Truer Words - A Journal

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

seth@macrobyte.net — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:01:55 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.)

The Great Mojo Bars Taste Test

seth@macrobyte.net — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 02:44:30 GMT

Months and months ago, my friend Daniel Berlinger offered to send me a box of Clif Bar Mojo Bars if I'd comment on them — good or bad — here on the site.

He sent them almost immediately. I, however, never got around to writing about them. Ahem. That darn Seth!

He's reminded me over a month ago. Then he reminded me again a couple minutes ago! OK, he's been very patient, so here's my side of the deal.

Mojo bars are "energy" granola bars. They're intended for cyclists and hikers, people who need to keep their energy levels way up. Unfortunately, I've never been a big fan of the combination fo granola bars and cycling!

My first experience eating a granloa bar while cycling was in my first or second PMC. I remember it quite clearly, because I thought it was going to kill me! I had been riding pretty hard, but slowed down to eat the granola in my jersey pocket. Took my first bite, and found out the hard way that they take too long to chew up! Duh. But since I'd been riding so hard, I couldn't breathe deeply enough through my nose... so I inhaled through my mouth, and with all that wonderful air came a lung full of granola crumbs. Cough, cough. Cough, cough, cough... ack... I'm dying here... cough, cough. Stop on the side of the road, everything goes sparkly and dark for a second, cough up the rest of the crumbs, breathe a little...

Anyway, that was years ago. The mojo bars were this year. I was more careful this time, and knew better than to eat one while still huffing-and-puffing. They didn't try to kill me, and that's a major point in their favor!

It's been a few months since I tried them, and I'd be lying if I said I could remember the names of all of the flavors. Instead, I looked up the names in one of Daniel's old posts. Once I saw the names, I did at least remember what I thought of the bars.

Mixed Nuts: Eh. About what you'd expect. Tasted like mixed nuts, but in bar shape.
Fruit Nut Crunch: I liked this one.
Mountain Mix: Eh. So-so.
Chocolate Peanut: Very tasty. Two great tastes that taste great together, and I've always been a sucker for a Reese's.
Honey Roasted Peanut: I was expecting (or at least hoping for) the taste of Planter's honey-roasted peanuts, but it isn't really like that. It's more like really sweet peanuts.
Peanut Butter Pretzel: If I remember this one correctly, then it's one of the four I would buy again. Sweet and salty.
Peanut Butter and Jelly: This had one of the best flavors, but could have a used a touch of salt.

I'm still not a fan of granola bars during bike rides, but I do like to have one at least 30 minutes before heading out. Unfortunately, Mystic Cycle doesn't carry them, so I need to talk them into picking some up for me if I'm going to make them part of my daily routine.

Sorry this took so long, Daniel!

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

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:25:31 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 #63: Thirty Two Miles on a Rocket

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:04:54 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 #116: Consistency!

seth@macrobyte.net — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 23:53:30 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 18:24:34 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 #87: Inch by Inch (and, Three Accidents)

seth@macrobyte.net — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 13:34:40 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 #78: We Now Return to the Regular Training Schedule...

seth@macrobyte.net — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 14:21:45 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.)

Ride #73: My One Thousand Mile Month

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 18:21:26 GMT

This month turned into a successful, personal, pet project without me even knowing it until it was half done. It started with just two simple goals: ride very consistently, and ride a century. Both were important goals because the PMC is always the first weekend after July, and my training before July was very spotty (and included no centuries at all).

A few days into the month I decided on a schedule of "six days on, one day off" the bike. Since Thursday night's group hill ride is the hardest of the week, Wednesday would be my day off (with the added benefit of leaving me conscious for Bible class that night).

By mid-month I'd done pretty well. Still wasn't perfectly consistent (but it's not like I'm doing this for a living), but in the first fourteen days I'd ridden eleven times and finished 449 miles.

Hmm. 449 miles. I realized that this made it quite possible to reach 1,000 miles by the end of the month. I had a new goal, though it was almost another two weeks before I mentioned it here.

The century was laid down exactly three weeks into the month, on Friday the 21st. It wasn't fast, but it was hot, solo, and included most of the biggest hills in my area. I'm confident that I would have been significantly faster if I'd used my solo-century route from previous years.

On the other hand, that century was a noisy burp in my otherwise quiet, well-mannered training schedule. I didn't ride the day before, nor the two days after. Packing all those miles into one day was risky: I certainly would have ridden more miles overall if I had stuck to the schedule, but then I wouldn't have the pain of a 100 mile ride burned into my butt. :-) (Sounds bad, but it's important.)

My weight bounced around like a super-ball. Comparing my heaviest and lightest days, you might conclude that I lost 14 pounds. That's pretty darn good... but who knows if that's real or not? A little variation is normal, of course (and the bigger you are, the more variation you should expect), but five or six pounds (in either direction!) in a single day? That's just weird. (See the last column of this month's stats table.)

I didn't lose anywhere near what I wanted to lose before the PMC (which would be another ten pounds), but I am actually a few pounds lighter than I was last year at this time. (Who knows where I'd be if I'd ridden consistently for three months instead of just one?)

The last ride of the month was 53 miles. It wasn't fast, but it was comfortable. I should mention that for the last few days, I've focused almost exclusively on cadence. (In fact, late last week on a 40-mile ride I average 87 rpm. :-)

Stats: 52.32 miles (84.23 km) in 2h 43' 31" for an average speed of 19.19 mph (30.90 kph).

