As a member of Randonneurs USA (RUSA) I've completed a RUSA event of at least 200 km or more for 44 consecutive months through August. Probably not a big deal compared to some other RUSA members but it is the longest current streak among Georgia members. More importantly to me I had never accomplished cycling a 100 mile ride in 12 straight months before joining RUSA, and that had been a life goal for at least 10 years.
For September I targeted a 400 km event riding from Dublin GA to Clarks Hill SC and back. Again not too big a deal since others were doing either a 600 or 1000 km ride during this event, but 400 km would be my longest ride so far in 2013. I drove to Dublin very early Friday morning arriving in time to eat breakfast and prepare for a 5:00 am start. Why not drive down the day before and get a decent night sleep at some motel? Mainly because I never sleep very well the first night on the road. I figured 5 hours of sleep in my own bed would be better than a restless night on the road.
8 cyclists started promptly; I wasn't sure who was doing 400 or who was doing 1000. Those doing 600 would join the 1000 k riders Saturday morning. It didn't matter though because pretty soon I was all by myself. Except for a few sightings on the portion of the course that was out and back I never saw another cyclist. For several reasons the 400 km distance can be hard, especially from a mental perspective. First it's too short a distance for a drop bag or motel room on the course so I ride with no sleep. On longer rides there's a chance to stop somewhere, shower, sleep a little, put on fresh clothes and continue riding. Second since I am use to riding lots of 200 km events, that moment when you reach 125 miles (or so) you realize you have to do the same distance again, most likely a lot of it at night.
I was comfortable in the clothes I had on at the start, and once daylight and warmth arrived I could easily adjust my wordrobe. The first 50 miles were flat and easy but later the wind picked up (headwind) and the rolling hills showed up. Nothing steep, but they were enough along with the wind to take some energy, not so much physically but mentally. My mind starting wandering as it usually does on rides like this where I am alone. I thought about two birthday cards I'd just mailed, one to my ex-fiancee, the other to my stepson. I reflected on the ups and downs about both relationships--won't bore anyone with the specifics except to say those reflections filled up a lot of miles.
As I reached the 100 mile mark I saw 2 cyclists already heading back from the turn around in South Carolina. A few miles later I came across 2 more riders and saw Kevin Kaiser who is the RUSA brevet administrator and organized the event. I asked him if there was any place to get a decent meal further out on the course and he told me the only places were 2 restaurants across the street. I decided to catch one of them on the way back. That happened to be at mile 125 and a sit down vegetable plate with time to take off my shoes was most welcome. I have gotten use to eating very little on 200 km rides, but I knew this ride would require more solid fuel. I'm grateful for Kevins' advice because there wasn't another place to get a decent meal until mile 225.
Refreshed and slightly rested I pushed on for a while until sunset around 7:15. I put warm clothes back on, turned on lights and kept pedaling reflecting on passing the half way point. Darkness brought a chill and it seemed colder than it had been when we started that morning in the dark. Unfortunately I didn't bring anything warmer so I resigned myself to being cold at times. Those times mainly happened on down hills where I could make up time by going fast. I began wondering whether I'd rather have up hills which became slower as the night progressed, downhills where I felt cold and sometimes could not see much of the road in front of me, or the flats where I felt like falling asleep on the bike.
Although it was incredibly dark I had plenty of lights on my bike and helmet to guide and keep me visible. The nice thing about night riding on rural roads is the absence of any vehicle traffic; the disadvantage is that sometimes there are rural dogs you can't always see until they appear out of nowhere. I got several chances to practice how fast I could sprint after a long time in the saddle. The other unnerving thing can be where you hear dogs barking ahead of you and don't know if they're loose or restricted. At one point riding through a small community the dogs started barking in what became a chorus line as I cycled. At least this time none were loose, but you never know.
As the night wore on I became less meditative and more focused on my aches and pains. Earlier in the day I had thought about doing the 400, taking a nap and then heading out with the 600 so I could claim a full super randonneur series (200, 300, 400, 600 during 2013). Now I just wanted to be off the bike and asleep. I was really tired, but potential road hazards, dogs, and fear of going off course kept me alert. At 4:00 am I stopped at the last control (Waffle House) for a grilled cheese sandwich and coke. I hardly remember the last 40 miles, except that upon turning onto the road back to the start/finish I encountered the worst road conditions of the entire ride. That coupled with Saturday morning Dublin traffic and my own weariness made the final 3 miles pretty dicey.
