As someone who plans far in advance, nothing is more frustrating than when a well-conceived plan goes awry. I've been sick all week, so I've taken time off the bike to focus the energy I have on coaching my tennis team. We had a great victory Thursday, which after 3 hours came down to the final set on court, a tiebreaker that went to 10-8 before our guy could close it out. Exciting as that was, it was tough to miss a week of training.
Today, I was scheduled to do the Solvang Century, a 100-mile event with 5,000ft of elevation gain. I did manage to get out with my girlfriend Johanna for a nice little ride of 26 miles with 3,200ft of elevation gain. We drove to Ojai and parked at the base of the section of Hwy 33 that heads north into the Los Padres National Forest. This is one of my favorite climbs, as it never gets too steep, features quite a few switchbacks, and has some excellent views of the ground covered and on into the ocean even as far as the Channel Islands. It's also a favorite of motorcyclists. In fact, shortly after starting the ride we were passed by all manner of emergency vehicle and finally came upon a fallen motorcyclist. He looked to be okay, definitely breathing, but they were putting him into a neckbrace. None of that for us!
In the past, Johanna has never tackled a climb more than a mile in length, so today was a big milestone for her. Not only did she make it up the climb, she did it pretty easily. Before long, I'm going to have a training partner in her, as well as a recovery or fun-ride mate. I'm excited about that!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The Background
In order to know where I stand and where I'm headed, I'm taking this opportunity to sum up my history with the sport of cycling.
Age 2: Learned to ride tricycle, promptly fell off and cut chin open.
Age 6: Started riding bikes with the neighborhood kids.
Age 11: Watched Tour de France for the first time (half-hour recaps on ESPN, with Bjarne Riis winning and Jan Ullrich, his teammate at Telecom finishing second). Began riding the 4-mile route to school once a week.
Age 12: Topped 40mph for the first time while riding down the only steep hill in my neighborhood. Also experienced high-speed wobble for the first time. Broken elbow and wrist, road rash everywhere. Stopped riding to school.
Age 14: Got my first road bike; it was a bright yellow, bottom of the line Giant. Several months later, had said Giant road bike stolen out of garage.
Age 19: Decided to buy a bike (red Specialized Allez Elite) to help my roommate Reuben train for Habitat for Humanity's Habitat Bicycle Challenge. His trip: 4,000 miles over 60 days, from New Haven to San Francisco in the summer of 2007. Our training: one month of rides 10-20 miles in length.
Age 20: While I had been the stronger rider during our brief training sessions, when Reuben came back, he came back STRONG! I could not comprehend that he had ridden more than 100 miles in a single day, and he'd done it multiple times. Though I'd been a regular follower of cycling for three weeks of July for the last ten years, this was the moment I decided to become a cyclist.
Since that time:
2007: LA River Ride Century (DNF @ 20 miles after snapping crank off...learned I have some high-end power), Tour of Borrego Springs Century (DNF @ 72 miles due to a full day of 20mph headwinds), Tour de Foothills Metric Century (Finished the 62-mile course, but only just, and experienced first cramps while cycling).
2008: Tour of Palm Springs Century (Finished in 7:15, exhausted and sunburnt), San Diego Century (DNF @ 65 miles, having not properly prepared), Inland Express Century (Finished in 7 hours flat), Tour of Borrego Springs Century (Finished in 7:15 and, along with the 190 other brave souls who came back, got revenge on the desert wind in what was to be the last year of this event).
2009: Tour of Palm Springs Century (Finished in 6:40, feeling nowhere near as tired as the previous year), Breathless Agony (Reached the top in 8:48 after experiencing simultaneous cramping in quads and hamstrings beginning on Damnation Alley...OUCH!!!), Road the entire 70-mile Santa Ana River Trail from Redlands to Huntington Beach and back in a single day, Pedaled 350 of the 450 miles coastal miles from San Francisco to Malibu in five days on a family-supported trip.
2010: Tour of Palm Springs Century (Finished in 5:35 and just in time for a USTA Men's League tennis match, but was given a default when my opponent didn't show)
In summary, while I rode bikes in my youth like most kids, my experience with the world of endurance cycling has only just begun. I hope that I can inspire, encourage, or otherwise affect those that stumble onto this blog by sharing my experiences with this uniquely challenging sport.
Age 2: Learned to ride tricycle, promptly fell off and cut chin open.
Age 6: Started riding bikes with the neighborhood kids.
Age 11: Watched Tour de France for the first time (half-hour recaps on ESPN, with Bjarne Riis winning and Jan Ullrich, his teammate at Telecom finishing second). Began riding the 4-mile route to school once a week.
Age 12: Topped 40mph for the first time while riding down the only steep hill in my neighborhood. Also experienced high-speed wobble for the first time. Broken elbow and wrist, road rash everywhere. Stopped riding to school.
Age 14: Got my first road bike; it was a bright yellow, bottom of the line Giant. Several months later, had said Giant road bike stolen out of garage.
Age 19: Decided to buy a bike (red Specialized Allez Elite) to help my roommate Reuben train for Habitat for Humanity's Habitat Bicycle Challenge. His trip: 4,000 miles over 60 days, from New Haven to San Francisco in the summer of 2007. Our training: one month of rides 10-20 miles in length.
Age 20: While I had been the stronger rider during our brief training sessions, when Reuben came back, he came back STRONG! I could not comprehend that he had ridden more than 100 miles in a single day, and he'd done it multiple times. Though I'd been a regular follower of cycling for three weeks of July for the last ten years, this was the moment I decided to become a cyclist.
Since that time:
2007: LA River Ride Century (DNF @ 20 miles after snapping crank off...learned I have some high-end power), Tour of Borrego Springs Century (DNF @ 72 miles due to a full day of 20mph headwinds), Tour de Foothills Metric Century (Finished the 62-mile course, but only just, and experienced first cramps while cycling).
2008: Tour of Palm Springs Century (Finished in 7:15, exhausted and sunburnt), San Diego Century (DNF @ 65 miles, having not properly prepared), Inland Express Century (Finished in 7 hours flat), Tour of Borrego Springs Century (Finished in 7:15 and, along with the 190 other brave souls who came back, got revenge on the desert wind in what was to be the last year of this event).
2009: Tour of Palm Springs Century (Finished in 6:40, feeling nowhere near as tired as the previous year), Breathless Agony (Reached the top in 8:48 after experiencing simultaneous cramping in quads and hamstrings beginning on Damnation Alley...OUCH!!!), Road the entire 70-mile Santa Ana River Trail from Redlands to Huntington Beach and back in a single day, Pedaled 350 of the 450 miles coastal miles from San Francisco to Malibu in five days on a family-supported trip.
2010: Tour of Palm Springs Century (Finished in 5:35 and just in time for a USTA Men's League tennis match, but was given a default when my opponent didn't show)
In summary, while I rode bikes in my youth like most kids, my experience with the world of endurance cycling has only just begun. I hope that I can inspire, encourage, or otherwise affect those that stumble onto this blog by sharing my experiences with this uniquely challenging sport.
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