This entry has nothing to do with tools. Regular readers know that tools and I are estranged, especially power tools. No, this is a cycling blog and the post is about cycling. Fortunately, this virus thing has only made a minor impact on my cycling. True, I was scheduled to race every Thursday for the next several months and that has disappeared thanks to covid-19, but that also gives me the opportunity to get stronger on the bike. Hence the drills.
I borrowed all of my training rides from coach Owen Shott. I still can't properly interpret the data, but I'm not all that serious until 2022. Today I was scheduled to do a drill that called for three sets of ten by thirty seconds at 220-260 watts and thirty seconds off. Early this morning I had the brilliant idea to do this in a particular parking lot at Old Settlers Park. It was the right length for a thirty-second sprint. The idea was to warm up by riding the park, then hit the parking lot for my workout. Even more brilliant was that I would set my computer on Auto Lap rather than hitting the button each time. Do you see where I'm going? But wait, there's more.
As I get ready to warm up I see some guys who are preparing to stripe the lot. They are working on the red No Parking stripe. No problem, I'm off to warm up. Twenty minutes later I'm back at the car, stopping to set up Auto Lap. And I'm off, pumping hard, hitting 300 watts, but dropping back to 260-280. At the end of the lot I circle out to the road and prepare for the next lap. Then it hits me, this is not going to be a 30-30 circle. Turns out to be closer to 30-60 seconds. And I'm averaging around 300 watts for those thirty seconds. Ok, I decide that this is what my workout will be. I also realize that Auto Lapping isn't going to give me specific data on my thirty second leg, I'll have to look at the graph. Pook!
Well, that's not the end of it. The paint guys are laying down a thick red stripe across where I'm circling. They ask if I could just keep it to one lane. Sure, no problem. I take my four minute break between sets and start the second set. Five laps into it, now passing the Auto Lap spot three times for each acceleration, I see the paint guys are running two red stripes across my lane. Pook, ding-fu!!
No problem. I hop on the sidewalk, get out to the road and move on to another parking lot. If you are following me on Strava, I moved from Drills to More Drills. Since I had to change lots, I also turned off Auto Lap and just hit the lap button at the start and end of each acceleration. This lot has a bit more elevation plus is straight into the wind. I'm still hitting 300 watts most of the time.
As I cycled back to the car I determined my next similar drill would be on Great Northern, manual lap entry, and actually do 30 on, 30 off. at ~250 watts. Even so, I was quite pleased to be able to hold 300 for as many repeats as I did. And truthfully, the legs had more reps in them.
As an aside, I rode up to Walburg Monday. Twenty miles going north, with the wind and twenty-five coming south, against the wind. It was uneventful other than a dog at a house that had never had a dog before. He was pretty big, had a deep bark, and ran me up the road for twenty seconds. He wasn't attacking, just wanted me gone. That approximated a finishing sprint at the Driveway. I have him on my Fly 6 camera, but for whatever reason cannot edit it down to twenty seconds. Maybe I'll just do a picture rather than a video.
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Thursday, March 12, 2020
DRIVEWAY SERIES, 2020
You know the feeling you get when you're really not up to a challenge, but you have to do it anyhow? That was me for opening night of the Driveway Criteriums. The only saving grace was the first night was the Grand Prix Loop, the longest loop and least technical. Then at the last minute it was changed to the Championship Loop, the shorter, very demanding one. As I've mentioned previously, I'm doing this to gain strength and speed, not to come close to being competitive. There are no real age groups here. Yes, there is Masters, but that's 35+ and Under 19 for the young guys. Plus, this year the ladies would be starting with the guys, but have their own race. My race goal is to keep being lapped down to a minimum, in addition to having a hard thirty minute workout.
During my warm-up I had a difficult time getting my heart rate up. And yesterday morning I did a leg workout at the gym and fifteen second power bursts on the bike. Not a good pre-race routine. My late winter-early spring training was lacking some quality work. Well, the race started and I kept up.
My first goal is to stay with the peloton the whole first lap, and later in the year it's to stay with them for two laps. I did that. But I wasn't the only one falling off the pace. I latched on to the wheel of a young lady and hung on for dear life as I recovered somewhat. After a few laps we caught another guy and eventually traded places. When I had time I glanced down at the computer and saw my HR hovering in the 150 range. This is about 90% of my maximum. It took the peloton ten minutes to lap us. With luck, it would be another ten minutes and maybe we could hold it down to just being lapped twice.
