Pre-Ride Flat and Saturday Ride Tricks

The Saturday and Sunday Team McAllen rides leave at 7:00a.  Actually, they are scheduled to leave at 7:15a, but that's a recent change designed to help people be on time, and of course does not help one little bit.  Me?  I'm punctual; so much so that I leave my house at 6:00a to make the 9 mile trip to the ride start.  I leave early in case I have a flat on the way to the ride start, but until Saturday I have never had a flat on the way, and as a result am always 20-30 minutes early.

On Saturday, I finally had a flat on the way to the ride.  Luckily, it was daylight already, so I pulled over and tried to change it as quickly as I could.  It was a rear flat, and although I was shifted into the gear combo with the most slack, I couldn't get the chain off the cassette.  I had to get my fingers a little greasy.  Once it was free of the chain, I pulled out my single tire lever, and promptly broke it.  Argh!  It wasn't looking good for making the ride in time.

I mentally reminded myself that I had around 30 minutes to spare...no need to get nervous.  I used the broken piece to work a little bit of bead off the rim, and even though I ride Michelin Pro3's, I was able to get the tire off relatively easily.  After a quick inspection of the tire, I noticed the tell-tale white, dusty residue, and in the center was a through-and-through cut.  I booted it with a dollar bill, then put everything back together.

I rode on to the ride start, and made it with 5 minutes to spare.  Of course, I couldn't help but think about how the official ride start time has been pushed back 15 minutes to help us leave on time.  I wasn't at the team meeting to vote, so I guess I shouldn't complain.

Since the Zapata to Laredo race was Sunday, the Saturday ride was sparsely attended.  About 12 of us rolled out, mostly intermediates, but with a couple of stronger riders too.  We managed to hold an 18-20 mph pace as we rode southeast towards Progreso, and the wind was unusually light.  We held a double paceline for the entirety of the outbound trip, and as we neared the turnaround I got a little antsy for some fun.

I noticed a couple of pulling pairs tended to push the pace to the relatively mild 20-21 mph range.  I was more than happy to work with them if they wanted a little extra pace.  On my next turn at the front, I happened to be pulling with one of them.  I did something a little evil:  I half-wheeled him until I could tell he was tiring.  If you aren't familiar with half-wheeling, it's when you pull ahead slightly of your riding partner, about a half-wheel of distance, forcing them to surge forward to catch you.  You then speed up a little more, and your riding partner will follow you, unexpectedly expending energy in the process.  Of course, if you're the half-wheeler, you know when you're surging, so you have a distinct advantage.

But that's not all.  We started the pull at 18mph, and when I half-wheeled him up to 22mph, I geared up into the big ring, and started churning.  I pulled away from the group, and held a 25-27mph pace for a short while.  I wasn't feeling strong, but I had put 1/8 mile gap or so on the group.  Two other riders had followed me away from the group, and had been sucking my wheel, so I let one of them pull me for awhile.  We held the pace until we put 3/4 mile or so on the group.  Luckily, we were almost to the turnaround spot, so I slowed, made the turn, and let the main group catch me.  Nobody said anything about my dastardly half-wheeling, so maybe it wasn't noticed...but I don't think so.

On the way back, we "climb" a short little rise.  Seriously -- we probably gain 150-200 ft in 1/2 mile.  To the South Texas folks, this means it's time to test your constitution and "race" to the top of the "hill".  I knew it was coming, and when a small group surged, I joined them quickly and then pulled enough ahead that they grabbed my wheel.  After about 1/8 mile, I feigned fatigue, and pulled to the side.  But I grabbed a wheel, and as the group seemed to stabilize speed on the approach to the finish, I got out of the saddle and sprinted the rest of the way to the top, taking the informal stage win.  Wahoo...or whatever.

Yes, it's always nice to win something, even if it's a race to the top of the hill, a city limits sign, or the county line marker.  Even better to do it after starting the ride with a flat!

Here are the statistics for the ride:

60.8 miles

18.5 avg mph

27.5 max mph

2163 kcal burned

Note that we gain/lose barely 1000' of elevation over 60 miles.  Trust me -- you wouldn't notice.

Cycling and Talking about Snakes Eating Eggs

Thursday afternoon I meet Speedo for a few laps around Granjeno, accompanied by our typically varied, lively discussion.  Today, Speedo wanted to return to a topic that we discussed at our previous ride:  snakes eating chicken eggs.  

Speedo raises chickens, and on our last ride, he told me about using glass or porcelain eggs to lure the hens into laying in a specific spot.  I then told him a story that I've heard repeated by my grandmother, as well as my father-in-law:  some farmers use the eggs to kill chicken snakes.  Snakes will eat the porcelain eggs, can't digest them, and will die.  My father-in-law even says that he would find them wrapped around trees, trying to crush the egg against the tree.

I guess my story intrigued ol' Speedo, and he had a very logical argument that seemed to point at me being flim-flammed into believing an old rural legend.  My Dad was always trying to take me snipe hunting, so I wouldn't put a trick like this past my family.  Speedo had talked to some other farm folks, and they all agreed that:

• Snakes are very sensitive to temperature, and it would be odd for them to eat a cold egg.  What would keep them from just eating an egg-shaped rock?
  
• Snakes break the egg when it's in their mouth, so the "crushing against a tree" element of the story can't be true.
  
• Nobody that he talked to had ever heard of anything like this, but everyone knew that you used porcelain eggs to help hens lay.
  

As we talked and rode, I was pretty convinced.  I was thinking that I needed to make a few phone calls and see why my family was spreading around old farm tales, or even intentionally tricking me.  But I googled for awhile, and found some interesting stuff:

• Rat snakes, which are one of the species typically referred to as chicken snakes, eat eggs whole.  They don't crush them in their mouth.  Here's a sequence of photos showing a rat snake in Alabama ingesting a whole egg.  
  
