Mike's Bike Blog

The training for the week was pretty strenuous. I ended up with 131.47 miles and 5189.7 feet of climbing. The week started off with back to back days doing climbing repeats. I'd been looking forward to Monday's lunch time ride as I was going to tackle the hill on Adirondack Trail for the first time. I found Adirondack Trail by going down it as one of the routes I take on my commute home. The route included Far West / Laredo Norte / 360 / Adirondack / Mesa.  The stats for Adirondack are as follows

The toughest part of Adirondack is the beginning, once you get over it the grade levels out, that is if you consider 6.8 level. I didn't find the hill too difficult. In fact I had to keep shifting near the top so I could keep my power at the prescribed levels for Climbing Repeats. Since it wasn't too taxing I decided to throw in Mesa. The climbing feet for the entire ride was 1484.6 feet, not bad for a ride during lunch. I followed that up with another climbing day on Tuesday. This time for my lunch hour I tackled Mesa then Far West and then back up Mesa. This ride was 1228.7 feet of climbing. On Wednesday I did OverUnders that took me up Far West to 360 all the way up to Jollyville. Of course on Thursday I raced the Kenny Hill Autoworks Crit. I didn't log any miles on Friday.

On Saturday Dan and I decided to combine 2 of the better Cedar Park routes, Parmer and Volente Circle. We met on Brushy Creek and headed up Parmer to Hwy 29 averaging 18.1 mph. At Hwy 29 we turned around to make our way over to Anderson Mill to start the Volente Circle. For the 20 miles that makes up the Volente Circle we averaged 18.3 mph. In the end we average 17.93 mph (we had a slow stretch between Parmer and Anderson Mill navigating through the neighborhoods where we average 16 mph while we chatted). The total climbing for the route was 1458.4 feet in the 50 miles for the combined route.

It was Dan's first time on the Volente Circle, he said he liked the route I liked combining 2 good routes into one to come up with something entirely new. The Volente Circle is like bacon, anything you wrap up with it will be good.

You always hear of the professional riders scoping out a course beforehand. Lance would spend considerable time in France riding the Tour stages to gain advantages. On Saturday I did the same with the Outlaw Trail 100's 100 mile route. Last year I did the 40 mile route, this year I'll be doing the 100 mile route. I got up early, 5am, got 2 bottles of Heed mixed up, the hydration pack filled with water and a few bars. I'm out of gel so a few servings of honey would have to do. If I have the time I like to eat something small 3 hours prior to the start. This time I'd only have 2 hours since I'd be launching at 7am, I had a piece of toast with peanut butter. I loaded everything in the car and heading over to Old Settlers Park in Round Rock. I started the 100 mile recon a few minutes after 7am.

I would consider the route flat, however when I got back and downloaded my Garmin data there was more climbing than what I thought, I guess the small rollers added up. My unsmoothed Garmin data said there was 4219 feet of climbing, but after smoothing it was 2959 feet.

There is one spot I should point out that is really dangerous, it is on CR 100, the crossing over the San Gabriel River. As you come down CR 100 you'll make a hard right, the pavement is in terrible shape, it's littered with potholes and loose gravel. If you are going at a high rate of speed this can be very dangerous. If you make it through the turn and get onto the bridge it is not much better condition. It too is a terrible section of road with holes and rocks. Once you get over the bridge there is a small incline that isn't too bad, but at this point there can still be a lot of riders that will be scrambling to the top. Once at the top is Hwy 29 and there can be a stop. Last year they had a highway patrolman conducting traffic and thus it may or may not be clear to go. I think this is the most technical section of the course due to the sharp turn that leads to the bridge and the obstacles on the bridge and then the short steep hill up to the stop sign.

The first portion of the ride has you going through Weir, Walburg and Bartlett. I think each town has a population of around 1,000. I stopped in the historic district of Bartlett and ate 2 of my bars and headed back out. I debated if I should stop at the gas station in Bartlett and refill as I'd consumed 1 of the bottles of Heed. I still had 1 other bottle of heed and my hydration pack so calculated that I'd be fine and that I could make it all the way around Granger Lake and into Circleville.

