6 Mountains in 2 Days

I'm a big climber. I like steep pitches that make me wonder if I'll be able to push my legs over for another pedal revolution. I also enjoy the steady uphill grades that are better suited to gearing down, and letting me hit the rhythm that allows my mind to space out of the moment. So, its no surprise that I would take advantage of my weekend and go for 2 rides over some of the best hills the local area in Washington County has to offer.

The first of these is the climb to summit lake from Rt. 40. This climb begins with a steep section right after you make the left hand turn. But, it soon levels out to begin a smooth ascent to the top of the Mountain to Summit Lake. The climb takes about 15 minutes of effort, with a few switchbacks offering beautiful views off to the west.

A second beautiful climb in the region is North Rd. This hill fits nicely with the others on this list, and begins almost directly after you make the fast descent from Summit Lake. North Rd. doesn't have a steep, or long, climb to boast. (It is a quick 5 minute groove) But, it offers some beautiful views of rolling farmscape as you cruise at high speed into Greenwich, NY. After the first major climb at the beginning, it features small rollers that keep you in and out of the saddle.

The final climb is by far the hardest, yet most rewarding. Cruising out of Greenwich, you get the chance to make a right hand turn onto Burton Rd. and head up to Willard Mountain. This climb is both long (taking more than 20 minutes of straight climbing), and features steep and smooth climbing sections. It also offers the possibility to reach the summit via a smaller dirt Rd., Mountain Rd. Attacking this same route 2 days straight allowed me to try out both ways. And, believe it or not, I'll say that the dirt road way is easier than the paved way.
The climb has recently also been paved, offering smooth travels for cyclists. The view at the top of the mountain is also beautiful, offering views up to the north. The descent is fantastic, offering speeds in excess of 55mph. Hold on tight.

I did these three Mountains two days in a row, making for six nice climbs. In the process also accumulated more than 200 miles of riding. A good weekend.

August 10th, 2011

I would like to, first and foremost, say a warm welcome to another sponsor of dgUltraCycling: Handlebra Handlebar Tape. Ray has offered his handlebar tape for my use. I received some black leather tape from him just the other day, with some purple and titanium cords. It is of the highest absolute quality, reminding me of the beauty leather brings. I highly recommend this product for quality, looks, and performance capabilities. I will be posting pictures as soon as I have the chance to clean my bike.

In other news, I came across some Biopace chain rings at a neighborhood garage sale, and seeing the increased research in ovoid chain rings, I decided to try them out. So, I went, removed the binder bolts and crank from my bike, and swapped out the large chain ring. The ovoid shape isn't as noticeable on the big ring, but at close inspection, you can see its there.
I attended the Monday night ride at Bike and Board to try out the new chain ring, and was surprised how well it performed. Even though it had an extra tooth on the large ring (54 teeth vs. the old 53 teeth), I was able to stay in the large chain ring longer and more often. I sure was able to make Greg hurt the entire way. Next week is Greg's last Monday before heading to school out in Utah, so we've planned a great hill ride. Can't wait to test this bad boy ring further.

Saratoga 24 Hour Race - Maybe I should report...

Well, about a month after the Saratoga 24 hour, I'm finally sitting down to write this race report. I do have to say, the race wasn't all I hoped for, but I certainly was much stronger than many other racers.

The weather was picture perfect, with highs in the mid eighties during the day, and lows in the mid sixties at night. After a rather apprehensive morning, I arrived at the starting line with 30 minutes to warm up.

The first 100 miles were very smooth. I held pace with most of the stronger men, and felt completely inside my confidence zone. My small aerodynamic body was key at this stage of the race.

Then we began the next 100 miles. I started feeling sore around 150 miles or so. It began to hit me how much riding I was going to be doing...oh how many miles I would be doing. My thighs began to ache a little, and I had other coming pains.

By the double century mark, pain was coming on harder and harder. This time, though, it wasn't physical pain. It was the breakdown of my mental toughness. I was sick of doing the same 32 miles. When I finished a lap, I would stop not because I was thirsty, but rather because I was reluctant to start the whole process of another lap.

By 250 miles, I was physically fine. My mind was starting to flounder a little with the lack of sleep, but I was physically okay. Time between laps was increasing, and I was losing motivation around 3am.

When the sun began to rise, I felt better. I felt as though I had slept all night. My legs were "comfortably numb," and I felt like a million bucks.

I only completed 320 miles, for 9th place. (1st in age group.) But, looking at the fact I wasn't physically exhausted, but rater tired of the same 32 miles, I see this as a great victory. I know that I'm ready to go farther than 24 hours. As Spongebob says: "I'm READY!!!"

