Tag Archives: Organized Rides

Octoginta 2010

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I finished the Octoginta 2010 this past Sunday. I hadn’t ridden more than ~40 miles at one time, and only four rides over 30 miles since the ’09 Triple Bypass – over a year ago. Look for yourself. What I’m trying to say is I’ve been a right slacker when it comes to cycling. So it was with some trepidation that I attempted the 80+ mile Octoginta.

I needn’t have worried. My flat-inducing friend (who didn’t induce a flat) and I did just fine.

Here are my thoughts on the ride, in order of least favorite to most. I find it’s always a good idea to start with the bad news and end on a good note, so here ’tis.

The Ugly

Some of the worst group ride cyclist behavior in traffic I can remember witnessing. I hate to foster stereotypes, but the vast majority of cycling miscreancy was committed by our friends in full racing kit. Last week, Eric over at KCBike.info, himself via Ride Lawrence, let us in on the fact that a new Lawrence Bike Rideability Map [PDF] was released. I wish the scofflaws on the ride Sunday would have taken to heart the advice on the 2nd page of that flyer… primarily the “ride predictably” and “don’t pass cars on the right” bits. I don’t blame the folk what put together the Octoginta for this, though. It’s not their fault. However, I would have liked to hear something about playing nice with each other and cars at the starting line. Not that it would have mattered, but still…

The Bad

Gravel/chip roads. Can’t say I love them. There was only one, and it only stretched a couple of miles, but with a perfectly serviceable paved road with very wide shoulders as an alternate route, I’m having a hard time fathoming the choice. Maybe it was the 21% grade hill on that little jaunt that brought out the gleeful sadist in the route planners. Or maybe it was the steep downhill right afterwards that couldn’t be enjoyed because it culminated in a sharp gravel turn, forcing us to ride our brakes the whole time. Either way, I’m pretty sure The Devil had something to do with it.

No end of ride dinner. The last time I rode an Octoginta in 2007 (wow… was it really that long ago?!), there was a fantastic minestrone soup at the end. They seem to have ditched that in favor of soup at lunch. I’m not complaining, mind you. The sammiches and soup really hit the spot at 52 miles in, but the utter lack of a finish line was rather anti-climatic.

The Good

Group Riding. It wouldn’t be fair to mention the horrible behavior of some cyclists without mentioning the very friendly and communal behavior of others. For the first 30 miles or so of the ride, and before it spread out too thin, my friend and I found ourselves (mostly through his efforts) part of one decent sized two column peleton or another. It’s amazing how much difference that makes in terms of effort and energy expenditure. It’s significantly reduced. Riding 30 solo miles takes a lot more energy than riding 30 group miles, when that group knows what it’s doing. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy being part of something like that.

Energy level. Though I wouldn’t rate my fitness, and resultant post-ride energy at the same level as the ’07 Octoginta, I was better than I expected. Especially having run a 5K Saturday morning. My legs were really feeling that run, but once I hit the pedals on Sunday, I forgot about the pain, and enjoyed the ride. Around mile 30, I was starting to feel the effort, but the well-placed SAG stops and our judicious use of them allowed for a strong second wind at mile 52 after lunch, and continuing through the rest of the ride. The group riding definitely helped with that.

Well placed SAG stops. As with the ’07 ride, the SAGs were well placed. More space between them along stretches requiring less effort, and less space along stretches with leg busting hills or nasty surfaces. No evidence of sadism here.

Breakfast. The breakfast of eggs, french toast, and plenty of fluids may not have been quite as noteworthy as ’07 (if there was coffee and OJ, I missed it), but it was still pretty fantastic. I wasn’t hungry, having stuffed my face with pasta that morning, which may have colored my perception, but it was still pretty nice.

Lunch. The lunch stop with ham or turkey sammiches, bananas, their signature soup, and water was spot on target at 52 miles in, at the Vinland Airport.

Route choice included some familiar roads, as well as some new ones. This year, they took us northwest initially, then back around south of Lawrence to Clinton Lake Dam, and then up north before pulling us back into downtown. I know many of the roads we were on, but there were a few that I hadn’t tried yet. When next I pull my Shawnee to Lawrence and Back rides, I’ll have more choices, and I’ll use them.