One road condition worth noting was after Bartlett, I believe it was CR 357, it was very bumpy. Not broken road bumpy, just that rough asphalt, at one point my teeth were chattering along with the noise of my chain rattling over the relentless bouncing. After Bartlett it was desolate, actually there weren't many cars passing me either direction. As I was riding I figured if something happened to me they wouldn't find me until October when they run the Outlaw Trail 100.

I diverted off the course route a bit at the intersection of CR 412 & 619 to see if I could find a gas station. It looked like there was one and I had went through my last bottle of Heed but still had water in my hydration pack. I would have had to divert into Taylor so I got back on course en route for Circleville. Once I turned around I found the wind! It wasn't bad, it could have been a lot worse, this stretch of the route (16.8 miles) was my slowest split. I only averaged 16.23 mph. It was also right before Circleville my knee started to act up (not the same knee that had been hurting a couple months ago, it was the other one). Luckily the pain wasn't consistent, there would only be a moment of shooting pain in it. Surprisingly it didn't get worse, there was only brief seconds of pain and then it would be gone. I did adjust my gearing to lighten the load and upped my cadence. The gas station at Circleville never looked so good. I refilled my bottles, mixed up a batch of Heed and got ice and water in my hydration pack for the last haul back. Since I was out of honey and bars I did get a Coke to get some needed calories.

On Saturday the conditions were perfect, it was overcast, not too hot (93 degrees) and most importantly the wind wasn't too bad. It seems whenever I ride out east the wind usually plays a factor. Last year it definitely factored in. In the afternoon the wind did pick up a bit. Luckily the bouts with it were short, we can only hope come October 18, 2008 the conditions are the same.

Ride Recap

Tonight I did go for a short recovery ride and my knee felt fine, no hints of pain. I'll take it easy this week just to be sure. I should be ready come October. This was a dry run to get a feel for the course and to also gauge my fitness as my goal is to complete it in 5 1/2 hours. To come in at 5 1/2 hours I'll need to average about 18.18 mph, which is doable, especially if I can get with a good pace line and have other competitors to push me. One thing I'll have to do is double check the actual distance, when I mapped it on RoadBikeRides.com the total mileage came up at 98 miles so I was quite surprised when I got back to the park and saw that I had gone 109 miles. This means 18.18 mph might not cut it to come in at/below 5 1/2 hours.

On Friday for my commute home I decided to take a different route. I had the bright idea of going home via Bluegrass. I had ridden up it the week before so going home on this new route shouldn't be a problem. In fact mileage wise it is the shortest distance from my house to the office on Far West at 15 miles. There was one thing I didn't count on, 100 degree weather!

When I started my climb up Bluegrass I noticed that this time it was a bit more difficult than on Saturday mornings ride up it. I made it up and at the top grabbed my water bottle only to find it was already hot. So I grabbed my second one that I had frozen in the freezer, not only had it melted but it too was teetering on the warm to hot level, it was not going to provide the cool thirst quenching hydration that I longed for. I pulled out my directions that I had on my iPhone and pushed on. I started to notice every so often that I'd hear a clicking sound, more like a sticky sound like I'd rolled through gum or tar. I kept weaving through the neighborhoods, stopping for water and to check my directions and noticing that there was tar or hot asphalt in sections of the road. Unfortunately, I missed a turn and once again rolled through the black sticky substance. This time some of the road debris stuck to my front tire. I couldn't get it off quick enough and the damage was done, I got a flat. As I was changing the flat it finally dawned on this Northern boy that the road was melting from the heat!

I liked this alternative route and I'll through it into my commute every so often. It offers about 1000 feet more climbing compared to my other route. It is a little over a mile shorter and has less traffic for the most part as well.

