Gran Fondo Ellensburg 2019: Ride Report

Some gravel dirt and wear and tear on the front - is something missing?

The day went pretty much according to expectations, following the same rhythm as previous rides - a steady and fairly easy beginning with beautiful views of the Yakima river and only the occasional rock; a very hard climb on gravel; some more gravel and beautiful views along a mountain top ridge; several harrowing descents; and a very fast ride back, being pushed by a tremendous tail-wind.

So happy to finish safely and get a badge.

Along with riding with elan and kindness, my goal was to get within 5% of the winner - I didn't quite make it but, all in all, I had a good day! The winning times over the last five years have been quite consistent and, except for last year when I had a couple of flats and a weird kind of a day, my times have been fairly consistent too!

     Winning Time             My Time 
2019 5:29:59 (Ian Tubbs)      5:49:56 (+19:56)(6% off)   8/103
2018 5:25:08 (Derek Parsons)  6:09:29 (+44:20)(14% off) 15/111
2017 5:29:43 (Evan Plews)     5:48:25 (+18:42)(5% off)   5/107
2016 5:26:01 (Steven Mull)    5:42:50 (+16:49)(5% off)  12/124
2015 5:25:31 (Tim Smith)      6:19:28 (+53:47)(17% off) 21/81

I sensed that my training had been quite good and, indeed, my sensations at Gran Fondo Ellensburg on the bike were excellent. My efforts were controlled and solid and I was able for the most part to find gentle, fast and safe lines on the descents. I think my effort on the first climb was fairly consistent from top to bottom and I found that I was passing riders for most of the climb. When I went by the place that I flatted last year quickly and gently I gained (unwarranted) confidence that all would be well this year! The second big climb was solid, I think, but not fantastic. During the middle part of the ride, I suffered some terrible cramps in my hamstrings and calves. They were disabling but got better after I did some climbing while standing and eating some caffeine stuff.  I assume that the cramps occurred because I've done relatively little climbing in training. I felt surprisingly strong over the last 10-15 miles, which I rode with Brian Kohagen, Mark Littrell, and Anthony Dickson. 

The last gravel descent was terrifying. Fortunately, however, I followed a very skillful rider, Brian Kohagen: When he bunny hopped a hole, I bunny hopped, when he swerved left to avoid something, I looked right for a safe line, when he slowed, I slowed, when he got a little too far ahead, I peddled and closed the gap. For most of the descent, Brian and Mark Littrell were 10 to 20 meters ahead of me - and I followed, approaching my limit. 

I was fascinated to learn that Brian was also monitoring his device while descending - and he would brake in plenty of time prior to the corners. I had assumed that he knew the descent well because his speed varied a good deal - but, no, he was relying on his device for signals on braking and cornering.  

The device, the bike, the rider - all working together, somehow. 

How to improve? Given my physiological limits, I'm not sure. Loose a bit more weight. Spend much more training-time on climbing. Keep working at consistency and increase volume, accepting limits of my time. Do hard threshold work paired with long, very, very easy endurance rides. Can I do more weekly minutes of threshold work? Perhaps, but too much of that and I don't seem to be able to recover. And, do very easy recovery rides. Core exercises and stretching have, I believe, been working - I felt fixed to my seat on the climbs and I'm able, I think, to vary by peddling cadence, from around 70rpm to 105rpm, while maintaining control and smoothness. So, I'll keep being consistent at all that. The Fast Talk Podcast has been particularly informative. Dr. Seiler, in particular, says a lot of interesting things!  I suppose its pretty straightforward - peddle better.

Big slash and bubbles on the tire tread.
Got lucky.

The wheels and tires.I was, in short, lucky. My back tire survived, but barely. Somehow I managed to turn about 1/4 of the tread of my beautiful, albeit "somewhat" worn, Bon Jon 35mm tires into bubbles. Yes, bubbles, between the casing and the tread, filled with air but no sealant - just like blisters on one's feet.  Two of the bubbles popped, creating impressive slashes but the casing continued to hold air and sealant.

How did these bubbles occur? I wrote Rene Here Cycles and asked: What can I learn from this? I had three hypotheses: (1) Rider mistake - I locked up the back wheel and skidded; (2) Tire problem - something wrong with the tire; and (3) Worn out tire (see interesting discussion). In their judgement, the bubbles were due to #1 and #3 in combination. I appreciated very much the time they gave over to my question.

I don't understand the physics of the bubbles. How do they occur? Does the friction of braking very rapidly cause the tread to separate from the casing? Why only air and not sealant in the bubbles? I guess, well, because the sealant stays inside the casing but the air escapes the casing. Why would a worn tire contribute to the creation of bubbles? Perhaps because over time with power going into the tire the bond between the tread and casing weakens. Perhaps, the weakened bond together with the friction of rapid de-acceleration, or skidding even on gravel, creates the bubbles. I've never seen bubbles in tires before. It's all very interesting. But, I hope I don't see bubbles again - or feel them while riding!

Did I lock up the back wheel and skid? Oddly, I do not remember locking it up. There was no one singular event as far as I can remember. In fact, I encountered no "known" close calls. But, absorbing events and remembering them seems inhibited when one is highly focussed. Hence, I wouldn't be surprised if I had skidded. I was on and off the brakes repeatedly and aggressively on the descents, at my limit. When at speed and focused - and when trying to be efficient and gentle - braking happens so quickly and unconsciously that I have no idea whether I'm skidding or not. I think not or, if I am, for very short periods of time, but perhaps those short periods of time, if they do occur, add up.

Anyway, last year I was unlucky with my slashed side wall; this year I was lucky to not get a flat (while, for example, riding fast to the finish). That's how things go I suppose. In professional cycling, riders speak of "luck" all of the time, which has always fascinated me. There must be some psychological advantage to appealing to luck - what might it be?

So, all in all, a great bicycle outing in a beautiful landscape. I'm so lucky to be able to ride a bicycle and experience the sensations of riding hard - peddling smoothly; finding gentle and safe lines; shifting cleanly; and chasing that sensation of focus and effortlessness.

Thanks to Vicious Cycle for a great event. Only about 14 weeks until Gran Fondo Winthrop!

I hope I don't see these bubbles again.