• Apparently my family isn't the only one that has heard this story.  Here's a blog post describing the same phenomenon, with some comments showing that others have heard the same story.  
  

As someone schooled in scientific method, I know this proves exactly jack squat.  It's nothing more than interesting, anecdotal information.  On the other hand, here's a FAQ from the U.S. Geological Survey that, among other things, gives some very valid reasons describing why glass eggs probably wouldn't work if used to try to kill Brown Tree Snakes in Guam.  If forced, I would believe the USGS over a bunch of blog posts and legends, but I think this one needs some more research.

Regardless, it sure is a strange and interesting topic, and it led me to some cool videos like this one.

But what about the ride?  Somehow, my Garmin Edge 305 combined this ride with my last ride.  Luckily, I used the lap feature on my last ride, so I have some slightly useable data.  The ride was about 30 miles, at an average speed of 19 mph.  Since we were riding loops, the wind was pretty stiff on about 1/2 of each lap, and felt to be in 12-15 mph range.  What's new....that's South Texas!

I Found the Sock!

Back in March, I posted about some stuff I lost while traveling to Austin.  The list included a brand new cycling sock, in the longer style that is so fashionable these days.  Last week, while packing for our trip home, I pulled a pair of pants off a hanger, and the missing sock fell out of the pants leg.  

To me, this was better than finding a $20 bill in your coat pocket when you put it back on for the first time during the winter.  With the money, you usually don't know you lost it.  But I knew I was missing a sock, and the leftover sock in my drawer reminded me daily.  Then again, I'm easy to please, as I need all the good news I can get these days.

Trust me...these two photos are of the matching socks.  You know I wouldn't lie to you...

Decisions, Decisions

For those that aren't keeping up, here's a little history, sort of like at the beginning of The Tudors, where they show you clips from the last few seasons so you'll understand what the heck is going on:

• I was laid off in February.
  
• I've been looking for work in Austin, Houston, Dallas, and McAllen.  The list is sorted by preference.
  
• I have had...drum roll please...one phone interview in 3 months.
  
• Our house has been on the market since November 2008, during a period when home prices continue to slide...and slide...and slide.
  
• The good news is we had 2 offers over the last two weeks.  One was junk, but we accepted the other.  Then more bad news arrived:  the buyers backed out during the option period.  We netted $100 in option fees.
  
• My grandfather died last week.  Bless his heart, but he was very ill.

To put it simply, we are under a little stress.

Vic and I had a serious discussion last night.  No big deal, because with everything that is happening, it seems like every discussion is a serious one.  The discussion centered around a few key points:

• Why are we selling the house right now?  The market is terrible, and although it could decline further, there are some subtle indications that it is improving.
  
• If we sell the house, where will we go?  To live with parents near Houston until I find work?  What if that means we have to relo to another city?
  
• What are we doing to the kids?  They need stability, and we're going to shuffle around, living like nomads?
  
• The market down here is slim for manufacturing managers and professionals, but why not find an alternative career and just get some cash flow going?

After a long discussion, we're leaning towards making some changes in our plans.  Perhaps we'll liquidate some retirement funds to enable us to continue without a job and stay in the house.  Maybe we'll sell, and move into a local apartment so that at least the kiddos stay in the same school, and we minimize the number of moves.  We're not sure yet, but we seem to agree that our current course doesn't get us where we want to be.

I'll post more as we decide more, but in the meantime, why not finish with some GOOD NEWS?

• The air conditioner broke on Monday during one of the hottest days of the year thus far.  That night and  most of the day Tuesday, the weather was strangely cool and overcast.  The downstairs A/C was able to keep up and cool the whole house.  Icing on the cake?  The A/C was repaired late yesterday.  It took 30 minutes and cost $85.
  
• We had a second showing last night.  Another buyer is working on a loan, which is no small accomplishment these days.  If we decide to sell, it looks like we might have some more buyers.
  
• Our family could not be more supportive.  They've offered to help us move, store our stuff, and give us a room or two to live in.  We're not destitute, and it would take a lot for us to not have any other options, but it's nice to know you have someone that is watching out for you.  That's family for you.
  
• There's a good chance that Vic will be extended a job offer within a week or two.  That will help staunch the blood loss, but won't suture the wound.  Regardless, it's good.
  

I'll post more about this drama as we make decisions and the situation changes.  Thanks for all of your good thoughts, well wishes, and prayers.

Video from Karie's Ride

A few posts ago, I blogged about my experience at Karie's Ride.  Not only was it a great ride, but some Team McAllen members took the time to document the ride on CycleTube, a cycling video site that they recently launched.

I admit that video of a bunch of amateurs in a charity ride isn't very exciting, but if you know someone who is IN THE VIDEO, it's a little more interesting.  If you fast-forward to 6'25", you'll see me and Dutch pulling the double paceline, and then hamming it up a bit for the cameras.  Too bad they didn't get a shot of me when I was cramping so badly that I could barely pedal...

Karie's Ride

On Behalf of a Grateful Nation

My grandfather was a veteran of World War II.  He didn't talk about it much, but we all knew that he had served in the Navy as a SeaBee, and among other things had helped build airstrips on Iwo Jima during and after the battle.  I wish he had told us more, because last Tuesday he left this world.

My parents and grandmother requested a Naval Honor Guard at graveside, and they played Taps and presented the flag to my grandmother.  When they gave it to her, they spoke a few words to her, and they brought me to tears.  I would like to paraphrase them here in commemoration of all those that have died in service to our country:

On behalf of the President of the United States and a grateful nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for your loved one's service to this Country.

Goodbye Pa-Paw

It has been a long week.  My grandfather passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer's, and he will be missed.

Ride Report: Karie's Ride, May 16 2009

This year, Team McAllen started a new ride: Karie's Ride, which is a ride established in memory of Karie Sheridan, daughter of a Team McAllen cyclist, who passed away due to complications resulting from colon cancer. The proceeds of the ride benefit the Colon Cancer Alliance.  I chose to to ride the long route, which was 67 miles.  I started the ride thinking that this would be an easy spin through Edinburg and south Texas farmland.  I was wrong.

