Bike Noob

Because I'm Always Learning Something New

Anatomy of a Personal Best

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Jeff Hemmel overcomes thoughts of smooth legs and Gatorade to set a new record.

Once upon a time I rode for pure enjoyment. But today, whether I like to admit it or not, I’m sometimes fueled by outside influences. The chief offender? Longtime readers may know it’s my bike computer, a seemingly innocuous device that I just can’t help but paying attention to…especially when I’m solo, on one particular 30-mile stretch of road that has become my own personal measuring stick.

The other day I won the battle with the computer on this stretch of pavement. The back-story, however, is much more interesting. Here’s what really transpired…according to the digits of my favorite companion.

Jeff on our ride in July. He must have been training for his PB then -- he led most of the way.

0:00:00 Attempting to establish some new benchmark for time wasn’t in today’s original plan. My itinerary initially called for a 45-mile ride north that would include climbing several large bridges. My riding partner nixed the idea in a 1 a.m. email detailing how he needed to take his dog to the vet first thing due to a bout of “volcanus.” Wisely, I don’t ask for details…

00:09:19 The road is mildly busy, but soon I leave the morning commuters behind and begin to enjoy the somewhat open road that leads out to the park. It’s an island, situated at the mouth of Tampa Bay. Many days the wind is blowing relatively strong. Today, it’s surprisingly calm.

0:20:25 Early on in a lot of rides my legs feel heavy. This one’s no exception, but I’m hoping my “sensations,” as Alberto Contador would say, improve soon. I’m also hoping I ate enough for breakfast. Hey, is that bacon?

0:22:01 My early start has limited my fluid intake, and I’m already dying for a sip of Gatorade. Problem is I go with water in my first bottle for roughly half the ride, and save the Gatorade in the second bottle for the last half. As a result, bottle Number 2 currently contains mostly just a scoop of powder, and lots of ice cubes. It won’t be drinkable for a while. I munch on a Clif shot block instead, and wonder if all these sugar cubes are the reason I’ve recently gotten my first cavity in about 40 years.

0:26:39 Decision time. My ride resembles a backwards J…if that J was drawn by a five-year-old who skewed the top, horizontal line to the right and dragged her pencil across the page to add a dogleg. That means in about 30 seconds I’ll be approaching a T. Usually, the huge flag that flies at this intersection makes the decision for me. I tend to go into the wind first, reasoning I’ll suffer now, but make up for it with a lengthier downwind run. Today the flag’s not flying, so I agonize over this ridiculously simple detail for the next 29 seconds.

0:27:08 Seemingly without making a conscious decision, I check for traffic, notice there’s not a soul in sight, and roll left through the stop. Quickly, my speed drops below 20 mph. A little background? My best solo time out here has been a 19.6. Today, I want that 20.

0:32:17 I reach the first turnaround and loop back in the direction I came. Usually when I’ve been heading into the wind, this marks the point of the ride where things get suddenly quiet. Panic briefly sets in when I don’t notice any real difference.

0:36:12 Back to the intersection and headed straight, paralleling first the Bay and then the Gulf as the road doglegs north. Looking at my legs pumping up and down, I find myself daydreaming about how good they would look smoothly shaved. For this thought alone, non-cycling friends would likely kick my ass.

0:38:59 Would I trim everything first with an electric razor and then shave, or just lather up and go? Maybe they still make that Nair stuff, but for men? I notice my speed is dropping into the 18s and mentally slap myself back into action…

0:43:00 I’m feeling a definite headwind. It’s bad news, as this stretch roughly parallels my route home. I swap my bottles, and start to break into the Gatorade supply. It’s still icy, so the mixture’s not right, but at this point I’ll take what I can get.

0:46:02 I’ve been purposely avoiding checking out my average speed, but the pacer arrow on my computer goes blank for a moment, a telltale sign that I’ve just seen my current average — 19.8 mph.

0:47:11 Once again I loop through a turnaround and head back in the way I just came. Testing my legs, I bump up the gears and then spring up out of my seat, churning the pedals hard. My butt appreciates the break.

0:56:00 Back to the intersection, I turn left and head out the way I came in. This will be the longest remaining stretch, and my last real chance to improve upon my time.

1:07:05 Again I see the pacer arrow go momentarily blank at 19.8 mph. Time is running out on gaining those last few tenths. I swig a little more Gatorade, reposition myself on the seat, and push harder. Suddenly I remember that on my previous best I drafted for a brief section behind another rider. Damn those leg hairs…they’re creating wind resistance!

1:13:42 I crest the top of one of several bridges, and note how beautiful the sun has lit the water and shorelines of a sheltered inlet to the west, the red and green channel markers reflecting off the mirror-like surface. In one brief moment of clarity, I remind myself to appreciate the beautiful, if flat, place I call home.

1:13:59 Pass over a large stain in the road that about a year ago was fresh road kill. Wonder why no one ever cleaned it up…and ponder how much of the remains have splashed onto my water bottles over the past 12 months. So much for beautiful thoughts…

1:17:16 Approach my first stoplight in about an hour, and pray it will be green, as I have to make a left-hand turn and need every spare second to achieve my goal.

1:17:37 It’s red. I come in hot, then brake relatively hard, trying to avoid any moments of coasting. Looking for any advantage, I decide to pour the remains of my original water bottle over my head, blasting the liquid through my helmet vents with a lasting squeeze. The driver beside me recoils in horror at the middle-aged guy in Lycra reenacting the splash scene from Flashdance.

1:17:40 Feel a refreshing, dare I say almost icy blast of coolness drench my head and drip down my back…and realize I just doused myself with Gatorade.

