Sunday, July 27, 2008

leaving it with the crooks

So, as the quote from Patrick goes, "If you got it- leave it on the road." I got plenty to leave on the road, but no bike to do it with! Some lowlifes decided they needed my bike more than I did. So I'm out a very expensive bike (which will cost me a few thousand to replace), I have a century ride coming up in a few weeks-- that'll be interesting, and lots of pent up frustration over the whole situation and no bike to go spin it out on.

I know I wanted a new bike, but com'n!!! This is not what I had in mind! So if anyone happens to see someone trying to sell a hot 56 cm Trek 2100 let me know so I can go hunt them down and give them a piece of my mind!

Til then, I suppose I can say I have seen the best and worst of people. The worst obviously being the jacka$$ that took my bike. The best being my really cool teammates who have helped me out so much! All my teammates are amazing, but this one couple lent me a bike til I get my new one so I can at least go to my training rides! Will and Kristy, you guys are my heros! `

Friday, July 18, 2008

Pro Crashes?

While riding yesterday, Rick and Patrick were talking about watching the Tour de France, and the commentators showing some of the crashes from the ride.... Well, someone asked what it was like to crash. The answer given was this:

Get in a car going 50 mph, strip down to your underwear, open the door and jump out. That's what it feels like!

Thankfully, I've never had a real crash *knock on wood* but I imagine that's probably very close to what it would feel like...

Hills, Hills, and More Hills...

None of them too bad, except Metcalf, which I only drove my car over. So, since LiveStrong, I've been on my bike a good amount for a week.

Tuesday I went out to hill repeats before work. Even though my legs were tired from the LiveStrong ride on Sunday, I managed 4 climbs up Mount Eden.

Then yesterday I met up with Patrick, Rick, and Rachel for a nice 30 mile ride. Good times. We met on Foothill at McKenzie Park and rode up to Portola Valley. I did feel like a bit of a misfit, being the only one not employed by the Foothill College Math Department. Man can they ride - those math geeks musta studied the mathematical equations behind the physics of cycling or something!!! They really pushed me. It was great though. We got a nice paceline going along Foothill expressway and were rolling between 20-25 mph. It was cool. Rick made a comment that we just needed another 6 riders or something to get a peleton going and we'd look just like the Discovery Team! (well, maybe not quite...) Took a breather at the park next to Robert's market where Rachel and I stuck our heads in the sprinklers to cool off. Patrick, Rick and I then rode up to the top of Alpine Rd. BEAUTIFUL! That's one of my new favorite rides. I must admit I was a little nervous setting out, but it was amazing. Patrick wasn't "coaching" so he gave me the truth about the climb, and I think it's the first honest answer I've gotten out of him about a hill! He said it wasn't too bad til the last few hundred yards, and then it was pretty steep. I let the boys go ahead and filled up my water bottle and threw my ipod on for the climb. It really wasn't bad at all, just had the tunes going and was able to spin close to 10 mph most the way up. I don't know the exact grade, but it's probably only like 6% with a little 7-8% in a few places. It was one of the most beautiful roads to ride up though - winding, tree lined, along a creek up in the mountains. I think a "few hundred yards" was a little bit of an understatement, but it coulda been- but really I think it was close to the last 1/2 mile that really got challenging for me. It probably jumped up to like a 12-13% grade. And it was so winding, I couldn't see the end -- which frustrates me. I don't mind climbing as long as I know how much is left so I can conserve the right amount of energy. (WOW, my mindset has changed a lot from last season!!!!) I was so relieved to see Patrick and Rick sitting at the top when I came around the last corner! Mission accomplished!!! So I made it to the top, and they said it was cool watching me come up beccause it was so steep they couldn't see my bike, just my legs spinning! Then we hauled it back down. Pay off time! That is the best descent I think I've ever rode. It's all S-curves the whole 3-4 miles down. I really got to put my technical skills to use which was fun. I've never felt a carve like that before. All my weight on the outside pedal and just leaning to the inside cruising through the turns. It was pretty cool to look at the posted speed limit of 20 mph, and down at my bike computer which read just under 40 mph. Good thing there were no cops up there! We rode back around Portola and picked up Rachel at the park and headed back past the Arastradero perserve and back down foothill to our cars. What a great afternoon of riding!


