2/27/2007-> Florida
Ride Report: Sunny Isles Beach, Fl. 1 pm EST. Mostly sunny and low
80's.
Rough start. Thought it would be easy to rent a bike.
It was - but they were all cushy beach cruisers and I wanted a road
bike. The
beach cruisers were all going to folks 55+ and I really didn't want to add
even three years to my already old life. Finally found
a road bike - a not-too-old Trek in pretty good shape. Lathered up with
some suntan oil and went out early afternoon in only bike shorts and a tee
shirt, This made up for the time I would have had to dress in my
several layers of lycra, booties, face mask, helmet cover, hand warmers,
etc. From Sunny Isles Beach, headed south on Collins
Ave. Plenty of room for bikes (and there were a few people
out), but had to stop for lights, so wasn't like one of our rural
rides. Plenty of views of the ocean in between the high-rise
apartments and hotels. Slow pace at first dodging cars and
pedestrians crossing the street until I spotted a beach-side concrete path
with little traffic and was able to pick up the pace. Unobstructed
beach views now for a few miles. Then had my first of 2
near accidents. After picking up the pace and focusing on the path
ahead, I glanced to my left and almost lost control of the Trek as my
attention riveted on the beach and the bike started to go off onto the
tire-hungry sand. To my surprise the people were as naked as my last
order of Tenders from Buffalo Wild Wings. Fighting the sand for
control of the bike, I regained composure as I realized they were almost
all men and almost all heavier than me. I tell you what - there was
a lot of not-my-preference-of-skin blocking my view of the water.
Regained control and kept my focus forward for fear of appearing
interested. Back out onto Collins for a while, through
Bal Harbor and continuing south. Stretches with many buildings
followed by stretches with mostly park/ocean views. Enjoying the sun
and the south Florida smells - sea salt, fishy smells, empanadas, suntan
lotion. Nice stretch along Lummus Park in South
Beach. Lots of skin here as well - this time more appealing.
I'm quite sure that was Eva La Rue (Natalia Boa Vista in CSI: Miami)
sunning herself topless right there off 10th and Ocean.
Getting crowded here - lots of runners, bladers, pedestrians.
My second near-miss happened as I needed to brake hard to avoid a
collision but my hands slipped right off my brake levers - I didn't have
my gloves and my suntan oil had run down my arms onto my fingers and they
were as slippery as a Biscayne Bay eel. Fortunately, I found the
park/grass side of the trail instead of the beach and I stayed in the
saddle. The trip back north to Sunny Isles was
relatively uneventful. With lunch hour traffic now less heavy, made better
time going back. In all, 23.6 miles. Touristy pace of just
over 15mph. (OK - give me a break - there were too many
distractions.) As I was riding alone, by definition - no one
was left behind, as promised. Respectfully submitted, Larencio from South
Beach
12/18/2006
-> Pittsburgh Dirty Dozen - The Hardest Metric Century Ever - Last
Friday I found myself in Pittsburgh at Danny Chew's home. I had been
suckered into riding the DIRTY DOZEN hill climb that following Saturday
morning. For those of you who don't know of Danny, he is an accomplished
pro racer, (12th one year in the core states pro road race in Philly, 16th
the following year); an extreme ultra distance cyclist, (won RAAM twice,
finished 8 times with his lowest placing at 4th. Check out his website at
Dannychew,com). The guy is an animal but at the same time very unassuming
and really nice. He rode through town this summer and spent the night at
my home. Anyway he and his brother started this hill climb called the
DIRTY DOZEN 24 years ago. His brother was an exceptional elite racer and
the mentor of Davis Phinney. What Danny and Tom Chew did was seek out the
13 steepest climbs in and around Pittsburgh. Let me say that we have no
hills that approach the length and steepness of these hills. The least
steep hill features sections of 27 % grade. All but one of the hills is at
least a mile long. Many of the routes feature real rough granite cobbles
at pavement. This was TOUGH TOUGH TOUGH. I was geared with a 39 x 27 and I
was dying. There is one relatively short hill, 200+ meters, with a 37%
grade. You heard me right, 37%. Of the 130 riders that started the ride
perhaps 50 to 60 made it up this particular grade. Come the last hill
there is a 30% grade at the top. It was all I could do tp grind it out. I
had my doubts but my vanity prevailed. Next year this ride is a must for
anyone who considers themselves a lover of hills. I'm still in a state of
shock at how damned steep those hills were, and still are. This has to be
one of the hardest rides anywhere on the planet. When Danny and I returned
to his home we had logged 62 miles, a short day for him, a devastating day
for me. I forgot to add that actually one climbs 17 hills but the other 4
don't count as they aren't steeper than 20%. AARGH!. Ciao' ty
11/8/2006 -> Off
the Back with Bob Roll A cycling friend and business colleague of mine organizes a major medical /
business conference for the Cleveland Clinic every year and he invited Bob
Roll as a special post conference speaker this year. (Chris, my friend,
organized the ride from Cleveland to Cape Cod last May that I posted). Bob
Roll gave a hilarious talk which was a series of anecdotes about his experiences riding in and covering the Tour "day" France. Apparently his
fellow announcers are heavy duty party animals. I also learned that dysentery in the
Pyrenees makes for a hysterical story but a painful ride. After his talk, a few of us adjourned to a suite for beers and more
conversation. Bob is quite knowledgeable, articulate and full of stories about all of the tour riders. He thinks that Landis is too naïve to be a
doper and that the lab in France that ran the tests is the equivalent of high school
chemistry lab. He also said that the Spanish investigation that resulted in banning several tour rider is corrupt. He also likes craft
brews and could trash talk with the best of the G4B. Pictures to follow. I
invited him to join the G4B and to maybe drop our name on the air during the
tour next year. I also invited Chris and his fellow riders from Cleveland
to join us of a ride next year. In the meantime, they have adopted beer
drinking post ride - so by executive order, I chartered them as the Cleveland Chapter of G4B. All in all a great time. Unfortunately, I lugged
my bike to Cleveland to no avail as the weather canceled our ride with Bob.
