Not the craic. There was nothing fun about these two rides.
Last week started out pretty normally. Medium length ride on Monday, long ride on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, though, I thought I'd mix it up. Instead of just waking up in the morning and riding on my own like I would normally, I slept in, cleaned up some broken glass (stupid cats) and had lunch with Jennifer downtown.
Later that afternoon, I was going to meet with the group that rides from Bicycle Link for their Wednesday night group ride. On the Savannah Wheelmen website, this ride is advertised as a 20-30 mile ride depending on light. I figured that we'd ride for about 1:30, like the weeknight group rides back home, so I went out for two hours before meeting the group.
When I got to the shop, the ride instructions were announced, and it turns out that we were riding 40 miles. This meant that I was going to total up close to 75 miles by 8:00 that evening. Two consecutive days of 4+ hours shouldn't be a problem, but it wasn't exactly what I had in mind.
The beginning of the ride seemed sort of disjointed. The instructions were to keep the pace no higher than 20 mph on the ride out, and that the group would split up on the way back into town. It was a really big group heading out of the shop, and the accordion was in full effect.
The ride back was fine though. I managed to sneak my way up into the front group, hanging onto the tail end of the 10-15 person group. This left me closing down gaps pretty rapidly as people started to come off the back. Eventually, I was the one who opened a gap, and my evening was done. I did lead out one of the shop employees in the next group for the "finish line" sprint. So I figured I had earned my beer back at the shop.
Thursday morning the Adams and I had a conference call to discuss the Cycle-Smart 'Cross Camp South p/b KindHuman. Everything is going well with camp organization and I couldn't be more excited. Of course after all this 'cross talk, I had to take my old, trusty Gin & Trombones out for a ride. I left the house for Skidaway Island and, with the help of the TuneIn app, was able to listen to the USA World Cup game while I rode. I didn't plan on riding hard or doing a specific workout really. Just ride to the trails, ride moderately quickly once there and then come home.
I noticed though that my legs weren't really cooperating to get any decent amount of wattage to the pedals. When I hit the trail, riding anything resembling quickly wasn't an option. It was still a good ride and I got to at least work on my handling, but the legs just weren't having it. As I was leaving the trails, I decided I would stop to get some more water and maybe a snack. I missed my turn for the gas station though, and there wasn't another stop until well after I left the island.
Right as I got to the base of the bridge (which is probably the gnarliest hill in Savannah) it all came apart. I'd lost interest in pedaling, and definitely wasn't making quick progress. I limped to the gas station, stocked up on water, Coke and Sour Patch Kids and then went home to unsuccessfully nap.
I'm blaming it on dehydration. I had left to ride in what felt like the hottest part of the day the day before, and then added another 40 miles of group riding. Finishing that off with a beer at the shop probably didn't help either. Friday's ride wasn't as bad, but just didn't feel very good either.
Luckily, after five weeks of training, I've got a rest week that starts today. My workout for today is to make mine and Jen's lunch, and then after she goes back to work, find a coffee shop approximately 30 minutes away, drink coffee, ride home. I'll upload to Strava when I get back
Of course, I have some super fresh Phlegmish Designs shirts I need to mail out today too. There's plenty more available for order!
Monday, June 30, 2014
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Midsummer
So I guess today is the official first day of summer, huh?
Unfortunately, in South Carolina and Georgia, summer temperatures started right around the time Christmas trees hit the curb.
My summer got kicked off for real this week. It's basically been everything I thought it would be.
June 13th was my last day at work. It's not so weird looking back on it now, but at the time it was a really strange transition. I started with that company when I was 18. It opened my eyes to a whole section of the world that I didn't know, that I mostly denied still existed. It was educational.
For the most part, though, the people there were good to me. They worked with my school schedule when I went back to college in 2009 and I was paid fairly. For a while there, I was almost part of the family. We all saw how that worked out though.