Gran Fondo Ellensburg 2019: Getting Ready

This will be my fifth Gran Fondo Ellensburg, a half decade of rides in the beautiful landscape, east of the Cascades, by Vicious Cycle. Still having fun on my 50-year old frame - a 1969 or 1970 Raleigh Super Course. 

Will the ride follow the rhythm of past years (see 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015)? Or, will some fast riders blow things up at mile 10? I hope not. It's fun to draft in a big group for 25 miles or so. 

The ride, 90 miles, 7,000 feet of climbing, 36 miles a gravel. (From Vicious Cycle.).

I'm looking forward to no lost bottles, no flats, no broken rims, no falls - and a nice day out in the beautiful landscape, riding hard. 

Can I get to within 5% of the winning time? I think I've made it to a good level of fitness and if I have a good day - including no flats - it might be possible. But, when out there in the sun and wind, roads and gravel, who knows. About two weeks to go. 

The training has been good - with several very long, hard rides and good consistency. I've been exploring different three-day patterns of training, trying for aerobic adaptions. I don't think I have any Type IIB muscle fibers remaining. With lots of threshold intervals and comparatively long efforts in Zone-3 of a five zone heart rate model, my Type IIB fibers (fast twitch glycolytic), not that have very many of those, have been converted to Type IIA (fast twitch oxidative). 

Unless I'm particularly motivated by, for example, Brig's back wheel, I don't think I can get into Zone 5 anymore. Ha!

With Gran Fondo Ellensburg on week 24, I get two easy recovery-type weeks. This week I'll do one hard interval workout ( 4 x [16 min. HARD + 2 min recovery]) one 3 hour ride and some ridiculously easy recovery-type rides. I'll try to sleep a lot and not eat much and do about 8 hours total. Next week, I'll do several very easy rides and a couple of short, very hard efforts, for about 4 hours prior to GFE. And that should do it. 

Hopefully, somehow I'll meet up with Brig Seidl and Frank Colich after the big descent and we can ride hard to the finish with a big wind blowing us along. 

But, who knows - the main thing is to focus and be alive to all that the day holds. 

I'll try to ride hard, with elan and kindness. 

My Wheels

As regular readers - ha: I don't have any! - know, setting up my tubeless tires (René Herse Bon Jon Pass 35mm) on my rims (DT Swiss R460) has been an ongoing, challenging, and a generally awful pain-in-the-ass process. Here's an account from 2017.

Long story, short: Those fast Bon Jon tires are installed tubeless. 

Jan Heine demonstrates how to do it. His knowledge for materials and his skill is, I think, impressive, actually to my eye utterly extraordinary. 

I've been practicing and trying to learn over the last three years with the same tires, same rims, and same tools.Yet, my skills do not seem to be developing. I'm still incompetent. 

I bought two new Bon Jon 35min tires - planning to install them on rims that worked well last year.  In their tidy packages these supple tires look beautiful. When I look at the tires, lying folded and flat, I'm full of optimism - I'll get them on the rims and they'll be fast. This will be easy, nothing will go wrong.

But, what the hell: 

Tire #1 - It took 90 minutes to get the new tire on the front rim. I tried to blow up the tire with a tube to set the tire bead into the rim shelf but upon deflating the tube the tire separated from the rim. So, that didn't work. So, I went back to the tire and a really loud air compressor and I blah, blah, blah, bah. And more, blah, blah, blah. Finally, I got the tire inflated and dumped 2 ounces of sealant into the tire but then when I tried to inflate the tire with all the nice orange sealant inside it just wouldn't inflate. What! Then, as I was trying to inflate the tire, orange bubbles of sealant escaped and soon enough there was a flood of sealant coming out of the tire. What a mess: Sealant and soapy water all over the garage and all over me and my pants. Fortunately, I had enough sense to not wear good shoes. I tried again and got it to work but without sufficient sealant so I worked on getting two full ounces into the tire the next day. Finally, it worked and I blew the tires up to 50 psi; then, the next day the tire was 20 psi. But, after pumping it up to 50 psi again it stayed there. Yah

Tire #2 - I tried for 60 minutes on the back tire. No damn luck. I figured something must be wrong with the tape job or the valve. Hence, I tried an old Bon Jon tire that was not too worn. And, I got it to inflate immediately; yes, on the first try. What the hell! So, I went with the older tire. It should be okay, I hope. All my fiddling and messing around just did not work with the new tire. I lack knowledge of my materials and tools and I lack some kind of skill. But, where exactly do my gaps exist. I have no idea. 

So there you go. Yes, indeed, Brig, you are correct: I was screaming to myself in anguish, not about my Raleigh headset, but about these wonderful tires. (Nice blog post. I wish I was out there with you on GFL but I needed to travel.)

Anyway, I took the bike and my wheels out for a long Saturday ride and they worked beautifully. Fast on the road and fast on nice gravel. 

For Gran Fondo Ellensburg, I'll put 45 psi into them and hope they work. That's too much air pressure when going up (the bike will be bumping off the gravel); not enough air pressure when going down (at high speed, if I don't find good, gentle lines, I risk ripping the side walls or banging the rim into the ground); and about right on the road. See this very interesting blog post by Jan Heine, and this one - well, actually, read the whole blog: well-written; beautiful photographs; great stories; inspiring in an intense sort of way. 

Anyway, I've taken off the fenders, cleaned up the bike, put on some new brake pads, changed the gear cables, and put on a new chain. That should do it. Ready to go. 

I hope nothing breaks. And, Brig, I do hope that I have sufficient grease in my headset since I've not checked for a while. 

Being Alive

On the Centennial Trail, green as green can be in oh so many patterns, I saw two bald eagles quietly observing a lake (June 2, 2019). What were they thinking about? How did the warm sun feel? Some important questions to consider while being alive to the landscape and riding through the sun and shade.

Riding into Spring

On first long spring ride, March 23, 2019. 

The winter commuting is over; let the spring begin. On a Saturday training ride, I started in Duvall and rode the Snoqualmie Valley Trail to Rattlesnake Lake and I continued up the Iron-Horse Trail for about 20 minutes until I encountered impassable snow.

It was fun trying to ride through the snow, slipping and sliding, and trying to keep the front wheel going straight. Soon enough my 27 1/2 rims and 32 mm tires just stopped working and I turned around and started to ride back. My goal was six hours in Zone 1, not Zone 2 and not Zone 0 - just Zone 1. So, I had to do a lap.

