, and my lowest ever at the PMC was 250. (I've been down to 239 later in the summer, but never this low so early.)

Three Lost Rides

seth@macrobyte.net — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:18:42 GMT

I'm going to do another "ride update" soon, but I have to report that I've lost a piece of paper with three of my rides from early June. I have a general idea what the stats were for those rides, but this is only the first or second time I've had to "rough it" with my numbers.

Not good. I've been looking for this piece of paper for over a week now, it really does seem to be gone. :-(

Rides #37, #42 and #44: Friends, Hills, and the Slimming Effects of Lightning

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:25:31 GMT

Corinne has been hearing about my lack of updates here on [tw] from her friends, who I think mostly just want more pictures of Lauren (I don't blame them!). I've been much too quiet lately.

I'm going to pay for that quietness, soon. The PMC is in less than two months, and I haven't raised a penny yet. What an idiot.

This particular update, however, is not about Lauren, Corinne, her friends, or the PMC. It's about my riding (and weight loss) over the last month. I'll start with:

Ride #37: Birthday Loop with Steve

Steve Davis came down on May 23rd to ride the storied Birthday Loop with me.

Steve is in fantastic shape, much better for mid-Spring than I've ever known him to be, since we started riding together years ago.

I, on the other hand, was still getting over my cold. I'd only ridden three times in the previous two weeks, and was still coughing quite a bit.

The result: Steve was very patient with me. We did the whole ride, of course, but averages only 17.5 mph. He easily could have handled a 19 mph average, which is quite impressive with all the climbing.

My stats are missing a couple of miles because my bike computer mysteriously shut off for a little while. However, Steve had exactly the same average speed as I did when we were done, so I'm just going to stick with what mine said.

Stats: 52.56 miles (84.62 km) in 3h 0' 0" for an average speed of 17.52 mph (28.20 kph).

Ride #42: Cracked 260

This ride is notable only because I finally cracked 260. That is, my weight finally dropped below it.

I thought that was quite an accomplishment, so I checked my stats for last year. EXACTLY THE SAME DATE!! Oy! Still, last year my weight was only below 260 for two days, then it went back up and stayed there for another month. This year, it's continued going down, and I'm hoping to drop below 250 before the end of the month.

How far can I drop before PMC? This will be my sixth PMC, and I've never been below 250.

Stats: 43.91 miles (70.69 km) in 2h 17' 12" for an average speed of 19.20 mph (30.91 kph).

Ride #44: Lightning Has Struck My Brain!

Sorry, the title for this ride was just a hook to get you to read the story. (Ok ok, I'll stop. I'm sure Sean, at least, is moaning by now...)

This ride was on Sunday, the beginning of our current heat wave. I left the house planning to do the birthday loop again, after spending 45 minutes carefully cleaning up my drivetrain. The first 20 miles were quite hot, but I can handle hot. After the first ten miles, I saw the storm coming in but hoped it was going to pass to the North.

No such luck.

I climbed Cossaduck hearing thunder. Second time this year I've managed to climb it "out of the saddle" from bottom to top. Once again, I forgot to set the lap timer on my bike computer, so I have no idea how much I've improved. (My first trip up the hill this year was a pitiful 4:40!!)

Heard a lot more thunder while I was on Gilliver, but they were still five or six seconds after the flash so I figured I was ok. At that point, I was riding away from the storm.

In the last mile of Route 49, just before the turn onto Wyassup, the sprinkling started and I knew the storm was going to catch me, but now I was in farm country. What was I supposed to do? I kept riding.

On Wyassup, with the thunder rolling almost constantly, I crested one of the hills telling myself "think negative thoughts! Think negative!" But, at the top of one of the two hills (I can't remember which, now, but I think it was the second), everything around me when bright purple! I'm not kidding, I thought for a split second that I'd been struck. There was enough time for me to yell "yi" before my "yikes!" was drowned out in the loudest thunder I've heard in 30 years.

I wasn't hit, obviously, but it must have been cloud-to-cloud right over head. That was exciting.

(When I was quite young, I remember standing at my grandparents back door in Berkley, MA, when lightning struck the back yard. That was some kind of loud, and I've had a love for lightning every since.)

After that, the rain started in earnest and I just rode home. That took about ten miles off the ride, but it was fun. (Now I need to clean my drive train again!)

Stats: 44.67 miles (71.91 km) in 2h 30' 21" for an average speed of 17.82 mph (28.70 kph).

Oh, and I'm now down to 254. :-D

Ride #29: The Full "Birthday Loop" HIll Ride

seth@macrobyte.net — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:25:46 GMT

(This ride was on Sunday. I've also ridden Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, but this was the only one worth writing about. Stats for those days are on May's page.)

After a couple days of rain, I decided it was time to do the full, hilly, half-century ride that I've been describing here for years.

One thing you need to understand about this area: South-Eastern Connecticut is flat. Not Kansas-flat, but still very flat. This area is know for its sea-side scenery, not its mountains. There are no mountains for which it could be known.

People in Western Mass, or Vermont, or Georgia (think "Bald Buster"), or the Rockies, or just about anywhere else... they look at what I call a hill route and chuckle. "Poor boy would not like it out here," they think to themselves. You may even be one of those peope. :p

Steve Davis prompted me to map the route at USATF. So, I very carefully traced out the whole 54 mile route, starting and ending at my front door. See the ride profile here.

4,140 feet of climbing in 54 miles is pretty good for this area, but you can tell from the map that the route is truly wacky (calling it a "loop" requires a bit of squinting). That's because it just keeps heading for the next hill.

Unfortunately, the "birthday loop" (named by the guys at Mystic Cycle) omits one of the steepest hills around, though it passes very close to it. I'm going to try modifying the route next week when I ride it again, adding in that extra hill. Should add another 250 feet of elevation-gain. The week after that, Steve's coming down to ride with me for an afternoon, and this is the route we'll be following. (Ooh, maybe I'll throw in Pumpkin Hill, too... Hmm...)

