March Madness

Each year the Davis Bike Club hosts March Madness. It is a fundraiser for area school kids who need helmets and generally safer cycling gear for riding their bikes.  DBC members register and pledge to ride a certain number of miles during the month of March. And then you see a helluva lot of people riding bikes in March around Davis!  Here is the link to MM info on the DBC site. 

Being new to the club, and looking to do some pretty serious miles in preparation for my summer, I registered and pledged to do 1000 miles.  That is a lot of miles, but I think I nearly did 1000 miles in February, so, while it seemed ambitious, it was not unlikely that I could do this.  I even ordered a March Madness Jersey, which will have the pledge miles emblazoned on the sleeve.  The photo of the jersey looks pretty cool:



 
I like the blue and orange themes, and I understand there has been an Alice in Wonderland motif going on for the last few years of MM, so it works for me.


March, as it turns out, was one of the wettest on record! It was difficult to schedule ride time around the seemingly constant rain. Additionally, Kathleen's daughter and my son Bryce came home for spring break, and we had a lot of activities together.  I managed to sneak in a few rides on half decent days. I even bought some lightweight fenders for my bike so I could ride in the rain and not get quite as soaked. 

I had about 900 or so miles by March 30, but had entered a long ride (called a permanent) on April 1st.  The last few days of March featured better weather, so I rode multiple days in a row without a day off, and got pretty tired.  I didn't want to be worn out for the longest (125 miles) ride I'd ever done to that point for the permanent on April 1st, but there was no way I was ready to ride 100 miles to make my pledged miles for MM, and and do the permanent the following day.  My cycling club buddies kidded me about claiming the permanent's miles on "March 32nd."  Hmmmmm....that is not adhering to the letter of the MM event, but, with all the unexpected rain we had....that was my intention to finish 1000 miles.....it is in keeping with the spirit of MM, right?....hmmmmm......OK!  I put my April 1st permanent mileage in my MM record...It is a kind of April Fool thing, in a mad way.  

So, having had some days to reflect on my "fudge," I don't really feel great about it, but it is difficult so early in my cycling experiences to know for sure what I could do in March.  Balancing work, family, and riding around bad weather was a challenge.  I vow that next year, I will do an extra 100 miles over my pledge amount to make up for it.  The Madness of March....

My Enthusiasm for Cycling Builds...

So after my first DBC ride with the Climbing Clinic, I started to look for others to ride with during the week.  I don't remember the exact sequence, but it may have been the next ride with DBC members when we went up Cardiac, a two-mile grade of something like 6% on Hwy 128 near Lake Berryessa.  I rode with John,  Linda and Russ on a Friday.  I got to know John and Linda pretty well, as we rode along together chatting along the way.

I learned a lot about group riding etiquette, including things like the leader is responsible for pointing out obstacles, potholes and broken pavement that might disrupt followers.  The rearmost rider typically calls out "car back" when a vehicle (car, truck or motorcycle, doesn't matter) is coming up on the group.  This way riders aren't surprised by approaching traffic, and we stay as safely to the right side of the road as is practical.

Linda, in particular, seemed a very experienced rider.  While she would often get out into the middle of the road to ride next to other riders (easier conversation and smoother pavement), she always seemed to get to the right before I was aware of traffic from behind.  She uses a rear-view mirror that mounts on her glasses frames, and they really seemed to help her monitor what was happening from behind.  I put that on my list of things to get soon.  She told me later that it has likely saved her bacon more than once.  Here is the Take a Look mirror:

http://www.teamestrogen.com/prodPP_100TAL.html

I bought one, and it works great.  I admit that mirror looks kind of dorky, but you can relax more when you ride.

We rode out from Winters, and while I had driven 128 many times, I was a bit apprehensive riding it on a bike.  Not just because of the hills (they aren't that steep), but sometimes this road has a lot of traffic, particularly on boating weekends, where pickups and wide boat trailers filled with partyers are wending their way to and from Berryessa.  This was a Friday morning ride, and there were 4 riders, which made us more visible than a single rider.  There is safety (perceived safety, anyway, I don't have evidence for this) in a group of riders.  If nothing else, you are more likely to have witnesses!

Turns out, traffic was light, and the ride was very enjoyable.  After we got up Cardiac, since it was a sunny and warm day, we decided to ride a bit further to Moskowites corner, at the junction of Hwys 121 and 128.
We stopped for snacks and drinks, and got a photo of us from a passerby.

Left to right: Russ, Drew, Linda, and John. We rode about 40 miles or so, which was the furthest I'd ridden to that point.  I was tired, but it was a good day!  Here is a link to the route taken:
http://maps.google.com/?q=http://share.abvio.com/d0b9/a677/4d24/49d3/Cyclemeter-Cycle-20110128-1005.kml

More another time.