Again, thanks to my sponsors, especially Saratoga Bike and Board. Their continued support of "that crazy kid" has provided invaluable. Your Monday night rides are excellent.

Hills Tend to Slow Me Down

I don't weigh a whole lot. 125lbs is what many people would call underweight, others say they dream being that weight. And, despite the many disadvantages of that weight, such as little fat supply, I find that it is quite nice when you get to the hills. The logic is simple, less weight on the bike means less weight to haul up a hill. Likewise, less weight to haul up the hill means faster speed going up the hill.

There are some restrictions to this logic, though. First of all, because of my light body weight, it means that I may not have as much leg muscle as guys who weigh twice as much. (They have to support 100lbs more all day) To overcome this, it is imperative that I use my power-to-weight ratio wisely. That means to be a fast climber, I need to keep a relatively high cadence (upwards of 85rpm). By maintaining a high rpm, the raw power of the leg muscles becomes a moot point as I can then let my lower body weight help me spin up the hill, while the other riders are mashing their way to the top.

The Titanflex also helps when it comes to hill climbing. Because of the small rear triangle, it is stiffer than those on a standard double diamond frame. Stiffer frame = more power transfer from wheels to pedals = faster climbing.

But, nevertheless, climbing is always slow and painful. There just is no way to make climbing any easier than it already is.

And that's why yesterday's 150 miles took all day, whereas my double century PR is in 11 hours.

Hills tend to slow me down.

Of Headwinds and Heartrates

The temperature is finally starting to drop again, making training more comfortable. I am in the middle of a fairly high mileage week, averaging about 70 miles a day. Less intervals now, and more long distance riding.

I enjoyed my Monday Night Ride with Olde Saratoga Bike and Board. We decided to head up to Saratoga Battlefield, and then head to Saratoga Lake before turning around and heading home. It was excellent speed work.

Today was all about the headwinds. I made sure to hammer a good fifty miles into a direct headwind that was blowing at speeds >20mph. The goal was to ignore any speed or distance data, and focus on cadence and heart rate data.

Coming out of today's ride, I have made some important choices for the Saratoga 24 hour race:

1. I'm ditching the cyclo computer on my road bike
2. I will rely on my heart rate monitor to provide my only hard number feedback.

I hope that by ditching the computer, I will be less concerned about my speed at any certain time, and more concerned where my heart rate is. If I am able to maintain a cadence of eighty-five rpm, and keep my heart rate at one hundred and sixty bpm, then I should be achieving the max speed I can handle at any one moment.

The only problem, though, is it will be tough to follow cue sheets without distance readings from my computer...Oh well. Every cloud has its silver lining.

Effect of Heat on Cycling and Other Sports (Part II)

Heat is what causes exhaustion in athletes competing at the aerobic level. In sprint level races, lactic acid is produced in leg muscles as a by-product of the muscle producing ATP. In aerobic exercise, though, the leg muscles are able to get the oxygen they need from the blood stream, and thus produce very limited amounts of lactic acid.

So, instead of feeling the "burn" of lactic acid, we get the pain associated with heat.

Likewise, it isn't a good idea to put a hot pad on after an aerobic (or anaerobic, for that matter) exercise. This will promote blood to damaged capillaries, which can feel good in the short term, but can slow down the healing process. Whereas, ice promotes less blood flow to damaged tissues, and lets the body determine what areas need increased blood flow on its own.

Interesting, I think. Maybe less time in the hot tub is in order??

Effect of Heat on Cycling and Other Sports

Here in the Northeast, we've been getting our first major heat wave of the summer season. With about a week of consecutive days above the 90F mark, it seems like a good time to talk about the heat.

Many RAAM racers take the time to train in hot conditions to prepare themselves for the intense environment of the Mojave Desert at the beginning of the race. Racers train in saunas, in the mountains, and arrive a few days early for the race to practice desert riding. And, looking at the effect that heat has on the body, it can make a big difference on whether or not a rider finishes ultra endurance races.

Hot temperatures, though aren't the only problem cyclists need to be able to address. We also need to be prepared to work through humid conditions, especially here in northern New York. Many times, the humidity and the heat come together, creating conditions that are brutal on the body. When heat and humidity are both working at the same time, it is easy to suffer the effects of dehydration because the humidity makes you feel hydrated, even though your sweating massive amounts of water.

What I find the best way to deal with the heat is just riding through it. It isn't easy to drink water when your not thirsty, especially if it is warm from sitting in the sun for a few hours. Training in the heat also allows you to become accustom to how your body is affected by high mercury readings. And, finally, it makes you a better rider when the thermometer drops. The important part about heat is to just ride through it. Don't let nature dictate your schedule, and don't let it get in the ways of your goals and ambitions.

It also makes a good epic picture for your blog every now and than...