Great Saturday Ride!

Rode with Sean, Jerry and Lowell on the Interurban Rd. this morning.  Super nice day with a little wind and not too hot.  However, it did start to warm up towards the end of our 40+ miler.

We rode from the Embassy Suites to Deerborn which is about 20.5 miles one way.  Jerry rode from his house and added on an extra 6 miles total.  It was just a nice ride!

Afterward, Jerry, Sean and I had breakfast at the BIG BISCUIT, which turned out to be a great place to have breakfast!  It's right in our neighborhood and just opened a few months ago replacing the old 54th St. Grill.  Needless to say, the place was packed!  Lowell, due to a birthday committment, wasn't able to join us for breakfast.

I think I averaged around 12 mph for my 40.55 total miles, topping out at maybe a little over 21 mph.  don't really know for sure as I left my Garmin upstairs and I'm too tired to go get it.  When I get upstairs I'm headed for my recliner for a much deserved nap!

Note:  There were more cyclists on the Interurban today than I can ever recall.  Every club/group in town must have incorporated the Interurban Rd. in their routes today!

Might ride today if I feel up to it.

CHECK THIS OUT!

Gentleman,

Please check out the below link to a video that is presently on youtube!  The video features Ken Weiner's Creative Candle products in the White House.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/2012/04/03/new-way-tour-white-house

Is this great advertising, or what?

What a Contrast!

What a difference a couple of days can make!

I left early and headed up to Smithville just when it started to sprinkle.  I didn't think rain, to speak of, was in the forecast, so I headed up to the lake.  Half way there, I noticed the rain picking up just a bit and thought about returning back home.  The rain didn't seem to increase so I decided to get my ride in.  My only concern was possible slick asphalt which meant I had to take it easy on the curves.

At first, I intended to ride 40 miles to get a good start on the week, but my legs were still just a bit sore from Saturday, so I opted for just riding the Anita Gorman/Cabin Fever trail.  I also remembered to try and relate the biking to marathon training with respects to incorporating an easy run after a hard/long run.  I surely considered Saturday a long run, relatively speaking, kind of like a 16-20 miler while marathon training, so I backed off and did a nice easy 18.37 miler.

This ride turned out to be one of the most enjoyable I've experienced!  I had the trail to myself as there were no runners, walkers, or even another cyclist for my entire ride.  This is quite unusual for Smithville.  On ANY given day of the week there is always people using the trail!  The only sound I heard was a few birds and the tic-tic-tic-tic of rain drops hitting my helmet.

To top that off, it wasn't warm or cool, it was just kind of neutral, which was also something new to me.  I was never warm or cool, just super comfortable for the entire ride.  It was also eerily quiet, except for the birds here and there.

This ride was almost the opposite of Saturday!

Total of 18.37 miles, average speed 11.3 mph topping out at 15.4 mph.

I'm Just Glad I Didn't Sign up for the 2-Day Ride!!!

I would echo Mike's comments on the Rock Island Ramble yesterday with regard to the temps, the humidity, and the wind.  It combined to make a very difficult day!  I felt bad that the three of us -- Mike, Mitchell, and me -- ended up riding apart but in those conditions, we each had to ride at our individual comfort pace.  I told Mitchell that in those hills, I would have had trouble going (a) slower, or (b) faster than my comfort pace.  Yesterday was a day to find one's sustainable pace and stick with it.

That said, I have great memories of the ride.  We passed through three beautiful stops -- Civil War sites in both Pleasant Hill and Lone Jack, and a surprisingly beautiful downtown Lee's Summit.  I had a funny moment when I was congratulating myself on having completed 46 miles at stop #4, when I realized that the other riders coming in were all century riders with 76 miles under their belts!  Life is definitely a humbling process.

I spent the rest of my day when I got home recovering -- a hot shower, a 90-minute nap, dinner and a home video in the air conditioning.  It took the entire evening for me to get back to normal.

The Three Meals --  Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner -- showing off their true colors!!!

I'll close with 3 shots from yesterday -- our group and the Aide/Mary duo that missed their turn for the 46 mile loop and ended up riding 70 miles!