Here is a small glimpse at Alpine.

Today, I wanted to scope out Metcalf to get a better idea of the grade and distance. Glad I scoped it out in the car first. That is a monster of a hill! Just plain gnarly. It's like 5 miles up and steep enough for my car to be sluggish and fighting to climb up. My goal is to climb it by the end of summer. Gotta find some others with enough screws loose to be willing to do it with me. (hmmm... Patrick said he's never done it, and it was crazy enough to attempt death ride last weekend...)

Tomorrow is an actual team ride. I'm ride support for a beginning team, so should be a fairly easy 30 miles for me. Although, I did hear coach Matt talking about having some "surprises up his sleeve" for tomorrow's ride. That can only mean more hills... bring 'em on.

Monday, July 14, 2008

IT'S GO TIME!




2800 cyclists, $1.5 million raised for cancer research/treatment, 2500 calories burned, 3.5 banannas, 2 oranges, 2 peanut butter and jelley sandwiches, 2 packs of shot blocks, 3 bottles of gatorade, 2 bottles of water, 3 rest stops, 2 good climbs, lots of good company, 50 miles, and 1 sore bum later....

Yes, this would be none other than the LiveStrong ride. What a fantastic ride! I had so much fun. It was the innagural Livestrong challenge for San Jose, but Lance said it was so succesful that they will definitely be back next year! BUYAH! I can't wait. Next year will be the full 100 miles for me I think.


(Lance Armstrong downtown San Jose ride morning)



(Chis Carmichael, Lance Armstrong and gurus before the ride)






(Lance leading off the 63 mile ride)



THE DETAILS:
I pulled into the parking lot of the HP center at 6:30 yesterday morning. Got my bike unloaded and shoes on, and packed the necessities (shot blocks - to physically get me up any potential hills, i pod- to mentally get me up any potential hills, camera- just in case I run into Lance, cell phone-for emergencies) into the back pockets of my LiveStrong jersey. Had one last handful of trail mix and washed it down with a swig of orange gatorade and met my friend Peggy on the corner about 6:45. From there, we warmed up our legs as we rode the couple blocks to the start line. Peggy and I decided a few weeks ago to ride the 50 mile ride. I would've liked to have done the 100 mile, but I haven't trained at all, and haven't rode more than 30 miles at one time in 6 months or so now. And this was Peggy's first ride, so we decided to keep it casual and fun. Even though the ride was called the "LiveStrong Challenge," I really didn't think it would be challenging. I'm glad I was wrong.


At 7:45 our wave started the ride. The first 11 miles was a very casual warm up, and what I had expected of the ride route. Nice flat wide open roads and a lot of cyclists just having fun. I'll interject here to say, the road marshalls and police were absolutely fantastic! They had most of the roads downtown totally blocked off for us, and we basically had our own lane on all major streets, and the police were outstanding at controlling traffic to wave us through intersections. So the first 11 miles were pretty flat leading us out of downtown, through Willow Glen, west San Jose, Campbell, to Saratoga where we had our first rest stop.


(Peggy and I at the first rest stop)




We quickly realized just how well supported this ride was. We saw at least one SAG vehicle on every street making sure everyone was ok, and as soon as we came to the rest stop, volunteers swarmed on us handing us food and filling our water bottles for us. One of my old teammates Van was volunteering at the stop, so had a quick chat with him, then it was back on our bikes. As we were pulling out of the rest stop, I started hearing talk about Shannon Rd.... in my head I'm thinking, "what, I didn't think there were going to be any real hills on this ride..."


Shannon road is in the Los Gatos foothills and one of those rides you hear cyclists talking about a lot. It's a decent climb. It's one of those climbs I've always thought that I should go ride sometime, but have never actually gotten around to... well yesterday I got around to it.