He seemed relieved as he says he is a fair weather rider. See you all tomorrow at 4pm.
JR
9/28/2006 -> JR, I was content to let this one blow over as it is just too easy a
target. But you had to say STOP and challenge me in an open forum. Oh the humanity . . .
Our eyes met across a crowded parking lot at the hilly hundred. She was eating a GIRO and a Coke and I watched in amazement. Her glance
shot an AERO through my heart and I knew that my desire might LANDIS in trouble. I thought I might have a chance with her as I looked
around and saw Gig as my only competition. I mean I'm no GIANT but I'm DESCENTE compared to Gig's COMPACT CRANK. We got to talking and
I thought it was going well but when she told me I was totally TUBULAR, that was the CLINCHER. I moved closer and bravely PRESTA
leg up against her, making an amazing DISCOVERY. My advances where not DERAILED and in fact I FELT that my SPECIALIZED skills might help
close the deal. She had a nice BOTTOM BRACKET and I was dying to SRAM my HEADSET . . .
Ooops, Seems I've gone too far. Sorry JR. Out.
7/27/2006
-> Ride-Drink-Drown Party Okay, its midnight, and I just got home from the first annual
Ride-Drink-Drown (whooyoo! the RDD!!) I think I might have drowned in my drink... (I'll let you know tomorrow...) I move that we start and
finish EVERY Wednesday night from heretofore at the home of Beth and Gary. Go HUBERs! What fun we did have... My vote for the quote of
the night, "Dude, its was a DUDE!!!" >> A K
p.s. Al is my new hero!!
--> Okay I can top that ...its 2:10am and I just got home...wohoo what a party. I was challenged to write a recap, you gazelles think you are soooo tough, try scribing in the wee hours (-; We had a ton of riders tonight, the group photo shot will allow us an accurate count. Some rode fast, some rode medium, some rode slow, yada yada yada, who cares...then we got back to the Hubers and the PARTY started. Now we're talking. Notable events tonight...
1) Gary Huber's summersault dive with beer in mouth, head first in the water, comes up drinking same beer...Gary you are my new idol (no Hasselhof here!)
2) Lonnie, the wraps were to die for, after 8 I let others have a few. Mary super guac, Angie I think the gauntlet was thrown down against your huge bowl of G... it was close so I think we need a Guac run off next ride (-; I don't know who brought the CC cookies with the big hunks of chocolate but they were excellent too! The Hubers
copious supply of beers was well received (and dispatched!) 3) Big Al on return from the Tour ride, handed out schwag from the event to all in attendance, some really cool stuff, especially Brians new devil hat...nice. Mr Roof recounted his awesome IM race details...too painful to repeat here....you'll just have to ask him.
4) Fraser also recounted his recent accident, looking over his shoulder and then returning his glance to the road to see a parked car 25 feet in front of him as he sped on at a high rate of speed. The car was totaled, Fraser is fine. If he had a mirror, none of this would have happened. Actually he was in his car and luckily things worked out okay...glad you are safe F but we are sad the Subie is no more. I'm not sure why they allow people to park in the expressway anyway??
5) The deep end hoops game left several of us with cramps like you wouldn't believe ...total game time 3 min 12 sec. Winners...blue team...qualifies for worst idea of the night.
6) Hillary showed us some more hidden talents with her spring board prowess.
7) The hot tub was packed and many beers were toasted. A dude won the big boobs contest, that is until until Kathy showed up and made a late run for the title...a few made the run to the pool and then jump in the hot tube route several times (okay it was me, so shoot me).
8) Angie, I disagree...Gary H had the quote of the night..."The G4B has turned me into a bleep bleep bleep" come on I can't repeat that one, this is a decent
list....geez. 9) Gary and Jim ganged up on Roger and gave him the heave
ho into the pool. Rog got his revenge on Fraser dousing him with a whole cooler of ice & water....I think I laughed up a whole lung on that one. TOO FUNNY....man can Fraser move when motivated. Mark B. got similar treatment later and I got a mini-dose. I guess this will be a new G4B tradition.
10) Gary broke out real beer to show Fras...mini Little Kings...oh that brings back some memories of porcelain....
11) The crowd started to wind down and thin out, those remaining retired to the fire pit to bitch and moan about all the jerks we are forced to ride with (-; and tried to drain the last of the beers (unsuccessful).
12) As I left, Patty's Mercedes was still parked in the lawn.....wouldn't start...bummer....buy 'Merikin next time.