There is a slight hill on the backside, called the corkscrew for obvious reasons, and she was having difficulties getting up it. After a few more laps, with me in the lead, she dropped 'way back and I was on my own. About this time I was lapped again, this time a bit more exciting. I had hoped to be through the S curves before they got to me, but unfortunately was in the middle. The most expedient way to get out of their way was to ride into the grass, which is what I did. I believe there might have been some peremptory cursing as the leaders approached, but I was already moving off the tarmac.
There were only a few laps left in the race and the peloton was heating up. I was well ahead of them when I approached the finish line for the penultimate lap but calculated that they would catch me before I could finish the last one. I really didn't want to get caught in the melee, so pulled the plug a lap early.
Now for the stats. Training Peaks gave me gold medals for five minute and ten minute power output and gold medals for five, ten, and twenty minute Heart Rate. The twenty minute HR was 150 with a high of 156. I'm extremely pleased with being able to hold 90% of max for so long a time. The power numbers were also good, with 209 watts for five minutes and 192 for ten. Yesterday's work probably kept me from holding watts for twenty minutes, but still, I'm quite pleased. I raced the championship loop three times last year and this was the fastest time. My cadence was on target: average 90 rpm with a high of 115.
All in all, not bad for the first race of the season. I need to work on proper resting, warming up, pushing a higher gear.
During my warm-up I had a difficult time getting my heart rate up. And yesterday morning I did a leg workout at the gym and fifteen second power bursts on the bike. Not a good pre-race routine. My late winter-early spring training was lacking some quality work. Well, the race started and I kept up.
My first goal is to stay with the peloton the whole first lap, and later in the year it's to stay with them for two laps. I did that. But I wasn't the only one falling off the pace. I latched on to the wheel of a young lady and hung on for dear life as I recovered somewhat. After a few laps we caught another guy and eventually traded places. When I had time I glanced down at the computer and saw my HR hovering in the 150 range. This is about 90% of my maximum. It took the peloton ten minutes to lap us. With luck, it would be another ten minutes and maybe we could hold it down to just being lapped twice.
There is a slight hill on the backside, called the corkscrew for obvious reasons, and she was having difficulties getting up it. After a few more laps, with me in the lead, she dropped 'way back and I was on my own. About this time I was lapped again, this time a bit more exciting. I had hoped to be through the S curves before they got to me, but unfortunately was in the middle. The most expedient way to get out of their way was to ride into the grass, which is what I did. I believe there might have been some peremptory cursing as the leaders approached, but I was already moving off the tarmac.
There were only a few laps left in the race and the peloton was heating up. I was well ahead of them when I approached the finish line for the penultimate lap but calculated that they would catch me before I could finish the last one. I really didn't want to get caught in the melee, so pulled the plug a lap early.
Now for the stats. Training Peaks gave me gold medals for five minute and ten minute power output and gold medals for five, ten, and twenty minute Heart Rate. The twenty minute HR was 150 with a high of 156. I'm extremely pleased with being able to hold 90% of max for so long a time. The power numbers were also good, with 209 watts for five minutes and 192 for ten. Yesterday's work probably kept me from holding watts for twenty minutes, but still, I'm quite pleased. I raced the championship loop three times last year and this was the fastest time. My cadence was on target: average 90 rpm with a high of 115.
All in all, not bad for the first race of the season. I need to work on proper resting, warming up, pushing a higher gear.
Monday, March 9, 2020
SENIOR GAMES STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS, 2020
I am always playing catch-up in the spring, since I never train as much as I should in the winter. Having the Senior Games State Championships in early March doesn't help my confidence. When I looked at who signed up, in my age category, I wasn't buoyed either. There were eight in the group and four of them are faster than me. Or so I thought, I mis-remembered John as being Bill. Only the top four qualify for Nationals next year in Fort Lauderdale. So I prepared to fight it out for forth.
The weather was chilly with overcast skies and I warmed up in tights and jacket. The 40k road race was first on the schedule and I skipped that in favor of the 20k, which was second. While waiting around I discovered that my friend Tom, faster than me, did the 40k and was skipping the 20k, so that was one less fast guy with which to contend. He also did the 10k time trial and skipped the 5k, again giving me one less competitor.
As race time approached I removed my jacket and replaced it with a wind vest, still keeping three layers on my chest. The tights stayed on, keeping with my mantra: under 65 degrees, cover the knees. At the last minute I also removed the vest.