Stats: 54.83 miles (88.27 km) in 3h 9' 39" for an average speed of 17.34 mph (27.92 kph).

Ride #25: Gotta Love Those Rest Days!

seth@macrobyte.net — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:42:47 GMT

In the eight days from the 14th to the 21st, I rode seven times. The only day I missed was Friday the 18th. 236 miles (380 km) in eight days (seven rides). That's one of my best weeks ever, not counting the PMC every year.

But, all that riding really doesn't do you much good if you don't take a rest once in a while. Tuesday the 22nd I worked form Rich's house all day (before picking up Corinne, Ellyn and Lauren from the airport that night. It's wonderful to have my girls home!) So, no ride. Then on Wednesday I worked on stuff for Bare Bones in the morning and working on my (LAST) midweek Bible class in the afternoon. Another day off.

By this morning I was feeling fat again. Mark and I drove up to visit Mike (Lauren's dad) at his "home away from home" in Somers, CT, and I had a Big Mac for lunch. Yay nutrition! By the time we got home I felt fat and lazy. Time for a ride!

As of today I've lost eight pounds since the beginning of the month, and twelve pounds since my heaviest weight this year. My weight is now down to the same as it was at this time last year, but I'm trending down. (Last year, I endured a very long plateau. I'm being much smarter this year.)

Today is also a nice little anniversary. It's been four years since my first ride on my wonderful Seven Axiom Steel. I'm still so ridiculously happy with this bike... it's definitely my favorite-major-purchase of all time.

Here are the total and average stats for those four years:

Summary of rides from 4/24/2004 to 4/24/2008
Rides:	495	Miles:	19278.36 miles (31025.51 km)	Time:	42day 7h 55m 12s
Avg. Speed:	18.97 mph (30.53 kph)	Avg. Miles:	38.94 miles (62.66 km)	Avg. Time:	2h 3m 8s

Fastest	22.05 mph (35.48 kph)	Miles:	21.12 miles (33.98 km)	Date:	9/12/2005
Slowest	15.5 mph (24.94 kph)	Miles:	9.0 miles (14.48 km)	Date:	4/24/2004

Avg. Weight:	257 lbs	Max Weight:	297 lbs	Min Weight:	239 lbs

Wow. Almost 20,000 miles in four years! (That table will only look right on the the site, not in email. You've been warned.)

When looking at those weights, please keep in mind that I'm 6' 9". 297 is heavy even for me, but 257 isn't too bad, and I'm quite happy when I'm in the 240's by mid-summer.

One last thing: the weather this April has been unreal. It's been more than two weeks since we had any rain, has been bright and sunny almost all of that time, and it was in the upper 70's today! It feels great now, but what does this say about the upcoming summer? I'm worried we're going to fry, and this is starting to feel like the makings of a drought. Two rainless weeks in April? Uh oh. (This weekend has rain in the forecast. We'll see.)

Tomorrow I'll do the big hill ride again if I can knock off enough time for it.

Stats: 42.59 miles (68.56 km) in 2h 18' 7" for an average speed of 18.50 mph (29.78 kph).

Ride #21: First Up Cossaduck, and One Unlikely Number

seth@macrobyte.net — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:18:21 GMT

I mentioned that I'm really pushing myself back into shape this year. Last year's PMC was so bad that I couldn't even write about it. Admittedly, I got sick, but I really just wasn't riding like myself last year. This year I want to make up for it, so I'm doing lots of hill rides. Whereas last year's daily route was flat and pretty, this year's has more hills. Eventually I plan to make the "birthday loop" my daily ride, though I'm not quite there yet.

Thursday was my first attempt at about 80% of that crazy hill ride. I left out Wintechaug on the front and Town Farm Road on the back, shortening the route from 50+ to about 40 miles. However, this ride was my fourth day on the bike in a row, and the season is still very young so I knew it wasn't going to be a fast ride.

My performance was better than I expected. Cossaduck HIll is a beast, but I was able to climb "out of the saddle" for 2/3 of the hill, which is much better than my first attempt in previous years. I didn't even care how long this route took me, I just wanted to get through it and put some hills into my legs.

There were two very pleasant surprises in store for me. The first was that Gilliver Road has been resurfaced! Last year it was so bad that I tended to skip it, which meant leaving out one and a half good climbs in favor of about four extra miles. Now it's quite smooth and rideable (and the crazy dog at the top of the hill never made a peep, which made that road even better... he's a bike chaser).

The second surprise? Well, just look at the picture.

I have no explanation for this. The computer only counts speeds that are maintained for at least two (or maybe it's three) seconds. Yet, I'm pretty sure I never hit 79 mph. My highest speed to date was (I think) 54 mph. I may have hit that again on one of the descents, or maybe even a little higher, but 79 mph!? That just doesn't seem likely or even possible.

Must admit that I seriously considered just sending this picture to a couple cycling-friends (Steve, Daniel, I'm looking at you...) with no comments. :-D

Stats: 39.78 miles (64.04 km) in 2h 20' 43" for an average speed of 16.96 mph (27.30 kph).

(Reminder not to make too much of that low average speed. This ride had loads of climbing and the season is still very young.)

Ride #63: Thirty Two Miles on a Rocket

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 16:04:54 GMT

I know, I know, it's been way too long since I posted a ride update. I could try to explain just how busy and over-committed I am, and that in fact a lot of people are mad at me right now because some important things fell by the wayside, but what would be the point? It would sound like an excuse — and a bad one, since it's my fault — and the ride reports just aren't important enough in the first place.

However, I certainly have been riding and keeping my stats.

Yesterday, almost a full month early, I had my first "over 21" ride. Thirty-two miles at about 21.3 miles per hour.

What can I say? The weather was perfect (in the seventies, sunny, almost windless), I had the right lunch at the right time, and the weight has been coming off. Zoom.

