He's Back!

Three years later, after swearing I would not again Ride the Rockies, I have signed up for a ride in the Rockies, but this one, in its own way, even tougher. Along with three good friends, I have signed up for the Triple Bypass Ride in early July. This is, in my opinion the hardest organized ride there is. It is a one day ride (and of course RTR has its own toughness in being six days long), and the length is bad enough (120 miles), but what really sets it apart is that you are, in one day, climbing three mountain passes, for a total climb of 10,000 feet! I hate climbing and am not very good at it, so why on earth did I sign up for this crazy ride which is basically 12 hours of climbing? Because of the shirt! Really. Many riders in Colorado wear rides from various rides they have done, from charity rides to centuries to Ride the Rockies. There is a definite hierarchy of rides, with RTR near the top. When I wear my RTR shirt it makes a statement. That is fine, except at the top of the heap is the Triple Bypass shirt. When you see someone with that shirt, you know they have done a ride that is crazy hard. So, of course, I want to be able to wear one. Many of the people I have told about my signing up have asked why I don't just buy a shirt (which you can do). I just could not wear that shirt unless I did the ride. So, that is why I want to do the ride, and I figure if I don't do it this year, I will never do it. So, in six months I will being riding about 12 hours and probably hating the whole thing. There is a reasonable chance I won't finish, but I plan to. I need to put a lot of hours in the saddle (as I did for RTR), but also do a lot more climbing. One of the big things I need to focus on, besides the bike training, is to lose weight. It makes a huge difference how much you and your bike weigh, and while my bike is reasonably light, I am not. Most good climbers weigh under 150. I am over 50 pounds over that weight right now. Not sure how low I can go, but I plan to aim for something like 180 (which I haven't been since I was in college). Anyway, I found out I was in the ride five days ago and have trained almost every day, doing two rides this weekend. My back is sore, but I did ok, and if I work hard for six months, I should be able to do this. We'll see...

Done with training; now on to the real thing!

This morning I got in my final training ride; the usual 25 mile loop around Cherry Creek reservoir. Despite a strong wind, a very lovely ride which had me feeling pretty good. A milestone for me, to have set out a training plan, follow it and complete it. Over approximately three months I rode over 1,700 miles for over 120 hours. I rode from Lincoln Nebraska and Chicago, IL, to the Grand Teton and Yellowstone parks; from about 600 feet above sea level to almost 12,000 feet above sea level. This was definitely the longest and hardest I have trained for anything and I feel great about it. I do feel like I am ready for RTR (which starts in four days), but we'll see....

Looking back, I think the training was itself an important and good part of this whole experience. To be disciplined to accomplish something despite not feeling like getting up early and riding some mornings, lousy weather, and going on two long out-of-town trips is an accomplishment I can take some pride in. I think on the whole I enjoyed the experience, though there were certainly days I didn't have much fun. There is something satisfying about doing this with a goal in mind and I think it will definitely pay off when I get to the actual RTR.

I certainly have benefited physically from this. I am probably in better shape than I have been since I was in college and I lost about 15 pounds. Having done some serious mountain passes and having ridden as much as 70 miles on some days, I am pretty sure I will do ok on the actual ride. It will be interesting to see how my fitness compares to my buddy, Herb, who is flying out from Philadelphia on Friday to ride with me. He is the one who got me back into doing some serious bike riding and he did RTR last year and had a good time, inspiring me to try it. Before I moved to Colorado and started biking, he was my "idol" in terms of his fitness, for he is a regular weekend rider out east. He has been in good shape for a long time, something I cannot say for myself, so I'll be keen to see how my fitness now compares to his. This is not a competition, of course, but signing up for RTR is a big deal for me and it will be nice to have some benchmark to see how well I've done.

As I said in my first blog, my main goal is 1) to survive and 2) to enjoy the experience. I am pretty sure I have got goal 1) under control and it will be somewhat up to me to achieve goal 2) (though of course, all sorts of things can happen during the event). I am definitely excited (and nervous) but won't have to wait much longer to be at it. RTR, here I come!

Riding National Parks

In about a week I'll be riding through the Rocky Mountain National Park, but this week I was able to get on two wonderful rides in other National Parks.

On Tuesday we stayed at the Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park. I was able to make a beautiful ride of 30 miles down to Lake Jenny and back. Riding south I had the view above in sight the whole way, which was totally inspiring. Also fun that there were lots of Mule Deer to see and also a wolf with a squirrel in its mouth who was trotting along the road and seemed undisturbed by my presence. The landscape was not unlike that in Cherry Creek State Park back in Denver, other than the fact you have the magnificent Grand Tetons right there! Only part that wasn't a pure joy was where they had signs of "Do Not Stop" because of recent Mama and Baby Grizzly activity. I was a bit nervous, planning my escape if needed!

