Yesterday I did the Wednesday nite ride at the Old Stone Church in West boylston. Usually I don't get to ride on wednesday nites, but when I do it's fun. Compared to the first time I did the ride, I've definitely improved and gotten stronger. The first time, we took Laurel street to holden, up Elmwood to Ball Hill, then to princeton center. My memory of that first ride was "holy shit these guys are fast." On the first climb up Elmwood and jefferson rd, I got dropped. Luckily they slowed down a bit, but not quite enough for me to recover. By the time I got to brook station road, they were long gone. There was a 2 other people near me. I tried my best to grind up Ball Hill road, but there was no chance of me catching them.
The next time I did the WNR, I did better and managed to hang on until the top of ball hill road. Fast forward 2 years and things are different. For the first half of the ride, I can just hang on the climbs. I'm still at the back of the group, but I'm ok with that. Compared to 2011, my avg mph up the climbs are 2-3mph faster. On a good day, I can hold the wheel in front of me.
Without a doubt I've gotten stronger, but the fast guys are even faster now. That's a good thing and gives me motivation. The downside is that my training sucks. I have no rhyme or reason to how I train. I don't have a plan or schedule laid out. Every day I look forward to my ride and just ride. I'm too happy to be riding to think about how I should be training. The thing, I'm ok with that. I ride for health and fun. For me, it's not about racing or killing myself. The act of spinning up a steep hill makes me happy. I don't know how much more progress I can make without getting serious about training, but I don't really care. At the end of the day, I'm just happy to be healthy and energetic. I hope to keep it up and live to 100. My ultimate goal is to ride a century when I am 100. I want to live long enough to see my great grandchildren. If I'm lucky and live healthy, maybe I'll live long enough to see my great great grandchildren.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
Skratch Labs exercise hydration - holy pineapple batman
I am a creature of habit. 3 days a week I ride the same exact lunch route. When I go to a restaurant, I always order the same thing. When I get coffee, I get the same thing. I've been using Skratch Labs since last year. Up until last week, I always used the same lemon/lime flavor. Why change flavor when I know what I like.
My son in contrast loves to try new things and new flavors. Back in March I got a few free samples of other flavors with my usual order of lemon/lime. My son tried it and like it, so I bought a box of variety packs. Last week I ran out of lemon/lime and was heading out for a long ride. What do I do? Rather than get dehydrated on a long ride, I decided to try the pineapple and orange.
To my surprise the pineapple kicks ass! If someone asked me "what flavor do you want on a long hard ride?" Pineapple wouldn't be in the top 10. Now that's changed. The pineapple is refreshing, light and a joy to drink. The first taste of pineapple was on a flat going about 25mph. Instead of the usual "Blech, what is this fruity garbage from gatoraid?" I felt refreshed. Before there was Skratch, I used to use Gatoraid lemon/lime. When I was in my teens, the sickly sweet Gatoraid flavors were fine. After my teens, Gatoraid is just too sweet and hard to swallow. Last year my kids got me a 8 pack of orange Gatoraid. Seriously, that is some haneous stuff. When it's super cold right out of the freezer like a slushy, it's ok. In any other form, it's just too darn sweet. Enough bashing Gatoraid.
Skratch guys thank you for an awesome product. You've changed my hydration routine and made me a believer in great taste. Now, when I run out of lemon/lime my first thought isn't "doh! I forgot to place an order." I look forward to trying the other flavors. I'm still a creature of habit and lemon/lime will still be the flavor I drink 80% of the time. The other 20% is a nice change of pace.
My son in contrast loves to try new things and new flavors. Back in March I got a few free samples of other flavors with my usual order of lemon/lime. My son tried it and like it, so I bought a box of variety packs. Last week I ran out of lemon/lime and was heading out for a long ride. What do I do? Rather than get dehydrated on a long ride, I decided to try the pineapple and orange.
To my surprise the pineapple kicks ass! If someone asked me "what flavor do you want on a long hard ride?" Pineapple wouldn't be in the top 10. Now that's changed. The pineapple is refreshing, light and a joy to drink. The first taste of pineapple was on a flat going about 25mph. Instead of the usual "Blech, what is this fruity garbage from gatoraid?" I felt refreshed. Before there was Skratch, I used to use Gatoraid lemon/lime. When I was in my teens, the sickly sweet Gatoraid flavors were fine. After my teens, Gatoraid is just too sweet and hard to swallow. Last year my kids got me a 8 pack of orange Gatoraid. Seriously, that is some haneous stuff. When it's super cold right out of the freezer like a slushy, it's ok. In any other form, it's just too darn sweet. Enough bashing Gatoraid.
