Cycling At All Costs

Let's Roll

Team R2R Sucks It Up (and in)

We all understand that there is a cost associated with our chosen sport, be it road or trail. First there is the bike of course, like any machine it keeps on taking money to upgrade and operate. The cost is not outrageous and minimal if you consider most other vehicles, be it boat, car or some other mechanized piece of equipment – like my John Deere L111.

Then there is the cost of accessories – clothing, protective wear, computers, etc. On that note, here is a great product for stowing gear.

The cost of fuel and supplements is low considering for the most part it is water. Sure you could argue the value of Cliff Shots versus gasoline but you can differ some of that cost toward sustenance.

Yes there is the cost of time and abuse. Take for instance the poor woman who suffered the double whammy at Cheers & Gears when she fell three miles short of the end, cracked her collar bone only to discover she had locked her keys in her SUV and had to wait two hours for AAA. There is also of course the health benefits involved – perhaps the C&Gs 76-year old rider got his start as did the 9-year old who completed the entire course. Like any 9-year old, mom was there to support and help with details, like getting the Camel Pak off and tennis shoes on:) So I say they aforementioned abuses pretty much even out.

Cycling is still ahead in cost department then.

Now we come to the greatest inequity of all, travel. My ticket cost $318 round trip on US Airways. I guess that is fair, even if it was only for two nights, that would be about four days of driving. Incidentally, I was the furthest-flung rider with a travel distance of 816 miles to the event. So that is a good deal right? Okay now the bike box.

We as traveling cyclists are immediately shunned. The Sky Cabs will not check you in – not even your luggage. You make your way to the ticket counter like a cattle to slaughter via the cordon maze. First question at the counter: Is there a bike in there? No, it is a famous painting I disguise as a bike by covering the box with Giro, Twin Six and Specialized stickers. Of course it is. That will be $100. Second bag fee $25. Each way. My charity ride to benefit Ride 2 the Rescue and MS now just cost me $14.20 per riding mile. WTF!!? Sure there is the snappy clerks answer “Deduct it from your taxes.” Fine, go explain that to my wife and see how YOU do. Does the golfer pay more Mr. US Airways Ticket Taker? How about the skier or snowboarder? My bag certainly weighs less than the second bag being transported by the lady from God Knows Where, NY who can’t even lift the damn thing by herself (of course the Sky Cab helped her at the curb). Cyclist Unite! May an even larger plague fall upon the airlines until they realign costs! Of course that would just fall on us travelers in some sort of fee. Nuts! Oh yeah, they stopped serving them.

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Photos borrowed from Dale Brown at Cycle deOro

Cheers & Gears -- Wining Is Allowed

The Pre Ride Prep

The day started early with a quick trip to the ride venue at The Grove WInery on the Haw River in NC. The weather did not look as if it was going to cooperate when we gathered with clouds and wind.

The Beginning Was The End

Gears & Cheers was organized to benefit the MS Society. Last year they had 100 riders. This year they had over 500 and 100 of them were walk-ons in the last 24 hours. Liz, the organizer was thrilled. We later learned that she was a victim of MS. You could never tell there was anything wrong with her because of her tireless efforts and shining attitude.

The ride ended up being over 43 Miles with a finish time of about 2:45 (more on miles/gallon on another post). There were 9 MPH climbs and 34 MPH descents to balance them out -- fun! We finished together about mid-pack trying to remember it was a charity ride -- not a race. It was about the journey and raising some awareness for Lab Rescue. We got some interest with our canopy and banners (thanks to Spengahli) and new team apré shorts (again, Spengahli to the rescue).

The Only Ride Where Wining Is Allowed

We had a great ride without incident despite the number of riders. I developed one odd cramp in my right leg on the last big climb. As I came to nearly a stop and tried to massage/ride it out, a car full of girls came by and yelled "You kicked that hills ass!" Hard to feel like I kicked anything at that point!

Team R2R Represents

I am sure there is a lot more to detail but I cannot deviate from my job for too long, so I will include notes as I think of them. Note the new Team shorts!

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More To Come...

I will post a Ride Report for Cheers & Gears a little later when I can access some of the pictures, but it was a good ride.