Aide and Mary

 



Mike, Bill, and Mitchell in our formal poise

 

MAJOR BEAT DOWN!

I was so looking foreword to our 70 mile ride yesterday, but just like a marathon, things can be unpredictable right up the the last minute.  One can be prepared and ready, but sometimes circumstances, which in this case turned out to be the weather, can throw a major curve in your plans and preparation.

I knew it was going to be hot, but when you combine that element with humidity, wind and major long hills, it was just too much for me.  A younger Mike DeGhelder, say around 60, would have fought through it, but at 70+, it was time for some discretion. 

The ride began easy enough as it was only in the 80s, but trying to keep up with my younger counterparts on their nice road bikes, was just a challenge I shouldn't have taken.  Just like in a marathon, you'll pay for going out too fast.  I started feeling the effects shortly after the first sag stop at around mile 12.5.  From then on I was just trying to survive.

I made it to the 46 mile sag stop in Lone Jack where Bill and Mitchell were waiting for me.  This was actually the pattern for the day, ride ahead then wait for Mike, ride ahead and wait for Mike.  It got to where the highlight of the day was seeing Mitchell and Bill at the sag stops. 

As I sat there in the heat hydrating, Bill asked me if I was okay.  I told him I had felt better, then he asked me if I was going to continue.  With only 24 miles left to go, I told him I had to finish this.  However, the longer I rested the worse I felt.  I came to the wise conclusion that I could not finish this ride. 

I was calling the phone number for one of the roving sag vehicles when one pulled right into the sag stop in a pick up.  This was fortunate as most of the time you might have to wait a half hour or more for someone to come and get you.  I loaded my bike along with another rider who was 15 years younger than I who also couldn't make the 70 miles and he had a ROAD BIKE! 

I was feeling kind of guilty for bailing out of my committed 70 miler.  It's just not my nature to quit something like that.  I have never quit a marathon, even though I was cramping or bonked!

I changed my clothes and retrieved my pre-paid lunch of a pulled pork BBQ sandwich, pasta salad, cookie and a cold soft drink and sat down in the air conditioning of J. Bean's restaurant and waited for guys.  Eventually they all made it, but the effects of the day were evident.

Have bike will run

I wrapped up my workout week this morning with a pre-dawn run of 5 miles, giving me 25 for the week. That's the most I've run in a week since last September.

I didn't ride at all this week. My main bike goal was to wash the dang thing, but I still haven't done it. I acquired one more accessory for the October ride: my first patch kit. It was described as a "Large," so I was surprised at how small it was: not quite the size of a pack of cigarettes. What do I know? I'm pretty sure that now that I have it I will have to use it.

I'm off to my 45th high school class reunion this weekend, and I'm not even taking running shoes. I can't imagine a scenario where I'll be doing anything other than drinking beer with people who's names I can't remember.

Everyone have a good run and/or ride Saturday.

It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times!

Now where have I heard or read that before?  Hummmmm!

Okay, so it really was a good ride and it was a bad ride.  How does that occur anyway?

Well, the good and best of times, was that the weather was perfect with temps in the 70s and a slight breeze.  Smithville Lake was as placid as I've ever witnessed with slight movement on the main body of the the lake and the coves being absolutely glass smooth!  It was perfect for skipping stones!

The bad part, or worst of times, was not realizing that the storm Sunday left a ton of debris on the trail in the form of small limbs, twigs and some branches.  Since I was on the north (Bone Bender) trail first, the sun was in my eyes and the first time I came around a curve I just couldn't see the trail very clear and started bouncing all over the place.  For just a few seconds, I thought I was going to lose control of the bike.  It was jumping back and forth just an inch or two, but since I couldn't see what was going on, I was in a slight panic.

From then on, I just had to be extremly cognizant of the situation and just ride slow, especially on the curves!  Of course, this issue was only prevelant in the wooded areas where there was tree cover on both sides of the trail.  I certainly looked forward to the open areas.

The south trail, for some reason, wasn't nearly as bad, so I pretty much enjoyed the back half of my ride.

Totalled exactly 40 miles with a 12.1 mph average, topping out at 16.6 mph.

