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I Must Be Improving

09.05.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 12 Comments

Sometimes, I feel that the last three years on the bike haven’t been leading up to much. Oh, I can tell my fitness is getting better, and I can climb hills that I couldn’t climb a year ago, but overall, I don’t feel I’m any great shakes on two wheels.

Then a weekend like this one comes along.

Bike Noob in a group during the MS150.

Saturday morning, Pat and I took a newbie friend out on the Mopac loop. Usually, I sprint ahead of Pat and wait for her at several points along the route. This day was no exception. But when I stopped at the top of a long downhill, I saw Pat’s friend, Cynthia,  coming up on me faster than I had expected. She went by me before I could get clipped in. Another rider was coming up fast too, but I pulled out ahead of him and started to gather speed on the downhill.

I glanced over my shoulder, and the other guy had grabbed my wheel.  “Okay,” I said to myself, “let’s see what you’ve got.” We caught and passed Cynthia doing 31 mph and getting faster.  I got into an aero tuck, and pushed in my highest gear. When I reached the big left bend at the bottom of the hill, I looked back again.  The guy wasn’t there.

I waited for Pat and Cynthia at the top of another hill.  A rider in a blue U.S. Postal jersey led Cyn up the hill to me.  When he pulled even, I asked, “How ya doin’?”  He seemed surprised.  “Fine,” he said, and he spun by easily in a high cadence.

Once Pat caught us, we set out again. We caught U.S. Postal, and both Cyn and I passed him.  A little farther on, Cyn said, “That was funny when he decided to draft you.”

“That was the guy?” I asked. “He was there, and suddenly he wasn’t. I thought he might have crashed.”

“Nah,” she said. “He ran out of gas, and just stopped pedaling.”

This morning, we were together again at another Mamma Jamma training ride.  Pat was doing the 22-mile route, Cynthia, her friend Liz, and I were doing the 37-miler.  I knew from past experience that Pat would be waiting about an hour for us, and I didn’t want to keep her too long.

We got out into the country, and I fell into a comfortable pace. But that pace put me well ahead of the rest of the 37-mile group. I made it to a convenience store about nine miles into the ride, where I stopped to wait. The 46-milers, who had started a little before us, were just pulling out.

I decided I wouldn’t push too hard for the rest of the ride, and when we got started again, I fell in behind several others.  But my comfortable pace took over again, and pretty soon I was out in front.  I stopped at an intersection another five miles along, and waited for everyone to regroup.

Again we set out.  Again, I went into the lead.  I raced a dog that wanted to get in some speed work. I waited for the group one more time before we pulled back into the convenience store for another break.

The ride leader seemed content to lolligag at the convenience store, and it must have been another 15 minutes before we finally pulled out. He and I separated from the group quickly. When we reached a turn three miles down the road, he said he would regroup again. I told him I was going on.

I got back into my comfortable pace, and soon caught some of the laggards from the 46-mile group — then some more.  When I got to the starting point, Pat told me she had waited more than an hour. I loaded up the bikes and we pulled out — with no sign of the other 37-milers.

Sometimes when I ride with my club, I get discouraged about my lack of progress.  I’m always bringing up the rear.  This weekend, I was out in front so much I felt out of place.  My average speed was 15.1 yesterday, and 15.5 today, so I’m not burning up the road. But I wasn’t tired, never was short of breath, and felt good throughout both rides. It might not always seem like it, but I’m a better rider than I used to be.

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Categories // fitness, Rides Tags // improvement

Cycling and Heart Health

08.03.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 19 Comments

The news was stunning. A member of my bike club emailed word that a local man prominent in cycling circles had a massive heart attack while leading a morning group ride today. The news hit close to home, because while I didn’t know him well, he was the guy who taught the Road I course I took two years ago.

A passing motorist gave CPR, and paramedics got him to a hospital where he was put into an induced coma. One of the arteries to his heart had a 100 percent blockage, and doctors made a temporary opening to get blood to his heart.

It was eerily similar to what happened to Belgian cycling star Kim Kirchen during the Tour of Switzerland in June. He, too, had to go under an induced coma. Kirchen is now out of the hospital.

I thought cycling was supposed to make us invincible.

It turns out that endurance athletes might face serious heart risks of their own — partly because they’re in better shape.  As an article on Active.com by Dr. John Mandrola points out, cyclists are more likely to have a 20 percent blockage than the 80 percent blockage often suffered by couch potatoes. But that 20 percent blockage is more likely to lead to a heart attack, because it is more likely to cause blood to clot on it.

Hm. Never knew that. Okay, I’ve never really paid much attention to food. In fact, my wife often complains that I eat like a teenager.

