Memorial Day

"Here rests in honored glory, an American Soldier, known but to God."

Hi All,

I thought I would take a moment this weekend and take note of Memorial Day. Here in our country, some of our holidays get wrapped up in quick vacations and endless sales, rather than acknowledging the essence of the holiday itself. In contrast, in Canberra, Australia, over 30,000 citizens attended the annual ANZAC Remembrance Day sunrise service.

So, take a moment and put down your coupon ads, your BBQ fixins and remember the actual purpose of Memorial Day, which is to honor all of those who gave their lives in service to our country. Without further editorial, I invite you to enjoy some of my photographs from last month’s visit to Arlington National Cemetery where 290,000 of our honored dead lay in peace. Kathy and I also observed the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This guard is in place 24/365, and rotates every 30 minutes around the clock. This was my first visit to Arlington, and it truly was a sobering experience. One could not help but walk in peace and contemplation at the acres and acres of crosses, each with their own history and family left behind.

Lastly, please enjoy a few photographs from this week’s training rides. The first ride, ended with me cold and wet after coming off a big hill in a hail/sleet shower. The second ride the next day was a glorious cold and sunny day on Antelope Island. I have been mixing hills and distance in preparation for June 9th’s brevet around Bryce Canyon.

The oncoming storm, guess I am getting wet!

The reward of a lovely day after the storm.

The view to the east, towards Davis County

See you down the road,
Jim

Trucks, Bikes, and Planes

Honest, This is straight off the camera!

Hi all,
Well, I have been away from blogging for almost three weeks. Mostly, I have been shuttling back and forth to Tucson attending to family issues. Last week’s trip to Tucson brought the joy of driving a 16-foot truck 900+ miles helping Amy and Jon move to their new home in Tucson. We had an enjoyable time riding down the open road; our caravan of the truck and two cars. Want to get away from it all? Try Highway 95 south out of Las Vegas. It took 215 songs in my Ipod to get to Tucson!


Cruisin Down '95

Of course, on the last day on the way to the airport, I made an obligatory stop at Ajo Bikes. They have a fine selection of ‘Bents, and I almost never fail to make a stop and try out something new.
This trip’s test ride was a Rans V26. What a different feel from the Little Red Barcroft! Big and long, it was a very nice riding bike, but the body position was so different from my current ride. I can see why the bike is built for the long haul. The bike I rode also had “chopper” bars set way up high. Not functional in that position, but a lot of fun in any case.

A Big Bike! Check out those Choppers!

I also rode a little Breezer folder. Well used, and on the cheap, it was a new experience, too. I mentioned to the employee that it was kinda twitchy; he responds: “Oh yes, I forgot to tell you, the cranks are bent.” Oh. That explains it!

While I was browsing, I “picked out” a few used models to bring home with me. (Of course, I didn’t spend any money, but it was fun anyways) I picked out a Cycle Genius Sparrow for Kathy; a Rans CF Cruz for me; and a nice CatTrike Trike for Jon. Now, if they will all fit in my carryon luggage, I am all set!

A cute Cycle Genius for Kathy

A nice view from the ramp at TUS

And finally, this morning, I mailed my registration for the Bryce Canyon 200 Km Brevet on June 9th. June will be a heavy month of long rides, with the MS-150 miler on June 23/24. If you would like to sponsor me on the MS-150 and help with the fight against MS, please drop me a note here and I will get in touch with you.

See you down the road,
Jim

Adding Parts

Hi All,
Before we get talking about bike stuff, please enjoy the lead photograph. The image is of the painting in the dome of the U.S. Capital. A lovely painting of George Washington surrounded by 13 maidens, representing the 13 original colonies and two other maidens depicting peace and justice or somesuch. I can’t remember, and with my hearing issues, couldn’t hear everything the guide said anyways! But, the guide was kind enough to let me stand at the center point and take the picture. It truly was an amazing piece of art.