Also, the Ride 2 The Rescue site appears to be down -- I am trying to figure out what went wrong and get it fixed ASAP.

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Bad Ticker

Fortunately, I feel confident in saying it is not MY ticker but rather my HR monitor.

The new battery has seemed to do the trick. Last night I did a fast 13 in order to get some miles in before Cheers & Gears. It needed to be short because I have a ton to get ready before I depart. I decided to push it, pretending to be the breakaway in The Giro. I upped my average 1.4 MPH over my last few rides and stayed in zone 2 & 3 during the hardest efforts. The HR monitor maxed at 195 but I never saw that and think it might have been interference. Most of the time it was at 147 - 150 bpm and I was quite comfortable.

I feel much better, especially since my doc never called back. Guess he and the jeweler are out to get me:)

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Huff & Puff

I think I feel a little wind coming back into the sails.

Last night was about trip details and preparation. It started early when I took the Cateye MRC HR10 in to the local jeweler for a new battery. He showed me that the battery was still full power and "in the green" so no need to change it. This is the second time he has told me this, the second time I have listened and the upmteenth time I have read the manual saying they should last about a year -- which has passed. Fiddling with the buttons to reset the watch I hit a button -- low and behold a drained battery icon appeared! So I took matters into my own hands, scrounged Walgreen's for a small enough repair screwdriver, changed the battery and reset the data. Then I sat in the yard an played ball with "The Girls" and between some breathing techniques (and a chardonnay) I got my resting rate below 50 bpm -- that is 20+ less than Monday. Tonight I hope to test my bad battery theory on the road.

All that said, if I can see the doc, I probably will, just for a little peace of mind.

I am getting stoked for Cheers & Gears again!

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In Search of Mojo

Monday was a good Memorial Day. Didn't eat to well, but what the hell, it was a holiday, right?

Did a neighborhood cruise on the 6K with Nifi, finished up some chores and hung out. My HR is still baffling me and with Cheers & Gears coming up, I'd like some resolution before the ride. Over all I don't feel like I have a lot of wind in my sails which concerns me since I have not really hit stride to train for the MM in August.

Maybe Spengahili can kick my a** and attitude a little and get me refocused.

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Bill Slowski

Me

The last few rides have seen me declining in average speed or struggling to keep up an average speed that seems typical for me.

I did a quick 12 after work Friday but started to feel funky, like a big pit in my stomach and hungry. The smell of folks getting their grill on for the weekend did not help. So I finished up and bagged it for some food and ale. I had a HR spike to about 211 but I get that from interference occasionally. But combined with the funk seemed odd.

Saturday was spin class. I got there and warmed up. My resting HR seemed a little high but not concerning. When class started it jumped to 190 immediately. I spent over a third of the class over 200 and spiked to 240 at one point plus maintained a 225+ for a while. For my age it should be 175 max. I allow 185 for fitness level. Now I was getting a little concerned. I kept wearing the HR monitor at home for a while and it mellowed out but still on the resting high side.

Made a call to Dr. Tree and he said that was not normal, a bit concerning and to contact my GP and discuss a Halter Monitor via a cardiologist. Basically it is a recording device that tracks every beat and what part of the heart is dictating the BPM. Great, me and Dick Cheney. At least I have not accidentally shot anyone....yet.

I had hoped to do 60 Sunday with a great Monday off for sleep and recovery but opted to do 25 instead to get more rest in. HR still spent more time above 200 than I felt comfortable with and maxed at 235. Plus it was windy and that kicked my average speed in the junk. Frig.

I re-read an article on climbing and they suggested Lance's method of high cadence. I kept shifting down to keep cadence at 80+ and while it was initially slower, I ended much stronger. The trick is to have a good rounded pedal stroke, not box the rotation.

Medical issues aside I picked up another Specialized saddle to try. I think it just might work! I need to make a few adjustments but it has the slot I like and more padding, plus it is the right width. My next distance will be Gears & Cheers 40 with some climbing. We'll see if it works or it goes on eBay:)

Tried the Berry Zym with caffeine. Tastes good but definitely stronger than the lemon-lime which I double in 24 ounces. A single berry tab was enough for 24 ounces.

Monday will be total rest, hydration and yard work.

Happy Memorial Day to all!

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