Throughout my ride I worked on efficient peddling and spent time reflecting on the woods that were waking up. I passed a flock of robins, near the edge of snow, perhaps 30 birds. I wondered: Perhaps the robins are heading higher and follow the edge of the melting snow and perhaps as the ground warms the worms emerge. If this story is more or less true, how do robins learn to follow the edge of the snow?

It was fun to make up stories and to move through the damp air. In the snow, my feet got wet and even with my shoe covers they got cold. Soon enough I would be back down in the valley and my feet would become warm again. Warm feet; cold, wet feet; warm feet - being alive on a bicycle.

The riding this winter was challenging because there was a lot of snow in Seattle and it took a long time for the snow to melt. It was that cold. Much of my riding over a period of about three weeks was in the garage.

In November and over the holidays in December, I was eating a few too many calories. I've been working on diet and trying to find my way to fewer calories and especially reducing my sugar intake. Slowly but surely my weight has come down. In another four or five pounds, I'll need to start focussing on eating enough nutrient-rich calories to maintain my desired weight at about 148 pounds (in the morning).

I've been working on core exercises, aiming for three sessions / week. Slowly but surely these exercises do their work, and seem to make my 56-year old body whole. I still don't much like them and they never seem to get easy. They are a struggle that I will try to keep at in the coming months. Along with near daily stretching, the core routine is my foundation for being healthy. Currently, I'm doing the following routine:

4 x (Bridge -> Front plank -> Bridge > Front plank -> Left plank -> Right plank ) @ 40 seconds for each move and 5 seconds to transition quickly between moves

Except for my weekly 20-minute high Zone 4 intervals, I've done one hard ride this year, a 300 KM Seattle Randonneurs ride. We rode from the U-District to Camano Island and back. Beautiful route and 8,000 feet of climbing. I was out there for 11 hours and 54 minutes. Basically, I stayed with a strong group for the first 75 miles. Then, after getting dropped, I spent the next 75 miles on my own, which was very pleasant, and lucky for me, a group came up to me with about 35 miles to go and I road with them to the finish. I wore my heart-rate monitor - the readout:

Zone 0      33 minutes
Zone 1      5 hours, 29 minutes
Zone 2      4 hours, 3 minutes
Zone 3      1 hour, 9 minutes
Zone 4      30 minutes
Zone 5      1 minute

Some good work there! That last 90 minutes was challenging, as I studied the wheel that was immediately in front me and tried to relax and stay controlled and smooth -- no heroics after 10 hours on the bicycle. I was grateful for the very skillful Randonneurs who pulled me along.

My riding goals are to do the GF Ellensburg and GF Winthrop (which I did not do last year because with family holidays and with the August and September smoke I just was not able to train). I would also like to do a couple of long Seattle Randonneurs rides, where I learn about very long days on the bicycle. Will aim to do a couple of those in July.

Now that it is spring, it's time to clean up the Super Course and put on some summer wheels and tires. No more snow for a while.

Skull 120: Ride Report 2018

Burns, in Southeast Oregon, is an interesting place; the landscape is remote, big, and beautiful. The community is looking to support cycling through remarkable terrain.  Go visit.

I learned of the Skull 120 gravel ride and decided to make the 10 hour drive to give it a whirl. I was impressed by the intriguing name, "Skull." Hmmm.  What might "Skull" refer to? I found it hard to pass up a ride that begins with "Skull."

It did not disappoint -- if you like stupid hard, may I suggest this ride:

• 127 miles
• 10,000 ft of climbing
• cow paths
• jeep tracks
• fording streams 
• technical, scary downhill
• gravel, a lot of different kinds of gravel, a lot of it big, ugly, loose, and generally horrible 
• beautiful landscapes
• no cars
• temperature range, 40 degrees, from about 40F (6 AM) to 80F (3 PM)
• super nice community spirit
• an adorable Smokey the Bear, with starting pistol. 

The landscapes were stunning! Big, big views. A climb to 7,100 feet - to snow mountain lookout.  (Burns is at about 4,100 feet.) High desert. Ponderosa pine forests. Fantastic ride organization. Terrific after ride dinner - the veggie burgers, in cattle country, were unexpected, much appreciated, and very yummy.

Fifty-five people started at 6:00 AM. Twenty-eight finished. Unfortunately, I made a navigation error at about mile 55, after the big downhill, and got off course for about 10 miles. My fault! So, I didn't finish officially, but I got back on track, and I did most of the ride.

So, I'll call it a long training ride. Ha. I was on a good day; still, I was out riding for 9.5 hours, which is a long time to be doing anything. I wore my heart rate monitor and this is what it said after the ride:

Zone 0   1 hr. 10 min. surviving scary downhills and lollygagging at the aid stations
Zone 1   4 hr. 5 min.  grinding and not recovering on the downhills
Zone 2   1 hr. 54 min. going well
Zone 3   2 hr. 1 min.  sustained uphills
Zone 4   36.5 min. surviving the steep bits
Zone 5   0.0

Poor Super Course. It was not the best bicycle for this ride. I rode with 33mm Specialized Triggers on the back (worried about rain and mud, and there's not much clearance back there) and 38 mm Specialized Triggers on the front.

Tire drama. Fortunately, my only flat occurred on the drive to the ride. Yes - my bicycle was quietly resting in the back of the car, saving its energy for the next day. In keeping with the latest dietary research for cyclists, I was enjoying a nutrient rich baby kale salad with beets and blueberries. Then, I was rudely interrupted with the sound of pisst-pissssssss. No. No way. It couldn't be. I know that sound but, Super Course, you were resting. What's up with that?  My heart sank. My carefully installed back tire sprung a leak, in the car! Bad tire - you're not supposed to do that. However, on the sunny-side of life, it is definitely better to get a flat on the drive rather than on the ride. So, I took a break from driving, and put a tube in my back tire.

Tire pressure. Front tire: 40 psi; back tire: 55 psi. Hard as rocks. Not the greatest setup for cow paths, with an abundance of lose and immovable rocks, so narrow that often enough big round rocks could not be avoided. But one flat on this trip was enough. Meanwhile, at times, I seemed to be going 3 mph on gravel downhills because of my limited ability to control the bicycle on big, ugly, loose gravel. On several occasions I muttered to myself, "This is ridiculous, too hard - where is the pavement? Give me some pavement. Right. Now. Please." By some miracle, no flats, though my 50-year old Huret front derailleur was running a little bit rough. And, good news, no falls.

