The Flattest Century in the East...NOT!

We went up to Needham, Massachusetts to visit some friends from my wife's college this past weekend. Our friend Ron and I went down to Dartmouth, Massachusetts , on Sunday, September 12, 2010, to do The Flattest Century in the East, run by the Narragansett Bay Wheelmen. I had heard that this ride was not hilly but not flat either. Ultimately there were lots of small rollers but no tough climbs. At first I thought that a fixed gear bike would be the best machine for the job, but upon reconsideration, I chose my plentifully geared road bike. My LOOK KG381i was built in 2003 by hand in Nevers, France. It is a 57cm frame, with a 74 degree head tube, but a 72.5 degree seat tube. The carbon frame, fork, and steerer make for a good general road bike, comfortable for longer distances. The specs :

size...57cm ( c-c )

top tube...57.4cm

Wheels...Campy Neutron 2003

tires...Conti ultragatorskin 25mm

bars...3T 199gms
bar tape...Cinelli Zebra cork
brake/shifters...2003 Campy record carbon
crankset...2003 Campy Record 53/39 alloy
rear derailleur...Campy Chorus medium cage
cassette...13-29 Campy
pedals...Crank Bros Candy SL
brakes...Campy Chorus

seat...Selle Anatomica

seat bag...Carradice Barley

We had generally cloudy skies during the ride, but did get rained on at about miles 80 to 85. The secnery was wonderful, and the NBW club did a great job with the organization of the event.A great time was had by all. Hopefully, I will be able to get back here to do this century sometime in the near future. Thanks to Ron and Phil for having us over the night before. Thanks to Helen for putting up with me and for all the travel time.

August 21, 2010 D2R2

I went up to the beautiful town of South Deerfield, Massachusetts, for the 2010 edition of D2R2. My preparation for the event was extensive, including extra training on dirt roads and hills,hills,hills. Ultimately, nothing on Long Island could have adequately prepared me for the roads and hills of northern Massachusetts and southern Vermont. Our tour hosts were fabulous, and everybody was extremely friendly. The tents set up in the fields had every accomodation possible for the riders. Some famous individuals were there, although I was not one of them. My 100km ride started at a lazy 9am, and took us through regular roads, dirt and gravel roads, and of course, significant climbing. The rest stops were fully stocked, and the volunteers were very helpful. At about the halfway point, I was beat and bonked, despite adequate electrolyte hydration. I did come in under my own power, thanks to the mutual help from Pete from Connecticut. Thanks Pete! Almost every type of bike was used for this event, including regular road bikes, cyclocross bikes, and mountain bikes. Some bikes defied description. When the day was done, the rider was more important than the type of bike used. My Jamis cyclocross bike was adequate for the ride, but I was significantly jarred on the gnarly fast descents, and my shimano cantilever brakes were severely taxed. The mountain bike riders seemed to be doing the best of all the various bike-type groups. Maybe lose some weight and try next years ride on a Salsa Fargo.....

Getting ready for D2R2...my bike and why

The summer is hot and D2R2 in Deerfield, Massachusetts is only 16 days away. I have been training when time permits, alternating between my cyclocross aand fixed gear bikes. I have been increasing my on and off road hillclimbing, in order to best duplicate the planned 100k and 8,500 feet of climbing. The bike that I will use for this famous event will be my tried and true 2001 Jamis Nova cyclocross bike. It has had some evolution over the years. I believe that this configuration will best suit the planned terrain.

Frame...2001 Jamis Nova Reynolds 631,comfortable on road, stable off road, durable, not the lightest around. The 55cm c-c size with 32c tires gives me a good standover height.
Fork...Tange steel, a replacement as the original fork was cut too short.  This fork with 80mm of spacers gives me a comfortable seat = handlebars height.

Wheels...Mavic Open Pro front, Mavic Open Sport rear, Ultegra hubs, DT spokes

Tires...Ritchey Speedmax 700x32c, good on and off road,sheds mud great

Crankset...Sugino XD, 46/36/26

Rear derailleur...Shimano XT

Cassette..11-32, plenty of gear range for plenty of hills

Pedals...Crank Bros Candy SL... Thanks to Richard Sachs, who turned me onto these pedals as he lapped me in a cyclocross race when  I couldn't clip in  my muddy shoes into Shimano mb pedals.

Bag...Arkel Tailrider...tough, well organized, aerodynamic, has its own rain cover just in case.The rear rack gives some water/mud protection.

Seat... Selle Anatomica ...this seat brought me back from the brink of recumbent cycling. I am sold on the  Brown/Peterson theory of seat height = handlebar height for best comfort.

This setup will give me plenty of gears for the expected 27% off road climbs, and great flexibility for the on/off road nature of the event, be it dry or muddy, ( I like muddy! )

Riding with a Buddy

Sometimes you ride alone, sometimes with a group, and sometimes with a special Buddy. My friend Bob and his wife Elaine came to Long Island to visit this weekend. Bob and I met at Columbia University in the mid 1970's. He was getting a PhD in Biochemistry, and I was working in the chemistry department with dreams of going to medical school. We became regular Squash partners, and have been friendly since that time. He lives in Moraga, California, just east of Oakland, and has become an avid cyclist. He's the kind of guy who brings his own helmet, pedals, and cycling shoes on a trip. Of course I lent him one of my bikes and off we went on my local hilly ride. We ascended the usual suspects : Turkey Lane, Stillwell Road and Snake Hill Road. Although he is two years older than me he KICKED MY BUTT on all of them. The temperature rose to the upper 80's with plenty of humidity. The photo shows us at the beach in Huntington Harbor. Bob on the left and myself on the right. After arriving home we jumped in the pool and had a great barbeque. Riding with friends is one of the aspects of my lifelong involvement with cycling that I enjoy the most.