It was 15 miles from my house to the ride start, and as much as I wanted to ride there and reach the century mark, I decided to drive to the start to save time.  When I arrived registration had started, but the line was short.  The rider in the Italian colors (or Mexico?) was on a custom Serotta, and rode most of the 67 mile route with my group.

From 090516 Karie's Ride

I had prepaid, so I quickly picked up my ride packet.  I usually don't pay attention to bib numbers, but if you're into numerology, you'll love my bib number.  It's composed of two VERY lucky numbers:  21 and 7.  Too bad they didn't help me on the ride.

From 090516 Karie's Ride

I saw Dutchman's bike leaning against a post, then saw that he was in line to register.  I leaned my bike against the same post, and snapped a photo.  I wish I had his bike...

From 090516 Karie's Ride

After he finished registering, Dutchman, Speedo, Chris and I lined up at the front of the group, as the 67 mile riders were to be the first to start.  While we waited, I snapped a couple of photos of my ride buddies.  The first is Dutch, then the 2nd is of Speedo and Chris.  Lastly, I turned the camera around and got a terrible upwardly angled self-portrait.  Even worse, some dude casually photobombed me!

From 090516 Karie's Ride

From 090516 Karie's Ride

From 090516 Karie's Ride

After a short speech from Team McAllen leaders, acknowledging the cause and thanking the sponsors, we rolled out with a full police escort.  Edinburg police shut down all the intersections and we rolled at 18-20 mph until we reached the city limits.  Our group was about 20 riders strong, but I only knew a few of them, and Dutch, Speedo, Chris and I were the only strong riders I recognized.  We still had SAG, but from there we were on our own.

Speedo and Chris had pulled us out of town, and Dutchman and I took the next pull.  We started maintaining 20 mph, and before too long Speedo rode up from the back of the paceline and asked us to slow down to 18 or so.  The group was starting to struggle already.  Dutch and I slowed down the group, but we started talking about how this would be a LONG day if we had to hold 18 mph within 10 miles of the ride start.  Even worse, we had the wind at our back.  If we couldn't hold a good 20+ pace with a 10 mph tailwind, we were really in trouble.

We rolled up to the 1st rest stop, barely 15 miles into the ride.  Since it was a hot and humid day, and we obviously had some riders that needed the stops, we all pulled over and refueled.  You never know what you'll see on a ride, and what I saw demanded to be photographed.  A frame house being moved, with a guy riding on the roof peak.  Dangerous...yes.  Photogenic...absolutely.

From 090516 Karie's Ride

After the quick stop, we continued on, with Dutch, Speedo, Chris and I taking most of the pulls.  It was intentional, because when we weren't pulling, our speed suffered.  In hindsight, taking these long pulls into the wind set me up for pain, but more on that later.  As we cruised along, the scenery changed from urban to countryside.  We reached the next rest stop faster than I expected, and Dutch and I were pulling the group as we rolled in to the stop.  As we did, I looked back and realized the group had fragmented.  A few minutes later, Speedo pulled a struggling rider into the stop.  I snapped his photo, capturing the wide open cornfields in the area.  If the corn was replaced with sunflowers and there were some slight rollers, it might be confused with France.

From 090516 Karie's Ride

At the rest stop, we were warned that it was the last stop until Hargill.  I knew Hargill wasn't far, but I refilled my bottles anyway and grabbed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  After a quick group discussion, we decided to break into a fast group and a "not so fast" group.  Dutch and I would lead out the fast group, with Chris along as ride leader and our official connection to the ride organizers.  Speedo volunteered to ride with the slower group...bless his heart!

Again, Dutch and I led out the group.  And again, in hindsight, all of this pulling really set me up for what was to happen later in the ride.  Within a mile, we turned from a headwind to a tailwind, and we started pushing a 23-25 mph pace.  Our group was about 10 riders, and we all seemed to be feeling good and taking good pulls.

5 miles later, we realized we had dropped a few riders.  They could easily fall back and ride with Speedo's group.  No problem for them, but it was a problem for us, as that left less cyclists to pull.  We hammered onwards toward Hargill, but when we reached Hargill, nobody wanted to stop at the tiny country store.  We decided to continue on, and turned towards the south.  A steady 15 mph wind hit us in the face.  We had been riding with tailwind and crosswind pushing us for so long, we had forgotten all about the wind.  Our speed dropped, and we all began to suffer through the pulls.

About 8 miles later, and close to 20 miles from the last rest stop, Dutch and I were both almost out of water.  The extra rations of pace line pulling had worn me down, and I let Dutch know that I was hurting.  He gave me a Hammer gel, and I slammed it, then chased it with my last bit of water.  A few minutes later, I felt a bit better, but was very happy when we reached the next rest stop.  I filled the bottles, drank and refilled, and also drank a can of Coke.  I'm not sure if it was the Coke or what, but I felt like I had an anvil in my stomach.

We left the stop, again pushing into the wind.  I really wasn't feeling well.  My stomach was too full, my legs felt rubbery, and I just wasn't having much fun.  We continued on, but at about mile 62 I experienced something that I have NEVER experienced on the bike:  hamstring cramps.  I've had minor calf cramps when sprinting at the end of a long ride, but never hamstring cramps like these.  I know they're not rare in cycling, but it was a first for me.

The cramps hurt so bad that I could barely pedal, and when I did, it felt like I was spinning a square, not a circle.  I stood up, locked my knees, and bent forward, stretching them the best I could.  We caught a signal light, and that helped, but a mile or so later I was cramping even worse.  The SAG vehicle saw this, and handed me a pint bottle of Gatorade.  I slammed it, and between that and just not wanting to stop, I fought through it and made up the 50 yards I had lost.  The group rolled in together, and Victoria and the kids were waiting for me, waving red pom-poms and yelling for me.  It was a great ending to the ride.

