Paul

2011-11-23T12:26:00.002-05:00

Just documented my LED light build here:

http://forums.mtbr.com/lights-diy-do-yourself/microcool-build-sequence-752328.html

Road Ride

2010-09-27T19:46:00.002-04:00

Solo miles, Wednesday evening.

2010-09-08T22:38:00.001-04:00

Road Ride - McDonald

2010-09-02T07:59:00.000-04:00

A recent ride:

Interesting Day

2010-04-18T23:24:00.003-04:00

I went to scope out the riding leg of a triathlon for next weekend.

On the way, not even out of town yet, a driver crossing over the centerline almost hit my car. A narrow miss.

Here's the data Course Pre-Ride

During the ride we past the scene of a motor cycle accident, not sure how badly the motorcyclist was injured. There were plenty of people on the scene, said rider was laying on the ground, police on the way.

After getting into familiar territory Christopher took off, putting 2 1/2 minutes into my time. Good riding Chris!

I feel slow.

Oh...I am slow.

Interesting

2010-04-18T23:24:00.000-04:00

Starting back

2010-03-10T12:30:00.003-05:00

After one of the longest layoffs of my life, (off the bike), I'm back.

I logged 4 rides from October 26 thru Feb 28 with a total of 99.4 miles this year!

Time to get going again, it's going to take some time.

Read The Bible in less than a Month

2010-02-06T16:57:00.001-05:00

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tBzz1tlHcPU0LnE8LIIHDuw&output=html

What will we do without C & Q?

2010-02-05T12:09:00.001-05:00

Что мы будем делать без C или Q? (Russian)

Wat sal ons doen sonder die c of q? (AfriKaans)

Wat zullen we doen zonder c of q? (Dutch)

Ano ang gagawin namin ang walang c o q? (Filipino)

我們會怎樣做沒有葷或Q？ (Chinese)

וואָס וועלן מיר טאָן אָן C אָדער ק? (Yiddish)

For an explanation see: The Fat Cyclist

Why don't I ride more?

2010-02-01T10:41:00.002-05:00

I think there are any number of reasons why I don't, probably more than why I do. Since the list of why I do ride is shorter let's start there.

I ride because:
I can.
I enjoy the countryside on the seat of a bicycle.
it's freedom.
it reduces stress.
it reduces weight.
it brings me in contact with friends who like to ride.
it makes me faster over time, which is very satisfying.
my son will ride with me.
sometimes my wife will ride with me.
sometimes my daughter will ride with me.
sometimes my whole family rides with me.
my mother and father, who will be 80 & 79 this year, ride more than I do.
I need the exercise.
I just put on new tires.
I need to get more "data".
few people can say they've ridden 200 miles in one day.
it's just downright FUN!

Why do you ride?

Why do you ride?

2010-01-15T12:43:00.000-05:00

Never question why you ride, just question why you don't ride MORE.

Indeed, The Fire is Burning Dim

2009-12-01T08:13:00.001-05:00

http://redkiteprayer.com/?p=1360

A Long Time Ago

2009-10-16T14:19:00.003-04:00

Wow, I looked at the last post date and realized I need to update this thing called a blog.

Work has been merciless, and my fitness has turned for the worse, but I look forward to the fall and winter for more detraining.

It's been a month and only 2 rides, but my HR this morning, laying in bed, was 51 bpm.

Maybe it won't take so long to get my cycling legs back...if I start riding again.

Riding in the Rain

2009-07-29T13:13:00.003-04:00

While most riders don't enjoy the wet pavements, I find it therapeutic.

Crossing three ridges twice provided a good workout, and the rain freely washed the sweat and heat away.

Most of the time the rain was a light drizzle that kept the road wet, but there were times of intense downpour that filled the shoes with water. While you do have to be a little more attentive to drivers and road conditions, the road seems to smooth out, and it's much more difficult to overheat in a good downpour.

Looking ahead, Sunday's ride looks to be a leg burner, with 10 ridge crossings.

See you there!

Ride Stats: Riding in the Rain

Sufferfest, 15 Cows, New riders

2009-06-22T09:42:00.007-04:00

Anticipating a good group ride, I was awake early (5:30am) and ready to go. It's been some time since I rode with the group and I anticipated a pretty good thrashing. At 6:20 when I stepped out the door I was met with an unusually warm blast of air, it was already 80°F.

There was one rider out with his first ride with the group, and another on his second. We started out with plenty of spirit, and everyone was staying close together. Turning right on Alabama rd, we hit the Red Clay climb and the group shattered, I was fortunate to stay with the first 3 riders. Regrouping we turned right on Wilhoit, and the pace immediately hit 26mph, slowed slightly at the intersection of Mt Vernon, then ramped back up. I stayed with the group for 23 minutes and an average speed of 21mph.

Not wanting to come home on a litter, I decided to drop off and find my own route.

I headed north on Carson/Wesslyann/Weatherly Switch. Dropping down the hill on the east side of Weatherly Switch, just passed the sharp curve in the road, I came across some cattle that had escaped the confines of their pasture intent on making the best of their freedom. Pounding on the farmers door early Fathers Day morning is not the best way to make friends, but they were grateful and quickly rounded up the strays.

Continuing to Blue Springs rd I headed north. Knowing my path might intersect the returning group, I paused on the corner of Blue Springs Rd/Bell and watched the very competent Rick H get top honors as king of the mountain.

After chatting with the regrouping riders, I climbed Lead Mine Ridge and spent an hour with my father.

After leaving my father's house, and adding 25 more meandering miles to the odometer, I returned home, very hot, and very tired.

Before leaving I weighed in at 215, upon returning I weighed 209. Adding the half gallon of water I drank on the road, I lost a total of 10 lbs while riding.

Planned Route:
http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=8010

Ridden Route:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/8491358

Dug Gap Road

2009-06-15T11:54:00.004-04:00

This ride was a continuation on a theme; Ride with M.G., swap out 2 mile pulls, pull too hard, find a big hill to climb, try to make it back home.

Using Google maps to find a route we went south out of Apison, Bill Jones, Old Salem, Rifle Range road, and crossed over 75 to turn right on Bandy. Bandy turned into Old Ringgold, Old Ringgold turned into Tate, Tate into Lower Gordon Springs. On Lower Gordon Springs we were greeted by a chasing pit bull (slowed him down with some water in the face, but he didn't give up easily).

We turned left on Henderson Rd (Very rough) which soon deteriorated further into a mix of pounded pavement/gravel. M.G. wasn't too happy with this state of affairs but we didn't puncture and finally came out on GA 201. From there we headed east across the ridges to our Dug Gap destination.

Never having been in the vicinity, we didn't know what to expect from the climb. It didn't disappoint. The elevation gain started right after Hurricane Creek and got serious when the road turned north. I immediately found my lowest gear and started turning survival circles. Arriving at the top dripping from every pore, we stopped to eat and drink.

From there we dropped down the east face, skirted Dalton and rode up Crow Valley, past Lake Kathy, through Mt.Vernon Valley, and returned home down Apison Pike, tired and worn down, but grateful for another epic ride.

Dug Gap from the west is 1.75 miles of 7% grade, starting at 800' and ending 1453' for a 653' climb.

Climb Stats:
average speed - 5.8mph
average power output - 260 watts

Ride Stats:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/8453182

Moving Time (h:m:s) 3:49:15
Distance (mi) 64.97
Moving Speed (mph) 17.0 avg. 46.1 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) 5,663

Loosing Interest,

2009-06-10T13:42:00.001-04:00

in blogging that is.

Last night was a typical training ride. Slow out of the neighborhood, a few hard sprints and pulls, return home at dusk.

25 miles/17+mph

Over a month later...

2009-04-27T11:18:00.002-04:00

and few miles added to the count.

Yesterday was the kind of day a south-eastern cyclist dreams about. Sunshine in abundance, moderate temperatures and practically no humidity.

With few miles under my belt for the year, it was surprisingly comfortable to reel off 50 miles. The first 20 were a fair bit harder and faster than the final 30 due to the company of a couple of riders with Lots of miles in their legs. Specifically, they had done 3 back to back centuries two weeks before racking up some good mileage.

Hobbling around on a sprained knee for two weeks, I feel much better turning circles on a bike.

New helmet coming in the mail tonight!

Hopefully I'll be back on the bike tonight.

Ride Stats:

Time: 2:55:00 (h:mm:ss)
Distance: 50.13 miles
Average: 17.2 mph
Elevation Gain: 3681

Short Cruise

2009-03-23T09:26:00.003-04:00

Awake before the crack of dawn, after trying to find all the bits and pieces of my cold gear, I finally got rolling at 7:42:55. The sun was not yet up, but I could see evidence that it would soon be sending some warming rays my way.