Summary of rides from 7/1/06 to 7/31/06.
Rides:	23	Miles:	1011.91 miles (1628.51 km)	Time:	2day 5h 40m 56s
Avg. Speed:	18.85 mph (30.33 kph)	Avg. Miles:	43.99 miles (70.79 km)	Avg. Time:	2h 20m 2s

Fastest	20.53 mph (33.05 kph)	Miles:	30.55 miles (49.16 km)	Date:	7/23/06
Slowest	16.17 mph (26.02 kph)	Miles:	40.92 miles (65.85 km)	Date:	7/14/06

Avg. Weight:	255 lbs	Max Weight:	263 lbs	Min Weight:	249 lbs

Oh, in case nobody figured this out already: I have a new script that generates these nifty stats tables based on any date range in my database. (So all I have to do is provide the start and end dates, and it gives me back the HTML, ready to drop into these reports.)

Ride #68: Nearing My First 1K Month

seth@macrobyte.net — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 18:28:06 GMT

A few weeks ago I knew that I was going to work very hard this month to get in shape for the Pan-Mass Challenge. This season had a very slow start, and I have some catching up to do.

But about a week ago, an idea started tickling the back of my brain. /Perhaps this could be my first 1,000-mile month./ That wasn't one of my goals this year, but it sounds pretty cool, doesn't it?

This has certainly been my most consistent month, as I've ridden eighteen days already (including one century). My record is twenty rides in a month, in July, 2005... which had 795 miles and no centuries.

This latest ride was a little slow. I really wore myself out last Friday, and haven't given myself enough of a break to really recover from it. Plus I went to bed much too late on Monday night. I'm constantly surprised at the difference a good night's sleep can make.

In spite of "the slow," I rode out a full 53 miles because I realized that I really do have a good chance at that 1,000-mile month. Today is a rest day (for which I'm VERY THANKFUL!!), so that leaves five days for 200 miles. Thursday is the hill ride at almost 60 miles (now that Graham has changed the route). So, the last four days of the month I'll need another 140 miles: an average of just 35 miles per day. That's well below my current average ride. No sweat. <ahem>

Stats: 53.0 miles (85.33 km) in 2h 47' 49" for an average speed of 18.94 mph (30.50 kph).

Since I'm such a stats junkie, here are my stats over the last seven days. (Check again on Thursday or Friday, when I should be over 300 miles for the same period. Another first.)

• July 21st to 25th •
Rides:	4	Miles:	232.25 miles (373.77 km)	Time:	12h 13m 16s
Avg. Speed:	19.0 mph (30.58 kph)	Avg. Miles:	58.06 miles (93.43 km)	Avg. Time:	3h 3m 19s

Fastest:	20.53 mph (33.05 kph)	Miles:	30.55 miles (49.16 km)	Date:	7/23/06
Slowest:	18.3 mph (29.46 kph)	Miles:	100.95 miles (162.46 km)	Date:	7/21/06

Avg. Weight:	251 lbs	Max Weight:	256 lbs	Min Weight:	249 lbs

Ride #65: 100 Miles... Now I Need a Nap

seth@macrobyte.net — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 17:06:25 GMT

After wimping out on Thursday because of TS Beryl, I left for a long ride on Friday at 2:00 PM.

There are three "loop rides" I do for training on a regular basis:

My basic ride goes up Rt. 117 into Ledyard, down Col. Ledyard "Highway" to Rt. 184, up Pumpkin Hill Road back into Ledyard, down Gallup Hill, out to Wolf Neck, to Rt. 201, to Al Harvey Rd., back to 184 to N. Stonington Road to Old Mystic, to River Road into Mystic, to Route 1, to Rte. 234 in Pawcatuck, to North Anguilla, back to 184 again, to home. 48 miles
The Thursday night hill ride. Too many roads to bother listing it all out. It's about 55 miles, starting and ending at my house (though the ride officially starts and stops at Mystic Cycle).
The "beach run," which is best on super hot days, is an out-and-back route. I just go up 184 to 27 to River Road, into Mystic, onto Route 1, all the way into Westerly. Beach Street to Watch Hill Road, past the old house and into Watch Hill. Around the loop, then a right on Ninigret and out onto Ocean View Highway (where the ocean can't be seen unless you live in one of the mansions). Then Bayberry to Maplewood to Atlantic Ave. Fly on Atlantic for the full length of Misquamicut beach with the wind at your back, then turn around and do the whole route again in reverse. Approximately 50 miles

So, for this ride, I merged them all together, clipping off a corner here, a couple hills there, and came up with an excellent, challenging century. 100.97 miles, solo.

It included the hills on Wintechog, Cossaduck, (skipped Gilliver to avoid mechanical issues), Rt. 49, Wyassup, and Town Farm Road.

Took me almost exactly 5.5 hours, which isn't bad for my first century of the year, especially on my own.

Unfortunately, though I'd told Corinne I was going for a "long ride," I didn't tell her it was going to be a century, so she was really worried by the time I got home. Sorry babe. :-(

Stats: 100.95 miles (162.5 km) in 5h 30' 51" for an average speed of 18.30 mph (29.47 kph).

And for kicks, my four rides in the last seven days:

From:	7/16/06	To:	7/21/06
Rides:	4	Miles:	223.62 miles (359.88 km)	Time:	11h 51m 7s

Fastest	20.24 mph (32.58 kph)	Miles:	43.47 miles (69.95 km)	Date:	7/17/06
Slowest	18.3 mph (29.46 kph)	Miles:	100.95 miles (162.46 km)	Date:	7/21/06

Avg. Speed:	18.86 mph (30.36 kph)	Avg. Miles:	55.9 miles (89.96 km)	Avg. Time:	2h 57m 46s
Avg. Weight:	253 lbs	Max Weight:	258 lbs	Min Weight:	251 lbs

Rides #60 and #61: Hills, More HIlls, and a Ride with Jimmy

seth@macrobyte.net — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 20:22:05 GMT

Thursday was the group hill ride. I showed up at Mystic Cycle over an hour early so that Graham could do some warranty work on the bike: the chain keeps coming off, and they've tried to fix it at least five or six times in the last few months. (This time, he seems to have figured it out.)