Rough Trail Ride

Sean, Rob and I ventured out to the Little Blue Trace to get in a, what was to be, a 22 miler.  Forgetting how long the additional trail on the south end was, we decided to go ahead and ride the entire trail, north and south.  Ordinarily, this wouldn't even be an issue, but Rob and Sean were under some time restraints.  BTW, Sean hadn't been to the Little Blue Trace trail, so Rob and I wanted to show him another riding option.

We headed south on the new part first which, by the time we returned to the parking lot, ended up being right at 8 miles.  Ride was fairly uneventful until, on the return ride, I rode into a bunch of sand that was put on the trail route, probably to fill in low spots or small ponds.  I came to the proverbial  screeching halt and had to walk my bike out of the quicksand.

We continued on to the north part and Sean decided we had enough time to ride the entire trail.  The north end of the trail was fairly rough due to cyclists riding the trail when it was too soft from previous rains.  I can remember running this trail several times during marathon training and was never comfortable running through those bike ruts!

All in all it was a nice ride and the weather, other than being just a little windy here and there, was pretty favorable.   Got in a 30 miler, but my pace averaged only 11.9 mph.

Note:  Riding crushed limestone trails is much tougher than any place else I've ridden.  However, the Katy should be better maintained and shouldn't be as rutted up!

Spirit of the Marathon II

Lucy and I joined Carl and Leslie Vansant last night to watch Spirit of the Marathon II.  The movie is simply stunning.  By far -- and I mean by far -- it is the best running movie and/or documentary I've ever seen.  It is extremely well told, with beautiful stories of the 7 runners they track through the Rome Marathon.  You just fall in love with each runner, their stories, the challenges they are overcoming in life through their running, and the human spirit we all obviously share.  Life is indeed a marathon event.  It is an extremely uplifting movie to runners and non-runners alike.

All four of us highly recommend it to anyone!

Mid week ride for a change

I can't remember the last time I got a mid-week ride in, but I finally did today. It seemed like it was too warm to run, and I had already run two days in a row, so it was either sit in front of the tube or ride.
It was ride.
I didn't go far - about 17 miles - but the route to and through the Riss Lake neighborhood was pretty hilly. I didn't try to race it, but I managed an average of 13.2 mph. Those 28 mph downhills really help the average.
So far this week I've got 58 miles in on the bike - pitiful next to Mike's total (what is it? 5,000?) - and 11.5 on foot. If you count Saturday as part of this week, my ride total goes up to 94. Alas, Saturday was last week.

Sometimes it's good to change your mind!

I wanted to get out before the heat set in today, but was just a little apprehensive regarding the wind.  Wind was in the forecast, but when I went outside, it just didn't seem that bad?  Not sure of where I wanted to ride, but wanted to get in at least 30 miles, I headed for the Interurban Rd. at the last minute, due to it being close.

It didn't seem quite so hot and there was a slight breeze making it very comfortable.  Since the Interurban Rd. can be quite boring at times, I decided to pass the time by identifying birds, but the only one I recognized was the one a guy gave me from his car.  I think he was a Redheaded, barrel chested, tally whacker!

At any rate, I decided to cut the ride to 24 miles for some reason.  I think I was just tired from not getting enough sleep last night.  I'm sure glad I did!  When I headed back, it was right into the wind and it was brutal!  I usually don't mind working into the wind, but this was a strong cross wind that make it just a little scary when cars passed.

Ended up with 24 miles at 12.4 mph topping out at 24.3 mph, obviously downhill.

Setting on 104 miles for the week so far.

Was going to rest, but.................

Lately I've been resting after a long ride, but today I just felt like getting a short easy ride in.  I went to the downtown airport and did six laps.  In the past, I thought that it was four miles around the downtown airport, but it's actually only around 3.73 according to my Garmin. 

I was just going to do 5 four mile laps for an even 20 miles, but after the first lap, I decided to go ahead and add the extra lap to ensure I had at least 20 miles.  I ended up with 22.40 miles at a 13.1 mile average, topping out at 21 mph.

Really feeling good lately with regards to my training for the Katy Trail ride.  Now, I'm looking forward to the Rock Island Ramble 65 miler on the 22nd.

