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Those Fall Rides

09.15.2011 by Ray Niekamp // 2 Comments

Temperatures here in Texas are finally starting to moderate. Our overnight lows are positively fall-like, with overnight lows expected to plunge to 68°F (20°C) next week. And when the weather changes like that, we can look forward to some of the better organized rides of the year.

Okay, I’m being a little sarcastic here. But the good rides do start up again in the fall, and I realized too late that I haven’t been pointing toward any of them. For two of the last three years I’ve done the Outlaw Trail 100, which is on October 8 this year. I’m going to pass on it this time around. I just don’t have the mileage base that would allow me to finish 100 comfortably. I’m sure I could finish it uncomfortably — I just have no desire to. Another century I’ve thought about trying is the Waco Wild West in Waco. But that’s in late September — too soon for me.

Realistically, the time to start planning on those fall rides is in mid-summer. Last year wasn’t a problem because our weather was moderate by Texas standards. This summer has been the hottest on record, and while it’s been easy to get in some good hour-and-a-half to two-hour rides early in the morning, anything much longer than that gets you into the really hot temps of the day. I have no enthusiasm for that. So my mileage has suffered this year, my time in the saddle is down, and my overall cycling fitness ain’t what it used to be. There’s always next year.

However, there might still be some rides worth attempting. A couple in November offer possibilities. The Tour de Gruene (green) is a weekend-lomg event in New Braunfels, Texas. There’s a race, an individual and team time trial, and a recreational ride along the scenic Guadalupe River. Maybe the river will have water in it again by November. It’s a ride I haven’t done, but have been thinking about trying. Another is the Austin-to-New Braunfels “Wurstride.” It’s a good 60-miler, and was the scene of my first metric century four years ago. I haven’t been back since. It might be time.

So, getting started to prep for these rides at this late date means I have to build my mileage again. My “long” rides this summer have averaged 30-40 miles. Time to extend that distance. They say a 10 percent increase each week will do the trick — both in weekly mileage and in the length of the long ride.

And what the heck. I declared at the beginning of the year that organized rides no longer held much interest for me, and while it’s true that I’m not crazy about shelling out 50 bucks just to ride with sag and food stops, I can still do those same routes on my own — just making arrangements to be self sufficient. But I like the group ride. The atmosphere is fun, I get to see folks I don’t see on the bike that often, and I get to ride routes I don’t ride that often. I’ll probably do at least one or two of the better ones around here.

How about you? Do you have a favorite must-do fall ride? When and where?

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Categories // Rides Tags // group rides, organized ride

Try a Triathlon

09.13.2011 by Ray Niekamp // 1 Comment

Regular readers might remember that the Bike Noob is a former runner — uh, jogger really. After I’d been biking for awhile, it occurred to me that combining running and biking could be an interesting and maybe even fun activity. I thought a triathlon might be just the ticket. There was only one problem: I swim like a brick. But I’ll bet most of you don’t, and if the idea of a triathlon intrigues you, you might find these tips for training useful. They come to us from guest poster Carol Montrose.

Whether you’ve competed in triathlons before, simply run races, or you have yet to enter the athletic world, you may be interested in the three-in-one sport combo offered by the triathlon, which requires participants to run, bike, and swim in the course of one race.  However, you can’t just jump right in; you need to prepare.  So here are a few tips to help you get started.

1.     Consider your goals.  You may want to consider your reasons for entering a triathlon, from weight loss to self-esteem to meeting new people.  Each goal will come with attendant motivations, but some might not be strong enough to see you through the difficult and demanding process, so try to be honest with yourself about your level of desire to train and complete a race.  From there, think about your goals for the race (there are a variety of distances to choose from).

2.     Sign up for a race.  Nothing will motivate you more than a looming date that requires you to be able to perform.  So if you’re finding it hard to get your butt in gear, pay for an impending race as a way to kick-start your training.

3.     Formulate a schedule.  You need to give yourself time to train for your upcoming race, which means if it’s set to occur in the next couple of weeks, you should probably drop out and wait for the next one.  You’ll probably want a minimum of 2-3 months to train, possibly more if you’re starting from scratch, so set up a comprehensive schedule that allows for time for training each day for several weeks.

4.     Train for running.  The shortest triathlon is a sprint-distance race.  The running portion is 5K, which equates to slightly more than three miles.  It is said that if your training brings you within two-thirds of your goal distance, you should be able to finish the race.  This means that you must manage a minimum of two miles at a stretch during training in order to complete the race.  However, you’ll be better off hitting the target distance before you ever have to test yourself.

5.     Train for cycling.  The sprint-distance cycling requirement is 20K (about 12 ½ miles).  Depending on the course, this could be entirely level terrain or it may feature hills.  Just in case, you should probably train for a hilly course.

6.     Train for swimming.  The swimming section of the sprint-distance race is generally 500-750 meters (about a quarter to a half mile).  If you’re training in a pool, this is equivalent to about 16 laps (down and back), depending on the size of your pool.  But remember that the race will take place in open water, so be sure to train outdoors towards the end.