It was 4 degrees cooler than advertised by the weatherman, a cool 37°F.

The plan of the day was to ride an easy hour, return home, take my daughter to work, return home and wait for my son to get ready to go play, drop him off at the play field, return home and get another 2 hours in on the bike.

I got the first hour done, and didn't have enough gumption to get going again.

While I was out I saw one other cyclist. The rider was like a ghost carrot, never letting me close the gap. Not having the motivation to close any gaps, I was content to try and guess who was leading. Several things came to mind, the kid next door out riding his tricycle, my grandmother, someone actually pushing a bicycle...

I'm pretty much done with cold riding this year. I'm ready to bury my cold weather gear for another 12 months.

Saw one Tom Turkey at the usual spot on Ware Road.

Ride Stats:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/7854237

Weights, Transformation

2009-03-11T11:50:00.008-04:00

After 36 days of non-riding, I finally got out and cranked 30 miles, with a brief stop at one of my cycling friends house.

Considering the length of the layoff, I was completely surprised by the sensations of the ride. My legs and my lungs responding well, I felt as if I had been "training" for a month on the bike. Realizing that there is indeed a lot of work to be done, I am heartened by the fact that I rode 28 of the 30 miles with a 19mph average! AFTER 36 days of not riding!

For me, this indicates the value of weight lifting in the gym. More importantly, HEAVY lifting.

After the ride, I still had enough energy to lift a combined total of 65,555 lbs.

Lower body workout Summary - (lbs):
Abdominal Crunch - 8,790
Leg Extension - 5,400
Low Back Extension - 20,825
Leg Curl - 5,400
Leg Press - 21,700
Calf Raise - 3,450

There is some pleasure in the pain, the above numbers speak for themselves.

Current weight 216 lbs.

Max the Stack

2009-02-23T09:17:00.002-05:00

Leg Press machine - 390 lbs 12 reps x 2 sets.

That will make you breathe hard.

In a few days I'll have my bike light finished and will post a lengthy design review.

It's been awhile...

2009-02-16T17:56:00.005-05:00

since I put anything up here.

I've ridden my bike 4 times this year.

The most recent ride was this afternoon, with a bitter wind out of the north. I'm soooo looking forward to spring.

I did join a gym, and am spending time trying to build some strength.

The gymnasium has it's weight machines networked, and records all your settings and your workouts.

My last workout I lifted a total of 22,000+lbs, most of it was leg workouts.

I'll be back out on the road soon.

Cold Cranking

2008-12-11T15:31:00.002-05:00

It seems like this has been the coldest fall in recent memory. Temperatures have been consistently in the low twenties in the morning for about two weeks.

With the sun going down early and other commitments restricting ride time, Sunday seems like the only time to ride.

Since it was pretty cold and windy out, the group decided to roll around 1:00pm to take advantage of the slightly warming temperature. There were only three other riders, including my son, who hasn't been on the bike in about two months.

We started North first, to take advantage of the wind direction on the return, heading out Tallant, McDonald, Brock and Alabama. By the time we turned out of the face of the wind, I was ready to be home. We returned by way of Old Tunnel Hill, California, Blair, McDonald, Short-Cut, Apison pike.

Several, very welcome, pulls were taken by the other riders which gave me some respite from the wind.

Coming back in was the usual rush to the finish, and the final slog home.

Not much joy to be found in this ride.

Ride Stats:
Distance (mi ) 27.37
Moving Speed (mph) 16.1 avg. 37.1 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +3,009 / -3,013
Temperature (°F) 30.9°F avg.

Cool, and mostly tame

2008-11-18T09:47:00.005-05:00

Over the last couple of weeks it has been hard for me to get out and ride. I don't know if the desire has gone out of the ride, or other intervening circumstances like family, but I haven't been able to put many miles on my bicycle.

Most of all the time change has had the biggest effect, so I'm looking at options to light up the road so I can ride in the dark.

This fall the cold has had a bigger effect than any other year on my willingness to get out and ride, so Saturday night I decided that whatever the weather was, I was going to ride regardless.

Seven regular riders met at the Village Market at 8:00 AM. It was pretty cold, 36°F. With a stiff wind coming from the North-West, we headed north, moving slowly, trying to warm up and decide on a route. Eventually the decision to cross over Mahan Gap from Ooltewah-Georgetown road was made, and executed.

I have been having shifting issues with my triple crank and had locked out the lowest gear, putting off fixing the problem. Climbing to the summit was essentially a bunch of 200lb leg presses, leaving me gassed and gasping at the top.

Another of our group, a certain college chap, lost his breakfast at the top of the gap as well. The rush of lactic acid winning out over the desire to keep the stomach contents intact.

Continuing on and meandering over the hills we returned with about 36 miles as a group. Not wanting to end the ride I continued on and reached home with about 52 miles.

It was still cold and windy outside but with the sun trying to show itself, overall a good ride.

Ride Data:
Motionbased

Evaluation

2008-11-14T14:52:00.004-05:00

Looking over my motionbased account I discovered a few things:

Total Distance 2859.58
Total Time (Hrs) 167.21
Total Average Speed 17.10
Max Avg 22.20
Min Avg 9.90 (when I crashed on my MTB)

Total Elevation Gain 246015 ft (Miles 46.59)

Number of Rides 98

Ride Length
Min 6.21 (MTB Crash Ride)
Max 100.48
Average 29.18

Just a few more miles to break 3K for the year.

Following the Trail

2008-10-27T12:48:00.002-04:00

Yesterday the Sunday Group was split into two as a few of the regular riders rode a fundraising route.

The rest of us decided to ride the same route the 50k fundraisers were riding (but without the cue sheet) and departed about 30 minutes early.

Without really good turn markings on the pavement we overshot a few of the turns. The route was a poor choice for beginners taking in quite a few of the harder climbs in the area.

The weather was very cold. Without full fingered gloves it was an exercise to try to keep the fingers thawed.

About half-way through the ride the first and only Fundrider we would see, caught up and rode with us the rest of the way home.

Next time I take better precautions for the fingers and toes.

Welcome to winter.

Slow-Fast-Slow

2008-10-02T10:40:00.003-04:00

I wanted to go out hard yesterday, Chris wanted to go slow, so we compromised.

We went slow then fast then slow.

Riding from home, we enjoyed a beautiful fall afternoon. I especially like riding in the fall for a number of reasons. Fitness levels are usually up, the weather is cooler, and cruising down the road is just a lot of fun.

Taking a ride through Collegedale we went left across the railroad tracks and up Jackson, taking a right on Edgeman, and left on McDonald we crossed over to Old Alabama on Brock. On Old Alabama we rode hard south never dropping below 20mph till we reached Bates where we slowed down and proceeded to enjoy the rest of the ride home.

We saw a few riders out, including the Masher.

Another great ride, ending with an average of 17mph for about 20 miles.

Apison Time Trial

2008-09-30T11:49:00.003-04:00

With the season winding down, I decided it was time to do a fitness evaluation in the form of a short 3 mile mostly uphill time trial out of Apison.

This time my son served as the rabbit, setting out 30 seconds in front of me. Having done this a couple times in the past, I decided to try to save some reserves for the steepest course section and the end section which is a long false flat.

In the past I have gone very hard from the start and faded significantly towards the end. This time I went hard but not all out, sprinted up the middle hill, conserved on the backside and hammered the finish.

The result? 11 seconds off the pace of my son, and a second best personal performance to date. Even at 200+ I was able to maintain contact to my 135 lb climber of a son! Just trying to keep him honest...

The rest of the ride was supposed to be total recovery and easy spin, which worked out pretty well until we were coming into Apison and noticed a guy up the road on a time trial machine. How could I tell it was a guy? (he was not wearing a shirt).

On the run in to Collegedale we passed him, and then made it stick all the way home.

Instead of one very hard 8 minute interval, we had two.

I love it when a plan comes together.

Time Trial Time = 0:8:55 for 3 miles = 20.19 mph

Early Fall

2008-09-17T09:40:00.002-04:00

It's been unseasonably cool the last few days and I took advantage last night to get some much needed training in.

The wind was blowing pretty good out of the north, so I went south knowing that I should have gone north.

My intention was to ride easy through the halfway point and then turn the screws until I didn't have anything left when I got back home.

Everything worked out perfectly, with the wind joining in and punishing my efforts.

On the last leg, 2 miles from home, we (my son was riding with me) saw a carrot riding about 1/4 mile in front of us.

