29 posts tagged “cycling”
While I've been mumbling about this for a while I've finally gotten around to setting up the blawgh about my cross country cycling trip I'm planning in June 2009.
Read all about my trip, follow my research, and tell me how insane I am here: http://www.bikingacrossamerica.com
Short story:
- Saturday morning: AWESOME. 25mph pacelines [while my cardio system allowed it], great fun.
- Saturday afternoon: My it band acted up in a nasty fucking way and I had to get driven in to camp because I couldn't walk. I saw a massage therapist that night and she spent some time loosening shit up.
- Sunday morning: I was stiff as hell but not in pain and took it super easy in the morning
- Sunday afternoon: Fog burns off, weather heats up, I feel great and complete the ride without issue.
Longer story:
Doing this ride a second time was a lot different than doing it the first time. The most obvious difference, to me, was how much more prepared I was this year. I mean, I obviously wasn't adequately prepared for the cold on Saturday morning and suffered the consequences. But, as to my physical fitness level, the ride was MUCH more doable this year than last. It even got to the point where I would be cruising past points I remember stopping at last year because I was so tired.
It was also a ton of fun (as it was last year!) to ride with The Anti MS Crew. We splurged and bought full team kits which we all wore on Saturday. We looked pretty smashin', if I say so myself. It was fun to be able to recognize people from a distance. Plus, it's a nice memento from the ride.
I'm a little sad I won't be able to do the ride next year (I'll very likely still be doing the cross country tour which I swear I'll talk about soon) - but it was great to do it a second time.
Sorry for not posting anything today [Sunday] during the ride - I left my phone in my gear bag in the morning. Oops.
Thank you all for the texts, etc. Hope your weekends were great :)
Saturday is the start of the Waves to Wine 150 mile charity ride for Multiple Sclerosis. I realize I haven't been super vocal that I'm doing this ride - but it's only because I'm still a little in shock about the AIDS LifeCycle. Saying thank you feels insufficient, but it's really all I can do. Thank you so much to each and every one of you that has donated to any of the charity rides I've done over the past year.
It's strange to think that 15 months ago I didn't own a bike. I didn't really have a plan to buy a bike - I was happy with my car. Now, 15 months later, I will have ridden 850+ miles for charity and another 1000+ miles just on my own over the course of the year. Plus, that whole collarbone thing. In addition, I'm planning my 4,000 mile cycling tour that I'm doing once I graduate. So, in short, bikes have kind of become a big deal in my life. And, it's thanks to my friends.
Because, to be honest, I wouldn't have gotten into this sport without the encouragement from some awesome fucking people. IE, you guys. Ydnar for helping me out with some extremely neophyte biking questions and keeping my interest sparked right when I was curious about the sport, Jamison for getting me out and on my bike for the first time (and getting me involved with the AIDS LifeCycle!), Chris for teaching me such valuable skills as "descending at speeds above 12mph" and "standing up while climbing hills", Zach for being the most awesome ALC tent buddy ever, the Cal Anti-MS Crew for giving me a team to ride with for Waves to Wine, the Cal AIDS LifeCycle team for being stupidly supportive of me when I was going through my injury, and every single one of you who have ever said a word of encouragement to me or donated to my ride.
Seriously: Thank you. All of you.
As a recap, through the help of all of you awesome people I've raised over $6,000 over these three charity rides:
$2,200 for Waves to Wine 2007 (150 miles)
$3,600 for AIDS LifeCycle 7 (550 miles)
$350 for Waves to Wine 2008 (150 miles)
It's awesome to know people like all of you. Keep up the good work of being nice.
It's time to get a few hours of sleep and then go bike up to Healdsberg. I'll try to MOHBLAWG (post some photos from my cellphone) as the weekend goes on.
One last training ride before the Waves to Wine ride charity ride (for Multiple Sclerosis) next weekend! Doing a three bears loop (38mi, 5000ft climbing) with a few members of the team.