Last Saturday, MM and I loaded up The Beast (tm) and headed up to Greenville to go ride up some hills. I had never done Caesar's Head before that and the climb that followed it, Bitch Hill, was a lesson in maintaining enough momentum to not fall over. It was a solid outing with the riding crew that I seemed to settle into over the past two years. And a decent excuse to stop at Wendy's
Tim Malson and I scouted out the location for the Cycle-Smart 'Cross Camp South on Monday, and let's just say, I am stoked. The lodge itself is super nice and has great potential to be a really beautiful spot. The trails that were recently cut into the woods provide lots of double track, a few creek bed crossings and a great opportunity for a run up. I think that the majority of the skills work that takes place will be right around the lodge itself, creating a super welcoming and comfortable environment for everyone who comes to attend.
After a short drive back to Columbia, the real work began. I started loading up the van for the big trip down I-95. I packed more bike equipment than I probably needed (three bikes, three extra sets of wheels, tools), a dog, a turtle and some food. Blue and I made what felt like the longest drive to Savannah EVER. She was sort of restless in the car, and liked to stand up and block my side mirror at the most inopportune moments, but once we got settled into Jen's house she got quite comfortable with the other dogs.
I kind of took over the spare bedroom, and a cabinet, and the fridge. But Jen seems ok with that. It's super relaxing that we can hangout and not feel like we're on a schedule. It's Sunday afternoon and she's napping while I lay on the couch and watch TV. We know we don't have to say bye this evening and that's been great.
However, Jen has to get up and go to work tomorrow morning. I just have to take care of the animals, ride, study and sleep. This past week was my biggest week of riding ever, totaling up to about 18 hours of training. It's been great getting to wake up whenever I naturally wake up, go ride for 3-5 hours and then come home on my own schedule. There's no added stress of having to squeeze in rides around work, and the only big obligation I have coming up (and it is a BIG one) is the GACE on Friday. Of course, I should probably also finish my grad school application for Armstrong.
With that, I'll leave this blog silent for a few more days. I've got another big week of riding coming up, the big test, and general Savannah relaxing. I'll try to be more diligent with the posting, as I know you all are eager to hear what I'm up to!
Unfortunately, in South Carolina and Georgia, summer temperatures started right around the time Christmas trees hit the curb.
My summer got kicked off for real this week. It's basically been everything I thought it would be.
June 13th was my last day at work. It's not so weird looking back on it now, but at the time it was a really strange transition. I started with that company when I was 18. It opened my eyes to a whole section of the world that I didn't know, that I mostly denied still existed. It was educational.
For the most part, though, the people there were good to me. They worked with my school schedule when I went back to college in 2009 and I was paid fairly. For a while there, I was almost part of the family. We all saw how that worked out though.
Last Saturday, MM and I loaded up The Beast (tm) and headed up to Greenville to go ride up some hills. I had never done Caesar's Head before that and the climb that followed it, Bitch Hill, was a lesson in maintaining enough momentum to not fall over. It was a solid outing with the riding crew that I seemed to settle into over the past two years. And a decent excuse to stop at Wendy's
Tim Malson and I scouted out the location for the Cycle-Smart 'Cross Camp South on Monday, and let's just say, I am stoked. The lodge itself is super nice and has great potential to be a really beautiful spot. The trails that were recently cut into the woods provide lots of double track, a few creek bed crossings and a great opportunity for a run up. I think that the majority of the skills work that takes place will be right around the lodge itself, creating a super welcoming and comfortable environment for everyone who comes to attend.
After a short drive back to Columbia, the real work began. I started loading up the van for the big trip down I-95. I packed more bike equipment than I probably needed (three bikes, three extra sets of wheels, tools), a dog, a turtle and some food. Blue and I made what felt like the longest drive to Savannah EVER. She was sort of restless in the car, and liked to stand up and block my side mirror at the most inopportune moments, but once we got settled into Jen's house she got quite comfortable with the other dogs.
I kind of took over the spare bedroom, and a cabinet, and the fridge. But Jen seems ok with that. It's super relaxing that we can hangout and not feel like we're on a schedule. It's Sunday afternoon and she's napping while I lay on the couch and watch TV. We know we don't have to say bye this evening and that's been great.
