2 weeks to go

I did 2 70 mile rides back to back. The first was actually 110k in about 4:05. Today I did 115 k and it took me over 5 hours. What a difference a day makes. It was WINDY, got pretty hot (80+) and I looked for hills. I actually wanted to ride up to Woodland park, but it was so windy in Ute Pass and there was so much traffic that I it was dangerous. So, I turned around. More detail in another post.

T-3 weeks

Less than 3 weeks until we will be riding. I sure hope today's wind isn't replicated on any of the north to south stages. It will be quite ugly if it is. 15 mph currently, with gusts up to 25. Predicted to get stronger before it gets better. So, I think today is a good day to take off.

I did two long rides back to back on Friday and Saturday. Both were 110 k (68.4 mi). on Friday, I headed up to Woodland Park and the Rampart Range road. I made it close to the top, but not quite. Coming down the hill the wind was VERY strong in my face. It was a bit spooky on the steep downhills, but I made it fine. I did bonk pretty bad. I knew I should have stopped for some food and more liquid, but decided to push my limits a bit. Mistake! But, after some nourishment, and a bit of time, I was fine.

On Saturday I just did a ride south and east of my house. It was very windy. But, I figured no pain, no gain and I did the ride. It also got quite warm, and I am not good in the heat, especially the first couple of times I exercise in it. I did stop this time and got some fuel (peanut M&Ms) and refilled my bottles with Gatorade G2. I felt way better when I finished.

I debated about riding on Sunday, but had some time free so off I went. I'm glad I did. I did 52.5 k (32.6 mi) with one long hill. I actually felt pretty good. My legs were fine, and my butt was acceptable. It was breezy, but the direction was perfect so I got pushed all the home which made for a fast ride.

So, for 3 days, 274 k (170 mi) and for week, 410 k (255 mi). So, all I have to do is double that distance roughly to do RtR. Piece of cake. I'm counting on drafting Luke a lot!

Rain, snow, + flat tire = bad day

I needed to do some climbing so I drove out to 31st and Colorado and headed up the hill towards Woodland park. At the McDonalds, I turned right and headed up Rampart Range Road. I finally had to quit when I ran out of oxygen. I should point out that it was raining with mixed corn snow, and I was getting cold. Plus, I had gone 30k+ and that was as far as I wanted to go today. So, I turned around after putting on arm warmers and zipping up.  I think I did about 2800 feet of mostly uphill in the 39k.

You can see the route here, although I am not sure I have the end location right. I'm pretty sure I have it too far up the road. But, it is close.

http://www.mapmyride.com/view_route?r=956127431197040011

I was pretty careful for the first bit, given the streets were wet. After I got to Woodland Park, it dried up a bit and was fine, albeit a bit cold, until I got to Cascade. Then it started to rain again. So, I am headed down Ute Pass doing 30-40 mph in a cold rain. I was darn careful through the corners. I made it to the Manitou exit was beginning to look forward to finishing in 10 minutes or so. Alas, the cycling gods were not on my side--my rear tire went flat. I was pretty annoyed, and a bit relieved at the same time. I was glad it hadn't happened a mile earlier when I was doing 35 on the highway with not much shoulder. However, it was still raining, and my hands were freezing so I wasn't looking forward to changing the tire. 

But, I had little choice. So, I got out the tools, took the tire off, found the problem (what looked like an office staple had gone through the tire), put in the spare tube, put the tire back on, and started pumping. Once again, the gods were not on my side--the tube did not hold air! I always have 2 tubes with me, except today. My options at this point are call Caroline or walk. I tried Caroline, but got no answer on her phone. Walking was not all that pleasant--it was a couple of miles and the sidewalks aren't all that great. Then I remembered our good friends Jon and Jeannie lived not too far and I called them. For the first time during the ride, something went right--Jon answered and said he leave to get me. I went into Tubby's turn around and got a cup of coffee. About the time I finished it, Jon showed up and took me to my car.

So, I got in a pretty good ride and was lucky to not have that flat in a much more dangerous spot.

Training. part 436.

Trying to ride 250 miles per week is a lot harder than I thought it would be. That much riding takes up a lot of time. And my legs are sore all the time. I feel good about my fitness level. I went back out to Skyline Drive for another day of climbing. I got out there late after playing at church so the ride was only 102 km and probably about 6,400 ft of climbing (I forgot my alitmeter). Here's one of my favorite views on skyline drive, the tunnel of trees right after the visitor's center. I like it because it's downhill from that point on.

This week I'm still going to try to ride 200 miles but I also have to get a few runs in at some point. I've got a 24 hr adventure race (Odyssey's Wild and Wonderful 24hr) in a week-and-a-half and need to refresh my legs on what's like to run. I'm hoping that I won't have problems with the altitude in Colorado, but I plan to aggressively hydrate and keep my body from over heating. I just need a sherpa to carry some oxygen around for me.