Want to Donate? http://tinyurl.com/5u3hta
In the spirit of riding long distances to help excellent causes, meet amazing people, and eat tons of double plus good food I have again signed up to do the Waves to Wine 150mi ride for Multiple Sclerosis!
The ride is on September 13th - 14th and goes from San Francisco to Healdsberg. This was the first charity ride I did last year so I'm pumped to be doing it again. I'll be doing longer rides on the weekend again so if any of you bike ridin' folks are interested in doing a Three Bears Loop (this website only sometimes works in FF3.. might require Safari/IE) on the weekends let me know. It's around ~45 miles with ~5000ft of climbing. Takes maybe 5-6 hours depending on breaks (I usually take a bunch of breaks to take in the views).
If you feel inclined to donate you can use the intertubes and donate at this URL: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=4379733&pg=personal&fr_id=9066. After all the amazing generosity so many people poured out for the AIDS LifeCycle I almost feel bad to mention I'm doing another ride. But I am, because I love doing these, and if you want to donate I would really appreciate it.
I'll also be posting more training ride summaries as I get closer to the ride. Yay bikes!
And, finally, if any of you want to join me that would be even MORE awesome. So let me know if you're interested and we can definitely train together :)
I am planning an epic bike ride/challenge this weekend and I know a bunch of you like bikes. Therefore, you will love this ride/challenge and you should consider joining us on this ride! Also, there are burritos involved. What exquisite exuberance!
The "down low" of this ride:
TITLE: The First Ever (To My Knowledge) 53 Miles Per Burrito Cycling Challenge!
WHAT: A 53 mile Bay Trail ride! It will start and end at BART stations for epic convenience.
WHEN: Saturday July 26th at 11am
START: Fremont BART Station (Be here at 11am!)
END: Downtown Berkeley BART Station
RSVP AT: abain@berkeley.edu
Details in FAQ format:
1: What is this 53 miles per burrito business?
Thank god you asked. See, this fellow Johnny5 makes amusing/epic bike related things at http://www.zeropergallon.com. These things include patches, stickers, belts made of used tires, and 'bling' made of old downtube shifters. I like them. So do lots of other bikers, I imagine. Among his products is a sticker reading "53 Miles Per Burrito" which I have proudly slapped on my BPA-infused-and-therefore-
That unsureness means it's time to put this sticker to the test! Thus, The First Ever (To My Knowledge) 53 Miles Per Burrito Cycling Challenge (or TFETMK53MPBCC) was born.
2: Burritos? I LOVE BURRITOS! Tell me more!
On Saturday morning (at 11am) we will all consume a delicious super burrito at the Chipotle near the Fremont BART Station and set out on a pleasant 53 mile bike ride along the Bay Trail. I'll be setting a pretty relaxed pace and there will be a no drop policy for those doing the ride. However, please at least be moderately sure you can bike 53 miles. Details on the route (including elevation details) are below. I'm likely taking my fixed gear bike so I won't be going particularly fast. If I end up feeling particularly zesty that morning and take my road bike I'll still keep the pace very reasonable.
There is only one rule to win at this challenge: No additional food consumption after the initial burrito! Obviously you can drink as much water as you'd like.
[Serious Note #1: Please bring an extra snack for yourself, just in case. Sugar crashing due to lack of nutrients is bad news and I'd rather no one pass out and crash their bike. This is supposed to be for fun and not some grueling challenge. I don't want anyone to get sick or hurt!]
[Serious Note #2: While eating the entire burrito at once might be an intuitive metric for measuring miles per burrito you may want to split the burrito consumption up along the ride to maintain steady energy levels]
3: Ok, so let's say I do it. What's in it for me?
Immense personal gratification. You will likely feel like a god. If you have low self esteem perhaps only a demi-god. You will also be way more attractive to potential mates.