That’s about to change. I’ve enjoyed the effects of losing some weight lately; but that’s stalled out for the time being. Time to get back on track. Time to notice what I put in my body. Time to get serious about total health, not just exercise. And time to recognize that while I’m relatively healthy, I am not invincible.

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Categories // fitness, food Tags // diet, heart

Giving Thanks

01.03.2010 by Ray Niekamp // Leave a Comment

Yes, it’s way past Thanksgiving, but guest poster Jeff Hemmel looked back on 2009 and found another round of gratitude is not amiss.

‘Tis the season for all those “look back on the year that was” articles, so what the heck, I might as well jump in with my own season highlights. After all, 2009 was a big year for me, the year I finally ditched my trusty hybrid and transitioned to what I had lusted after for years — a sleek new road bike. I’ve learned a lot in the last 365 days, some of which I’d just as soon forget, but other things that have made all the difference in the world.

So I guess it’s time to give thanks to…

CamelBak’s Podium Bottle — Yeah, I thought it was a gimmick when I saw the first ad. Then I bought one, and realized that no longer did my sticky Gatorade mix drip all over my clothes and bike, or spill in the car. Then I bought an insulated model, and realized another thing — the CamelBak’s plastic is really soft and easy to squeeze. That makes it the easiest of all my bottles when I need to take a quick drink and stay with the pack. Little details, sure, but they make a big difference.

Continental’s Grand Prix 4000 Tire — I got my road bike at Christmas last year. By spring, my tires were picking up garbage left and right. In one seven-day span, I got five — count ‘em — five flats. That’s when I found the well-reviewed Continental Grand Prix 4000s for ridiculously cheap prices on ProBikeKit.com. I don’t want to jinx myself by stating the obvious, but let’s just say flats have not been an issue since. That’s eight months of riding some pretty littered roads.

Lezyne’s Pressure Drive — It’s not getting much use anymore, but during my “flatting period,” this little mini pump got a serious workout. I bought it after a good review in Bicycling, and the editors were right on the money. This tiny pump can inflate up to some serious pressures, and won’t kill you in the process. Sure, CO2 might be simple, but I can always count on the Lezyne.

Twitter — Where else can you eavesdrop on the lives of your favorite professional cyclists? Thanks to Twitter I know what Christian VandeVelde was thinking during his accident-filled spring, checked out cool training photos from Levi Leipheimer, and got Lance Armstrong’s uncensored thoughts on Alberto Contador. Geeky, yes. Fun? Absolutely.

Pearl Izumi — I know it’s just personal preference, but every pair of shorts I get from Pearl Izumi just fits right and feels good. I’ve tried a few other brands, but they always seemed to have some weird bagginess somewhere, or a funky chamois. PI hasn’t let me down. Of course, it helps that I’ve never had to pay retail, but rather found deals on eBay or the Pearl Izumi Outlet store…

Oakley Radars — Attention blog police, I got these for free. That said, they’re still the best glasses I’ve ever ridden in. They’re super lightweight, the lenses are awesome and distortion-free, and they stay put, whether I’m sweating in the typical Florida heat and humidity, or like yesterday, wedging them over a chill-blocking headband. Yes, you can get a lot of glasses cheaper…but I’m not so sure you can get any better.

My Bike Computer — Yeah, it’s a love/hate relationship, but my computer keeps me challenged, and helps me track my progress. It was fun actually seeing those triple digits at the completion of my first century, it’s useful to know how many miles I’m putting on my body and bike, and yes, it’s occasionally annoying to know I’m perhaps not going to be able to keep the pace I hope. But still, I can’t imagine leaving the driveway without it.

My Road Bike — I was already a pretty dedicated rider, but my Trek 2.1 has just allowed me to take things to another level. I’ve explored far beyond my previous riding area, pedaled way more miles, done group rides I could never have joined in before, and just had so much more fun in the process. And with a road bike under me, I’m even completely comfortable venturing out in public in skintight Lycra.

My Wife And Kids — My wife gave me that bike, something I talked endlessly about, but never wanted to spend the money on myself. And she bought it with money she had stashed aside for something for herself. That’s the spirit of Christmas. She and my kids are also very supportive about me getting out and riding it, even coming to the recent MDA Challenge to cheer me — and everyone else — on. To them, hopefully I return the favor with a much happier and healthier Dad. I’ll be 47 soon, but I aced my most recent physical.

And Ray — The Bike Noob is his blog, not mine. But in a year that’s been more than challenging for a so-called “professional” journalist, the Bike Noob gave me the chance to write about something I love, and do it for pure enjoyment.

Thanks one…and all.

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Categories // cycling, Equipment, fitness, guest post, Odds 'n ends Tags // Accessories, clothing, Equipment, guest post, Hemmel, tires

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