The guy that won was evidently riding on 45 mm tires. I imagine that riding those at 30 psi would have have been lovely, especially on the downhills. Incidentally, those 55 mm Antelope tires look really good - what kind of frame do you need for those? Ha - I guess you need to buy a new frame just to experience those tires.

No kidding: It is good to enjoy the bike you have, and who can complain about being able to ride in that beautiful landscape north of Burns.

Anyway, read this fantastic ride report, with beautiful photographs. I think I might try it again next year. At present, I seem to be able to remember only the good parts - like the views, the Ponderosa pine forests, the desert, the cannons, the sky, and the wonderful community spirit, where cyclists and ranchers got a chance to mingle if only for just a little bit.

Gran Fondo Ellensburg 2018: Ride Report

The Vicious Cycle Gran Fondo Ellensburg was a great day out. It followed the same rhythm of prior years’ (see ride reports for 2017, 2016, 2015). Thanks to Jake for creating superb routes and organizing great events, keeping it real and safe, and cheering everyone on from his moto and truck.

On my drive from Bothell to Ellensburg I got a bit worried – on Snoqualmie Pass it was 38 degrees and raining. More like skiing weather. But, the weather was good, except for a small hail squall at the top of the climb.

We started and about all I can say is that pack was nervous. Speeding up and slowing down. We moved along, into a 19-mph headwind. Two guys – not the usual monster riders from Audi – took off. I thought “good luck.” That move did not seem like a good idea. Perhaps 10-15 minutes later, they were back in the pack.

A nervous pack heading into a 19 mph head wind at Gran Fondo Ellensburg 2018.
From Vicious Cycle Facebook.

I was way back in the pack and I slowly moved forward. As usual there was a bit of excitement on Airport Road, just after we go through 970. Someone hammered it on the hill. Lucky for me, I just followed someone who was determined to make it back to the pack. By Cle Elum, at a stoplight, the front group was down to about 25 riders. One bottle, one rice cake, and one banana down.

We left Cle Elum, headed to the big climb. As we approached the big climb I heard a pileated woodpecker and got a glimpse of him or her on a telephone pole, pounding away. On the first steep, short climb before the climb proper, the group, as in past years, exploded.

Once on the climb, I was strong but slow. I found my pace and rode. I felt good but lots of riders were up ahead! Thomas Baron went flying by me.

Almost at the top of the climb, after almost 5 miles of climbing. Soon I would encounter a short hail squall.
From Vicious Cycle Facebook.

Once at the top of the big climb, I grabbed two bottles and road along the ridge and road well on the way down, missing the massive potholes. All and all, I felt good on the bike.

Then, after some more climbing, I started the descent, with Ken Parsons just behind me. All was going beautifully. Being gentle, I thought I was on a good line when bang-blah-pisssst and that was that: I ripped a big hole in my brand-new Compass Bon Jon 35 mm tire. Super bummer. I guess I hit a rock. Ha.

I put a tube into the tire and blew it up with my CO2 cartridge and away I went. Five minutes later, under hard breaking on a corner, I managed to bang up my front rim and my front tire lost air. Double super bummer. The good news was that the tire continued to hold air – so I blasted some more air into it and that seemed to work fairly well but the tire felt soft.

(Lesson: On rough gravel, don’t break hard and turn at the same time; put more air into the front tire. Interesting discussion at Bicycle Quarterly - Blog).

So, I got back on the bike and continued. All was good. I rode conservatively and as best I could, dealing well with the ups and down. The washboard was brutal. Just tried to be efficient and gentle. Nevertheless, the back wheel was frequently washing out and slipping on the turns.

After the ride, I found out that my front tire had about 20 psi and my back tire at about 55 psi – not the best combination but I guess one learns to ride with the wheels that you have. The front rim was a bit bent where I hit that rock, so I used pliers to bend it back and all is well now, more or less.

I got to the aid station, filled one bottle and took off. The second climb was good – felt strong and I rode well. I kept hoping I would see someone on the climb but I was on my own all the way up and all the way down. Speaking of the downhill – I survived it, riding conservatively and thankfully there was no drama of any kind such as speeding blue pick-up trucks.

Once on the road, I found that the 55 psi in the back tire had its benefits – I seemed to have fast tires. Once I got some big views, up ahead, I saw two or three riders and tried as best as I could to close in on them. There was a superb tailwind and I rode my biggest gear, a 48T x 12, for much the way back to Ellensburg.

Riding mostly in my biggest gear (48T x 12) to the finish with a tremendous tail wind.
From Vicious Cycle Facebook.

I rode by a couple of riders and found myself on the wheel of Thomas Baron. I said, “let’s work together and get going.” That didn’t work out so well. On the next little hill, he promptly dropped me! I almost got back on terms with him three times (I think my wheels were faster than his on the road) but I never quite made it.

Then, when we got back to the Iron Horse Trail, he took off big time. His wheels where likely much faster on the gravel than mine. Well, and of course, he was just a lot stronger than me.

Anyway, it was another great vicious cycle adventure, riding, focusing, and enjoying the pleasures of the amazing landscapes.

Getting Ready for Gran Fondo Leavenworth 2018

Two weeks to Gran Fondo Leavenworth! I'm looking forward being out on the gravel, being focused and having fun.  This will be my third GFL outing (previous reports: GFL 2016 and GFL 2017).

Last year I ran over a rock (ha), flattened my back rim, and punctured just outside of Entait on highway 97.  Then, after the Swakane Canyon climb on the way down, I lost air in my front wheel and fell - I'm hoping for better luck this time around!!

I built a new front wheel for the Supercourse - the rim was getting a bit too thin; moreover, the bearings on the 25-year old hub were wearing out. I can no longer find a good balance between tight enough and not too tight - the front hub was just getting a bit too loose.

I also built a new back wheel because in the winter, during cold-weather riding, the pawls in the back hub stopped releasing from time to time, which is no fun at all. I think the problem was related to the cold. I haven't had problems with it recently; still, I thought it best to build a new one. And, well, building wheels is fun.

