Last week, on 26 August 2010 I left the house on what would turn out to be an awesome ride. At the time, of course, I didn’t really know what pace I was going to keep – I just needed to relieve some stress and energy built up from work. At my first main road I made the turn as a truck was coming my direction and was able to slip into the gigantic draft and go ~38 for roughly one mile. It was awesome to say the least, but I eventually had to make a turn and was forced to back off.

I was feeling more than fresh at this point and decided that I could probably make a decent attempt at my Swamp record, a 3.1 mile section of road in the Great Swamp Wildlife Refuge. The road is essentially flat save a few hiccups, but if the wind is wrong then you will be pushing a brick wall through much of the mileage. That day I was fortunate enough to enjoy a complete, dead calm. I knew what I had to do – set a pace of 25 and hold it as long as possible.

The first mile flew by and I thought that I might have been going too easy. Experience took over as I remembered the hiccups and how bad the last half mile can be as the wind changes and starts to hit you straight on. I kept my pace and dug in (Paul might say I was conserving my lead at this point) for the next mile, trying to focus on anything but the cycling. As I hit the right hander the pain started to set in a bit, a slight up hill towards the first intersection and I shoved the throttle down. I was going to break my time… by how much. Previously this year I had set an 8:09, and before that an 8:20. How much lower could I go? Could I break the magical 8 minute mark?

YES! As I smashed the lap button to reveal my time and it sat there in all its glory: 7:29.57 for 3.1 miles!! A new personal record. Progress. There is the evidence that I am getting faster; getting stronger. And if I needed any more proof – the data in TC says it all (relevant area highlighted in yellow).

Of course now only one question remains: how much faster can I go?

The first thing you’ll notice when cycling in the Adirondacks is that everything is big. Lakes are big, mountains are really big and even the roads are big (that is a good thing). Even the distances between towns is big. So when planning a route, you really have to pay attention to how much climbing you will have to endure. The image floating off to the right there is of me during my last ride this year. The mountain in the back is Whiteface which summits around 4500 feet. While I didn’t (and couldn’t) go to the top, as I went past it I had to climb roughly 1500 feet to a peak around 2500 feet. And that was just to get to the base of the toll road that takes you to the top!

That ride (yesterday) covered roughly 66 miles and nearly 5000 feet of climbing. No simple task for a guy who is more Texas Longhorn than mountain goat. I got it done in just over four hours, and learned a few things along the way.

1. Roads in the ADKs are wiide and have almost no tree cover. Result? My arms are burnt (a bit, I had a tan already). So wear sunscreen or arm "coolers"
2. While roads in the ADKs are wide, so are big trucks. Stay to the right as much as possible to avoid the wash.
3. Enjoy the flat and downhill sections of your ride. Breath them in and don’t fret the speed. The climbing is where you gain (or lose) massive time.
4. Bring lots of water. I never ran out because I had three bottles, but because towns are spaced out you could run into issues if you aren’t prepared.
5. Small cameras are the bee’s knees. The ADKs are beautiful and you’ll want to remember your ride, even if it makes for an embarrassingly funny story.

Aside from all that, go out and have fun. It is what you are there to do (hopefully)! While on my ride, I got to see a lot. Around mile 20 of my ride, I found myself along a river that empties out into Franklin Falls Pond. I road along the river for a few miles hoping to see a bear off in the distance taking in a drink but fortunately I was unlucky. The river empties out into the following pond which is capped by a dam.

Shortly after that, I found myself topping the ridge attached to Whiteface Mountain and essentially free falling down the other side. The road I chose to go down is roughly -10% gradient for three miles with absolutely no breaks until the bottom. I ended up passing cars easily as they were all happily enjoying a lower gear ride. Me – I had no choice but to let go of the brakes and hope for the best. Fortunately all went well and was able to get this shot of the ski side of Whiteface.

After cresting the bigger of two evils for the day, I had to set my sights on the next "climb" as it started immediately. The road crept along the valley, inching its way up and eventually over a ridge to Lake Placid. I had no mind to stop and take pictures, but there was plenty of scenery to soak in including the gorgeous gorges.

