September Cycling - Spectacular!

A record-setting month of road riding results from great weather and many group riding opportunities. September weekend schedules are full of multiple choice opportunities that Donna and I take advantage of.

After the Mohawk-Hudson Cycling Club (MHCC) century ride brings in the month, there are many other longer-distanced and hilly rides on the club schedule. With the great weather it is sometimes hard to commit to just one. Bash-Bish Falls and the Sacandaga Reservoir rides on consecutive weekends were challenging 60+ mile hilly rides done at an 18+ MPH pace. We revisited the Alternate Plan B ride up in the Adirondacks with a smaller group and at a slightly slower pace and Donna was able to see what a great ride it is.

Crossing Stewart's Dam --->

Donna and I did our own rides too. The Cambridge Valley Cycling Club (CVC) had it's Fall Foliage rides, followed by the Tour de Farm - a tour of local farms that have sold development rights to ASA, a farmland preservation group. We did these rides from home, on our own schedule and following our own route. On Saturday we did a hilly 50 mile course that hooked us up with three guys that were on the last 10 miles of their century. On Sunday we did a 35-miler from home that was even hillier, making the start and first stop at Ziehm's dairy farm, and then returning home. We drove back to Cambridge to check in and eat some good food.

Donna headed for home -->

All-in-all, I logged 475 miles on the road, a record for September. At the same time I am having my shoulder (the one that I separated on my first century in 2000 and re-injured on a July hike off of Big Slide Mountainn) worked on by an Active Release Technique (ART) chiropractor. So far - so good, but painful to get started breaking up old scar tissue and adhesions.

If this weather holds up, October can be just as good as September for all kinds of riding. I will likely head into the woods for more Mountain Biking now. In fact, tomorrow Donna and I are headed to Millstonehill Inn, a Lodge in the middle of 30 miles of single track built on the old granite quarries near Barre, VT, for a two-day get away.

Soggy But Successful Century

Dry, hot and humid weather turns to cool and rainy just in time for my annual 100-miler club ride. The first weekend after Labor Day is the traditional scheduled time for the Mohawk-Hudson Cycling Club (MHCC) century rides. This year marked my sixth MHCC century since taking up cycling in 1999, and in total 9.5 Century Rides have provided some memorable cycling experiences.

My first 100-plus mile bike ride, or Century Ride, was in 2000, the day after my mother married Jim. I had just lost about 45 pounds from dieting mostly and had limited group cycling experience. My red FujiClub 12-speed bike had carried me many solo miles and I felt I was up to the challenge having logged the miles on our hilly roads. The day of the event was perfect weather-wise and I was caught up in the excitement of being in a group of over 100 riders all starting out on a day of adventure. As a result I found myself in the lead pack for the first ten miles as we curved around Saratoga Lake early in the morning. I was psyched to be up front with all those others trailing behind me. Soon the road started to kick up and the climbing started. I soon realized that the lead pack group was just soft-pedaling and chatting, and now the real riding started. Quickly I was all alone. I turned over the pedals at my own pace for awhile before a couple caught me from behind. We rode together the rest of the day. Unfortunately, at mile 65, as the women veered away from some gravel, I clipped her rear wheel and I went down over my handlebar hard. I had some deep cuts and a separated shoulder. But, the adrenalin was still working and I gutted it out until the end. We rolled across the finish line together. Donna and Alix had me at the Emergency Room getting stitches and x-rays before the day was over.

The initial century was, fortunately for me, the most eventful one. However, over the years I have had other things happen on the 100-milers that are worth noting. On one MHCC Century I again was stuck between the lead pack and the chase pack all alone. Probably due to hypoxia or just not paying attention, I made a wrong turn and became lost off the course. I wound-up doing an extra eight miles and had to stop at a Stewart's to get water. Another MHCC had me involved in a mass crash as the lead pack started to accelerate. The rider in back of me clipped my wheel as I had to brake for the rider in front of me. He went down and took about five others with him. He broke some ribs and was taken to the hospital. It was sickening to hear all those bikes go down in back of me. On a Tour de Cure Century ride Art G and I were having fun in the lead pack until a severe thunderstorm forced the event to be canceled when we were at the 50-mile mark. They trucked us and our bikes back to a school and Donna came and rescued me.

I have managed to do some century rides very well. In one Tour de Cure I got there late so started 10 minutes behind everyone, but managed to chase down all but three riders in the first 10 miles. I was in really good shape from training for the Tupper Lake Half Ironman that year, which would follow the century in three weeks. By the half way mark I had caught all but one rider and he finished just a few minutes ahead of me. On another MHCC ride I got in with a good group that pace-lined well and averaged over 20 MPH.

Recently, I have not had good luck in these century rides. I have eaten poorly or had back luck in choice of foods. You are taught, or soon learn, to not try new foods or drinks during events - experiment with them during training. Well, I ignored this common sense one year by trying some new energy drink they were handing out at the 50-mile rest stop and soon had an allergic reaction to it. Needless to say, I death-marched that one home. And just last year, at the 20-mile to go mark, I had severe muscle cramps and had to really go slow and stop to get it done.

So, this year I was determined to have a good century ride. The weather has been very hot and humid and dry. So, when I awoke to find it raining and 60 degrees, I was almost glad. I felt I could do better in the cooler conditions. The MHCC rides are held both Saturday and Sunday, so you can choose which day to go, or do both. On Saturday, a hot and humid day, they had 126 century riders. On Sunday, the day I chose, we had 12 riders! Not everyone likes to ride in the rain. Of the 12 riders about six of us formed a lead pack. One rider was out in front on aerobars and he dropped us at about the 35-mile mark, never to be seen again! The rain was steady until about 45 miles - when it poured. We made it to the 50-mile mark and dried off some, but it was in vain. Even if the rain stopped coming down, the rooster tails off the tires sprayed you anyway.