Skratch guys thank you for an awesome product. You've changed my hydration routine and made me a believer in great taste. Now, when I run out of lemon/lime my first thought isn't "doh! I forgot to place an order." I look forward to trying the other flavors. I'm still a creature of habit and lemon/lime will still be the flavor I drink 80% of the time. The other 20% is a nice change of pace.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
I'm not a weight weenie, but less is more
I honestly didn't think I would notice the difference in weight with the new Mavic Aksium wheels and Shimano 105 crankset. When I got home after my first ride, it wasn't clear to me the stiffer crank made a difference in speed, but picking it up I felt it. The bike was lighter. I haven't weighed it, but I'm guessing it's probably 1 lb lighter. Does that really matter? Honestly I don't think so.
If I loose 5lbs, that will make a much bigger difference. Last Saturday I climbed Route 62 up to Wachusett summit with a new PR. I don't know if it was the new 105 crankset, but it was easy to get in a good spin. Even on the steep parts of summit road, I was able to spin at a decent RPM.
If I loose 5lbs, that will make a much bigger difference. Last Saturday I climbed Route 62 up to Wachusett summit with a new PR. I don't know if it was the new 105 crankset, but it was easy to get in a good spin. Even on the steep parts of summit road, I was able to spin at a decent RPM.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Picking the right bike
Now that I've been riding 3 years and have a better understanding, I'm really glad I chose to get Giant Avail Advanced over Trek Madone. I own a few Trek bikes, specialized, Fuji and Giant. When I tried Madone in 2011, I couldn't really express why I didn't like it. The reason is simple, I didn't know anything. With only 1 year of road riding, my skills sucked, my strength sucked and my understanding of handling sucked.
As my fitness and skills improve, I started to notice how the bike handles on different roads and conditions. For example, my Specialized Dolce is a good bike, but a couple of things make it uncomfortable on longer ride over 60 miles.
1. the stem is too long, which causes me to keep my arms straight. After about 40 miles, my hands start to feel numb. When I go into the drops, it's difficult to generate max power.
2. the aluminum frame transmits more of the road vibration, which causes soreness of my shoulders, back and neck. I've ridden 4 centuries on the Dolce. Half way through, I started having numb hands and a tight back.
3. it's difficult to get an ideal position on the dolce. this could easily be fixed by getting a shorter stem and pushing the saddle back a few millimeters.
Even with this minor fit issues, my Dolce is far more comfortable than the Madone I tried. Back then I chalked it up to the lame saddle on the bike, but now I know better. The Madone is very stiff, but it also transmits much more road vibration. Many of the roads around central MA have potholes, dirt/sand, or need to be repaved. I tried adjusting the saddle forward/back, but it didn't help. When I returned the Madone, the sales people tried to convince me to get a bodyfit. Even if I had switched the stem to a shorter one, changed to shallow drop bars, changed the saddle and lowered the tire pressure, it would still transmit more road vibration to my body. I'm sure for someone that's tougher, the Madone would be fine. For me, Madone is too harsh. Even though the Madone responds immediately to the rider, it's also unforgiving.
My giant Avail advanced 2 in contrast isn't as stiff as a Madone, but I can ride a double metric with zero fatigue. Last year, I rode King's Tour of the Quabbin double metric with some 7HW friends. At 98 miles, we were averaging 20mph and I felt great. There was no fatigue and my hands were never numb. Around mile 110, I started to cramp, but that was due to hydration.
I'm 5'3", 140-145lbs and stocky. My arms and legs are shorter than average, so a relaxed geometry is a better fit in every way. Picking the "right" bike isn't easy, and it's not really a science. The only good way to pick the "right" bike is to test drive some.
As my fitness and skills improve, I started to notice how the bike handles on different roads and conditions. For example, my Specialized Dolce is a good bike, but a couple of things make it uncomfortable on longer ride over 60 miles.
1. the stem is too long, which causes me to keep my arms straight. After about 40 miles, my hands start to feel numb. When I go into the drops, it's difficult to generate max power.
2. the aluminum frame transmits more of the road vibration, which causes soreness of my shoulders, back and neck. I've ridden 4 centuries on the Dolce. Half way through, I started having numb hands and a tight back.