This was a mass start, with all age groups going at the same time. We lined up according to our age groups so we knew who we were racing against, but being old, we were in the back. The young guys showed no mercy from the get-go, but I stayed with them for a mile and a half, combining power and cadence to good effect, following wheels. The grades on this part of the course are deceptively steep. On the one that dropped me I would have said it was a 3-4% grade, but Garmin is showing 6-9% ramps. Anyhow, that is where I waved goodbye to the front group and became a solo rider. My friend Fred stayed with the front group so I knew I had second, because I'd built up a lead over the others, who were dropped immediately.
I did well, powered up each of the back-side hills, including the biggie before finally getting a breather on the longish downhill. Again on the back-side I noticed several riders overtaking me. I looked at the computer to verify I hadn't slowed appreciably, and a bit of concern went through my mind. But as they got closer I saw it was the lead ladies group who had started thirty seconds, or maybe a minute, behind the men. I tacked on to the back for a few hills but on the last one they powered away.
Even though by myself, for the last two hundred meters I jumped out of the saddle and sprinted just to get used to doing that. My time wasn't great, but better than expected. Training Peaks gave me two gold medals for 10 minute and 20 minute power. This is the range of power I'll need for the Driveway criteriums. They also gave a silver for 20 minute heart rate. All in all, a good effort.
For the time trial in the afternoon, the wind had picked up considerably. I had forgotten to change out my power meter, so that data isn't available. I guess I could have had a few beats higher in the heart rate, although the high of 150 was over 90% of max. The memorable part of this ride was a gust of wind that blew me across the road and of course brought me out of my tuck in order to control the bike. Fortunately, it happened when no other riders were returning on this out-and-back course. It cost a few seconds, but I finished twenty seconds behind Fred, so didn't affect the outcome.
So, rather than duking it out for forth, I managed to cruise into two silver medals. I thank Tom for not competing and Bob for not coming. I only have Fred and Tom this year and next before we are in different age groups. Now it's on to criteriums, where my only goals are to not finish last and to hang with the peleton for two laps (last year it was only one lap).
The weather was chilly with overcast skies and I warmed up in tights and jacket. The 40k road race was first on the schedule and I skipped that in favor of the 20k, which was second. While waiting around I discovered that my friend Tom, faster than me, did the 40k and was skipping the 20k, so that was one less fast guy with which to contend. He also did the 10k time trial and skipped the 5k, again giving me one less competitor.
As race time approached I removed my jacket and replaced it with a wind vest, still keeping three layers on my chest. The tights stayed on, keeping with my mantra: under 65 degrees, cover the knees. At the last minute I also removed the vest.
This was a mass start, with all age groups going at the same time. We lined up according to our age groups so we knew who we were racing against, but being old, we were in the back. The young guys showed no mercy from the get-go, but I stayed with them for a mile and a half, combining power and cadence to good effect, following wheels. The grades on this part of the course are deceptively steep. On the one that dropped me I would have said it was a 3-4% grade, but Garmin is showing 6-9% ramps. Anyhow, that is where I waved goodbye to the front group and became a solo rider. My friend Fred stayed with the front group so I knew I had second, because I'd built up a lead over the others, who were dropped immediately.
I did well, powered up each of the back-side hills, including the biggie before finally getting a breather on the longish downhill. Again on the back-side I noticed several riders overtaking me. I looked at the computer to verify I hadn't slowed appreciably, and a bit of concern went through my mind. But as they got closer I saw it was the lead ladies group who had started thirty seconds, or maybe a minute, behind the men. I tacked on to the back for a few hills but on the last one they powered away.
Even though by myself, for the last two hundred meters I jumped out of the saddle and sprinted just to get used to doing that. My time wasn't great, but better than expected. Training Peaks gave me two gold medals for 10 minute and 20 minute power. This is the range of power I'll need for the Driveway criteriums. They also gave a silver for 20 minute heart rate. All in all, a good effort.
For the time trial in the afternoon, the wind had picked up considerably. I had forgotten to change out my power meter, so that data isn't available. I guess I could have had a few beats higher in the heart rate, although the high of 150 was over 90% of max. The memorable part of this ride was a gust of wind that blew me across the road and of course brought me out of my tuck in order to control the bike. Fortunately, it happened when no other riders were returning on this out-and-back course. It cost a few seconds, but I finished twenty seconds behind Fred, so didn't affect the outcome.
So, rather than duking it out for forth, I managed to cruise into two silver medals. I thank Tom for not competing and Bob for not coming. I only have Fred and Tom this year and next before we are in different age groups. Now it's on to criteriums, where my only goals are to not finish last and to hang with the peleton for two laps (last year it was only one lap).