It was hot and wet. Not just muggy: it had rained off and on all day.

Graham changed the route. He was sick of dealing with the traffic in downtown Mystic, so he took us on this crazy, twisty route through the back roads of Mystic and Stonington to finally put us on Al Harvey Road which eventually dumped us onto 201 where we rejoined the regular route. It was a few miles longer, and we missed the beautiful River Road, but there was almost no traffic at all. Fair trade.

I (mostly) stayed with the group this time. They weren't in race-to-the-finish mode, I'm riding a little better. We were separated a few times, but each time I either caught up on the descent or (once) the lead group stopped to wait for a few stragglers.

Amos (don't know his last name) has ridden with us the last few weeks. He's a pro racer. Not an elite, obviously (or he'd be in Europe), but he (for example) consistently and easily rips the wheels off everybody else in the group when anyone jumps for a town line. This time, Amos jumped first and nobody followed, but he didn't care: he went anyway, in a blur. It's like he can stall time (some of you will know know what I mean). Graham and I were talking about it later, and agreed that even as fast as he is, the elites would make him look like a club racer.

After Amos crossed the line, Graham gunned the pace up to about 30. I was the only one that matched him from the start, but the others caught up soon (I expected it, and the others probably couldn't see him around me). We caught and passed Amos, and I kept the paceline running at 30 for the last 1/2 mile to Wolf Neck Road. (Whoosh! That was fun.)

Note that Graham was riding with two bruised ribs from a race crash last weekend.

Big Numbers

One last point about this ride: it included my 11,000th mile on the new bike, which was purchased in April of 2004. So, 11,000 miles in almost exactly two years and two months. (However, the miles are not evenly distributed per year, as you can see here, here and here.

Stats: 57.31 miles (92.26 km) in 3h 10' 21" for an average speed of 18.06 mph (29.08 kph).

Friday morning I was sore. Corinne was getting herself ready for work, and I was zipping through Thursday's Tour de France stage on tape. (It was at least half commercials, and a third of the remainder is Al Trautwig's useless blather, so this is a very fast way to watch a race.) She burst into the room and said, "Jimmy's talking about you on the radio again!"

He did the whole "Seth Dillingham" thing, again. Mentioned that we'd been planning to ride together, and said something about finding out if I could really ride or not. We were supposed to meet at his house that afternoon, 1 PM. Shelly (his co-host) said something about a big hill just before his house...

I didn't catch the whole thing, but it sounded an awful lot like a challenge. Like, "Hah hah, Seth thinks he can ride. We'll see." I'd been called out.

With a rough map printed out from Google so I'd have some chance of finding the place (he only provided the address), I set off a little before noon. It was hot here in Mystic (83° F), but it was hotter in Norwich (92° F).

Shelly mentioned a big hill, right? I had two reactions to this. First, why did this have to happen after the big hill ride the night before? Second, it probably wasn't all that bad.

Oh man. Switch-backs. Tree line. O₂ deprivation. Mount Everest and the Great Wall of China. Lunar Landing.

Maybe I was a little more tired than I thought, but that hill was easily as bad as anything the night before, especially due to its angle. That's the closest I've come in the last ten years to just getting off the bike and walking. (Clearly, I'm going to have to do it again, to confirm that impression.)

Jimmy's house is right over the top. He had a flat tire, and after replacing the tube... it popped as soon as he filled it with air. The big rip in the side of the tire may have had something to do with it. He rode his hybrid, on which he looked very comfortable, compared to his racing-configured Fuji road bike.

The original point of this ride was to climb up to Dodd Stadium, which is at the top of another hill in Norwich. I've been up there a few times for baseball games, and I was pretty sure that hill was long and steep, but it seemed like _nothing_ compared to Snake Hill (the one on the way to Jimmy's house). We rode around town for a little while, then parted down by the waterfront in downtown and each of us rode home.

This wasn't a training ride. This wasn't an event. This *was* the first time Jimmy and I have ridden together, this was a VERY hot day, and... well, this was also my slowest ride in many years. I wouldn't count it, except it still does count as miles in the saddle. Throws my curve way off, though.

Stats: 40.92 miles (65.88 km) in 2h 31' 48" for an average speed of 16.17 mph (26.04 kph).

(For the year: Rides: 61, Miles: 2199.91, Minutes: 7205.2, Average Miles: 36.06, Average Minutes:, Average Speed: 18.3 mph)

Rides #54-#59: Six Days in a Row, 200+ miles

seth@macrobyte.net — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 19:43:52 GMT

Steve suggested, after my last ride report, that I might be (understandably) exaggerating my concerns about my riding and weight this year. I wish that were true! I really am somewhat panicked about dragging all this extra weight around for almost 300 miles in three days (at the PMC).

This month, with no travel plans and no other significant excuses, I'm finally doing something about it. I rode nine out of the first eleven days of the month, including six in a row! That's a first for me, though I have to admit it was hard. Yesterday's ride, which was the sixth in six days, was slow. Plus, I'm forcing myself to eat even less than I normally do "in season."

It seems to be working, finally. If I can lose another eight pounds in the next thee and a half weeks, I will have at least reached the point I was at last year at the PMC. That's still ten pounds heavier than my goal, but there's just no way I'm going to lose 18 pounds in that time and still be both healthy and fully assembled! (IE, I'm not cutting off any body parts to speed things up!)