I still have a ways to go (both miles and weight-loss), but I'm starting to think I'll be ok for this year's PMC. This winter I need to do something about not gaining so much weight. Just don't know what. If I don't enjoy it, I probably won't do it.

Stats: 32.12 miles (51.71 km) in 1h 30' 32" for an average speed of 21.28 mph (34.27 kph).

Stats to date: Rides: 63, Ttl Miles: 2,241.5, Ttl Time: 5 days, 0h 45' 10", Avg Miles: 35.57, Avg Minutes: 1h 55' 0", Avg Speed: 18.56 mph

Ride #35: Short and Sweet

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 29 May 2007 03:29:18 GMT

On Friday — the day after the 73 mile ride — I went out for my minimum route (21 miles).

Fastest of the year, so far: 19.6 mph. That'll be nothing in a couple of months, but I'm happy with it considering the timing.

Stats: 21.74 miles (35.00 km) in 1h 6' 31" for an average speed of 19.6 mph (31.55 kph).

Year to date: Rides: 35, Miles: 1,115.38, Minutes: 3,732.35, Average Miles: 31.86, Average Minutes: 106.6, Average Speed: 17.93 mph.

Ride #34: 73 Miles with Steve and Mike

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 29 May 2007 03:25:18 GMT

As I mentioned, Steve and Mike came down for an 80 mile ride on Thursday. We actually rode only 73 because we started a little late and Steve had to head home for a school concert with one of his nineteen sons. (Nineteen, four, whatever.)

The route was basically a combination of my various training routes, but I really did try to avoid any significant hills this time. (Two years ago, Steve dubbed Cossaduck Hill Road, "I Hate You Dillingham Hill." Couldn't do that to him again!) We started at the house, went up 184 to 117 into Ledyard, Col Ledyard Highway most of the way back but then cut over to Pumpkin HIll Road (to avoid having to climb Pumpkin Hill itself), to Gallup Hill Road for a few hundred feet. Then I said, "Let's do something fun," and they followed me DOWN DOWN DOWN Town Farm Road's crazy-steep hill (and my bottle bounced out of my cage at 47 mph, so I couldn't coast out at the end, had to go back for it). Right on Wolf's Neck, left on 201, right on Al Harvey, right on 184, left onto North Stonington Road, across 27 onto River Road into Mystic. Left onto Route One and over the drawbridge.

Then we stopped at the Henny Penny in downtown to recharge our bottles, then stopped again just a mile later at the New & Improved Mystic Cycle Center. I said that they have a full scale model of the old store in the changing room. That was a joke, but it almost could be true... the new store (well, they've been there for over a year now, but it's new to Steve and MIke) is really big.

Continuing East on Route 1 North, then a right onto Green Haven Road all the way to the Pawcatuck River, where it makes a hard left and turns into River Road, and then into Mechanic Street just before it ends back at Route 1 in downtown Pawcatuck. Right on Route 1, through Westerly, then onto 1A into Watch Hill. We stopped for lunch at St. Claire's Annex, same as two years ago. Finally pulled out the camera and took the only shots of the day: one of Mike sitting at the table (looks like he wants to hurt me, but I don't think he even knew I had the camera out), and two outside after we ate.

After lunch we finished the loop around Watch Hill, saw the big hole in the ground where the Ocean House used to be, and continued to Misquamicut Beach.

I could tell that we were going to have a tail wind along Atlantic Avenue (Misquamicut)... yeah! I love flying down that road. It's as flat as they come around here, and with a tailwind you can really fly. I was at the back of the group, and started to pick up speed. As I passed Steve, he said something like, "Restrain yourself!" but I couldn't do it. I maintained 31 mph for about 1/4 mile (all the way around the big beach parking lot), then noodled along at 18 mph waiting for them to catch up with me. (They apparently hadn't picked up their speed at all.) Normally I would try to average 25 or better for the full length of Atlantic Ave.

Left at the end of Atlantic, up into Dunn's Corners, stopped to recharge our bottles again at the Mobil station. Crossed over Route 1 onto Bradford-Dunn's Corners Road to the other property Gary and Ellyn own (rental property). Stopped in to say hi (and use the bathroom). Ellyn and Katie were there, cleaning up after the previous renter before the next weekend rental. This is when I talked Ellyn into having a Memorial Day picnic on Sunday, by tempting her with Lauren. :-D

The rest of the ride could be summarized in one word: hot. (Not that I would ever leave it at just one word, right?) We continued on 91 to Collins Road, past my parents' old place, to Maxson Hill Road, to Frontier Road, to Route 3, to Wellstown Road, to Route 216, to Route 184.

When we reached the rotary for Routes 2 and 184, Steve was so hot he was in imminent danger of self-immolation, so we stopped at Mystic Pizza II so he could splash nasty, algae-infested water on his neck from their outdoor fountain. Yuck!

From Mystic Pizza II it was eight uneventful miles home.

Steve (and Mike) even met Lauren! She was sleeping when we arrived, so I took a quick shower and then woke her up. She even stayed happy the whole time.

Great ride guys, thanks for coming down!

Stats: 73.11 miles (117.7 km) in 3h 58' 45" for an average speed of 18.37 mph (29.58 kph).

Ride #14: A Fine Early Spring Day

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 17:28:10 GMT

What a beautiful day for a bike ride!

It was a little chilly (43° F, 6° C), and slightly breezy, but clear and sunny and I was able to work up a good sweat.

I've taken to carrying a small camera with me on all of my rides. So besides the incessant stats that have come with every ride report, I'm going to post a picture with some of them, too. Including this one of the Pawcatuck River, about half way through my ride. (If you're on the mailing list, you may have to go to the web page to see it.)

There's a hidden motive for posting the photos: I'm going to try to convince Steve (and Mike and/or Paul) to come down here for a ride in May again, like he and Mike did two years ago. I know Steve likes the scenery down here, so the idea is that the pictures will do most of the persuading, and I'll just have to ask.