This part of the ride can be excruciating starting with a long false flat, kicking up, and then up hard. As we approached the rider I was suffering intently trying to measure my pace to be able to latch on if the rider decided to accelerate. I paused near the back of his wheel and then pulled up along side to chat and said something like "This is a nasty climb". Imagine my surprise, he said something unintelligible, and I noticed him wheezing and sucking air trying to find more oxygen (Serious Oxygen debt). Of course I didn't let on that I was pretty much trashed at that point too pulled ahead to ratchet up the pace some more.

We were able to hold the lead and finish hard.

A good workout on a gorgeous evening.

Ride details

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s) 1:04:49 3:11 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:03:41 3:07 pace
Distance (mi ) 20.33
Moving Speed (mph) 19.2 avg. 40.6 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,769 / -1,781

Temperature (°F) 78.8°F avg. 78.8°F high
Wind Speed ( mph) SSW 10.3 avg. SSW 11.5 max.

Big Hike

2008-09-03T08:44:00.004-04:00

Not satisfied with the infrequent mountain bike excursions into the woods, I took advantage of the Labor Day vacation and went for an eleven mile walk in the woods.

The adventure was supposed to be 14 miles into the black bear and wild boar country of North Georgia, some even say Sasquatch country. Fortunately the guy I was going to catch a ride with, discovered an error in my math, and vetoed the planned route in favor of a different one. This route would be five miles shorter than my planned route.

We got on the road by 5:30am to make the two hour trek by truck to the Tearbritches trail head in the Cohutta wilderness. Following the trail over Bald Mtn, we descended into the wilderness paradise over 1200 feet down to the Conasauga river. From there we headed south following the river upstream, making about 10 river crossings and stopping twice to refuel and get water. Leaving the Conasauga, we followed the Chestnut Lead trail back to the road and then another mile to the parking lot where we started.

Yesterday and so-far today have been difficult. The pain of getting out of chairs and going up and down stairs have been a continuous reminder of how out of shape I am.

Which means that I need to do more and more often.

>Hiking Data/Trail Location

Time...

2008-08-18T11:41:00.010-04:00

I looked at the last post and realized that almost a month had transpired.

A lot has happened since then.

I was in the woods almost two weeks ago. I had a spectacular crash that gave me a gash and 10 stitches in my right fore-arm. The doctors office that sewed me up, courteously, gave me a bill for $1365.

That's $1000 more than my bike was worth brand new.

I'm a little bit peeved, both at my stupidity for riding like I did, and my ignorance in thinking it would be cheaper to go to a doctors office instead of an emergency room.

I'm also a bit down on myself for my fitness level.

Yesterday I went on a group road ride, and got dropped, hard.

-Yes, I just finished a long antibiotic course.
-Yes, I hadn't been riding much since the crash (2 rides for less than 40 miles total).
-Yes, I am 39 lbs overweight in a skinny man's sport.
-No, I'm not going to stop riding.

Due to my performance issues, I did some calculations on body mass. I need to lose exactly 10.5 quarts of fat (136,500 calories) to reach the "not obese" side of the fatness index.

At a pound of fat loss a week, it would take nine months to reach the magic threshold. Almost like having a 39 pound baby.

Something needs to change...and soon.

Still Riding!

2008-07-28T13:17:00.002-04:00

It's been awhile since my last post resigning from the Larry Schwartz challenge, but I'm still riding.

Yesterday was another fun Sunday ride with the RideMore group. There were two new riders, one local and one from Houston, both were active contributors to the animated ride that ensued.

Going over two big local hills, we managed to stay together for the most part, and ended with a +20mph average for the group ride.

Some of the riders will be attempting the feared Bridge to Bridge century in North Carolina, so I expect the tempo will continue to be high in preparation for the event.

Say Uncle!

2008-06-11T14:02:00.005-04:00

Uncle

Ok, this post is just a notification that I've decided to end my quest for the Larry Schwartz award.

I could justify my decision many different ways, but it would not make any difference in the outcome.

I did enjoy the three long rides we did, and I don't plan on ending my long rides. I just don't plan on doing them EVERY month.

It was an optimistic but unrealistic adventure.

I did learn that on any given day I can ride over 100 miles. Anytime. Anywhere.

I learned also that there is a large time commitment involved, putting big holes in days that would otherwise be taken up by other responsibilities.

For the near-term, I'm going to focus on the short ride (20-40 miles) and try to increase my speed and strength in climbing.

ciao

PS: The best exercises to tone the body quickly are squats, bench presses and chin ups (a rowing movement can be just as effective as chins) performed together in the same workout.

May 100 - with a little help from my friends

2008-05-27T10:02:00.003-04:00

In the quest for the Larry Schwartz award it was time to hit the road for another century.

The previous two centuries went outside of our normal riding area, so I designed a course that would stay within the boundaries of our shorter distance training rides. I thought by doing this it would allow for some more accompaniment along the way.

I was not disappointed. I had company for at least 60 miles of the century, with various riders joining and leaving off at points along the route. Thanks guys, it was good to have some help to pass the miles!

Starting off I was joined by two riders at 6:40 am, these two were just back from riding the Blue Ridge Parkway. The first hour was spent listening to the stories of the adventure, sounded like lots of fun! After 20 miles we were joined by another rider and we proceeded north, calling up yet another BRP participant (but he was not awake yet). Turning south we met up with two more riders that joined us at 35 miles. From there we headed south to Sbike to fill up our water bottles. Sbike has been laying off a bit this year, and not expecting us, greeted us in his bathrobe, this was too much for him, so he suited up and joined the ride spending the next 20 miles with us.

At mile 49 the early riders split off for home, needing to get back.

By 11:30, with no more company, our stomachs were getting pretty empty and we were close to Red Clay State park, so my wife met us with some Pizza and Strawberry Shortcake. After filling up on the food it really felt time for a nap. The temperatures and breeze were just perfect for an afternoon snooze, but one of my neighbors was moving across town and I had committed to helping them so we headed back home.

We spent the next hour and thirty-five minutes trying to get under 6:00 total ride time, covering 27 miles in 1:35 minutes. It was a strong finish for my son, doing several strong pulls of 20+mph (the two previous centuries shellacked him towards the end).

At the end of this ride I felt good, this was the fastest century yet for me.

With the huge time commitment involved, I'm questioning the sanity of doing a century every month. I haven't dropped any pounds but I seem to be getting stronger. Stronger for what? I haven't figured that out yet.

Splits: Distance - Average Mph- Climbing (ft)
5m - 17.0 - 468'
10m - 18.4 - 228'
15m - 16.3 - 486'
20m - 17.1 - 199'
25m - 16.4 - 390'
30m - 18.2 - 236'
35m - 18.5 - 350'
40m - 14.8 - 483'
45m - 15.6 - 272'
50m - 14.9 - 265'
55m - 17.1 - 349'
60m - 16.8 - 417'
65m - 14.7 - 357'
70m - 14.9 - 450'
75m - 16.9 - 338'
80m - 20.5 - 304'
85m - 21.3 - 216'
90m - 16.9 - 381'
95m - 18.0 - 283'
100m - 12.82 - 420'

Total Time (h:m:s) 8:10:12 4:54 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 5:55:56 3:33 pace
Stop Time = 2:14:16 ( 5 minutes for a flat tire at mile 45.51, 1:28:05 for lunch at Mile 73)
Distance (mi ) 99.99
Moving Speed (mph) 16.9 avg. 40.6 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +6,948 / -6,954

Temperature (°F)
70.9°F avg.
82.4°F high

Data taken with a Garmin Etrex Vista HCx, using auto trackpoint recording set on Most points.

For recorded data see Motionbased

Fatty's Fight

2008-05-05T09:54:00.005-04:00

I just wanted to draw attention to a friend of mine, someone I've never met but feel like I've known for years.

With one of his superpowers being the ability to consume large quantities of food, he has entertained us with stories of trying to become physically fit and riding Epic Cycling Century's.

Over time he has given us vignettes of his home life.

Right now (and over the past couple of years) his wife is fighting for life, which he has written about eloquently.

I invite you to read about their latest setback, and pray for the recovery of Susan.

Larry Schwartz - April - 100+miles

2008-04-28T15:47:00.004-04:00

I waited, once again, till the last possible day to ride my year-rounder century, and I paid for it in bad weather.

Since riding my first one in freezing temps, I decided to wait until there was a really nice day. There were a few that I let slide, so I had to ride in the rain.

While getting ready to go I realized that one of my water bottle cages was still laying beside my bike waiting to be fixed. I had 15 minutes to eat breakfast and get everything else ready, but now I had to fix my bike.