These are #9 and #10, since I started this project three years ago, and they came together beautifully. I can't say enough about Roger Musson excellent book on wheel building - some people are just extraordinary teachers and craftsmen. 

I've installed Compass Bon Jon Pass 35 mm tires on DT Swiss R460 rims. I'm running these tires in tubeless mode.  Yes! That combination of tire and rim works beautifully in tubeless mode.

This set-up, with about 40 psi in the back and 37 psi in the front, worked pretty well at Gran Fondo Winthrop in 2017. I might use a bit more air pressure for GFL - 40 psi feels a bit soft and squirely on the road. I've not been stopping during these rides to change air pressure but perhaps I should.

I've also given the Supercourse a drive train update: new chain-rings (34T and 48T), 7-speed cassette (12-32T), chain, and back derailleur. Hopefully things will be fairly smooth and reliable.

I've noticed that the new back derailleur, a Shimano RD-M310 Altus GS 7/8-speed Rear Der Black,Long Cage ($15.00), has a new personality, which requires slightly different shifting technique.  And, alas, on big bumps it seems to shift up by itself - I'll need to explore that further.  But, the shifter works for 34 x 14T, which gives me a new gear.  That's nice - another area for exploring. 

Except for getting the flu (week 12), which kept me off the bike for 10 days, and took another 2 weeks of recovery time (a nasty cough wouldn't go away), my training has been quite good. Good consistency, with more or less 2 hard weeks followed by a recovery week. I've ridden about 210 hours this year.

I've been eating nutrient rich food (ha) and trying to say away from sugar, not always successfully. Eating "properly" certainly helps with recovery and slowly but surely my weight has dropped over the last 20 weeks, much like in previous years.

I've been working on very hard threshold workouts. Since January, I've been doing a weekly workout on my rollers, working up to being able to do 4 x (20 min HARD + 4 min EASY). My threshold is about 161 - so, I get into the range of 158 - 162 and hold that heart rate for 20 min. Then, I get a 4 min. recovery.  Then, repeat.

Doing two such intervals was fairly doable last year. Working up to being able to do four has been quite the challenge, but is now quite doable. That's not to say they are easy. Nope.  Far from it.  The first 5 minutes and the last 5 minutes are always hard, often very hard, no matter if its the first, second, third, or forth effort - relax a bit and stop focussing and my heart rate drops fast.

Interval #4 puts me in a kind of dark place - perhaps, its a bit too much. I basically fear it and when I start out I'm uncertain if I will finish. I try to focus on smooth peddling and play psychological games - hold the effort for 5 minutes, okay that's done, only ten minutes to go, so stay smooth, okay just eight minutes to go - got this, etc. A lot of it just seems to be psychological - embrace the discomfort and stay with the smooth peddling and look at the clock every 20 seconds (ha). The next developmental step will be to work toward 3 x (30 min HARD + 4 min. EASY). That will have to wait until after GFL.

Over the weeks, the efforts have become more controlled, with smoother and faster peddling and/or with bigger gears. I've read somewhere that the key to such workouts might be consistency - developing the physiology to handle these workouts takes takes time and consistent work. That said, my goal was to incorporate a mix of these kinds of workouts with V02 Max workouts but I haven't found a good pattern for doing that and, so I haven't done any training in Zone #5 this year (unlike last year where I did a regular V02 Max workout each week but not a threshold workout.)

Hopefully, these highly controlled theshold workouts, even without V02 Max efforts, paired with long easy rides in Zone 1 and Zone 2, and a lot of consistency over the last five months, will give me a good aerobic engine.

Over the last two weeks, with the goal of consolidating my form, I've done three very difficult sessions, where I've spent substantial time "sweet-spotting" (high zone 3 / low zone 4).  Staying at a heart rate of 147-153 for almost two straight hours, for example, was very, very difficult.  Until this past couple of weeks, I am almost never in this heart rate range.

Hopefully, all of this work will give me the physiological capacity to do well on the climbs, recover well on the downhills, and manage the distance at GFL. We'll see soon enough.

For the next two weeks, I'll taper, do a couple of short, hard sessions and some easy riding, aiming for about 8-10 hours next week and 4-5 hours during the week of GFL.

Looking forward to riding with focus and care!

The plan:

1. Ride the first 10 miles such that I don't take any wind. Hopefully, it will be a fairly relaxed start like the last two years. 
2. Ride the gravel climb steady, not too fast, at my own pace.
3. Once under the hydro lines, ride hard to the top and keep riding hard over the flat part. Then, eat and drink.
4. Ride conservatively downhill - watch out for cars, etc. At the bottom, eat and drink. 
5. Hopefully, join up with a group in the valley and work together, saving as much as possible. 
6. Once in Swakane Canyon, focus on efficient peddling, no matter the surface, the bumps, the little hills and flats, the loose rocks, the rocks that don't move, the ruts, the mud. Maintaining momentum on this climb is really hard. Shift the gears and peddle well to keep the momentum going. Ride hard up and over the flat part. 
7. Take the downhill conservatively; manage the risks and the rough terrain.
8. Ride hard to the finish, being very careful at the two left turns, which hold a good deal of risk when riding cross-eyed.

It is good to know that exercise can keep aging muscles and immune systems 'young'!

Riding Goals for 2018

I road about 550 hours in 2017, with a fairly structured approach. I didn't accomplish all of my goals for 2017. Still the goals did set a good direction. The 2018 goals: 

