Easy, Rainy, Soggy, Commute.

Cold grey day, in the end of May,

Clouds and rain hold heat at bay,

I think I like it better that way.

Cold wet mist, drops fall on my fist,

Lovely rain, the desert's kissed

Riding through puddles leads to bliss.

Cold is sound, dripping on the ground,

A music to soul surround,

Peace before work, and worries are found

Time Trial

Having broken my record for the counter-clockwise loop around Usery Saturday night I was curious what I could do during daylight. This morning I rolled out of bed at 5:30 and out onto the bike for a quick trip around Usery Pass. This was one of my earliest distance rides (Well, 26 miles was "distance" back then) so it has become a sort of standard to gauge my fitness on. The first time I rode it it took me 2 and a half hours. Saturday night I was ecstatic to find I was able to do it in and hour and 28 minutes with an average speed of 17.4 mph. There is roughly 1000 feet of climbing much of it on false flats so I am actually pretty proud of that. There is also a nice section of 9% grade coming up "King Kong" from the Salt River on the Bush Highway.

This morning I would get hit by the occasional rain drop and I had a bit of a tailwind on the first bit of climbing. I was amazed to see the temperature was already 77 degrees but the cloudy sky kept it down but it would be in the 80s by the time I finished. I kept seeing cyclists going the other way, even a Brumby or two (I didn't wake up soon enough to join them as they meet at 5). I cruised up the front side of Usery faster than I ever have before maintaining 13-14 mph all the way to the top. The trip down the backside I kept it in the high 30s all the way down.

Coming in to the bottom of Kong I noticed a few people ahead of me and worked to catch up. The closest person was a lady that I passed at the bottom of the hill. The guy she was riding with seemed determined to not let me pass him when he saw me approaching near the top of the hill. I was above my LT pretty fiercely so I didn't want to completely blow myself up with 8 miles left to go. He stayed about 100 feet ahead of me up until he turned off to the right (though I was slowly catching him and would have if he hadn't turned).

I fought a pretty fierce headwind all the way home from here but managed to keep the speeds around 20 most of the way. It was a real hard slog since I had burned most of the matches I had left climbing Kong in the way that I did. Still, when I got home I had finished in 1 hour and 25 minutes which is the best time yet for me. I had an average speed of 18.2 mph which is not too shabby on that course.

Anyway, it was a good morning. Nice to see all the work I have been putting in has been paying off. We'll see if I can keep up with the Brumbys on Saturday. I hope so. I am in much better shape than when I rode with them last summer and earlier this year.

Mines to Pines, Mr. Popeel's brevet.

First climb of the day.

I'm here to talk to you today about a 300k brevet. How much do you think you would have to see to finish a brevet like this? Mines? Pines? Yes, you have the mines and the pines. But my friend, I'm here to make a deal with you, this brevet also includes a 20 mile lake front ride by scenic Roosevelt lake! How does that sound? But wait! Theres more! Ride now and we'll even throw in a few creek crossings through a beautiful mountain creek! Still not sure? Well, what if we were to throw in 10, 400 feet of climbing! If you ride now, we'll even throw in a free Jinsu knife!

Seriously though, this brevet had everything other than an ocean front ride and I'm afraid that Arizona may have an extreme amount of variety but it has no ocean views so we settled for a lake. I was eager to ride this and I have been training for it ever since I helped on the 300k and Tom Baker said they were cooking it up. I have been working my way back from a knee injury and this was one heck of a ride to make my long distance comeback on.

Salt River Peak pass

I was suspicious of the 6000' feet of climbing estimate as mapmyride.com put it in the mid 8000s so I trained with 5000 foot climb rides figuring that would prep me. Of course all climbing estimates were off, including mapmyrides. You never really know for sure on elevation though until you get an altimeter out on the course.

Due to road construction I didn't get to the Miami start point until 10 till 6. I found the men's restroom at the park was closed due to vandalism so Tom and I ended up using the Lady's room which didn't look like the model of cleanness or good repair either I might add. Still it was private. We finally got off around 5 after, which wasn't too bad. It was a beautiful morning. light breezes and temps around 60 degrees. We kind of just eased down the road at a pleasant pace. Past the scenic tailings piles (really, they are! you should have seen them before the mines cleaned them up and planted stuff on them).