I intended to write quite a few ride reports over the last month... but instead I wrote none. For exammple, last Thursday I missed the group for the hill ride by a couple minutes, but managed to catch them on Route 201, after Cossaduck Hill! I was completely toasted and couldn't stay with them for long, but catch them I did. (Later, some of the guys hammered so hard that they even dropped Graham. Those hammering included Ernie (papa wheeli) and Todd (I think that's his name... he's a pro racer).

Also, this weekend I was on River Road heading from Mystic to Old Mystic. Someone in a Mystic Velo (the local team of racers) jersey popped in from a side road just a couple hundred feet ahead of me. He turned, gave me "the look", downshifted, and... well, the chase was on. I was feeling strong and managed to catch him, too. A hollow victory: he told me he doesn't ride much anymore and was just faking it to see what I'd do. Bummer. ;-)

There's so much more from the last month that I should have written about, but I just haven't had time. It's been a good season, though. (Just wish the weight would come off faster.)

After six days of riding, I'm definitely "appreciating" this rest day.

From 7/6/06 to 7/11/06
Rides: 6, Miles: 221.52, Time: 11h 40m 2s
Fastest ride: 20.21 mph (32.52 kph) for 23.2 miles (37.33 km) on 7/7/06
Slowest ride: 18.39 mph (29.6 kph) for 53.87 miles (86.69 km) on 7/6/06
Avg. Miles = 36.92, Avg. Time = 1h 56m 40s, Avg. Speed: 18.98

Full stats are here.

(Tomorrow's ride will be the group hill ride, again. Hopefully all this extra training will make a difference!)

Catching Up, A Little

seth@macrobyte.net — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 18:06:49 GMT

I was scolded last night by a relative (whose name is not "Ellen", but sounds the same) for not posting anything here since last week. "I've had nothing to read!" she lamented, "You didn't even mention the wonderful picnic at the Schlageter's house!"

"She just wants to toot her own horn," her daughter (whose name is not Mindy, but sounds like it) said.

"Hah!" was her witty response.

Anyway, yes, it's been quiet around here. Next week is the Rails conference in Chi-town, and I need to have my first Rails project "functional" before then so that my client (who is also going to be there) has something to demo.

Also taking up my time, recently:

I spend 30-45 minutes (almost) every day working on the new deck, usually at lunch. Mostly, I'm staining parts that Jed later installs (it'll get a touch-up second coat when we're done).
The bike! My weight still isn't going down (much), but my performance and endurance are gradually improving. I'm done pretending to understand why things are so different this year! (I have more stats and reports to post, sorry I fell behind again.)
Friday night I led the Bible readings at the hall. At least, I led them "officially." We had a special guest, which "eased the burden" on the leader, significantly.
Last Saturday I was supposed to ride in the Quabbin again (first time in a few years), but I wimped out at the last minute due to the flooding rains promised by the professional liars at weather.com. (They got a few quick spatterings, nothing more.) Instead, I rode 55 miles around here, and didn't really work at all that day.
Sunday (after Memorial Service) Corinne and I both enjoyed the "wonderful picnic at the Schlageter's house." It really was a great time! Almost everybody showed up (even Stan and Windy Isbell!), the weather was perfect, food was good, and the Drake kids were there (neither of my nieces, though). What more could I ask for?

Frisbee, that's what! I brought three to the picnic, but I was actually out-Frisbeed for the first time in my life! I tossed it around with Darren for a few minutes, then with Michelle... but then Bill wanted a chance and he just never tired of it! I finally called it quits after a few decades, and had to admit that Bill:
- is a better Frisbee-throwing-machine than I am
- is very stubborn
- has the ability to catch and throw on auto-pilot while his mind wanders
Either way, I've been humbled.

Ride #21: Too Soon for this Craziness!

seth@macrobyte.net — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 23:53:00 GMT

This one's for Daniel, who actually complained on his own site that I haven't been posting ride reports here! I'd hate the be his excuse for not riding.

I felt pretty good today, and the weather was nice, so I did something a little nuts: the majority of the "Tuesday Night Hill Ride" (solo). This included Cossaduck Hill Road, and three other big hills. This is much earlier than I've done this ride in previous years.

Notice I said "felt", above. I no longer feel pretty good. I feel like I've been run over by a freight train. ;-)

On the other hand, the weight is finally starting to come off. I was starting to worry that the rules had changed without anyone telling me.

Stats: 38.34 miles (61.72 km) in 2h 13' 5" for an average speed of 17.28 mph (27.82 kph).

So there you go, Daniel. A ride report to motivate you to "get out there," though I'm not sure I 'dropped you' this time.

Ride #96: New Personal Best!

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 00:29:59 GMT

I'm more convinced than ever that my whole problem on Saturday was one of nutrition. Or, actually, a complete lack thereof.

This afternoon I completely smoked my previous personal best for twenty miles. It was the same route but included an extra half-mile out and back at the far end, so it was actually 21 miles. There's really nothing else to say about this ride, so I'll just leave you with the stats.

Oh, wait, one other thing: I don't know what's going on with my weight! I've been between 244 and 247 all month. I was 244 on Saturday. Today I'm 250! I'd chalk it up to another high gravity day, but my stats seem to say otherwise, don't they? :-)

Stats: 21.12 miles (34.00 km) in 57' 28" for an average speed of 22.05 mph (35.50 kph).