3. it's difficult to get an ideal position on the dolce. this could easily be fixed by getting a shorter stem and pushing the saddle back a few millimeters.
Even with this minor fit issues, my Dolce is far more comfortable than the Madone I tried. Back then I chalked it up to the lame saddle on the bike, but now I know better. The Madone is very stiff, but it also transmits much more road vibration. Many of the roads around central MA have potholes, dirt/sand, or need to be repaved. I tried adjusting the saddle forward/back, but it didn't help. When I returned the Madone, the sales people tried to convince me to get a bodyfit. Even if I had switched the stem to a shorter one, changed to shallow drop bars, changed the saddle and lowered the tire pressure, it would still transmit more road vibration to my body. I'm sure for someone that's tougher, the Madone would be fine. For me, Madone is too harsh. Even though the Madone responds immediately to the rider, it's also unforgiving.
My giant Avail advanced 2 in contrast isn't as stiff as a Madone, but I can ride a double metric with zero fatigue. Last year, I rode King's Tour of the Quabbin double metric with some 7HW friends. At 98 miles, we were averaging 20mph and I felt great. There was no fatigue and my hands were never numb. Around mile 110, I started to cramp, but that was due to hydration.
I'm 5'3", 140-145lbs and stocky. My arms and legs are shorter than average, so a relaxed geometry is a better fit in every way. Picking the "right" bike isn't easy, and it's not really a science. The only good way to pick the "right" bike is to test drive some.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Rose32 after thoughts
On Sunday, I rode down to Rose32 bakery with a bunch of guys from 7 hills wheelmen. The usual suspects showed up: don, kat, eric f, eric d, dave c, kevin, justin, marty, mike foley, joe. The pace down was good and my legs felt good. At every town line Dave had to sprint, which is fun and a good motivation. I kept a steady pace and stuck on Justin's wheel. As we climbed the last hill before Rose32, kat and mike had to sprint for it, so I decided to tag along.
When we arrived at the bakery, I looked at cyclemeter and noticed we had averaged 24mph from Paxton center school. That's a distance of 22 miles, give or take. Everyone worked together and took turns pulling. Eric D and Dave tended to take longer pulls, since they're stronger.
When I first started, I used to just ride by myself. That was mostly due to confidence in my skills and bike handling. Riding in a paceline felt scary and I didn't want to cause others to crash. It took me 18 months of riding to get comfortable with the road position. For the most part, I kept my hands on the hoods and tops. My friend dave tried to teach me pace line, and other important skills, but it took a damn long time for me to learn. I'm just not natural and don't handle the bike with any talent. When I see someone that is a natural, everything looks effortless. Their cadence is steady the entire time and rarely do they over spin or struggle to find the right gear.
When I first started, I would only shift the rear and then have to drop to the small chain ring. That usually meant over spinning. Sometimes I'd recover quickly, sometimes it would just throw me off. On bad days, I'd end up grinding to a crawl. As I got more fit, I was less focused on survival and more on cadence. Right around 18 months, I started to get a floating sensation. My friend dave said "you know the cadence is good when you feel like you're floating and it's like you're not peddling at all."
On Sunday's ride, my legs felt that wonderful floating sensation for most of the ride. On the final climb up to Paxton center it was hard. Marty and I worked together to pull each other up the hill. Even though I didn't feel "fast" going up long pond climb, I ended up getting a personal record (PR). With a few more great group rides, my legs will be back in shape.
When we arrived at the bakery, I looked at cyclemeter and noticed we had averaged 24mph from Paxton center school. That's a distance of 22 miles, give or take. Everyone worked together and took turns pulling. Eric D and Dave tended to take longer pulls, since they're stronger.
When I first started, I used to just ride by myself. That was mostly due to confidence in my skills and bike handling. Riding in a paceline felt scary and I didn't want to cause others to crash. It took me 18 months of riding to get comfortable with the road position. For the most part, I kept my hands on the hoods and tops. My friend dave tried to teach me pace line, and other important skills, but it took a damn long time for me to learn. I'm just not natural and don't handle the bike with any talent. When I see someone that is a natural, everything looks effortless. Their cadence is steady the entire time and rarely do they over spin or struggle to find the right gear.
When I first started, I would only shift the rear and then have to drop to the small chain ring. That usually meant over spinning. Sometimes I'd recover quickly, sometimes it would just throw me off. On bad days, I'd end up grinding to a crawl. As I got more fit, I was less focused on survival and more on cadence. Right around 18 months, I started to get a floating sensation. My friend dave said "you know the cadence is good when you feel like you're floating and it's like you're not peddling at all."