1:19:01 As I approach the drawbridge leading home, the procession of cars beside me miraculously clears. Once again I jump out of the saddle and push forward, actually increasing my speed on the uphill. I’m hoping oncoming motorists see my straining muscles and half-zipped jersey and think German ace Jens Voigt…and pray they’re not thinking German crooner David Hasselhoff.

1:22:52 As I fly down the beach road at 25 mph, my eyes are smarting from the strange, sticky yellow sweat that has begun to cloud my vision. Note to self: wash helmet before next ride.

1:29:43 Finally pass my driveway, and resist the urge to claim it like Cavendish. By the clock I already know the result, but I check the average speed just for the satisfaction — 20.0 mph. A personal best.

But obviously, there’s much more to the story than that…

Updating the Bike Fit

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After his crash and broken bones earlier this summer, Don Blount decided it was time to update his bike fit.

Being comfortable on the bike is important to being able to spend time on the bike. That is one of the reasons I went in recently for another bike fit. My last real fit by a certified fitter was about 18 months ago.

This time I went in to see Jon Tallerico, owner of The Bicycle Café (lodibicyclecafe.com), an eight-month old local high-end bike shop that specializes in bike, equipment, service and coffee. The shop has a few Orbea bikes on display, Sidi shoes and the ceiling is decorated with racing jerseys. I have not tried the coffee yet but I am told that it is good.

In addition to my bike, Jon told me to bring cycling shorts and a helmet. Instead of packing my car, I rode 11 miles from my home to the shop so I was warmed up when I arrived.

As Jon put my bike on the wind trainer he explained that bike geometry is built around cyclists with long arms and legs and a short torso. That in part describes me as I am 5’9” with a 35-inch sleeve length and 32-inch inseam.

A proper bike fit is akin to wearing a good pair of shoes. Just as you put on the shoes and feel your feet go “aaah,” you should settle on the bike instead of trying to get comfortable on the bike.

I got on my bike and pedaled and Jon watched and measured. He measured the bike, he measured me. I got off the bike and he made an adjustment. After several adjustments I took the bike out and rode around the block. Jon joined me and watched to see how my position looked.

Jon Tallerico makes adjustments to Don's bike.

In the end the changes appeared to be small in size but they were huge in effect.

  • Handlebars raised 1 cm.
  • Seat moved back 0.5 cm and down 1 cm.
  • Cleats moved back and adjusted so my feet toe out a smidge while in the pedals so my feet, knees and legs track better.

The adjustments relieved pressure on my hands and low back and placed me more on my saddle in that “C” riding position.

I have seen and heard that we should get periodic bike fits because our bodies change over time. We can become more or less limber, more muscular or stronger.

The accidents I have had in the past year may have affected my bike fit. Jon did not say my old fit was wrong; however, my new fit is better. I took a different route home to get in an additional 17 miles and took note of how much more comfortable I was on the bike and mentally calculating the rides I would be getting in later.

I Think I Bonked – Almost

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Guest poster Jeff Hemmel is back in Florida after summer in cool upstate New York — and he finds that reacclimating to hot, humid weather can be tricky.

I like to think I’m in pretty good cycling shape. But today I think I bonked…almost.

In hindsight, I probably should have expected it. Today’s ride was my first since returning home (just last night) to Florida. For the last three days, I’ve been off one kind of saddle and in another – the seat of my car, driving my two young children solo on a nearly 1,500-mile road trip. Sure, we stopped at Hershey for a diversion, but other than that it’s been three days of basically sitting in the car. I ate lousy fast food, indulged in a Mountain Dew every day to keep me awake following a post-lunch desire to take a nap, and drank way too little water. I also slept lousy, one night sharing a bed with my restless young ones while spending the next battling a cantankerous hotel air conditioner.

Then this morning, after just arriving home about 12 hours earlier, I ate a mediocre breakfast, threw on my cycling gear, and expected to knock out a quick 30-miles in the oppressive Florida humidity…after two months in the cooler, lower humidity of the Upstate NY mountains…without a problem.

Stupid? I’m starting to think so. My reasoning, of course, is that I was in really good shape. I’ve been riding steadily for years, and climbing big hills all summer long. A measly 30 miles on flat roads would be easy. But in the end, it wasn’t.

I started out strong. My bike computer’s battery had died, and I think I ended up pushing it a little harder than normal. Then I stumbled across a triathlon wrapping up, and fell in with a guy churning out some post-race miles on his TT bike. When I ultimately turned off to head home, I suddenly found myself battling a strong headwind, with no support in sight, and the beginnings of a weird tingly feeling I’ve rarely, if ever, felt on the bike.

I’ve never bonked, so to be honest, don’t really know the feeling. I recognized something was amiss, however, and tried to react. I downed a couple Clif Shot Blocks, and tried to drink some more of my Gatorade mix. But I never really significantly backed it down, reasoning that I would only if I started to feel dizzy or something. Of course, I was also somewhat vain. Passing me was by now an endless line of triathlon types in their cars heading home. I’m not sure I wanted the indignity of being the guy stopping by the side of the road just because he felt a little heat.

Toward the end I got unexpectedly passed by two triathlon competitors, then sped up to join them at a traffic light. Stopping for a moment, as well as starting a conversation with the pair, seemed to distract me from the weird sensation I was flirting with. When the light turned green I fell in with them and churned the pedals till I got home.

The afternoon, however, has been pretty much of a waste. I’ve got a headache, haven’t accomplished much of anything, and just feel really weird. Another thing? I’m not that thirsty, though I know I’m way behind on my water intake compared to normal.

Obviously, I staved off the bonk on my ride, by how much I’m not sure. But I’m certain I flirted with it, and perhaps continue to do more so as the day wears on.

What about you, any bonk-related close calls? And perhaps more important at this point, any good suggestions for recovery? I’ll read any and all…but first, I’m seriously thinking about taking a nap.

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