In retrospect, the extra pulling combined with running out of fluids and fuel was a bad combination.  Since summer in Texas is brutal for cycling, I pay extra attention to fluids, but on this ride, in 86F temps and with a 15 mph headwind over about 25% of the course, I made a critical mistake and allowed myself to run out of both fluids and fuel.  Lesson learned.  Even so, it was a fun ride for a great cause, was extremely well-organized, and I had a great time.

STATISTICS

Like me, I know a lot of you like to see the data.  The summary data shows that we averaged 19 mph, although the average was brought down drastically by the speeds before the group split.  Additionally, you can see that I was pushing pretty hard, with an average heart rate of 154 bpm.  Garmin thinks this is Zone 4.3 for me, but it's probably more like Zone 3.5.  The software is setting my max heart rate too low.

From 090516 Karie's Ride

The most interesting plot to me is the speed plot.  You can see the first 10 miles, where we pushed 20+ at times when we had a police escort.  After that, the speed slowed to a very controlled but slow pace.  When we hit the rest stop at mile 28 or so, the group split, and the speed went up.  The higher variability in the post-28 mile section is because when we had the wind, we busted it.  When we didn't, we rode as hard as we could, but significantly slower.  Hence the scatter in the data.

From 090516 Karie's Ride

Another Solo Ride in Granjeno, TX

I hadn't ridden anything other than early morning intervals this week, so I asked Victoria if I could ride the Team McAllen Thursday Team Ride.  She was okay with it, so I left the house at 4:30p, and headed towards Granjeno. 

Most of the Team McAllen folks don't arrive until 5:30p or so, so I took the camera and stopped along the way to take some photos of things along the route.  The first photo was taken before I left the driveway.  I recently added a Bikes Belong sticker and a Wally's Bicycle sticker to accompany the existing "Ride Your Bike" sticker from Mellow Johnny's.  Before I started cycling, I never put stickers on my vehicles.  Cycling changes the way you think...especially when you're a cycling addict.

From 090514 Granjeno Solo Ride

I headed south on Shary Road, and as I crossed Military Highway, I stopped in a narrow strip of shade to take a photo of the Granjeno city limits sign.  The tiny piece of shade was provided by a railroad crossing signal, and I liked the way it looked when I looked up at the sun.

From 090514 Granjeno Solo Ride

I turned and snapped a photo of the city limits sign, capturing the palm-lined desolation of Shary Road as it approaches the US border.  Until then, I hadn't realized that Granjeno only had 313 residents.  It's an ancient town, but I didn't know it was that sparsely populated.

From 090514 Granjeno Solo Ride

I turned and looked in all directions, trying to find an image that captured the essence of the ride.  There wasn't one.  But there was a McAllen city limits sign.  I didn't realize that Granjeno and McAllen shared a border, and I was surprised by the contrast of McAllen's 100K+ population, and Granjeno's 300+ population.  Now that the Anzalduas Bridge is nearing completion, I wonder how long until McAllen or Mission annex Granjeno in an attempt to grab more of the bridge money?

From 090514 Granjeno Solo Ride

I cruised into a stiff 17 mph wind, happy to be on the bike.  The home sale and job search process have been wearing me down, and I need my time on the road to focus on something else.  Muscle pain and a rising heart rate are much better than sitting behind a desk feeling the pressure of life.

When I reached the Granjeno Community Center, there were no cars in the parking lot.  I was early, so I continued on, grabbing the opportunity to ride at my own pace and to take a few more photos.  Before I left, I took this photo of the Granjeno facility.  The consistency of the blue sky against the consistency of the brick wall was pretty to me.

From 090514 Granjeno Solo Ride

I rode on, eventually turning onto Military Highway to head east and reconnect with Shary Road.  As I approached Stewart Road, I saw the overpass construction that will funnel the Anzalduas Bridge traffic from the bridge, down Stewart Road, and onto Expressway 83.  Perhaps the photo doesn't capture it, but before this overpass existed, the area was farmland.  It was part of the Team McAllen Tuesday-Thursday ride loop.  When the overpass is completed, there will probably be a signal light for traffic exiting to Military Highway.  At best, there will be a stop or yield sign for traffic entering Military, but there will be traffic regardless.  Another near-perfect section of cycling route will have been lost to road construction.

From 090514 Granjeno Solo Ride

After I finished a couple of laps, I realized that I wouldn't be joined by anyone from Team McAllen.  Apparently they were all riding the north route in Edinburg.  On my last lap, I turned north on Bryan Road, cut through the Cimarron development, then headed south on Shary Road to get back home.  Nothing exciting, just me, the bike, and the south Texas wind and heat.  It was a great ride.

The ride stats perfectly reflect the relaxed pace of the ride.  17 mph, and a peak of 30 mph when I had a tailwind and decided to use the big ring and 100+ cadence. Of course, with 17 mph winds, there were some tough segments too, hence the higher than expected heart rate.  I was rolling for about 1.5 hours, and took 10 minutes to stop and take photos.  The image below is a screen cap of the stats.  

In summary, it was a fun, wonderfully solo ride.  I don't know how many more rides like this I'll have until we sell the house and leave the Rio Grande Valley, so I will take them when I can get them.

From 090514 Granjeno Solo Ride

POSTSCRIPT:  When I got home and uploaded the photos, I realized I took a couple of accidental videos and photos.  The videos were terrible, and very short.  I'm not sure why, but I liked this photo that captured a shadow silhouette of me taking a photo.

From 090514 Granjeno Solo Ride

Mixing Up My Morning Intervals

Before I get into the meat of today's post, I want to follow up on yesterday's post and reader comments.  Jeff said it best when he commented "just keep writing what you like to write, and we'll keep reading what we like to read".  Maybe it wasn't clear in my post, but that's exactly what I intend to do.  Mentally, I think I was starting to drift a bit from that concept, and what I tried to say in the post is that I realize I need to stick with what I like to write about, do it well, and NOT try to create a product.  I hope you like to read what I like to write!