Climbing Group pics from my first ride with DBC

First Climbing Group meeting for me in Winters Jan 23.  I am in red in LH side of photo. Leader Deb Ford is describing the ride up Steigler Road and Cantelow Road.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm first red jacket. We are rounding the first small grade up Allendale Rd.

Steady Eddys coffee house is where a lot of DBC rides conclude in Winters.  Nice company that day.  Good panini!

Getting on the Bike

I decided to start a blog mostly because I want a way to share my interests with whomever cares to read about them, so here goes...

I was a runner for almost 30 years.  There were some periods of my life where I didn't run, sometimes for many months, but mostly Iran pretty regularly.  It made me feel good, it was a somewhat solitary time that gave me some time for contemplation, and it kept me fit.  I started running by trying out for the cross-country team in high school, mostly because I wanted to get in shape for a ski team I hoped to join (but never did - too expensive), but also because I sucked at football! ;>)

At some point about five years ago, my left knee started to rebel.  I could run only a mile or so before it really hurt.  It feels like a tear of a tendon on the inside of my knee, but it only bothers me when I run.  I have never really pursued a full medical investigation of the issue, but I guess that it just didn't seem that important in the scheme of my life.  I've been busy with, and sharing the raising of a teenager whom I dearly love, but who has required a lot of my time and resources, so finding time for a suitable replacement for the positive things that running has given me has been both a challenge and a low priority. 

My son is now in a place in his life where things are pretty good, and I am in a stable relationship with a wonderful woman, and my career as a community college auto instructor is a good as I could ever hope for.  In other words, now is a good time for me to make some time for the benefits of fitness again.

In the past, I have occasionally done a bit of bike riding.  The town of Davis, where I live, features flat terrain, and it is a self-proclaimed "Bicycle Capital of the World," so getting on a bike for a pleasure ride is not uncommon.  I ride a few miles down a bike path on Russell Ave, turn around, come back.  I have seen a lot of others who seem a lot more serious about their cycling than I, all dressed in lycra shorts and colorful jerseys, with helmets, many of them riding quickly, and riding to places I don't know about.

On day last year I was talking to my neighbor, a somewhat more-experienced rider who rode out towards Winters, about 12 miles away.  He invited me out for some morning rides, and I really enjoyed them. This motivated me to buy some riding shorts, clipless pedals and shoes, helmet and jersey.  I began to ride a few times solo to Winters and back (25 miles!), and it was a lot of fun.  My rear hurt, however, so a went to my local bike shop (aka LBS) and got a nice saddle (not a seat) fitted, and that improved my comfort level a lot!

I probably rode about 200 miles or so last summer.  I had free time, and riding in warm weather is much easier to do than running.  I don't get covered with sweat, and the warm air does a lot to help me feel good. It does, however, take a lot more riding time to get an equivalent amount of a workout when compared to running. That seemed a real disadvantage, as I don't have time to do this, what with other activities and responsibilities on my plate.  Besides, when the autumn chill came, I got busier with school, and it seemed too cold to continue.

By winter of this year, I had gained more weight, and I didn't really feel that good.  I asked for, and received, some winter cycling gear.  It wasn't exactly a New Year's resolution, but I had to do something to feel better.  The idea of riding by myself when it was cold (mid-40s) didn't appeal much to me.  I looked on the web for the Davis Bike Club for membership and ride info:
http://davisbikeclub.org/

What I didn't want to do was find a bunch of 20-something guys who ride 60 miles a day at 24 mph pace.  What I did find was a "climbing group" whose objective was to take recreational cyclists who want to learn gradually how to do climbing, with a goal to climb up almost 4000 ft Mt. Diablo at the end of 8 weeks.  I emailed Deb Ford, the climbing group leader, and she was very encouraging.  I joined the DBC, and met up the next Sunday in Winters for my first ride with a group, and a chance to meet people with similar interests.

I had an absolute blast!  There were all types of riders, from rabbits to turtles, and mostly ordinary-looking folks who, like me, just enjoy riding bikes.  I knew no one when I showed up, and I made more acquaintances than I could remember in a single time. Riders rode a various paces, so I could find a group and stay with them, ride ahead, or fall back.  It was great to find out about all the new routes and places to ride, and they are all very close to home.

On this ride (Jan 23), we rode up Steigler and Cantelow Roads, which are now part of my riding repertoire.  Also, I'm too bad at climbing.  I rode mostly in the middle of the pack (about 40 participants), and I didn't have to work as hard as some riders to get up Cantelow, the steeper of the two climbs. Here is a link to my route:

http://j.mp/hwjFCD



Since that ride, I have been cycling with a vengeance.  I ride often by myself, but once or twice a week I ride with John and Linda, or Dean, or meet people while riding (Ron from nearby Dixon on my way up Cantelow).  
More later, and hopefully some photos to upload, too!