Wow. Go look at my performance graph, it's a little funny looking right now. :-)

Ride #68 and #69: Who Am I? Speedy Gonzales?

seth@macrobyte.net — Thu, 21 Jul 2005 15:28:24 GMT

Wow, I don't know what got into me the last couple of days, but I like it.

Tuesday (#68) I was going to do a waterfront-50: fifty miles along the roads that track the beachy areas between my house and the furthest point of Westerly and perhaps Southern/Western Charlestown.

The weather had other ideas. A severe storm was blowing in, with hail and lightning and huge amounts of rain. I read about it just before I left, but I was hoping I could avoid it. When I left, there wasn't even a slight breeze.

When I reached Mystic Cycle (just over six miles by the route I took), my average speed was 22.1 mph. I stopped in briefly to ask about replacing my chain, and when I came out I could see the storm coming in from the North West. Maybe I could outrun it to the far side of Pawcatuck (300 feet from Westerly, RI) and then wait under the rail bridge for it to pass...

The further I went, the harder the wind blew. The rain switched on and off, never lasting for more than two or three seconds as the clouds at the edge of the storm flew by. Lightnight flashed in the distance. It grew darker. I began to picture Corinne fretting at home about me out in this weather, but I still thought I could make it to the bridge before the worst of it.

The road curved to the left a little, and the slight headwind became a full, gusty crosswind at about 50 mph. It was hard to stay on the shoulder. A paceline passed me going the other way, heading back towards Mystic. That looked like fun, and they seemed to be heading away from the storm so I stopped, waited for traffic to clear, and then turned around to chase them down. This took about a minute.

It took me about three miles to catch them. They actually turned around, saw me coming, and tried to get away! I'm not making this up, they admitted it when I finally caught them at the top of the hill. Two of them were quite annoyed that I caught them.

One of them didn't want to get his bike wet (waah.), so they pulled in to Henny Penny to wait under the gas station's canopy. The leader seemed to lose his concentration for a minute: he came to a complete stop right next to the sidewalk, but never detached his cleats from his pedals. He just... yeah, you can picture it. He just fell over on his right side, hands still on the handlebars, and started laughing. This was made worse (or perhaps caused) by the very pretty blonde sitting in the open-top jeep at the pump right next where he 'landed'. He looked at her and said, "You didn't see that, right?" "Nope, I didn't see anything."

The effort to catch them, in spite of what had become a headwind, kept my average speed up to 21.3 mph. It dropped a lot after this because I followed them through downtown Mystic (traffic).

Stats for #68: 24.1 miles (38.80 km) in 1h 9' 35" for an average speed of 20.78 mph (33.45 kph). Not nearly the distance I was looking for, but at least I rode.

Wednesday's ride was even shorter. By the time we returned home from dinner on the Atlantia at 6:00, I only had an hour to ride before going to Bible class in Westerly. So, I tried for exactly 20 miles, and came very close. This was another fast ride.

Not much more to say about this one, except that the humidity was (finally) down a bit and my hair is cut incredibly short. Both of those things make riding in hot weather a lot more bearable. No wonder Jim Boyko shaved his head! (I'm not shaved, but it's a lot shorter than I asked for. Oh well.)

Oh, and my weight is down to 250. :-)

Stats for #69: 20.01 miles (32.21 km) in 58' 26" for an average speed of 20.54 mph (33.07 kph).

Ride #65: Solo On the Snail Trail

seth@macrobyte.net — Fri, 15 Jul 2005 16:18:46 GMT

Graham called me early in the afternoon to say that he was sick and wouldn't be doing the hill ride, and everybody else was bowing out also. So, I went alone.

It wasn't terribly hot (about 80° F), but it was really, really humid. Still, I did the whole thing. Every stinkin' hill.

I was slow. Molasses. Glacial. Proton decay. Snails passed me on stationary bikes. So slow, in fact, that I'd like to find some way to blame it on the bike. I really do feel like there's something wrong with the drive train, some extra friction or resistance, but nothing bad enough to account for this kind of slow. I don't know what was wrong with me.

This was my slowest ride since the beginning of April. :-(

To make things just slightly more annoying, my weight hasn't gone down in a month. I've ridden the miles and been careful with what I eat, but I'm stuck in the low 250's.

Stats: 57.31 miles (92.26 km) in 3h 12' 2" for an average speed of 17.90 mph (28.82 kph).

Pitiful.

Ride #52: Like Buttah

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 21 Jun 2005 13:54:50 GMT

Something must be seriously wrong. I can't have crossed the 20mph threshold already this year!

:-)

Yes I can. I did. And, on a ~49 mile ride, to boot. Plus, I've been under 260 for over a week now. Looks like my goal of shrinking down to 250 by the PMC (just six weeks away) is more than realistic, it's practically in the bag. Should have aimed lower!

Last year I didn't hit 20 mph until July 30th, and didn't dip below 260 until August 19th.

Not that I'm keeping track, of course. ;-)

Oh, the ride? Smooth as butter. Regular training route, I just pushed extra hard.

In case anybody's ever looking for me (!), my route is: up 184 to 117 to Ledyard, down Colonel Ledyard Highway (what a misnomer!) to 184 again, up Pumpkin Hill Road (ugh), down Gallup Hill Road, up Shewville Road, across on Wolf Neck, up 201, down Al Harvey Road to 184 again, to River Road into downtown Mystic, Route 1 all the way over and up to Pawcatuck at Rt 234, over the hill to North Anguilla Road, back to 184 which I take all the way home.

Stats: 48.57 miles (78.19 km) in 2h 25' 2" for an average speed of 20.09 mph (32.35 kph).