After fixing my bottle cage, indeed having more than one water bottle is a necessity for a long ride, I crammed a bowl of Wheaties down, splashed some water into my bottles and took off.

On the way to the designated meeting point it felt a little cool. With rain on the way, and the skies looking somewhat ominous I asked my son if we should go back and get long sleeve jerseys. His reply? "It's too late now" (we're 3/4 miles from home heading out on a 100 mile ride). So we set off, 56°F degrees with rain on the way, in shorts and short sleeve shirts.

I didn't expect anyone to show up to ride with us but I went by the start point just to make sure. Sure enough, there was someone that showed up, but not who I was suspecting. This particular rider is someone who I've ridden with infrequently in the past. Infrequently because every time I try to keep up with him it's at least six months before I'm recovered enough to forget how painful it was the last time. So these thoughts are racing through my head, wondering if I can keep a lid on the speed, long enough to survive the ride.

So we commenced the exercise, heading south to Beaverdale and following the River Rd to cross 411 and head for the big climb. As we turned onto the River Rd, it began to rain, 25 miles had been covered.

Arriving at the Fort Mt climb, I bid goodbye to our racer friend and started the long grind to the top. Almost as soon as I got on the climb my lower back muscles started cramping up making the ascent extremely uncomfortable. After about an hour of that torture, we were close to the summit and found our friend already to making his descent. There was heavy cloud cover and fog so the scenery wasn't as spectacular as it could have been. After spending a few minutes at the top, wishing for better weather, we carefully made our descent on the wet twisty roads. When your body fat is less than 15% and you're in a cold weather rain, hypothermia is a concern (not a concern for myself as I'm 30% body fat). My son was shivering and covered with goosebumps at the bottom, after coasting for 20 minutes through the fog and the rain. It was 58°F.

We headed for a food stop at Subway, hoping for a warm retreat from the rain. When we stepped through the door we knew we were in trouble. The lady behind the counter apologized for the meat locker temperatures, she had been baking the bread and had cranked the air-conditioner because the ovens were vented into the room and she had gotten too hot. It was actually warmer outside, so we went back out to eat.

I told my son to sit close to me so he could get benefit from some of my body heat. Picture this, two fully(mostly) grown men dressed in spandex sitting close together on the ground outside of a Subway in a (mostly) redneck town. It's survival time.

C warmed up a little, the rain slowed a little, and we took off for home, 45 miles to go.

The rest of the ride was uneventful with the weather gradually warming and the rain eventually ending. By the time we reached home the roads were dry and it was 63°F with the sun trying to peak through the clouds.

It was good to have the extra company. Thanks RH for coming out with us and showing us a different route to the mountain.

I predict the next Year-Rounder to be much warmer, if not dry.

Route and Ride details:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/5511914

Length: 100.48 miles
Duration: 6:29 (moving) 7:42 (total) (see motionbased player for stopped locations)
Elevation: +9400'

Wheelset Dreaming

2008-04-11T11:06:00.006-04:00

No, I don't want an ultra-lightweight wheelset for weight weenies. I need a superstrong reliable set for a 200+lb rough roads rider.

I've had fun building 4 sets of wheels with each one getting a little better. The last set I built was for my father (who is 77 years young today). A car pulled out in front of him and he taco'ed the front into the car, bounced up and over the hood and bent the rear as the bike landed (just bruised him up a little). I rebuilt his wheels using WTB cross rims and Wheelsmith spokes.

I learned how to build a wheel by reading This Manual by Roger Musson. Using this guide I even built my own wheel stand out of some 2 x 2 oak and a couple of digital dial indicators. Works real well for me and gets the wheels true to within 0.01 mm plus or minus (I usually shoot for .05 mm).

Anyway, back to the title of this post.

If I were going to replace my wheelset with another self built set, this is what I want.

Hubs: Chris King Classic 32 hole Red, 268g rear ~$320, Front 113g ~$150

Spokes: Sapim CX-Ray 64 spokes, 278g ~$192

Brass nipples: Original Sapim

Rims: Mavic Open Pro 32 hole black 435g ~$100

Front 687g - $296
Rear 842g - $466
Total 1529g - $762

Anyone have some spare pocket change?

Well, so much for dreaming.

Apison TT - April

2008-04-04T14:14:00.003-04:00

It was 5:00pm Tuesday evening and I was anxious to ride.

My son said "the wind is blowing from the west, let's do the time trial course".

So we get ready and ride out. On the way over to the course our ride intersects with one of our riding buddies, TW, who is riding home from work. It didn't take much to talk him into going with us.

We go nice and easy over to the starting line in Apison.

I go first. Within a few seconds I'm sprinting over 26 mph, got to dial it back a bit, I can't keep that pace up. Okay, I'm on the first climb, feeling good, trying to keep it close to 20, I crest the first riser, not feeling too bad. Heading across the stair step for the steep part of the course (Howardsville Rd.) , this one always gets into my head, trying not to push too hard, trying to save some for the hard part of the hill.

Looking back, CRB is coming, I'm giving it all I've got, over the top of the mean little rise, now it's mostly up and down to the finish, legs are like jelly, breathing is hard and ragged. Looking down I see I'm under 6 minutes for 2 miles...got to push harder! I'm still holding on to my gap, another half mile to go, empty yourself man, is that all you've got? Faster! Faster!

Finish line...stop the clock, see what I've got.

WooHooo!

Now I feel better, a personal best!

8:22 / 21.54mph (WWVF)

My son comes in 3 seconds faster, GREAT RIDE!

TW had a great time as well, only 25 seconds off the fastest time.

We cool down and ride along enjoying our small victory. Isn't riding great?

We finished with 33 miles and rode with 3 of our friends in great weather.

For a look a the ride go to: Motion Based # 5294525

Larry Schwartz - March - 93 miles

2008-03-24T09:36:00.010-04:00

Who is Larry Schwartz? He was a retired engineer who decided to start riding long distances .

I have decided to try and earn the Larry Schwartz Award.

This is a chronicle of my first attempt.

Saturday night I went over the course possibilities with my son C. Since the wind was coming out of the north, and would be present all day, we determined to head out into the wind. Our plan was to start an hour before dawn and try for under 6 1/2 hours. Plans are made to be broken.

We got started at 7:15 and rode north on Ooltewah-Georgtown. It was a cold morning dropping down to a low of 33°F before the sun rose above the ridge line. I had made a batch of energy bars the night before and the plan was to stop every hour, take a break and eat a bar to keep the energy levels up.

Our first stop came at 17 miles, just after Smith road. We sat and chatted and tried to warm up. C had chosen not to wear any booties and was experiencing cold toes, I was feeling the cold in my hands. Continuing on, we started heading East at Brittsville on the Lower River Rd. We took our second rest stop on the corner of the Lower River Rd and Eureka, the sun was shining strong and the temp had risen to about 40°F. Easter Sunday Traffic started to pick up but was not bothersome.

Resuming our journey we crossed some ridges, got passed by a nice looking black Dodge Viper, and went through some bottom lands, smelled the foul odours coming from Bowater's paper mill, and headed for the hills that are between Calhoun and Benton.

After spending an inordinate amount of time on Rt 163 we decided to take a more rural approach to Benton and started down 959, which is Pine Knot Rd., with C saying something about gun toting red-necks. (Doing this over again I would come out of Calhoun on 950, then continue on 956 which runs into Athens-Benton Rd.) This was actually a beautiful road and probably our most enjoyable stretch of the ride though it was somewhat rough and had a non-paved section that was about a mile in length.

It was time to eat something other than the energy bars so I did a food search on my GPS for a Subway, sure enough there was none in Benton, and little else to draw from. After checking the menu on the Sonic Drive In, we went next door to the Kangaroo gas station and bought four Krispy Kreeme donuts, crossed the road, sat on the court house steps and ate "lunch". It was beginning to feel more comfortable out with the temperature approaching 52°F.

With over 50 miles under our wheels for the day, we were feeling up to the task of finishing. We struck out towards Cleveland, crossing ridge after ridge, enjoying the remote roads we were fortunate to find. One that comes to mind is Chestuee Rd, near Hickory road, which has some farm bottom land and a couple of places where the water was just inches from the side of the road, beautiful and peaceful.