We were down to six riders in our pack and then we caught some other riders doing the metric century course (62 miles). When that course split off again we lost three of our century riders as they were too cold to go the distance. So it was down to myself, Brian - a terrifically strong rider who did the century yesterday, and Jim, a young racer on a cyclocross bike. We stopped at 82 miles to fill up the water bottles and Jim was shivering, so I knew he would be in trouble before the end. Brian and I were in good shape. I passed the spot where muscle cramps forced me off the bike last year and just whizzed on by feeling pretty good about myself. Jim dropped off towards the end but finished just a few minutes behind Brian and I. Good weather, smarter pacing, nutrition and better training paid off with a good strong ride for the distance this year. We averaged 18.5 MPH, which considering we could not ride on each others' wheel for fear of drowning in the spray, was pretty good.

There is another, more hilly, century being run right past our house at the end of the month by Cambridge Valley Cycling. I may be up to do that one this year as well.

August Outings and Work Schedule - the good and bad of summer ridn

A classic Adirondack road ride with MHCC, vacation time with Donna and night time trail rides balance off long work week that leaves me too weary to ride as much as I want on the weekend.

The 'Teddy' ride is short for Teddy Roosevelt, and is what we call the 80-mile, 6000-foot of elevation ride 'around the block' from North Creek to Blue Mountain Lake to Long Lake and back through Newcomb and Minerva - four right-hand turns, two roads. TR made the trip when he was VP and then had to high-tail it back to Washington DC when McKinney was shot. The first 13 miles are all up hill, followed by Adirondack rollers, and the 8 miles from the last stop in Minerva are all down hill. It was good to get back to doing a ride that would challenge me in length and intensity. While the Teddy ride is listed as 'tour-paced' it is really done more quickly than that. This year we averaged a little over 18 MPH. I have seriously bonked on this ride in the past having eaten bad Combos (pretzel/cheese snacks that I now avoid like the plaque) at the Long Lake Stewart's. I have also seen other good riders bonk on the ride, and this year was no exception. It is easy to start off hard thinking all the climbing is in the beginning and then not have enough in the tank to finish off the ride. That is the case especially for me. I always start fast and hard and then hang on to finish. But, I have learned to overcome this natural tendency, especially on the Teddy Ride.

We had a good group of 16 riders at the start. Two decided to turn back at Blue Mountain Lake, which is the last chance to go back without going all the way. We spread out pretty thin as everyone finds their own pace on the long climb to Indian Lake. After a quick re-group at the Stewart's, it is off to Blue Mountain Lake where we are supposed to regroup again and then climb up the shoulder of Blue Mountain and ride the rollers to Long Lake. The weather is perfect with little wind and crystal clear blue skies. I stopped at Blue Mountain Lake, but only Bruce and Skip and a couple of others did, the riders ahead went through and the riders behind were way behind.

Bruce and I stayed together and worked together all the way to Long Lake. I like this stretch of the road the best. The rest stop at Long Lake is an extended lunch stop. I now eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a cup of coffee instead of the dreaded combos. The protein and fat and caffeine get me through to the end as long as I take in some GU around an hour after we start again. Another traditional stop is at the Newcomb gazebo overlooking many high peaks. I could see Algonquin and it is fun to know that I hiked to that high peak. I try not to think about the knee pain associated with the hike. One last stop at a shade tree along the road in Minerva and we wait for the ones that are struggling. The one bonker this year is a young rider just starting out, same as last year. Both are in excellent shape, just need to learn the art of fueling and portioning out their energy, which comes with experience. The last stretch from Minerva to North Creek is a blast. All the rollers have longer downhills than uphills and the momentum carries you over the rise each time. I wind up leading the pack home again on this stretch with a good pace - not too fast so we stay all together and not too slow to enjoy the roller coaster effect. We get into the park and chow down on Hand melons I brought thanks to Alix and other goodies. Another great Teddy Ride!

Donna and I took vacation time but did not plan any trips. With dogs and Alix it is a chore to get away. So, we just planned to ride from home or take short trips and then ride. We did both. Our short trip was to Schroon Lake where we rode the 26-mile road around the lake -- the same route they run a marathon on in the fall. Starting at the southern boat ramp we worked our way clockwise around the lake. The start up the west side was on busy Route 9, so it was not that great. But when we made the turn over the top of the lake, the road became very interesting. Sharp steep hills and curves were the order of the day as we made our way all the way back to the start. Lots of steep driveways down to interesting waterfront homes. Donna and I were both getting pretty tired on this short ride, so we knew the hills were taking a toll. Also, I looked at my thermometer on my bike computer and it read 98-degrees! So, that was certainly a factor as well. We drove to the Country Store in the village of Adirondack and bought and inhaled some turkey sandwiches and then drove to a state park and swam and slept - a great day!

The time off was good to do these rides and to rest. However, work had to start again too soon. And the schedule and miles made it hard to get in good riding during the work week. This week was so bad that the riding I had planned for Saturday, a Bruce ride or the Mountain Biking Festival at Grafton, both were left unattended as I rested and caught up on paper work. During the week I did manage to get in a road ride with Donna after working out in central NY on Wednesday and a night ride on the home trails after a long day in Connecticut, so it was not a total flop of an August good weather week. Tomorrow we have a ride planned where we meet the steamship Mohican in Lake George, drop of a change of clothes and lunch on the boat and then ride the 40 miles up to Ticonderoga where we will board the boat and cruise home. Should be fun.