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Blazyk-Zyle Ride – A Tale of Two Roads

06.11.2014 by Ray Niekamp // 1 Comment

One of the joys I get from biking is looking around at the areas I ride through. I’m sure most of us enjoy that part of riding.

Recently, a friend mentioned that he doesn’t always stop when he reaches a busy two-lane road on one of our routes. Instead, he heads out on the road for just a bit, and turns onto Blazyk Drive — a residential road just out of the city limits. Then, he takes a jaunt a bit farther south, and picks up Zyle Road. Both are dead ends, so they’re short out-and-back legs in longer rides. But they offer a nice Texas-style contrast between each other.

Screen Shot 2014-06-11 at 9.03.31 PM

Blazyk is a good road to ride, because it’s a decent uphill for most of its seven-tenths of a mile. It’s a Strava segment, too, although it’s not one I usually try to post a good time on. Blazyk is also nice because of the houses. These are relatively new, high-end places on large lots. It’s always fun to see how the other half lives.

The a couple of the "modest" houses on Blazyk Drive. (Picture from Google Streetview.) (Click pix to enlarge.)
The a couple of the “modest” houses on Blazyk Drive. (Picture from Google Streetview.) (Click pix to enlarge.)
At the top of the Blazyk hill, a panoramic view awaits the cyclist.
At the top of the Blazyk hill, a panoramic view awaits the cyclist.

Because it’s a relatively new road in a rich neighborhood, the road is smooooth. Unlike much of my ride, I don’t have to worry about dodging potholes or rough patches.

It takes only three and a half to four minutes to climb Blazyk, and about two minutes for the return trip, rolling briskly on a downhill. Back out on the two-lane, I can turn south for another short spurt to the next turnoff — Zyle Road.

Zyle is just a hundred yards or so from Blazyk, but it might as well be a hundred miles. The contrast between the two is striking.

Zyle Road has been around for awhile. While Blazyk is newer, Zyle is quite a bit older. While Blazyk is hilly, Zyle is tabletop flat. While the houses on Blazyk stand proudly for passers-by to see, the houses on Zyle are screened from view by mesquite, live oak, and other scrub brush. The houses on Blazyk are suburban-style McMansions, and the houses on Zyle have more of a rural, ranch-like flavor.

There's a house back there somewhere. (Google Streetview.)
Zyle Road. There’s a house back there somewhere. (Google Streetview.)

Roads like Zyle can be found all over Texas. They’re fun to ride, because traffic is almost nonexistent. Zyle has more character, too. When houses do emerge from the foliage, they’re older, well used, and sometimes feature interesting architectural details.

The spire on this house's turret can be seen for quite some distance.
The spire on this house’s turret can be seen for quite some distance.

Zyle is a little more than a mile, so a bit longer than Blazyk. Put together these two make a nice addition to routine routes in my part of town. I’ll keep riding them, and keep looking for new sights along the way.

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Categories // Rides Tags // Rides

Riding a Double Metric Century (Part 2)

06.05.2014 by Ray Niekamp // Leave a Comment

Guest poster Don Blount continues his account of his metric double century, a ride he’s using to prepare for his killer “death ride” next month.

BlountOnBikingI was nearly halfway through the Tierra Bella Double Metric Century in Gilroy, Calif. as the voices began getting louder in my head. I had been riding for nearly 4½ hours, which is a long time to spend with your thoughts. When doubt takes a seat in there, strange things happen.

And as I thought about being able to stop if I had a mechanical problem with my bike, an unsettling crunching sound came from my cranks and they jammed.

I got off the bike, looked and tried pedaling them again. Nothing.

The front derailleur had fallen into the big chainring. As I fiddled with it, one rider stopped to help and another. One held the bike, while the other chatted. The talker was local and told me that a bike shop was not far away.

And then the SAG van pulled up. By that time I had gotten the front derailleur into the low chainring. Instead of hopping into the SAG wagon, I pedaled to the bike shop. I was not the only Tierra Bella rider there, several others were also getting repairs. A mechanic there confirmed that my derailleur was broken and that the bike could be ridden within the small chainring without worry.

And now that I had an excuse to quit the ride, I did not want to. I had too much time and effort invested.

I decided to do the last part of the ride in the small chainring. I still had a lot of climbing to do and would spin on the flats.

So I spun. And I spun and spun and spun for the next 25 miles (40km) before reaching the final climb at Hicks Road.