...... Beth and Gary ... SUPER party. Awesome estate. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard, my voice is totally shot (but the fingers are still working!) Thanks sooo much for pulling this together. Same time next week?? There's beer left to drink right??
JR and Karen, real sorry you all missed this one, being out of town is NO excuse, especially on the east coast.
I'm sure I will HATE Gary when the alarm goes off in 3 hours - Sweet dreams all...ciao...Goatius Swimindrinkinalotius
7/25/2006 -> Big Al W. Rides THE Tour I don't know if I will ever have the opportunity to do something as
memorable as watching this years tour live and riding six of its stages. Since last Tuesday (when we did the Alp d'Huez stage), myself
and about 80 other riders from around the globe rode over 500 miles, covering 13 major climbs and over 50,000 feet of elevation change.
Riding into Paris and looping the Champs was almost anticlimactic after doing the 25 km ascent and descent of Col de Madeline on Saturday.
We also had the opportunity to mingle with the tour riders (both past and present) during more casual moments. I rode almost every day with
Kevin Livingston, who kept me laughing on the hard climbs about stories from the 6 tours he did with T-Mobile and USPS. I personally met,
received autographs and were photo'd with Eddy Merckx, Eric Zabel, Jose Azevedo and Yaroslav Popovych. I also shook Floyd Landis' hand later on
Sunday. I also loaded up on a ton of free stuff from the publicity caravan, so
I can honestly say I brought everyone from G4B a present back from the 2006 tour (will hand out Wednesday night assuming I can put my bike
back together). See you Wed...Al
7/11/2006
-> Tornados Schmornados Funny that Dale mentioned the Wicked Witch of the West as riding back in last night on Zoar a couple of buddies and I thought we might get a chance to visit the Land of Oz. Thoroughly drenched by the time we crossed Montgomery heading back in towards Maineville the sirens started going off. About 10 minutes later, after crossing Stevens, we literally saw a funnel cloud form ahead of us just off the road. We happened to be riding across a concrete bridge over a deep farm ditch, threw our bikes off the road, jumped in the ditch and ran under the bridge. About 30 seconds later the tornado got very up close and personal with us passing, literally, within 100 feet. By the way, a tornado really does sound like a train going by! We were very lucky. After crossing the corn field in front of us the tornado "parted" a tree line and instantly intensified.
After scraping off as much mud as we could off our bodies we rode like hell back to Loveland in a driving rain, retiring to The Works for a couple of beers to rehash our close encounter with Mother Nature....Brad
6/24/2006
-> Fraser's Blood
Sweat and Tears Tour Well I can't go to bed before I do a write up - even though I'm
thoroughly knackered.... For those who don't know, I spent the weekend down in Boone, North
Carolina riding the Blood, Sweat and Gears ride: (http://www.bloodsweatandgears.org/Home.html) This was my brother Damien's
second century - he's a rookie - and his first was a very flat one. Well this one was far from flat... I arrived in Boone at about 7:45, having started out from Cinci at
1:00 - thinking that was plenty of time to get there by 7 to pick up the packets. I was using my Treo equipped with GPS for navigation, but the
software goofed on me and I got lost! I know you won't believe this, but I
didn't even have a map in the car... DUH! Well by now I was well south on US
25 in Morristown (or so the gal in the gas station where I bough an atlas told me..) and I was back on track. Man, the rain was coming down! Monsoon
season!! Well now in Boone, I called my 'Bro, and he was only 15 mins behind
me. So I found us a good bar and waited for him. Dinner and a couple of pints, and back to the hotel to meet some of his southern riding buddies -
nice bunch! Reminded me of you lot - trash talk began immediately! Charles
grinned at me and asked whether I brought the fixie! If I had, I wouldn't be
typing this now, that's for sure... So having missed packet pickup we had to get up at 5:30 to do this
at the start. We managed to lose track of Damiens southern contingent, all
but Gil - so we hooked up with him. Problem was, he was the strongest of
them, and we took off at a very sporty pace that seemed it was going to 'cost' my Bro.... Fortunately he was smart enough to tell Gil that he was
going to hold back a bit, and Gil took off. We continued at a much more reasonable pace for conversation, and
got caught up on gossip and such, like how to drop a few pounds off Damiens
bike... (bad influence, that's me..). The climbs were very different to what
I'm used to around here, in that they keep going, and going, and going......
! We hit the toughest climb at mile 63 - Snake Gap. This sucker went for miles at 8 - 10%, then finished you off with a nice 18 - 20% at the top! And
I flatted 100 yards from that top! But the good news was that sealant I have
been putting in my tubulars fixed it - and off I rode - still having about
100psi! Awesome stuff! My 'Bro was stopped just a few yards up the road from
me as I got going again, and it was so steep he had to get traversing to get
rolling again..! I missed getting clipped back in myself three times... Doog
told me that in his club, that is called a 'loitering penalty' (stopping on
an climb..) and would cost him a 'donation' to the Christmas party fund. He
had sworn me to secrecy, but had to admit to it in the post ride lie telling....