I'm six months behind on updating my stats, but I've been faithfully recording them on paper so eventually they'll all be up to date. For now, there is no "2007" section in the cycling area of this site.

Which reminds me that I need to get the ball rolling on the PMC fundraising. Donors!? The old PMC page still has the right link, even if the page only talks about the . I've raised $500 so far this year (thank you, Mr. You-Know-Who-You-Are), the goal is $6601.

Stats: 43.72 miles (70.38 km) in 2h 27' 25" for an average speed of 17.79 mph (28.64 kph).

Yes, that's slow. It's also very early in the season! (Oh, and I'm not 100% positive about the ride number. It may be ride 13, I'm not sure yet.)

Ride #123: Short and Flat

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 13:40:49 GMT

Last year my 123rd ride was on December 28th, and was my last of the year. Pretty cool, especially considering that by mid-season I was behind last year's rides by a large margin.

Unfortunately, that was (almost) the only cool thing about this ride.

After the eighty on Friday, my legs were very sore all weekend. I really don't know why... I may have been a little dehydrated (since I'd ridden both of the days before the Plymouth ride, also). Anyway, I took the weekend off.

When I went out Monday it was already late, so I only had time for 20 miles. I took off like a rocket, and averaged 24.3 mph after the first five miles. Seriously. Downtown Mystic dropped my average all the way to 21.6 (oy!) but I was back up to 22.1 mph at my 10-mile-turnaround. Unfortunately, traffic was bad and I had to crawl for a little while as I waited for an opening. This brought my average back down to 21.6 again.

At eighteen miles I was still hovering at aproximately 18.6. It was getting dark, just a small sliver of the sun could be seen over the horizon, through the trees. I was really pushing it, and still wearing my shades just to keep the wind out of my eyes.

Bang pssssssssssssssssssssssst. Silence.

A big rock in the road stole all of my rear tire's air, all at once.

The ride ended with a 1.5 mile walk home in bare feet and darkness. Yee haw. (My neighbor pulled up next to me just 1/4 mile from the house, didn't recognize me, and asked if I "needed a hand." Offer appreciated, but it was a nice evening for a walk and I was almost home.)

Stats: 18.66 miles (30.04 km) in 51' 52" for an average speed of 21.58 mph (34.75 kph).

On the plus side, this is my eighth ride this year at better than 21 mph!

Ride #122: To Plymouth with Mike and Steve

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 13:22:36 GMT

I took a day (Friday, October 27th) away from the code to ride with Steve Davis and Mike Lucas. This was to be our final almost-century of the year.

Earlier in the week, I had teased them about the amount of planning they were putting into this ride. "It's only 80 miles!" All three of us are experienced riders, and have done rides of this length dozens and dozens of times. Yet, if it were up to Mike, I think he actually would have planned the weather itself.

Well, all I can say now is, "Thank you, Mike." Thank you for all the planning, and thank you for not somehow separating yourself from us. Without all that planning, we surely would have been lost forever in the wilderness of South Eastern Massachusetts.

Mike even provided cue sheets! Two pages of cue sheets. I think we averaged one turn for every mile of the trip, both ways. That's why we would have been lost: he managed to find a back-roads route from Steve's house in Mansfield to downtown Plymouth that was as direct as taking the highway! Even better, most of the route had little or no traffic.

None of us had any mechanical difficulties, and there were no accidents. We joked about almost getting lost right at the start when Steve tried to lead us down the wrong road, but that only lasted about 30 seconds. The weather was bright sunshine, nearly windless, and chilly in the upper 40's when we started to the lower 50's at the warmest.

We kept the speeds low... I'm not really sure why, but at least I expected it this time so I wasn't worried about our pace (well, not much). There was a moment when another rider appeared about 1/4 mile ahead: Steve quietly said, "Seth, a rabbit!" The greyhounds in my legs took off at full speed... I caught the rabbit in nothing flat, but that was no great accomplishment as he was barely moving.

I don't remember ever being to Plymouth before, which is weird since I grew up in Massachusetts. We stopped at "the rock" where the Mayflower supposedly landed. It's just a big rock with a date carved in it. Not as big as it used to be, as 75% of it was chipped away for souvenirs over the centuries (a couple of museums, including the Smithsonian, have mailbox-sized chunks). Now they protect the rock with a gazebo-like structure that lets you see it but not touch it: to get a piece now, you'd have to jump down about eight feet to the sand, then climb out again.

Lunch was at a small restaurant whose name I can't remember. I'd forgotten my card, so I still owe Steve (thanks!). Excellent food, though: a bread bowl of New England clam chowder (of course), and some sort of chicken wrap.

After we ate, we stopped at the tourist info center to use the facilities and so Steve could warm up. ;-) The gentleman behind the counter tried to talk us into seeing all the sights, but we didn't have time so we settled for a quick ride up the hill to the National Monument to the Forefathers. It's BIG!!! It's also the prototype for the Statue of Liberty. All the characters around the base had creepy eyes. Did I mention that it was really big? 81 feet (24.5m) tall, and most of it is carved out of solid Granite. Good grief.

After the statue, I realized I had left one of my water bottles on the sidewalk where the bike had been parked during lunch, so we rode back down. While I zipped back to the restaurant, Steve and Mike checked out the recreation of the Mayflower. Awfully small for the number of people it carried: I think they would have fit better in the monument. ;-)

The only notable from the return trip was the two Brazilian guys who caught us. One spoke little to no English, but the other did and was a pro (?) racer living in the area. They weren't pushing hard, and we could have ridden with them for awhile longer, but at the point we were all together the traffic was pretty heavy and we got separated. Nobody was interested in pushing it, so we let them go.

Before I show them, let me warn you that the stats make us look like we were barely moving at all. It wasn't quite as bad as that... the ride time includes the putt-putt-putting around downtown Plymouth, and the very slow circles we made around the monument to see all the writing. Instinct tells me our actual speed was closer to the low 18's, not the mid-17's.