YESTERDAY'S INTERVALS

Yesterday I had a terrible ride.  I rode my interval circuit on Glasscock (*snicker*), and just didn't feel like it was my day for a strong ride.  If you recall, the circuit alternates 2.7 miles of high cadence small ring pedaling with 2.7 miles of high cadence large ring pedaling.  I know it's odd, but it's something I developed so that I could push myself in the predawn hours when I can't see speed, cadence, or time on my computer.

During the ride I was tired; both physically tired and mentally tired of the interval circuit that I designed.  I cut the ride short, which is a rarity for me.  I finished with some of my worst interval times I've ever posted.

TODAY'S INTERVALS

I woke up this morning dreading riding the same interval circuit.  Instead of just pushing myself to slog through it, I decided to mix up the circuit.  In honor of mixing it up, here's a photo of the sock and shoe combo that I wore for the ride.  Honestly, it wasn't intentional.  I chose the socks in a darkened bedroom, and I wear my green and brown Crocs with everything from white to polka-dotted socks.

Instead of riding alternate 2.7 mile laps, I broke the route down into segments, separated by two stop signs and the turns at each end of the out-and-back.  I alternated small ring - big ring, changing at each stop or turnaround.  Due to the number of stop signs and the out-and-back route, this meant that I rode each segment in one of the ring combinations on each lap.

I don't have enough data to provide a good data-driven analysis of my performance on either of my interval set ups, but here's how it FELT:

• Today's intervals felt tough.  I was definitely in full anaerobic when I was in the big ring.  I needed the recovery sections.  Previous intervals felt tough too, but I know that I would unintentionally reduce my effort towards the end of the interval, so I don't think they're as effective at keeping my effort level high enough.
  
• Today's intervals weren't boring.  The stop signs and turns are separated by a little less than a 1/2 mile.  This meant I was always pushing hard, and getting ready to change gears or get out of the saddle and sprint.  The anticipation of the next segment made it interesting.
  
• The longer intervals that I had been riding exaggerate the effect of our ever-present wind.  Today, the wind speed at 5:30a was 15mph.  It's tough to maintain speed into a 15mph wind, and a long interval into the wind is tough.  Today's shorter intervals gave me time to recover when I was getting beat up by the wind.
  

I'll try these again tomorrow, and maybe the next day too, and as soon as I have some good data, I'll share with you.

Keeping my Blog on Track

I started blogging for a specific reason:  I have a story to tell, and wanted a forum to tell it.  More specifically, I thought that there were readers out there that would want to hear about cycling in south Texas, with the occasional piece about my efforts to move back to Austin, my travels to Mexico, my family, and related topics.

Occasionally, my thoughts about my blog get a little off topic.  I start thinking about monetizing the blog, or writing stories that might draw more people to the blog.  I wonder how I could get as popular as BikeSnob or Fatty.  Truth is, there are things I could try.

For example,I use Google Analytics, and frequently look at the data to see what people are reading and what draws people to my site.  Today I looked at keyword hits for the last year, and the top 10 looked like this:

1. beginning cycling
   
2. anzalduas bridge
   
3. leopold jay howard
   
4. matamoros, sunday june 1, 2008
   
5. moyer cycles
   
6. shiner gasp
   
7. 331 miles
   
8. team mcallen
   
9. electrolyte recipe
   
10. riding the tour de france:  livin' the dream
    

Of course, the hits aren't evenly distributed.  The top 5 are about equal, #6-8 are about equal, and then 9 and 10 drop off significantly.  Also, many readers don't access my site by keyword; instead, they have the site bookmarked or enter from another site.  Keywords, though, are interesting, as they tell you what people are trying to find.

When I read the list, I realize that if I try to give people what they want, it will destroy my blog. 5 of the top 10 keywords are outside of my core message.  Here's why:

• I'm not interested in writing very much at being a beginner cyclist.  Others such as BikeNoob do it better, and enjoy helping new cyclists.
  
• Leopold Jay Howard stole Dave Zabriskie's stuff, which has almost nothing to do with my life, but I blogged about it ONCE because the dude looks old beyond his days.
  
• Moyer Cycles is a defunct company, and at one time I was interested in buying one of their bikes.  I've written two blog posts about them, and probably won't mention them again.
  
• I wrote a very short post making fun of an electrolyte recipe that was posted by LIVESTRONG.  I guess there are people looking for recipes to make their own sport drink, but I don't have any expertise in that area.
  
• "Riding the Tour de France:  Livin the Dream" is a TV show that I blogged about, but since it's on TV, there's an audience out there searching for more info, which resulted in a spike of keyword hits.
  

P.S.  Search my blog for the posts.  I'm too lazy to link to them all!

If I tried to blog more about this stuff, it would kill me, and probably kill the blog.  I just don't have anything to say about the topics.  On the other hand, I have valid opinions, geographical connections, and personal experience related to the other five.  They are all related to south Texas, cycling, rides that I've completed, or the name of my site.  I still have a lot to say about those topics, and expect to continue to post about them.

What does all of this mean?  It means I won't try to flim-flam you and draw readers like flies to the blog.  I'm going to try to keep writing about cycling in south Texas, and trying to write better written and more interesting posts.  If that manages to increase readership and somewhere along the way someone approaches me with free gear, a lucrative advertising deal, or an offer to put my opinions in print somewhere, please pinch me so I can wake up and continue looking for a job.

  

What Happens When You Lose Your Job?

If you're a dedicated cyclist, and you live somewhere where weather doesn't keep you off the roads, then this is what happens:

As you can see in the plot, my mileage has ramped significantly since I was laid off on February 20.  I began riding more frequently, and my average weekly mileage has increased.  It doesn't show up in the graph, but I've ridden two centuries since the layoff.  I've also started replacing my morning jogs, which had been a staple of my south Texas exercise routine since early last year.  Instead of running, I've replaced them with cycling intervals.