1. Be healthy and ride safely.  I fell five times in 2017, nothing in the serious category. Still, falling is unpleasant - a bruise or sprain that one upon a time would go away in a couple of weeks takes a couple months. Could be something to do with age. It would be nice to fall zero times in 2018. To be able to peddle is a gift. I'm lucky. So, I'll be appreciative; I'll be mindful and focussed in all the riding. Every time I set out for a ride I know I'm at risk. I'll manage the risks as best I can.
2. Ride three of the Gran Fondos: Leavenworth, Ellensburg, and Winthrop. I'd like to ride the other two Gran Fondos - they look great! - but I don't think my schedule will allow it.
3. Try to work in some long randonneuring rides into my training.  I'd like to give a 400K and 600K ride a whirl. 
4. Core strength: Learn to love planks and bridges. Try to build in core strength training throughout the year. Work towards greater variation in the core routine. Start to explore how weights can be brought into my near-daily routine.
5. Peddling.  Keep working at the improvements to my peddling. (1) One-legged peddling at the start of recovery rides. (2) Work at leg speed (warmup routine). (3) Do big gear low cadence drills and variable peddling cadences on hills. (4) Become comfortable standing while climbing for 15 min.
6. Structured training and periodization.  (1) Aim for about 550 hr of training this year - that was doable in 2017. (2) Take a recovery week after two hard weeks - recovery weeks are awesome! (3) Do one 4-6 hr ride/week. (4) Work towards doing 2-3 hours of threshold / VO2 Max work / week. (5) Explore training blocks within a week - e.g., back to back days of threshold work, then a recovery day; 4 hr/day + 4 hr/day) (6) Lots of controlled climbing, working various peddling cadences. 
7. Work up to and try for stupid hard threshold work-outs. For example, work up to 4 x (20 min. HARD + 4 min. EASY) and 3 x (30 min. HARD + 4 min. EASY) in high Z4. 
8. Pair threshold workouts-outs with V02 Max workouts. Last year I didn't too much in the way of threshold workouts. Instead, I focussed on weekly V02 Max workouts (4-6 x (8 min. HARD + 4 min. Easy) in Zone 5). There is, I believe, a good deal of debate on the relative merits of VO2 Max v. threshold workouts.  But, this year I'm going to try to strike balance of these two kinds of workouts, especially over the last 10 weeks of training that leads put to GF Leavenworth. 
9. Re-working the bike.  Looking forward to putting on new chainrings and a new drive train and replacing the cables and back changer. I also need a new front wheel - the rim is worn out - so I'm looking forward going through that process of figuring out spoke lengths and wheel building.

Looking forward to being out there, having fun, trying to develop, N=1 experiment.  Can I be 2% better than last year?  Yes; perhaps. I think it might be possible. Anyway, I'll try to train and ride with care and focus. 

I saw Frank Colich on my evening commute a few days ago. He's looking fit! Looking forward to being out there riding with Frank - well at least trying to stay with him! -  and all the other fit and skilled riders.  

Gran Fondo Winthrop 2017: Ride Report

Raleigh Super Course - After Gran Fondo Winthrop 2017, with Compass Bon Jon Pass tires,
in tubeless mode on DT Swisss 460R rims. 

At the Winthrop Red Barn, we were greeted with a beautiful day in the Methow valley. Cloudy but not too cold and not too warm. No smoke - that was good.

Vicious Cycle Gran Fondo Winthrop was really fun. Beautiful, hard ride. Great people. Terrific organization. And, great after-ride pizza party. (Ride reports for and 2015 and 2016.)

Big thanks to Vicious Cycle for a great day, invigorating and life-giving!  Facebook pictures.

The route is complex and challenging, a fascinating mixture of roads and different kinds of gravel.  Usually I can replay a ride in my mind's eye.  But not with Gran Fondo Winthrop. Sure, bits and pieces stand out: some of the climbs and descents and the views. But, mostly GFW - especially the middle section - is blurry. Perhaps tunnel vision and focus inhibits our ability to remember.

I do, however, remember that I encountered a good number of cows. Like a high school dance, neither the cows nor I seemed to know what to do!

I was riding on 35mm Compass Bon Jon Pass tires, with about 35 psi in the front and 40 psi in the back. This set-up worked well for me, with, I think, good efficiency on the roads and climbs and good control on the downhills. A happy compromise I suppose. But, I do wonder what the experts would recommend. Anyway, I was happy with the set-up. Deciding to not go with the 38 mm Specialized Triggers on the front seemed okay.  Getting the Bon Jon Pass tires to work on DT Swiss 460R rims was quite the challenge for me, but in the end they worked great and I'm glad I persisted (see initial set-up and getting better). After about 2 months since the tires were installed, I injected another 1.5 oz of sealant into them just one week before the ride. I had zero problems with the wheels, which was awesome.  I looking forward to opening them up and seeing what about 3 months of riding does to the sealant, the inside of the tire, and the tire bead

The start was quite fast, a bit like 2015.  I was a good distance back when I noticed a fairly big gap forming just after one of the little climbs and so I decided to go head to the front group. I did not observe, unlike past years, any dead skunks or big rocks on the road along the Chewuch river. Read about the 2016 dead skunk.

As the climb started to steepen, I guess at about 8 miles or so, a group of riders took off. The pace was too hard for me, so I backed off and watched them go up the road. They seemed to be going really well on the pavement, and I figured I wouldn't see them again.  Once we got over the small two-board bridge (about mile 14) and onto the gravel I started to feel better and I got into my rhythm.  I kept drinking from my bottle of Gatorade and bottle of water and on one of the flatter parts on the first climb I was able to stuff a rice cake down without choking or coughing too much.  (Interesting story on rice cakes.)

By the first aid station, I had finished off almost 2 bottles, so I filled them up with water. I took off and up ahead I saw the group of riders working their way up the climb. I kept at my pace and found that I was slowly moving up to them.  I kept at it and by the top of the first climb I was making good progress.

The downhills and middle section were mostly good. One moment of excitement was that I almost fell at the point where the road was washed away, and marked by orange pylons. At the rider's meeting Jake had given a warning.  I should have paid more attention. I was drinking and was going too fast and I had a hard time slowing down. Anyway, somehow my bike and body awkwardly went over the massive washed out gully. It was a completely unnecessary mistake.

Another memorable moment was one of the flat sections where my hamstring cramped - imagine a very sharpe ouch. Not pleasant. I kept peddling but with less force and it got better. Why the cramps?  Probably, I'm guessing, because I'm unaccustomed to long, hard, sustained climbs.  Interesting discussion of cramps at Velonews Fast Talk.

Nevertheless, my rhythm continued to feel quite doable, and, somewhat surprisingly, I found myself  passing people without too much trouble and by the time I got to the high point of the day (Lone Frank Pass, about mile 33 and 6733 ft) I was, as it turned out, in 4th place, with I presume the three leaders a good distance ahead. I rode the long very rough downhill to the Salmon Meadows Campground quite smoothly, with one rider passing me (we would later get over the "Mt. Baldy Pass" or whatever it is called and the final big climb together).