At the end of Benton Pike is the intersection of Waterlevel Hwy. We stopped at a U-haul rental store and sat on one of their car haulers for 15 minutes, discussing the next leg of the trip. We wanted to do a full century (100 miles) but the remaining road between us and home didn't have enough length. We talked about adding some distance by going further south and returning towards home but we were approaching some other time commitments so I decided to head straight home. (The Larry Schwartz Award calls for rides between 90 and 150, and I knew we'd get at least 90, so I was satisfied, having previously done 100+ mile rides I wasn't driven just to tack miles on to achieve the golden century)

My Father, who is approaching 77 years of age, still rides his bike regularly. We were going to pass by his house so I called to see if he wanted to finish the last 20 with us. He was excited to go so we made plans to meet him, and he even pulled for us a bit of the way. We went to see Freddy the mule feeding him some of the left over energy bars which he was grateful for, crossed a few more significant ridges bringing us within the Collegedale city limits, and the last slogging stair step 300' climb up to home.

We were tired, but the ride was fun and free of insurmountable difficulties, in a word successful.

Reviewing the ride I would have done this route in reverse, saving the long flat sections of the Ooltewah-Georgetown road for the end and climbing the continuous ridges that we saw towards the middle and end of the ride first while we were fresh. I would not want to ride this route from home with a significant source of wind coming from the South.

Also according to Motionbased the wind was coming from the WSW, it actually ranged from the N to WNW.

Ride Data:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/5229241

Ride Summary :
Moving Time: 6:17:59
Distance: 93.70
Average: 14.9
Elevation Gain(ft): 7,377

Grimace or Grin 03-18

2008-03-24T09:01:00.003-04:00

Well it was actually some of the former and a lot of the latter.

C & I met T.W. at the Village Market to go for 20. The weather was very windy, blowing hard from the south. The course was briefly discussed and it was decided that we would head south from Apison down Bill Jones, Left on London, continue on Keith and head back on Keith-Salem.

Not wanting to show my weakness I opted to let T lead out, and he did a marvelous job. Straight away I began wondering if I could maintain his pace setting, but the wind did it's job of tempering his speed and I just sat on appreciating the work being done for me. As we crested the rise past mt Vernon we looked ahead and saw 2 riders up and decided to give chase. For 3 miles we chased and closed the gap that had been almost a mile in length. Turning the corner onto Keith-Salem rd we realized an average speed of 18.5 mph, that was the grimace.

The grin began after we turned the corner and began to head North. The wind was blowing between 20 and 25mph with gusts going to 30. Already tired from the effort we cruised along recovering until we ascended the short steep climb on Salem Valey road just past the right hand turn from Keith-Salem.

Then the real fun began. For the next 6.7 miles we averaged over 26 MPH! completing the ride with my first +20 mph average for the year.

Thanks T & C for all the hard work, it was a fun ride.

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/player/5195237

Finally - Back to riding

2008-03-17T08:44:00.003-04:00

Well, that's not exactly true because I have gotten a few rides in, but my work life is beginning to slow down a bit and this gives me more disposable time.

I spent 2 hours in the morning running around like a fool, chasing a Frisbee (The Ultimate Game), spent 3 hours chasing daffodils (didn't see many), and returned home just in time to get a 2 hour ride in.

I heard about the east ridge group ride, but I couldn't start with them so I tried to intersect their course. This is a difficult thing to do if you don't know where they were riding. So I cast about in different directions, getting about 17-18 miles in before I actually saw any of the riders.

I stopped back by the start area about 1 1/2 hours after they had left, the fast ones had returned, and talked to one of the riders. They had gone completely in a different direction than I had assumed.

Leaving that area I rode against the stream (trickle) of returning riders that had been dropped and left to fend for themselves, a number of which looked fairly tired.

From there I went to find one of my friends who is training for a Marathon on an 18 mile run. I pulled in to a church to get my water bottle filled up and saw him pass by. I spent about 15 minutes waiting for my wife who was in choir practice and then headed for home. I was sure I would see my runner buddy, and even went about 3 miles out of my way, but I never caught up to him. This might be an indication of my fitness level (can't even catch up with a guy who is running 18 miles).

Anyway, it was good to get out and ride 32 miles, the weather was good, the wind provided some good added resistance, in all a Great Ride!

Group Ride - 2008-02-10

2008-02-11T12:02:00.000-05:00

It was another beautiful morning, although a bit on the cool side to start with.

Eight riders showed up at the Village Market Parking lot to enjoy the morning sun, and departed just after 8:00 am to take in a 35 mile ride.

We headed south down university drive, up and over the first little climb, Groupe compact. Left on Prospect Church, then right on E-brainerd. It was here that the pace started to split the group although by the time we turned onto London lane it was all back together again.

Proceding up and over the London climb produced another split in the group. Deciding to just hammer the hills and regroup, everyone got back together before the climb on Keith (at the horse stables-Riding ring). Leading the group up that climb I proceeded to blow out every cobweb I could find, found a few, and the group split into pieces again.

Waiting for awhile on the backside for two that were missing (one of them being my son) I returned to see what happened. One of the riders had broken his chain on a missed shift and was calling for a ride home. We managed to get the chain fixed and called off the broom waggon.

By this time the rest of the group was long gone, headed towards Cohutta. The group had laid out a plan for the ride so the three of us rode to intersect their route and regroup. Sure enough, we came up the West side of the Lebanon Valley Church road climb as the rest of our party climbed the East side and were reunited at the top.

It was then, California Lane to Blair, Mcdonald to Short-Cut, and then the run down Apison Pike with the group getting stretched out by the time we went by Mckee plant #2.

A nice ride, nice weather.

Soon it will be warmer.

02-03 Sunday Group Ride

2008-02-04T15:36:00.000-05:00

Well, it was cold again (31F) when my son and I started out.

The group consisted of 4 additional other riders. Strangely the group shrinks when it gets colder out, our other usual participants being either exceedingly smart or excessively week kneed.

Our pace was sufficiently slack at the beginning that someone suggested we go down the newly paved Johnston Rd. This provided some stimulus to the legs with some pretty steep rollers. It may have been an attempt to warm up, I don't know.

Alabama Rd provided a nice new smooth surface and the pace increased and another chance to build up some heat. After crossing the railroad tracks Nature called and was answered by a few.

Crossing the Blue Springs/Hungry Hollow railway we saw the headlights of an approaching train in the distance. No race today as we were traveling in opposite directions.

As we approached the Weatherly Switch climb, feeling pretty good, I watched everyone go as I contemplated an attack, nahhhh it just wasn't something I needed right then.

Coming back down Apison pike was another series of attacks and catches with the last stretch being ramped up to 28mph. This is a good section to be wide awake on.

It was a good ride, and the temperature was warming up rapidly. Even though it is the first weekend in February, spring doesn't seem that far away.

Rookie Questions:
Is it okay to let someone into the middle of a hammering pace line when there is a 3/4 gap formed in front of me and Car Back warning has been given? Yes, you should get the rider out of the line of cars into the shelter of the paceline.

Should I intentionally close the gap and let the rider hang out in front of the car even if I don't intend to take a pull on the front? No, why would you do that? he's been pulling for you on and off for the last 30 miles, let him in, he'll pull for you again.

Jan 30 Trainer

2008-01-31T11:47:00.000-05:00

200 watts at 20 mph for 24 minutes (8 miles). Heart rate was getting into the 180's near the end. Then I spent 8 more miles at 130-150 watts "cooling down" just trying to finish the ride. HR diddn't drop much below 160. And yes it's mindlessly boring to sit and cool down on a trainer. If I'm not hammering on the trainer why ride?

I had to get off the trainer a couple of times to adjust some things, that's why there are dips in the HR curve (see image).

I think I'm finally recovered from Sundays madness.

AM weight was 207. Seems to be going in the right direction.

Sunday Rides

2008-01-28T09:46:00.000-05:00

Yes, that's right "Rides"

For some reason I thought I needed to get more mileage in yesterday, and since it was going to warm up later and there was a group starting early, what better opportunity?

There was a lot of discussion about ride start time since the day was supposed to warm up, but one of the riders couldn't go later, so I decided to get a ride in early with the possibility of going out again later.

Since there was a possibility of going later, my son decided he'd sleep in.

It was a beautiful, and cold, morning with frost details on all the leaves and cars. The sunrise was spectacular promising warmth.

I met two other riders and proceeded out at 8:00 am from the Village Market(VM). Course and ride details for the first group ride. Doing my fair share of pulling I warmed up sufficiently until we turned back north, which put us in the shade in Mt Vernon Valley. As we rode up Stewart, my left foot turned to a brick of ice and two of my fingers went numb. We returned with a 17mph average.

Fast forward 4 hours:

After playing an hour of Ultimate, eating lunch, getting my daughter to a birthday party, I was ready for ride number two.

