Hail to the Victors!

So Mr. Fleming invited us to a football game Saturday...


Tailgating was fun. Lots of good food and company...


And we met a nice man named Art who has been a season ticket holder at the Big House since 1964...


The U of M Marching Band marched right by where we were tailgating...


So, naturally, we followed them into a building and listened to them play a bit before the game...


Turns out it takes awhile to get 110,000 people into a football stadium...


This was Mary's first time inside the Big House...


And a game broke out between the Wolverines and the Golden Gophers of Minnesota...


The Marching Band played at half-time...


Then were nice enough to come visit us at our seats...


Mary seemed to enjoy the day...


Especially since our team won...


And then the Marching Band played again after the game for a bit...


Souvenirs were purchased (well, just one)...


A great October Saturday at the Big House!

Another Comfort-Buster

Had a cool experience last night. Went out for a solo night ride at Kensington and Island Lake. It was a real comfort-buster. Completely re-calibrated my idea of riding. At this point, I still don't necessarily have to ride in the dark to get a ride in, but now I know it's possible. Those two parks are gems in our area. Even though he wasn't there last night, thanks to Tom for the idea for this. He's been doing this winter ride for some time. Hope to be able to ride this with him a few times over the winter months.

Here's my journal entry:

Kensington Night Ride. Started at 6:30pm and finished around 8:30pm. Picked up a Nightrider Sol light the other day and decided to try it out tonight. Did a couple hill loops from the East Boat Launch and then went over to the West BL. Took the path to Island Lake and did an O/B there. Came back the same way I went out. Before the light was completely gone, it was an absolutely beautiful evening. Even in the low light conditions the colors were stunning. Night riding is quite different from riding in the daytime. Going to take some getting used to. Adapted pretty well as I went through Island Lake tonight. Learned to watch the speed and be very, very alert. And Tom is right.. It gets REALLY DARK back there. Only saw one other rider tonight and he was leaving the park when I got there. First ride where I saw more deer than people. No issues with dizziness or the eyes or anything. Took the Garmin back the other day. Back to using the Trek computer. Fun ride!

Tryin' to Find My Way...

This entry is somewhat of a "vent". Sort of "me thinking out loud" I suppose. I'm a member of two bicycle clubs in SE Michigan, the Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society (AABTS) and the Wolverine Sports Club. I've been with the AABTS officially since November of last season, although I've ridden with them a bit longer than that. I've made a few friends in this club as well. I'm more of a casual member of the Wolverines, and have only ridden with them a handful of times.

This "vent" is a result of the morning's ride with the Wolverines. I met them in Northville at 9am and expected a quick ride out to Dexter or Brighton and back. Probably 70-80 miles. A couple sidenotes before I go on. First, I've noticed that no one in this group has made the effort to say hello or introduce themselves to me. Yes, I am aware that it works both ways, but where I come from, if a newbie shows up for a club function, SOMEONE (even if it's only the ride leader) should extend a welcome. Additionally, I understand that cyclists ca be a tough bunch to get close to at first. After all, we are, in effect, entrusting that new person with a certain amount of influence over our physical health. They should be expected to prove themselves, to a certain degree, that they are not reckless and/or irresponsible.

Second, this is usually a hard ride. I don't consider myself to be a slouch at all, yet I get dropped regularly on this ride. However, when I've been dropped, folks have waited for me and helped me back to the paceline (although I sense a certain impatience which may or may not exist). My point is, if I can't keep up with this ride (as a new member with decent strength and speed), who can??? A caveat: I may not be a very good source for information about his group. I've not ridden with them enough, but I know what I know. I almost feel like they don't want new members or something.

Ok. Now in defense of the Wolverines. This is a fairly competitive & intense group and I like competitive & intense (provided I don't get killed during the ride). These are some very experienced and good riders. I'm just not good enough (yet) to mix it up with these folks on a consistent basis. Also, I enjoy the large double-pacelines that we ride in. It's a little nerve wracking, but it's very efficient and exciting. Also, I got to know a few of the members on the CFC trip and they seem to be solid folks who are a lot of fun. Don't get me wrong, I didn't actually RIDE with them. I just ate dinner with them AFTER the rides. ;o)

Back to the AABTS for a moment. This is the group I've "grown up" in. My home group. The group I made a ton of mistakes with (and still do) and they still ride with me. I ride with this group three to five times per week. The AABTS has made me feel welcome and has been very patient with me, even when I was just starting out and felt like puking every time the pace got close to 15 mph. Last season I used to get dropped regularly on the Hines ride on the way back, but I never felt "dropped" as someone would come back or there were more riders behind me. This season, I find that I split my ride time between the fast groups and the medium groups.