Second Longest Ride

Yesterday was just a really fun day to ride, although I was getting pretty leg weary at the end.  Jerry, Bill and Rob opted for a forty miler at the Smithville Trail due to not getting much riding time yet.  Sean and I have been getting together for longer rides and we have a little more time in the saddle, so we added on another 20 miles.

The weather was very favorable although we did fight some wind problems here and there.  Fortunately, there was plenty of tree cover to shield us for most of the ride.

What made this particular ride special was that five of the eight guys, committed to our KATY Trail ride in October, were riding together for the first time since we formed the team.  Lots of fun and guy stuff!  Plans were discussed regarding future, and longer, rides on weekends.

I only posted 84 miles during the week of June 2-8, but have a great start on this week with the sixty miles logged Sunday.

It's going to be a fun and interesting summer!

Smithville Lake 42 - 60 Mile Bike Ride

Today, I skipped summer Sunday School and drove up north to join Mike, Rob, Sean, and Jerry for out and backs on the Smithville Lake paved trail system.  We had a ball.  Rob, Jerry and I rode the first 2 legs with Mike and Sean -- 11 miles north, and return to our cars, then 10 miles south with return to our cars.  For Rob and me, who rode a small segment at the north turn, total distance was 41.6 miles.  Jerry's total was 40 miles.  Our average moving speed was 13.3 mph.  Mike and Sean then added a second outing of 10 up the north leg for a total of 60 miles each.

The trail is a very wide paved trail that makes for a very easy bike ride.  The north loop is heavily treed and a bit more hilly.  The south loop is more open and flat.  Overall, a great first real bike ride of the season for me, and a fine showing by our MRC!

Our Group at the end of 42 Miles

Jerry Adams

Sean Joyce

Earlier at the 11 mile mark.  Nice view of the trail

Rob Perschau

We'll let anyone join this group!

Mike the Elder DeGhelder.  Famous for his most excellent color coordination.  Accessories are his specialty!

Finally, Wind at my Back!

Okay, I knew I needed to get in a ride today and tomorrow, since I missed the last two days due to the rain.

My dilemma was that I just didn't want to drive anywhere, but, on the other hand, as you know, I ain't too crazy about riding in the street either.  Screw it!  With confidence in my new flashing tail light and my bright yellow jersey, I headed straight from the house to Prairie View, north on PV to Belvedire, west on Belvedire to Congress.  North on Congress to the north side of Zona Rosa, then east on PV to Old Tiffany Springs Rd. (just on the north side of Best Buy, Target, etc.  I was always curious as to where this road lead to, so I ventured on.

I rode all the way to the end of Tiffany Springs Rd. to where it takes a bend and becomes Old Stagecoach Rd.  I hit a dead end (no outlet sign) and made my U-turn.  I returned back to where you cross over I-29 by the old Ramada Inn and turned right on Prairie View.  I rode PV north to where it ends by the airport.

On the return trip, I rode PV back to Congress, south on Congress past Zona Rosa, past Parkville High, and wound my way back to 9 highway.  Rode south on 9 highway to 45 highway and took the trail back home.  Totalled 28.7 miles, averaging 11.4 mph, and topping out at 27.2 mph

The only really good thing about this ride was that I had the wind at my back on the return trip.
Note:  The only reason I detailed the route was so those that live north would be familiar with it.

Our first few days in Paris

We arrived Sunday 2 June (2/6/13 in Europe).  As expected we were pretty tired, but did walk around a little and found (Elliot got a recommendation from someone on the plane) a great restaurant that we could walk to for our apartment in the Montmartre neighborhood of Paris.  

On Monday, we took a 11 - 12 km bike ride / tour of the landmarks.  The touring companynis Blie Bike Tours.  It was a great introduction and we didn't have sore feet from walking.  Some photos while we were stopped and while riding...

I took the next two while riding.

And of course, I enjoyed a crepe during the break.

This morning  I ran through Montmartre, very hilly, but fun.  I tried to follow a mapmyrun route, but quickly got lost.  I knew sort of a loop and ended up in a business area.  I stopped for two sights, 54 Rue Lepic, the apartment of Vincent Van Gogh in 1886-1888, and the Moulin Rouge.  I had read that van Gogh lived near me and did remember the address.  So when I went from the 20s and then noticed 60, I walked back and found the small plaque on a very ordinary apartment building.  I also walked up the stairs along the funiculaire.  Montmartre is the tallest hill in Paris.  It is residential with lots of families, so it's nice to come back to after being a tourist.