Well the rest of the ride seemed relatively easy after that, but there was plenty more 'easy' climbing. The good part was that it was a loop
course - so all of the feet of climbing were followed by some thrilling descents - I scored 47.6mph - and that was freewheeling! There were some
scary switchbacks on one particular descent, too. Great stuff! And the views
we were treated to were stunning! This is a ride I would recommend to all. I had hoped to take lots of pictures along the way, but forgot that
I had my camera in my back pocket - until Doog asked why I had bothered carrying it around, at the finish! Here's a shot of us after the
finish - which we reached in 6hrs 8 mins (5:51 riding time): Cheers, and goodnight, A 'knackered but grinning' Mr. C.
6/18/2006 -> Ohio State Bicycle
Championships - Friends, Our buddy Gary is being modest. Actually Gary
came out playing the gee wiz, golly, little guy from
the little town , don't pay no attention to me role to psych everyone out. He then
politely lit the final hill sprint up to capture the gold medal in his category! Great job
Gary, its good to finally see you write an official race report ! But the loudest cheers from the crowd came from the
women's race when our girl Mary D. crossed the finish line first after dropping the girl she had been
in a break with sprinting up the hill . After several years of not giving up, Mary
now has the title she deserves
Best Woman Road Racer in the State of OHIO! MARY - GARY , take a bow! We are all proud of you!
...dale
6/18/2006 -> Cherohala
Challenge (Corey G) - While you all were here racing in the State Champs and enjoying fly covered road kill a couple of us ventured south to do a wee bit of climbing in the Tennessee / North Carolina mountains.
On Friday we rode 75 miles, covering Iron Mountain and Roan Mountain. The first climb started slow and gradual and was pretty uneventful taking us from a starting elevation of 1949 ft up to the gap at 3817 ft. But, we started climbing up from the car, so there was no warm up involved before hitting the uphill. We thought we were starting on a false flat, but based on how fast we were riding on the same section coming back it was definitely steeper than that.
After the descent of the first climb we could see the top of the second climb up Roan Mountain looking menacing off to our north. The climb started at an elevation of ~2400 ft, climbing up to Carver's Gap at 5512 ft. The climb was roughly 12 miles long, the majority of it (2500ft) was covered in the last 6.5 miles, making for a climb average of about 8% for the alst 6.5 miles. At the top were some spectacular views, including Rhododendron Gardens on top of the mountain as well as the Appalachian trail.
At this point we got the payoff - an 8 mile descent. On Saturday we rode the Cherohala Challenge, which is a 115 mile ride starting in Tellico Plains, TN, climbing Deal's Gap, then circling to climb the Cherohala Skyway.
The ride started off very fast as we did not realize this was really a "challenge" - meaning they kept track of your time! We hadn't planned on trying for time in this ride, especially considering none of the competitors had ridden two mountains the previous day.
We rode a little above our planned pace for the 1st 40 miles (mostly flat to rolling) until reaching Deal's Gap. At the Gap, to our surprise, we were climbing pretty well and looking forward to completing the ride in good time. Deal's Gap (aka Tail of the Dragon) is a beautiful ride which, is ideally suited for a motorcycle. 318 curves in 11 miles and rolling up/down terrain the entire way. Over this 11 miles we climbed to 2,387ft (from 800 ft) and then came back down to 800 ft.
Then the fun began.... Climbing to the top of the Cherohala started at the 56 mile mark in the ride and didn't stop until the 84 mile mark. Yes, 28 miles of climbing - sometimes slow elevation gain, other times very agressive elevation gain from a starting elevation of 800 ft up to 5,390 ft. The first 13 miles you are climbing, but at maybe 2-4% - enough to keep a good pace, but also enough to know you are going up. But that only gets you to about 2,250 ft, leaving the remaining 3,290ft over the next 11 miles (we would find out that it levels out a bit at the top until the actual peak. For those of you trying to do the math, that is an 6% grade for an 11 mile stretch. For an equivalent to local terrain, that is about the same as going up the dead end of Camargo 22 straight times without descending between times.
This is where things became difficult, particularly with 3 mountains already climbed earlier in the day and yesterday. Proving to be more difficult was the weather and the fact that it was very hot (90*) on this day and there was no shade. When you are only going 5-8 mph you don't generate enough breeze to keep yourself cooled off - and we weren't up high enough to get the cooling effect of elevation. Add these to the fact that we had already ridden 65+ miles by the time we hit mountain and things were getting difficult. There was much cramping, but somehow we managed to get through it and get to the top.
The top was worth the effort. The views of the skyway and the Smoky Mountains was spectacular, but the best part is that the real payoff of the day had arrived - 31 miles of descending. There were a couple of smaller climbs thrown in the middle of the descent, but there were a couple of 8 mile
stretches of 40mph downhill descending. In all we finished in about 8 3/4 hours. Which considering the longer stops I took on the
mountain due to cramps was a good time. Next time I doubt we do two mountains the day before and improve our time dramatically.