Ride #42: Early Morning Bliss

seth@macrobyte.net — Wed, 01 Jun 2005 13:14:48 GMT

Hey, I finally did it! I dragged my sorry butt out of bed at 5:00 and showed up at the bookstore in downtown Mystic at 5:30. I've been threatening to do this for at least a month.

There were fifteen of us, which was really cool. Training rides are usually "alone time," so a chance to ride with a group is pretty exciting. Rick was the only one I knew by name, but I knew some of the other faces, and most everybody seemed to know me by sight.

One of us brought a time trial bike, which was the wrong bike for the route "they" had planned for the day. So, we followed him to his house so he could swap bikes. This slowed down the average speed *a lot*, because we rode circles in front of his house while we waited for at least three minutes.

Finally, we took off down Route 1, back through downtown Mystic towards Westerly... and the gate went down on the bridge just as we reached it! I'm telling you I must be cursed, because I've "hit the bridge" on every ride for the last week. All the riders started yelling, though, and the operator kept one side open to let us pass before closing it down and raising the bridge. Thank you, sir.

Once through Mystic, we organized into a paceline and picked up the speed to about 23 mph. I started out in the middle... but my turn to pull came just before we hit the hill at Lord's Point. No no no... I was fine on the flats, but this big guy isn't ready to pull those little guys up a hill yet. Gimme another month, please.

So, I rotated to the back, but the five guys in front of me all got dropped going up the hill. I tried to pass them, but it was too late by the time I realized what had happened, and the other nine didn't even look back until they were at least 1/4 mile ahead of me. I decided not to kill myself trying to catch them, but was hoping to at least keep them in sight for awhile. Another rider, Pete, hooked on and we stayed together for the whole loop.

Twenty miles from the bookstore, we were... back at the bookstore again. Never saw the larger group again. No big deal, the season's still young.

My total to that point was only 25+ miles, so I decided to head up River Road, go up 201 to Wolfneck, and then climb Gallup Hill and descend Pumpkin HIll (which is backwards from my normal route). Going down Pumpkin HIll is a roller coaster rush, it's so steep and curvy. (No loops, though. Now that would be a rush.)

Tomorrow's the Hilly Half Century, whether or not anybody else shows up, so I won't be riding in the morning. Still, I'm going to try to make a habit of these early morning rides,. I like feeling all revved up at the start of my day. (Need to map out a better route, as this one was too short.)

Stats: 39.8 miles (64.07 km) in 2h 7' 57" for an average speed of 18.66 mph (30.04 kph).

Ride #38: First Century of the Year

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 24 May 2005 00:08:14 GMT

I've been planning my first century of the season for mid-May since sometime in March. I asked Steve if he'd like to go along, so today he and his friend, Mike Lucas, joined me. They're both from Massachusetts and had over an hour's drive to Mystic.

With the threat of rain, we almost cancelled it last night. I'm glad we didn't! There was no rain. It was a little chilly at times, occasionally windy, and overcast most of the day, but overall the weather was more of an anticipated problem than an actual one.

We started riding at about 9:00 AM, leaving from Mystic Seaport. I rode into town and met them at the parking lot. (it would have been silly for me to leave Corinne without a car all day, when we were starting just five miles from my house!)

As I mentioned on Saturday, I scrapped the whole "flat route" idea. Once they were here (and expecting a flat century), what could they really do about it? ;-)

Steve was up late last night after attending the theater, so he was a little off his game. The first 40% of the ride was quite hilly, as we went out 201 and up Cossaduck Hill Road. I know there are worse hills, perhaps even some around here, but something about that hill really wears me down. Anyway, as we turned the corner to start up the hill, Steve blurted out, "Oh! I hate you Seth!" We reached the top at approximately the same time: proof that he was really tired.

Unlike Steve and myself, Mike's one of those little guys that floats up hills on a breeze, but bounces along in our downhill wake like a leaf in a truck's turbulence.

That was certainly the worst hill of the day, but it was worth it. They both seemed to like the scenery as much as I do.

The first part of the route was basically River Road in Mystic to Route 201 to Route 2 in North Stonington, back onto 201 to climb Cossaduck, to 165 past Buttonwood Farm Ice Cream, to Route 49, to Route 148 and back to River Road and into Mystic again. That was about 40 miles, if I remember correctly.

We stopped at Mystic Cycle to use the bathroom, chat with the guys a little, and pick up some carbs. Then it was off to Watch Hill, fifteen miles away, where we stopped for lunch. We all had greasy hamburgers! And Steve's french fries! ;-) (And, just for the memory trigger: an older gentleman at the next table kept talking to us about Lance Armstrong.)

After lunch we did the length of Atlantic Ave in Misquamicut with a tailwind and almost no traffic (too early in the year, and the weather wasn't very beach-friendly). Eventually, we ended up on Route 1 North (but heading East!) again, but the traffic was heavy so we made a left onto 216 towards Bradford, then onto Route 91 through Dunn's Corners. Right onto Shore Road (Route 1A), left onto Ocean View Highway, back through Watch Hill again, back onto Route 1A, through downtown Westerly, and then Route 1 all the way back to Mystic.

Oh, I shouldn't leave out the side trip through Stonington Village. We didn't have quite enough miles, so I wanted to throw in a side trip... but I made some wrong turns. Steve made some comment about getting lost when we're all feeling the urgent need to get home, but we really did need the miles if they were going to hit 100! (Remember that I had the extra miles to meet them, and to get home).

When we came to the last right turn to head back to the Seaport parking lot, I went straight (twoards home), promising to meet them at Mystic Pizza after changing my clothes.

Well... they didn't have any problem finding the car, but they were still short a few miles so they ended up riding around the parking lot until they reached 100. Shouldn't have razzed me about the side trip through Stonington Village, guys! (Ok, that's not true. I got lost, just a few miles from home. How pitiful is that?)