A - Two-board bridge; B - Aid station #1 and #3; C - Lone Frank Pass; D - Salmon Meadows; E - Conconully.  See the route map and thoughts about segments.

He was just ahead when we passed three mini dirt-bikes, ridden by two kids and an adult. I smelled the 2-stroke engine way before I saw these machines! Getting by them was a little awkward and I hope that I did not interfere with their riding. 

My tires were biting into the gravel well, the brakes were working well, and the corners were all good.

By the time I got past the meadow and onto the road down to Conconully, I could see one rider about 10 sec. ahead of me. After I slowed to eat and drink, I then took off to try to catch him, figuring we might be able to work together a bit on the way the aid station in Conconully.

Then, something "interesting" happened:  Some cowboys were moving their cows across the road and asked us to stop and wait. I remember that one of the cowboys said, please, please, wait and I sensed that he was really concerned for his cows. I didn't want to bother his work. I was out there having fun, but he was trying to make a living. So, we waited, perhaps for as long as 5 or 6 minutes or a little longer. And, in the meantime, 4-5 riders come up to us and we all waited together.

Finally, it seemed safe, and we slipped past the cows without too much trouble and started down the paved road, fast.  Somehow, however, the little group of riders got ahead of me and seemed to be going really fast. How did I loose contact with them? I was slow in taking off I suppose. Anyway, I killed myself for 5-10 minutes trying to catch them on the downhill. What was supposed to be an easy 10-mile ride down to Conconully turned out to be, well, too damn hard. Bummer.  Anyway, I got back to them and all was good.

I finished my two bottles and, by the aid station in Conconully, I had eaten 3 rice cakes, one Cliff Bar, and one roll of shotblocks and four bottles - so the eating and drinking were good. I quickly filled two bottles and took off. Now the big climb (about 17 miles and 4,000 ft), with beautiful views of Old Baldy mountain!

The climb, all in all, was good! I felt quite solid on the bike, not fabulous but not terrible. I rode without a watch and heart rate monitor and just concentrated on being as efficient as I could.  I rode mostly in 34 x 26.  From time to time, I used a 34 x 21 but it seemed to be a bit too hard. If I had one, perhaps as 23 would have been perfect! Occasionally, I had to use my easiest gear, 34 x 32.

Jaimie Van Been - with beautiful and strong and smooth peddling - went by me on the pavement and slowly but surely kept going. I came back to her just before the gravel, presumably because she slowed a little to eat, but then she took off again. For the whole climb, wherever there was a steep pitch and a good line of sight, I could see her, not too far ahead. I tried to bring on just a little more effort to close the gap but lacked the fitness and confidence to push harder. By the top of the climb another rider came up to me (he and I were close together at Salmon Meadows) and I shared some water with him and we cheered each other up.

Once over the pass, we started down the descent and it was all good - about 24 miles and 4,000 ft to the finish!! I was able to control the bike and ride well.  The sun came out for a bit, and the whitish gravel turned bright and the forests were streaked with light - inspiring. But, alas, the details are foggy, as I was in a tunnel, on the lookout for holes and big rocks.

Surprisingly, my arms and hands were not too tired and my back was great, perhaps an indicator that I didn't put enough into the climb. No stopping at the last aid station. On the very crappy washboard,  just beyond the aid station, Geordan Hankinson passed me, flying along, standing on the peddles and absorbing the energy, evidently with great efficiency and control. I was barely surviving on this two mile stretch. I would be interested in his tire set-up because they seemed to be working beautifully for him.

Shortly after Geordan went by me, Jake came by on his Moto. He was trying to tell me something. I eventually figured it out "Your chain is off! Your chain is off!!" I said to myself "My chain is off - how could that possibly be the case? Well. Thank you Jake. I hadn't noticed. I guess I hadn't peddled for the last 2 miles!"

So, with a flip of my front derailleur, I put the chain back in place, and I got through the washboard and over the two-boarded bridge (about mile 14, and rode as fast as I could to the finish on the up and down pavement, encountering only a couple of cars.

I got in with a time of 6:51:36 (good for 6th place), about 7% behind the winner (6:27:32), Thomas Baron (who beat me in the last 100 meters at Gran Fondo Ellensberg!), and 1.5% faster than my time last year (6:57:59). Jaimie put about 4 minutes into me on the big climb and descent and Geordan, after passing me on the washboard, put about 40 seconds into my time.  Here are the results.

So, all and all a super duper great ride!!  So great to be out in a beautiful landscape, riding with such fit and skillful riders. Good to be alive; good to be peddling. Thanks again to Vicious Cycle.

If you haven't done one of these rides - and you are up for a bit of a challenge - definitely sign-up and give it a whirl.

Onward... its time to set some goals for next year.  In the meantime, I'm looking forward to regular commuting and safe riding in the autumn and winter.

Raleigh Super Course. Ready for winter commuting with 27 x 1 1/4 " wheels, 36 spokes and 50-year old hubs, 5-speed, fenders, and a bell. And, it all works, more ore less, just fine ... 

Reflections on Training

The start of Viscous Cycle Gran Fondo Winthrop 2016. Frame from cool video by C. Warren, Sept. 25, 2016. 

I've been thinking about the experience of athletic performance. Why do we enjoy being out on a bicycle riding hard? When out on a ride, how does one characterize the sensations, feelings, pains, fatigue, heightened focus, fear, anger, excitement, points of calmness and of slowness, sounds, boredom, clarity, satisfaction, and all the other kinds of things that happen? What might make an effort all out? How might it be well described in words or in numbers? Can the meaning and interpretation of an all out effort even be expressed? These are some of the questions that I've been wondering about.

With science we can characterize performance. In my training I rely a good deal on heart rate and I've been following a fairly structured approach - especially with respect to patterns of periodization, how one balances hard and easy efforts and rest, during workouts, across weeks, across months, and for the whole year. Perhaps somewhat counter-intuitively, to go fast, the research seems to show that you should either go easy (about 80% of your training time) or go hard (about 20% of your training time). But, crucially, you should generally avoid the middle ground, with some exceptions.