I reached the hotel at 7:00 am, loaded my bike in the car, and headed for Kevin's hotel room for a shower and nap. When I first laid down the aches and pains made it hard to sleep, but fatigue prevailed and I got 3 hours of sleep. Over breakfast with Kevin I discovered that 3 of the 8 starters did not finish the 400. One of the major skills in rando riding is being able to follow a cue sheet and they had gotten lost and couldn't find their way back on course. Kevin ended up picking them up. So of the 5 cyclists who finished, one like me had only planned on doing 400, and the other 3 had left just before I arrived to do another 600 km ride along with a few more who started the 600 on Saturday. All 3 of the 1000 k riders finished along with the 3 who did the 600.
There is a RUSA mantra that says "it's not about the destination, it's about the journey." On this journey I made it 45 consecutive months completing a RUSA event of 200 km (or more). I learned that completing a lot of 200 km rides without more 300 km rides did not prepare me for a 400 km effort--at least not without some pain and suffering. But I also learned that mental fortitude and stubbornness can overcome potential physical limitations.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Monday, September 09, 2013
Bike Accidents--50 + Years
Last Saturday August 30th, I was involved in a minor mishap on my bike. Another cyclist drifted into me, our handlebars and front wheels collided, he bounced off and hit the road, another rider hit his bike, and in the meantime I was forced off-road onto a grassy down hill. Despite best efforts my wheels slide out and I hit the ground. Stunned but fully conscious I laid there several minutes trying to determine if I was injured. The other two cyclists were taken to the closet ER. They both road rash, and one of them ended up with fractured scapula and rib although not confirmed until he followed up with ortho doc. I wound up somewhat sore and my helmet was toast which put on end to my ride that day. Spent the rest of the morning and afternoon helping the cyclists who went to ER and drove one of them home.
I found out that two days before a cycling buddy had been water skiing and sustained a very serious head injury. He's currently in an intensive care unit and even though early signs are good, he's probably facing a long physical therapy road. These events got me thinking about how lucky I've been over my long cycling career. I've had a few accidents--it's said that if you cycle enough it's not a question of whether you'll crash, it's simply a question of when. Besides last Saturday I've had a few whens. Including last week I've had a total of 11 bike accidents going all the way back to 1960. Four of them required trips to an ER, the other seven I manged to finish my ride. I won't bore anyone with details as a few of them are already mentioned in previous posts. The very first one though in 1960 deserves a mention since that event is closest I have ever come to facing death--and escaping. It was September 1960, I was in 8th grade and riding my bike home from school. I was trying to catch my brother who was ahead of me. I was going as fast as I could down Grove Street when I approached a car going in the same direction at an incredibly slow speed. I decided to pass on the right at the same time the driver decided to pull over in order to park. I glanced off the car, hit a curb, and tried to grab a tree near the sidewalk in order to stop my momentum. My bike went out from under me, I was spun around the tree, and thrown completely underneath the car. The only thing I remember was seeing the right rear wheel resting just off my right shoulder. Fortunately the most serious injury was severe road rash--actually tree rash--from my wrist all the way up my arm to my sleeve. Obviously I've been fortunate to have cycled as long as I have with only 11 mishaps.
Here are some observations I've learned over the years from my own crashes and having helped some other cyclists. These are not in any priority:
Don't be in a hurry to move. When you hit the pavement or road hard some level of shock sets in. While the tendency is to immediately move to a "safe place" you may have an injury where movement is not a good idea. Even in urban areas when a cyclist goes down and stays there others spring into action quickly. They should be able to keep you safe from other vehicles. Let the shock settle down before you try moving potentially injured limbs or body. If you suspect a serious injury or fracture let others assess the situation. During my crash last week, even though I was fully conscious I experienced some shock. I remained still until I was sure I could move and even then I was very careful to assess things beforehand.
