OKLAHOMA SENIOR GAMES

 Some background: Several years ago I determined that I'd cycled in forty-three States, none of which were the ones adjacent to Texas.  To remedy that I turned to Velo View Bike Tours and took trips to New Mexico and Arkansas.  Then, on a trip to New Orleans, we took my bike and I did a thirty-three mile ride on the levee.  That left Oklahoma.  I'd been ignoring my partner, Dean, when every year for fifteen years he would ask me to join him at Fort Sill.  This year I finally made it, though without Dean who crashed a few years ago and is no longer riding.

The first thing I liked about going was the very inexpensive registration.  When I looked at the course maps, I liked the very straight out-and-back designs and minimal elevation change.  Getting on to Ft. Sill was easy once you filled out the request online.  I didn't particularly like having to race after doing the Texas Road Race Championships, which is traditionally the last race of the year.  But this would put a pin in cycling in Oklahoma.  I also didn't fancy going on I35, especially on Texas-OU weekend.  Therefore we took 183/281/44 to Lawton, seeing very few cars.

The weather turned out quite nice, but with a chilly start.  The 9:00 44k and 22k road race ran simultaneously, but different routes.  It looked like thirteen guys for the 44k and ten for the 22k.  The 44k started first.  After a decent interval, I started with the 22k guys.  This would be eleven kilometers out, with some inclines (not steep enough to be called hills), against a moderate breeze.  I planned to find a big back and hide behind him on the way out.  As it happened, one very strong guy immediately took the lead followed by another who had the type of back I looked for.  One other rider came behind me, but the other six were gapped and were soon left behind.  I hung with them for the first couple of climbs, but on the third one, at about three and a half miles, they finally dropped me.  Without my escort, speed dropped 3mph.  At the much anticipated turn-around, I could judge the third place guy to be about a minute and a half in front of me and the fifth place guy about the same behind me.

It took around twenty-six minutes going out and twenty coming back.  Unfortunately, the guy behind me came on strong and overtook me about a mile from the finish.  I came in fifth, about ten seconds out of fourth, but first in my age group.  We now had a two hour wait before the time trials.  

Another thing I liked about the setup here, they had chipped numbers to attach to the seat post and none to put on your jersey.  I unloaded the TT bike and switched the number, then loaded the Emonda back in the car.  By the way, I warmed up and raced in my tights (under 65 degrees cover the knees) and wind jacket.  The jersey had long sleeves.  The temperature hovered around 55 in the shade and 60 in the sun, which only hit a few spots this early.  I brought chairs, but since we parked within yards of the start/finish line and registration canopy, the car seats were more comfy and warm.

The time trials were a unique format, one I really liked.  The 5k racers would go out the same road we had in the 22k race.  At the end of 5k they would just continue, at a reduced, no-racing, pace to the start of the 10k, which was an additional 5k.  The 10k would take them back to the original start/finish line.  If you only wanted to do the 5k, you would just turn around and noodle on back to your car.  I think only one person did that, and no one did only the 10k.

The order of the race was youngest first, so I came last.  As it turned out, there was another gentleman who wasn't on the registered list.  He was last.  He was also in the 80-84 category and in talking to him later, his birthday in March of 1942 put him older than me.  For a relatively flat course, I found myself changing gears a lot.  Cadence and heart-rate were quite steady.  My time and speed were not particularly impressive, but the finish time was good enough for fifth overall, and, of course, first place in my age group.  We had about a half hour to hang out at the 10k start.  They had a few chairs and refreshments.  

I did well in the 10k, it being downhill with the wind mostly at my back.  I held considerably faster speed, averaged 22.4 mph, and for the third time was first in age group and fifth overall.  But an interesting stat, which I've known for years, is that I could hold my heart-rate five beats higher going with the wind than against it and cadence was up five rpm.  That is, I worked harder going downhill than up. 

The awards ceremony took a bit longer than anticipated, but we wrapped up and were on the road home by 3pm, once again utilizing 281/183 and avoiding the disappointed Texas fans who clogged I35. 