Before we actually hit Shannon, we had a short gradual grade out of Saratoga to Highway 9. We got a little downhill pitch, and got some good speed going down Highway 9 through Los Gatos. As we approached Shannon Rd, I advised Peggy it was shot block time, and we powered up to get ready for the climb. It was actually a beautiful climb. I was pleasantly surprised. It was a little work, but I don't think it was more than 7% in any spot, and during most of the 2 mile climb, there were flats inbetween the pitches. When we reached the top, my legs were tired enough to remind me that it does take some work to ride. The pay-off was the descent down Hicks rd into almaden. Peggy and I were both incredibly grateful to our coaches for teaching us good cornering technique at this point. Taking hairpin turns at 30-40 mph on a bike does take a bit of skill (or at least some good coaching). That was a really fun downhill, and is totally worth the work it took to get to it.




(Not the best representative pic, but this is Hicks coming out of the hills.)

So cruising into Almaden I pulled up to a light next to Pinkie (I don't know her real name, but she's an ex-TNT'er who comes to hill repeats on her pink bike and pink gear). Anyhow, she asked Peggy and I if we were doing the 63. We said, no, just the 50. Pinkie tried to talk us into the 63 because she had no one to ride up Metcalf with. Hearing that Metcalf was on the 63, definitely made me think I made the right decision with the 50 this year. Metcalf is one of those bench mark climbs. I've never done it myself, but it's supposed to be a really super challenging climb. Next year...




(a view of Metcalf)

From there we turned off Hicks onto Camden. This is where the 50 milers split from the 63 and 100 mile course. I turned to Peggy and said, "last chance to keep going for a longer ride..." (I was still feeling really strong). She just wanted to get the 50 under her belt so we turned and then breezed down Coleman to the next rest stop on Santa Theresa. Refuel time. We spent a few minutes regrouping, then it was back on the road down Bernal.


After a few easy flat miles, we came up on a women riding by herself. I don't know how the conversation started but she informed us that the "big climb" was coming up. "WHAT??? We just finished Shannon Rd" is racing through my head. The woman quickly adds that she is a cancer survivor and this is her first 50 since her remission, and that if she can beat cancer, she can handle the climb. Peggy and I were quickly humbled and quit griping that there was another climb. Less than a mile after that, we hit a short, moderate pitch. I was relieved thinking that was the "big climb" she must have been talking about because it really wasn't bad. A slight downhill got my speed back up and as we came around a corner I saw a long line of cyclists very slowly struggling to get up a winding, steep part of Silver Creek heading into the Evergreen foothills. My relief was quickly replaced by dread. Time to pull out the ipod and take another shot block or two. I don't know what the grade on that climb was - it felt like 12% in spots and seemed to go on forever. I'm sure it was really only 8-10% and less than 2 miles. I refused to be one of the many cyclists on the road who had gotten off their bikes and were walking up the hill though. Down to granny-gear and slow spinning I finally saw the summitt and pushed my legs as fast as they would go just to get it over with and get to the top. At that point, I congratulated Peggy on finishing the climb without being one of the wusses walking, and we gave a high five to each other on our bikes as we geared back up for the descent. Maybe half a mile into the descent the course took a sharp right turn. As I came around the corner, much to my dismay, I saw more climbing ahead of us. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have been a big deal or too bad of a climb, it was more of a moderate grade for maybe half a mile- only at this point the legs hadn't recovered from the climb we just finished. Peggy voiced her frustration at the new challenge and I reminded her that after what we just climbed this was nothing, and we spun it out to the real end of climbing for the day.


From there it was a downhill and some flats into the next rest stop at about the 40 mile mark. We rolled in there about 11 (I had anticipated being done by 11, but I also hadn't anticipated the climbs). Oh well, it had been a great ride. We refilled our bottles one last time and hit the road for the home stretch.


Let me say at this point that not only was this the best supported ride I've ever ridden, but also the community support was so cool. All along the route people lined the streets waving and cheering. At about mile 44 we were cutting through a neighborhood and people were in their yards cheering us and spraying us down with their garden hoses. Whoever you were, THANKS! That was awesome. We cruised through the east side and back into downtown from there. Smooth sailing. About 500 yards from the finish line Peggy and I were side by side and I turned to her and just said "wanna sprint?" It was awesome. We both just took off and raced each other to the finish line. They had a huge village set up downtown with the finish line right in the middle. Tons of people on the sidelines cheering. I heard them announce my name and time over the PA as I crossed the line, and thought, "that's it - next year it's the full 100 for me."