Surprise visit by my wife! Though there was no dinner after the ride, and though there was no official finish line with screaming friends and family welcoming you in after a long day of riding (the Triple Bypass certainly spoiled me there), my gorgeous wife surprised me by being there in the parking lot waiting for me. I wasn’t expecting her at all, and she was a beautiful site to behold after pushing myself hard those last 10 miles.

All the photos and more, with captions, are available here.

Another go at the Octoginta

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I’m giving the Octoginta another go on Sunday. It’ll be an 80 mile challenge.

Here’s why:

I’ve not ridden more than 40 miles in a single ride since the Triple Bypass last July. Pssst. Here’s a little secret about that ride… Even though that ride is 120 miles, it’s really only 60, because for the other 60, all you do is hold on for dear life while you, screaming like a school girl, pass cars at 45-50mph going downhill.

I’m about 15lbs fatter than I was then. Not merely heavier. No. It’s all fat. No muscle here. I have, for better or worse, reclaimed a liking for chicken patties and frozen pizza. Also, I’m married now, which apparently necessarily means I’m fat and happy. It’s amazing how suddenly the former arrived after the latter.

As I wasn’t very strong then, I can’t be very strong now. That means I’m pretty weak. Please see my previous post, 100 Whatnots, for details. As of this writing, I’m halfway through Week One.

I’ll take my camera with me on Sunday to document my suffering. Did I mention early registration starts at 7, and that it’s 45 minutes away?

Feel free to laugh at me in the comments. You will be judged on your originality, cleverness and sophistication.

Cider Mill Century 2008

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I finished the Cider Mill Century a few hours ago. It took me a little less than 6 and a half hours riding time, and about 8ish total time. I’m more or less guessing on that. I don’t have exact stats, b/c I left my Edge at home.

I also left my sunscreen.

I also left my registration bracelet in the car after I picked it up.

To say the least, it was an auspicious beginning.

It wasn’t that bad, though. A friend of mine had sunscreen I could use, so I could rest easy that I wouldn’t burn to a crispy critter while I was out. No one asked about my bracelet, though technically it’s required in order to be served at SAG stations. Also, not having the computer on me was, in a way, liberating. I didn’t know how fast I was going, or what my heart rate was, or what time it was, or how long I’d ridden, so I rode completely by feel. How comfortable am I at this speed? Is this cadence to my liking?

All in all, it was a great ride. It was also a ride of redemption for me. I didn’t finish last years Cider Mill Century. I didn’t finish for a couple of reasons… 1) it was crazy hot and windy, 2) I’d hardly ridden any miles at all that summer due to mechanical difficulties, and 3) I’d ridden a good distance the day before and, combined with the heat and wind, was too tired.

This year, I did finish. I finished in spite of brutal heat and humidity. The winds were mild, which was good in that we weren’t fighting them, but bad in that they offered little in the way of relief from the heat. I would have accepted a headwind if it meant I was cooled by it. I have no idea how many water bottles I went through, but it was at *least* one for each of the 9 SAGs… and I probably finished a few more while at the SAG stations.

I won’t go through a play by play on this one, b/c it basically amounts to pedal in the heat, rest at the SAG, pedal in the heat, rest at the SAG, repeat. I rode it with Recumbum (actually, he donned the guise of DirtBum today, on account of riding his MTB) and a friend of his (and, I think, mine as well) named Reed. We didn’t stay together the whole time, but for the most part, we kept pace with each other.

The volunteers for the ride were, as with all Johnson County Bike Club rides, stars. At the lunch SAG at 92 miles, they met us in the parking lot with cold water filled squirt guns and cold wet towels. I cannot describe how great that felt at the time. The rest of the SAG stops were well stocked, and staffed by enthusiastic and eager volunteers. I have nothing but warm fuzzies for all of them. It was crazy hot out there, and they bore it so that we could ride as safely and as comfortable as possible.