What the graph also doesn't show is that from January to February this year, I was going to spin class two or three times per week.  The spin class made me stronger, but I much prefer the extra time on the road, whether I'm doing intervals or just putting in a long ride.

I don't recommend that you quit, get fired, or get laid off, but if you do, come on down to the Rio Grande Valley and we'll put in some miles together.  

2009 Goal Update

Sometimes I'm not sure why I have cycling goals.  Unless I am training for an event, it makes more sense to set my goals as stay fit, ride often, and ride hard, but since I'm an analytical, obsessive-compulsive dork, I set goals.

Here's a quick update on my 2009 goals:

• Join a cycling club in Austin.  On hold, since I haven't moved there yet.  I'll join a club in our new home city, whether it is Austin or elsewhere.
  
• Complete 10 centuries.  I've completed two, but this is the time of year when my completion rate will start to increase.
  
• Improve my bike repair skills.  Not much has happened on this one, other than buying a few tools.  I haven't used them to improve my skills, unless you count the simple chain wear tool that I bought and use to measure chain "stretch" after I clean my drivetrain.  If you do indeed count this, I would set the metric as 0.3% complete.
  
• Complete the Tour Das Hugel.  I'm on track for this one.  I'm riding regularly, training with intervals, and will ramp up with more training as the ride approaches.  I really need to work in some hills when I ramp the training.  I'll have to travel for that.
  
• Track my miles...religiously.  I am indeed worshipping at the church of mile tracking.  I use my Garmin 305 every time I ride, and have completed 1555 miles to date in 2009.
  

Have a good weekend.  My next post will not be until at least Monday, as I have family in town for Mother's Day.

How to Save Money on Cycling

I've been unemployed for over 2 months, and have increased my cycling mileage dramatically during that time.  With increased mileage comes increased costs due to maintenance and repairs.  I'm not out of money, but I don't really want to decrease my available funds due to excessive spending on an activity that is very close to being a luxury.  As a result, I've stepped up my effort to find ways to continue cycling, but at a reduced cost.

Here are some of the ways I've saved money over the last two to three years, as well as the last two months:

• Get your bike fit and adjusted at the local bike shop (LBS).  This will cost a little up front, but will save you money over time.  I've known many cyclists that have changed saddles, bars, shoes, pedals, chamois, and other equipment in order to reduce discomfort on the bike, only to realize later that it was a set up problem.  If you spend $75 to learn that you need to adjust your seat height and stem, it's way better than spending $150 on a new saddle that doesn't solve the problem.
  
• Take your own food and sports drink powder or tablets on long rides.  You can take a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, homemade nutrition bars, fruit, or simply buy your favorite energy drink powder or food product and take it with you.  You want to avoid spending $8 to stock up at a convenience store on a package of cookies, a candy bar, a bottle of water, and a bottle of sports drink.  If you're a weight weenie and don't like to carry stuff, get over it.  You're on a ride, not a race!
  
• Maintain your bike.  Do it yourself, or have the LBS do it.  You'll save money, especially on expensive drivetrain components.  Use a chain that's easy to remove (Wippermann, SRAM) so that you're more inclined to remove it and clean the drivetrain.
  
• Reduce, reuse, and recycle.  You can patch tubes.  It won't hurt to ride with mismatched tires.  You don't need a new jersey unless your jerseys don't fit anymore or are damaged beyond repair.  In general, don't replace something unless it is broken and can't be repaired.
  
• I spend money at the LBS, and I spend money online.  You can find discount shops faster than I can type their names, but here are two of the better sites:  Qbike and Bonktown.  Qbike is a sort of portal or compendium that allows you to search multiple sites, including auctions, and find the best price on an item.  Bonktown uses the one-item-at-a-time concept, and gives deep discounts on whatever is selling at the time.  They tend to focus on offseason and last year's models, but you can also find deals on things that are in season and latest technology.  Of course, eBay is eBay, and you can sometimes find good deals there too.
• Lastly, if you're just starting to cycle, and looking to find ways to do it cheaper, DO YOUR RESEARCH.  I'm not going to write about where it is wise to spend a lot versus where you should be cheap and only spend a little.  It's easy to find sites and forums that will give you lots of advice on buying a Giro helmet versus a helmet from Wal-Mart, or any other similar comparison.

I hope this helps someone, and I also hope I get employed soon so I can buy some of the more luxurious items that I've been delaying purchasing!

Memories of 3rd Grade

Last night, a friend called to tell me to rush to my computer, get on Facebook, and look at the photo that was posted of my 3rd grade class.  My teacher, James Hefley, had posted a photo of the class, as well as some candid snapshots of the students in the classroom and on the playground.  After I hung up the phone, I visited his page, and it brought back memories that I hadn't visited in a long, long time.

That's me on the 2nd row, 2nd from left.  When I look at the photo, I think about the people, the time, the place, just like everyone does when they look at old photos...

• I don't remember the shirt, although it was probably purchased at at Weiner's, and it's definitely not a Houston Oilers jersey, even though they were my team.
  
• I remember the names of many of the classmates, but not all.  I remember the names of two that have already died.  One died while were in high school, the other about 10 years ago.  We weren't close, but it reminds you of your mortality and of the pain of loss.  Probability says that there are more that are gone, but I just don't know about them.
  
• I remember the school, which I guess was built in the 40s or 50s, when schools were still segregated.  It was Southside Elementary, and the intermediate school was Northside.  Douglass School, which had been the school that served Black students during segregation, had been converted into a special needs school.  Even without segregation, in relatively rural East Texas racism was still a force.  I remember driving home from college one weekend in the late '80s, and seeing some jokers in full Klan regalia in the middle of US 59, trying to recruit new members.  On the other hand, I thankfully remember a primary school education that was mostly free of racial tension. 
  