If anyone ever gets a chance to go do this ride it is definitely a worthwhile ride. It is extremely well supported and organized....Corey
6/18/2006 -> Ride the Rockies (Greg F)
- I'll stick to the rides for a post, getting into the post ride festivities would take to long a violate "road rules." However, I have
reunited with my "other" team, Team Bar 2 Bar and all members are alive and accounted for. We were fortunate not to asked to leave the Main
Street Brewing Comany in Cortez as one of the members began the pre-ride festivities on his flight to Cortez. It was a fine time and I
was also united with team DFL (Dead ___in' Last) as the welcomed us with team stickers and temporary
tatoos. The planned ride was 48 miles, not much when yo have all day. Thus, we
opted for a side course into Mesa Verda National Park. It treated us to about 2,000 feet of climbing over 10 miles. We went to Park View
Overlook, an incredible 360 degree overlook and back down. Once on the route again we were squarely in the very back of the 2,000
riders, despite departing town at 7:30 am. We soon met up with Team Trauma. Joe and Pat are the members, they are also member of Team B2B. It was unusual because no one can ever recall seeing them on their
bicycles. Joe is a Rodney Dangerfield look-a-like and he smokes and drinks as much as Rodney likely did. I photographed them for
authenticity (while riding). This was a bit like a photo of big foot, as it is considered a bit of a myth that they actually ride their
bikes. After riding with them we were soon questioning our decision to do a
detour as we began and 11 mile climb to the next rest area. It wasn't a brutal slope but definitely enough to hurt. Once at the rest stop we
had a 2 mile descent before climbing another 6-7 miles. From the end of the climb it was all downhill into Durango. The descents in the
west are great. The mountains are wide open and there is never a reason to break. We reached speeds of 43 mph.
For the day we climbed over 5,000 feet and I averaged 16.4 mph. The elevation definitely effected me and I continue to feel a little weak.
Of course the 100 mile River Ride with Goat Boy on Sunday and the 40 miles fast ride on Wednesday probably didn't provide sufficient
recovery. Tomorrow it the day with the biggest planned elevation gain, over 4,000
feet with two major climbs. They are long and somewhat gradual. The ride is the longest planned at 82 miles.
Back to the beer garden! P.S. The weather is great!
Day 2 was a highlight. My idol Frasier would have been proud. The ride was planned for 88 miles and 4,300 feet of elevation gain. The
route, however, was not scheduled to go over the beautiful Wolf Creek Pass. Thus, after the regular route I added another 50 miles and
3,000+ feet of elevation gain via an unsupported ascent to and up Wolf Creek Pass. I had not ever previously climbed a pass with over 100
miles in prior. It was brutal and gave me some new perspective on what the tour riders go through. Despite extreme pain I made the climb
thanks mainly to a huge tailwind. Once back down the mountain the goal was to recover on the ride back to Pagosa Springs enough that beer
would be appealing. Mission was accomplished and many beers were consumed at Bear Creek Bar.
Day 3 was recovery. I summary, I sucked wheel for 51 miles on rolling
hills (that felt like mountains). It was much like riding in KY. The
ride ended in New Mexico for the first time and we met at Foster's Inn and Pub. This place was great. It looked straight out of the Wild
West and it was. It had a great porch and we sat for hours watching other rider come in while dispensing encouraging words. The local
flavor was insurmountable. You'll have to see the pictures.
Day 4 was 83 miles from Chama to Alamosa. The day started with a climb
from 7,800 to 10,200. Not to bad as it wasn't that steep. Once to the top a 3 mile descent and another 3 mile climb. Total climbing 16
miles (out of the first 19). From there it was essentially downhill
for 64 miles. A steep descent and then a gradual fall. It was great for pace lining and I met several new friends and we rode a
moderate 24-26 mph into Alamosa. The finish was at the community center which
was before the town, thus we decided to forgo the immediate visit to the pub in lieu of creating our own atmosphere. I rode into town with
Steve, a native on our very own Indian Hills, and we purchased 2 ½ cases of beer and a couple Styrofoam coolers. I bit much for 4 of us
but we had confidence our beverages would win us new friends. We staged at the finish and started our own "beer garden" in the
actual garden in front of the center. Coors original seemed to grow the best and we concluded it must have been the freshness since they
we're brewed nearby. The director of the center found much humor in our addition to their garden, which we disassembled some 4+ hours
later. As suspected we ended with a nice sized group. We had many positive comments about our gardening skills and we even had and actual
horticulturalist evaluate our garden with rave reviews.
Day 5 - Alamosa to Salida 84 miles, 1,900 feet of elevation gain. I
met up with my new pace line friends at 7:40 and we rode together for the first 57 miles. We then began a climb to Poncha Pass, surely a
pass named after our very own Jim. Jim, I've got a nice picture for you of your pass. The ride was very easy and it ended at the infamous
"Vic." The Victorian Bar is a place that legends have been made, minds have been lost and hangovers have been found. This day was no
exception. After about 3 hours some other Team Bar 2 Bar riders eventually strolled in, showered of course. In summary, we arrived at
about 1:00 pm and left at about 1:00 am (although we did leave for showers, food and such).
Day 6 - Salida to Canon City 67 miles, 1,900 feet elevation gain. This was a recovery ride from the Vic. Fortunately, it was almost all
downhill and we rode tempo for 50 miles at about 22 mph. We climbed 1,900 feet to the Royal Gorge Bridge and incredible views. The bridge
is the highest suspension bridge in the world and hovers over 1,000 feet above the Arkansas River. It has wooden planks and sways, which
was a little unnerving. The tour ended 14 miles later with some rolling hills and a descent into Canon City.
