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Prepping For A Century

07.22.2012 by Ray Niekamp // 5 Comments

I’ve been hemming and hawing for awhile, and during the week I finally made my decision — I’ll be riding in the Hotter ‘n Hell Hundred next month. Yes, it’s an organized ride, but there aren’t many like this one. It’s as much a happening as anything.

Held in Wichita Falls, Texas, in the far northern part of the state, the Hotter ‘n Hell always runs on the last Saturday in August — when summer heat is expected to be at its peak. As a counter balance to the heat, the route is flat. This year it’s been modified so that 100-mile finishers will go through Sheppard Air Force Base along with the 100-kilometer riders. In past years, the 100-milers missed the terrific welcome from the airmen.

Now, I’ve done centuries before. But as I mentioned in a previous post, I might have finished them, but I’ve been pretty trashed at the end. My goal this year is to finish and still be able to function normally.

I decided to start getting serious this weekend. Mrs. Noob wanted to head out for an easy ride Saturday, and I was happy to join her, knowing that when she wrapped up her 13 miles or whatever, that I could continue on and do my own ride.

She started to complain almost immediately. “I just don’t feel it today,” she said. She waffled about which route to take, but finally decided a Mopac loop would be good for her. But once on the shoulder of the expressway, she said she didn’t seem to be loosening up. I pedaled easily, to stay with her.

At the top of Escarpment Hill, I waited for her as usual, but when she caught up to me, she said, “I have an idea. Let’s go up to the next street, then work our way through the neighborhood and head back home.” Her hip was bothering her, which hadn’t happened for several weeks, and she was struggling.

When we went our separate ways, I headed for Convict Hill, the neighborhood hill that offers several short but steep climbs as well as a nice longer one in a generous shoulder beside the main road over the top. I did my usual repertoire of climbs, enjoyed the quick descent, and figured I’d head back to Mopac to do a complete loop before calling it a day.

But halfway back to Mopac, I started feeling like Pat. I had no snap in my legs. I turned the pedals, but didn’t pump them. My speed slowed. Once I got on Mopac itself, I realized I’d better pack it in. I turned off at the same street we had before, stopped in the shade of an overhanging tree, and rested before going home.

If this was the way I felt halfway through a summer of regular riding, I was concerned about getting ready for the Hotter ‘n Hell.

This morning’s club ride was going to do a Dam Loop — probably my least favorite ride in the Austin area. I knew that I wasn’t going to do the whole thing, given the combination of heat and higher-than-usual humidity we’ve put up with lately. But I felt good as our big group hit the road.

One of the highlights of the route is “Hail Mary Hill” — a tough one that ends at a church parking lot where we can take a breather. This is a steep one, and it has been my nemesis for as long as I’ve been riding. I made sure I was near the back of the group when we hit the hill, in case I had to unclip and walk up, as I’ve done so many times before.

But today, I felt strong. I was in my lowest granny gear, but stayed on the wheel of Jordan in front of me. I even got out of the saddle to pump a bit, which I’ve never done on that hill before.

I got to the top, and when I turned into the parking lot, got an ovation from everyone who was already there. We turned onto Bee Caves Road, which features a lot of long hills, and rode to our regular rest stop at a Walgreens. I decided to turn around at that point and head home, but instead of taking our usual route, I would go back the way we came, and deal with the hills on both Bee Caves and Barton Creek Blvd. A new rider decided he’d be smart to turn back too, so we swapped the lead as we made our way back, this time having a lot more trouble with the hills than we did on the way out.

Total mileage: 36. Average speed: 14.2 mph. Not big numbers for a guy who faces a century in a month, but because of the hills we tackled today, I figure the numbers did not represent our effort. If anything, the weather conditions this weekend were a good indicator of what the Hotter ‘n Hell ride will be like. I think I can be ready.

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Categories // Rides, training Tags // century, metric century

Armadillo – Turkeys and Chickens and Skunks, Oh My!

05.13.2012 by Ray Niekamp // 6 Comments

The Armadillo Hill Country Classic is the Austin Cycling Association’s main fundraiser every year. It’s a nice supported ride starting from Liberty Hill, northwest of Austin, and I like to ride it if my schedule lets me. I’ve done the 50-mile version the past two times I’ve ridden it, and was looking forward to do the 60-miler this time around.