However, Jen has to get up and go to work tomorrow morning. I just have to take care of the animals, ride, study and sleep. This past week was my biggest week of riding ever, totaling up to about 18 hours of training. It's been great getting to wake up whenever I naturally wake up, go ride for 3-5 hours and then come home on my own schedule. There's no added stress of having to squeeze in rides around work, and the only big obligation I have coming up (and it is a BIG one) is the GACE on Friday. Of course, I should probably also finish my grad school application for Armstrong.
With that, I'll leave this blog silent for a few more days. I've got another big week of riding coming up, the big test, and general Savannah relaxing. I'll try to be more diligent with the posting, as I know you all are eager to hear what I'm up to!
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Mama Said...
There'd be days like this.
Saturday's ride in Savannah was just one of those days.
Within minutes of leaving the Savannah playhouse (I mean, Jen's house), I got a nice dose of harassment. Riding up behind me, laying on your horn and then stopping in the middle of the road (on a residential street) really isn't a smart idea. I resisted the urge to fling a bottle through their window, knowing that: 1) I had three hours of riding ahead of me; 2) it had my name on it.
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I tried to snap a picture of the car but, as usual, there isn't any useful information in it. They got stopped at a redlight, and we had a nice friendly conversation. I won't repeat that conversation here.
About an hour and a half later, more excitement. What I thought was a very large bumblebee decided to take up residence in one of my helmet vents. Rolling down a straight, flat piece of tarmac, I sat up and took my helmet off. When I did that, my earphones came out of my ears and fell into my drivetrain, getting tangled in my chain and cassette. Of course, I didn't realize that this is what happened initially. All I knew was that I had both of my hands off my bars, my helmet off my head and that my back wheel was locked and skidding across the road.
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All of this took approximately .35 seconds. I got the bike stopped, realized that the giant bumblebee was actually a cicada, and set about to untangling my headphones to I could ride home. I had to use my drivers license to get the last bit of plastic out from between the cassette and hub flange so I could actually coast for the rest of the ride.
Once I was just about to get up and get moving again, pssssssss... My tube decided that being a tube was hard, and evacuated all of its air.
I assumed that the flat had something to do with my skid stop or that the tube just quit after sitting in the sun for 30 minutes, but I still checked the inside of the tire just to be sure. Nothing there. New tube in and I was on my way.
I guess thirty minutes later, the same tire went flat. I rolled in the grass the extra few meters to get to a gas station so I could have a Cheerwine while I changed my SECOND flat.
I assumed that the second flat was the result of a bad spare tube. Again, I checked the inside of the tire, taking it completely off and feeling around to be sure there was nothing sharp in there. Assumptions are stupid.
Clouds were starting to build, and Jen was texting me worried about how long I had been out. I sent her a Glympse link and asked her to be on standby in case I had another flat.
I made it home safely, went to the shop that afternoon and restocked on tubes. I went out for a ride the next day and, of course, had another flat. This time I was 4 miles from the house. Apparently my Velox tape folded back, exposing a few spoke holes, and destroying every tube and dream I had. I turned around and went home, knowing that riding bikes just wasn't in the cards today.
The weekend rides brought at least one smile ^^^.
The rest of the weekend was the polar opposite of those two rides. All sorts of guests were in and out of Jen's house and we took time to explore, and eat, as much of Savannah as possible. One of Jen's old classmates from SCAD and his girlfriend were down from New York and both of Jen's brothers also came to town. It was cool to hang out with the whole lot of Huling kids, and this was the first time the three of them had been together in around three years.
It also provided a wonderful opportunity of Cards Against Humanity, and a Westbrook Mexican Cake. Mexican Cake might be my favorite beer in the world, and it looks like I'll only have my hands on one bottle this year.
Everyone went their separate ways Sunday evening and Jen and I got to actually hangout without being hosts and tour guides. I realized that Sunday night would be my last night in Savannah as a guest (at least for the summer). The next time I go down there, I'll be carrying all sorts of crap and squatting for two months. Summer in Savannah begins!