How About That? Three Days in a Row!

Was contemplating either riding from home down to Parkville or going north along 9 highway.  I almost decided to head out the Little Blue Trace, but thought it might be more enjoyable if Sean and or Rob were along.  Sean has never rode there and it's time he incorporated different routes during his training.

At the last minute, I decided to just head up to the Interurban Road and get in a 25 miler.  Don't know why I settled on a goal of 25 miles.  I think I was relating it to running, where you don't want to load up on heavy mileage too many days in a row. 

I was a little taxed  from yesterday, so I took it fairly easy and got in 25.2 miles averaging 12.5 mph with a top end of 23.3 mph.

Today's ride gives me 82.7 miles for the week

Nelson Island Ride

Sean, Rob and I headed out to Nelson Island today to add some mileage and more time in the saddle.  We didn't get in the mileage we wanted yesterday at the clock tower ride, so we decided to ride again today.

We kind of toyed with the idea of a 40 miler, but changed our minds when we came to a low bridge where the water was higher than we were comfortable with.  Actually, due to some super steep up and down hills that taxed us physically, we though it best to shorten the mileage, so we made our turn around at that bridge.

On the way out we noticed what looked like a new alternate route, but since Rob nor I were familiar with it, we decided to stick to the old main trail.  We took the alternate route on our return trip and discovered that it eliminated all the super steep up and down hills!  It made a huge difference!  I don't know when they constructed that alternate trail, but it sure made it a lot more bike friendly!

For me I clocked an even 30 miles at an average of 11.4 mph and topping out at 21.8 mph at some point.

Weather was very favorable with some wind on occasion.

Rolling and running

Finally managed to get a little bit of cycling into my week, joining Sean and Mike in our first Clock Tower ride. While the ride didn't quite match my notion of ideal, it did at least give me the opportunity to get almost 3 hours of time in the saddle. More than anything I need to get into saddle shape before the October KATY ride.
I've also managed to gradually increase my running mileage while limiting my weekly outings to 3. My runs all feel harder than they should, but I'm always happy to have done them. Weekly mileage has climbed gradually throughout May and into June, and I finished the last week with 17.5. I was encourage enough to even buy a new pair of running shoes.
Looking forward to increasing my rolling and running mileage in the coming weeks.

My First Clocktower Ride.

Well,
Rob, Sean and I ventured out to OP this morning to have our first experience with the Clock tower riders.  Nice folks, had a nice breakfast, watched George help Sean change a flat tire, and rode back.  Other than watching Tim (one of the CT riders) try to devour a large stack of pancakes about the size of Delaware covered with four bushels of strawberries and 6 gallons of whipped cream, the ride was fairly uneventful.

What do I call eventful?   Well, first of all, if you know me and my riding preference, I really like riding the trails or roads that have really light traffic, like the Interurban Road up north.

Speaking only for myself, I was fairly nervous pretty much the entire ride.  Just way too much traffic, and too close, for my comfort level!  There were two incidents, involving Rob, that bothered me.  One driver just came too close to Rob at the end of the OUT part of our ride.  The other was when a driver made a right hand turn in front of Rob.  I believe Rob kind of anticipated that and no harm became of him.  I wasn't looking forward to giving him CPR anyway!

Again, speaking just for me, I probably won't do that ride again.  There are just too many places close to home where I feel much safer, plus better scenery on the trails.

Since our target mileage for today was 40 miles, and we only rode 27, we decided to ride again tomorrow beginning at Nelson Island.  Hopefully we can get in a 30 miler!

BTW, per Bill's request, I'm posting a total of 118 mies for the past week.  Posting today's mileage would fall into this week from Saturday to next Sunday.  It would be interesting for each of us to post our weekly mileage of running OR riding.  Sooo, this week begins with a 27.5 mile ride.  My goal is to post a minimum of 150 miles from today to next Saturday