Stats: 81.78 miles (131.6 km) in 4h 40' 10" for an average speed of 17.51 mph (28.19 kph).

(No pictures this time, sorry. I don't have a camera small enough to carry on the bike, and Steve didn't think he'd use it. Must remind him to bring his camera next time, no matter what. :-)

Ride #116: Consistency!

seth@macrobyte.net — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 22:53:30 GMT

I won't claim to be at my optimal weight (not by a long shot), nor that I'm riding as fast or often as I think I could. I will claim, though, that I've finally reached a sort of consistency which has been lacking in both my weight and my cycling.

The best part is that I'm actually satisfied with what I've accomplished this year. I didn't meet my weight goal (230 pounds), but I've been at 240-242 for a couple of weeks and I'm quite comfortable! I don't feel "fat" like I used to, my clothes all fit (actually, many of them are much too loose, but that's better than being too tight like they were at the beginning of the season).

It doesn't hurt that John and Heather Woodward were up here last weekend, and both commented that I looked as thin as I did as a teenager. They're way off (by 60 pounds!), but still... :-)

There's been a lot of splurging this month. Once a week I have breakfast at a diner in RI with a "friendly client' (client and friend?), and we eat like horses. This weekend the ecclesia had food galore for a Fall study weekend, and I ate my fair share... but with all that, my weight was right where it was on Friday, at 242.

Today's was the seventh ride this year at 21 mph or better. The weather was gorgeous (high 50's, sunny, slight breeze out of the West), I slept like a baby last night, and had a little pasta for lunch. And I just felt fast.

Stats: 46.92 miles (75.54 km) in 2h 13' 37" for an average speed of 21.06 mph (33.92 kph).

Ride #109: Hilly Half Century

seth@macrobyte.net — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 17:24:34 GMT

It's been a few weeks since I last did the hilly half cenutry, and there hasn't been a group ride since sometime in August. (Graham broke some ribs, and he organizes the ride, so it sort of fell apart.)

I've been fairly consistent with my riding and my eating all Summer (and early Fall). The weather has been very nice, and yesterday was over 70° though it was pretty windy.

Nothing much to report about this (Wednesday afternoon) ride except that I did it at all, and I was slower than I had hoped. Riding a lot is one thing, but the body learns to adjust: if you train on the hills, you improve on the hills. If you train in the flats, you improve on the flats. My guess is that's why I was slower than I had hoped: too much time on the flats. ("Though the wind certain didn't help," he says wishfully...)

Oh, I guess I should point out one other thing: I had some business decisions to make, and my mental butter-churn seems to work better when I'm riding. That's why I did such a long, hard ride on a Wednesday afternoon. (Wednesdays are already somewhat 'booked' for me, with mid-week class.)

Stats: 51.09 miles (82.25 km) in 2h 48' 48" for an average speed of 18.15 mph (29.23 kph).

Ride #108: Play the Rabbit!

seth@macrobyte.net — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 17:14:55 GMT

Tuesday's ride had a surprising and somewhat thrilling change to my 'routine'.

At the bottom of Gallup Hill Road, I saw a rider ahead of me just cresting the next (very small) hill. Yay, a rabbit! Zoom, I took off at full speed to catch him.

Pant, pant.

He was not as easy to catch as I'd expected, in spite of the fact that he was sitting up and I was in tuck. I finally caught him on Whitford Road (about a mile later than I expected). He was "sitting up" because he was riding a mountain bike (knobby treads and all).

I know I'm not the fastest guy around — not by a long shot — but struggling to catch someone who's sitting up on a mountain bike is just unacceptable. ;-)

Once ahead I decided to return the favor. I pulled away, then slowed down enough to let him come to within 100 feet, then I'd pull away again. I did that repeatedly (without making it clear that's what I was doing) until I had to stop for a light in Old Mystic. It turned green just as he pulled up, so we started River Road together.

He said, "You're giving me a run for my money!" The sound of his voice startled me: he was pretty old (considering). Like, 65 or 70 years old. Very thin, and obviously very strong... but I was playing "fox chases the rabbit" with an old man on a mountain bike!!! What the heck is going on!?

I said, "You're amazing," and then stopped playing around and just rode away. He must have been tiring, because he put up a fight for another minute or so and then fell behind.

Still, I'm impressed enough to record it for posterity. Whoever you are, Mr. Older Gent on the mountain bike, I'm very impressed. If' I'm still around at your age I hope I still have the legs, heart, and lungs to do what you did.

Stats: 39.02 miles (62.82 km) in 1h 52' 45" for an average speed of 20.76 mph (33.43 kph).

Tuesday's Grab Bag of Highs and Lows

seth@macrobyte.net — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 00:57:47 GMT

Tuesday was an intense day, with some very high highs and very low lows. I'm just going to brain-dump it all.

Low and High:

Perry died. This is very sad for all of us, but he lived a long, full life and had plenty of time to know even his great grandchildren. I had to call this both a high and a low... it's hard to attach anything "all bad" to Perry Lanphear.

High:

Breakfast at Snoopy's Diner with a friend and client. The business side of the meeting went well, as plans were made and progress reviewed. The friendly side of the meeting was even better. Best of all were the pancakes! Mama mia. Must take Corinne there so she can replicate those Apple-slice-filled beauties. (Oh wait, I gave up food. Nuts!)

High:

After my gigantic breakfast, I drove up to see Steve Davis in MA so we could go for a ride. He had a basketball game the night before, so was worried that he'd be too tired for my pace. I promised that I would ride super hard the day before and then eat a huge breakfast to weigh me down. I did both, but neither were necessary: he kept me talking the whole time! It's hard to push the pace when you're talking so much that you can't breathe heavily. Sneaky, Steve.

This was ride #103. Stats: 36.4 miles (58.60 km) in 1h 59' 37" for an average speed of 18.25 mph (29.39 kph).

Low:

Our average speed for that ride. (Sorry Steve, couldn't resist.)