The next day we drove up to Yellowstone, where we are staying in a cabin at Mammoth Hot Springs. I set off yesterday morning about 5:30 for a ride, nor realizing that a Mama Elk had just given birth behind our cabin (that's her above just behind our cabin). When I set off, I looked to my left and saw a large elk coming at me! I sprinted off, thinking that was a bit strange....

I rode up through Gold Gate Pass (above), a five mile, 1,500 climb (nice to get in a climb on this trip!) to the Yellowstone Plateau. Then another five miles out along the valley and woods. No interesting sightings, though a fair number of elk and mule deer wandering around. Returned to the cabin and saw the elk (which I didn't realize yet was a new mother) at the top of the hill behind our cabin. As soon as she saw me, she started trotting down the hill towards me, not in a friendly fashion, so I sped to the porch, jumped off my bike and dashed inside. A new experience for my bike riding! As it happens, the elk was a bit of a pain all day, as she hung around our cabin not wanting us to go in or out, until finally at the end of the day she wandered off.

Unfortunately, I won't have any more chance on this trip to ride, so I'll have to put in some good rides early next week before taking the break before the start of RTR; just over a week away!

A weekend of passes

Yahoo! I am still alive (not a surprise, I guess, as I am writing this blog)and I managed to complete a weekend of rides which I really was not sure I could do. I am leaving tomorrow for a week on the road, so it is not clear how much biking I'll get, plus the RTR web site suggested this weekend doing two long rides. So, I decided I would bike from Dillon to Vail and back one day, then from Dillon to the top of Loveland Pass the next. Not hugely long (90 total miles), but over 7,000 of vertical feet! On Friday evening I was wondering if I had bitten off more than I could chew, but I did it!

On Saturday I set off about 7:30. Nice enough day, though a bit smoky because of nearby wildfires. It is a nice ride from Dillon across the reservoir then up the Ten Mile Creek recreation pass to Copper Mountain. About 15 miles with a good climb, but gradual. Only problem was that the wind was in mind face the whole way, which was a pain (didn't know at that stage how insignificant the wind was at that stage). Then up the valley on a very lovely bike path to the top of Vail pass, about 6 miles of good climb. Total climb from Dillon to the top about 1,600 feet.

Then a long (11 miles) down hill into Vail. I really did not enjoy this that much. I think I must be one of the few bikers who doesn't like really long, steep downhills. I do not like to go above about 30 mph---when I was a kid, I flew over my handlebars when my front wheel came loose and had to have root canal work on my front teeth, so I have a healthy regard for the damage one can do is something happens if you fall off a speeding bike. Also, my hands get sore from the position they have to hold in order to keep up the needed pressure on the brakes. I think I will probably end up liking the up hills on RTR more than the down hills!

On the way down into Vail I keep wondering if I had made a mistake, for the trail was not only quite long, but had some really steep bits and I just was not sure that after going up the pass one way I could make it the other. The front side of the pass, from Dillon, was only 1,600, whereas the backside, from Vail, is about a 2,500 feet climb. Quite a difference.

In any case, I did make it but it wasn't fun at all. Not only was it long and quite steep in bits, but the #*%)! WIND was in my face the whole way. It was a really strong wind, with regular gusts as fast as any I have ever ridden in. It made the entire climb very hard for me. Even the places where it was relatively flat, I was struggling just to keep going. There was even a downhill bit where I could only get going up to 12 mph with pedaling! I just gritted my teeth, and kept trying to move fast enough not to fall over, and finally made it.

Today was much better. The ride was shorter, but even more of a vertical climb. It is a gentle up hill from Dillon to Keystone, but from there the next eight miles is a very steady climb. No really steep bits; just a constant up hill. Total climb today was almost 3,000 feet and I did it in about 2 1/2 hours. I was very pleased when I got to the top!

The down hill, however, was really not fun at all. First, it was a lot colder today, about 38 degrees in Dillon when I left, so I am not sure what it was at the top. Then, the whole way down there was as strong a headwind as yesterday's (though, I suppose I should be grateful that it wasn't in my face when climbing!). I froze on the way down and was regularly tossed about a bit by gusts. I just wanted it over! When it was, I jumped in the hot tub and am now feeling better.

Now I realize that for many who are doing RTR this probably isn't that big a thing to have done these two rides in two days, but I am really chuffed myself. Not only for a good length, but real climbs to two real mountain passes. While I am down in Denver, I sometimes feel the mountains are laughing at me for my puny climbs, but here I was right in the middle and taking on the mountains themselves. They seemed really friendly (unless they are the ones sending that wind the last two days!) and I now really think I am going to be able to make it on RTR and enjoy it!