The plan was to meet at the VM at 2:30 for an easy ride. 10 riders showed up and we departed at about 2:45, there were some of us that had more desire to stand around and talk than to ride. As the ride started I didn't feeling like pushing and the terrain dictated a comfortable pace. Comfortable for everyone except 2 or three of us. I helped bring the group back together a couple times (I think it was three total) and at mile 50(for the day) suddenly I didn't have any more legs. I looked around to see if there was some cannibal that had appeared and started removing bits and pieces of them but there was no relief to be had. Our average at this point was 19.2mph.

Fortunately, as I was moving forward with great difficulty, I caught up to one of the group that had a flat tire. This was a gift. After changing the tire and trying to get some calories back, we moved off towards home ending with an average of 16.7mph just off the pace of the morning ride.

After the ride I ate to replace. No Pizza for me! Just a great dish of Lasagna followed by a short nap, and then a great concert featuring 8 soloists.

5000' of climbing, what a great day!

207.9 lbs this morning

Returning to Ride

2008-01-25T14:12:00.000-05:00

For a week I've been off the trainer trying to get over a cold.

I also spent some time this week rebuilding some wheels for my father who got struck by a car last week. Fortunately he just got bruised up, no broken bones, but he did pretzel his front wheel, which is fixed now.

After the last T-max episode, I went on a vacation, ate too much, gained 2 pounds, got sick, etc etc.

I think I learned a lesson though, if you don't feel good doing the T-max intervals don't do them. Intervals are hard enough to do when you're feeling good, listen to your body and if it's not responding it's better to take it easy than to push too hard.

I'm getting focused again and have been looking through some data, posted here. I've used a lot of info from Richard Sterns site on power. The numbers I like to look at are near the bottom that show power output as compared to top athletes. Gives me motivation to get the weight down near realistic levels which for me is at 165lbs, 47 lbs from where I am today.

Around here with all the ups and downs, a high Power/Weight ratio rules.

Now to actually do it.

PS:
Fat Cyclist just posted a letter on Cliff Shot blocks.

Four T-Max

2008-01-15T22:39:00.000-05:00

Well, not exactly four Full T-max intevals.

I had planned to do my T-max training this morning but couldn't drag myself out of bed early enough. So I did an evening session.

This was not good in many ways. In many ways this was good.

I acquired too much exercise Sunday and was not fully recovered. It is still difficult to get out of chairs and walk up stairs because my legs are so sore. After 2 hours of riding my son talked me into playing Ultimate Frisbee for another 2 hours. I haven't played that game for about 5 months. I payed for it.

What does not kill you will make you stronger.

I feel pretty weak right now.

My plan was to do four T-max Intervals. After the first one I knew I was not up to the task. I didn't want to give up so I went for 3/4 T-max intervals (400 watts for 1.5 minutes instead of 2 minutes). After the fourth I was feeling pretty sick.

Why am I doing these?

I've included screen shots from the trainer software.

Weight AM: 211 lbs

T-Max Intervals 01-08

2008-01-08T11:03:00.000-05:00

After some much needed vacation, rest, (and lots of food) I've been needing some hard training. After 2-1/2 weeks off the bike it was good to get out for a group ride this last Sunday which always shows where your weaknesses are.

Nothing like self induced suffering though, so I decided to take up the dreaded T-Max again.

After waking to the alarm at 5:00am and falling back asleep, I finally dragged out of bed, got dressed and got on the trainer with the objective of completing 3 intervals of 400 watts each with 4 minutes rest in between.

I selected a flat course of 10 miles and proceeded to warm up slowly (4 miles @100 watts) while watching a DVD of the '06 Landis Solo Attack. This video seemed appropriate for the level of effort that was going to be required.

At 16 minutes I started the First Interval, no problem.

After the first rest I started the Second Interval, getting close to my maximum heart rate at the end of the interval but holding on for the duration. My HR monitor wasn't picking up real good and I only got decent readings while resting and spinning easily.

Feeling pretty good after the second rest I determined to make another full peg, and completed a third full interval without tapering. I'm pretty excited about that, although keeping in mind that the protocol has a goal of 8 intervals, I still have a looooong way to go.

During each rest phase my HR dropped below 135, which gave me the confidence to keep attacking. I would have attempted to ride a 4th interval but I ran out of course and decided to just cool down.

Friday I will have to lengthen the course a little bit, maybe to 12 miles, and see if I can get 4 intervals in.

I'm wondering, at what point do you retest for your PPO and T-Max and change your intervals? How much progress do you need, 6 intervals? 8?

Weight this AM 212lbs

T-Max Intervals 12-21

2007-12-21T16:43:00.000-05:00

Here's a brief description of my second attempt at T-max interval training.

I used a flat 10 mile course, warmed up slowly for 5 miles, and started the intervals.

The first one went well. I was able to hold onto 400 watts for 2 minutes without any taper.

The rest phase went pretty well with my heart rate dropping down to 130 by the end of 4 minutes.

The second interval I was able to hold 400 watts again for 2 minutes without tapering, but required much more concentration.

By the end of the second rest period I was not ready to go hard, my heart rate did not drop below 140.

I tried to go and got my watts up to 400 but decided to call it quits quickly, not feeling very good.

Finished a quick cool down to close out the course. Will have to start the intervals before 5 miles next time as I would have passed the end of the course before the 3rd power phase had ended, or make the course longer.

Larry Shwartz Award

2007-12-20T13:37:00.000-05:00

I've been tossing the Larry Shwartz Award around in my head for a couple of years now. Riding a century at least once every month.

Here's a ride I'm looking at. If done across two months (Aug 31 to Sep 2) according to the rules of the Larry Shwartz Award I could bank a third month (January) at the same time.

Day 1: Ride to Dahlonega

View Larger Map

Day 2: Ride the Six Gap Century Course (ie., play in the mountains).

View Larger Map

Day 3: Return Home

View Larger Map

First T-Max Interval x 3

2007-12-19T09:27:00.000-05:00

After riding pretty hard on Sunday I gave myself 2 days to recover before I started T-Max training. Even with the time off I didn't have a full tank because I started at 11:30 at night. Christmas time is pretty crazy around my house, I'm looking forward to after New Years, hopefully my schedule will get a little more routine.

Anyway, with limited time available I didn't spend enough time warming up and started the First Interval too soon. I figured I would warm up quickly during the interval, and I did. 400 watts for 2 minutes seemed lot harder than 400 watts for 3:16, a LOT HARDER. I couldn't hold it, nearing the end I was tapering down to 320 watts. During the rest phase I coasted, spinning at 130+-Watts. My rest phase was 4 minutes, which seemed pretty short, and my heart rate recovered nicely. I went into the Second Interval focused on 400 watts, trying not to go over and trying not to go under, this time it was a little easier to hold but I still had to taper down. After another rest period I started the Third Interval trying not to focus on the pain. Again I could not hold 400 for the whole interval, tapering slightly at the end.

After those three efforts my vomit threshold was approaching so I just cooled down and watched the end of the race.

My course setup was 10 miles with 0.8% grade. During the intervals I was traveling about 25 mph, during the rest phase it was 13-16 mph. During the 2 minute Power phase I would travel almost 1 mile.

I think next time I will try a flat course. This will bring my speed up a little higher, and make it easier to cool down.

I hope to get one more T-Max session in this week, we'll see what happens.

Sunday Morning - RideMore - 2007-12-16

2007-12-16T10:17:00.000-05:00

With the winds up, coming from the west, and with the temperature dropping there were few people to spread the work around this morning. Five brave souls showed their faces to start the ride at 8:00 AM.

Taking off from the village market we headed towards Apison. The group almost got split at the train crossing but everyone made it under the gates before the train arrived. The speed was up and we were cruising with a big 20+mph wind pushing from the back. We headed south down Bill Jones, turning right and then left we went down Salem-Valley. As we dropped passed the beef farm and went up the rise towards Ware rd, we noticed a bull calf outside the fence on the road. As we approached we slowed, sure enough he wanted to come across the road to rejoin his buddies on the other side of the fence. Sprinting as he approached the fence, he went right through the fence and hardly slowed down. (Note to self: Don't mock the bulls standing by the roads, the fences will have even less effect on them if they decide they want through).

From there we proceeded to Spivey, crossed Keith to Headrick and headed North on Stewart. From there the work started in earnest and the group split a couple of times due to the high winds and the effort needed to keep going. We followed Old Tunnel Hill, Carson, Wesslyan, and Apison Pike to complete the circuit to the Village Market.

Two of us decided to do an additional 10 mile loop down Ringold Rd, returning up Standifer Gap. Traffic was a concern that didn't materialize, with only 4 or 5 cars passing.

The whole time we rode the snow/sleet was spitting but not much of a factor. The cold chilled my face making it difficult to form clear words, and one of my toes was beginning to chill off at the end of the ride. Those were the only cold difficulties that I experienced.