Finally after 56 testing miles, I made it back to Saranac Lake and knew my trip was to be completed. The shade (and Clif bar) taken in here was a reward like no other.

By the way – those are tubeless tyres you see on my rig. And yes, they are fantastic. Have ridden them for a couple hundred miles and they are incredibly comfortable and fast.

My story begins nearly two weeks ago. The roll off of the Category 4/5 Pinecone Road Race was without incident. The course is a flat 10 mile loop with five right hand turns – easy enough for those who have ridden in serious groups before. Through the first turn I chose an inside line knowing that there would be a sand trap of sorts. By putting myself through the dangerous part of the turn I insured that no one could come on the inside of me and wreck the group. If I went down, I could only blame myself.

After making it through the first turn, we headed down the back straight towards the next set of turns. The group was packed in like tunafish in a can due to the double yellow rule (cannot cross the double yellow line). A constant shuffling of bodies meant that you had to fight just to stay where you were in the group to say nothing of moving up. The next set of turns come up and fly by without incident. I thank the lord quietly as no one has made a silly mistake of going into a turn too hot or not holding their line.

Finally we make it to the front straight on the first of three laps. The group is moving along at about 22 miles per hour, the road is flat, the sun is shining and the mood is calm but focused. I am comfortable, my heart rate shows it and my legs feel great. And that is when it happens.

A massive slowdown in front of me and voices yelling out “woah!” in anger and fright. I know immediately that I have no choice but to lock up my wheels and scrub off as much speed as possible before I reach the impending doom. A wall of bikes and people comes up and I hit something, go down, slide and land under my bike. People are falling on top of me, but I am okay. As the fallen recover, check their bikes and move on I realize that I am not to join them. A quick glance at my bike shows a decimated front wheel. No spare wheel means I will be walking to the start/finish (until picked up). But at least my limbs are still attached and nothing is screaming at me in agony. I am bleeding from a few spots, but with full motion I realize I got out extremely lucky.

It has almost been two weeks since that day and I am still struggling a little to find my mojo. While I rode last weekend, it was a feeble attempt to maintain whatever physical ability I have gained this season. The crash has ruined my momentum and has put me in a period of poor form. And while I am positive that I can get back on good form, it will take some time. And there is really only one thing that can be said about all of this: crashing sucks.

Photo by Jan Curran

Immediately leaving the gate, I felt good and settled into a comfortable albeit fast rhythm. My heart rate, around 170bpm, was right where I wanted it. This beautiful scenario was quickly smashed when I hit the first roller which brought me into the red zone immediately. You can see from the data below that this is where my problems started.

(Click to enlarge)

Because it was the first hill and because I was able to topple it rather quickly, my body recovered once over the top. However, with each subsequent hill my HR went through the roof and then remained high. Somewhere after mile three or four I developed and odd sensation in my chest; like a grapefruit had been lodged deep within. I pressed on, but each roller really started taking its toll on me until I could barely get over them above 15 mph.

Overall, I am pleased that I got out and did another race and gave it my best shot. As for my performance, I know what I need to work on and know I need to work much harder if I expect to beat my personal best at the Kingwood TT (end of July).

This is just the beginning (facing backwards) of a long, hidden treasure in NJ. A road that creeps along a hidden lake/reservoir, waterfall and river.

This is the wide part of the river. It feeds towards the camera to the lake (behind the camera).

Daffodils (I think?) in bloom! These are everywhere along the route, giving you something to look at as you climb.

Lazy on the editing (electrical lines), I know, but pretty tree never-the-less.

Overall I am very happy with the camera so far, and very happy with my progression this year on the bike. I have lost some weight (horray!) and my power and endurance are staying pretty level. They are certainly much better than this time last year. Now, back to coding!

I have started my work on removing the next spacer. It feels great and looks fantastic. I am a fan of gigantic saddle-to-bar drop.

And of course you can’t go anywhere in NJ without climbing some ridges. This steep ascent is just 0.2 miles long from bridge (foreground) to fence (out of view) but peaks at 18% gradient and “levels off” to 11% for just a brief moment. Hill repeats, anyone?