When we first moved to Denver about two years ago and drove over the Loveland Pass, I saw some bikers going up and remember remarking that they were nuts and that I would never even consider such a thing. Well, today I did it and it is a testament to what training and will power can do. I am not sure if I will keep my riding up to this degree once I have done RTR, but I am glad I am in the shape I am today and I'm ready for the RIDE!

Some rambling (aka biking) thoughts

Just over two weeks to go before Ride the Rockies and my training seems to be going pretty well. I've been averaging 5-6 days biking a week and am keeping ahead of the suggested mileage from the RTR site. I was able to do another loop from Hilltop to Chatfield, then up and down Deer Creek Canyon, then back to Hilltop: 70 miles with a good, long climb halfway. The weather has been mostly good and I've been able to work around the bad weather pretty well.

My concern is that I will be away at a conference next week in Yellowstone, but I am taking my bike and hope to be able to get at least a few rides in. This coming weekend is the one where the RTR site suggests I take a couple of long rides. So we are heading up to Summit County and I plan to try to get in a long ride both Saturday and Sunday at altitude. I'm a bit nervous about how much I bite off, but I think I'll do ok. Which leads me to some rambling thoughts...

Fitness: I think I have been doing a good job. I certainly feel in pretty good shape. Of course, it is all relative. When I am doing my usual 25 mile loop, I tend to pass a fair number of bikers and keep up a good clip, so I feel good. But then, I ride up Deer Creek Canyon and get passed by a bunch of riders and I feel like I am hopeless. I guess relative to the "general public" (including myself three months ago), I am in quite good shape, but relative to the "biking class" I am pretty much at the bottom range of fitness.

It was interesting this morning the number of "serious" bikers out. I went out on Monday and today at 5:45 am. Monday there was almost no-one on the road, but today I must have seen close to 50 serious bikers out on the same loop (many of them passing me!). It was like someone all of a sudden announced the start of bike-day. It may be because they were talking about it getting up to 90 degrees and so everyone went off early, but I really felt like a slug compared to all these other bikers who were whizzing by.

I looked at the map of each day and it all seems doable for me, not that I feel in reasonable shape. But then as I am riding around my morning loop I look at the mountains and they look really, really imposing! It is like they are looking at me and being totally unimpressed with the pitiful "hills" I am going up and down. That is one of the reasons I am a bit apprehensive about my planned rides in the mountains this weekend. I am going to try to do at least some reasonable climbs each day, so I'll get a better handle on things then.

Fun: I asked last week if I was having fun and wasn't sure. Well, last week I had a really fun end to one of my daily loops. I went off in the afternoon and there was a really stiff wind in my face almost the whole way out. That was definitely a grind. I hate wind as it is the gliding and efficiency of the bike that makes it so much fun and the wind wipes that out. So I pushed hard for the 12+ miles out, but then, when I started back, boy was that fun! The wind was right behind me the whole way and I was able to really get going. I probably average 21+ mph, and almost never dropped below 20 the whole way back---and it was easy and great, great fun. I had a smile on my face the whole way.

I am trying to make sure I enjoy my training rides more on a regular basis. Partly I have my head down trying to get a good workout, but I am trying to remember to look up and enjoy the scenery, etc. It certainly is beautiful when I get up to Cherry Creek park around the reservoir. Especially in the morning with the slanting sun giving everything a magical illumination and the mountains lined up across the horizon (albeit looking at me with great skepticism). And then there is the wildlife...

Wildlife: Every day I see lots of birds, including once a large blue heron, and my friends the prairie dogs, not to mention numerous rabbits and squirrels. With some regularity (if I go in the early morning) I'll see the deer herds in the park and from time to time a coyote. I saw a beautiful fox one time in Deer Creek Canyon. The most "exciting" wildlife I saw, though, was one morning when I came around a corner and there was a HUGE snake crossing the bike path. I do not like snakes and this nearly sent me off my bike. It was, I would guess, between 5-6 feet long and filled most of the bike path. There was maybe 8 inches behind it, which is where I went flying by, hoping it wouldn't twist around and take a bite at me. It was probably as traumatized by the encounter as I was, but I did not like that one bit!

So, I plan to ride every morning this week, two long rides in the mountains this weekend, and then catch as many rides as I can next week. The following week is the one before the RTR and you are supposed to slow down a bit. I may feel the urge to get out strong on Monday and Tuesday if I don't get many rides in when on my trip, but we are definitely, one way or the other, getting to the end of my training. Soon, on to the real thing!

We having fun yet?