The only thing I would change is to hold the meal at the finish line. The food was fantastic, but while we were eating in the relative cool of the shelter, with the breeze coming off the lake, we knew we still had 6-8 miles left to go. We were all ready to be done, and if felt like a reward meal. It should have been a reward meal. They waited until mile 92 to feed us lunch, I really don’t understand why they didn’t just feed us lunch at the finish line, where we could have filled our bellies full, and waddled, satisfied and content, to our cars.

That is my only suggestion, though. Everything else was fantastic and I am redeemed.

Cider Mill Century this Weekend

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You know, I registered for this a while back, and completely forgot about it amidst the Triple Bypass hoopla.

So the Cider Mill Century is this weekend. Registration starts at 06:00 in the morning, and the ride begins at 07:00 at, appropriately enough, the Louisburg Cider Mill 3 miles west of US69 and K68.

I hope to see some friendly faces out there, as I’m going solo on this one.

Bypass Preparation Week Continued

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I’m sorry Kansas. I didn’t mean to make you cry. You’re beautiful in your own right… and no matter what anyone says, bigger is not always better in the hills department. Be happy with what you have, and others will be happy with you too.

We got to the ride start after stopping off at a coffee shop for some coffee and swag and hung out in the parking lot waiting for the rest of the pack to show up. One guy drove up in a silver Carerra with a bike rack on top. What a sight that was. He got out, an old wizened fellow with silver hair, stocky of build and yet with the definition of one used to long ride in a bike saddle. I have to admit, we did make a little fun of the fact that he drove a Porche to a bike ride, and with a bike rack, no less. As it turns out, however, he’s the Team Evergreen club president. Who’d've thunk it?

At 12:55 they called everyone together. There were about 30 of us, and they gave the typical “thank you for showing up, ride safe and obey the law” speech. The club president mentioned the growth of the Triple Bypass over the years, saying that it far outstripped what the original organizers had in mind, and that it was one of, if not the premier one day ride in the nation.

All I know is that it’ll be a defining challenge for myself and my brother.

After the short speech, we were on our way. All in all, it was, in a word, tough. It was a lot more effort than either myself or my brother anticipated, and we’re hoping it didn’t set us back too much the day before the Big Ride tomorrow. I think he’s more worried than I am. I’m used to riding day after day after day. Him? Not so much.

Not only was today more physically taxing, it was more mentally taxing. I think the reason, at least in part, is that we didn’t know when the climbs would end. They were steeper, and we didn’t know how long they’d go. Tomorrow, though we’ll be climbing hard for miles upon miles, we know going into it that we’ll be climbing for miles upon miles. We can steel ourselves before the first pedal stroke, thus saving us any mental anguish that comes from asking the question “When will it end?!” We didn’t have that today. Additionally, we rode considerably harder and faster today just to stay with the pack. Wise? Maybe not. But it’s what cyclists do.

We spoke with a couple of the other guys that are riding tomorrow, and they mirrored our sentiment that the climbs today were more difficult than, at least, the climb up to Juniper, the first peak we’ll arrive at tomorrow.

All the same, it was another gorgeous ride in Colorado.

A Ride in the Dark

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Friday night I participated in my first June Moon ride. It was fantastic. I met Noah (who has some great, as always, pics from the ride up on his site) and Chris at their apartment complex, from where we made our way down to the Wendy’s parking lot at K10 and Woodland.

There were 9 of us all told. I felt more than a little like a noob, there amongst the likes of CommuterDude, Noah and BadgerLand, all of whom have been commuting for far longer than I. But cyclists are, by and large, a very friendly bunch, and we all got on great. We hung out there for a while, showing off our bikes and drooling over other bikes. There were all manner of rides, from beater mountains, to beater roadies, to fully decked out commuters (yum!) and racing bikes. We took off at 21:00 sharp for parts unknown (at least to me). My trusty 705 recorded the ride, and you can see the results on motionbased.com.

It’s been a long time since I’ve ridden in the dark, and though my light hadn’t been charged in a few days, there was plenty of light from the rest of the (extremely) bright headlights the rest of the troop were sporting. The air was calm, the stars were out, and all in all, those 50 miles were some of the most a fantastic, relaxing, invigorating and encouraging I’ve ridden in a long time.