Day 3 preview post coming later this week.

Less than 4 weeks

Four weeks from today we will be somewhere between Grand Junction and Delta on a tough day of climbing.

I (chuck) had a good week of training last week. 360k or 224 miles, including a 130k (81mi) ride yesterday (Sunday). That felt good and I'm not overly tired or sore this morning. We'll see how the body reacts later today when I ride.

Also last week, I rode from the west side of Colorado Springs up to Woodland. That is about 10 miles of mostly uphill and over 2,000 feet of climbing. That was my first ever extended climb like that. Some of the grade is advertised at 7%. I did fine. The steep parts were hard, but I got up them. I'm planning on doing that ride again this week.

So, all in all, the preparation is going OK. Three more weeks of training before tapering a bit.

Day 2 Preview: Grand Junction - Delta

Day two of Ride the Rockies 20210 is arguably going to be the hardest day. We will begin the day in Grand Junction and make our way up and over the Grand Mesa and finish in the small town of Delta covering 90 miles and approximately 6,500 feet of climbing. Here's a view of some of the switchbacks (click for larger):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wilsonmw04/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

The Grand Mesa, according to wikipedia, is the largest mesa in the world with an area of 500 square miles. The day starts arid, high desert of Grand Junction and will probably be hot. Climbing up to almost 11,000 feet it could get quite cold on top of Grand Mesa. There is very little in the way of services on the route and we'll need to carry a lot of water. This is another part of Colorado I have never had the opportunity to travel through so I'm excited to experience it on my bike. I'm nervous about the length and the possibilities for altitude sickness, but I plan to take lots of water and stop when necessary. No SAG wagon for me. The route is supposed to be incredibly scenic, winding through narrow canyons and under sheer cliffs with views of Utah and Colorado from the top of the mesa.

The climb is going to be long and relentless. Almost 20 miles of 4% grade and up with close to 10 miles of 6% plus. The only good thing about all that climbing, besides the amazing views, is that the downhill is going to be awesome (better change my brake pads out before I pack my bike up). Have a look at the elevation profile (click for a larger, readable version):

To see the actual route we will be riding, take a look at the approximate route for day two on MapMyRide.com. From there you can also get a KML for Google Earth and watch a fly by (using Google Earth)

Saturday and Sunday in Shenandoah

After reading a lot about the ride up and over Grand Mesa on Day 2 (route preview coming soon) I began to get scared about my hill legs and my ability to climb at altitude. So I decided to load up the car and head out west to the mountains of Viriginia. Saturday I rode 122.7 km (76.2 mi) on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park and climbed 2,195 m (7,201 ft). It took me 5:17 and by the end I was really wishing that I had brought some music to listen to. It was one of the first really hot days of the year and I was sweating like it was August. At about mile 40, after a nasty 4 mile climb back up to Skyline from Luray, I started to cramp. Thankfully, the store at Elk Wallow was open so I bought a couple Gatordaes and found some shade and recovered enough to finish. Here's a photo on the way back down:



After riding, my plan was to camp at Elizabeth Furnace but when I got there it was all full so I had to drive an extra 30 minutes or so to Little Fort. I got there at dusk with enough time to get the grill started, my tent pitched, a fire started, and a cold beer in my hand before dark. It would have been a wonderful evening if it wasn't for the drizzle at 4am. The drizzle itself wouldn't have been a problem if I had remembered my rain fly. Sunday I got up and rode my mountain bike from the Bear Wallow parking out to Mudhole Gap and up Signal Knob. I rode about 3:15 but my computer was on the fritz (every time I went through a creek the magnet would get spun around) so I'm not sure the total distance. I get about 3,000 ft of climbing in though.

Saturday, part 2.

Over 100k, which took me a bit over 4 hours, you can easily get bored on a bike. I fight that boredom by listening to podcasts. Yesterday, I listened to three different ones. The first was from Big Ideas, the "only regularly scheduled program in North America devoted to the art of the lecture." This episode was an English professor talking about TS Eliot's The Wasteland. It was interesting enough that this physicist might have to find a copy of it and read it.

Then I listened to The Kindling's Muse where Dick Staub and Earl Palmer talked about CS Lewis' book Letters to Malcolm Chiefly on Prayer. Interesting book, which once again I am going to have to read.

Then I listened to Science Friday, an NPR program hosted by Ira Flatow. The one I listened to he was interviewing EO Wilson discussing his book of fiction The Anthill. Once again, another book I am going to have to read.

It is curious that all three authors discussed go by 2 initials and their last name. What's that all about?

That got me through the first 3 hours. The rest was listening to my bicycle play list. Music to pedal to.

Saturday

I wasn't as ambitious as Luke was, but I did get in 100k on a cool, blustery day in COS. I felt pretty good at the end, except for my butt. 284 k for the week, up 10% from last week. Feel pretty good this morning. More later.

Chuck