There was a very nice closing ceremony which paid tribute to the many volunteers and a rider who lost their life on this year's tour. The
rider was struck by and RV and pulled under the rear wheel. She was 65 and riding her 19 RTR. She was with her daughter and 3 other riders
and according to her daughter she died doing what she loves. Apparently, she lost concentration at the most inopportune and paid
with her life. They riders were in a bicycle lane and she swerved out of the lane and struck the side of the RV.
Overall the ride was a bit easy by RTR standards. Nonetheless it was great. The ride is extremely well supported. I hope to have the
opportunity to it again or perhaps the Bike Tour of Colorado. I hope next year Gears 4 Beers can have a larger showing.
Greg F.
6/4/2006
-> Godzulla '06 - Godzulla was most excellent! Mary must be super human or something,
she is unstoppable! Fraser rode his legs off at his usual blazing pace, and Goatboy went for a whopping 90 miles! Impressive performances by
all, to say the least! To those who didn't go, you all missed out on a great time. Next year,
more of us need to go. It was the best event I've ever done--the scenery was so incredible...it was just a great experience (even for a
Gazette like me! :) I knew I would be out there alone for the day, and without having to
worry about traffic, it was nice to go my own pace while enjoying the forest, and test myself on those challenging climbs. also had a few
interesting wildlife experiences...a hawk's wings brushed my shoulder and a magnificent buck deer galloped across the street right in front
of me. the hawk scared me into a near heart attack, but it was pretty cool to be that close.
It doesn't get any better than that. I did manage to get myself lost though (SURPRISE,
I know, lol), and ended up on the graveled back pack trail. about 4 miles into the trail
i was wondering if i would make it out alive. thank God i had a map, and realized that even though Scott Denny is a little nuts, he probably
wouldn't put us through the backpack trail (well-actually, he might). so i turned around and got on course, but i did wipe out in the gravel. naturally, this was my excuse not to do a second lap. (what? it
hurt!!!) GODZULLA!!!!!!!!!!
JoAnne ... from the Goat -> On loop one I got lost and did the WHOLE back pack gravel trail (that was fun and the Overlook was a way cool view, I wished I'd taken a picture) hitting pavement again on the far side, then wandered around after that until I got some directions from the horsemen dudes and Bob Rich for a 60 mile first loop. I shorted the second loop cutting off the top of the figure 8 (I figure that gravel climb was just as hard as the hill on the little loop) for a total mileage of 88 miles at 14.3 so my ride time was 6:09:14
5/3/2006
-> Lonnie Smith recounts his IronMan Lake Placid 2005
race
“I’ll complete an Ironman when Pigs fly.”
I said that same thing about running a marathon. Of course that was
before I gave up cigarettes and a sedentary lifestyle. Now, 27 years, 16
marathons and 50 pounds later, I’m here to tell you “never say
never”. My decision to participate in the Lake Placid Ironman was made
almost 2 years ago as I approached my 50th birthday.
I wanted to do something special, just for me, to make that
milestone something extra special and even more important than that,
celebrate being a 10 year Survivor. For those of you that may not know, a
full Ironman consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 miles on a bicycle and
running a full 26.2 mile marathon…all in one day. A feat I am very proud
of. Lake Placid, New York is a quaint venue located in the Adirondack
Mountains of central New York and was the sight of the 1932 and 1980
Winter Olympics. The Village is very much the same as it was 25 years ago
when the “Miracle on Ice” occurred. The locals are very friendly and the main reason the Lake
Placid Ironman is so popular. They fully support this event with all their
hearts. Many not only worked the sign in table, but also were there at the
beginning, helped at water stations all day and tore down the finish line
chute the next morning. The entire event was very well organized which
resulted in a great race for all of the participants. On-line registration
was full in just 30 hours, 1 year in advance. There are numerous places to
stay and it’s a great place for the entire family as there’s much to
do. The race began sharply at 7 AM with the roar of a cannon. I was so
nervous floating around with 2000 other participants. I took advice from a
friend and started slowly to allow the main wave of swimmers start 1
minute ahead. Later many of them told me it was total chaos as folks were
kicked, elbowed and smacked. My finish in the swim was 1 hour 45 minutes,
15 minutes under my goal. Next came the bike. I had purchased a nice piece
of equipment with this race in mind and it sure paid off. As I rod out of
town I was cheered by many well-wishers. They soon disappeared as I began
the up and down ride through the mountains that tested both my physical
and mental toughness. The first 56 miles was actually fun because that
part of the country is so beautiful. Arriving back in downtown about 1PM,
I briefly thought about calling it a day, as I knew that the same tough 56
miles was ahead followed by a marathon. Yikes! My hotel room and a hot
shower were just a few hundred yards away. I quickly decided to persevere
and headed out for the second 56 miles. I was really tested as fatigue and
the 75-degree temperature began to wear me down. I consumed water,
Gatorade and Gu almost continually. It worked!
I rolled back into Lake Placid at 4:45 just ahead of my 5PM goal
and 45 minutes before the cut off time. Hooray, the toughest part was
over. Only 26.2 miles to go….”piece a cake.” Onto the final leg. I
took a quick look around the change tent as I exited. My heart went out to
the handful of guys who were sitting with their head in their hands,
unable to continue. See-ya fellas….maybe next year? I actually felt
pretty good as I began the run. The first 4 miles in sub 40 minutes, not
too bad. I then gathered myself and recanted, my goal is to finish, slow
down so there’s something left in the tank at the end. I began the
run/walk process that slowed my pace to about 12 minute miles. The run was
also a double loop and I was jubilant when I exited Lake Placid for the
last time about 7:40 PM. My run/walk worked well for me as I reached the
20-mile marker and still felt decent. It was here that I met a couple of
future Ironmen like myself…. Sue from New Jersey and Mike from Calgary.