• I thought about how I've recently reconnected with several of the people in the photo.  If nothing else, we're friends on Facebook.  They look at my photos and postings, I look at theirs.  We communicate a little.  It sometimes seems a little strange, but it's better than letting the connection continue to fragment and eventually dissolve.
  

But along with these general, relatively foggy memories, I had a very specific one.  I remembered Mr. Hefley taking the class to the playground.  Maybe it was before recess, maybe it was after.  Maybe it was totally independent of recess.  I don't know.  One corner of the playground was shaded by large oaks, and we sat under the trees, on grass that had been thinned by the oak's shade as well as by children playing chase and searching for acorns.  I remembered that he read us a poem under the tree, and somehow, as the memory arose, I remembered the name of the poem, some 30 years after hearing it.  I found the text of the poem, and it made me happy that a 3rd grade teacher would find it important to give this to his young students:

Abou Ben Adhem

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)

Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,

And saw, within the moonlight in his room,

Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,

An Angel writing in a book of gold:

Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,

And to the Presence in the room he said,

"What writest thou?"  The Vision raised its head,

And with a look made of all sweet accord

Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."

"And is mine one?"  Said Abou.  "Nay, not so,"

Replied the Angel.  Abou spoke more low,

But cheerily still; and said, "I pray thee, then,

Write me as one who loves his fellow men."

The Angel wrote, and vanished.  The next night

It came again with a great wakening light,

And showed the names whom love of God had blessed,

And, lo!  Ben Adhem's name led all the rest!

-- James Leigh Hunt

The Early Morning Flat Change & Related Tire Controversy

It's not quite the same level as a crash or a major mechanical failure, but to me, waking up early for a ride and finding that you have a flat is one of the more frustrating elements of cycling.  I'm not sure why it frustrates me, because they're quite common.  In fact, I recently had an undocumented streak going.  For about 3-4 months my only flats happened in my garage.  Regardless of the streak, I still hate the early morning pre-ride flat.

For example, yesterday I woke up at 5:00a to ride.  I intended to get in about an hour of pre-dawn riding, including intervals.  I got dressed, filled a bottle, put my phone and key in a baggie, and headed for the garage.  That's when I saw the flat.  I could change the flat, but since my last flat with that tire required a boot, I didn't want to put in a new tube and then have another flat on the ride.  So instead of changing the flat, I just changed into my running kit and went for a quick 30 minute jog.  Net result was that I woke up 45 minutes earlier than needed, and instead of a fun ride I had a fairly boring jog.

That's one of the more complicated examples.  But even with a simple flat, it's frustrating to be changing the flat at 5:00a instead of being on the road getting in a good workout.  I guess that's just part of cycling, albeit not one of my favorite parts.

Today, I decided to wake up at 5:00a again, and replace the tire and tube prior to my training ride.  Unfortunately, I was riding Michelin Pro3 tires with blue sidewalls, and my spare set of tires had black sidewalls.  I'm not usually a cycling fashionista, but I do like my tires to match.  I'm a little obsessive about consistency, so making this decision really bugged me, but I wanted to ride.  The only choice was to ride with mismatched tire colors.

As of today, my bike now has a Michelin Pro3, blue sidewalls, with about 300 miles on it on the rear, and a brand new Michelin Pro3, black sidewalls, on the front.  I can't handle this for long, so I had to make a decision.  What to do, what to do?  I ordered two new tires -- one blue, one black.  When they come in, I'll replace one of the tires, and put a set back on the shelf as spares.  But at some point, I need to pick a color and stick with it.

Spectating at the Team McAllen Time Trials

Last year, Team McAllen held its inaugural time trial event, and there have been five or six of them since then. I've had a good excuse for missing all of them: traveling to Austin, previous commitment, sickness, and others. Saturday, May 2, was the latest time trial, and again I had a good reason for not riding. Vic was traveling, and I was on daddy duty. Instead of accepting fate and being truly lazy, the kiddos and I woke up at 6:15a, ate breakfast, and drove to the event so that we could spectate.

It's a pretty simple set up.  A start stripe, 5k out, a turnaround, 5k back, and a finish stripe.  A couple of team members sign everyone up, number their calves, stage the riders, start them, and time them.  The cost is $10 for members, and $15 for non-members, and all funds are recycled into the time trial series for purchase of better timing equipment and other gear.  The team tries to keep it simple, as the time trial is on an open public road, and it happens to be along part of one of my favorite cycling routes in the Rio Grande Valley.  The photo below shows the start and finish area:

As with any event, there is a wide range of ability and equipment.  There are cyclists in full time trial kit, riding some of the best time trial bikes on the market.  There are roadies that ride in their regular road kits, with regular road set-up, on their regular road bike, which is what I will do if my life ever lines up properly with the time trial schedule.  There are beginners, and there are advanced cyclists.  It is really an all-inclusive event, without any prejudice against skill or fitness level.  It's just you, your equipment and ability, and the course.  Here's one of the faster time trialers at the start:

Here's a Team McAllen team member on his road bike, and in his road kit.  He's hammering hard, and getting his speed up to target.  He doesn't seem to even notice I'm there, which saved him a few seconds.

The next photo is of a young, strong cyclist that I've had the pleasure of riding with on some long rides through the south Texas countryside.  Unlike the time trialler in the previous photo, this one has noticed me taking a photo, and I think I distracted him.  It probably cost him a second or two on his time!

As the time trial continued, I snapped a few photos of cyclists near the finish line.  When I got home and reviewed the photos, I noticed the different riding forms of the riders.  In the next two photos, there are two roadies in road kit and with road bike set-up.  Both are in the drops, and both are pushing hard.  The finish line is in sight for each of them.  I'm not an expert on bike set-up, and don't have the knowledge to critique, and probably wouldn't if I did, but the difference in form and posture is interesting to me.  The first photo shows a rider with his back nearly parallel to the ground, head lifted slightly to see the road.  He has moved back on the saddle.  The second photo shows a rider that is in the drops too, but not as far down on the bars.  His back isn't as low, and he isn't as far back on the saddle.  I'm not sure which is better, or if "better" even applies, but the difference is interesting to me.  I'll be sure to research this a little before I ride my first time trial.

