A Ride on the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail

This past weekend, Helen, Nina, and I went up to New Paltz, New York, to attend the wedding of our dear friends Jon and Amity. I also took the opportunity to take a ride on the Walkill Valley Rail Trail. The folks at Bicycle Depot pointed me several steps from their door, which is the junction of town and trail.

I got up early the next day and was at the door of the Main Street Bistro at the opening time of 7AM on weekends. They made me a wonderful omlette on eggs, sausage, broccoli, mushrooms, and cheddar cheese which was served it the skillet. Nothing like a great breakfast on a brisk morning to start a rail trail ride!

The Walkill Rail Trail runs from the hamlet og Gardiner north through New Paltz, and at least up to the town of Rosendale. The Southern section is mostly gravel and a bit rough, but the Northern portion is mostly smooth dirt with some gravel and is much more scenic and hospitible terrain. My Jamis cyclocross bike was shod with its usual Ritchey Speedmax 700x32c tires, inflated ti 55psi front and 60psi rear. This inflation/tire combination was perfect for the conditions encountered.

I met several walkers/runners/cyclists along the trail, but it was mostly wide open with no sense of crowding. It was peak apple season in the Hudson Valley region, and lots of orchards were encountered along the way. I was VERY tempted to do some unauthorized picking, but my sense of honesty prevailed. By the way, apples have a low glycemic index of 38, and are an excellent snack anytime.

In the southern part of the trail,there were some open scenic spaces, although the route is mostly wooded. There are no hills to speak of, and the trail is basically flat and easy to ride. One must be cognizant of the deer population, and awareness is important, but paranoia is not.

All in all, my 33 mile ride was an excellent morning jaunt. The trail, bike and myself were in synchronization. Although this ride is not difficult or overly long, it is extremely pleasurable and scenic. As the days bcome colder and mud season is upon us, more trail riding will replace speed on the road. I enjoy the physical transformations that the seasons dictate, and am ready to take on the challenges and pleasures of the colder parts of the year.

It Would Have Been Enough...

Prior to my cardiac catherization, stent placement, and discovery of wildly out of control blood sugar, I had signed up for yet another yearly Ride to Montauk for June 1, 2013. While lying in a hospital bed at St. Francis Hospital, I always had faith that I would pull through in the short term. A large part of my life has been participation in some sort of strenuous physical activity. I wondered if I would be fit enough to do this 110 mile ride with 2,500 of my closest friends. Normally, such a ride would be routine, as I had accomplished century rides 51 times before, and five of them on my fixed gear bike ( one gear ).

Being on multiple medications including insulin, this ride posed a new and difficult challenge. My training and fitness was up to par, but the fear of chest pain and difficult glycemic control was scary to say the least. A low glycemic index energy bar at about every 20 miles has seemed to work for me. I packed a turkey wrap and a pickle in my Carradice saddlebag, and took my blood sugar testing kit and insulin pen. Helen insisted that I not do this ride on a fixed gear, and that I take my geared bike instead. I agreed and made the change at the last minute.

All in all, my planning worked very well. My blood sugars remained in the 90s range at the 50, 76, and 92 mile rest stops. I snacked on the cherries and strawberries provided at the rest stops by the organizers. Fortunately, both of these fruits have a low glycemic index and function well for the long distance rider.

The weather was sunny and cooperated all day. By the time we got out to Montauk Point, the temperature was about 70 degrees with a delightful SSW tailwind. Total mileage was 110.5. My physical recovery is now complete. It would have been enough just to ride any Century with my fellow riders. This Century was an important step for me, and marks my return to my previous level of activity. Perhaps my low glycemic index healthy diet and better awareness of my own medical status will enable new and bigger accomplishments in the future.

On the road to recovery, a Day of Fixed Gear Cycling

One month and six days after my cardiac catheterization, out of control blood sugar, and almost death, I am now regularly back in the saddle. I have not had any chest pain since my stent procedure, and my blood sugar is under very tight control. I credit my survival to a 75,000+ mile history of cycling. My current low glycemic index diet has gone a long way towards righting a very wrong situation. I was cautious at first, but am now almost up to speed in terms of duration and difficulty of my rides. I hope to be ready to complete the Ride to Montauk Century  ( 100 mile ride ) on June 1st.

For today's ride, I chose the excellent Lloyd Harbor peninsula, with its low traffic volume, varied terrain, and gorgeous scenery. It was also a great opportunity to test out the latest iteration of the platformed eggbeater pedals from the Crank Brothers, the Candy #3.

This pedal replaces the Candy SL. It is nominally 6 grams heavier, but replaces the Candy SL's composite body with a more durable stainless steel one. I found the pedals smooth when cruising, and stable while climbing the 16% grade Target Rock road on my 1984 Pinarello fixie. Doing this grade on a fixed gear was another step in my recovery. I want to do all that I could before and then some.

As for the continuing bike porn..Well, I was riding alone and I am such a sucker for that stuff. Spring is still in the air. Trees were in full blossom, and the buttercups were out in force.

All in all, it was a very nice ride and day. The scenery was enchanting, I got a good workout in, and the new pedals worked out great. My recovery is on schedule. My weekend plan is to do a 40 mile moderate to hilly ride with the club on Sunday, to get in a little paceline action.

Catastrophe and Opportunity

My Chinese friends tell me that in the Chinese language, the same word means both catastrophe and opportunity. Maybe this is also true in whatever curves that life throws at us. On April 7, 2013, I set out for my usual 25 mile standard training ride. I began to experience significant chest discomfort, and had to quit after about three miles of riding. To make a very long story very short, I visited a cardiologist friend the next day, who sent me directly to St. Francis hospital. While there, I had a cardiac catheterization and angiogram, which revealed a significant narrowing of a major cardiac artery. A stent was placed, and I am feeling fine at the present time. In addition, my blood sugar was wildly out of control, and needed medical intervention. I am now back on the bike and am slowly building up my stamina.