Now that I've been riding in 100+ degree heat I think it's safe to say I'm getting acclimated to the Texas heat. Hopefully when winter rolls around I'll still have thick enough skin so I can still ride in shorts and short sleeve jerseys when it drops into the 40s (If you can call that winter). Last winter everybody thought I was crazy when I'd show up for group rides dressed in shorts and a short sleeve jersey.

July was my most prolific riding month yet. This month I rolled 730.57 miles and 24577.7 feet of climbing, which oddly isn't the most climbing I've done in a month, it ranks 3rd. With the extra mileage I lost 5 pounds.

The longest ride was out to Florence for 75 miles, I also had several 45 days, 50 and 67 miles. I have 6 more days until I retest my power and that will conclude this set of training.

This morning I had the time to get a long ride in, so I headed out on Parmer again. The goal this time was to take it all the way to Andice Road and then catch CR 275 up to Florence. I got out on the road at 6:45am and I wasn't alone, once I hit Parmer there were riders going up and down Parmer. I passed several groups heading the same way as me. In fact on the North end past 1431 there were more cyclist than cars.

My suspicions that Parmer goes all the way to Andice Road was confirmed. Once I got to Andice Road I turn right and headed East. The shoulder is wide on this road as well, however it's bumpy, it's that hard conglomerate paving. Luckily my time on it was short as I turned left on CR 275 which goes all the way to Florence where I turned left on 195 into Florence proper.

Once I got into Florence I was expecting espresso, pasta, and Italian racing machines. I went down 195 to Main Street, but I didn't find any thing remotely similar, I didn't even see any disgraced tour dopers on the corners trying to sell their chamois. Instead of the Italian Florence, I stumbled upon the Texas version.

The grand plan was to head over to Andice from Florence and then back to Parmer. When I pulled my map out of my jersey pocket my water pack had leaked thus rendering the map unreadable. I could have used my iPhone to get the route, but it took me a little more time than I anticipated getting to Florence so I figured I'd better just make it an out and back. I was a bit worried about the wind heading back, but it wasn't too bad. There were a couple exposed spots where it kicked up and pushed me around, but all in all it wasn't a big factor.

I'm a little cooked after the ride, my goal was to keep my power between 50 - 70% of my FTP for the ride. My mileage for the week is 203.08 miles. Hopefully I can get through the Le Burrito ride tomorrow.

Ride Stats:

Route

More Photos

Distance: 75.04 miles (from my house)

Time: 4:39:04

Average Speed: 16.38

Max Speed: 32.59

Average Watts: 168

Max Watts: 892

Here's the rides that are happening this weekend, I'm not sure what I'll be doing this weekend yet. I can ride 75 miles on Saturday with the Cyclopaths of Texas training for the Hotter than Hell 100. On Sunday the Austin Flyers have the "Le Burrito" ride starting at 8 am. "Le Burrito" powered the Chipotle professional bicycling team while they trained for this year's Tour de France. Now you can have a free one after the Austin Flyers Cycling Club Sunday ride at Bicycle Sport Shop Central.

8am - Ride with the Austin Flyers and special guests, the Super Squadra road race team (the mountain bike group will ride the greenbelt at 9am)
11am - Free lunch catered by Chipotle featuring the Le Burrito and beer provided by Real Ale
11am - Watch the 15th stage of the Tour de France with Bicycle Sport Shop Central

Please RSVP to ensure we have enough food for everyone. See you there!

