My Ironman Experience

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Congratulations Kari!

Just wanted to post up a big congratulations to Kari for finishing (and finishing very respectably) in her first ever Ironman Triathalon in Arizona last week. Way to go Kari!!

Century

Phat Tony and I went out Saturday and did managed to get in our second "Century" ride of the season, (the first being the Tucson Century back in February). We started out at 0700 and did an hour easy warm-up out Prince of Wales, across Hunt Club to Riverside, to Hog's back, and down Colonel By, 24km in total. We arrived at CycleLogik at 0800 and joined their weekly group ride, same 81km route as I posted two weeks ago. This is a fast-tempo group ride (33km/hr this week) that I'm really enjoying. We then met Tanya and Stef at Cyclelogik at 1030 and headed out towards Manotick. Check out Anthony's new wool Molteni jersey, a la Eddie Merckx which he got for his birthday (which is actually today -- happy fook day assface!).



The ride to Manotick started slowly in the heavy traffic on Wellington street, but we felt safe because we had a pace-bike keeping the road clear in front of us:



Conditions were lovely for riding, here we are on River road. Notice the radar has our pace running pretty high. It slowed down a bit once Tanya stopped pulling the pack. Tanya had also been out riding for a couple of hours so we relied on Stef for most of our pacing.



The Manotick leg was 58 km done at a 27.7km/hr, almost entirely zone 1 (except when Tanya had us going 70)

Got home 100.7 miles since the start of the day, and spent the afternoon doing some work outside with Anita and Kona cheering me on. They are both getting bigger by the day:



I was very pleased to get this ride in, since I have been an allergenic wreck all week and had called Anthony on Friday night to tell him I might have to bail after the first hour because I was feeling like shit. Turn out allergies only make you feel terrible, they don't seem to sap your strength as much as you think.


I'm taking today off to enjoy this taste of summer.

Commuter gets a cleaning . . .

With the warm weather I decided that my commuter could use some lov'n and I figure the best way to do that is to start with some cleaning. The bike hasn't seen the entire winter, like a lot of them have and I had hoped mine would, but it did get to commute at least once every month which says something I guess since we did get 13 feet of snow this winter!!

Here she is . . . all 50 bucks worth. My buddy Scott thought I would like road riding so he hooked me up with this ride last spring. I put 2k+ kms on it last year so I think I got my money's worth.

One of the things that I keep clean on my bikes is the chain, unfortunately the commuter doesn't get its share of this cleaning. Sometimes I use a typical chain cleaner, sometimes I soak the chain in degreaser, then brush it, rinse it and dry it. I don't know about you but one of the things I hate is getting greasy from a dirty chain.

Sometimes it happens on the trail when I am fixing a broken chain . . .

and sometimes it happens at home when I am cleaning up the commuter!

Either way the end result is that I have grease where I don't want it!

No matter how it gets there it can be a real pain in the A$$!!

I recently tried a "Citrus-Powered Degreaser Hand Wipe" or CitraWipe that is made by a company called Zogics. They come in a very portable and convenient little package that can easily fit in a jersey or a pack.

The pictures above were just taken a few minutes ago in the garage and this one is what my hand looks like after a wipe down, pretty sweet huh!?!

Here's a shot of the packaging and the wipe after I beat the crap out of it. . . . or into it as it were.

I'll definitely be carrying this in my hydra-pak this summer but I hope I only have to use it on my hands!!! I better throw one in my seat pack on the road ride also in case I get a flat, it'd be good for cleaning up after any messy incident.

P.S. If you're wonder'n whether or not the grease came off everywhere you'll have to ask the boss! :-o

Almonte, Paris-Roubaix

Three Big Ringers braved the elements to make fools of themselves riding mountain bikes at the OBC Paris Roubaix on the weekend, in celebration of the Paris-Roubaix race. Here we are at the finish (picture unceremoniously stolen from Craig's Blog, where you can read a longer account):



In the end, the ride was 76km which we covered in about 3hrs and 2 minutes, putting us in about 90th spot of the 115 entrants. Now, to be fair Craig and Fritz could have easily finished a fair bit higher (even on mountain bikes!) if they hadn't been waiting for me to catch up after every hill in the 2nd half. It was nice to have team mates watching out for you, even if they were the ones who broke you in the first place. Fritz, I owe you a beer.