That's a good and bad thing about AABTS to me. The "group ride" is actually a string of smaller groups. While there may be 20 riders on the road, you may find anywhere from two to six smaller groups actually riding together. I struggle with this. I don't known how many times I've wound up riding an AABTS ride solo. Riding with smaller groups may be a bit more convenient for slower riders to pick from, but I find myself gravitating toward the Wolverines model of a group ride, especially for weekend rides. In a larger group/paceline the riders in front should be the stronger riders. The riders in the middle to back should be the slower riders. This way, everyone gets a workout. Also, the faster riders can be "turned loose" (ala Wolverines) after a certain point in the ride.

A bit more on the AABTS weekend rides. First, I really enjoy the routes and the roads we ride on as well as the great folks I've had the honor of riding with this season. But, having said that, I struggle with getting motivated to go out to Ann Arbor and ride. This isn't because I have to drive out there, but because I struggle with deciding who to ride with and where. There are a few of us who exchange e-mails during the week, but I'm just finding it harder to match up with folks on these rides. I don't want to push some riders with a stronger pace, and I have a hard time keeping up with some of the stronger riders.

Part of the problem, to me, is that this is not a "group ride" at all. It's more of a bunch of little group rides that may or may not ride the same route. I find myself riding either solo or, at most, with two or three other riders on the weekend rides with AABTS. Many riders stick together from Ann Arbor to Chelsea, but then it's like someone's dropped a cat amongst the pigeons (apologies to Phil Liggett) and the huge group gets split into a ton of little groups going every which way, everyone doing their thing. I pretty much have to find a few folks to tag along with (and, as a result, ride at the route and pace they've chosen) or choose my own route and make peace with riding solo for 100+ miles (which I've done a few times).

One final observation. The Wolverine group rides seem very "organized" to me. The ride leader will generally announce him/herself to the group and declare a route. They will also mention some cautionary information regarding road hazards in certain places and if/when the group will go down to one single paceline due to heavy traffic in certain areas. They also will give the point in the ride when the faster riders will be turned loose. Until then, they will be vigilant in "keeping the racers in their shoes" (making sure the pace remains manageable for everyone in the group) until we reach that point. I suppose all of this is because of the fact that the Wolverine rides are true "group rides". There is more to prepare for as a ride leader.

One last point about the Wolverine rides... they will actually stop the double paceline and wait for someone to change a flat. I've seen this a few times and it really brings home the idea of "group" when you ride with them. We ride together and we stop together. The AABTS rides are completely different to me. I've changed more than a couple flats alone. Not that someone usually doesn't offer to stop, I just wave them by and they go. Also, I don't get a sense of who the ride leaders are from one ride to the next and it just seems assumed that we all know the route (which probably stems from the fact that we ride Hines so much... another story for another time). It just seems like a bunch of folks coming together to ride the same roads, but not necessarily together as a group. Again, I'm not necessarily saying one is "better or worse" than the other. I just find myself gravitating between the two models sometimes.

Bottom line here? This is my problem to solve. I've got to be more self-motivated. I'm not lobbying for either club to change. I see good things and things I'd like to change in each group. I'm just trying to find my way here, I guess... And sometimes finding one's way is not without a certain degree of difficulty I suppose.

Now, where's my bike?
John

I'm a CFC Survivor!

Well, it's official. I am a CFC Survivor. And I have the button to prove it. If you ride anywhere near my rear wheel now you'll see it. Although the Columbus Fall Challenge was cancelled at one point this summer, it came together very quickly and ended up being an awesome event! Here are my journal entries for the weekend:


Saturday, September 30
CFC Day 1 - After a very restless sleep in Lancaster, we had breakfast at McDonalds and drove to the school in Sugar Grove. Got signed in, mounted our trusty steeds and rolled out at 7:30am with Al, Dan, Mike, Anne and some other Wolverines. Weather was chilly, but nice.

As promised in the route description, the first few miles of today's ride were pretty much flat. At around the five mile mark we turned into a foresty looking area and the road just tipped straight up. When I first hit that hill I wondered how I could possibly keep going, but I did. By the time we hit the seven mile mark, we had climbed over 400 feet. At this point I was pretty much in shock and just hunkered down for a brutal day and tried to conserve as much energy as I could just in case there were other hills like this. Well, there were. Lots of them. And they got worse...

For the day there was 11,800 feet of climbing. Maximum grade percent for the day was 19.7. That's insane. And when it tips up that steep, it's not for a few feet... it's for awhile. There were times I was stair-stepping in my 36/27 gear for five or more minutes to get to a part that was a little less steep and I could sit. Then the road would tip up again and I'd be dancing on the pedals again. The main roads weren't too bad. Lots of BIG rolling hills and some steep climbs, but when we turned off onto the little rural roads I could tell it was about to get ugly. The scenery was amazing. I wish I had taken my camera, but I managed to take a couple photos on my phone.