Now, on to cycling issues; this past week, I made some minor changes to the Little Red Bike. I installed the new riser that I brought home from my visit to Barcroft Bicycles. The previous riser was a poor design that used two hex bolts that were screwed into a mutual sleeve. The bolts worked loose after about 200 miles of riding. Then, the riser would have some sideways flop and gave the bike a slightly looser feel at speeds above 30 mph. The new riser uses a quick release lever to tighten the riser to the handlebar stem. There is no flop, it is tight all the time and the bike just feels more stable when I am going fast. Plus, I don’t have to retighten it every 200 miles.

The new riser.

Stronger derailleur clamp

I also installed some new blinkies; one of which I liked because its mount has a dual pivot, and I can adjust the angle of the light to face towards passing cars. I replaced the Minoura light mount with a Terra Cycle mount, which is much more streamlined and lower and to the front of the bike.

The new Terra Cycle light mount.

And finally, I would like to send out a compliment to a small company. Princeton Tech. I purchased a Princeton Tech EOS Bike helmet light for my commuting and brevet riding. I was happily unwrapping the light and accidentally dropped the small helmet bracket. When I moved my rolling chair to reach it, I rolled the wheel over it and broke it! Bad words and stomping then followed. After I calmed down I called the company’s service desk and explained my stupidity. They were very nice, and offered to send me a replacement bracket free of charge. In fact he mailed it that morning. Wow! A real company that is nice to their customers. They gained a customer for life in me. Thanks guys! By the way, the light is great! I saw a review over at Alan’s Blog last year, and had wanted to add the light to my equipment list. I might even buy another!

See you all down the road.
Jim

A Visit to World Headquarters...Barcroft.

Who are those guys?

Hi all,
As you may have noticed, we went on a trip! Yes, a short vacation to see friends in Virginia, see some of the sights in Washington DC, and then to Chicago to visit Paul and Christina. A nice trip; you may recall the hot cross buns we made in Virginia. It is my hope as I write future posts to share some photographs and fun facts we learned along the way.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the trip was a visit to the World Headquarters of Barcroft Bicycles. As the Utah representative to the company (I have the only Barcroft in Utah!) I have always felt compelled to visit the HQ. So, on a lovely Tuesday, Kathy and I made the trek from Delaplane to Falls Church to meet with Bill Cook; owner, proprietor, designer, assembly tech, shipping clerk, business manager, and flunky of Barcroft Bicycles.

The Boss evaluating a tandem frame.

Bill was a most gracious host, taking time from his busy life to let me see all of his bikes, fiddle with this and that, and generally be in the way. After a sumptuous lunch at the BEST Chinese restaurant in the DC area, we adjourned back at HQ for some test riding of bikes. We even got Kathy into the act, riding stoker on the Columbia tandem bike. I got to ride the Ti Virginia which was a very stiff, tight ride. I don’t have enough experience to formulate a technical opinion, but I enjoyed the bike, and wished for a longer experiment. I only rode it a few minutes as the thought of riding someone’s $3,000 dollar bike made me nervous. Plus, if I dented it before it got shipped to Mr. Ball of Bentrideronline, there would be great stress and consternation as it is truly a one of a kind bike. Seriously, it is the only Ti Virginia!

Bill said the fifth Ti frame is reserved for me!

Bill and I also rode the tandem with Bill in the lead and myself onboard as stoker. What an experience; my first time on a tandem, on unfamiliar roads, with a noted cross-country cyclist, riding one big fast bike. With some quick instruction, we made a good team. Bill was kind enough to mentor along the way, showing me all the coordination needed between stoker and captain. It was a fun 10 minutes as we sped around the block.

I would keep an eye on these two...

One other welcome part of this visit was to check out all the lovely bikes in the garage and discuss nuances of design of each bike. Bill allowed me to sit on every bike, and talk about the subtle differences in each of them. As I am in search of more ergonomically useful hand positions, we had a nice chat about the configuration of Bill’s trans-continental Dakota bike. (My hands are not in pain or uncomfortable, I just tend to keep them up on the brake handles) In the end, I was given the gift of a new riser that won’t work loose as I ride, and will keep my bike much more stable at high speed. I am also beta-testing a Terra Cycle light mount on the front of the bike. So far it has been a great improvement over previous mounts. Thanks!