Turning off of US60 we meandered down into green fields through an open valley between the mountains on either side. It was cool having someone to talk to as I often find myself riding alone usually. Tom pulled ahead when we hit the hills and I would catch him on the flats and downhills. I think this was due to the fact he had a handlebar bag and I didn't. Still I think he is stronger than I am and he might have just been humoring me most of the day to have someone to talk to. I have time though. One does not become a fast distance rider in a matter of a few months.




At the top of our first 7% climb of the day we descended the otherside down to Roosevelt lake. Tom kept asking how many brevets give you a beautiful lakefront ride like this. Not having ridden a brevet out of state I don't know. I do know this is the only one around here and it is awesome. It was a beautiful ride in the cool morning air and the lake smooth as glass on the right hand side. It was still early enough most of the boaters were awaking to the pain of their hangovers from the night before and not out on the lake yet.



Just after 8 we arrived at the visitor's center which had just opened. We got our cards signed and loaded up on water and I mixed some more maltodextrin up. I was determined to stay on liquids until lunch and then switch over to some more solid foods. It was a strategy that worked pretty good.

Roosevelt lake marina

Roosevelt lake is an awesome place to ride a bike. The shoulders are wide, you have lots of cool stuff to see including one of the few suspension bridges in Arizona and what used to be the worlds tallest Masonry dam until they encased it in concrete and raised the lake level. I had ridden acrossed the bridge by bike before (when I rode the Apache Trail) but I had never ridden the length of the Lake.

It was beautiful meandering back into the side washes and crossing the bridges, looking at the bluffs in the distance and the Sierra Anchas behind them. Ahead was Mt. Ord with it's firetower on top, and next to it, Tom made a point of saying, was Baker mt.. Being a Baker he makes a note of these things he says.

Past the lake we wandered into more green fields and a long set of rollers. There were farmers in one field using horses to plow the field. I have never seen a horse plowing a field. My wife's Grandpa has all the stuff to do it by the side of his house but he had used a tractor for years now (not that he farms anymore as he is getting on in years). It was cool to see farmers doing it old school.

There weren't any really big hills in here but there were a bunch of smaller ones all tending to move you up higher in elevation than the previous ones. It was starting to warm up a bit as the temps climbed up through the 70's and into the 80's. The rest stop by the highway was a welcome sight.

The rest stop has been closed for some time but the water is still on and it is cold water. There is nothing like splashing cold water on yourself on a hot day. Wash all those salt crystals out of your cap and hair. Soak the jersey a bit to get that "evaporative" cooler effect we can enjoy here in Aridzona. I make a note while we are here we have accumulated 3000 feet of elevation gain already and we still have the majority of the big hills ahead of us. Still I am feeling strong (which is good because there was a long way to go!)

Bikes bikes! Come and get your bikes! Big bikes little bikes, motor bikes, sissy bikes!

Just passed Rye we faced the biggest hill of the day. It was around 1700 feet high and stayed around 6% all the way up. I got into a good rythm with my triple and worked my way up the hill. Around half way up I was still feeling strong and passed up Tom. I kept going and figured I would wait for him up at the turn around if he didn't catch me first (which I expected he would). The climb was hot but it did feel cooler as we got closer to Payson. The hill seemed like it went on forever but with hills like this you just plug away and enjoy the moment by moment and don't think too much about how far there is left to go.

Payson was bustling the way it usually does on weekends. I figured I had half my water left so I would just keep cruising and out to the turn around. Nearing the other edge of town my little voice of doubt kept nagging me though. I ended up giving in knowing that if you fill up you will have it if you need it, and if you don't, then you could get stuck in a bad way, so in to Texaco I rode (on the wrong side of the road unfortunately as it is a bear making a left turn pulling out with all the traffic).

There was a bit more climbing than I remembered heading out Houston Mesa rd. Fortunately the scenery makes it all worth it. Traffic was fairly light. I discovered a little further back (just when my legs were getting a bit tired) that I had forgotten a hill with an 11% grade tucked back in there by the East Verde river/creek (where there were lots of people out playing in the water). I couldn't stop though, I was determined to get to the turn around and then to soak my feet in the mountain creek up near the turnaround. I must confess the 11% climb took a bit out of me getting up it. I was nearing 6000 feet of climbing already (the turn around was almost exactly 6000 feet) and I also needed to eat something.

Ahhh! The blessed turnaround, no it really was blessed! It was next to a church!