We had a close call near Cedar Niles and 87th, as a family of skunks scurried off the road into the underbrush as the peleton passed. There was some residual aroma, but it was their natural state… no one was sprayed, thank the Gods. At this point, the light was really failing, and the collective brightness of our lights was readily apparent. I can only imagine how we must have looked to motorists, nevermind anyone who happened to be on their porch as we passed. What a sight we must have been! From there it was full speed ahead as we descended down what, in the dark, felt like a never ending hill. It was fantastic, made all the more exciting by the fact that, at those speeds, our lights were barely enough to illuminate stopping distance.

In spite of our daring-do, we arrived without incident in De Soto, and took a brief break while we refueled. Noah continued to snap pictures, one of which was of a bug splat on C’Dude’s glasses… Frankly, I’m not surprised he got hit. The bugs were out in force. I probably swallowed half a dozen or so. Who needs gel pack when you have flying insects?

On the way back, it was more climbing than descending, which is where the encouraging part of the ride factors in. I got to talking with Badger about him riding the Triple Bypass in ’05. He had a few tips for me, which I took to heart. Given my performance on the relatively trivial hills on this ride, he was part of the group that voted in favor of my being ready in a few weeks. Whether they’re right or not, it’s bolstering to hear someone who’s ridden it think so, anyway.

Right around where we saw the skunks on the way out, we finally caught full sight of the barely waning gibbous, thereby making the ride a complete success. At that point, we lost Badger, and I picked up my pace a little bit. 35 miles into the ride, and my legs were feeling fantastic. At Woodland and Prairie Star Parkway, Al and I kept going straight to hit the Wendy’s parking lot from the backside, while the rest of the group took a right to hit it head on. Ours was a full sprint from Prairie Star all the way to Wendy’s, and it felt great!

More bike awe was had, and farewells were said, and Noah, Chris and myself made our way home. Parting ways near Monrovia, I saw a fox in the road on Neiman between 75th and 79th. He was probably dining on some fresh road kill before I startled him away from his meal…

“A cyclist!” he thought. “Well, what next? I have heard of strange doings in this land, but I have seldom heard of a cyclist riding about after midnight! There’s something mighty queer behind this.” He was right, but he never found out any more about it.

Just a few more minutes and I rounded out an even 50 miles as I rounded the corner before easing into my driveway. It was after 12:30 and I was fulfilled, but ready for bed.

I’m more determined than ever, now, to acquire for myself a commuter bike that I can trick out with fenders and bags and lights and all that jazz, and yet still maintain that nice roady feel.

See the posts by CommuterDude and Noah for other takes on the ride…

June Moon Madness

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Tonight I join the ranks of the June Full Moon Madness riders. We’re meeting up at Wendy’s on K10 at 21:00, where we’ll start our meandering out to DeSoto and back. All in all, from my house, it’ll total a bit over 51 miles, and should go until sometime around 12:30 or 01:00 Saturday morning. Starting at 8:00 to meet Noah on the way, that will make for many glorious relaxed after-dark hours in the saddle.

Lone Star Century 2008 Recap

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The LSC08 was, in every way, a resounding success, at least from my point of view. The SAG stops were fantastic, the route was phenomenal, and the weather could not have been better. I put away 108.8 miles in 06:39:00 rolling time, with a 16.4mph average and an average HR of 157. Not too shabby. Still, I came in dead last. More on that later.

My bud was a little late showing up at my house, so we got off to a bit of a late start. We showed up a the starting gate a little bit after most everyone else was already on their way. Quickly suiting up, checking tire pressure, applying sunscreen and we were off! For about 50 feet. My bud hit a rock and the air left his back tire with a vengeance. I’ve never known anyone to have flat tires like him. That was the third time a flat showed up near the beginning of the ride. Fortunately, two of them were before we even left, and the third was on the ’06 MS150 with plenty of SAG support.

Fixed the flat, and were (again) on our way!