I've been riding with a heart rate monitor and being quite disciplined about keeping my heart rate within the targeted zones, and building in recovery days and weeks. Sometimes I think that by relying on heart rate I miss out. By focusing on numbers, I worry that I might not be as in touch with my bodily sensations, which arise from different levels of effort. In other words, perhaps the heart rate monitor is a kind of cheating. On the other hand, perhaps if I use a heart rate monitor in particular ways I'll learn more about the sensations that come from exercise. I conclude that the heart rate monitor as a double-edge sword. And therefore it is up to me to learn how to use it well.

Generally, I think that I can readily tell the difference between Zone 1 and high Zone 2 or above without heart rate feedback. But, the difference between high Zone 1 and low  Zone 2 can be hard to detect.  (I use a slightly different scale and rely on an estimate of my threshold heart-rate to compute my zones but it works to be about the same.)

Norwegian Scale

Zone                % Max Heart Rate              

1                      55-75                

2                      75-85                

3                      85-90             

4                      90-95        

5                      95-100

Often enough I'm not able to tell the difference between Zone 1 and below Zone 1.  That is to say, I can be peddling along happily on a "recovery ride" in Zone 1, and all of a sudden I'm in Zone 0.  Or, at times, I can be peddling happily in high Zone 2 and my heart rate creeps into Zone 3 without my awareness. 

Learning how to adjust my gears and my peddling-rate such that I stay in Zone 2 in rolling up-and-down terrain is a challenge. And, of course, on downhills of any substantial length or steepness it can be hopeless. Stop peddling and my heart rate drops like a rock; peddle and I'm going dangerously fast.  Chasing Zone 2 is easy for 2 hours and not too bad for 3 hours.  But, staying in Zone 2  (not Zone 1 and not Zone 3) for 4-5 hours takes a lot of concentration. 

I've found it takes a good deal of discipline to stay within a zone and, at times, alas, I compulsively check my heart rate which takes my attention away from attending to my environment and my bodily sensations, especially those related to smooth peddling. While I don't like the distraction of checking my heart rate, I believe in the importance of staying within my workout zones. I'm in the midst of a fascinating tension. How might I resolve it? The heart rate monitor diminishes my experience but improves my training.

Similarly, the differences between high Zone 4 and Zone 5 can be hard to sense. Nevertheless, within my body, I am sometimes aware of very small differences. I am sure, for example, that at least at present, and when I'm rested, there is a very substantial physiological difference between 161-163 bpm and 164-166 bpm heart rates, at least when riding on rollers. At present, I think my lactate threshold is 163 - about 2 beats per minute higher that my last test. I think this is true, based on how I feel when doing intervals on my rollers.

Relatedly, 2 x 20 min. at high Zone 4 leads to a completely different kind of fatigue than 6 x 8 min. Zone 5 efforts.  And, both of these interval workouts feel quite different than how I feel after 5 hours in Zone 2. Not all kinds of fatigue are equal.

Can I detect the difference between Zone 3 and Zone 4, that middle ground?  Nope. Forget it - it all seems to be about the same. Nevertheless, the research seems to show that there are key physiological differences among Zones 1 - 5, differences that matter a lot in a training program and athletic performance.

Another key measure, of course, is power. I don't use a power meter. Perhaps I should! I only have the very crudest sense of my power output, namely some estimate related to my peddling rate, my gear, the wind, hills, and so forth. With heart rate (a kind of input to my body) and power readings (the output of my body) a huge amount can be learned about how one's training is going. And, then of course, there is peddling rate (what's the difference between 80 rpm and 105 rpm?), measures of neuromuscular efficiency, measures of fatigue, temperature, and on and on. How does paying attention to such measures change the cycling experience?

And then, of course, there are calories (the protein v. carbohydrate kind) and fluid in-take. Just like training periodization one can periodize the number and kinds of calories. Recently, I've found that consistently drinking a post-workout protein drink to be very helpful with my recovery. At least that is my subjective sense. And, I'm pretty sure that a 45 min. fasted recovery ride in the morning does wonders; indeed, evidently such rides teach my body to burn fat. I think, too, that you can learn how to drink and eat efficiently while riding hard.  This summer, instead of drinking say at the top of a climb, I've been drinking in the middle or two-thirds up a climb - testing the belief I can teach myself to drink fluids efficiently with an elevated heart rate. 

This business of "quantifying self" is of course taken to the extreme in professional cycling. Still, even for ordinary mortals, the technology and methods trickle down. We too can quantify ourselves. But, what do we gain and what do we lose? And, when you are 55 and seek to have fun and grow who cares about the numbers? The famous sprinter Mario Cipollini was quoted as saying this:

We know everything about their watts, their heart rates, but of what interest? That doesn’t tell us anything about them. If we knew that a rider cannot produce more than 450 watts, then yes, that would be interesting to see on a screen that’s he’s reached his limit, but then again this is just data, useless gadgets that imitate Formula 1 and can only interest people who know nothing about cycling. Mario Cipollini

And Alberto Contador was quoted as saying this: 

In the end, the only thing I'm worried about is being healthy, and arriving to the start of the Tour de France in optimal condition. Every year cycling is more mathematical, but fortunately it is still not entirely mathematics and depends many times on training and also the feeling and how you know your body to arrive in optimal condition. Alberto Contador

And so I think there is something very interesting about the intersection between the quantification of performance and the meanings that we invoke about our bodies when we ride.

In any case, in 1965 these guys were racing on bikes similar to mine.  They are racing on gravel, at least in part. I wonder how they quantified their performance? Whatever! These racers seem to be enjoying themselves, at least by some definition of fun!  Check out the awesome video: 60 Cycles, 

Here's some Quebec gravel from 1965!  60 Cycles, 16 min. film,
directed by Jean-Claude Labrecqu, from the
National Film Board of Canada.

There have only been a few times where I've run, cycled, or x-country skied fast, with a radical and intense feeling of heightened focus and calmness. That feeling of pushing, pushing, pushing yet responding with an odd feeling of effortlessness. In those moments, something special happens. Even without that rare experience - can it even by obtained when you are old? - whether riding easy or hard, when dry or wet, being alone or in a group peddling a bike and moving along through the wind is almost always life-giving and rejuvenating.

I'm lucky to be alive. To be able to experience the pleasures of turning my peddles is a remarkable gift.

Looking forward to Gran Fondo Winthrop. I hope the Diamond Creek Fire slows and that the forests and properties in the Methow Valley are safe and that its possible for us to visit Winthrop and ride without bothering the fire fighters and incident personnel.