This climb gained 739 feet (225m) in about two miles (3.2km). It would take me about 20 minutes.

On the return trip I missed one turn but traced my steps to get back on course and ended up with a group of riders that I would stay with the rest of the way.

It was good to ride with someone as the afternoon winds in Gilroy picked up.

I rode 127 miles (204km), and my Garmin showed me with 8,632 feet (2,631m) of climbing in 8 hours 54 minutes. That does not include the hour of time I lost while fiddling with my front derailleur.

The Tierra Bella Double Metric Century was a challenging ride that I would do again. I learned how to deal with adversity and work through those negative voices that creep into your head during challenging rides.

I had a long car ride in front of me and just wanted to get home for a hot shower and to unload my gear. I also wanted my quads to stop screaming at me.

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Categories // guest post, Rides, training Tags // Blount, guest post, Rides, training

Riding a Double Metric Century (Part 1)

06.03.2014 by Ray Niekamp // Leave a Comment

Guest poster Don Blount is gearing up for a big, big ride — and he’s using what a lot of us would consider a big ride to prep for it. Here’s his account.

BlountOnBikingMy big midyear ride is The Tour of the California Alps, Death Ride on July 12. It covers 129 miles (208 km) with 15,000 feet (4,572 meters) of climbing over five mountain passes.

I have other things planned after that ride but my preparation has been geared toward the Death Ride.

Intensity, climbing and saddle time are all components of my training. And yes, I used to hate hills but a 30-pound weight loss (13.61 kilograms) and improved fitness changed my attitude toward them. I can proudly say that I am a decent climber.

Through mid-May I have ridden about 2,800 miles (4,506 kilometers) with 71,000 feet (21,641 meters) of climbing in about 164 hours.

As part of my training, I took on the Tierra Bella Double Metric Century in Gilroy, Calif. in April. The 200K was listed as having 9,600 feet (2,926m) of climbing.

Gilroy is about 1 hr 45 mins from my home in Stockton, Calif. The early start required an overnight stay in Gilroy, which bills itself as the garlic capital of the world. The Ramada Limited was not five-star but it was fine for a night. I spent less than 12 hours in the room.

I rolled out from the Gavilan College starting point at 6:51 a.m. It was cool and I started out wearing a vest and arm warmers. I thought about wearing a long-sleeved jersey and for the first three hours of the ride I wished I had, but one thing about long rides in the spring is that the temperature can fluctuate by 30 degrees (16 degrees Celsius) or more and that is what the forecast called for. In a few hours I would be grateful for the short sleeves.

I rode at a comfortable pace, speaking with a few people along the way. Yet I was still thinking of the climbing that waited ahead.

By the time I reached the first rest stop at Gilroy Hot Springs, I was still cold but felt good. My goal was to finish in less than nine hours.

 

It was cool early in the double metro century as Don Blount arrived at the first rest stop.
It was cool early in the double metric century as Don Blount arrived at the first rest stop.

I had never ridden in this area before this day. However, I noticed how many areas reminded me of routes where I ride regularly. I felt fortunate to live in a good biking area and felt confident about being able to handle what waited ahead.

The real climbing began at about mile 38 (61 km) on the way to Henry W. Coe State Park headquarters. Over the next 11 miles (18 km) we would gain nearly 2,300 feet (701m). It would take me 1 hour 16 minutes to complete the climb.

The big climb is completed. Arriving at the Henry W. Coe State Park rest stop in Morgan Hill, California.
The big climb is completed. Arriving at the Henry W. Coe State Park rest stop in Morgan Hill, California.

I was spent by the time I reached the rest stop. I lingered as I waited to recover. A friend had told me about eating some chicken soup at a rest stop when he was not feeling well during a ride. Son of a gun, there was some Cup Noodles soup. I never eat this stuff but I did this time. It was hot, salty and won’t be a regular on my menu anytime soon. But it helped.

 

Despite the smile, Don Blount was not feeling that great.
Despite the smile, Don Blount was not feeling that great.

Eventually, I started the descent. I exited the park and thought about the remaining 62 miles. I specifically had two thoughts: 1) If a SAG van came by right now, I would be tempted to get in. 2) If I had a mechanical, I could quit now and blame the bike.

I would soon be reminded to be careful what I wished for.

In his next post, Don recaps both the mechanical and mental challenges of the ride.

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Categories // guest post, Rides, training Tags // Blount, guest post, Rides, training

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