   

CHANGING OUT A TUBE

 Tubes may becoming obsolete, but we had two flats on today's ride, both of which pointed to something I had blogged about earlier.  Craig had a run-of-the-mill flat and shortly thereafter I had a spectacular one.  First, here is what I blogged on 8/29/22:

 My friend, Randy, at Natchez Trace Travel asked me to jot down a few tips on what to take when doing the Trace, or any other ride for that matter. He advises these will be on his website next week. While cycling this morning, it occurred to me that I had seen many riders, whom I considered experienced, flumoxed when it came to a simple tire change. In my tips, I assume good changing abilities, but to cover myself, I'll expand on the tire/tube changing experience. 

     The three most common causes of flats are: 1) Tube malfunction, e.g. the stem leaks; 2) Pinch flat, caused when you hit a hole or rock and the tire momentarily allows the tube to crash against the rim, resulting in two holes that look like a snake bite; 3) Puncture, as when glass, nail or staple, or sharp rock, penetrates the tire and tube. I shan't mention operator error, when you goof up when installing the tube. We will assume this was done correctly. If you are going on a long ride, like the 444 miles of the Natchez Trace, put new tubes in before you go, practically eliminating cause #1. Keep your tires properly inflated, thus minimizing cause #2. Use a product like Tire Tuffy, minimizing cause #3. 

     But, things happen. Let's assume you are cycling along (not racing) and a flat occurs. Here is what you do: 1. Find a safe and comfortable place (as best you can) to work. 2. Remove the wheel (we all hope it is the front, but it usually is the rear). 3. Remove and arrange your tire changing tools and the spare tube (I use new tubes on the road, patched at home, as this cuts down on the frustration of a installing a defective tube and having to start over). 4. Before doing anything else, inspect the tire to determine the source of the flat. If found, mark the spot with the chalk you carry in your saddle pack. 5. Release one side of the tire, pull out the tube, again marking the tube at the site of the puncture before completely removing it. (I'm assuming knowledge of tire lever usage) 6. Run your fingers (slowly) around the inside of the tire, with special attention to the chalked area, to find the pin, glass etc. that caused the puncture. You may have to remove the tire completely and turn it inside-out in order to find and remove the offending object. I saw one person go through 3 tubes before an experienced traveler interceded and found the glass. Don't skip this step, even if you removed the nail (for instance) from the outside. It is an opportunity to inspect the whole tire. Once satisfied all is clean, move to the next step. 7. Blow a little air into the tube, enough to give it a round shape (maybe 10 pounds). This makes it easier to move out of the way when re-installing the tire. Be sure one side of the tire is already in place before putting in the tube. 8. Be very careful not to catch a piece of the tube with the tire lever when putting on the tire. This will cause a pinch-flat before you even get started. That is also why you put some air in the tire first. 9. After the tire is re-installed, with hands about 3 inches apart, pinch the tire away from the rim, visually making sure the tube didn't sneak out under the tire bead, all the way round the tire. This only takes about 30 seconds and is very important. 10. Air up the tire half-way. Inspect again for bulges or the tube not being inside the tire. 11. Air it up completely. You are finished, except for cleaning up and putting the wheel back on. 

    Forcing yourself to take the time to go through all the steps will result in much less frustration and only adds a few minutes to the whole operation. Occasionally you will receive a gaping hole in the tire, usually a nail or staple. Simply installing a new tube is inadequate, in that when inflated, it will push through the hole in the tire. I carry a 3 inch section of old tire (called a boot) in my saddle pack, and put this over the hole between the tire and tube. This works quite well, especially when the hole is in the sidewall, although each revolution of the tire produces a slight (annoying) bump. I also carry some duct tape and a small section of this over the inside of the tire also works well. In an emergency, paper currency will work, as will a mylar candy wrapper.  Park Tool sells a nice one which is less bulky than a section of old tire.

In Craig's case, while he was getting a new tube, Ray ran his fingers around the inside of the tire and found a small wire which had penetrated tire and tube.  Had he not done this and Craig inserted the tube to inflate it, he would have punched a hole in the new tube.  In my case, whatever I hit blew out the tube, leaving a sizeable whole in it and also took out some of the tire.  I have faithfully carried a boot in my saddle pack for twenty-plus years and have only needed it twice, counting today.  Once Ray got it and the new tube installed, it worked fine.  And since we were on rather rough roads, the bump caused by the boot was not as pronounced as it would have been on smooth asphalt.