Everything was going euphoric until I realized in De Soto that we’d taken a wrong turn. Rather than go straight on 115th, we took a right on S. Kill Creek Road, and went 3-4 miles out of our way before we realized we were on the wrong path. We turned around and, though we lost another half an hour, we made it safe and sound to the SAG, with a nice plastering of gnats. They were out in force. We topped off our water, had some fruit, and put up with a little good-natured ridicule on account of me having an expensive Garmin device, and still taking a wrong turn. Just because I have an expensive Garmin device, doesn’t mean I use it.

From there, it was more euphoric riding to the Vinland SAG. The weather was perfect, though there was a slight threat of rain from the southwest. The temperature was in the upper 60′s or lower 70′s here, and the wind barely a tickle. These were rural highways we were familiar with, having ridden them plenty before in our Olathe-to-Lawrence treks, so we felt right at home. At some point on 159th, we passed my recumbent riding friend. I was hoping to hook up with him before the ride, but showing up late nixed that possibility. Had we showed up in time, we probably wouldn’t have been tempted to visit De Soto. Oh well. It’s a nice little town, even if they’re not overly fond of cyclists there.

It was on 159th that I started really pulling ahead of my bud. My comfortable pace is higher than his, having ridden a lot more this year. In fact, this was his 3rd ride of the year. Pretty ambitious, going for a century the third time in the saddle.

The Vinland SAG, as with the Kill Creek Park SAG, was phenomenal. All the SAGs were staffed by enthusiastic and jovial volunteer staff, and had more than enough in the way of food. There was the standard PB&J and Fig Newtons, as well as cookies, lots of fruit, and health bars. Ice water and fruit again here for us, and just a brief rest before we were off on our way again. We didn’t want to stop for long, or go too slow in the hopes of catching up with some of the riders ahead of us.

Heh. As if.

From Vinland, it was more rural highways, and one major leg buster of a hill until we got to the Worden SAG at 1039 and US 56. I got there a few minutes before my bud, and was greeted by hoots and shouting by the most enthusiastic and attractive volunteer staff manning the Tiki Bar SAG. There was the excellent fare already discussed, plus beads and decorations. If only it was a Tiki Bar. A hurricane really sounded great at the time.

8.5 miles of some of the most gorgeous rural scenery I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing, and we were at the Lone Star Lake lunch SAG. I had time to have most of a most delicious, tasty burger before my bud showed up. I’m not sure what they did, but those burgers were some of the tastiest burgers I’ve ever had. My disappointment at not having any cheese was quickly allayed by how great they were without it… and I never eat burgers without cheese. I just don’t do it. It feels wrong, somehow. Not so with those burgers. Utterly fantastic. The dogs weren’t bad either.

We didn’t dally about, though. We had riders to catch up to (heh, as if), so a quick restroom break and we were once again, on our way.

This time, the next SAG was hidden behind the hill leading up to the south side of the Clinton Lake Dam. What a hill that is. The last time I tried it, I very nearly got off and walked. I saved up my energy, paced myself, and hit the hill with the determination of Leonidas. And I got over it with ease. It was a little disappointing, actually, how easy it was. My saddle time, plus the additional low end gears made the epic hill a molehill. It was nothing, and I had energy left to scream across the dam at a speed in the low to mid 20′s. I made it around and stopped at the SAG there waiting for my bud. Turns out he decided to skip the SAG and ride on. I caught up with him on N 1200, and we rode on for a while.

I pulled ahead again, and made it to the Vinland SAG starting to feel the burn a bit. I rested for a while, disappointed that they were out of Gatorade, but enjoying my conversation with the SAG wrench, and was going to head on when my bud showed up. While waiting for him to take a breather, one of the volunteer staff, mistaking me for a volunteer, told me that my wait at the SAG was almost done, as the only rider left was a mile and a half behind. It was then that I gave up all hope of catching up with any other riders.

We made our way again, and I stayed with my bud for longer this time. He was feeling it, and was only able to pull about 12-14mph steady. He told me to go on ahead and ride my pace, and not to worry about him, so after a few more revolutions, I went on ahead.