Frames anyone?

Now, it is two weeks after my great visit, I have fond memories of a grand afternoon. Bill is a fascinating gentleman, who has brought “low, fast, comfortable, and elegant” bikes to the recumbent world. We had a great time getting to know Bill, and to get to learn a bit more about his world. Now I need to figure out how to retire and be his garage flunky.

I would work for free!

Jim

A Learning Experience

A nice picture from Virginia.

Well friends, I am learning that there is a lot of training, preparation and education in getting ready for my long distance rides. Some rides are more educational than others. As my friend Vikram said in his blog, “ reading brevet reports online is not good training for riding them!” And, he is right.

Yesterday was a perfect example. I was riding home from Kathy’s school, slowly spinning up a steep part of highway 89 when the front derailleur clamp failed. Now, before I go any further, the local bike shop installed this clamp and the failure was NOT a design flaw of my Barcroft Virginia GT. When I replaced the front derailleur, there was some difficulty in finding an adequate clamp. Hence, the problem yesterday morning…

So, there I am, on the shoulder of a busy highway, the front derailleur hanging on the chain, still connected to the cable. The bike is unrideable in this configuration. In order to remove the derailleur I merely needed to unscrew the small bracket at the bottom the derailleur, toss it in the bike bag and be on my way. Bad news: No screwdriver! Much ranting and raving now ensued, as I am stranded 6 miles from home, and an evening shift at work looming closer.


Just a few tubes, a pump, is all I carry!

The moral of this story is about not being prepared. For years I have been a minimalist when it comes to carrying parts and tools on the bike. This will not suffice on my first brevet, or on the MS-150 miler in June. This is what I learned today. I am horribly unprepared for riding in the back of beyond. So, now the search for the right tools to carry commences. I have to be efficient about space and weight.

How did I get home? Well, easy! I finally came to my senses and unhooked the derailleur cable and the derailleur hung free on the chain. I discovered that if I was very careful and didn’t pedal too much, the derailleur would hang free, floating in front of the idler under the seat. So, gently and slowly I pedaled up the hill, down to Gentile Street, and cruised slowly and safely home. Not elegant, perhaps not all that smart, but I got home! Next up, a new derailleur with the RIGHT clamp from Barcroft Bikes.


I am pretty sure, this is not how it is supposed to work..

That’s the last thing I learned. Training is not all about miles and conditioning. It’s about physical, logistical, and mental preparation.

Happy riding,
Jim

Easter Gladness

Let us sing of Easter gladness...

Writing you this lovely Easter day from Delaplane Virginia, in a warm and happy house in the country. Last night, to celebrate Easter, we made traditional hot cross buns. An Easter tradition here at Terry and John's house. I hope you are enjoying a wonderful Easter Day. Enjoy a few pics of our grand adventure last night..





Martha Stewart has nothing on us.


Any ideas about what structure this is?

April Foolishness

Hi all,

Well, this week’s post is a mixed bag. I enjoyed a 42 mile ride yesterday that ended up being one of those “ignore the bike computer” rides. The weather was cold and windy, and within the first 2 miles, it was readily apparent that I didn’t have any mental zip to ride hard. This was partly my fault as last Wednesday I had overcooked an upper body workout at the gym, and ended up tying my muscles in knots for 5 days. At the time it was great stress relief, but the long term implications made it a bad experience. This meant I had to stay off the bike and away from the gym until I could get all the muscles back where they were supposed to be.

So, I was off on a lovely island ride with strong north winds and beautifully clear skies. Leaving at 7:15, I thought it was warmer and didn’t dress well for the beginning of the day. 5 miles and I still couldn’t feel my fingers! I just kept riding to the west, anxiously awaiting the sunshine. The pace was noticeably less than my usual, but the lovely weather buoyed my spirits as I made my way to the island. I enjoyed riding around some new roads that I had up to now, never ridden before. It really did end up being a pleasant ride. Lovely skies, lots of animals, no bugs, and very few people!