Experience is huge. I've ridden a lot of miles, in cities, traffic, on rural roads, at night, and in all kinds of weather. I've avoided countless crashes because I ride defensively, assume I'm virtually invisible, and anticipate actions of others on the road--dogs include. I don't keep great records of my annual mileage--no one really cares except me and then only when I'm trying to make a point. Probably over 250,000 during my life so far. So for me cycling on a street is no more dangerous than crossing it on foot, driving a car (no matter what car you're in there is always something bigger). We all do some things with confidence because we have gained experience, but we also know deep down inside that something serious can go wrong in any of life's activities.
Wear a helmet. This is an obvious no brainer now but I never wore one until 1984 when I did an organized ride. Back then the only people wearing helmet were football players--and no, they weren't leather. On some accidents my head never hit anything, but whenever it has the helmet saved me from potentially serious injury. Not only should a cyclist always wear a helmet they need to make sure it's the right size and fits properly.
Enough writing about riding--time to ride.
I found out that two days before a cycling buddy had been water skiing and sustained a very serious head injury. He's currently in an intensive care unit and even though early signs are good, he's probably facing a long physical therapy road. These events got me thinking about how lucky I've been over my long cycling career. I've had a few accidents--it's said that if you cycle enough it's not a question of whether you'll crash, it's simply a question of when. Besides last Saturday I've had a few whens. Including last week I've had a total of 11 bike accidents going all the way back to 1960. Four of them required trips to an ER, the other seven I manged to finish my ride. I won't bore anyone with details as a few of them are already mentioned in previous posts. The very first one though in 1960 deserves a mention since that event is closest I have ever come to facing death--and escaping. It was September 1960, I was in 8th grade and riding my bike home from school. I was trying to catch my brother who was ahead of me. I was going as fast as I could down Grove Street when I approached a car going in the same direction at an incredibly slow speed. I decided to pass on the right at the same time the driver decided to pull over in order to park. I glanced off the car, hit a curb, and tried to grab a tree near the sidewalk in order to stop my momentum. My bike went out from under me, I was spun around the tree, and thrown completely underneath the car. The only thing I remember was seeing the right rear wheel resting just off my right shoulder. Fortunately the most serious injury was severe road rash--actually tree rash--from my wrist all the way up my arm to my sleeve. Obviously I've been fortunate to have cycled as long as I have with only 11 mishaps.
Here are some observations I've learned over the years from my own crashes and having helped some other cyclists. These are not in any priority:
Don't be in a hurry to move. When you hit the pavement or road hard some level of shock sets in. While the tendency is to immediately move to a "safe place" you may have an injury where movement is not a good idea. Even in urban areas when a cyclist goes down and stays there others spring into action quickly. They should be able to keep you safe from other vehicles. Let the shock settle down before you try moving potentially injured limbs or body. If you suspect a serious injury or fracture let others assess the situation. During my crash last week, even though I was fully conscious I experienced some shock. I remained still until I was sure I could move and even then I was very careful to assess things beforehand.
Experience is huge. I've ridden a lot of miles, in cities, traffic, on rural roads, at night, and in all kinds of weather. I've avoided countless crashes because I ride defensively, assume I'm virtually invisible, and anticipate actions of others on the road--dogs include. I don't keep great records of my annual mileage--no one really cares except me and then only when I'm trying to make a point. Probably over 250,000 during my life so far. So for me cycling on a street is no more dangerous than crossing it on foot, driving a car (no matter what car you're in there is always something bigger). We all do some things with confidence because we have gained experience, but we also know deep down inside that something serious can go wrong in any of life's activities.
Wear a helmet. This is an obvious no brainer now but I never wore one until 1984 when I did an organized ride. Back then the only people wearing helmet were football players--and no, they weren't leather. On some accidents my head never hit anything, but whenever it has the helmet saved me from potentially serious injury. Not only should a cyclist always wear a helmet they need to make sure it's the right size and fits properly.
Enough writing about riding--time to ride.
Tuesday, March 05, 2013
Athens 300 Km Brevet Analyzed
I began randonneuring cycling just over 3 years ago to qualify, train and complete an event called Paris-Brest-Paris in 2011. In this blog there's a ride report on that, and it reflects on how I did not complete that 1200 km event because of a crash resulting in a fractured clavicle along with torn rotator cuff and biceps tendon. That was one of only 3 events out of 44 that I did not successfully complete--until last Saturday. Technically I did finish 2 of those 4 just not within the time limit. The Athens 300 km brevet was a finish outside the time limit; here's how it unfolded for me.