My speed at this point was probably in the upper teens, but when I rounded the corner at 159th and Edgerton, I picked up a bit of a second wind and started pulling upper teens to upper 20′s. Of course, I was encouraged by the fact that I *really* had to use the restroom, and was gunning hard for the private stop at the convenience store I’d found on my Absentee Spring Classic 2008 ride. It was a choice between that store and the final SAG. It was no choice at all. I parked my bike out back out of sight a bit, took care of things straight and proper like. I picked up some Gatorade while I was there.

At that point, it was, to my mind, the final stretch. I had just over 10 miles to go, and even at 98 miles, 10 miles is just a daily commute! Put into that perspective, I pushed on, legs feeling it, but cooperating. It’s strange, the turn at S Gardner Road off 199th really put the fire in me. I was heading straight back into Gardner and the finish line, and I found new legs with that knowledge. My average speed was higher in those last few miles than it was earlier on 159th heading into the Vinland SAG for the first time, 60 miles previous. Maybe it was the Gatorade. Maybe it was the knowledge that I was almost there. Maybe it was both and more besides. It doesn’t matter. I found new strength and pushed it hard all the way into the New Century Airpark. I knew I was one of the last, so the almost constant presense of the support vehicles wasn’t a surprise. what I didn’t know is that all the riders behind me had accepted or asked for rides in. I rolled into the parking lot at around 4:00pm …

… where my bud’s car was gone. I know he didn’t beat me there, so I reasoned he took a SAG ride in. I got hold of him on the phone, and that’s what happened. Around mile 94 (factoring in our detour), his knee started acting up again, and with 14 miles left to go, he took the ride in. Who can complain about 94 miles on the third ride of the season? That’s phenomenal!

As for me, it turns out I was the very last rider to make it in. Between the late start, the flat tire, the detour and waiting for my bud, there was just no way to catch up with the main pack. Neither of us wanted to be last, but such is the way of things sometimes. I’m not at all unhappy with my pace, or my energy level throughout the ride. My equipment worked nearly flawlessly, with only a little sloppiness in the RD shifting to marr otherwise perfect performance.

The route was revamped from last year. Last year we started at the Oregon Trail St. Park in Olathe, and it was more or less an out and back by way of Vinland and Clinton Lake with the turnaround at Lone Star Lake. Due to construction, we started this year at the New Century Airpark in Gardner, and repeated only that stretch of road between 159th and Edgerton and Vinland. Everything else was, as the map shows, one big figure 8 loop. I think I can speak for most people when I say that loops are preferable to out-and-backs when it comes to long recreational rides like this.

In summary, it was a great ride, full of fun, vigor and pleasant surprises about my own endurance level. I’m taking a forced rest day today, but am eager to be back in the saddle tomorrow!

Tour de Ronde, Portland, OR

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My brother in the Tour de Ronde

My brother rode the Tour de Ronde yesterday. That’s him on the left in the bright yellow. I love that photo. There’s him, probably in the middle of singing the Star Spangled Banner (he really did break out into song, as he says in his write up), and there’s one of the guys that probably told him to shut up, walking his bike up the hill that my brother is taking with apparent ease.

Here you have it in his own words:

Wonderful ride up and around and through all the hills, maybe 150, definitely over 100 people showed up. Worked out to 7550 ft of climbing over 58 miles (about 5 downhill back to the car). There was a good climb up Brynwood Lane at about 28 degrees and another couple up college at around 25 degrees, I couldn’t help but break out in song. Beautiful morning with some mist and fog, the last 1 and ½ hours of freezing rain kind of sucked, but with only 10 miles and 3000 feet to go, who could turn back? Highly recommend it for next year. Very well marked and anyone interested in doing the ride throughout the summer should give it a shot as the signs from last year held up on the concrete somewhat and we saw them throughout the ride today. So I’m sure that this years markings will be bright for a while.

More here at bikeportland.org.

His motionbased.com upload is available as well. The ride is basically a loop through Portland, OR proper, and having driven some of those streets myself, I can definitely say this would be a challenging ride. Some very steep hills there, both going up and going down. The brother wanted me to join him, but I just couldn’t swing the cash to make it. Congratulations to him for completing it, though! That wasn’t an easy ride.