After a very quick shower (and a kiss!), I hoppped in the truck and headed back to Mystic to meet them. I was sure that I would have kept them waiting (since I didn't yet know that they still needed to ride around for a few miles). Also after putting away the bikes, they took quick "Showers" in the museum's men's room. We actually arrived at the same time.

The pizza was good, the conversation better, and the Sam Adam's (draft) greatly appreciated and much needed! We yakked mostly about cycling, but I also learned that Mike grew up in Berkley, MA, where I lived until I was 13. He went to the same school, and had many of the same teachers as I did (and as my dad!), in spite of the fact that he's approximately twenty years my senior.

I don't blame you if you're skimming this long story, so here's the summary. The four sentence version of the entire day is as follows: I had a really great time. I feel good knowing that my condition has imrpoved so much already this year. I think (and hope) that Steve and Mike had just as much fun as I did, in spite of the hills. There are no pictures because my camera is too big, and Steve didn't bring his because he thought it was going to rain.

Thanks for joining me, guys. Let's do it again sometime soon!

Stats: 104.93 miles (168.9 km) in 5h 36' 17" for an average speed of 18.72 mph (30.14 kph).

Ride #27: Escape of the Weasel

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 26 Apr 2005 22:39:11 GMT

Today was a "regular" ride. I didn't plan to work too hard after really pushing myself yesterday. Usually take the day off after a hill ride.

Unfortunately... heading up Pumpkin Hill Road I saw a rabbit, about thirty seconds ahead of me. This always pumps my adrenalin! I gave chase, and he saw me and this obviously increased his motivation to climb faster. I caught him at the top of the hill, but he wouldn't talk to me or even look at me!

So, the rabbit turned out to be a weasel. My mistake. He proved it a minute later when we rode up behind a school bus. The bus was stopped, with the stop signs out and the red lights flashing. He passed it on the passenger side, scraping between the high school kids that had just gotten off and the still-open doors. Everybody on the bus yelled at him, but the driver waited to see if I was going to do the same thing. I didn't. The bus drove up behind the weasel and stayed there until he made a left and the bus (and I) made a right.

When the bus stopped again, the driver waved me through. As I passed, the kids getting off the bus said, "Your buddy went the other way." I replied that he wasn't my buddy, he was just a rabbit. Should have called him a weasel. Oh well.

About 2/3 of the way through my regular route, I make a very sharp left from Route 1 onto Route 234. This is one of the major connector roads between Westerly and I-95. It was closed! I have no idea why, but I had to pick my way through a bunch of detours, and ended up going the wrong way on Route 2. This added another large hill and about 1.5 miles, but that's it.

The last eight miles, on 184, were into a severe headwind (normal) but were otherwise uneventful.

Stats: 42.2 miles (67.94 km) in 2h 18' 7" for an average speed of 18.33 mph (29.51 kph).

(My weight is down nine pounds from my peak this year.)

Ride #17: Thrice Around the Scituate Reservoir

seth@macrobyte.net — Thu, 14 Apr 2005 16:51:56 GMT

As foretold, last Saturday I went up to Cranston for my first group ride of the season with Jim Boyko, Jason Cicero, Steve Davis, and Steve Harper. I was a little wary of this ride because it's so early in the season. Last time I rode with these guys (in the SCC) I was in pretty good shape, but can't honestly say that I'm there yet this year.

Aside...

Last year at this time, I had exactly zero miles in the saddle. In fact, I didn't even have a bike: the old Canondale had bitten the dust with a large crack in the frame around the seatpost, and the new Seven wouldn't be ready until April 22. I weighed 300 pounds, and it had been only one month since Shane died.

Anyway, the point is that although I'm not yet in the condition I was at the end of last year, I'm way, way, way better off than I was a year ago. 470 miles in the saddle for the year (though 130 were spaced out in January and February), and about 266 pounds.

I met Steve (Davis) at the Cranston hall at about 10:15. Fifteen minutes late, as usual. (Sorry Steve.) Another fifteen minutes to change into my jersey and shoes at the truck, and I was back at the hall again. Mike Pride was there, but didn't recognize me... that was very strange, I guess it was the helmet and shades. ::shrug::

We left, but it was colder than I thought so we went back again for my jacket. This happens every time I ride with Steve... there's always some reason to go back again. (Left my watch on one time, forgot my water bottles another time, the list goes on.)

We quickly managed to miss our first turn, but he had a map with him so a few minutes later we were zipping along towards the reservoir. (Oh, and "thank goodness for apostate churches and their free porta-potties!" ;-)

The loop around the reservoir is very pretty, and a little challenging at times. There's a long, shallow hill that curves off to the right, and my eyes were convinced that it was flat... but I couldn't keep my speed up over 12 mph, and eventually settled at just 9 for the climb. Steve said it must be a "high gravity day," but I didn't see anything about that in the weather reports.

I should mention that Davis is in excellent condition, especially for this early in the season. Kind of sickening, really: he rode his 1,000th mile for the year on this ride! He has good reason, as he's riding the Brasstown Bald Buster this weekend with his brother-in-law David Schalgeter. From what I've read and heard, he'll need everything he's got, as this ride is brutal.

After our first loop, we heaed back to the hall to pick up the other three. Jason and Steve were ready and waiting, and Jim showed up a few minutes later. After Jim changed his clothes we were off again. It was still a little cool, but I left the jacket behind this time (without regret).

Clockwise from the top left: Steve Harper, Steve Davis, Jason Cicero, Seth Dillingham, and that's Jim Boyko kneeling in the front.