We decided to join ranks and hoof it back to town together. Of course by
this time, it was dark and the company was much welcomed. The time flew by
as we chatted about everything under the sun and moon. We were feeling
real good about ourselves, as we knew we were going to finish under the 17
hour cut off. The weather was great. Lake Placid and the volunteers were
even better. 15 hours 45 minutes for my first and probably last, Ironman.
It seemed almost surreal as I crossed the line…..Happy Birthday to me.
2/25/2006
-> Schabobele Race Recap Wow - huge turnout. At least 75 road racers on a very nice day. I
think there were over 25 Cat 1/2 riders even. A few "locals": Rod Roof, Frazier, Joe (asian tri guy), Gary, Dennis, etc. Very tough day with lots of wind. Neutral start for about 2.5 miles then the pace eased up. Dennis dropped a chain when neutral. Frazier dropped a chain right at the beginning. I was in the Masters group (age 35+) and pace quickly was 25+ until the hills. First lap (15.4 mile laps) the hills weren't bad. I led the peloton for some unknown reason (only on the bike 2.5 times since my vasectomy). Lap 2 the hills start to hurt a bit. 2 junior class racers jointed the masters group and pushed the pace bad. I saw Frazier dropped out at the truck with the drop and lack of food I hear. I think Dennis dropped out too, although I don't know why. Saw Joe bent over puking or with back
spasms up some hill. By the 3rd lap, the hills were hurting really bad and I let the fast pack go. I was all alone for about 12 miles. Finally joined by one of the Cat5 leaders and we helped each other the rest of the way in. Only saw a few walkers on the 2 big hills on the
3rd lap.
No accidents that I know of and even the locals/docs were decent. I think there were lots of DNFs today being this early and very
nasty pace. I don't know where I ended up (I think 3rd) but I would assume
Gary won the Masters group (he did!) as he looked awfully strong today. Have a great one!
Rod
1/1/2006
-> We had about 20 folks show for up for the first group
ride of the year. The weather was great and the post ride celebration
fantastic. Pics in the Gallery
12/31/2005
-> The annual G4B Founders Ride was held this morning at TriHealth. G4B
founders including Patty Moran, Joan P. and yours truly along with other G4Bers, Randy D. and Bob Bloom were there. Another dozen or so riders
including legendary spinning instructor Sarah Kransen (12 days post delivery
of her second son) joined the 9:30am group. Notably absent were Allison, Karen, Chris P, Mary D., Fred, Angie and Patty
B. Chip led us on a 55 minute all terrain route although he was dropped immediately at the start as
he was attending an attractive newbie in the back of the class. We had a modest tailwind for the whole ride generated by the various fans in the
studio. Chip took a shortcut and caught the class about halfway through the
ride. There was much jockeying for position in the peleton with a few spinning bikes nearly tipping over
as we approached the sprint at the end, I jumped on the wheel of Roger. Rob K. broke away but was wheeled in by
the pack. I could hear John A. coughing and wheezing behind me as I hallucinated the final 200 yards.
Fraser and Mark on their fixies had long since been dropped. With 50 yards to go, I sling shot past Roger and made
for the finish line only to be overtaken by Patty Moran at the finish who had a better hallucination.
Post ride Randy, Bob and I adjourned to the steam room (unfortunately not coed) to tell lies about our ride that day and plan our New Year's day ride.
Happy New Year!!! See you all at high noon at Nisbet Park. I'll bring the
beer....JR
12/31/2005
-> Kathy and Fraser take the "Love Tandem" out for the
last ride of the year and follow it up with first ride of 2006, usurping
the New Years Day ride by 12 hours...rats
12/4/2005
-> Polar beer club hits the roads today - temps at start time is 28F...yikees.
11/28/2005
->
Fraser proposed to Kathy today and she
accepted ... wohoooo!!!
| 11/05/2005
-> Son of Godzulla Cycling Challenge
- G4B had a great representation at Son of Godzulla Bicycle
Challenge. Check out the coverage on the web site ... http://www.godzulla.com/
The official results are posted there as well. The day turned out
great. Fraser C and Mark B completed the ride with fixies...wow.
Fraser flatted 2 miles in to the ride )-: so he and Mark had to
hammer to catch up. They caught me around the 25 mile mark. The G4B
name is spreading, I heard post ride one rider claim "some
Gears 4 Beers guy pulled me back to the pack" Justin F., Jim P,
Gerry D and Chris P were up there in the pack (Gerry crossed the
line first of the G4Bers)...Roger S, Dave C and I played survivor.