Now, it's not like I didn't know I was going to blow up, it was more of an experiment to see when. I had done the CycleLogik group ride the week before and was quite pleased to have been able to run for a full 2 hours at about 85% of my max HR. Trying to keep up with Craig and Fritz however had me running at 90% (just over my threshold). I figured this was a good opportunity to see how long I could last doing that. About 90 minutes it turns out:


The good news is that when we slowed down to my pace, nobody passed us and we still reeled in and passed at least two groups of people on Cyclocross bikes. The bad news is that my legs were none too pleased doing 40km of commuting today.

After the race, we had some of the best hot chocolate ever made (according to Craig). The secret recipe you ask? NoName (tm) powder, hot milk, mixed in with three and a half hours riding in the cold with mud splattering all over you.

Day 2 Ride 1

Day two started off with a ride called Amasa Back, an out and back (actually up and down) of about 25 km. A short road ride amongst some huge sandstone walls and you are onto the doubletrack climbing.



Basically this one goes up an old jeep road with some moderate angle and moderately technical climbing. At the top you get some nice views of the Colorado River.






No pictures of the ride down, it was basically a rowdy descent as fast as you could go over drops , rocks, ledges, and little gaps you had never seen before. Because it was wide you had lots of choices to make but some of them had negative consequences.....



my only flat all week!


Day 2 Ride 2

After a quick lunch we headed North on Highway 191 for Baby Steps , it was supposed to be a light ride but it turned into a bit of effort, 20+ km of rolling desert single track and some slickrock. Excellent riding especially the hard pack, twisty singletrack, it was like being in Albion Hills without the trees.



The coolest thing was the Dinosaur footprints, seriously.



And another one for scale

Starting the Cycling Season Off Right

Starting the Cycling Season off Right

With the snow starting to melt and the temperature rising, we are all itching to get back out on our bikes. For those who have put their bikes away for the winter season, it is extremely important to build back to your previous fitness level and form gradually in order to prevent overuse injuries. This is even more important if you have a history of previous injuries.
Early in the season is when extra keen cyclists are at particular risk of injury.
So to start the cycling season off right :

Bike Tune Up
Make sure that your bike is safe and in good working condition.
Worn out or improperly adjusted bearings, brakes and derailleurs can lead to a less efficient ride and more work than necessary.
Have your favorite LBS examine the condition of your bike and tune it up for you if you are not mechanically inclined.

Review your Cycling Clothing and Equipment
Check your clothing and equipment for wear and replace them as needed.
A worn out saddle or shorts will affect your comfort on your bike and as a result may affect your entire riding position on your bike.
Make sure that your handlebar tape and gloves are still offering good comfortable padding.
Make sure that your cycling shoes aren't worn and too flexible in the sole. This will be less supportive and may lead to discomfort and numbness in your feet.

Dress of the Weather
With the cooler spring weather make sure you keep your body and working muscles warm. Cover your extremities, hands, head and feet well if it is cold. Dress in layers so you may remove one once you or the weather has warmed up. Keep a light rain jacket in your back pocket in case the weather turns foul.

Build a Base
Start the season off with shorter rides and easy spinning at 90+ RPM. Your easy rides will allow your cycling muscles to slowly and safely build and adapt to the new work of riding again. Ride different bikes. Road riding is a valuable training tool that can help build your aerobic fitness and endurance. Supporting your body differently and requiring different muscle recruitment patterns helps prevent injuries.
Avoid pushing big gears up hills or against those nasty spring headwinds. If you can; go out against the wind and back with the tailwind to give yourself a nice recovery ride on your return.
Increase your mileage slowly to build your endurance.
Start off with non-technical rides and slowly increase the difficulty to retrain your riding skills.