Anyway, I finished at Betsy Mills in Marietta at 5pm. I was really happy to be done. Al's group had finished at about 3:15pm. I cannot understand that kind of riding. As I would tomorrow as well, I rode solo for 95%+ of today. Most of the day I did not even have eye contact with another rider. Fortunately the roads were marked really well. Loaded my pack on my back and rode with a couple of other guys the two miles over to the hotels.

We all walked over to a buffet steakhouse that night and I ate more food than I think I have ever eaten in my life. The first two or three platefuls didn't even start to make me feel full.

Later, in the hotel room, I had to really work on keeping my "mind right" for the next day. I couldn't believe I was going to do this again. Once in awhile I'd think about dealing with Malta Road Hill the next day and all the other crazy stuff that was in store and the Green Mile mindset would creep in, but I'd beat it down. Slept very well tonight.

Epic, Epic ride.

Out.


Sunday, September 30
Woke up at 5am and got ready. Walked over to Bob Evans and had some blueberry pancakes. Rode (with our backpacks on) to Besty Mills from the hotel. Loaded our packs in the truck and rolled out at 7:20am.

I had been warned about the first few miles out of Marietta, but I still wasn't ready for it. We rode a mile or so out of town and turned left. Pat creeped up next to me and smiled and said "you ready?" I just smiled back. The road turned straight up and we were off. This was very, very hard. For the next few miles we went up over 400 feet. The ride wasn't even five miles old yet!

I started to really compartmentalize the day. If I could just get to Stockport (the first food stop), I'd be ok. Once I got to Stockport, I knew that Malta Road Hill was coming up. We had about 33 miles for the second leg and Malta came right in the middle of it. Fortunately, the flattest section of CFC came right before getting into Malta. Rode along the river for about 10 miles. The fog was so thick that my glasses and entire bike were coated with water. Couldn't even see the river although it was right next to the road.

Before entering Malta, the sun finally started to burn off the fog and I decided to strip down. Lost the leg/arm warmers and my vest. Saw a lot of other riders doing the same thing in town. Once entering Malta, there's a left turn and the fun begins. The problem with Malta Road Hill is that it's STEEP (20%+ at the bottom) and its LOOOOOOOONG. Every time I thought I had this thing licked, it would turn and go up some more. The other problem with it is that there's NOWHERE to rest. No little reduction in grade. I noticed a couple people actually riding sideways, back and forth up the thing. I don't know how long I was on that hill, but it seemed like forever. It was the first couple hundred feet of Malta that gave us our maximum grade percent for the day... 27 percent!

The rest of stage two (AFTER Malta) was my favorite section of the weekend. The scenery was stunning, the roads were perfect and the hills were big rollers with some steep climbs thrown in. Got to Glouster for lunch and started thinking I may have this thing beat. Had 28 to Logan and then 16 to Sugar Grove. I had to work on not getting too far ahead of myself though.

Got to the last food stop in Logan about 3pm. Finally, I was confident I would finish. Got on the bike one last time and headed for Sugar Grove. Met up with a guy and rode with him some on this section (don't remember his name). We rode down "Brick Road". Reminded me of Paris-Roubaix. It was pretty long. There was a very flat section which followed an expressway and then we turned into the forementioned "foresty looking area". I knew this couldn't be good.

We proceeded to be met with what Al would later term a "Goat Path" and it got really ugly. This road had gravel all over it and was really, really steep. It was another one of those hills that you thought would end, but didn't. Took me awhile to finish that, but when I did, I knew I was done. Rode into Sugar Grove and couldn't believe my eyes. I was done. There was the school! Pulled in at 4:15pm and couldn't have been more happy. First thing I did was pull of my cycling shoes, helmet and gloves. Felt so good. Showered, got into the van and we were headed home. Stopped at Ruby Tuesdays for dinner and arrived home around 10pm.

Lessons learned:
1. Never thought 10mph could feel so fast (climbing)
2. Never thought 35mph could feel so slow (descending)
3. Twenty "plus" percent grades are "do-able"... barely
4. Never thought I could consider 15% grade a "chance to catch my breath"
5. Riding with a 20 pound backpack on your back is not as easy as it looks
6. All cyclists are liars
7. Fred Seebode (organizer of CFC 2007) is a madman (he and his crew did this "last minute" and did an amazing job!)
8. Ohio is not all flat!
9. Anything can be tackled if broken down into manageable pieces
10. I really don't know what it's supposed to do, but Chamois Butt'r WORKS (thanks Don!)

11. My bike (and my body) makes all sorts of strange noises on 20% grades

and finally...

12. When a hill has a road named after it, it's for a good reason!

Epic, Epic weekend. Great riding, climbing, descending, scenery, people, food.... Just epic. Can't wait for CFC 2008!

"It's what I do" - Al