At long last I had the turnaround in sight. I found the stop sign appropriate. I made a mental note of the time and the answer to the question on the card and was off heading back the other way. Within a mile I spotted Tom coming my direction and let him know I was planning on waiting at the creek crossing.

The creek crossing! I wasted no time finding a suitable rock and putting my legs in the water.
I had a few toes that were numbing a bit and a good soak did them wonders. Theres not too much better stuff in life than a good foot soak and a cold mountain creek 100 miles into a ride. Drivers kept asking me if I wanted them to splash me as they drove through the creek. It would have felt nice but I had a cell phone in my back pocket.

The ride back was a rewind of all the rollers we had climbed to get here from Payson. I was starting to think 8000 feet of climbing might even be a touch low for an estimate. I was pretty tired through here and had to soldier on through fatigued legs. I was looking forward to downing a large chocolate milk or something at the Bashas Tom had mentioned.

I ended up taking down a quart of strawbery milk, some chicken, and mac and cheese. I started up with the endurolytes in here here too since I was starting to feel the muscle cramping coming on. The ride out the beeline was awesome since it is nearly all downhill to Rye. There was one spot where the shoulder stopped and we had to ride out by the traffic but there was only one guy who honked his horn since he had such a hard time switching lanes to go around a vehicle that was only going 10 miles or so under the speed limit. I got a few funky wiggles in here from crosswinds causing a little concern but mostly it was a smooth descent into the desert.

The ride back up to the rest stop was a bit more of a climb than I had noticed going down it in the morning. By the time we finished the altitude climbed had notched up to just under 8000 feet and we had the last major hill of the day ahead and lots of rollers. Temps were in the 90s as we slogged up the 4% grade to the rest stop at the turn to Roosevelt. The water at the rest stop was much appreciated when we did get there though. A brief respite from the afternoon heat. I'm glad the water was still on, and that the states budget cuts don't turn off the shade coming from the trees.

My legs were fighting through a good healthy fatigue now and I was very welcoming of the Tonto Basin supermarket 15 miles past the rest stop. We refilled water, and I downed a vanilla milk drink and a frozen dryers fruit pop (I still had some lunch gurgling down below so I didn't want to take in too many more calories). We had a good sit back in the restaurant and then it was time to get back out into the heat. A lady made a comment about the heat to us as we left funny enough. Like we didn't know it was hot.

This part of the ride was where I entered zen mode. That's the moment when you are tired and you get overwhelmed by how many miles lie before you. That is the time I live in the moment. Enjoy the journey and look around me to see what there is to see.

Evening approaches

We hit the lake just as sunset was about to begin. The setting sun brought out a lot of contrasts in the mountains to the north. I was hoping we would hit the bridge so I could get a good picture of it at sunset but I figured it would be close and likely we'd miss it.

Riding along in the shadows of the hills I ride over a bridge and I catch movement in the corner of my eye. Down below me is a family of Mule Deer come down to the lake for an evening drink. I pedal on into the peaceful hush of evening. When we get to the bridge it is nearly dusk and the shadows make it too dark for a good picture.

The ride along the lake has been beautiful. The evening falling upon the water makes for a peaceful transition to nightfall. I get a last picture of the dam before we take our final water stop at the visitor center which is closed. The drinking fountains are still on though the bathrooms and vending machines are tucked in for the night. It is time to don the nighttime reflective apparel. Soon many a driver will be wondering what the heck that shiny blinky thing is up head.

Tom pulls ahead pretty much off the bat as we are climbing for the next 10-15 miles. I also have to make a stop to fix my light after a crossing of the rumble strip shakes the LED lens loose and I have to wedge it into position with rocks from the side of the road. It held together for the rest of the night I am pleased to say.

I was dreading the climb up Salt River Peak pass as Tom called it. I got about halfway up and then I had to start "one more" ing myself. One more corner and I'll take a rest, no maybe one more mile marker. "Did it look like that cars taillights crested a hill? I'll ride that far and see." All in all I only stopped once and that was more to get a good look at the stars, though it was good to get the heartrate down a bit. Climbing in the dark is an interesting experience. You can't see anything ahead and the only way you can tell where you are going is the path the car headlights/taillights take. Eventually after who knows how long you are to the top. Night riding is a timeless endeavor. Time passes in a different fashion than during the day. You are not as aware of hours passing.