On a scale of 1 to 10 I would rate it an 8, with minus points for the wind. Overall a very nice ride.

Ride Route

Pre/Post ride comments

December T-Max Test

2007-12-14T07:46:00.000-05:00

I did not sleep very well last night for a few different reasons, one of which was the Tmax test that I had planned for 5:00am. When I woke up I lay in bed for awhile deciding whether or not I wanted to actually try the test.

At 5:45 I finally got up and prepared to do the test. I couldn't find my heart rate chest strap, looking back I think that was a good thing(I always ride harder if I don't know what my heart is doing). I new that I wasn't going to last real long on the test so I set up a course of 5 miles with a 0.7% grade, climbing 185 feet in 5 miles. I did this to add a little more resistance to the wheel and reduce the speed of the test but still have minimal resistance during the warm up/cool down. I could have set up a flat approach and a 10% grade, but I didn't know how long it would take me to get to exhaustion and I didn't want to have to stop in the middle of a too long hill. (One of the peculiarities of the Axiom Powertrain software is that you have to finish/complete the miles of the ride plan in order to be able to save the data.)

With everything ready I started the test. My throat was dry, I reached down and my water bottle was almost empty, it will have to do, I don't want stop now. I'm spinning slowly at 100 watts as I watch the 12th stage of the '05 TDF. I spin easily for 10 minutes throwing three 400 watt accelerations in to wake up the legs. At 10 minutes I start the test. Accelerating I reach 400 watts, this doesn't seem so hard. I concentrate on the stage race trying to breath smoothly. At the 1:00 minute mark I feel pretty good, breathing rhythmic and steady, focused on 400 watts and trying to maintain the pace. My throat is starting to burn, grab some water. At 2:00 minutes I am breathing like a steam train blowing air just as fast as it comes in, man this is hard! At 2:30 I force myself to maintain the pace, my legs are screaming, I think I can make it to 3:00. At 3:00 minutes I'm still moving at 400 watts and holding, I'm on the edge and I know it, I surge and hold on until 3:16. I feel sick. I need water. I spin down dropping to below 100 watts and finish the 5 miles trying to recover from my insanity.

With all the numbers in I can now generate my Tmax interval plan.

With a Tmax time of 3:16 and an Interval of .6 * Tmax I get 1:58 for the power phase and 3:55 for my rest phase. With a goal of 8 intervals my total ride time will be 47 minutes and roughly 20 miles(I don't feel I will be able to do all 8 anytime soon).

My plan for the next 6 weeks will be 2 Tmax intervals/week with easier riding(zones 1-3) the other days for recovery and growth. If I get too tired I will drop some of the in-between rides and try to maintain my Tmax plan

The following table is taken from Richard Stern's article on Power

Males [Level of Training]
Up to 15 [Untrained]
15.1-17 [Fair]
17.1-20 [Moderate]
20.1-21 [Average]
21.1-23 [Good]
23.1-24.8 [Very Good]
24.9-26 [Excellent]
26.1-27 [Extremely Fit]
27.1-29 [World Class]
29.1-35 [World Class- Pro Tour]

Using the formula, power/mass*0.67 or W/kg*0.67 gives me a rating of 18.89 (moderately fit). Dropping to my Ideal weight of 165 puts me at 22.20 (in the middle of "Good"). Dropping to my Ideal weight and Increasing my PPO to 500 puts me at 27.75 ("World Class").

I will retest PPO and Tmax after 6 weeks of training to see if this plan has done any good. I will also be watching the scales.

PS - Disclaimer - This is an extremely strenuous test that will take you to exhaustion, even after 3 hours rest I can still feel the effects of the effort. If you are unsure of your medical condition see your physician before attempting to do these tests.

Peak Power Output Test

2007-12-12T09:59:00.000-05:00

I've been pondering my fitness levels (or lack thereof) for awhile. There hasn't seemed to be much movement either way, and having struggled for years with the winter drain, I wanted something different. While browsing the Bicycling magazine I ran across this article, the T-Max interval.

Anyone who knows me, or has ridden with me, knows that the hills are my nemesis and I have been pondering what to do about it. The T-Max interval seems like it could help in my search for a breakthrough.

Two years ago my wife gave me a Real Axiom Power Trainer. Mine is similar to the one in the link but without the "real" which means it doesn't have the nice scrolling/syncronized pictures of the course. It can be programmed to simulate any terrain that you want to ride, from flat to bruttaly steep. Most importantly it reads out in WATTS.

During the previous 2 winters I was not serious about fitness maintenance or actual improvement, which I wanted to change this year, so I have decided to actually use this machine and see what it will do for me. Am I serious? Time will tell. I never have been before.

Sunday I had a good base ride on the road, and the last 2 mornings I put in some base training on the trainer. As I woke up this morning I decided it was time to do the ramp test to see what my PPO (Peak Power Output) was.

I set my course up to do a 10 mile ride up a 0.5% grade, enough to give my legs something to bite into but not too much so I could cool down after the test. The test is a stepped power ramp starting at 100 watts, and stepping up 30 watts every minute until your legs turn to jelly and you fall off your trainer puking your guts out. I started the course and warmed up for 5 minutes at 50 watts, just turning the cranks over easily. After 5 minutes I bumped the power up to 100 and then began the progression, 30 watts increase every minute, trying dissociation at the higher output levels to keep going. I made it through 11 minutes but could not surge again, which give me a PPO of 400 watts. I may not have gone hard enough because I didn't puke or fall off the machine. I think I was pretty close to my max though, my heart rate peaked at 193 which I have seen before during some hi-intensity efforts. Overall I was satisfied with the effort.

Although I now have my PPO, the test is not over yet. I will do another easy ride tomorrow, 10 miles at 200 watts Here is the spreadsheet of my test

Sunday Group ride - 12-09-2007

2007-12-10T11:23:00.000-05:00

Group ride?, there was no group.

I woke to the sound of rain at 6:00am and went down to check the radar. The rain appeared to be moving off rapidly so I decided to catch a few zzz's and see what it looked like at 7:00am. Woke up at 7:10, realized I did not have enough time to get ready and eat, so I got ready to ride- grabbed 2 powerbars (Recipe) - woke my son and told him about the roads being wet - jumped on my bike and went to meet the 7:30 group. The 7:30 group was me, so I rode 9 miles to get ready for the 8:00 group. When I arrived at the 8:00 meeting point there was one other rider (my son) waiting for the group depart.

We gave everyone a fair chance to show up, decided there wouldn't be anyone else, and took off. It was a gorgeous December day with temperatures approaching 65°F during the ride. We counted 3 broadwing hawks, a pileated, and a white crown sparrow. One of the hawks actually disgorged some of it's meal when we stopped to watch him. I'm not sure if he was making a commentary or not.

Traffic and winds were low, and we travelled a new road, something that's hard to do after riding in the same area for many years. Pacing for once wasn't a problem, it was a nice slow ride at a conversational pace, although we did some animated sprints to liven things up.

While returning home, we happened upon a cyclist that had flatted. We offered to fix his flat, not wanting his ride to end on such a nice day, but he refused and said his support crew/vehicle was scheduled to arrive any minute.

Did I mention that it was a great ride?

This was the ride plan

This was the Actual Ride

Plan?

2007-11-26T16:00:00.000-05:00

Have you ever made a "plan" or a set of goals for your bike season/year? At home I get laughed at for dreaming up ways to get faster during the year, and trying to execute "the plan".

This year I have cycled without a plan, mostly just riding when it was convenient with no specific goals in mind. There are several problems with this style of riding. If you don't ride and "train" to get yourself up to the level of performance of the guys that you occasionally ride with, you Suffer Like a Dog (Which I did far too much this past summer) during group hammerfests.

The alternative? Develop a better plan. This could take several different approaches.

The Hard Plan, simply put, train hard all winter and come out riding better and stronger than 95% of my comrades. This of course will only work for about a month or two until they catch on and become faster than me, which puts me right back to where I am right now, the Dog Sufferer.

The Easy Plan, do no training. Give up any faux fitness I have, stop riding with the Sunday Group. Sleep in Sunday mornings, eat as if there will be a long famine next summer. If caught out riding by any of my comrades, feign a flat tire, ride into a ditch, pretend my knee hurts, otherwise hide my inability to ride a bike up a hill.

So what's it going to be?

Spring is just around the corner...

The Last Dash

2007-11-01T21:01:00.000-04:00

With little time before dark, my son and I took to the road. We didn't have much of a plan to start with, so we didn't shoot off like a gun, but a couple miles down the road I let the hammer drop.