High & Low, Again:

After I left Steve's place, I went straight to Gary's & Ellyn's house in Westerly. Ellyn had invited the whole family for a "send off dinner" for Gramma and Grampa. They were up here in New England for much longer this year than previous years, because of Mandi's wedding, but now they're heading home and last night was our last chance to see them this year. I was about 90 minutes early because the alternative was driving all the way home, finding something to do for 30 minutes, then driving back again.

I had a chance to watch Grampa cut down a whole Pineapple into rings. He'd never done it before, and definitely did not like the fact that there's so much waste. Rather than just slice a little more deeply as he "skinned" it, he made shallow cuts and then worked with a paring knife to dig out the bits of rind that were left. After slicing it down, he carefully cut the inedible core out of every piece. This was all both highly amusing and rather painful to witness, but he didn't cut *himself* so all's well that ends well. :-)

Almost everybody made it to the dinner. Corinne had to work until 6:30 so she was late, but wanted to be there so she could say goodbye. Dad was there until 6:45, but had to leave to teach a class. Gary worked late but made a quiet appearance while we were still eating (spaghetti and meatballs). Katie's in Colorado so couldn't be there at all. Mandi, just back from her honeymoon for a day, showed up just before G&G were about to give up and go back to their rental for the night. (She had to work late, also.) Sarah was there but left a little early because Art, who couldn't make it due to work, needed some dinner. Everybody else in the family (Mom, Jed, Ellyn, Gramma and Grampa, Tom, and Rusty) was there, too.

Quite a day.

Rides #95 and #96: Four Down, One to Go

seth@macrobyte.net — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 12:20:53 GMT

There's something about riding a century that makes all the other rides seem easy. (At least for a few days immediately afterwards.)

Last month, right after the PMC (which felt like three centuries in a row, even though one is 'only' 80+ miles), I rode my first two 21+ mph rides of the year. My goal is five for the year, but I haven't had another one since then.

This past Saturday I rode my birthday century (an a quarter of someone else's!), then took Sunday off to recover. (Plus, Corinne and I went to the Taste of Mystic festival for the afternoon.)

Monday's ride? 21.2 mph.

Tuesday's ride? 21.55 mph. That's a new record for me on a 20+ mile route (and it includes the frustrating delays of riding through beautiful downtown Mystic).

Stats for #95: 21.83 miles (35.14 km) in 1h 1' 45" for an average speed of 21.21 mph (34.15 kph).

Stats for #96: 20.27 miles (32.63 km) in 56' 26" for an average speed of 21.55 mph (34.69 kph).

Ride #89: An Interesting Ride (and a Looooooong Story)

seth@macrobyte.net — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 18:28:35 GMT

When the sun came streaming through my window, very early Wednesday afternoon, my heart started racing. I hadn't ridden since Thursday, due to conspiratorial deadlines, commitments, and weather. I haven't missed five days in a row since the six day gap in the second half of June. (I'm not kidding about my heart racing. This darn addiction...)

The plan was for twenty-plus miles, but I changed my mind almost as soon as I was ready to go: the weather was just too nice. Forty to fifty seemed more like what was needed. That meant my standard training route. But I told my self to take it easy because Thursday would be a hard ride (even if the group rides are done for the season).

Mystic Cycle is at mile 29 when I do the full 48-mile route. My "take it easy" plan was already shot to pieces: I was averaging 21.1 at that point... and that's AFTER picking my way through Mystic's traffic deadlock. (We need a residents-only tunnel. Seriously.)

As I pulled in, one of the mechanics (in fact, one of the two mechanics named Dan) was heading out for the day. He had seen me coming and wanted to ride with me. I ran in to tell Rick that I'd be back in the morning to talk about their site, then Dan and I took off.

I asked him what speed he was comfortable at. He said "about 20, but don't wait for me. Just ride your speed, and I'll keep up if I can." Well, ok then. We were headed towards Westerly, where he lives, so I kept my speed at about 20 on the flats. At the top of the first hill, we were talking about riding with racers like Graham, Rick, and Amos Brumble... I hit 40 going down the hill, and then somehow kept my pace between 21 and 29 mph for the next two miles. (There's a half-mile stretch of road with a very, very slight (maybe a half degree) downhill gradient. It's enough to make you feel fast and strong.) As anyone who knows me will attest, I get a little "lost" on the hills, I just love the descent so much. Apparently I "lost" Dan on that descent, and then gave him no chance to catch up. When I finally remembered to look around for him, he was nowhere in sight.

I took a right onto Green Haven Road to head towards the Pawcatuck River. A couple miles later, I was sitting on someone's front lawn, fixing my first flat since the Huckleberries Ride on the day before the PMC.

This didn't go very smoothly. Here's what I did:

took the wheel off
let the rest of the air out
slipped half the tire over the rim
removed the old tube
screwed the head down on my CO2 cartridge pump "thingy" to puncture the cartridge
noticed the head was crooked which is why I couldn't screw it all the way in
unscrewed it
re-screwed it
saw the same problem again
fought with it for TEN MINUTES to unscrew it (it wouldn't budge)
slammed the head on the road at just the right angle to pop the threads (still no luck)
set it down against the edge of the road and stepped on it gently, then harder, then stomped on it to finally release the jammed threads
screwed the head on again (this time it was afraid and there was no problem ;-)
put a little air in the new tube
put the new tube on the wheel
put the loose side of the tire back in
fought with those last eight inches of tire that never want to pop over the rim
filled the tire
heard a "ploof"-like sound that indicated the bead had popped off the rim again. GRR!

At this point, I was pretty annoyed. I obviously hadn't checked the fit carefully enough before reinflating. to fix it, I'd have to let the air out, reset the tire, and then inflate again. But I only had the one CO2 cartridge with me, and it was almost empty.