Sunday, March 1, 2020
DALLAS SENIOR GAMES, 2020
The Dallas Senior Games cycling events are held at the Texas Motor Speedway on I-35 between Fort Worth and Denton. We don't get to actually be on the speedway, just the outer road around it. This road is rough as a cob and I dread racing on it. In terms of times, if you compare them to other venues, it is ego-busting. Couple that with my lack of real race preparation and being three years into my age group. I wasn't looking forward to getting drubbed in my races. The format is the 5k and 10k time trials followed by the 20k road race on Saturday and the 40k road race on Sunday. Rather than stay an extra day I opted out of the Sunday race.
The schedule called for the 5k at 9:00, 10k at 10:00 and the 20k at 12:00. The younger riders started first. That would give me time to change out my Stages Power Crank from the time trial bike to the road bike after the 10k. So, that's the background. See my 3/18/2019 post for last year's races.
The drive to Dallas gave me the first taste of I-35 in Waco (what a mess) and the usual Friday get-away traffic in Fort Worth (a nightmare). I checked into the Hilton Garden Inn and changed to my bike clothes (the A&M kit, I always wear that when I'm in macho territory). I did my prescribed Leg Openers routine which worked out to two laps of the 5-mile loop. Training Peaks gave me four gold medals for 5 second, 1 minute, 5 minute and 10 minute Heart Rate, so I guess the routine did what it was supposed to. I returned to the hotel, showered, and found Olive Garden for an early dinner.
Back at the hotel I found reruns of Bones, the TV not getting the Olympic Channel and the UCI Track Championships, as I relaxed in the room. I was asleep around 9:30. I was wide awake at 12:30 am. Sleep would not come. So here I am at 7:30 am, leaving for the Speedway, sleep deprived and not wanting to be here in the first place. Check-in was scheduled for 8:00 am but they were up and running at 7:45. I had to blink twice. I had no competition. Zero others in my age group.Tom, Fred, Bill from Oklahoma, two other guys whose names escape me but are faster than me, none of them were here. My mood lightened considerably.
On occasions like this I never refer to "winning" gold medals. I "received" gold medals. And it isn't like I slacked off on my runs. Well, maybe a bit in the 10k. But for my effort I at least wouldn't be beaten like a drum. Soothes the ego.
For the 5k the temperature was 55 degrees and I kept my tights on, taking off my jacket just before the start. The first mile and a half or so were flat with a medium head wind, then a turn up an incline with the wind on your shoulder, then for the last mile a slight decline with the wind at your back. I took it out in the big ring, but pretty high up the cogs, trying to hold 90 rpm. A slight turn and an itsy-bitsy incline put the wind in my face and speed and cadence dropped for about a minute. Once I got the wind out of my face, things picked up. I hit 28 mph in the final stretch and it probably should have been 30. Last year's 5k was 9:40 and this year 9:17 so I wasn't slacking off. BTW, this is about a minute slower than my usual 5k races. Training Peaks gave me gold medals for 5 minute power and 5 minute Heart Rate.
I warmed down and returned to the car for refreshment and a bit of a rest. Shortly thereafter there was an announcement that the 10k would start at 10:15 am and the 20k road race at 11:15am. Dang! My 10k start time was 10:29 and approximating twenty minutes to race, that wouldn't give me time to switch my power meter crank to the race bike. Well, technically it takes less than ten minutes to switch, even taking my time. But I already had data on the 5k, so I switched cranks. Thus the 10k has no data other than time and speed.
For the 10k my plan was to take it easy and save something for the road race. I started in the small ring and lower on the cassette. The temperature was up to 63-66 but I kept the tights on. My cadence was good, around 90 as planned, and when I got to the speed section I only topped out at 26 mph. Then I turned into the wind and up an incline and the speed really dropped. I finished with a time of 20:10. Last year it was 18:45. Part of that was the wind, the rest because I wasn't trying as hard. But Training Peaks still gave me a gold medal for 20 minute Heart Rate
For the 20k I switched from skin suit to my ZFG kit, and with the temperature now in the 70's, put the tights in the dirty clothes basket. The temperature wasn't the only thing rising. The wind now became a large factor. Then came the announcement, all age groups would form a mass start. This isn't as bad as it sounds, it was a small group, less than a dozen. However, that meant if the young guys wanted to put the hammer down early, I'd be dropped in a hurry.