The day was darn near perfect. The 105-mile ride had to be shortened to 90, because two cattle guards on the long route were under water from recent rains, and those roads were impassable. The long riders set off at 7:30, a half hour in advance of the rest of us.

The 105 and 85-mile riders get a 7:30 a.m. start from Liberty Hill High School, and I found myself in a poor spot to get a good shot.

Temperature was about 63 degrees (17C) at the start, and what wind there was wasn’t a factor. The day was sunny and bright. We started out on the familiar roads, and held together as a large group until the first rest stop at seven miles. I was surprised at the large number of riders who made a stop there, since our group was the 43, 50, and 60 mile riders. I wouldn’t expect anyone with the experience to go that far would need to stop so soon.

We’ve had some decent rainfall over the last week, which caused the route shortening, but the rain also is producing one of the finest crops of wild flowers I’ve ever seen. The roadsides were carpeted with them.

The colorfully-named Mexican Hat (foreground) and Indian Blanket.

But in my careful preparations for this ride, I forgot one detail: to check the batteries in my camera. Right after snapping this shot, the camera died. You’ll have to use your imagination to visualize the scenes I depict.

Yours truly, caught in mid-ride by the on-course photographer.

Shortly after the flower pics, we turned onto County Road 284 — one of the worst stretches of chip seal it has ever been my misfortune to ride. It shook my jaw, rattled my teeth in my head, and sent irritating vibrations (not quite painful, but almost) to my feet and hands. That was the longest three miles I’ve ever ridden.

My first rest stop was in the only town the ride visits: Bertram, pop. 1300, about 23 miles in. The rest stop here is a good one, as rest stops go, and I was glad to get some relief, a quick bite of food, and to top off my water bottles.

Some miles past Bertram, the route split, with the 60-milers going to the right. This brought me onto a part of the course I’d never seen before. Maybe it was because this area was new to me, but it seemed more “rural,” with houses and small ranches spread far apart, and a winding narrow country road. I got to the rest stop at the “Dillo Door,” where the 105-milers had to pass before 10:30 in order to be allowed onto the long route. I passed the rest stop and turned onto the 60-mile route.

It wasn’t long before the road took a turn that surprised me. Even though this ride is in the Texas Hill Country, the roads are mostly flat, or easy rollers. But a real hill loomed ahead. It compared with “Hail Mary Hill,” that I have struggled with on rides close to home. I stood and pedaled in my 34 x 28 granny gear, and finally crested the top.

As I eased my effort and continued along, two wild turkeys flew onto the road ahead of me, stopped, and started walking in the same direction I was going. The huge birds finally realized I was behind them, and they flew into the underbrush on the other side of the road, where I could see them walking away as I passed.

Just a few minutes later, another varmint crossed ahead of me. This time, it was a skunk! He was closer than the turkeys, and I had to swerve wide left to avoid him. As I pulled even, he raised his tail and took aim. I pedaled for all I was worth. I don’t know if he got off a shot or not, but in any case, I was untouched.

I turned onto the road to Oatmeal, and passed their iconic sign. The rest stop at the top of a nearby hill was a welcome sight, and it even had some chairs to relax. From here on out, it was back home on the roads we’d headed out on.

My bottom was starting to protest, and I decided I’d stop at each of the remaining stops, if for no other reason than to get off the bike and walk around for a minute or two. But at the next to the last stop, as I wandered over to the food table and found to my delight that they had some nice salty pretzels, I also found some critters milling around my feet. It seems a small flock of chickens weren’t going to be bothered by bikers and tables and ride volunteers, and were intent on picking the ground for any stray Clif Bar crumbs. My cell phone camera doesn’t do them justice.

Some of the chickens at the next to last rest stop. They’d walk right up to my feet and peck around if they thought they could get some goodies.

I knew I was 14 miles out from the finish, but my computer showed that I’d already traveled 49 miles. So the 60-mile route was really going to be 63 miles. No biggie, but now I just wanted the ride to be over. I had hoped to finish at about 12:30 p.m., for roughly a 15 mph average once rest stop time was figured in. Looking at my watch, it seemed that 1 p.m. would be a more realistic finishing time.

See ya later!