Warm Up
Always start each ride off with a warm up at an easy pace for the first 10 minutes. This will start the blood circulating in your muscles to warm them up. Even if you feel energetic and enthusiastic, don't start out like a bat out of hell ! This is the best way to strain a muscle/tendon or flare up an old injury.
After 10 minutes it's a good idea to get off your bike and stretch your quads, hams and calves. It only takes a couple of minutes.
Gradually increase your pace and your body will thank you.

Cool Down
Ride easy for at least the last 10 minutes of your ride. This will flush the toxins out of your working muscles and allow your body to properly cool down.
After your ride it is important to stretch for 5 - 15 minutes to help your muscles regain their flexibility.
Tight inflexible muscles will increase your risk of injury. Stretch your major cycling muscles :
Quads, Hamstrings, Calves, and your back. Repeat each stretch 5 times holding for 20 seconds. You should feel a mild tightness, but not pain with each stretch.

Pay Attention to any areas of Discomfort
Other than tired muscle aches your ride should be comfortable. So be particularly aware of any discomforts in your back and neck or knees early on. If any pain does not disappear over the next couple of rides and maybe a couple of adjustments to your bike; then make sure to have someone take a closer look at your riding position. Continuing to ride in a poor position can lead to a serious overuse injury. Back and knee pain are not an integral part of cycling as some have come to believe. Mountain biking should be a fun and enjoyable experience.

These simple tips and patients in building your foundation will translate into a season of success !!

Safe and Happy Cycling !!!

Mary Paterson PT www.bike2body.ca

Update to Moab Part I

I thought there were no pictures of Bartlett Wash but Beezer had a few so I figured I would toss them up to give a feel of what I meant by a giant skate park


All the smooth curvy surfaces



Dropping in...



and more dropping in

So who's legs are tired yet?

McKellar(s) update:


Yeah, I've been in a bit of a shell this winter. Renovations, work, kid's hockey (need I say more?), schooling, and finally a new web venture will keep a man busy.


Also, like the Big Ring after NC, the euphoria of my Austin Texas trip was greeted with subsequent post-cycling depression. There was a little spark of excitement mid March when I took Riley to Ray's indoor MTB park in Clevland (http://www.raysmtb.com/ - 70,000 square feet of indoor biking!).





Thankfully with the weather getting warmer I managed to hammer 5 consecutive days in a row for over 7 hours or riding. BLISS! Yeah the legs are feeling like lead weights but it's payback for a brutally long winter.

Best part of all I got to try out my new rig, a bullhorn SS roadie frame with 38mm tire clearance. Perfect for gravel/pavement/commuting/travel. A full review is coming soon once the final parts arrive.


I'm not the only one who was antsy, the newest McKellar has been busy spinning indoors all winter (cool toy BTW):

Finally to get out and enjoy the gravel for the first time as well!

100KM Spring Ride

Hooked up with Buddy for a ride today. He promised me a slow (yawn) long ride so I decided that even though I'm not into slow I would humour him for part of the ride, then drop him like a ton of bricks and finish off with some good fast hard training.

So the ride plan starts out with us meeting at 1:00, of course he's late as usual so I've got time to snap a couple shots of the beautiful spring landscape. It's always nice to see the grass turning green and the first flowers come into bloom. We're nowhere near that!

Eventually Buddy arrives and we toodle off in a southerly direction. We hit the first little up and I look back and no chit he's not there!!! At this point I decide I better just settle in behind him so I don't lose him. I think we've all been on these rides before so you know what I mean.

We headed south for a while and then west and south some more until we were almost at Kempville. At this point I'm starting to wonder if Buddy has any legs left? Word on the street is that he's big into training , doing some race out west or something... yippee!

I decide to amuse myself with some more pictures... here's one I call "I See Dirt!"

I figure I better find something to releive the boredom and to start to even out the workload, how else can I know what he's going through. I decided to add a little weight with this puppy! At the same time I should be able to create enough of a draft that I could possibly take the lead and have him keep up!?!