What a beautiful day and a good ride today, but am I having fun? That is what someone asked me, "Do you enjoy the biking?" Well, I love to bike or I wouldn't have started this, but am I enjoying the training? If I was going to be enjoying it, today would have been the day, as the weather is spectacular and I had a very good training ride. I did the "Loopty Loop" (where I got out to the Cherry Creek reservoir, around it and then back the same way, returning from there--this adds about 5 miles to my usual loop) and pushed the entire 30 miles. Averaged almost 16 miles an hour and felt good the whole way. I certainly took pleasure in completing the route in good time and in good form. Did I enjoy it, I think so, but I was so focused on continuing to push that it was hard to tell.

As I said in my first blog, one of my two main goals for RTR is to enjoy the trip, so I am planning not to push myself on the actual event. I want to complete it (and live!) and not take too long, but I plan to make sure I enjoy the trip itself by allowing myself to cruise and look at the scenery or stop and relax along the way. I do think I am, in one sense, enjoying the training, but it is mostly the accomplishment, and I want more than that for the actual RTR. We'll see...

The last two days were good training as well. Saturday I was able to do the 70 miles trip to Chatfield, then up the Deer Creek Canyon hill, and back. As I mentioned last time I did that trip, I figure that is a good test, as it is close to the average distance of RTR and includes a 10 mile uphill stretch in the middle. I know that the days on RTR will be longer and there will be more hills, not just the one, but still to do it by 1:00 pm in the day without much of a break I think is a good indication that I am at least in reasonable shape.

Sunday we went up to Summit County and Lindsey and I did the Lake Dillon loop, including the Swan Mountain Road hill. Unfortunately, it was cold and while going up the hill we got into a snow storm! Still, we did it and it was at least not a wasted day towards my training. The rest of this week should be good for that, as the weather should be good. I hope to get out every day for at least 25 miles...

Two weeks later: ups & downs

Well, my stay in Chicago did not go as planned. I only had a few times I could go for a ride and it was raining for all of them, so I didn't get out on the road for essentially a week (including the two days drive back to Denver). This was a crucial time for me in terms of my training: I have always been pretty good about keeping on with something once I am in the swing of it, but I have been known to slide if there was a reason for taking a break (related to "projects" like jogging or dieting). So, having been off for a week, I was concerned that I get right back into the saddle to catch up on my training.

Luckily the weather was good and the spirit willing, so I did three mornings in a row of my standard 25 mile ride around the reservoir, and then planned a good long bike on the Saturday. Saturday dawned sunny and cool and off I went down the Cherry Creek trail in the opposite direction I usually go, towards the center of Denver. I left at 7:30 so while there were people out, not a huge number.

After about six miles I got to Confluence Park, where Cherry Creek runs into the Platte, and turned south on the Platte River trail. On this trail you go past an amusement park, the Bronco's football stadium (whatever it is called now), then through an industrial section, until after about 9 miles you get to where Beer Creek comes in from the foothills.

Turning east, I went up Bear Creek, through some development, then open spaces, then more development, to a golf course, at which point there is a good climb up the Bear Creek Reservoir dam.

Nice trail, though a bit chopped up in places, and you do get closer and closer to the foothills, which is fun. Eventually, I turned north along the foothills, with some fairly good climbing, riding along the Route 470 trail. By then, I had gone about 30 some miles, including the climb on Bear Creek. By then the sun was strong and hot, so I was getting a bit tired, but eventually, I started start downhill into Golden.

In Golden, you are about 20 miles west of Denver, which you can see in the picture above, and this is where Clear Creek comes out of the foothills and starts its way towards the Platte. Picking up the Clear Creek bike trail near the Coors brewery, I started east. The trail goes down hill on the whole, but still with the heat of the day I was definitely feeling a bit tired.

Arriving at the Platte, I turned south towards home. It is fun to see Denver in the distance and then growing bigger. The Platte River trail is not nearly as shaded as the Bear Creek, Clear Creek or Cherry Creek trails, but it still is a good trail. I was now going uphill a bit and definitely needed a breather when I got into town.

At Confluence Park, I turned west again to head up Cherry Creek trail. Though the slope is quite gradual, I definitely noticed the difference from the morning when I was heading downhill (not to mention that I had by then ridden 60 miles in the sun & heat). I went fairly slowly and got back to the house just after noon. A total trip of 66 miles in 1:45, including some good, but not huge hills.

I had been concerned about getting back into the training and getting back into shape after my hiatus, so I was pretty pleased with the ride. This week I was able to ride from Sunday through Thursday every day except Monday. Today was rainy, so I took a breather, but tomorrow I plan another go at the 70 miles loop down down to Chatfield Reservoir, with the serious climb up Deer Creek Canyon. It is supposed to be cloudy with some rain, but I hope it won't stop my ride. We'll see.