A nice tailwind let me cruise at 25-26 mph for several miles, and then the rollers — and that horrible chip seal on County Road 284 — slowed me again. On the outskirts of Liberty Hill, I passed some tired-out riders, then crossed the railroad tracks and turned into the school parking lot. I was done. The time was 12:49. That gave me an average speed of 14.4 mph, which I decided I’d be happy with.

Cars were sparse in the parking area, and I could change clothes in my front seat without risking anyone getting a look. A little glitch with the post-ride food caused me to wait a little longer, but I eventually got my burrito, a cup of iced tea, and hit the road home. The temperature was still only 75 degrees (24C) and I had been comfortable throughout the ride. A good route, with great support, and a mix of flora AND fauna — it’s no wonder I try to make this ride every year.

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Categories // Rides Tags // metric century, organized ride, Rides

A Metric A Month

04.08.2012 by Ray Niekamp // 6 Comments

The club ride was a hills sufferfest today. Not something I really wanted to do, even in a shortened “B” version. In any case, I wouldn’t be able to go along with them, because I didn’t leave my driveway until 8:25 a.m. — 10 minutes after the club ride was scheduled to leave.  So I struck out on my own. I figured I’d head south, to Kyle. That would make about a 45-mile round trip, and I wanted to get more miles than I’ve been getting lately.

Conditions were perfect. Partly cloudy skies giving way to sun, temp about 65 (18C), little wind to speak of. Because it was Easter Sunday, traffic was way down from its usual numbers. About 12 miles into the ride, another rider pulled even and we exchanged pleasantries. He was the first one I’d seen all morning. He easily left me in his wake, but that was fine. I was just out to enjoy the ride.

The route was the same as the one I’d done on my birthday, although the turnaround in Kyle would mean a shorter overall distance. I sailed through Buda well before the churches along Main Street would be packed for Easter services. I was glad to see that traffic was just as light on Farm-to-Market 1626, which I would be on for several miles.

The last few miles into Kyle are nice, since the road was resurfaced last summer. At the convenience store that is our traditional turnaround, only two other cyclists stocked up on Gatorade and energy bars. I got a Gatorade G2 and a bar myself, and poured the G2 into one of my water bottles. Then, I decided I wouldn’t be turning around. I could continue down the road toward San Marcos. It’s a nice road, one I enjoy riding, and what the heck — it was a really nice day. I figured I’d head to a convenience store I know in San Marcos.

By now, the sun was turning up the heat. I rode another seven miles to Five-Mile Dam Park, and instead of turning around there as we did on my birthday ride, I kept going. A hairpin turn, under a railroad trestle, and across the pretty Blanco River. Now, I was seeing a lot more cyclists. Two pelotons — one from Team Roadkill, an Austin club, and one from a team of serious-looking racer types that I didn’t recognize — passed by heading in the opposite direction. The road was slightly uphill for me, and I realized that I was pedaling very slowly. I pulled over under some shade trees, and took a break.

Resting only about nine miles after the last (long) rest is a bad sign. I figured I’d gone as far as I needed to today. I headed back up the road and reached the redone section in Kyle that is now smooth as glass. That didn’t prevent two time trialist types from passing me like I was on a cruiser bike — the woman in the lead was easily pulling a guy much bigger than she was. After a nice fast stretch into Buda, I reached another convenience store that has been a regular stop on our rides. It was good to get into the shade — the temperature was quite warm by now — and refill my bottles with cold water. Only about an hour to get home.

I was pleased to see a road that I’d been bypassing because of construction is now all finished. Riding in the smooth asphalt shoulder was nice, as was the new center turning lane that let me make a left turn without worrying that traffic coming up from behind would hit me. I got home without any problems, and unlike me, I did not flop on the bed for a two-hour nap. I was fully energized and wide awake. Final numbers for the ride: 60.5 miles at an average speed of 15.3 mph. Overall, a good day.

And it occurred to me that if I can do this kind of ride again, it will go a long way to helping me build my mileage and my endurance — both things that suffered last year. So I’ve concocted a new plan called “A Metric A Month.” If I can ride a metric century each month, not only will it be good preparation for some rides I’m keying on later this year, but it will make me a stronger rider all around.

So now I’ve got two of them. Last month’s birthday ride, and today’s. And yes, I know that 60.5 miles does not a metric century make. So what? It’s close enough, and this is MY plan, so I’ll work it the way I want. Let’s just see if I can stick with it.

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