Overall it was a good ride with some productive saddle time, working on climbing without standing. Tomorrow will repeat the route but with a group. Also trying to get used to the camera. Managed to record a whopping seven seconds of video. Whoops!

Taken with my XTi and 24-105L

Also of note is the Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, speaking about photography:

My weight has hit a flat spot at around 210 pounds but I continue to cut the body fat little by little. I am happy with my progression this season in that respect, having lost a total of 30 pounds over the course of seven months. The tough part is ahead as I look to maintain my current weight and lose more next season. I say it is tough because the holidays are notoriously rich in sugar and fat and my metabolism will surely slow down. I have started running in preparation for transitioning off the bike in a somewhat feeble attempt to keep my weight down. It remains to be seen what effect the new regiment will have.

Mile 0-46
The first 46 miles or so were spent leading our normal Sunday group ride out of Loantaka Park. Because I was the only one who knew the route, I was delegated the responsibilities of a group leader. My good friend helped me out when things got a little hectic by staying back or rushing forward to give some instructions but in general the ride was enjoyable. This was only the second time I have led a group ride and I must say that it is tougher than you expect. People, of course, have varying levels of skill in the sport and making sure all of them are happy and not getting lost can be hard work. There was one time where I repeated a hill a couple of times as I shuffled myself backwards in the strung out group. In the end, however, the awesome company from the other riders made the first 46 very enjoyable.

Mile 46-70
At mile 46 I stopped at home to refill the water bottles and was in the mindset that I would just do an extra 20 or 30 miles which would bring me to a season high of seventy. As I set off I remarked how good my legs were feeling and let the idea of a century creep in slowly. It was at this point that my mind started to take a downward turn. When you are in a group for many hours it is easy to pass the time by with conversation. In a sense it is as if the group can feed off itself for energy. On the other hand, when you are alone with the sun beating down, it is tough to stay focused 100% for so long. Luckily at mile 70 I decided to stop at my local bike shop for some food and some discussion.

Mile 70-90
As I left the LBS I made the crucial mistake of not topping off my water supply. I have always been a big consumer of water and with no clouds in the sky I should’ve known that my half bottle of gatorade would not be enough. At about mile 75, I realized the situation at hand but pressed on knowing that I would start to feel really dehydrated. At this point my mind was going crazy because water was all I could think about! At mile 85 I was seriously close to hallucinating and took my last sip to try and take my mind off the increasing stiffness in my back. I stopped by a vending machine but it wouldn’t take my money and so I set off for home, finally making it at mile 90 exactly.

The Home Stretch
Hitting 90 was certainly enough for me to be happy and so my spirits were on the up at this point. As I sat down and consumed at least 1-1.5 liters of liquid and ate a banana I could feel mile 100 was well within reach. I retopped both bottles at this time despite only having to go 10 and set off. I took a fairly flat route and when I hit the 5 mile marker I turned around and headed home with refreshed legs. Suddenly I found myself going 19-20 mph again, a speed I hadn’t seen since the 65 mile mark, but I let it continue since the adrenaline was kicking in.

A tenth of a mile from home I saw it: 100 miles. I was grinning like a stupid kid at Christmas, as happy as the one who got the N64 [in that commercial]. I had finally made it to one of my more epic goals and with fairly no planning either. While it wasn’t the most exciting route ever, the mileage is what counts.

Total time in the saddle? 6 hours and 37 minutes…

Here are some other stats from my Polar CS200:
Execution Time: 6:38.55
Avg HR: 140
Max HR: 185
Calories: 5436
Distance 100.1
Avg Speed: 15.1
Max Speed: 41.7
Avg Cadence: 85
Max Cadence: 126
Ride Time: 6:37.44

Extras…
Start Weight: 214.5lbs
End Weight: 208.5lbs (yikes!!!!)
Water Intake: 5-6 liters
Gatorade Intake: 1-2 liters
Food: 2 powerbars, 4-5 Cliff ShotBlocks, 1 banana

My next goal for distance will be something over 100, but with a much better route. I definitely repeated some of the easier parts of my local courses several times and I can’t help but feel it contributed to my poor mental state in the late portion of the ride. One idea I have toyed with was to ride to High Point Monument (and perhaps back) which will be very interesting and certainly epic.