Austing Cycling Association Rides:

July 19 -- Dripping Springs Favorites -- 8:00 am
A new revision of an old route. Meet at Dripping Springs ISD Administration building, on the north side of Hwy 290, about 3/10 of a mile west of the traffic light at Hwy 12. (The admin building is on Loop 64). The 17-, 30-, 45- and 58-mile rides follow Onion Creek and then climb across the Great Divide into the Blanco River Basin, offering one of the most spectacular cycling views anywhere. Plenty of hills, open vistas and fire-ant mounds. Ira 512/402-0492

July 19 -- Cedar Park Fever -- 8:00 am
Meet at CC Mason Elementary on the NORTH side of the school in Cedar Park. From Hwy 183 north, turn left on FM 1431. Take FM 1431 to the third light (Lakeline Blvd) and turn right. The school is 0.5 a mile north of the FM 1431/Lakeline intersection, on the left. These are easy to intermediate rides of 13, 28, 48 and 63 miles in the Hill Country. There are some moderate hills on the longer routes. Mark 512/260-9989

July 20 -- Liberty Hill Loops -- 8:00 am
Meet at the Liberty Hill Elementary School on Loop 332, just west of downtown Liberty Hill. These 25- and 50-mile intermediate level rides follow quiet back roads over the picturesque Jollyville Plateau with a few moderate hills. Pedal through places like Joppa, Andice, Oatmeal and Mahomet, but don't blink or you'll miss them. Bertram is the water stop on this ride. Frank 512/246-7482

July 20 -- Sprinkle Sprint -- 8:00 am
NEW START LOCATION: Meet near the intersection of Centre Park and Centre Creek in NE Austin. Take Cameron Rd. north off Hwy 183, and turn right on Rutherford Ln. The second left is Centre Park. Park on Centre Park. Riders meeting near the intersection of Centre Park and Centre Creek. The 29- and 43-mile routes cover rolling farmland. These rides leave from very close in and put you and your bike in rural countryside before you know it. Kevin 512/989-9457

Since I just did the Liberty Hill Loops not too long ago that ones out. The Dripping Springs route would be fun, but I'm not a big fan of driving that far to ride this weekend. I guess for me on Saturday it's a toss up between riding with the Cyclopaths and the Cedar Park Fever. On Sunday it would be fun to ride with the Austin Flyers again and eat a free burrito, I better RSVP ASAP if I plan on doing that one.

Anybody have other suggestions or want to join in?

Friday morning when I woke up and went out to the garage I found I had a flat. Which was odd because my workout from Thursday was an hour on the trainer. I couldn't find a puncture so I just changed it. Then that nights ride out on Parmer I had a flat.

Today's workout called for another set of intervals and a 2 1/2 hour ride. I wanted to see how far Parmer went as my ride the other day piqued my curiosity. I headed out again on Parmer, which I get on at Brushy Creek Road. Just like on my Parmer ride on Friday there was a strong wind out of the South. There's some nice long hills out past 2243, which was where the extension road construction was previously, thus I never ventured past it till Friday's ride. I past Hwy 29 and kept pushing on. Right after the intersection of 3405 on the other side there was a lot of rock debris, I tried to navigate through it all and then there was the sound... psssst... Another flat!

I need a support wagon with wheels and I guy to run out, change my flat and then to give me a push to get back up to speed. In today's stage (8) of the Tour they were commenting on the rain and grit and how many flats were going on. They showed George Hincapie getting a change and a push. With a support vehicle they can change a tire in less than a minute. It takes me about 10 to 15 minutes or more like what happened during the Armadillo Hill Country Classic.

Once I got the tube changed I kept on going. At CR 289 I gauged that I needed to turn around so I could get back home before it got dark, plus I was only scheduled for a 2 1/2 hour ride. Parmer seems to keep going, I couldn't see any sign of it stopping. It will have to be conquered another day. CR 289 where I turned around was 16.6 miles from Brushy Creek. Looking at the map I suspect it connects with CR 247 and ends at 2238 (Andice Rd). If that's the case then once on 2238 I could head over to Andice and take the back roads back to Liberty Hill and back home on CR 239. Looks like there could be some other good routes by heading east on CR 285 to Lake Georgetown.

Turning back and heading South on Parmer the wind didn't disappoint and let me know I wasn't going to get a free pass on the way home. I ran out of water right at 1431 so I pulled into the gas station to refuel. I filled up both bottles just in case.