Of course my tour guide gig fell through. The company's owner told me I was taking too long to get started, and accused me of costing him business, despite knowing when he offered me the position that I wouldn't be moving until after the 13th. So, this will also be the summer of ramen!
Post script: had a fourth flat on my ride tonight. This time it was a pinch flat on my cyclo-cross bike.
Saturday's ride in Savannah was just one of those days.
Within minutes of leaving the Savannah playhouse (I mean, Jen's house), I got a nice dose of harassment. Riding up behind me, laying on your horn and then stopping in the middle of the road (on a residential street) really isn't a smart idea. I resisted the urge to fling a bottle through their window, knowing that: 1) I had three hours of riding ahead of me; 2) it had my name on it.
I tried to snap a picture of the car but, as usual, there isn't any useful information in it. They got stopped at a redlight, and we had a nice friendly conversation. I won't repeat that conversation here.
About an hour and a half later, more excitement. What I thought was a very large bumblebee decided to take up residence in one of my helmet vents. Rolling down a straight, flat piece of tarmac, I sat up and took my helmet off. When I did that, my earphones came out of my ears and fell into my drivetrain, getting tangled in my chain and cassette. Of course, I didn't realize that this is what happened initially. All I knew was that I had both of my hands off my bars, my helmet off my head and that my back wheel was locked and skidding across the road.
All of this took approximately .35 seconds. I got the bike stopped, realized that the giant bumblebee was actually a cicada, and set about to untangling my headphones to I could ride home. I had to use my drivers license to get the last bit of plastic out from between the cassette and hub flange so I could actually coast for the rest of the ride.
Once I was just about to get up and get moving again, pssssssss... My tube decided that being a tube was hard, and evacuated all of its air.
I assumed that the flat had something to do with my skid stop or that the tube just quit after sitting in the sun for 30 minutes, but I still checked the inside of the tire just to be sure. Nothing there. New tube in and I was on my way.
I guess thirty minutes later, the same tire went flat. I rolled in the grass the extra few meters to get to a gas station so I could have a Cheerwine while I changed my SECOND flat.
I assumed that the second flat was the result of a bad spare tube. Again, I checked the inside of the tire, taking it completely off and feeling around to be sure there was nothing sharp in there. Assumptions are stupid.
Clouds were starting to build, and Jen was texting me worried about how long I had been out. I sent her a Glympse link and asked her to be on standby in case I had another flat.
I made it home safely, went to the shop that afternoon and restocked on tubes. I went out for a ride the next day and, of course, had another flat. This time I was 4 miles from the house. Apparently my Velox tape folded back, exposing a few spoke holes, and destroying every tube and dream I had. I turned around and went home, knowing that riding bikes just wasn't in the cards today.
The weekend rides brought at least one smile ^^^.
The rest of the weekend was the polar opposite of those two rides. All sorts of guests were in and out of Jen's house and we took time to explore, and eat, as much of Savannah as possible. One of Jen's old classmates from SCAD and his girlfriend were down from New York and both of Jen's brothers also came to town. It was cool to hang out with the whole lot of Huling kids, and this was the first time the three of them had been together in around three years.
It also provided a wonderful opportunity of Cards Against Humanity, and a Westbrook Mexican Cake. Mexican Cake might be my favorite beer in the world, and it looks like I'll only have my hands on one bottle this year.
Everyone went their separate ways Sunday evening and Jen and I got to actually hangout without being hosts and tour guides. I realized that Sunday night would be my last night in Savannah as a guest (at least for the summer). The next time I go down there, I'll be carrying all sorts of crap and squatting for two months. Summer in Savannah begins!
Of course my tour guide gig fell through. The company's owner told me I was taking too long to get started, and accused me of costing him business, despite knowing when he offered me the position that I wouldn't be moving until after the 13th. So, this will also be the summer of ramen!
Post script: had a fourth flat on my ride tonight. This time it was a pinch flat on my cyclo-cross bike.
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