After I finished, I tracked down the Galants who came out to cheer me on! Thanks guys, it was really fun to have you there!!! We hung out in the kid's area for awhile so Dylan could play and just chatted while I recovered a little. While I was talking to Emily, my friend Leigh Ann from last years team came over and gave me a hug. Her and another teammate, Colin were volunteering as support staff. It was fun to see familiar faces. She asked what ride I did, and I told her the 50. Her response was, "yeah, I wouldn't want to do Metcalf either..."



(My nephew, Dylan, a future cyclist? I think maybe so...)

The day wrapped up with Lance Armstrong giving a short speech in the middle of the plaza. He talked a little bit about the mission of the LiveStrong organization, and a little bit about how well the San Jose challenge went. He talked about his ride, and said that he wanted to know who picked this course because it was tough. Everyone kind of laughed, and he was like "No, I'm serious, out over Metcalf I was really wondering if this was the Tour of California (a very tough pro ride that this ride actually made me think of in parts) or something. It made me feel pretty good that I finished a ride not only with Lance, but that was challenging even to him.



(Lance giving his speech)


Everything said and done, this was the best organized ride that I've done. It was tough enough to be challenging, but not so tough that it wasn't fun. I toned it done a few notches today since I was riding with a new rider, but it was really fun. Next year I will definitely be doing this one again, and going for speed and distance. Til then, it's time to train on Metcalf, so by the time ride day comes, I know what I'm up against and it actually is still fun!


And one last afterthought: NO FLATS OR MECHANICALS! WOOHOO! I love it when things work the way they are supposed to! :) Good times all the way around!




THE REASON:


The Manifesto of the Lance Armstrong Foundation

We believe in life.
Your life.
We believe in living every minute of it with every ounce of your being.
And that you must not let cancer take control of it.
We believe in energy: channeled and fierce.
We believe in focus: getting smart and living strong.
Unity is strength. Knowledge is power. Attitude is everything.

We kick in the moment you’re diagnosed.
We help you accept the tears. Acknowledge the rage.
We believe in your right to live without pain.
We believe in information. Not pity.
And in straight, open talk about cancer.
With husbands, wives and partners. With kids, friends and neighbors. And the people you live with, work with, cry and laugh with.
This is no time to pull punches.
You’re in the fight of your life.

We’re about the hard stuff.
Like finding the nerve to ask for a second opinion.
And a third, or a fourth, if that’s what it takes.
We’re about getting smart about clinical trials.
And if it comes to it, being in control of how your life ends.
It’s your life. You will have it your way.

We’re about the practical stuff.
Planning for surviving. Banking your sperm. Preserving your fertility. Organizing your finances. Dealing with hospitals, specialists, insurance companies and employers.
It’s knowing your rights.
It’s your life.
Take no prisoners.

We’re about the fight.
We’re your champion on Capitol Hill. Your advocate with the healthcare system. Your sponsor in the research labs.
And we know the fight never ends.
Cancer may leave your body, but it never leaves your life.


LIVESTRONG

Saturday, July 5, 2008

I'm in LOVE

I haven't met "Mr. Right," but I have found the bike of my dreams...





I test rode some bikes today just because. I cannot even believe the difference between the bikes I rode and the piece of junk I'm on now!!!! I never wanted to get off this thing. I tried to trade my car for the bike and the salesman just laughed at me. Now, if I can figure a way to pay for it I will be a very happy cyclist!!!

It's a Felt Z15. Dura-Ace everything including wheels. The whole bike only weighs 14 lbs. Some of the pro teams ride this bike, and after being on it I understand why. Fortunately, I have some connections and can get the bike for about $1700 below mrsp. (Yes, it's an expensive bike). But, on the upside if I have this bike, I would ride it everywhere all the time. I would get a lot more miles on my legs, and I wouldn't have to worry about buying a new bike for many many years.