The wind was my friend. So was a rather large, young guy (60-64 age group) who was doing his first road race. We had a nice, friendly start for a third of a mile then turned into the wind. One really strong rider and the new guy were first and I was on the wheel of the new guy. They set a nice pace so no one felt the need to attack. This was a double pace line, but neither of the guys pulled off. Going up the hill we moved to a single pace line, with me still tucked closely behind the new guy, who was second wheel. When we made the last turn, four and a half miles into the race and back into the wind and up the incline (not enough to call it a hill), he finally pulled off. Fat chance of me leading into the wind, I pulled off also. But unlike him, I put out some heavy watts and caught on to the back and stayed with the group. By now it was clear that there would be no attacks until the hill with the wind at our back. I cruised at the back of the pack. It wasn't so much of an attack as just an increase in speed. My speed increased also, but not as much as theirs. Since I didn't have a dog in that fight, I let them go. They got about 30 seconds ahead but apparently slowed because while they continued to pull away, it wasn't by much.
So I continued on, and didn't push 100% for the last mile, up hill and into the wind. For comparisons, last year my time was 35:00 and this year 34.45. And I still earned two gold medals from Training Peaks for 10 minute and 20 minute Heart Rate.
I left Fort Worth feeling much better about my progress than when I got there. Next week is another race, then the Driveway. I'm liking my Heart Rate numbers, now just need to work on the legs.
The schedule called for the 5k at 9:00, 10k at 10:00 and the 20k at 12:00. The younger riders started first. That would give me time to change out my Stages Power Crank from the time trial bike to the road bike after the 10k. So, that's the background. See my 3/18/2019 post for last year's races.
The drive to Dallas gave me the first taste of I-35 in Waco (what a mess) and the usual Friday get-away traffic in Fort Worth (a nightmare). I checked into the Hilton Garden Inn and changed to my bike clothes (the A&M kit, I always wear that when I'm in macho territory). I did my prescribed Leg Openers routine which worked out to two laps of the 5-mile loop. Training Peaks gave me four gold medals for 5 second, 1 minute, 5 minute and 10 minute Heart Rate, so I guess the routine did what it was supposed to. I returned to the hotel, showered, and found Olive Garden for an early dinner.
Back at the hotel I found reruns of Bones, the TV not getting the Olympic Channel and the UCI Track Championships, as I relaxed in the room. I was asleep around 9:30. I was wide awake at 12:30 am. Sleep would not come. So here I am at 7:30 am, leaving for the Speedway, sleep deprived and not wanting to be here in the first place. Check-in was scheduled for 8:00 am but they were up and running at 7:45. I had to blink twice. I had no competition. Zero others in my age group.Tom, Fred, Bill from Oklahoma, two other guys whose names escape me but are faster than me, none of them were here. My mood lightened considerably.
On occasions like this I never refer to "winning" gold medals. I "received" gold medals. And it isn't like I slacked off on my runs. Well, maybe a bit in the 10k. But for my effort I at least wouldn't be beaten like a drum. Soothes the ego.For the 5k the temperature was 55 degrees and I kept my tights on, taking off my jacket just before the start. The first mile and a half or so were flat with a medium head wind, then a turn up an incline with the wind on your shoulder, then for the last mile a slight decline with the wind at your back. I took it out in the big ring, but pretty high up the cogs, trying to hold 90 rpm. A slight turn and an itsy-bitsy incline put the wind in my face and speed and cadence dropped for about a minute. Once I got the wind out of my face, things picked up. I hit 28 mph in the final stretch and it probably should have been 30. Last year's 5k was 9:40 and this year 9:17 so I wasn't slacking off. BTW, this is about a minute slower than my usual 5k races. Training Peaks gave me gold medals for 5 minute power and 5 minute Heart Rate.
I warmed down and returned to the car for refreshment and a bit of a rest. Shortly thereafter there was an announcement that the 10k would start at 10:15 am and the 20k road race at 11:15am. Dang! My 10k start time was 10:29 and approximating twenty minutes to race, that wouldn't give me time to switch my power meter crank to the race bike. Well, technically it takes less than ten minutes to switch, even taking my time. But I already had data on the 5k, so I switched cranks. Thus the 10k has no data other than time and speed.