Halfway into this loop, I suggested we go left to find Uncle Dave and Aunt Karen Pride's house for a quick visit. We've all known them our whole lives; he even performed the wedding ceremony for me and Corinne, and she was our wedding photographer. We found the house just a couple of miles up the road, and definitely surprised them. (To the right is the only picture from the ride, taken by Aunt Karen with Jim's camera phone.)

They topped-off our water bottles, shared their bathroom, and reviewed our map and gave us some possible "more interesting" routes.

"More interesting" is perhaps an understatement. Jason Cicero particularly appreciated the two miles of dirt roads, and getting temporary lost in the woods. While we were stopped at an intersection of two dirt roads (though the intersection was paved!), Steve Harper made a comment about hearing banjos just as I was about to say, "we need deliverance." Two points to Steve for slightly better timing.

We did eventually find our way out of the woods. Based on his reaction (which included much yelling and fit-pitching), Jason wasn't very happy about this, but what were we to do? Just keep riding on dirt roads all day? Sorry, dude. ;-)

The plan had been to do two loops with the whole group, but when we neard the end of the first loop I decided I'd had enough. We stopped at a little road-side restaurant so Steve could eat a hamburger, and I let everybody know I was done. Boyko was dragging too, and Harper was afraid he'd start getting leg cramps, so we all decided to head back... except Davis, who said he was going to do one more loop on his own.

For the next few minutes, I considered and reconsidered my plan. The main problem was not how I was feeling, though I was tired. Frankly, I missed my wife. It's been hard to be away from her for significant amounts of time over the last year. So, I could either go back with the guys and then head up to Jim's for the BBQ, or I could do another loop with Steve and then head home. The BBQ would add at least three or four hours to my day, and a lot of food that I really didn't need. A third loop would take about an hour, and I needed the exercise. At the last minute, just as the rest of the group made a left, I told Steve I'd go with him and we made a right. He hooted in response, something like, "All riiiiiight!" ;-)

This third loop hurt. That darn hill still looked flat to my obviously cockeyed brain, and there's nothing like a false flat to break the spirit. Still, Steve was very patient, pacing me up almost every hill. Gotta love having patient, generous friends.

By the end of the ride my arms and face were sunburned and I was totally covered in salt from my own dried sweat. Nice. My saddle felt like a misshaped iron bar, and the pedals just didn't want to go around like they're supposed to.

(That last part is true, actually. In the smallest sprockets, the chain was slipping every few seconds. Steve took a look and said my chain was probably worn out, and I should replace it ASAP so that it doesn't also wear out the cassette. He was right: I've since brought it to Mystic Cycle, and they're going to replace both items this Monday as part of my final, free-for-the-first-year tune up.)

We finished our loop and returned to the hall. The other three were long gone, of course, and after a quick handshake (and phone calls to our wives) we both headed home.

Definitely the slowest 80 miler I've done in a long time, but also the earliest I've ever done it. I think we all had a great time (especially Jason). Thanks, guys! I hope we can all meet up again at the Quabbin on June 4th.

Stats: 82.03 miles (132.0 km) in 4h 54' 29" for a pitiful average speed of 16.71 mph (26.90 kph).

Ride #84: Give Me Back My Summer!

seth@macrobyte.net — Wed, 13 Oct 2004 17:00:55 GMT

I still haven't acclimated to the colder weather. It was comparatively warm today at 63° when I went out, so I didn't wear any arm or leg warmers, nor a t-shirt under my jersey. By the time I was home again, my nose was running almost constantly and I was whipped.

In fact, I had to lay down in the front yard for a few minutes because I felt like I was going to pass out. Still don't feel right, an hour later.

This isn't all bad news, though. The weight is still coming down, slowly, in spite of Corinne's redoubled efforts to the contrary. In the last week she's made lasagna, Tuscan soup (like The Olive Garden's), and beef romanoff. As Ken Willis bellowed at me a couple weeks ago after he finished eating some of her chicken tikka (sp?) kabobs, I'm the "most spoiled man in the world!" (But that spoiling is why I'm tracking my weight this year!)

Stats: 45.1 miles (72.61 km) in 2h 16' 46" for an average speed of 19.78 mph (31.85 kph).

Ride #76: Building Down, and Rapid Weight Loss

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 21 Sep 2004 19:37:44 GMT

I'm a little frustrated with my performance for the last couple weeks. I haven't averaged 20 mph since September 6th! Today was no exception, and I don't know what the problem is. Perhaps the cooler weather isn't helping.

Anyway, my rides are "growing shorter" throughout this week. 55 miles yesterday, 48 today, 36 tomorrow (probably) and then if I ride at all on Thursday it'll be something really short, like 20 miles. This is becuase I need to conserve my energy for the century on Saturday with Steve Davis, Steve Harper, and Jason Cicero.

My weight was down another two pounds just since yesterday. This is pretty bizarre, I actually thought it would be up a little bit today becuase I splurged for dinner last night and have been trying to drink a lot of water. This whole season has been interesting, as the weight seems to drop in fits and spurts. For example, from August 24th to September 10 I weight 259 pounds, give or take a single pound. Then the weight started coming off again after my solo century on the 11th, and I've actually lost 11 pounds in the last ten days!

Some of that must be water weight (I guess I'm not drinking enough in spite of my efforts) but that doesn't explain all of it. It's been coming off rapidly and consistently for those last ten days. See for yourself on the September overview in the cycling diary. It's a little spooky.

Stats: 48.32 miles (77.79 km) in 2h 27' 55" for an average speed of 19.60 mph (31.55 kph).