At 6:00 I set off from Watkinsville GA with 13fellow rando riders in 35 degree darkness. It didn't take long before I fell behind the group, but I felt pretty comfortable despite the light freezing rain that soon began to welcome the day. I passed a rider at the first control about an hour into the ride who was changing a flat. I asked if everything was OK and he said it was, but I found out later he DNFed since he could not successfully mount a tubular tire. Another rider just ahead of me cruised out of sight, but about 10 miles later passed me because he had missed a turn. This is one of the aspects about randonneuring that makes it special: basically you are cycling on roads you haven't ridden with only a cue sheet to guide you. Also there isn't any support, you pretty much have to be self sufficient. Sometimes cue sheets have a way of being confusing, more often a rural road is either not marked--or the sign is missing. No big deal if you live out there but it can add miles and time to a ride if one isn't careful.
I got to the control in Carlton GA at 10:00. I saw one of our riders sitting in an open SUV changing clothes. It looked like a friend was simply meeting him at a control to bring out dry clothes. It turned out he had simply had enough riding and was also DNFing. Another aspect of this type event is you carry a card with designated control points along the course. Usually they are stores where you can replenish fluids and food. You get your card initialed with the time you came through. There are designated times for the control to be open: Carlton opened at 8:14 and closed at 11:04. I was there an hour before the close time so while not setting any speed records I was ahead of schedule. Note: to get there at 8:14 one would have to average about 25 mph not including having to stop at 2 prior controls.
The weather got better, in other words it quit snowing, and I rode on the the next control. This control was an information control. Information controls are inserted where there aren't any stores and to make sure riders don't take a short cut. This particular control was the Georgia Guide stones which are 5 massive granite structures containing 10 principles written in 8 different languages. We had to write down the translation--just kidding--all we had to note was the number of granite monuments. From there I road towards Richard Russel State Park where there actually would be a live person with refreshments. As I headed that way I began to see the faster riders since this portion of the course was an out-and-back portion. The event host Jim Shanni was at the park entrance with refreshments and since he was at the entrance it cut off about 4 miles of the official route (which was OK since it was actually 196 miles which is more than 300 km. Most riders were not complaining although 2 cyclists followed the official route through the park probably to keep their GPS devices from going crazy.
At this point I was at mile 83 and nearly 2 hours ahead of the control closing. Leaving the park I encountered a new challenge--strong headwinds which manged to remain directly in front of me regardless of the route direction. I got to Royston GA at 4:00 still almost 2 hours ahead of cutoff but had to get something more substantial than fruit and frozen power bars. I stopped at McDonald's and tried to eat 2 hamburgers, fries and a coke, but could quite eat every bite. Although I felt hungry food just would not go down easy and that turned out to be critical. That was the last solid food I could stomach for the rest of the ride and I paid the price down the road.
Leaving Royston the wind abated and was replaced by a more climbing than on the first half of the route. Once darkness settled in, temperatures started to drop, and I began making some mistakes. I drank some fluids but not near enough. I could not stomach any solid food even though I had a long way to ride. Then I missed a turn because I misread mileage on the cue sheet. When that happens and it's dark you tend to get skittish about every next turn. I began stopping to check road signs, and when I realized my helmet light was OK for reading a cue sheet but not very effective when I looked at road signs I had to stop and replace batteries. Seems like a simple task but try it at night when your fingers don't have much feeling. I was losing time big time now and began to wonder if I would finish by the 2:00 am time limit.
I rolled into the last control before the finish 25 minutes ahead of closing which left me with 80 minutes to cycle 16 miles. Then I realized I had accidentally cut off about 4 miles of the cue sheet directions. I was smart enough to carry a spare, but by the time I dug it out, studied it avoid getting lost, I had wasted too damn much time. Jim drove out to check on me and I was 12 miles out with 35 minutes left. Although I knew I couldn't ride 25 mph for 12 minutes much less 12 miles. But having ridden that far I wasn't about to quit. I rolled into the hotel at 2:30, a half hour too late to receive official credit for completing the brevet. My consolation was riding over 200 miles, and getting good training for circumstances I'll probably encounter during my 1200 event in June.