For the 10k my plan was to take it easy and save something for the road race. I started in the small ring and lower on the cassette. The temperature was up to 63-66 but I kept the tights on. My cadence was good, around 90 as planned, and when I got to the speed section I only topped out at 26 mph. Then I turned into the wind and up an incline and the speed really dropped. I finished with a time of 20:10. Last year it was 18:45. Part of that was the wind, the rest because I wasn't trying as hard. But Training Peaks still gave me a gold medal for 20 minute Heart Rate
For the 20k I switched from skin suit to my ZFG kit, and with the temperature now in the 70's, put the tights in the dirty clothes basket. The temperature wasn't the only thing rising. The wind now became a large factor. Then came the announcement, all age groups would form a mass start. This isn't as bad as it sounds, it was a small group, less than a dozen. However, that meant if the young guys wanted to put the hammer down early, I'd be dropped in a hurry.
The wind was my friend. So was a rather large, young guy (60-64 age group) who was doing his first road race. We had a nice, friendly start for a third of a mile then turned into the wind. One really strong rider and the new guy were first and I was on the wheel of the new guy. They set a nice pace so no one felt the need to attack. This was a double pace line, but neither of the guys pulled off. Going up the hill we moved to a single pace line, with me still tucked closely behind the new guy, who was second wheel. When we made the last turn, four and a half miles into the race and back into the wind and up the incline (not enough to call it a hill), he finally pulled off. Fat chance of me leading into the wind, I pulled off also. But unlike him, I put out some heavy watts and caught on to the back and stayed with the group. By now it was clear that there would be no attacks until the hill with the wind at our back. I cruised at the back of the pack. It wasn't so much of an attack as just an increase in speed. My speed increased also, but not as much as theirs. Since I didn't have a dog in that fight, I let them go. They got about 30 seconds ahead but apparently slowed because while they continued to pull away, it wasn't by much.
So I continued on, and didn't push 100% for the last mile, up hill and into the wind. For comparisons, last year my time was 35:00 and this year 34.45. And I still earned two gold medals from Training Peaks for 10 minute and 20 minute Heart Rate.
I left Fort Worth feeling much better about my progress than when I got there. Next week is another race, then the Driveway. I'm liking my Heart Rate numbers, now just need to work on the legs.
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
GET TETHERED!
I like words. This one crossed my mind as I tethered my Garmin to the handle bars of my bike. It is, now, a standard routine so why would I even think about the word. Well, the bike was on the trainer in the kitchen. The chances of it becoming dislodged from the holder were slim to none. If you look up the etymology of tether you get no definitive answer, maybe Norse, maybe Germanic. But it means, as a verb, to fasten something, or, as a noun, the rope or chain itself. Mostly it referred to animals.
Old people hate change. The older you get the more you stick to the "good old days." Learning new things really is difficult so it is easier not to. But I digress. Two Garmins, and maybe ten years, back, I was bombing down Great Hills Trail toward 360. This is a rough street and toward the bottom, approximately 26 mph, my computer jumped off and hit the pavement. It was never the same, even though I sent it to Garmin for repair (don't get me started on that). So I purchased a new Garmin 500. Several years later I upgraded to the 520. I still have, and occasionally use, the 500.
The new 520 came with this little wristband-type cord. I put it aside, shrugged my shoulders, and started reading the instruction manual. Ah, it was the tether. At approximately the same time, my friend Todd was in discussion with others and opined that he always tethered his computer to his bike. The light bulb finally went off. If your computer jumps out of its holder, the tether will keep it from hitting the ground. I went back and read the instructions on how to attach the cord to the computer and have been using the tether ever since.
Speaking of things jumping off your bike, several years ago I posted a fun clip of my GoPro coming loose and hitting the asphalt as I descended a mountain (See July 21, 2017). In that case, it was the mount that broke off. Another aside: to get the camera facing forward you need to cobble several pieces of plastic accessories. The part attached to the bike stayed put, it was the second part that broke. The GoPro itself was unharmed. I got a new mount, but apparently didn't learn much from the previous experience and on a Velo View ride to Johnson City it happened again. This time I was oblivious to its departure and was several miles down the road before noticing. No use going back to try to find it. Personally, I believe the mount design is faulty. In any case, I now have a Fly6 on the back of my bike, velcro, and nothing facing forward.
Old people hate change. The older you get the more you stick to the "good old days." Learning new things really is difficult so it is easier not to. But I digress. Two Garmins, and maybe ten years, back, I was bombing down Great Hills Trail toward 360. This is a rough street and toward the bottom, approximately 26 mph, my computer jumped off and hit the pavement. It was never the same, even though I sent it to Garmin for repair (don't get me started on that). So I purchased a new Garmin 500. Several years later I upgraded to the 520. I still have, and occasionally use, the 500.
