Temps were perfect for an afternoon ride today. After finishing up some other chores such as re-grouting one of the floor tiles and putting up new screen on the sliding screen door, I put on some lightweight biking apparel (is that code?) and hit the road. I traveled around the southern part of Crystal Lake (the lake itself, not the town) and then hit the country roads west of town. There are a bunch of rolling hills on some of the roads (Bard, Ballard, and Haligus Roads) and it was a good workout! I got up to 27.01 mph on one of the downhills, but I wasn't pedaling super fast... just enjoying the ride and preparing for the uphill climb on the other side!
I saw lots of fall leaves - some on trees, and some on the ground. I also had a mishap with a large ledge of blacktop pavement and my big toe on my left foot. I'm thinking that I need some closed-toe sandals for next year so I don't break a toe as I almost did today! I love my Teva sandals and they're very light and comfy for biking, but I think I'll invest in a pair of Teva sandals with toe protection since my toe still hurts!
Total distance: 16.38 miles, ride time: 01:16:35, avg speed: 12.84 mph
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Back in the saddle ...
After the Bears blew another one, I decided I'd better get on the bike and ride. There aren't a lot of great riding weekends left before its cold/wet/snowy. Today I rode to the lake, past the Dole mansion and around to the north side of the lake past some houses with nice frontage on the lake. Nothing too exciting, but it was a workout.
As for the Udder Century... I won't be able to make it. After Hurricane Ike wiped out our trip to Houston to see the Cubs, we were forced to reschedule our trip within 7 days in order to save the tickets w/o penalty. We randomly picked a weekend in June to go back to Houston (we couldn't change the destination) since we wouldn't know when the Cubs would be in Houston in 2009. Usually, the next year's schedule is announced during or after the World Series. Well, this year they announced it early.... about 6 hours AFTER we booked our travel to Houston! Bad Luck? Not quite... more like GREAT luck! I randomly picked a time that matched up with when the Cubs would make one of their 2 or 3 trips to Houston in 2009. What are the odds of that?? So the problem is, I leave before the Udder Century and won't be back in time to ride. I picked a great time to be in Houston (Cubs are there) but I picked a crappy time to go (Udder Century weekend). So... I'm 1-for-2, that's a .500 batting average and hall-of-fame material if this were baseball. :)
I'll look for another century next spring to consider preparing for this winter...
Total distance: 7.45 mi, ride time: 40 min, avg speed: 11.14 mph
As for the Udder Century... I won't be able to make it. After Hurricane Ike wiped out our trip to Houston to see the Cubs, we were forced to reschedule our trip within 7 days in order to save the tickets w/o penalty. We randomly picked a weekend in June to go back to Houston (we couldn't change the destination) since we wouldn't know when the Cubs would be in Houston in 2009. Usually, the next year's schedule is announced during or after the World Series. Well, this year they announced it early.... about 6 hours AFTER we booked our travel to Houston! Bad Luck? Not quite... more like GREAT luck! I randomly picked a time that matched up with when the Cubs would make one of their 2 or 3 trips to Houston in 2009. What are the odds of that?? So the problem is, I leave before the Udder Century and won't be back in time to ride. I picked a great time to be in Houston (Cubs are there) but I picked a crappy time to go (Udder Century weekend). So... I'm 1-for-2, that's a .500 batting average and hall-of-fame material if this were baseball. :)
I'll look for another century next spring to consider preparing for this winter...
Total distance: 7.45 mi, ride time: 40 min, avg speed: 11.14 mph
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Udder Century Planning
Now that the summer seems to be coming to an end (rather quickly), its time to start thinking about 2009 rides. One that I'd like to take part in is the 2009 Udder Centry, sponsored by the McHenry County Bicycle Club. Will I have enough ride time in the spring to be in shape for a 100 mile ride by June 7th? That remains to be seen!
I haven't ridden the bike since last Sunday's Harmon Hundred. In fact, yesterday I managed to tweak my back just carrying groceries into the house from the garage. I won't be riding for a day or two due to the weather -- its raining cats and dogs, so the back injury won't have any impact on my riding schedule. Hopefully I can get some more ride time in this fall before the bike gets hung up for the winter. Its only mid-Sept, so there should still be lots of good days to ride left this fall.
I haven't ridden the bike since last Sunday's Harmon Hundred. In fact, yesterday I managed to tweak my back just carrying groceries into the house from the garage. I won't be riding for a day or two due to the weather -- its raining cats and dogs, so the back injury won't have any impact on my riding schedule. Hopefully I can get some more ride time in this fall before the bike gets hung up for the winter. Its only mid-Sept, so there should still be lots of good days to ride left this fall.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Harmon Hundred Day
I got up a little before 6am today and got ready to hit the road for the 2008 Harmon Hundred. I arrived in Wilmot about 7:10am and the high school parking lot was nearly full of cars with bike racks. It seems that many of those heading out for the longer distances (50, 75, 100 miles) wanted to hit the road early. For a 25 mile leg of the ride, getting on the road at 6am was certainly not necessary.
I met John and Katie at the registration desk and after picking up the cue sheets (for both the 25 and the 50 mile routes) we hit the road a little after 8am. Heading south out of Wilmot on the Fox River Rd, we went on some small hills up and down until we turned west just south of the former location of Gander Mountain (retailer). From there, it was unfamiliar territory. The terrain was mostly flat for the first 10 miles, then it was mildly hilly as we went through the small towns of Nippersink and Twin Lakes. The road through Nippersink was freshly paved and very smooth. Overall, the road was good except around mile 15.5 where a large downhill brought us straight into some choppy torn-up pavement that was a bit jolting on the Trek. I didn't see anyone wipe-out, but it was by far the most uncomfortable part of the ride.