Finally, I took a photo of two of the time triallers as they rode within 100 meters of the finish.  They started with about a two minute gap, and the first rider has narrowly avoided getting passed.  It would make me want to ride with mirrors, because if I was in front and noticed the gap closing, I think knowing that I was a gazelle with a cheetah on my tail would help me go a bit faster.  Then again, if you're about to puke and your legs are burning, you might have no choice but to "let" the cheetah catch you.

If you're ever in the Rio Grande Valley for business or pleasure, or if you live here and want to participate, come out to the time trials.  It'll be fun, and you'll at least know your 10K time on the course.  You can find details at the Team McAllen website.  Maybe if you're there, the planets will line up and I'll be riding with you.

*** May 3, 2009 Update ***

One of the Team McAllen crew took some video at the time trial and created this nice little composition...

Team McAllen Time Trial Series from Juan Ibarra on Vimeo.

The Hardest Miles I've Ever Logged on a Bike

In my 3 years of cycling, I've ridden a pretty wide variety of routes, tempos, and terrain. I've ridden Redwood Gulch and other climbs outside of San Jose, CA, which are tough for a flatlander.  I've ridden the moderately challenging Dam Loop during the hottest part of the Austin summer, which makes it challenging.  I rode the 90 mile Shiner GASP when I wasn't very fit and hadn't ridden farther than 50 miles.  I pushed myself in a couple of road races, and rode back-to-back centuries taking me from McAllen to San Antonio. Yesterday, April 30, 2008, I rode my first solo century, and it was the hardest ride I've ever completed.

Before I started the ride, I made a PB&J sandwich, and packed it and a breakfast bar in my jersey.  I knew it would be a hot day (it reached 95F (35C) that afternoon), so I filled two 48 oz insulated bottles.  One was filled with Gatorade, the other with water.  I really hate it when it gets to be this hot in Texas, because 96 oz of fluid just looks clunky on the bike, but I needed the fluids...with multiple refills.

I wanted to leave at 7am, which is when it gets light enough to not really require taillights.  Also, I knew that the earlier I started, the less I would be dealing with the building wind and increasing temperatures.  With the prevailing wind coming from the SSE, I had chosen a route that took me SSE, which would give me a tailwind on the return.  But due to various reasons, I wasn't on the road until 7:30a.  This would prove to be a key pain factor, as it meant I had to fight the wind more than I wanted on the way out, and would also be exposed to higher temperatures.  The route and wind graphs are below, but notice the winds:  from about 8:30a to 11a, which is when I made the turn, I was fighting almost a pure headwind of 18mph and up.

As I exited Hidalgo and reached the rural farmland of Military Highway, I noticed some springiness in the bike.  I looked down, and had a front flat.  Getting a late start was bad, but having a flat in the first 10 miles was worse.  It took me out of my rhythm, and further exposed me to the building winds.  There were 2 good things about the flat -- a nice gentleman stopped to ask if I needed help, which has never happened to me when I had a flat, and I took a few seconds to take a photo of the totally exposed route.  Most of the riding was with open fields along either side of the road, allowing the winds to scream and make me feel like I was on a pure climb.

I stopped in Progreso for a quick bottle refill and to inhale my PB&J sandwich, and when I got back on the bike I was hurting.  The wind was really picking up at that time, and within a few miles my lower back and glutes were begging me to stop.  I looked at my odometer, and I was at 30 miles.  I needed another 20 before I could turn around and head for home.  Mentally, I told myself that 20 miles was nothing.  Physically, I couldn't get any relief.  I spun faster.  I changed gears.  I got out of the saddle.  My back continued to hurt.  My lower body was in pain.  My nether regions started to get sore, which almost never happens.  And the wind continued to build.  My speed continued to drop, as the speed plot below shows.

I was thinking the same thing my daughters think on a long trip -- ARE WE THERE YET?  I was looking at my odometer and watching the tenths and hundreths of a mile click, click, and click some more. I'm lucky I didn't hit something.  When I hit 50 miles, I stopped on the side of the road, slammed some fluids, ate the breakfast bar, and snapped a couple of photos.  One shows my enemy, the odometer, and the other shows the boring nothingness of the tailend of my route.

As the speed plot shows, when I made the turn, my life got drastically better.  I had a partial tailwind, and it was strong.  Even though my body was aching, I was able to reach low to mid-20mph speeds without hurting too much.  But when I turned out of the tailwind, like between miles 75-80, you can see my speeds suffer.  The wind and temperature were brutal.

I didn't want to bonk or overheat, so I stopped once on the way back to refuel and pour cold water on my head.  That helped, and I continued to ride hard when I had the wind.  I felt good.  But as I neared home, an anomaly of GPS tracking occurred.  I wasn't at 100 miles.  I had ridden exactly the same route out and back, but I need about another 0.2 miles.  So I rode around the neighborhood a little, and finished with 100.69 miles.  It took me 6 1/2 hours to finish the ride, but with an hour of non-rolling time.  I averaged a respectable 18.1 mph, and if you use average cadence, I turned the pedals 28801 times.

As you've read, the wind and temperature made this a tough ride.  Also, riding solo made it challenging.  Since my previous centuries were all in groups of at least 3, I never had shelter from my friends, which makes the ride about 15% more difficult from the get-go.  Riding with a group also keeps your mind and eyes away from your odometer, and you spend your time chatting instead of focusing on the miles.  Regardless, it was an absolutely great ride, as most rides are.  And it feels great to have reached a new milestone -- my first solo century, the hardest ride I've completed to date.