The new 520 came with this little wristband-type cord. I put it aside, shrugged my shoulders, and started reading the instruction manual. Ah, it was the tether. At approximately the same time, my friend Todd was in discussion with others and opined that he always tethered his computer to his bike. The light bulb finally went off. If your computer jumps out of its holder, the tether will keep it from hitting the ground. I went back and read the instructions on how to attach the cord to the computer and have been using the tether ever since.
Speaking of things jumping off your bike, several years ago I posted a fun clip of my GoPro coming loose and hitting the asphalt as I descended a mountain (See July 21, 2017). In that case, it was the mount that broke off. Another aside: to get the camera facing forward you need to cobble several pieces of plastic accessories. The part attached to the bike stayed put, it was the second part that broke. The GoPro itself was unharmed. I got a new mount, but apparently didn't learn much from the previous experience and on a Velo View ride to Johnson City it happened again. This time I was oblivious to its departure and was several miles down the road before noticing. No use going back to try to find it. Personally, I believe the mount design is faulty. In any case, I now have a Fly6 on the back of my bike, velcro, and nothing facing forward.
Sunday, February 16, 2020
STRAVA ME
Yesterday I rode with Velo View on the Dripping Springs ride. I did this route once before with Velo View a few years ago and it is very nice. It has its ups and downs, great views, very little traffic. There were a few minor hiccups, but this post isn't about the ride itself. It's about me and Strava. One of the things about being old and riding with younger folks is that most of the time you are struggling to keep up, so you don't get an honest perspective as to how you stack up against guys your own age. This doesn't matter much usually, but when you race against guys your own age, your fitness matters a lot. So yesterday I was just following wheels, or solo in the case of the last eight miles trying, and failing, to keep up with Dan and Dani on their mechanically-challenged tandem.
According to my Garmin, there were only about 300 feet of elevation gain, but we did it enough times to get in about 1,500 feet of climbing in 36 miles of the route some of us took. I didn't think I was going hard until the last eight miles. But when I got home and looked at Strava, I counted seven PR's and ten 2nd place medals. Of course, since this was only the second time on this route, that was to be expected. This is a popular course for cyclists, and this got me thinking it would be an opportunity to check the 75+ age group on Strava. So I pulled up all of the segments to see how I fared. The results include both of my rides.
There were twenty-four segments on my route. My times placed me 1st in nine of them, 2nd in ten, 3rd in four, and 5th in one. So that pretty much strokes my ego. Of course, a lot of those times were twice as much as what the fastest riders were laying down, so we must keep perspective. One thing I'm thankful for is that Steve Corothers and Bebe Lapin don't race. If any of you know them, say 'Hi" for me.
Racing season is fast approaching and I know I'm still not ready. But yesterday was a boost of confidence. Now all I need is some warm, sunny days.
According to my Garmin, there were only about 300 feet of elevation gain, but we did it enough times to get in about 1,500 feet of climbing in 36 miles of the route some of us took. I didn't think I was going hard until the last eight miles. But when I got home and looked at Strava, I counted seven PR's and ten 2nd place medals. Of course, since this was only the second time on this route, that was to be expected. This is a popular course for cyclists, and this got me thinking it would be an opportunity to check the 75+ age group on Strava. So I pulled up all of the segments to see how I fared. The results include both of my rides.
There were twenty-four segments on my route. My times placed me 1st in nine of them, 2nd in ten, 3rd in four, and 5th in one. So that pretty much strokes my ego. Of course, a lot of those times were twice as much as what the fastest riders were laying down, so we must keep perspective. One thing I'm thankful for is that Steve Corothers and Bebe Lapin don't race. If any of you know them, say 'Hi" for me.
Racing season is fast approaching and I know I'm still not ready. But yesterday was a boost of confidence. Now all I need is some warm, sunny days.
Thursday, February 13, 2020
CHAIN MAINTENANCE
In the previous post I mentioned cross-chaining. That got me to thinking more about the chain. Cross chaining happens when the chain crosses the centerline of the cassette. That is, if you are in the big chainring and large cog or the small chainring and small cog. Actually, once you are out of the middle four or five cogs you begin to cross-chain.. This wears on the cassette and the chain, resulting in deformation of the chain and premature wearing out of the cassette.