The most painful moment though happened during the shower at the hotel when I ran warm water over frost bitten toes and fingers. Over breakfast one of my fellow riders said his mother recently asked him "when are you going to start riding just for fun again?' Many of my friends wonder the same thing about me. There are a few reasons why I do these type rides. I have always been passionate about cycling from the days when I was a kid and enjoyed the freedom a bike offerred. Now as a 67 year old with 11 orthopedic surgeries and 3 artificial joints it's one of the few athletic aerobic things I can still do. It's also immensely satisfying to take on a challenge and stubbornly see it through in the face of pretty tough circumstances. To me it represents what life is all about.
See you on the road.
At 6:00 I set off from Watkinsville GA with 13fellow rando riders in 35 degree darkness. It didn't take long before I fell behind the group, but I felt pretty comfortable despite the light freezing rain that soon began to welcome the day. I passed a rider at the first control about an hour into the ride who was changing a flat. I asked if everything was OK and he said it was, but I found out later he DNFed since he could not successfully mount a tubular tire. Another rider just ahead of me cruised out of sight, but about 10 miles later passed me because he had missed a turn. This is one of the aspects about randonneuring that makes it special: basically you are cycling on roads you haven't ridden with only a cue sheet to guide you. Also there isn't any support, you pretty much have to be self sufficient. Sometimes cue sheets have a way of being confusing, more often a rural road is either not marked--or the sign is missing. No big deal if you live out there but it can add miles and time to a ride if one isn't careful.
I got to the control in Carlton GA at 10:00. I saw one of our riders sitting in an open SUV changing clothes. It looked like a friend was simply meeting him at a control to bring out dry clothes. It turned out he had simply had enough riding and was also DNFing. Another aspect of this type event is you carry a card with designated control points along the course. Usually they are stores where you can replenish fluids and food. You get your card initialed with the time you came through. There are designated times for the control to be open: Carlton opened at 8:14 and closed at 11:04. I was there an hour before the close time so while not setting any speed records I was ahead of schedule. Note: to get there at 8:14 one would have to average about 25 mph not including having to stop at 2 prior controls.
The weather got better, in other words it quit snowing, and I rode on the the next control. This control was an information control. Information controls are inserted where there aren't any stores and to make sure riders don't take a short cut. This particular control was the Georgia Guide stones which are 5 massive granite structures containing 10 principles written in 8 different languages. We had to write down the translation--just kidding--all we had to note was the number of granite monuments. From there I road towards Richard Russel State Park where there actually would be a live person with refreshments. As I headed that way I began to see the faster riders since this portion of the course was an out-and-back portion. The event host Jim Shanni was at the park entrance with refreshments and since he was at the entrance it cut off about 4 miles of the official route (which was OK since it was actually 196 miles which is more than 300 km. Most riders were not complaining although 2 cyclists followed the official route through the park probably to keep their GPS devices from going crazy.
At this point I was at mile 83 and nearly 2 hours ahead of the control closing. Leaving the park I encountered a new challenge--strong headwinds which manged to remain directly in front of me regardless of the route direction. I got to Royston GA at 4:00 still almost 2 hours ahead of cutoff but had to get something more substantial than fruit and frozen power bars. I stopped at McDonald's and tried to eat 2 hamburgers, fries and a coke, but could quite eat every bite. Although I felt hungry food just would not go down easy and that turned out to be critical. That was the last solid food I could stomach for the rest of the ride and I paid the price down the road.
Leaving Royston the wind abated and was replaced by a more climbing than on the first half of the route. Once darkness settled in, temperatures started to drop, and I began making some mistakes. I drank some fluids but not near enough. I could not stomach any solid food even though I had a long way to ride. Then I missed a turn because I misread mileage on the cue sheet. When that happens and it's dark you tend to get skittish about every next turn. I began stopping to check road signs, and when I realized my helmet light was OK for reading a cue sheet but not very effective when I looked at road signs I had to stop and replace batteries. Seems like a simple task but try it at night when your fingers don't have much feeling. I was losing time big time now and began to wonder if I would finish by the 2:00 am time limit.