Dave had a boxer pup become best friends with him climbing the infamous
Weil Hill. Roger claims to have seen a sign that said "Goat
milk For Sale"...missed photo op for goatboy for sure. This was
one of the best rides of 2005! Where else can you get sushi, Mad Dog
20/20, Wild Irish Rose, Beer (of course) and awesome grilled sausage
at the post ride!! The ride...after hammering for 32 miles on
the flat on Rt 52 along the Ohio river, there were 6-8 totally
brutal hills on this ride (73 miles total). The last hill was a real
killer climb into Woodland Mounds park, the start/finish line. The
wind was a factor in the last 1/3 of the ride. The hills were
separated by some truly thrilling descents, I heard many hit 50+ on
these (Fraser fixie among them!) Update
... SOG-erati capture the post ride celebration, yup
thats Fras and Goatboy breakin out the Mad Dog 20/20! Featured photo
on SOG website for awhile. Fraser won the MadDog prize (cash I
think) Updated race results posted there too. Photo copyright
Godzulla... |
 |
11/05/2005 -> Rod
Roof Ironman Florida - - 11:53:13, 716th OA, 148th AG
of 2,058 participants that started the race!
Ironman Florida recall, Nov. 5, 2005: Nice weather (around 82 degrees). Water was calm and 74 degrees with only "rolling" waves on the way back in. 2,000+ plus on a mass beach start is something I don't want to do too often. Felt like a washing machine for the first 500 meters and I have no idea how a I stayed afloat as my stroke was somewhat of a short buzzsaw (not that it is that great anyway). Was smacked numerous times, but only about 6 memorable ones with one nice bruise/shiner on my right eye that I discover after the race. Saw 2 jellyfish and that 'kinda freaked me out some. Swim was right about on target (1:12 with a 1:10 goal). Came out of the water to find my new Polar Watch water logged with some nice, cryptic symbols! I can live without the timing, but really needed the heart rate data to keep the bike effort in check and help push for the run. I was not amused here. Transition tent was really crowded with my MOP swim, but uneventful.
Bike goes well for the first 18 - very smooth with the wind at my back cruising at around 23 mph easily. Starts to feel a little funny and my worse fear is realized - rear tubular is flat! I have never had a flat in 20 triathlons. Bike about 2 miles on the flat (hurray for tubulars here as I could still go about 16-17 mph on the flat) to the aid station at mile 20 - no help. Put in some air with the CO2 and drive on as I heard there was a neutral support vehicle around the corner. Slow leak is audible now and I'm flat again in 2 miles. Find the Van at mile 22 - have to wait for another guy to have his cable stops or something fixed. I get the rear wheel off. I figure the pro wrench can change the tubular (I was carrying a spare) WAY faster than me (he does so in about 3 minutes much to my amazement). Phil South from Mason (rides often with us on a large Black Guru) goes by and looks shocked to see me there. Asks if I'm OK and says he'll see me soon :) Now I get back, pissed, and start hammering way too fast to catch Phil. Pass Phil quickly and start to slow down as I realize I have no heart rate data and a long way to go. Last 20 my feet are cramping badly and there is a very stiff headwind. Most guys are in the small
chain ring on the flats the last 12 miles into the headwind and I can barely hold 16 mph into the wind along the ocean and tall condos. Manage to average about 20.2 mph for the 112 miles by my computer, 19.2 officially with the flat so I figured I lost about 20-25 minutes for a 5:53 total. Goal pace was an even 20 mph for the 112 miles.
Run goes pretty smooth as I was really ready. A little hard in the middle as I went a little harder than I should in the middle of the bike and I knew I'd be paying here. No walking was the goal except to eat/drink. Passed probably 400 people on the run it seems. Was hoping for about a 4 hour marathon, ended up with a 4:38 to a wonderful crowd, including my wife and kids, at the finish shoot. 11:53 total. Wanted an 11:30 (easily without the flat) and was shooting for just under 11 hours, so not too bad.
Best part was driving back the next day - could barely get out the Van at rest stops. Took till about Wednesday to walk anywhere near normal :) Thanks for reading my rant! Next up is Ironman USA (Lake Placid). Phil South is doing this as well. Didn't hear how his race went, but I think he finished just under 13 hours. Lonnie, you in again for next year? :)
Results see link...
http://liveupdate.ironmanlive.com/frameset.php3?url=http://vnews.ironmanlive.com/assets/results/06.FL.htm
10/29/2005
- > Lynn Peinings Tahoe Marathon... The marathon went really well, thanks for asking. It was a beautiful day...perfect for running (50's and sunny). I knew after driving the
course a few days earlier, that it definitely was not going to be easy! In fact
I was a little freaked out. The course went from a little under 6400 feet up to 6800 feet (mostly between miles 15-17) then it went back down to 6400 before going back up to 6800 ...at mile 20! After that, it was all downhill! Some walking was required during the
ups, but everyone was doing it, so I didn't feel very guilty. I ended up finishing in 4:25 (only 28 minutes slower than my PR). I was pretty happy with it! If you want a
good challenge, and a beautiful course , I highly recommend this run! And for people that want real
torture, they have an ultra that consists of a marathon each day for 3 days in a row (basically going more than all the
way around the whole lake!!)..."Crazy", I say.
10/29/2005
-> CCC Ghost Rider Ramble - Dave Callon and the GoatBoy traveled out
to St. Leon, In for the CC club metric century. Start time was 28 degrees...yeow.
Low wind at start made it bearable and the sun warmed things up later. As always
a fantastic ride.
10/15/2005
-> Hilly Hundred Weekend, Bloomington IN...wow what a blast...see you
next year. Pics in the Gallery
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