Eventually I make it to the top and enjoy the brightness of my generator light down the other side. There are rollers in the last 10-15 miles but once you pass that summit everything is a victory lap from there. I munched down a power bar (the kind made out of cereal and nuts not the gross ones). I was a little hungry but I was close to the end and I figured a 300 calorie snack would pull me in. Toward town I passed 3 police cars with people pulled over.

Pulling into the finish Tom was just coming out of the restroom having changed. I set my bike down under a light and took a look at what the final verdict for what the climbing was. We had climbed 10,400 feet in the course of the day. Just a tad over 6000 :) . I was glad I had mixed some higher intensity training in the last few months..

Head down, the feet go round,

Eyes directed toward the ground.

Wheels roll, and ever pull,

The dying day from tired soul.

On I ride, the wind has died,

the cool of eve is on my side.

Setting sun, the ride is run,

The finish awaits, and I am done.

Brevet Dreams/Nightmares?

With the week of the Mines to Pines 300k here I have started to have brevet dreams. These are the dreams where you stay in some control too long looking for something, you take a wrong turn, you have to go back for something. You name it, it can happen in a brevet dream. I have not dreamed I forgot my clothes on a brevet though thankfully (you know the showing up to school/work and discovering things are a bit breezy below dream). Last night I was trying to find a control in the middle of an urban alley (must be a throw back from when we met at the alley in Casa Grande, though that was hardly urban). At the previous control I kept discovering something wrong when I got ready to set out and had to go back and by the time I finished everyone was gone. At another point in the dream it was dark and I had hoped to finish before sunset. I don't think I have ever had a brevet dream where I finished at the head of the pack in record time. I suppose it might be a defense mechanism so I am sure I will be all setup when the day arrives. Kind of like dreaming you missed an appointment and the relief you have when you wake up and get there on time thanks to the anxiety your dream created. One thing the dreams all have in common is frustration and hopelessness. Fortunately, most brevets you can muddle your way through despite what dreams say. Perhaps it is the body preparing for the stress a ride like this places on it. Perhaps it is the insecurities one feels before an enormous task which is laid before them. Perhaps it is our secret fear of the unknown manifesting itself. The fear that this ride might be different somehow. That we might not meet the challenge. That forces beyond our control will stop us in our tracks. Perhaps it is a combination of all these. In any case, come Saturday we shall see what is to be feared, and what is to be conquered, or perhaps both.

Night in the City

Piestewa/Squaw peak

I was intending to ride home today since this would be my last day for a longish ride since I am taking the kids camping Friday. I didn't get out of work until after 6:30 pm though so it is a good thing I packed my "backup" light into the old rack trunk. I carb packed over lunch at Aunt Chilada's which I discovered was only a 1/4 mile from my work. I ate way too much. Still, since I had to work late it all worked out.

I had to check out a flat tire before I left but the leak was slow enough I couldn't find it so I pumped it up and headed out. The legs were a bit sluggish on the first hills but not overly so. I made good time heading back to Camelback mt.

I was pushing hard as I knew this was my last hard ride before I started my taper for next week's brevet. I kept my heartrate between 78-85% of maximum heartrate most of the way home. My backup light I must say is pretty good. I was outriding it a bit and hit a few minor potholes but I was going pretty fast. My speeds most of the way home were 20+. I was pleased upon arriving at home to find my avg speed was 19.6 mph over 32 miles with 540 feet of climbing. Not too shabby. Now to rest up for a bit.

One Man's Demons

To speed or not to speed, that is the question.

At times when it seems everyone is my judge, and my tasks form an impenetrable black wall before me, when my head hangs low and my heart wallows in meaningless sorrow. These are the times to feel the wind on my face. To force the pedals to do my bidding. To flee the clutches of civilization and grasp the freedom of the road with both hands as I hear the gentle hum of wheels caressing the pavement. To breathe freely the desert air on a sunlit morning. To stare across the tops of mountains and desert canyons bespeckled with cacti raising their arms to the sky in ceaseless worship. To gaze down on the beaten hill, master of me no longer. To feel the wind rush past as I forget the signs and limits and release myself to the higher laws of gravity and inertia. To raise my head and declare I have done something. In a time when all seems unfulfilled and wasted. I have climbed the hill though my legs are fatigued, though my breath is short, though I have had a flat tire and been abandonned by the group to seek my own glory, I have conquered.