7.     Get insured.  In addition to health insurance, you may want to consider other forms of protection in case of an accident during your training or a race.  Although there is no specific form of insurance for cyclists, cheap bike insurance can be had through one of your other policies.  Your car insurance may cover your medical bills in case of an accident while riding your bike, while your Personal Liability coverage (part of homeowner’s or renter’s insurance) can cover unintentional accidents that you cause.  Both can be useful when training for and competing in a triathlon.

Carol Montrose is a writer for BikeInsurance.net. In her spare time she enjoys reading and she is currently writing a book on the joys of freelancing.

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Categories // guest post Tags // guest post, triathlon

Big Ol’ Club Ride

09.11.2011 by Ray Niekamp // 1 Comment

The word went out early in the week: Our club sponsor, the Bicycle Sports Shop, would be involved in today’s club ride. They would have a mechanic on hand at the beginning of the ride, and make water, Nuun, and energy bars available. Afterward, they’d furnish a light breakfast. The member who posted the ride urged a big turnout of both A and B riders.

And he got it. I counted 38 riders at the start. Our typical Sunday ride draws 15-20. We jammed the parking lot of the Starbucks where we traditionally start our rides, much to the consternation of casual coffee drinkers who tried to negotiate their way to an open space.

We do tend to clutter the parking lot.
A Bicycle Sports Shop mechanic fixes a flat before the ride.
Pre-ride chit chat.
Penny, Judy, and Barbara. Judy is the A rider.

Although I often lead the B rides, I opted not to today, since both As and Bs would be traveling the same route. The Bs would just turn around sooner on the familiar out-and-back. So there was no designated B ride leader. That probably led to problems later.

One problem that set in involved my cyclocomputer. I cleaned the bike yesterday, but didn’t realign the speed sensor with its magnet, so I got no reading for the first two miles of the ride. When I stopped to fix things, most of the peloton had passed me by.

A few people were straggling, I knew. We take a convoluted route to get out to the main road for this trip, cutting through Granada Hills, a hilly neighborhood with lots of turns. If you haven’t done this ride several times, it’s easy to get lost. My friend Penny pointed me out to several riders who were back with her. “See that guy in the club jersey?” she said. “He won’t leave you behind.”

I almost didn’t. I made a bad shift going up a hill and dropped my chain. When I stopped to get it back on, several more riders passed me. I guessed I was now at the end of the pack. Unbeknownst to me, Penny and three other women were still a bit behind, but they lost me in all the left and right turns I made through the neighborhood.

I got stuck at the stoplight at U.S. Highway 290, which we have to cross to continue on our route. Now I was alone, and catching the group was out of the question. But it’s also a familiar feeling to me on this ride, so I didn’t fret about it.

Soon I came up to a rider on the side of the road. It was Rick, Penny’s husband, talking to her on the phone. He waved me by, then caught up to me a few minutes later.

“Penny got lost in Granada Hills,” Rick said. “I told her to track the route on her GPS. She’ll be okay.”

Rick pulled away in an effort to catch the main pack. I plugged along, and a half hour later reached the turnaround point for the Bs. Several other riders were there, and two I had passed came up to round out the group. We had an uneventful ride back for seven miles, when we pulled into a convenience store. (I wish I had some pictures from the road, but I dropped my camera, and had to reassemble it once we got back.)

Three women who had started with the group were at the store. I think they were part of those who lost us early on, because they were joking about having to find their way back through Granada Hills again, and weren’t sure they could do it. Even though two wore club jerseys, I had never seen them before and did not know them.

“If you wait five more minutes,” I said, “I’ll show you the way. But let me rest a bit.”

“No, that’s okay,” said one of the women. “You’ll probably catch up to us anyway.” They headed out with some other riders.

I remained in the lot with Barbara, whom I had ridden with several times before. We talked about dogs and drank some cold water, then I said I planned to take it easy on the way back. I knew she wasn’t familiar with Granada Hills either, so I told her I’d stick with her to guide her through it.

It was a good thing I did. At several intersections, she wanted to turn the opposite way from the route. We finally got to Starbucks, where we joined the Bs who had set out from the turnaround before us. The three women weren’t there.

Barbara bought her coffee from Starbucks, rather than drink the outside stuff.

Bicycle Sports Shop made good on their breakfast plans. Bagels with different varieties of cream cheese covered one outside table, as well as a container of coffee. I’m not sure about bringing outside coffee to a Starbucks, but I was grateful for the food. By the time I finished my bagel, some of the A riders were drifting in. Soon, the three women showed up.

“We couldn’t find our way through Granada Hills,” one of them told me. “After we rode around in circles, we finally asked some residents how to get out. It turned out they were cyclists. They got in their pickup and guided us out.”

“I got lost in Granada Hills” became an oft-repeated refrain as more riders showed up. Although it’s a twisty route, I thought once people rode it two or three times they’d have it figured out. Nuh-uh.

Penny rolled in, too. She did find her way out of Granada Hills and rode over to the Veloway to get in some extra mileage. “My GPS kept sending me out to Highway 290,” she said. “It thinks I’m a car, and won’t show me the side streets to take.”

Despite the problems, everyone seemed happy with the turnout and the ride. It’s the biggest club ride in my memory, and I’ve been a member for more than three years. But if we go through Granada Hills again, I think I’ll have to ride sweep.

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