I think it is probably a positive thing to not make every ride a training ride, where one expends a lot of effort, tracks data, and sets mileage or speed goals. It is just as satisfying to actually just enjoy a ride! I mean, that’s what is all about isn’t it? Riding?

I even took a half an hour to enjoy a short hike up the hill above the snack shack (officially known as the “Bistro”) at Buffalo Point.

So, keep that in mind as you ride on down the road wherever you go, on whatever bike you ride. It’s not always about training and goals. Get out and ride!

These sunset pictures ended up being very expensive!

And finally, enjoy the photograph of the remains of my glasses. While in a rush to get my camera, lenses, tripod, coat, and dogs in the car to go sunset hunting, I inadvertently left my glasses in their case on the roof of my car. They ended up on a busy street, and I was able to recover them 14 hours later. Of course, there wasn’t much left! Sigh. So, several hundred bucks later, I have new glasses.

When I break something, I really do it!

The enclosed baseball picture is just an example of what happens to things in our back yard that are found by the puppy dogs. Metaphorically, it is a lovely illustration of what I would like to see the American League do to the Yankees all season long.

Yummy snack...

See you next time, Jim

The Brevet is Half Full

Hi all,
Well, I write this it is 34 degrees and snowing heavily. A far cry from the 62 degrees a mere ten hours ago this morning. Ah, springtime in Utah. At least my legs can get some rest.
Why do my legs need some rest? Yesterday, I enjoyed the challenge of a benchmark ride. This ride was to assess my progress towards completing my first 200 km brevet in June. As I mentioned in the previous post, the plan is to ride from my house to the Fielding Garr Ranch on the southeast side of Antelope Island. By my estimate it is about 60 miles, and has both flat and hilly terrain; a perfect route for this half-brevet test.
There was quite a bit of planning in this small adventure. I wanted to evaluate not only my fitness to ride long distance, but many other minor issues like: food, clothing, and hydration. Brevet riding is self-supported, so I had better get things right now, as opposed to creating challenges on the open road in June.

Bison off the side of the road.

My day started perfectly. Out the door at 7:15 as Kathy headed for school. Cool weather with none of the forecasted winds made for nice riding conditions. All day long I stressed steady pacing; not sprinting down hills, not over spinning up hills, and just kept to the plan of around 16 mph average. My first goals had been to complete the route in less than 6 hours, which is about half of the 13.5 hour standard for a 200 km brevet.

A nice view of the south part of the island.

Surprisingly, I arrived at the ranch in exactly 2 hours of riding time, right on schedule. After a 15 minute break, a nice chat with the caretaker, a few pictures, and I was back on the little red bike and headed north. As I rode north I kept to the plan. Steady spinning and keeping the average speed around 16 mph. As I crossed the 7 mile causeway, I realized that I was ahead of schedule. Way ahead of schedule. In fact, some mental math brought me to the conclusion that if I stayed the course (Sorry, Mr. Prez) I could complete the ride in 4 hours. So, I just upped the pace, and kept an eye on the clock. Although in sticking with the plan I decided that if I got home in 4:00 it would be great, but it wasn’t crucial at the expense of the plan.

The view from the ranch.

As it turned out, I made it; 4 hours to the second. (Insert happy dance here). Now, I know that there are hundreds of brevet riders that can do a 4 hour 60 mile in their sleep. But, for me, especially in March and early in the year, it is a grand day.

Pronghorn Antelope, staring at me...

A few vital statistics:
Miles: 60
Time: 4:00 flat. Total time: 4+40.
Animals seen on the island: Bison, Pronghorn Antelope, Pheasant, Foxes, Coyotes, Grouse, a few jackrabbits.
Water Consumed: 20-24 ounces.
Snacks: A baggie full of cereal raisin nut mix, one Clif Bar, one breakfast bar, half an apple.

Am I ready for the 200k? Not quite, but I am definitely ahead of schedule. I just keep working on slow and steady progress; every day, every month, every year. I think back to a few years back, when I would write in my log: “12 miles, longest ride of the year!”
Now, while the snow is here, back to the gym, and work harder!