Of Climbing and Babysitting

Today was the day I needed a 200k because in 3 weeks I'll be riding a 300k. A pretty hilly 300k actually. The plan was to wake up around 3 AM, ride out to Kearny, get back around 1 or 2 and go to the Company picnic. Well, the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray. Particularly if you have a family. My wife had a meeting at the church at 10 so that changed that. Where there is a will there is a way though. It is possible to cycle in ones backyard, even inside ones home theatre for that matter. This is the story of my solution to this very problem.

It was a beautiful morning with temps in the 40's as I headed out of town. I didn't wear arm warmers or a wind vest or anything like that and I probably should have. I managed to pedal hard enough to keep the cold off. My heart rate monitor kept reminding me to pedal a little harder. In the dark I tend to let off a bit and it was good to get the reminder.

My hub light shone through the darkness as I turned onto the Apache Trail. Dawn was about to start but my light shown bright and lit the way. I was able to hold 15 mph or so most of the way acrossed Apache Jct and slowed as I hit the hills as I left town. I got passed by the ocassional car. The beauty of getting up at 4:30 for this route is the light traffic. in an hour or two this highway would have boats, motorcycles, RV's, Sports Cars, you name it. Before 7 though it's only the occasional fisherman pulling his boat.

The descent to Canyon Lake was cold. Especially when I hit 40 mph in the last stretch of the hill. Fortunately it was over before I started shivering. I hadn't sweated that much climbing the hill due to the chill. I was pleased to note that the temps by the lake were warmer.

The destination today was not Canyon lake though. The 300k in a few weeks has a lot of climbing and so today I was out to train on the hill known as "End of the Pavement". It' goes from Tortilla flat out about 4-5 miles to where the pavement ends in the middle of nowhere. It is a hill which stays between 6 and 9% most of the way up and is a good solid burn. Today I am pleased to see that although I have been pushing it harder than normal I still have strength to do the hills. I am pleased to note that I have gotten my time for climbing this hill down to just over half an hour. Before it was 40-45 minutes. Some of that is lost weight and some is that I am a much stronger rider this year with that pedal technique I have been working on.

The end of the pavement

It's a beautiful morning to be climbing. I hardly even break a sweat though I am working hard. I manage to not use my granny gear and I am proud of the fact. This hill seems a lot less intimidating than it used to. I am using it as excersize these days rather than a gigantic feat to be accomplished.

Turning around at the top I am eager to see if my light holds up on the descent. It is light out of course, but I want to see if speeds near 50 mph will cause problems with my generator light. I hit 50 and I am pleased to say it did fine. It is good to go for Cochise this fall (the back side of Mule Pass is a really fast descent I understand). Interestingly enough, when I went down again after my repeat with the light off I actually didn't hit 50. I guess that means the drag on the generator hub is negligible or the winds were different.

Usually when I do a repeat on this hill I am slower the second time around but today I am powerfull. I could have done a 3rd repeat but I had to get back for my wife. I am surprised this morning as no one has passed me. Not even after I did my repeat. I wouldn't see anyone until I was climbing out the last hill around 8:30. Usually this area has a lot more cycling activity.

Heading home I notice I have an extra 15 minutes or so, so I climb Usery Pass as a short side trip. Before I got home I would have 5200 feet of climbing in and around 80 miles in. So, with me at home my wife took off and I dug the rollers out of the garage onto the back porch.

Riding rollers with legs that are a bit fatigued is a rather delicate proposition. I came off once but managed to catch myself on the chair. I grew bored and looked at my watch. I had been on the trailer for just over 10 minutes! Aughhh! I commited myself to ride until I was finished with the album that was playing on my MP3 player and made it two songs into the next one using the old "just one more" lie on myself.

Seeing as I still needed another hour or two to finish my needed training for the day I put the fork mount onto the trainer and hauled it into the home theatre with the dlp projector on the cieliing. This makes the whole wall my tv. I decided I would pump the surround sound up and throw spiderman in the dvd player. I needed something a little exciting to spur me on. It worked. I managed to even do some higher intensity through the more exciting parts and ended up getting an extra hour and a half of training in before the hip started to twinge and I decided I had pushed my luck far enough.

I don't know if it added up to 200k or not but it was a good long workout. It was even a fairly intense workout. They say if you want to ride fast you need to train fast. It seems to be working for me. Sunday my quads didn't have any of the hammered muscle feeling to them surprisingly enough. This using all the muscles in your leg thing must have something to it.

Things are looking good for May 9th. I might even get a tolerable time but my goal is just to finish injury free.