09.22.08
Posted in blog, cycling at 1:24 pm by 1speeder
Yesterday, Johan, Jen, Rogelio, and I rode the 102-mile Pumpkin Patch Pedal for the first time, which starts out of Jamesburg (see map). This is the second of three century rides I’m doing every other week on my fixie. (The next one is the Bike MS NYC century in two weeks.) We were supposed to meet James (”007″) and his two buddies at the start, but we got there about 15 minutes late, had to wait on the pre-reg line, grab some bananas, and didn’t hit the road until closer to 8:00. The weather was very nice, the high reaching the low-to-mid 80s with low humidity. There seemed to be a near constant head wind for most of the ride.
Johan and I rode fixie. The biggest challenge for fixie riders on a flat course like this is that you can’t give your butt any relief, even for a few seconds by standing on the pedals to lift off the saddle, unless you climb a hill. When we got back to the car after the ride a guy came up to us and said that he was amazed that we did the ride on our fixies. He has a fixie himself and said that he would never consider riding 100 miles on one. Actually, I was actually surprised that someone even recognized that we were riding on fixedgear bikes. Most people don’t even know what a fixedgear bike is.
My legs didn’t cramp up, except for two times when my quads started to tighten up. On the NYC Century two weeks ago, I cramped a lot due to the constant slowing, stopping, and starting throughout the whole ride. Because of the cooler temperature and not needing to stop and go all the time, an “open road” century ride is so much easier. You just keep pedaling.
There were three rest stops on the route at the 25, 50, and 80 mile marks. All were well stocked with ample fruit, “carbstuffs”, water and undiluted Gatorade. Staying very hydrated helps keeping the cramps away. I’m still on a daily 50mg dose of prednisone.
Rogelio was ahead of us most of the time. When we got back to the car, he wasn’t there. He missed a marker and did an extra couple of miles, so he wasn’t around for this picture.
My GPS read 102 miles, 6:30 moving time, 15.4 mph avg speed, 2176′ total ascent.
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09.15.08
Posted in blog, cycling, links at 10:50 am by 1speeder
I saw an unusually greater number of dogs out on today’s ride - a pair of Dobermans, a Jack Russell terrier, another Jack Russell, a yellow lab, an old black dog (who always barks at me once, then turns away). I had never encountered this Doberman pair before, although I pass by their house very often since it’s on one of my favorite 50-mile loops. They were standing at a high point along the driveway, although not quite at the edge of the property. They looked at me as I approached, alert and diligent, but not showing any aggression. There was no fence or barrier. I was thinking that I’d have to jump quickly if they chased. They can sprint very fast from what I’ve seen, and I was riding my fixie, which I can sprint out on quickly, but my current gearing tops out at around 22 mph. (The first thing that always pops into my head when I see a Doberman is that last scene in The Boys from Brazil when the Dobermans attack Josef Mengele (Gregory Peck) and the Hitler clone boy says “Cut!” to stop their attack.) Well, they just sat there as I rode by. I kept looking back, just in case. Sometimes dogs chase without barking and all you hear are their toenails on the pavement.
Jack Russells, on the other hand, are ferocious. They are usually behind a fence. I’ve never been chased by a loose Jack Russell. While I’m sure I could outsprint a Jack without any trouble, I wouldn’t want one of them to latch onto my ankle and rip out my tendons. I am sure a lot of pet owners don’t know that Jacks are bred to hunt and kill small animals that humans deem as “pests”.
This Sunday I’ll be riding in the second of three century rides I’m doing within a one month period on my fixie. The Pumpkin Patch Pedal is local and covers a lot of my regular training roads. I never rode it before. I was going to ride it last year, but I got sick. Riding with me will be Johan, Jennifer, and Rogelio. James and two of his buddies will be riding also, but they will be riding geared road bikes and probably won’t want to stick around with us.
From Scraper Bike Fever Spreads, Thanks To YouTube - “Oakland is a town where hip-hop is king and cars known as “scrapers” are huge. They’re large, bright and have rims so big that they scrape the inside of the wheel well. Stevenson and his friends took those aesthetics and applied them to bicycles, fitting large wheels on small frames.”
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