Some Thoughts Looking Forward...

I plan on doing a long distance ride every year, and I haven't conceived of the next one yet. I will let you know some thoughts after I finish the MN-IL trip. I am always looking for company on long distance ride. There is too much potential for something to go wrong...

My goal for my 4th of July trip is Day 1 (160 miles), Day 2 (160 miles), Day 3 (180 miles). I figure day 1 and 2 will be hilly, and I should be able to average a minimum of 15-16 mph with 10 hours of saddle time. This schedule is extremely aggressive, and much more aggressive than I would hope to do in the future (I like 100 miles/day). Because I am going solo, there will be just myself and my thoughts for three days. Nothing is more trying on you psyche than the relentless howl of a head wind in your ears and the effort it takes to push through a headwind. I am hoping for a tail wind and cool, clear weather. (keep your fingers crossed, keep me in your prayers, or do a crazy dance...whatever it takes, I need all the help imaginable)

For the next trip, I am thinking of maybe a Great Lakes focused trip. Starting from Duluth, MN going east along the south shore of Lake Superior and continuing south along the west shore of Lake Michigan to Chicago. I am open to any number of ideas, and my ability to do another trip will be based on my ability to get time off of work. I like the idea of piggy-backing over a holiday weekend to minimize time off of work. Just some thoughts...

4th of July Weekend Ride and August Challenge

On July 1st, I am going to proceed on a loaded tour from New Ulm, MN to Oak Park, IL. I have established a rigorous agenda including approximately 15o-miles the first day from New, Ulm, MN to Whitewater State Park, Altura, MN. From there I will proceed another 150-miles to Governor Dodge State Park, Dodgeville, WI. I will continue from there to Oak Park, IL, another 160-miles. This trip should be do-able in the three days set aside. My lovely wife will be meeting me on the third day to see what type of condition I am in and relieve me of my load.

I have modified my bike for this trip to include an 11-32 tooth cassette (rear set of gears) and a long-cage mountain derailleur. I am going to be pulling my gear in a B.O.B. Trailer. I weighed my trailer last night and the total gear-weight was about 40-lbs. Not too bad, considering my training ride earlier in the year included two 15-pound dumbbells and a cooler full of water/ice. I added some nifty items to my bike to make this aggressive trip easier. I have a GPS mounted on the handlebars, a map-pouch on the handlebars, and a "Bento Box" food container (located near the stem of the bike.

I will keep this bike configured with the modified gearing, GPS, and Bento Box until I complete the Dairyland Dare 266k ride (162.5 miles!!!).

New Job and New Commute

I started a new position doing the same type of work that I was doing before. The big difference is in the office culture. The new office is much more relaxed and there is a focus on work life balance. I was hussled out of the office before 5:00pm on one day. That would be unheard of at my former employer. Anyway, I am really getting into the grove and enjoying the new position.

The best part about the job is that I have really nice commuting route. It is about 12.5 miles each way and I have been able to complete the commute ranging from 36 to 45 minutes. The 45 minute days were both this week. On Monday, because I was reeling from the HHH and today because it was raining and I had wind in my face so I had to be a little more cautious.

The suburban drivers are much more courteous than the Chicago drivers with the exception of Oak Park. Something was in the air yesterday because I had several near misses and one rub against a car taking a right turn. I think it was because I left work at about 5:15pm, putting me in Oak Park at about 6:00pm. Chicagoland traffic is horrible and it is clear by driver behavior that their patience has eroded by 6:00pm. I guess it provides an incentive for me to get to work earlier so that I can leaver earlier and not end up underneath a car.

Since I have started using my new cycling computer in May, I have logged over 1,000 miles. I would have to guess that I am at about 2,500 miles for the year.

Horribly Hilly Hundreds 200K - Follow-up

Here is the photo of me finishing the Horribly Hilly Hundreds and my results. These results are not final and have some errors that are presently being corrected (Big deal though, it is not as if I am in the top 10) my place and the average finishing time keep changing...

I guess my expression is one of agony and relief. It is always more clear when looking at yourself though a lens other than your own eyes (like this photo) how evident it is that I need to keep on my weight loss program.

The hardest thing I have ever done in my life! Period.

The Horribly Hilly Hundreds is not a ride that I will soon forget. The final climb of the route is 2.9 miles at about 12% grade followed by antoher 0.6 miles at a 10% grade. (To define grade, a road that rises 1 foot in eleveation over 10 feet of linear distance, is called 10% grade). That final climb literally tested my will like no other.

Although the ride desciption states "We recommend a minimum of a 27 tooth rear cassette. Many successful completers of the HHH have used a rear MTB derailleur with a 32 or 34 tooth, or a triple crank.", I decided to ride a 25 tooth rear cassette. Let's call this REALLY POOR JUDGEMENT.

To complete many of the climbs, I had to swith-back (or zig-zag) up the hill to minimize the grade of the hill, turning a 3.5 mile hill into a much longer hill, all the while my legs, heart, and lungs were simply screaming for relief. This climb was difficult/demoralizing because of the simple fact that while you look forward, the only thing that you see is pavement reaching toward the sky. I have only summaryized the final climb, and I will let the profile (linked here) describe the rest of the course.

I travelled faster on this course than I ever have before, hitting a maximum speed of 50.8 mph. There is one thing that I noticed as I continued to pass riders throughout the course. People do not use gravity to climb hills. This may sound demented, but while descending, many people would not pedal, shift into a lower gear near the base of the hill and begin slogging up the hill in their "granny gear". Instead, while descending, I pedal my butt off in my hardest gear, so that my legs are spinning at a minimum of 90 rpm, and I shift to an easier gear one at-a-time so that my cadence (rate of leg spinning) doesn't fall below 80 rpm. This is what I consider using gravity to climb. It is just a matter of simply carrying your momentum as far a possible. While I did pass a ton of riders during most of the course, I was smoted on the ultra-steep climbs, for which I did not have appropriate gearing.

Once the final results are posted, I will link them to my blog. I am estatic that I finished the ride, and I am planning on doing it again next year. I am debating entering the Dairyland Dare. This will be a simple matter of knowing my condition at the end of July. If I have dropped about 10 pounds, and modified my bike as suggested above, I think it will be a go.

Finishing the HHH was one of the best accomplishments for me physically. I can't wait to do it again next year and do better.

Horribly Hilly Hundreds (200K)

I am really disappointed to report that I was unable to ride in the Ozark's Hellbender. My better judgement got in the way of travelling to the race. That is, riding like a maniac for 70 miles and hopping into the car for a 6-8 hour drive sounded like a recipe for disaster. This wouldn't have been a problem if I would have had another racer to join me.

Well onto the next adventure...I am riding in the Horribly Hilly Hundreds which is supposed to be the "toughest one dat challenge ride in the midwest". My favorite part of the ride is the slogan "Biking Like a Viking". I am registered to complete the 200k ride (approximately 120 miles). The key to this ride is nutrition and water intake. The temperature is supposed to be in the 90s this weekend. It is good that I rode 105 miles carrying about 45 lbs. of gear about two weeks ago in 95+ heat. I did pass out about two hours after that ride because I did not hydrate enough or eat enough afterwards. The key for me to finish well in this ride is to really focus on energy management. Typically, I have been a hammer head on hills while I ride; that is, when I ride I bolt up hills with all I have until I react the crest. If I use that strategy on this ride I will certainly bonk.

Wish me luck! I will be hauling my heavy rear end of 220 lbs through this course while the typical cyclist weighs in at about 140-180 lbs.