I sat there for a minute, wondering if there were any cyclists in the area who might have a pump, when a red, convertible BMW pulled up. The guy in the driver's seat asked if I needed any help, so I asked if he had a pump. Turns out it was HIS front yard on which I had camped out. He had a bike rack on the back of the Beamer, which was a good sign. :-)

His name was Shep, and he told me to bring the wheel over to the driveway... but then he remembered that he doesn't have a Presta adapter for his Schrader pump. Worse still, his own bike uses Presta. He just bought it a couple months ago, and keeps forgetting to pick up the adapter when he's in "the shop" (which is what I call Mystic Cycle most of the time, too). So, he offered (and I accepted) a ride back to the shop, where I would get some free air and he would finally remember to pick up his adapter. I promised I wouldn't let him leave without it.

On the way over, we talked about climbing hills. He was quite relieved to know that I "feel them" too (that is, I feel that they don't like me very much, I guess). "How fast do the pros climb them?" I said that I wasn't sure about the pros, but the two fastest riders in this area (Rick and Amos) can go up most of the hills in S.E. Conn at twenty mph, if they want to.

So he asked Rick about it. Rick said I'm crazy, and that I must be high from too much Gu. "I can't climb those hills very fast. Eight miles per hour is more like it."

What. A. Liar. I can climb them at 8-10. He's quite happy to noodle along next to me, until he suddenly decides to beat everyone else to the top and STILL doesn't break a sweat. But no, in spite of my protestations, he maintained that eight miles per hour was about right. But when Shep looked at me for a second, Rick winked.

(One last thing about Shep: in a weird coincidence, I was in the shop a couple weeks ago when they were installing his Garmin GPS bike computer. First one they've sold, so they were all talking about it. He mentioned that he'd just been to the shop that morning to have it replaced, and so I realized I knew _of_ him already.)

I left there and headed home, figuring I'd end up with about forty miles.

Back through Mystic, onto River Road. Left at the end, then a left onto 184. It's about three miles to my neighborhood. The first two miles are usually ridden at 16-18 mph (slight incline), and for the last mile I always try to keep the speed over 20. But not today. I kept it at 20 for the first two miles, and at 24.1 for most of the last mile. It was spooky and weird.

When I pulled into my driveway and leaned the bike against the truck so I could get my shoes off, I almost passed out. My heart racing and I couldn't catch my breath. After laying in the grass for a few minutes, I was back to normal. I'm not sure where all the speed came from in those last few miles, but I was obviously paying for it.

Stats: 42.61 miles (68.60 km) in 2h 4' 56" for an average speed of 20.46 mph (32.94 kph).

Ride #87: Inch by Inch (and, Three Accidents)

seth@macrobyte.net — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 12:34:40 GMT

I had planned to do my full 48 mile training loop (which is more like a three-leaf clover than a loop), but I left a little too late. The sun's going down to early! Make it stop! We need to migrate somewhere way South for the Winter.

On my way back from Ledyard on Col Ledyard Highway, right near the high school, a cop blew past me with his siren blaring and lights flashing. A little further up, near the high school, at least half of the town's fire trucks, ambulances, and assorted other 'emergency service vehicles' turned onto the street and screamed off in the same direction I was heading. "That looks interesting," thought I.

A couple miles further up, I saw what all the fuss was about. A small car had hit... a telephone pole! Admittedly, it looked pretty banged up, and the person in the car was probably badly injured. There was no fire, there was only one car, and I think all those fire trucks and "ESV's" were there simply to direct traffic.

I turned left just past the accident, to shorten my route a little (rather than going all the way back to 184 and up Pumpkin Hill Road, this is a shortcut to the top of Pumpkin Hill). On my way back out of the Pumpkin Hill area on Gallup Hill Road, I saw a repeat of the previous accident: another small car had hit another telephone pole, and the other half of Ledyard's volunteers were there. Good luck to anybody in a third accident in that little town: take a number! ;-)

After a lot more turns and roads, I was on the nearly completed portion of the repaving of Route 184. This section of road is now most notable for one thing: it's utterly silent. You can't hear your own wheels on the pavement, and cars just sneak up on you. (Ever heard of paving a road with acoustic foam? Apparently it's all the rage.) Anyway, the paving isn't quite done yet, and at the end there's a "BUMP!" where you cross onto the old pavement.

Like I do every day, I "bunny hopped" it. It's a severe bump, and the bunny hop is one directional: I pop up off the old road, and land on the new road at the peak of the jump (maybe six inches). Except this time, my right cleat disengaged instead of helping to lift the bike off of the road. So I went up into the air, but the bike kept moving forward and hit the bump at 30 mph.

My life flashed before my eyes. I *knew* I was going to crash. I even knew how bad it was going to hurt.

I yelled "oh crap", and landed on my seat very, very, very hard. The front wheel turned hard, I leaned and twisted, ready for the crash... that never came. I just kept riding, but I felt like I'd been kicked by a mule in the inner thigh where I came down on the seat. Yes, I'm well aware that it could have been FAR worse.

Today I'm still feeling that darn mule's hoof print. I'm glad today is my day off. :-)

Oh, two last things: the "inch by inch" in the title is because my weight is still bouncing around but generally creeping down. I'm a few pounds ahead of last year at this time (finally!), and I'm actually one ride ahead of last year, too, though I'm still behind by 196 miles.

Finally, the weather has been perfect almost every day since the PMC started. Since that evil heat wave broke, we've only had a couple days of rain and no days of excessive heat. Mostly, it's been in the high seventies or low eighties with moderate or low humidity. :-)

Stats: 44.88 miles (72.25 km) in 2h 11' 45" for an average speed of 20.43 mph (32.90 kph).

Ride #79: That's One. Four to Go.

seth@macrobyte.net — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 04:11:07 GMT

(This ride was Friday evening, but I'm just getting around to posting it super early Saturday morning.

One of my cycling goals this year: at least five training rides over 21 mph.

One down. :-)

Stats: 21.8 miles (35.09 km) in 1h 1' 25" for an average speed of 21.29 mph (34.28 kph).