I went over by 10 minutes on my riding time, due mainly to the wind coming back. I had a set power level as a ceiling so I tried to maintain that level and not push too much over the hills. In the end it took 2:40:09 and a total of 45.63 miles. Average speed was 17.09; Max speed 41.62. Cadence average 77, Max: 128.

On Sunday morning we played the 481 Smurfs from Houston for the Artic Wolf 4th of July championship. I got a good night of sleep, which I was worried about with my ribs, but I slept well and woke up refreshed. The ribs were sore, but I was able to take deep breaths with low pain and moving around wasn't a problem.

On the ice during warm ups I felt good but still couldn't shoot without pain. We jumped out to 2-0 lead. The smurfs closed the gap with a goal of their own, but it was our day. We ended up winning 3-1. It was a fun weekend, but it's good to be home. Now back to the bike content for another year.

I picked up my bike on Sunday night from the bike shop. I dropped it off to get it's yearly check up. They also took the bottom bracket apart and lubed it back up. So far there is no knocking from the cranks! This morning I went out for a ride before work. I felt good, but I won't be able to push it for a few days with my ribs. Whenever I would get out of the saddle to sprint it would hurt a bit.

Game 2

On my second shift of game 2 I was scrambling for the puck in front of our net with another player from the other team. He was slightly ahead of me. I lifted my left arm up over him as I went past him when he butt-ended right in the ribs. For those here for a bike blog a butt-end is when a player uses the shaft of the stick above the upper hand to jab an opponent. I don't think the other player meant to hit me, but I went down like a ton of bricks with the wind knocked out of me. I'm not sure if my rib is cracked or just bruised, no way of knowing without an X-ray. From past rib injuries this is by far the worse I've had, no sense in going to the doctor, even with broken ribs they don't do anything for you.

I continued to play, not well. I did have a break away and as I was coming in on the goal the other defense man slid from behind me as I slowed to put a move on the goalie. The defense man took me legs out from under me sending me into the air only to return on my back and head. The impact of course was on my left side which I took the stick into the ribs. Needless to say I had the wind knocked out of me again and the impact with my head didn't feel too good either, but that's why I wear a mouth piece. But hey I scored. I guess when the defense man took me out they also took the goalie into the back of the net. I think the final score was 7-4 for the win.

Game 3

I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to play this game the way my ribs were feeling, but I figured if I couldn't get my skates tied that would be the sign. I got them tied albeit a little loose. I had a few good shifts, but for the most part it hurt a bit, luckily nobody ran into me or took me out. I did have 1 chance where I was off to the right side of the net, I was too far behind the goal to have an angle so I tried to bounce it off the goalie, but it scooted across the crease. Nobody from my team could knock it home for an easy goal. We won the game 7-3, so that puts us in the championship game on Sunday. We'll be playing the team we played in Game 3. Once again if I can get my skates tied I'll play.

I'm in College Station this weekend playing hockey, I'm playing with weremonkeys, a team from Houston. Last night we had our first game, it was against the home town College Station team. I'm a bit rusty, I guess that's what happens when you play a couple times a year for the past 10 years.  The line I centered got 1 goal.

The goal came in the 2nd period, I got the puck in the corner. I had a College Station defenseman on me as I took the puck behind the net. I did one of my favorite moves, as we are going behind the net I pull the puck behind my back and dump it back out front. The beauty of this move is it typically gets the goalie to move to the other side of the net as he expects me to try a wrap around. With the goalie moving to his right the goal was wide open and my right winger had a wide open shot. He didn't dissapoint and bearied the puck home!

I didn't have too many of my own attempts at scoring, my best possibility was in the 1st period. I got the puck at center ice and as I brought it into the zone I put a move on the defense. I beat the defense with a move and had a clear breakaway. As I was going around the Texas A&M player tripped me. I was surprised there wasn't a penalty called as it seemed pretty clear. In the end we won the game 4 - 1.