On Sunday's ride, my legs felt that wonderful floating sensation for most of the ride. On the final climb up to Paxton center it was hard. Marty and I worked together to pull each other up the hill. Even though I didn't feel "fast" going up long pond climb, I ended up getting a personal record (PR). With a few more great group rides, my legs will be back in shape.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Mavic Aksium wheels
Now that I've had 2 weeks of riding on the Aksium wheels, here's some thoughts. The first is that I can't tell any difference in speed. What I do notice is the bike is lighter than with the stock Giant PR2 wheels. I didn't think that mattered or that I'd even notice, but it is noticeable.
The wheels look nice and they've worked well. Breaking is about the same as before. On my regular lunch ride, I haven't noticed any appreciable speed increase on holden reservoir going south. The thing is, I don't even know how to compare, since I don't have a lab to isolate all the variables. On windy days I don't know it makes any difference. If there is, I can't tell.
One thing I did notice is the older giant PR2 were gentler on potholes and bumps. I usually inflate to about 110 and use 700x25. The tires that came with the Aksium are 700x23, so it's not comparable. Once I swap out the stock tires for Gatorskin hardshell, it will be easier to see if there's a difference.
The last few weekends I've done 40-60 mile rides and I haven't noticed any additional hand, wrist or shoulder fatigue. I can't attribute this to Aksium wheels being stiffer, since I haven't measured it. Even if it is, swapping out the stock tires and reducing the PSI to 105 would probably be enough.
Overall, I'm happy with the Aksium wheels.
The wheels look nice and they've worked well. Breaking is about the same as before. On my regular lunch ride, I haven't noticed any appreciable speed increase on holden reservoir going south. The thing is, I don't even know how to compare, since I don't have a lab to isolate all the variables. On windy days I don't know it makes any difference. If there is, I can't tell.
One thing I did notice is the older giant PR2 were gentler on potholes and bumps. I usually inflate to about 110 and use 700x25. The tires that came with the Aksium are 700x23, so it's not comparable. Once I swap out the stock tires for Gatorskin hardshell, it will be easier to see if there's a difference.
The last few weekends I've done 40-60 mile rides and I haven't noticed any additional hand, wrist or shoulder fatigue. I can't attribute this to Aksium wheels being stiffer, since I haven't measured it. Even if it is, swapping out the stock tires and reducing the PSI to 105 would probably be enough.
Overall, I'm happy with the Aksium wheels.
Funny haha
The last two weeks I've been using my new Polar H7 HRM to measure my resting heart rate during the day. I use cyclemeter to log and view the results. Right now, my avg heart rate is around 57, which is pretty good.
One day, I noticed a couple of odd blips in the heart rate. When I looked at the graph, I noticed 2 different times it spiked to over 80. For a few seconds I was confused, since nothing unusual happened. Then I looked at the time and realized it was when my wife came down to the basement to talk to me.
Both times the heart rate jumped was caused by her. When I told her that fact, she got a good laugh. Even though I make a point to tell her how much I appreciate her every day, often she thinks I'm just being overly mushy. Now that I have proof from my Polar HRM, she gets a kick out of distracting me and raising my heart rate.
On a different note, after 2 months of daily use, I've noticed the soft strap is starting to smell. I soak in water after each ride, since I sweat a lot. With my previous HRM from sigma sport, it was more resistant to odors. I don't know if it's because of the strap material or hard versus soft. I guess I'll have to start washing it with detergent and see if that helps with odors.
One day, I noticed a couple of odd blips in the heart rate. When I looked at the graph, I noticed 2 different times it spiked to over 80. For a few seconds I was confused, since nothing unusual happened. Then I looked at the time and realized it was when my wife came down to the basement to talk to me.
Both times the heart rate jumped was caused by her. When I told her that fact, she got a good laugh. Even though I make a point to tell her how much I appreciate her every day, often she thinks I'm just being overly mushy. Now that I have proof from my Polar HRM, she gets a kick out of distracting me and raising my heart rate.
On a different note, after 2 months of daily use, I've noticed the soft strap is starting to smell. I soak in water after each ride, since I sweat a lot. With my previous HRM from sigma sport, it was more resistant to odors. I don't know if it's because of the strap material or hard versus soft. I guess I'll have to start washing it with detergent and see if that helps with odors.
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