The wind was driving us along pretty well and we arrived in Apison, with 20+ mph. At the crossing of Apison & E. Brainerd we ran into a riding buddy who we coaxed into continuing on with us. From there we flew up to Clonts, over to McGhee, down to Bill Jones and decided to head back to the house.

It was back into the wind, with a valiant effort, turning ourselves inside out, we got back to the house with a 19.9 (I'll take it).

Going up University Drive, just past Moore road, there is a steep pitch that is our final climb and final test. We hit it just as hard as we could. Ahead of us near our turn-in, on the side of the road, was a man standing (waiting for us so he could cross the road) that shouted as we went by "VIVA le Tour De France" in a french accent, to which I could not respond because I was in serious oxygen debt, barely able to feel my legs. Just imagine 10,000 people standing beside the road cheering you on, the roar of the crowds lifting you up the mountain. Well, one was pretty nice, I don't expect I'll ever see many more.

Most rides are worthwhile just because you're out there riding, but this was one of those special rides. A ride to remember through the cold and dark evenings of winter when you look back and analyze the year, and wait and make plans to do it better next year.

Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years here I come!

Here's the Track & Stats

Hounds of Red Clay Road

2007-10-31T19:47:00.000-04:00

There were 5 of us out tonight to stretch the legs, raise the heart rates, and enjoy a great evening. This was the route traveled, 29 miles - 2900 feet - 18 mph.

It was my plan to do some climbing tonight, which is my greatest weakness. It went well enough, I wasn't seriously dropped anywhere although I suspect most everyone was running a few heartbeats slower than the red line my heart rate was at.

Right at the start of the ride, we were passed by an old fire truck that was bellowing a huge cloud of fumes which we were surrounded with for a couple hundred feet. Due to the time of day, we were also forced to ride with testosterone filled pickup drivers who like to rev their engines to show their IQ levels, what a nuisance.

We were jumped by 4 or 5 hound-dogs that took chase and didn't want to give up. I was at the front at the time so I didn't get to see most of the action. The dogs were persistent little devils, spreading out behind and on both sides of the road. Fortunately there was no contact.

Freddie the Friendly jackass was his usual braying self, a sight to see, and eager to be heard.

There was some discussion about getting back before dark, so the hammer started striking the anvil with a heavier beat, bringing us in just before the bats started flying.

3 more days until the time changes.

Weight today 210 lbs.

No Ride Tuesday

2007-10-30T21:41:00.000-04:00

Even the best laid plans sometimes don't work out. Well, maybe not best laid plans, I was still pretty tired from last nights agony.

Maybe tomorrow will be better, maybe even a large Wednesday Group ride hammerfest.

Into the Final Stretch

2007-10-30T11:15:00.000-04:00

The week that I've been dreading is finally upon us. When the time changes early Sunday morning it signals a drastic reduction in available light at the end of the regular work day.

For those of us that ride bikes in the evening, the time change effectively ends the fall ride season. Yes, you still can get out on the weekends, but evening rides during rush-hour are seldom enjoyable if not dangerous.

This week being what it is, I've decided to try and get a ride in each day this week.

Last night I started sloooowly (solo - as my riding partner had to mow the grass) with a goal of riding 20 miles. I decided about 3 miles into the ride to do an old out and back Time Trial course, and layed on the firewood to see what kind of time I could get. I ended the ride with a 20.3 overall, pretty good for me considering the lazy start and 300' climbing to get back home after my legs felt like lead.

I saw only 3 other riders out on the road! Where's everyone else?

With the lack of time to ride on the road, it becomes imperative to get on the trainer and dream of next summer. I have a love/hate relationship with my trainer, I love to hate it. What I hate even worse is to come into the spring riding season trying to regain all the ground lost over the winter. I'm thinking about 3-5 hrs per week will keep the legs fairly fresh which means 48-60 hrs of torture until the beginning of March when the time changes back.

I'm going to have to get my old Tour tapes out to try and keep my sanity.

Veloroutes - Google Earth

2007-10-16T10:14:00.001-04:00

Over the next few days I will be using Veloroutes to map the trails of the Cohutta Wilderness area.

What is really nice about Veloroutes is the way you can create trails off road using the "Elevation" maps.

Start by selecting "Create a new route" on the left side of the Home page.
Select Elevation in the upper right hand corner to see USGS topo maps, use this to follow marked trails, or make your own.
Start clicking on the map to lay down a track, then save the route by giving it a route name.

It's a good idea to add tags in the tag box, such as the area you are mapping, or even your name. The tags are useful to be able to find your route using the search utility on the home page.

Here's an example of access to the Conasauga River Trail. Notice that I've used the following tags; Cohutta Wilderness, Conasauga. Eventually you will be able to find all the trails in the Cohutta Wilderness by using these search terms. From this site you can download the track to Google Earth, which I have done, and added it to the Google Earth Community.

On my bike rides and hikes I use a Garmin Etrex Vista to log tracks. You can upload tracks to places like MotionBased which also exports to Google Earth.

My bike rides are posted at phburns.motionbased.com.

Random Thoughts

2007-10-15T12:14:00.001-04:00

If you ever see me drooling, I was probably just looking at my favorite custom bike builders.

Parlee Cycles or Crumpton

For about two years I have been dreaming of a custom bicycle and reading from the masters over at FrameForum.net.

Not having access to or owning a torch or a machine shop I have been stuck in dream land, with no end to dreaming in site. The one thing that really slows me down is the thought of building something and having it break underneath me as I go down the road (down a mtn side).

I ride a 2000 vintage Raleigh mass produced aluminum frame with garbage can Shimano components (this is not to say I don't like Shimano, just that my components are mostly salvaged from the Ebay trash can). This frame has taken all the abuse a 200+lb rider can dish out and has not complained. Being a very low budget rider has it's risks and rewards. The risk is that at anytime you may be out of commission for an extended period, waiting for replacement parts, if something breaks. The reward comes from seeing how you can make things work and not have to pay the LBS to do it for you.

More expensive is not always better. Of course there are a hundred ways to define what better is, and would mean different things to a hundred different people.

Specifically, a good bike (to me) is one that is comfortable enough and trouble free that when you ride, you're not thinking about the bike but about the ride.

Usually I don't even think about the ride because I'm having a hard enough time finding enough air to breath. Mostly because I don't train properly (read enough), and all my friends are better climbers than I am and there is nothing but climbing around here. But that is a 'nuther whole issue.

Anyway, enjoy the ride! Get out and RideMore!
And be safe out there.

First and Foremost

2007-10-12T14:28:00.000-04:00

Well, I visited my friends site, sBlog, and thought it was pretty cool so I'm going to start my own.

There are so many blogs to read though, I don't expect I'll post every day, maybe not even every week. Just when I get a chance and have something to share.

About the bike.

I just changed my chain on my bike, for no apparent reason. All of a sudden my chain starts slipping under the least little pressure. I measured the old one that I just took off and it was worn beyond belief. I should have just put it back on for the rest of the season, because it was working just fine, but I didn't. During the first ride with my new chain, I hit the deck on a short sharp low-speed turn and bent my handlebars and broke my bar end mirror. So I replaced my bars and my cassette but it still skips on the big chain ring, which I ordered replacements for today.

What's the lesson here? Check for chain stretch! at least one a month, and use lots of ProGold chain lube. They also have a really cool device to check for chain stretch. Of course there's always the good and cheap ruler technique too, outlined by Sheldon Brown below.

From Sheldon Brown's Page on Chains
Measuring Chain Wear
The standard way to measure chain wear is with a ruler or steel tape measure. This can be done without removing the chain from the bicycle. The normal technique is to measure a one-foot length, placing an inch mark of the ruler exactly in the middle of one rivet, then looking at the corresponding rivet 12 complete links away. On a new, unworn chain, this rivet will also line up exactly with an inch mark. With a worn chain, the rivet will be past the inch mark.

This gives a direct measurement of the wear to the chain, and an indirect measurement of the wear to the sprockets:

If the rivet is less than 1/16" past the mark, all is well.

If the rivet is 1/16" past the mark, you should replace the chain, but the sprockets are probably undamaged.

If the rivet is 1/8" past the mark, you have left it too long, and the sprockets (at least the favorite ones) will be too badly worn.

If you replace a chain at the 1/8" point, without replacing the sprockets, it may run OK and not skip, but the worn sprockets will cause the new chain to wear much faster than it should, until it catches up with the wear state of the sprockets.

If the rivet is past the 1/8" mark, a new chain will almost certainly skip on the worn sprockets, especially the smaller ones.

Checking Sprockets for wear requires a special tool by Rohloff.