I'm going to buy a bunch of the 53 Miles Per Burrito stickers and will proudly award them to anyone who completes this ride while adhering to the 'one burrito' rule. Even if you can't (or don't) adhere to the one burrito rule you're more than welcome to join the ride and share in the immense personal gratification and god-like feeling. That part is absolutely free.
4: Hmm, I'm pretty much sold. What's the route look like?
The route I've chosen is remarkably flat (I'm serious, check the elevation profile on the link below) and should be a nice paved rode the entire time. It starts from the Fremont BART Station (yes I know this is far away) and follows the Bay Trail up past Berkeley. We'll be turning around at some point on the trail once we've hit 53 miles and ride up Channing Way (a bike boulevard) back to the Downtown Berkeley BART station. Once there perhaps we will enjoy a victory meal and drinks at a nearby dining establishment. You'll probably want to bring a U-Lock if you want to partake in the victory feast. Berkeley is NOT a safe place for unlocked bikes.
I do want to be clear on one thing: I have *not* ridden this part of the Bay Trail before so I can't guarantee frequent water fountains or other amenities. Just a heads up, so be prepared!
There will be people with phones that have GPS and/or Google Maps on it and we won't get lost forever and ever though, I promise.
Here's the route I'm basing TFETMK53MPBCC route on: http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Palomares-Bay-Trail-Loop
We'll be starting right around point #320 (or about 68km in) on this route which is about 7 blocks north of the Fremont BART station. You can use the Google Maps satellite view at maximum magnification and follow the bike trail the author has outlined. For reference, we'll be following the Bay Trail along the path highlighted and then keep going a little farther north once it breaks to the right until we hit 53 miles. Then we'll turn around and head back to the Downtown Berkeley BART Station.
5: Will there be a SAG vehicle or organized rest stop?
SAG/Water vehicle: This is a huge maybe. I have a couple of awesome friends who might be down to videograph, photograph, and maybe help setup an organized rest stop somewhere along the trail. However since the route is 30 or more miles from their place and they can't follow along with us in their car it's best not to plan on it. And anyways - I'd much rather that they join us on their bikes! You guys know who you are and you can totally do it.
Organized rest stop: We'll definitely stop along the way if people are tired. I don't have anything serious planned though and I highly doubt we'll have random people cheering for us like on the AIDS LifeCycle or the Waves to Wine rides. Sorry folks.
5: Ok, What do I need to bring for this ride?
1: A bike! Fixed gear, single speed, 30 speed road, mountain bike with full suspension, tall bike, whatever you want!
2: A helmet. Please wear one. I'm not worried about your excellent biking skills, I promise. I'm worried about the average driver's astoundingly terrible bike-avoidance skills. If I can rock a bright purple bike you can rock a helmet. No one will question your coolness, I give you my word.
3: SUPER BURRITO! Google Maps says there are nearly 10 burrito places within a mile of the Fremont BART station including a Chipotle within about two blocks.
4: Water. Bring a couple water bottles on your bike or in a bag. You'll get thirsty and dehydration seriously sucks. I know first hand and still have the IV needle mark on my hand to prove it.
5: Pump, spare tube, tire irons. It's unlikely you'll get a flat but I really don't think you want to go hunting for a bike store halfway through this. Just be prepared! I'm more than happy to help anyone change a flat.
6: ID / Health insurance card / some cash for the burrito.
6: Can I invite my close cycling friends? They would love this!
Certainly! Just forward them this email and have them contact me if they can make it.
7: Is there anything else I should know?
That should be it. But, if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask! I check my email like it's going out of style and I'll try to respond as soon as possible.
Hopefully I'll see you on Saturday!
So it's 1230am. I have to be up in three hours.
My bag is mostly packed and I'm about as prepared as I can be. I know I'll forget a bunch of semi critical things but so be it. Today is a paltry 80 miles. Plan: I'll awaken bright as a bird, slug down a protein shake, eat a huge pb&j sandwich and possibly down an energy bar. I'll then proceed to don my spandex armor and get a ride over to the cow palace with Zach.