That's in spite of Steve's wise-guy comments about my tuck position, which had me laughing out loud during the ride, which definitely slowed me down for a few seconds.

Ride #78: We Now Return to the Regular Training Schedule...

seth@macrobyte.net — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 13:21:45 GMT

Graham is suffering from some cracked ribs, so he wasn't up to riding the hilly half century last night. So... the old leader took over, Rick Ely. It's been a couple years since Rick led this ride, and I'd forgotten just how strong he really is.

See, Graham is a lot stronger than me on the hills. It's obvious by how much faster he climbs. He's a lot lighter than I am, too. Rick, on the other hand, has a completely different style: he goes up the hill slowly because he doesn't actually see it as a challenge, and then jets past everyone at the last minute to finish first.

I arrived at Mystic Cycle just as three riders were pulling out of the parking lot. Suka, someone whose name I don't know, and Rick in the rear. I turned around and caught on, and Rick directed everyone to take the same backwards, circuitous route that Graham has been taking. Rick and I moved to the front, and he brought our speed on the flats up to 24 mph. I felt fine, and this wasn't a problem.

He changed the route slightly, taking us down Jeremy Hill Road instead of Al Harvey Road, but the end result was the same. However, he said we were heading for Wyassup instead of Cossaduck or the North Stonington Transfer Station road. That meant we were going to do the route backwards... which meant going DOWN Cossaduck. "If it's raining by then, it's going to be very hard to stop at the bottom of Cossaduck," I said. (At least for me. And "hard" means "almost impossible.")

He didn't say anything, but he must have agreed because he changed the route so that we went straight to Cossaduck. I joked around (sorta) about this hill always psyching me out, so he tried to pump up my confidence by saying that I was riding better than he's ever seen, I'm in great shape, etc., etc., etc. And he stayed with me about 1/2 way up the hill, with the other two still behind us, as if I was actually keeping a decent pace.

I did slow down, though, and the other two went around us. The other guy started giving Suka lessons on climbing long hills like Cossaduck. "Slip into your easiest gear, pedal easy for a little while. Then down-shift two or three gears, stand up, and attack like your [butt] is on fire, until you're going as fast as you can go in that gear. Then shift back to the easiest gear and keep your cadence up as long as you can. Get your breath back, and repeat."

He demonstrated. Suka followed. I tried it, and I had to admit it felt pretty good. Rick rode around all of us and casually beat everyone to the top without getting out of his saddle even once. He may even have pulled out a novel to read on the way up, but I had too much sweat in my eyes to be sure.

For the record: I asked Rick (who is in his early 40's), "What do you weigh, about 155?" He said, "No! I'm only 135, and I'm 5' 6". I'm just a little guy." Sheesh.

At the top, they decided to do 'hill repeats.' On Cossaduck. "Come on, Seth! You have another one in you?" So down we all went again, and I took 1,000 miles off my brakes by stopping at the bottom, so I could turn around and do it all again. Same as last time. Again, I didn't finish too far behind the other two. (Rick was just fooling around, and the other guy was intentionally sticking with Suka, so this doesn't say much for me.)

They turned around to do it AGAIN, but I'd had quite enough of that, thank you, and I just kept going to finish the ride I'd "signed up for."

Later, on Wyassup, I saw two riders coming towards me who looked like Suka and the other guy (gotta get his name, he's there every week). Turns out it wasn't either of them... it was someone named Ken (who I didn't know), and a girl who did this ride with us once last month and somehow remembered my name.

They were "slightly lost," and wanted to ride with me mainly because I knew where I was going. I led them through Wyassup, back to 201, to Wolfneck and out to that super-steep hill on Town Farm Road, then back to Mystic. Ken shook my hand and thanked me for the escort, then they headed home to Westerly and I climbed Oral School before heading home myself.

Stats: 53.16 miles (85.58 km) in 2h 51' 53" for an average speed of 18.55 mph (29.87 kph).

(Oh, my weight is coming down again. I'm just four pounds heavier than my lightest weight last year. Another 17 pounds for my goal this year.)

PMC 2006, Day 2: Bourne to Provincetown, 78 Miles

seth@macrobyte.net — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 03:59:59 GMT

Sunday, August 6, 2006

Whoo! Three days in a row, and I'm up with the alarm clock at some ridiculous hour (read: "before 7 am").

I told Mike yesterday that I'd meet them all by the bikes today at 5 a.m., but later I was reminded that anyone who is staying off campus is NOT to ride back over the bridge to the MMA. (Since it's not a group start on Sunday, it's not big deal.) I called Steve a few minutes after 5 to let him know I'd just meet them at the first water stop.

When I got off the phone with Steve I was ready to go, and I even had my gloves and shades! The bike was disassembled in the back of the car (setting up the bike rack last night was going to be too much hassle), but it only took a few seconds to put it back together. I rode out, and found to my surprise that everyone coming off the Bourne Bridge rode — literally — right past the hotel entrance. Cool!

Knowing they had a five minute ride to the bridge, and then probably ten minutes to crawl over the bridge, I decided to...

PMC 2006, Day 1: Sturbridge to Bourne, 112 Miles

seth@macrobyte.net — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 03:59:59 GMT

Saturday, August 5, 2006

Saturday morning I again awoke with the alarm clock, no problem at all. (Apparently, my body is trying to remind that sleeping enough at night means it's easy to get up in the morning. Not sure how I forgot that over the last couple of years...)

I took a quick shower to wake up, dressed for the ride, and carried the cooler full of gatorade and ice-water down to the car so Corinne wouldn't have to lug it down later on her own.

Oops. In a classic Seth move, I forgot my key and couldn't go back into my room! Mark and his wife were already waiting for me, but Corinne wouldn't wake up to answer the door, so I had to go back down to the front desk, get a new key, go back upstairs to grab my stuff (especially clothes for after my shower in Bourne), and then back down the elevator again to Mark's car for the 15 mile ride back to the Host.

In all the confused, early-morning frustration...