Happy riding

Jim

March Miles

Hi All,
Well 13 days without writing, but 13 days of good riding! 126 miles later, more miles in March than the last 3 March’s combined. It is both good news, and bad news. The good news: Great weather; Fresh air; and plenty of early season riding and great conditioning. The bad news: No rain and snow. The state is woefully below projections for water and snow pack, so it’s going to be water rationing dry summer. But since I can’t control what comes out the sky, I might as well ride and enjoy the sunshine.


Most of my riding has been out to Antelope Island. During late winter and early spring, the island is a great place to ride. No bugs, no cars, and cool temperatures make it ideal for long training rides. I have enjoyed three 40+ miles rides in the last two weeks, riding from the house to the island and then riding a loop or two up around to the northeast side.



As my plans continue for my first Brevet in June, I have decided to ride a test half-Brevet. The test Brevet will include 100 km, or 62 miles, with a total running time of 6 hours. The Bryce Canyon 200k on June 9th will have a 13.5 hour time limit, so this will be a good early season test to see if this whole plan is a good idea or not. Where to ride the test? Antelope Island! (Some sort of compulsion I guess). Actually, I want to enjoy the island for the last few weeks before the clouds of gnats and mosquitoes make their appearance. After that, I will put the island out of my memory until late May or June. So, the 100k will include a ride from the house to the marina, then south to the Fielding Garr Ranch. It is a flat ride until the section south to the ranch, then it becomes rolling terrain with two good steady climbs.



That’s all the news on the cycling front. I would also like to give some props to Kathy who for several weeks has been painstakingly repairing the figurines that crashed to the floor in January. (See the January 30th post). Every morning, she has been carefully picking through the pieces and fixing our treasures. They won’t ever be the same, but it was the point of the exercise. She has made things whole again!
Please enjoy a few pictures of the figurines and from the island.
Jim

New Parts

My shiny new Ultegra Derailleur

Hi All,

Well, another busy week is zipping by, but Spring is here! Good riding weather is upon us, and with the onset of early daylight savings this weekend, there will be more time to ride. While I was in Arizona, I took the opportunity to take the Little Red Bike to the shop for an annual tune-up. The bike had lost interest in shifting efficiently on the rear set, and you may recall I had broken the front derailleur last fall.

The busted derailleur. It wouldn't throw the chain to the granny gear at all.

So, the bike shop took good care while I was away, and the bike is now back in the garage, primed and ready to go. A test ride showed tremendous improvement in shifting.

Items replaced/fixed:

Front derailleur replaced.

Rear derailleur cable replaced.

Wheel hubs lubricated.

Chain replaced. (It takes 2.5 chains!)

Wheels trued.

Now, when I have a free day to ride courtesy of stringent FAA medical rules, it's raining!

Of course! What else would one expect.

See you down the road.

Jim

Two Bikes in the Desert

Pardon the long delay between posts; it’s a busy time. With travel to Arizona and the annual Men's and Women's Walk to Emmaus retreats, who has time to write?

I would like to relate my experiences with two cyclists I encountered during my last trip to Tucson. We had gone to Tucson to visit Kathy’s dad and to help out with the cancer issues that Kathy’s dad is working through. Sunday evening, we ended up at the Northwest Hospital emergency room as Vic had been running a high fever for two days. While we were waiting at the ER, another gentleman arrived for care. He was wearing bike shorts, jersey, cycling shoes. He was scraped up, had torn clothing, and it was obvious that he had crashed. When I asked him what had happened he simply replied: “I fell” Well, I gathered that! I told him that I too was a cyclist and understood what he was going through. Then the doors opened. He related to me that he had crashed his mountain bike a mere 100 yards from his car. He had lost concentration briefly, and that was all it took, over the handlebars he went. As he waited, he began to shiver and it was apparent that he was in a lot of pain. As the ER was understaffed, and didn’t have time to get the man a blanket, we went to our car and got him one of ours. Later in the evening, I met him as he rested comfortably in the ER bed. The report was a broken clavicle, and two or three broken ribs. A nice fella, a complete stranger that I had the honor of meeting.