After that I just do what people tell me. Bike over here? You got it, boss.
Here goes nothin'!
Well today was interesting enough to warrant a long blog post. I had my third followup with my surgeon today at 2:30pm. I left work around 1:15pm to be at the apt on time.
After I got off BART (in Berkeley) at about 2:15pm on one of the busier streets south of campus I ended up getting jumped by four kids. I'll say right now that they never got past throwing me to the ground (on my right shoulder, but more on that later) and I'm just fine. The story goes like this: I'm walking up Durant street towards the Tang Center (University Health Center) and a couple hundred yards ahead of me I notice four high school kids (maybe 15-17) in "urban" clothing (baggy jeans, flashy sweaters with patterns, thug-type clothing - you know what it looks like) walking towards me. Not a particularly aggressive demeanor but not really passive either. They don't really move out of my way as I'm approaching which strikes me as a bit odd. As I squeeze past them one says something I don't catch, grabs hold of my bag from behind me and throws me onto the sidewalk. I land, of course, on my right shoulder (the injured one). The pains pretty bad but nothing that makes me think I did serious damage. As I hit the ground I initially thought it must be someone I know that I didn't recognize pulling a really fucking lame prank on me. However, as I look up I realize that I have no idea who these guys are and they definitely aren't smiling or laughing back at me.
So the four kids gather around me and one cocks his arm back about to punch my face and demands 'everything i've got' numerous times. The other three kids look pretty shifty and are standing around ready to join in. I'm asking, politely enough given the situation, to let me stand up to get my wallet because I can't reach it with my gimp arm lying all held down on the pavement. They weren't really having this and it was about to get pretty fucking ugly when our hero of the day shows up. I hear skidding tires and a second or two later a large built 6'2'' man is running straight at these kids, with a gun out, yelling at them to get the fuck down on the ground. The kids, showing their first spark of intelligence all day, run like the fucking dickens.
After the kids scatter he informs me he's a police officer and starts asking if I'm ok. At this point I notice his car is parked in the middle of a three lane street with the door still open and the keys laying on the pavement. This man literally saw me get thrown to the ground, slammed on the brakes, and acted all within a period of about four or five seconds. A god damn hero if I ever saw one. We chat for a bit and he calls in some backup. A few witnesses were around and he goes and takes their statement while I get interviewed by the new officer who just arrived.
I answer some questions, explain that I was on my way to get xrays for my broken collarbone, and he asks me to come by the police station after my appointment to fill out a statement but he doesn't want me to miss my appointment. I feel it's worth mentioning here that the second officer on the scene is also a damn fine man. Friendly type, really worried about my collarbone. Definitely loving the UC Berkeley PD right now. <3 you guys.
Anyways, the xrays: The short story is even with the nasty slam into the ground today there's still very good healing. There isn't tons solid bone mass but it's held together with enough new growth where I can begin to slowly transition myself back onto the bike. He's [obviously] extremely concerned about what would happen if I crash again and the potential damage to my body. However, he also understands sports and wants me to get back into things at a good rate before the ride. Generally pretty positive.
X-Rays:
That shot was taken from about at stomach level at a 25/30 degree angle shot upwards. You're looking at the bottom of my collarbone in that shot.
Alternate angle - things look pretty lined up from this angle. This is taken straight on so you're basically looking at the front of my collarbone in this shot. The titanium plate should be pretty obvious.
Little bit closer. Also shows how well fitted the titanium plate is to my bone. I <3 Dr. Eppley.
I'm now four weeks out from my collarbone surgery. I still have limited mobility in my right arm and, sadly, I'm still a long ways out from being completely healed. The good news is that the pain is almost completely gone. Now, obviously, if I extend my arm in a weird way or put any kind of pressure on the collarbone it hurts like the dickens. While I have no idea how far along my healing process TRULY is - I'd like to hope that these are indications that I'm healing fast and everything is going great. I'm completely off all pain medications at this point which I'm very happy about.