Continental Grand Prix 4 Season Tires...Initial Impressions

My conversion of a 1984 Pinarello from a geared to a fixed gear bike was fitted with Continental Ultra Gatorskin 700 x 25c tires borrowed from my carbon racing bike. As this bike's purpose is training in flat to rolling areas, and Century riding with climbing less than 2,500 feet, I thought that a different set of tires was called for. I wanted durability, cruisability, good road feel. Measuring very carefully with a ruler and set of allen wrenches ( nice trick to measure in difficult access areas ), I determined that the frame would take a 28c tire. After EXTENSIVE research, I decided on Continental Grand Prix 4 Season 700 x 28c tires. Wiggle UK had a good price, and they arrived two days ago. Mounting the tires was not too tough, as I was able to slip the Teutonic bead over the Mavic Open Sport wheel rim with thumb pressure only. Maybe the French and the Germans can get along after all.   The stated inflation pressure is 80psi, with a maximun of 115psi. Not being a 150lb racer nor a Clydesdale, I started off at 100psi. My test track was Caumsett State Historic Park, which has a 2.5 mile paved road with flats to rolling hills. For my 25 mile test ride I did 12 small hills ( less than 25 revolutions standing ), and three large hills ( 80 revolutions standing ). As it had recently thunderstormed, the sunny areas were dry and the shaded areas were wet. Perfect for a test run. On the road the tires felt very smooth, giving up only a hint of speed to the Gatorskins. Handling was good over dry, wet, and gravel strewn hard road surfaces. Best of all they were comfortable. The ride consisted of gentle cruising and hard hammering, so I got a pretty good feel for the tire's characteristics. Clearance to the chainstays, chainstay bridge, and brakes is adequate, although I might be wary of trying to put 30c tires on this frame. At the end of the ride I had no road shockitis. The combination of a larger tire and a steel frame/carbon fork made for a cozy, non fatigue experience. For all you naturalist animal lovers out there, I spent quite a while protecting a turtle from being squished by oncoming cyclists and joggers. I feel like a hero of the wilds ! I plan to do both the TFCE Century in Massachusetts, and the Sea Gull Century in Maryland before the season is done. These are flat to flattish 100 mile rides. Some cold day in December I will post a follow up long term report on these tires, and so complete my evaluation. Keep Riding.

Hydration

We are in the middle of a heat wave here on the East Coast, with multiple days in the 95 degree range. This is a great opportunity to talk about hydration during exercise. Of course, all of us have heard a lot about this topic from authoritative sources for years and years. My entry today concerns a hydration cocktail that is right for me, and how I arrived at this formula. Over a long span of time, my hydration experiments have varied from water to Gatorade, to various combinations. I now separate the electrolyte and carbohydrate portions, not being able to tolerate sports drinks from the gastrointestinal point of view. During the 2010 5 Boro Bike Tour, I was attracted to a tent from the people at ZICO coconut water, and was impressed with my results during that humid, 87 degree F ride. I have also been using NUUN electrolyte tabs, so I combined them. My current hydration formula is as follows : 7 oz ( 1/2 bottle ) Zico coconut water, one NUUN electrolyte tab, and H2O to fill my 24oz bike bottle. The carbs are usually handled by nut or other energy bars. I have found this combination palatable and efficient. If the ride is extended, I will add Endurolytes and/or Perpetuem, made by Hammer nutrition. No matter what anybody says, it is important to FIND YOUR OWN BEST FORMULA. From the health standpoint. be sure to always keep your bottles or hydration bladder clean.

A North Fork 70

After a week of 90+ degree weather with high humidity, things finally broke. On June 30, 2010, I had the day off from work. The temperature was going to be in the mid 70's F, and the humidity was low. Perfect for a ride on the North Fork of Long Island. I loaded up the Subaru with my Pinarello fixie, and headed for Mattituck , my starting point. This ride starts on Love Lane, the main street of Mattituck. It meanders on  little travelled side roads, among farms and the many vineyards of the North Fork of Long Island. When I reached Greenport, I decided to take the North Ferry to Shelter Island, a cyclist's paradise ( $5 RT for a passenger +bike ). Shelter Island is a new route for my fixed gear bike. My technique, leg strength, and mental attitude have improved since going fixed. There were lots of small hills, but my fixed gear bike was no handicap, and conquered them all in good style. On the way back, I stopped at Sang-Lee farm in Cutchogue, picking up organically grown baby squash, garlic scapes, baby Japanese turnips, and purple carrots destined for a stir fry. The vegetables fit well in my Carradice Pendle saddlebag...I'm just not a tiny seatpack type of guy. Adding Salmon and Hinewadel's famous potatoes on the grill made for a great post ride dinner. Washed down with Grimbergen Belgian ale, this was a fitting end to a great 70 mile day.