Several years ago, I was riding through a neighborhood on my way to the country and saw a young (14-16ish) lady sitting on the sidewalk with her bike in front of her. I stopped to ask if I could help and she said no, thanks. So I continued on with my ride. An hour or two later as I returned, she hadn't moved so I stopped again. She was having trouble with her chain, which somehow had come off the sprocket and wrapped around itself. This as a Huffy-type bike. It took quite a bit of doing but eventually I muscled it back into position. Apparently it have never been lubricated. I advised to have her dad use 3 in 1 or WD-40 on it. I could tell they wouldn't have anything better at home. All of this to get to what I do in terms of actual maintenance.
Regular readers know that other than air the tire and lube the chain, and occasionally washing it, I take my bikes to the shop to keep them running. On average I clean the chain quarterly. But I lube it bi-weekly, or more if I get caught in wet weather. I keep a shop towel in the car and after a ride will clean the chain. I don't wait to get home to do it, the chain gets clean before getting put in the car. Apparently any oil (i.e. lubricant) on the outside of the chain isn't helpful, plus acts as a sponge to extract the oil that is actually doing its job. So the sooner you remove the excess the better.
I use Rock 'N' Roll Gold mostly, but also have Pedro's as backup. Get the chain saturated, then start wiping off the excess. It is better if the chain sits overnight. Don't forget to wipe the pulleys and chainring.
The other part of chain maintenance is to periodically check the chain length. Eventually the chain will stretch (it really doesn't "stretch" the bushings get smaller, thus increasing the space between links. Pay no attention). A stretched chain will cause a lot of wear on the cogs (read:you can destroy a cassette in a matter of weeks if you have an old, stretched chain), and chainring too for that matter. It's easy to check. Twelve chain links should measure exactly twelve inches (from middle of pin to middle of pin) That's a new chain. What I've read is you can let it go to 12 1/8 before replacing. I'd rather just get a new chain. There is a tool, a chain checker, that will save you from measuring or wondering if it's stretched too far. You just slap it into the chain, and it tells you if you need to replace or not. If you aren't getting a clean, crisp shift you might want to check your chain.
Last year during the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong was commenting on a particular day and what cassettes the pros were using. He said something to the effect of they were putting the low cogs on, not because they were going to use them, but because the ones they were going to use would be in the middle, thus reducing friction. I wonder how many watts that relates too.
Several years ago, I was riding through a neighborhood on my way to the country and saw a young (14-16ish) lady sitting on the sidewalk with her bike in front of her. I stopped to ask if I could help and she said no, thanks. So I continued on with my ride. An hour or two later as I returned, she hadn't moved so I stopped again. She was having trouble with her chain, which somehow had come off the sprocket and wrapped around itself. This as a Huffy-type bike. It took quite a bit of doing but eventually I muscled it back into position. Apparently it have never been lubricated. I advised to have her dad use 3 in 1 or WD-40 on it. I could tell they wouldn't have anything better at home. All of this to get to what I do in terms of actual maintenance.
Regular readers know that other than air the tire and lube the chain, and occasionally washing it, I take my bikes to the shop to keep them running. On average I clean the chain quarterly. But I lube it bi-weekly, or more if I get caught in wet weather. I keep a shop towel in the car and after a ride will clean the chain. I don't wait to get home to do it, the chain gets clean before getting put in the car. Apparently any oil (i.e. lubricant) on the outside of the chain isn't helpful, plus acts as a sponge to extract the oil that is actually doing its job. So the sooner you remove the excess the better.
I use Rock 'N' Roll Gold mostly, but also have Pedro's as backup. Get the chain saturated, then start wiping off the excess. It is better if the chain sits overnight. Don't forget to wipe the pulleys and chainring.
The other part of chain maintenance is to periodically check the chain length. Eventually the chain will stretch (it really doesn't "stretch" the bushings get smaller, thus increasing the space between links. Pay no attention). A stretched chain will cause a lot of wear on the cogs (read:you can destroy a cassette in a matter of weeks if you have an old, stretched chain), and chainring too for that matter. It's easy to check. Twelve chain links should measure exactly twelve inches (from middle of pin to middle of pin) That's a new chain. What I've read is you can let it go to 12 1/8 before replacing. I'd rather just get a new chain. There is a tool, a chain checker, that will save you from measuring or wondering if it's stretched too far. You just slap it into the chain, and it tells you if you need to replace or not. If you aren't getting a clean, crisp shift you might want to check your chain.
Last year during the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong was commenting on a particular day and what cassettes the pros were using. He said something to the effect of they were putting the low cogs on, not because they were going to use them, but because the ones they were going to use would be in the middle, thus reducing friction. I wonder how many watts that relates too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)