Training is a little more tricky.
With this injury, I have (obviously) had to dramatically scale back how hard I push myself and carefully regulate how hard I work while training in the gym. The absolute last thing I want to do is further injure myself because I was too impatient to wait a few additional weeks. So, that being said, I'm very slowly ramping up a cardio regime. My goal is to work up to an average of four to six 30-45minute high intensity (160 beats per minute+) cardio sessions a week. On top of that I'm deciding the best way to squeeze in a leg weight workout. The glaring problem with the weight workout idea is moving the weights around - but I'm sure I can ask friendly folk in the weight room to help out.
This leaves the third pillar of my AIDS LifeCycle preparations: fundraising. Surprise, surprise, sitting at home all day means I can't go out and talk with local businesses and talk with my friends to try to raise money for the ride. I have a few ideas on fund raising opportunities once I'm a little more mobile - so hopefully this will clear itself up once I get moving again. I'm a little bummed that I can't do much besides post on the internets and talk with friends right now - but it is what it is. I'm just about 30% of the way to my goal - so I've a substantial way to go, but it could always be worse!
http://www.aidslifecycle.org/2004
Well it's now almost three weeks out from my surgery. My collarbone is plated together and the pain levels are pretty much gone as long as I keep my arm in the sling / resting carefully. I've been a lot more mobile and have begun getting into the gym doing some crazy exercise biking.
Since I can't push myself -too- hard (as I have to maintain upper body immobility, for the most part) I've just been doing faster cadence (faster pedaling) to keep my heart rate up. I've been attempting to do 30-60 minute rides maintaining a heart rate of between 150-170bpm which is deep in the cardio range for me. I've noticed some improvements already - although I am nervous about how much I'll be able to do in this state until I get back on the bike.
My fundraising efforts died down a bit after my injury and I've got to begin working on that again. The Cal team has a couple of events planned that I'm trying to be a part of but unless it's right on campus it's proven difficult to help. Any one have ideas on fundraising techniques I can do from home?
I've also, at this point, determined the extent of the (hopefully temporary!) numbness/nerve damage in my shoulder region. Extending about one two inches below the entire span of the incision is partially numb while moving closer to my front deltoid is a little more signifnicantly numb. The numbness on the front deltoid extends to nearly the top end of the bicep and almost as far out as the side deltoid. The numbness clears up by the top of the soulder where the collar bone meets the shoulder joint. My most excellent surgeon has assured me sensation will return and that it will not affect muscle movement or strength - it's just surface numbness. It's EXTREMELY strange, although I'll take this in a heart beat over having my bones knit together in such a way where I'd lose mobility in my shoulder.
I'm optimistic about being able to complete a good portion of the ride. I've begun a stretching routine to keep my legs limber and I'm hoping to keep increasing the frequency and duration of my indoor 'training rides.' My kickin' rad friend Zach has been awesome about morale support and he's agreed to help me out how he can on the ride. I'm really serious when I say that AIDS LifeCycle is Good People. I feel like every person I've met has a heart that can barely be jammed in their rib cage. I guess it takes a certain kind of person to bike 545 miles, but still.
Either ways - I'm very optimistic about my recovery in time for the AIDS LifeCycle and am fully confident I'll have a full summer of riding.
Also, I wanted to thank all of you who supported and donated for my Waves to Wine ride in 2007. I know most of you read this, and it was amazing to see everyone support me and I honestly think each and every one of you influenced my life in a way you probably don't realize. I wasn't sure if longer cycling riding was for me - but as donations came in I realized that people were putting trust in me. I pushed myself, succeeded, and felt amazing about myself. And now I'm anticipating riding 1000 miles for charity this year and cycling has become ain integral pillar of my life. I know this isn't a personal thank you letter - but when you (yes you!) read this know that I am specifically thanking you and I really do appreciate the vote of confidence. You've pushed me onto this path and I'm extremely happy to be here, so thank you.