Around mile 16 we came upon the one and only rest stop for the 25 mile route. It was well stocked with drinks and some food. As soon as we pulled in there, I ran into a buddy of mine from MCWA, John Dewey. It was nice to see John again and John quickly noticed that the tires on Katie's bike were nearly flat. We got those pumped up to about 90psi (the gauge on that frame pump is apparently not too reliable) and for the rest of the ride, Katie was going faster with less effort. Its amazing what the proper tire inflation will do for your bike!
On the last 10 miles of the ride, there were only two hills worth mentioning. The first one was a good pedal up, but nothing too terrible. Near mile 20 we hit a monster hill. It kept going up and up, and for the first time I thought i needed to shift down into my smallest chain ring up front... but couldn't! Clickity-clack, clickity-clak, but it just wouldn't shift. So i ended up pedaling a lot harder than I should have on that last big hill. However, I was able to take a short break and have a drink while I waited for John and Katie to power their way up the hill a little ways behind me. Once we tackled that, the roads were mostly level or only slightly hilly for the remainder of the ride.
Katie took pictures with her camera and promised to share, so I'll post some pictures from before and after the ride here later. What's next? We talked about trying to do a 50 miler next. Not sure what else will be available this year as the riding season seems to be drawing to a close here in the next month or so.
Katie - Thanks for sending the pictures!
Total distance: 25.79 miles, Ride time: 2:10:48, avg: 11.83, max: 30.07 mph
I met John and Katie at the registration desk and after picking up the cue sheets (for both the 25 and the 50 mile routes) we hit the road a little after 8am. Heading south out of Wilmot on the Fox River Rd, we went on some small hills up and down until we turned west just south of the former location of Gander Mountain (retailer). From there, it was unfamiliar territory. The terrain was mostly flat for the first 10 miles, then it was mildly hilly as we went through the small towns of Nippersink and Twin Lakes. The road through Nippersink was freshly paved and very smooth. Overall, the road was good except around mile 15.5 where a large downhill brought us straight into some choppy torn-up pavement that was a bit jolting on the Trek. I didn't see anyone wipe-out, but it was by far the most uncomfortable part of the ride.
Around mile 16 we came upon the one and only rest stop for the 25 mile route. It was well stocked with drinks and some food. As soon as we pulled in there, I ran into a buddy of mine from MCWA, John Dewey. It was nice to see John again and John quickly noticed that the tires on Katie's bike were nearly flat. We got those pumped up to about 90psi (the gauge on that frame pump is apparently not too reliable) and for the rest of the ride, Katie was going faster with less effort. Its amazing what the proper tire inflation will do for your bike!
On the last 10 miles of the ride, there were only two hills worth mentioning. The first one was a good pedal up, but nothing too terrible. Near mile 20 we hit a monster hill. It kept going up and up, and for the first time I thought i needed to shift down into my smallest chain ring up front... but couldn't! Clickity-clack, clickity-clak, but it just wouldn't shift. So i ended up pedaling a lot harder than I should have on that last big hill. However, I was able to take a short break and have a drink while I waited for John and Katie to power their way up the hill a little ways behind me. Once we tackled that, the roads were mostly level or only slightly hilly for the remainder of the ride.
Katie took pictures with her camera and promised to share, so I'll post some pictures from before and after the ride here later. What's next? We talked about trying to do a 50 miler next. Not sure what else will be available this year as the riding season seems to be drawing to a close here in the next month or so.
Katie - Thanks for sending the pictures!
Total distance: 25.79 miles, Ride time: 2:10:48, avg: 11.83, max: 30.07 mph
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Final Tune-Up Ride
I topped off the air in the tires of the Trek tonight and took the bike on a short 2 mile ride to make sure everything was working properly for tomorrow morning's ride. Registration begins in almost exactly 11 hours, but I don't plan to arrive until maybe 7:30 or a little earlier.
Total distance: 2.03 miles, ride time: 9 min 38 seconds, avg time: 12.64 mph
Total distance: 2.03 miles, ride time: 9 min 38 seconds, avg time: 12.64 mph
T-Minus 1 day
This is it. Sign-in for the Harmon Hundred ride begins in less than 22 hours. If you've been following the blog, I've managed ZERO training rides this week. Today I'll have to do something, if nothing else than pumping up the tires and making sure everything is ready to go for tomorrow morning. I'll be meeting John and Katie sometime after 7:30am up in Wilmot... but I'm not exactly sure where.
I haven't put any thought into what I should eat before the race. In fact, this morning I realized that I'm all out of carrot juice. I've really taken a liking to this sweet-tasting orange-colored juice. Costco sells it in three-packs for pretty cheap, and it tastes as good as a carrot straight out of a juicer. So let's assume I'll pick up some more carrot juice today. What should I eat to have a "full tank" of energy for the ride? I'll have to think about it... I'm not sure a couple of chocolate donuts are the solution. :)
I'll try to get a few miles on the bike today, but nothing serious. Tomorrow is the big day!
I haven't put any thought into what I should eat before the race. In fact, this morning I realized that I'm all out of carrot juice. I've really taken a liking to this sweet-tasting orange-colored juice. Costco sells it in three-packs for pretty cheap, and it tastes as good as a carrot straight out of a juicer. So let's assume I'll pick up some more carrot juice today. What should I eat to have a "full tank" of energy for the ride? I'll have to think about it... I'm not sure a couple of chocolate donuts are the solution. :)
I'll try to get a few miles on the bike today, but nothing serious. Tomorrow is the big day!
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