I rolled into the last control before the finish 25 minutes ahead of closing which left me with 80 minutes to cycle 16 miles. Then I realized I had accidentally cut off about 4 miles of the cue sheet directions. I was smart enough to carry a spare, but by the time I dug it out, studied it avoid getting lost, I had wasted too damn much time. Jim drove out to check on me and I was 12 miles out with 35 minutes left. Although I knew I couldn't ride 25 mph for 12 minutes much less 12 miles. But having ridden that far I wasn't about to quit. I rolled into the hotel at 2:30, a half hour too late to receive official credit for completing the brevet. My consolation was riding over 200 miles, and getting good training for circumstances I'll probably encounter during my 1200 event in June.
The most painful moment though happened during the shower at the hotel when I ran warm water over frost bitten toes and fingers. Over breakfast one of my fellow riders said his mother recently asked him "when are you going to start riding just for fun again?' Many of my friends wonder the same thing about me. There are a few reasons why I do these type rides. I have always been passionate about cycling from the days when I was a kid and enjoyed the freedom a bike offerred. Now as a 67 year old with 11 orthopedic surgeries and 3 artificial joints it's one of the few athletic aerobic things I can still do. It's also immensely satisfying to take on a challenge and stubbornly see it through in the face of pretty tough circumstances. To me it represents what life is all about.
See you on the road.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Lance Armstrong--My Reaction
Lance's confession was to me like The Godfather confirming the olive oil business was not his true line of work. Similar to Santa Claus and the Easter bunny, Lance denying use of PEDs was something most avid cyclists began to doubt as the evidence piled up even though we really wanted to believe him. For me the doubt really began during a Tour de France short time trail when Lance caught and blew by Jan Ulrich. It was hard for me to believe that anyone could do that to Ulrich over such a short distance without doping. Anyway the confession's public. Lance seemed contrite but at times he still put his own controlling spin on things. Even though he apologized for being a "bully" sometimes he sounded defiant and fighting back. Tyler Hamilton's reflection that when a person initially confesses it's still hard to be completely open about the past deception is very accurate in my opinion.
Many people still doubt aspects of Lance's confession, and only time will tell whether there are other secrets to be revealed. I may be one of the minority that believe he did not dope during his comeback. Any intelligent person--and Lance is very smart--would surely not take a chance on losing it all over a failed test post comeback. I hope I'm right because his life story over 40+ years is pretty amazing to me. Last week's interview is only a first step and redemption will take a long time and may not be possible. There are many who will despise him forever. I think Lance's confession demonstrates to elite athletes that unlimited money and resources do not guarantee immunity. If Lance can get caught anyone can so perhaps this will help clean up cheating in all elite competition not just cycling.
So what's to become of Lance Armstrong? While his confessions perhaps are the initial step of a long redemption process, he stands to suffer financially. Of course collaborating with someone like a David Walsh in a "tell all" memoir would put serious funds back in his bank account. However, I wouldn't surprised if some years down the road you may see Lance running for governor of Texas. After all look what 12 years redemption has done for the likes of Ray Lewis and Bill Clinton. And if that happens--your read it here first!
Many people still doubt aspects of Lance's confession, and only time will tell whether there are other secrets to be revealed. I may be one of the minority that believe he did not dope during his comeback. Any intelligent person--and Lance is very smart--would surely not take a chance on losing it all over a failed test post comeback. I hope I'm right because his life story over 40+ years is pretty amazing to me. Last week's interview is only a first step and redemption will take a long time and may not be possible. There are many who will despise him forever. I think Lance's confession demonstrates to elite athletes that unlimited money and resources do not guarantee immunity. If Lance can get caught anyone can so perhaps this will help clean up cheating in all elite competition not just cycling.
So what's to become of Lance Armstrong? While his confessions perhaps are the initial step of a long redemption process, he stands to suffer financially. Of course collaborating with someone like a David Walsh in a "tell all" memoir would put serious funds back in his bank account. However, I wouldn't surprised if some years down the road you may see Lance running for governor of Texas. After all look what 12 years redemption has done for the likes of Ray Lewis and Bill Clinton. And if that happens--your read it here first!
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
America the Violent--Post Script
In today's Wall Street Journal I noticed a brief article about a shooting yesterday at a community college in Hazard, Kentucky. Two people killed, one teenager wounded. Found other articles on line which identified it as a domestic dispute which happened when very few students were on campus. Apparently just another typical "debate"--the kind that happen almost every day somewhere in America--not worthy of the attention given to a mass shooting.
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