The second cyclist had come into the ER to work. I helped him with the door as he horsed his touring bike down the hall. A large “cross” bike, built for the long haul with fenders and panniers on the front. As the evening passed, we figured out that the cyclist at the door was our ER nurse. 61 years young, he has become 99 percent car free. He rides his bike everywhere, work, errands, long tours; everywhere. On long tours he hauls a trailer, which balances the load of the panniers on the front. By the way, he named his bike: Lucille. She is bright yellow, with chrome fenders. A fine looking machine, well maintained as it his main mode of transportation.
I don’t have pictures from this evening at the ER. I usually leave my camera at home on these fun adventures. Instead, please enjoy a few pictures from Saguaro West National Park. I went sunset picture hunting the night before.

Two cyclists unexpectedly came into my life, briefly giving me a small piece of their world, and I am better for having met them.
By the way, Vic is better. The IV antibiotics did the trick.
Happy riding/skiing. The big snows are finally here!

Jim

New Beginnings

Starting a new adventure is always an interesting prospect. Whether it’s a house remodel, a new garage door opener, or in this case, the challenges of a 125-186 mile bike ride, it’s always a new adventure! One makes plans, sets goals, scribbles dates on the calendar; schedules vacation time off from work, then looks ahead at the challenge before them. I tend to look at the new riding season in just that way, a new adventure. I have found rides that interest me, set mileage goals, worked hard in the winter at the gym; maintained last season’s riding weight through the winter.
But then, there’s that first step. At some point, one has to put one’s mind to it, get on the bike, head out the door and start on the way towards that 125 miler. The first step for me seems to sometimes be a difficult one. Recently, I read an interesting blog on the subject of endurance riding, and making a conscious decision to ride or run great distances. The author writes that endurance events can be thought of as an intellectual challenge as well as a physical one. Her approach was that she enjoyed the challenge of endurance cycling, purely because she could make that decision herself, independent of anyone else. An interesting point to be sure; and since I am expanding my horizons to ride significantly more than 100 miles in one day, I believe I can relate to the comments of endurance cycling being an intellectual process. I will let that thought percolate some, and perhaps revisit it as I head on down the road.

Speaking of heading down the road, this past Saturday all the planets aligned and the pieces fell into place. Good weather, good roads, good bike, and time to ride.

And for the inaugural long ride, where do you think I went? Antelope Island of course! Well, at least out onto the causeway. 32 miles and two hours later, I was infused with that warm happy tired feeling one gets after a good ride. It felt great to enjoy the feel of actual road under the tires, the wind in my face, and not riding in the family room hooked to a fluid trainer; And most importantly, the great sense of accomplishment, having started the year off with such a fine ride. All the work in the gym, along with riding the fluid trainer has paid off. I am in near mid-season form right out the gate.

I am on my way. One good solid ride motivated me for the next one. It’s almost addictive, the great feeling of a good workout, or a nice long ride. It is already easier to think about: where to ride, how far, and what goals do I have for the next one. Just that one step out the door kick-started the cycling year. So, I guess there is some validity to the idea of distance cycling being an intellectual challenge. The body can be willing, but if the mind isn’t on the same road, nothing will get the legs moving.
Speaking of the intellectual challenge of endurance cycling, be sure to check out the fine blog that started this piece: http://arcticglass.blogspot.com/. A fine page, filled with good writing, lovely photography, and adventures of winter endurance mountain bike riding in Juneau Alaska. While you’re there, take note of the mileage being ridden every month, and the weather for those rides. Riding in conditions like that is something I have never considered! Made me feel quite lazy, actually. I happened upon this blog while reading “The Lazy Randonneur” blog listed on the tabs on the right of this page. You will find that I have added some new tabs to my page; Yellowstone Randonneurs, and Southern Utah Brevet’s . They list a couple of very tempting rides out of Driggs, ID, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Parks. Also, you will note the tab for the Ultra Marathon Cycling Association. Check out these new tabs, as there is a lot of good information on all of them.
Where to ride next?
Jim