This past weekend we stayed in Montauk with close friends. Helen and I went on our standard ride from our host's house to Montauk Point. The air temperature was chilly, and the wind was from the East at about 15 MPH, but it was great to get out and ride. Our friend Scott accompanied us part of the way. It's the first time we have ever ridden with Scott in about a 30 year friendship. Along the way, we stopped in Montauk town for breakfast. I am on a self imposed low glycemic index diet, and eating in or out has presented me with a culinary challenge. Since April 8, I have not consumed white starch in any form. Maybe the silver lining is that my eating habits may be much healthier in the future, So far, so good.

As can be expected, at our midway point My daughter Nina called from Tel Aviv. We look forward to her mid July homecoming. Helen spent some time on the phone talking to her, so I got a good rest while enjoying the ocean view. Later on, we stopped at Ditch Plains to inspect the beach after the recent Hurricane damage. The beach has become much narrower, but some bold early spring surfers were out.

Maybe the opportunity here is that I now seek to control time and diet in a new way. When I can control time, my diet has been exemplary. If time controls me, than the situation deteriorates, and poor eating habits prevail. So far, I have done well and am back on the bike on a regular basis. My furthest ride has been 40 miles with no ill effects. I will go slowly in a cautious manner. Will I be able to do the 109 mile Ride to Montauk on June 1st? Stay tuned for more information.

Finally, Some Snow to Ski on!

It has been a while since I made  blog entry, but here's a late one. We were waiting for snow to cross country ski on for most of the winter. Our large storm in February brought 28 inches of snow to our area of Long Island. The day after Saturday's big snow, we went to Caumsett Park, our favorite park, for some skiing. The park is an ideal venue for winter sports due to its rolling hills and numerous wide trails. We skiied to Long Island Sound over good tracks. There are no machine made tracks in our area, so all cross country skiing is back country. I was happy to break trail, and my Rossignol 68mm width full metal edge skies were perfect for that purpose. Some people were even able to ski on the beach.

Helen gave a great showing, leading on the way back. Although conditions were blizzard like the day before, things had calmed down greatly, leaving us with milder temperatures, no wind, and brilliant sunlight. Of course, we met a lot of friendly folks along the trail, as is often common in the cross country skiing community. Long Island is no Wisconson, so we cherish the few good ski days that we get on a yearly basis.

Another Sea Gull Century: My 5th Fixed Gear Century

I again went down to the Delmarva Peninsula for my 7th Sea Gull Century ride. This is the third year in a row that I have completed this beautiful ride on my fixed gear bike, Miss Pinarello. Its flat nature is perfect for any type of bike, and tandems, recumbents, trikes, and almost any kind of human powered transportation will do. The most unusual bike that I encounterd was this:

It is called an Elipti-Go, and the woman who was riding it seemed to be having a great time. It is sort of a treadmill on wheels. She said that it doesn't climb well, but is a blast on flat roads.

Once again I chose the Snow Hill Century route, now for the third year. It does not go to the beach, but tends to be less crowded and more scenic. The less crowded aspect gains importance when you consider that this ride has about 8,000 participants.

So, why would one want to do a 100 mile ride on a fixed gear bike rather that having the advantage of a multiple gear machine? For me , there are many reasons. On a selected and non-hilly route, there seems to be a better connection between rider and bike. With my muscles, experience, and balance, the fixed gear bike simplifies things greatly. Superior modulation of muscular output and suppleness or " souplesse " via regular cadence can be achieved with practice. When coasting, repetitive lactic acid buildup over time can lead to a greater sense of fatigue over a longer distance. As there is no coasting on a fixed gear, lactic acid is constantly being diffused out of lower extremity musculature. Any way, it works for me and has been a rewarding discipline. I also got a chance to check out my new Tektro retro brake levers. They are comfortable, look retro-cool, and have a single release button that snaps back into place when the lever is depressed. This is a good feature for me, as I often forget to return the conventional slider to its original postion, and cannot reposition the calipers while riding.

As usual the Sea Gull Century staff and organizers had excellent rest stops, with live music, adequate bathrooms, and healthy snacks. I was looking forward to the pie, which is always served at the last rest stop. This stop is on the Nassawango river, and is quite scenic. The next day I visited Mom in Rockville, Maryland. She will be 92 soon, and is still quite sharp. Happy birthday Mom! No more organized rides are scheduled for this year. Winter riding will be coming soon. Sometimes ,I dream of snow.........................

A Late Summer Ride in Montauk

Summer was ending, the weekend was here, and it was time for our last ride to Montauk Point of the season. Our friend Michaela joined Helen and myself tackling the hills to the Point. This is one ride that I can't lay off of. As they say, it never gets old climbing to the Point, smelling the fresh sea air, and taking in the wonderful scenery.

On the way, we stopped at Camp Hero, the R&R location for Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders after they came back from Cuba in the Spanish American War. The area has lots of bluff views of the Atlantic Ocean, rocky and sandy beaches for walking, and lots of surfing for participation or spectating.

This ride is not the longest or most difficult that I do on a regular basis. The route follows the main road from town to the Point. On weekend afternoons it can become quite busy. Montauk is the type of place where one can say that nothing is there, but everything is there. I think that I will be doing this ride for as long time

We're sorry to see the end of the summer season of riding. Soon Fall will be here, extermity warmers and tights will come out of storage boxes, and cold weather riding will be upon us. I am looking forward to doing the Sea Gull Century on the eastern shore of Maryland on October 6th. It will be my 5th fixed gear century on Miss Pinarello. Hopefully this year we will not be fighting 25mph headwinds!