The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful, we were heading north at this point so the wind was helping, not much I could do for him for the rest of the ride as there was no draft to be had. We stopped for a snack in Manotick where I was confident that even if he bonked there were enough cars and people around that someone would help him... here he is as he rides away, check out the pretty little boots!!

As he rode away I caught another sniff of what I previously thought was the spring thaw in the cattle pens, now I'm thinking it had to be Buddy...

Got home and decided to have some recovery fluids, went pretty hard after we split. Tough decision, which would you go for??

Moab - Part I

Three of my normal riding buddies (not to say Big Ringers aren't normal or anything, I just ride with these people regularly) and I headed to Moab for 5 days of desert trail riding. I had never been there before and I let somebody else plan the trip so I had little idea what to expect. I debated hard between renting some sort of all mountain full squish like a Santa Cruz Nomad or using my all mountain hardtail. In the end my Chromag won out for cost, convenience and challenge.

We stayed in this awesome condo just outside of town, they had full size trail maps, a bike stand and tool for us to use in the 2 car garage.


Slickrock:

First up of course was the Slickrock trail, which is of course anything but slick. Super sticky sandstone was the order of the day. You can climb almost anything on this surface and are at more risk of flipping over backwards than spinning out.



The views of the Colorado River were crappy....




This one shows what the area looks like, endless lumps, bumps, folds and valleys of sandstone...




By the end we figured out that you don't have to follow the white lines that mark the trail, they just keep you from falling into an abyss. Once we started leaving the "trail" it became a lot more fun. It was certainly more interesting to make use of the terrain as your eyes and imagination allowed, this natural half pipe was one example....



My initial impression was that riding around and finding your own lines through the area would be more fun than following the defined trail so I returned a few nights later by myself to check on my theory. For my personal experience I did enjoy the more free form riding though I did follow one of the side / optional lines for a bit and that scared me pretty good. After one descent I was a basket case for about 20 minutes. For Big Ringer context, the little roll down into the parking lot at Dupont was well within my comfort zone, this one in Moab had guaranteed death
at the bottom should anything go wrong. I do understand quite clearly why the main trail is so well marked!

Bartlett Wash:

Our second ride on day 1 was Bartlett Wash, an area known for it's freeride opportunities. Even though it is known for freeride I think this is worth a visit if you are looking for something less strenuous. The out and back ride is less than 8 kilometers with very little elevation gain, almost all on rock. The cool thing here is that there are 2 different but continous types of rock and they have different textures so the riding surface changes as you go along. Think of a giant skate park 3 km by 1 km with a 200 foot elevation gain. There are huge bowls, ramps, quarter pipes, drops and it is all so smooth, though many of the biggest / baddest moves have very serious consequences if you fail. We saw some locals doing some neat stuff on DH bikes in full armor but we stuck to pretty moderate stuff and still had a great time.

Unfortunately I managed to wipe out going uphill in one of the bowls, all I can say is I am glad I didn't slide downhill into a bowl at speed or this would have been much worse, I might have needed a skin graft in that case .......



A big supper and a cold beer (well, more than one) took the pain away. Day one in the books.

Tour de Carp

Anthony and I joined the roadies Saturday morning on the first CycleLogik ride of 2008. Anthony wussed out and tried to pretend he was a roadie, decked out in clothing fit to protect against temperatures 10 degrees colder than they actually were and refusing to wear his CamelBak. In contrast, Ryan Atkins showed up on a CycleCross bike with knobbed tires and was still about the fastest guy out there. While I love my winter fixie, being out on the road bike again was a real joy.

The route was a circuitous path to Carp and back. A total of 81 km all told in a time of just over 2:20. Fast pace, but fun:


Anthony, trying to fit in:

Note that I have less clothing on my right ear than Anthony does on his entire body. You can see I've been working out:

I'll probably add this ride to my weekly regime to help prep for BC.