The indoor season finally ends . . .

And so the indoor season comes to a close, not with a bang, but with a whimper. In true form, March came in like a lion and is certainly going out like a lamb. With a forecast for temps in the mid to upper 70s for the rest of the week, I will certainly not be found grinding away on my trainer. Coincidentally, today marks the official end of the UMCA Indoor Challenge and to celebrate, I logged in a final two hour session.

Well, it's only March and I've already failed to meet one of my 2010 cycling goals. Back in December,a top ten finish looked not only attainable, but also like a nice motivator to increase my base training miles. As it turns out, it was the latter but not the former. Here's what my results look like over the past two years. I actually placed lower with four times the number of hours on the trainer,  five times the number of sessions and almost three times the number of points. Oh, well.

2010: 17th place, 146 points, 87 hours, 28 sessions
2009: 16th place, 52 points, 22 hours, 5 sessions

Like with most competitions, success has a whole lot to do with who shows up. This was a competitive year as one can see by comparing a 10th place finish over the past five years:

2010 = 335 points
2009 = 189 points
2008 = 112 points
2007 = 224 points
2006 = 277 points

The funny thing is that I feel very much like a winner even though I didn't meet my goal. Could I have ridden more? Sure. Could I have added several long sessions to amass additional points. Of course; but at what cost? As it was, I logged 87 hours of training this winter safe from icy, dark roads. My legs feel great and I enter the spring with my most significant base yet. I look forward to seeing how the local hammer fest feels on Saturday morning. My first brevet is scheduled for April 10. Time for a little speed work.

Catskill Climbfest 200K: Vernal Equinox Edition

What better way to celebrate the vernal equinox than a ride with friends through the wild Catskill Mountians complete with raging waterfalls bursting with chilly snow melt and marshes filled with spring peepers? The Catskill Climbfest 200K permanent is not for the faint of heart nor the weak of quad. With over 11,000 feet of climbing, it's usually something to work up to a bit later in the season, but with all this planning and indoor training, I was just itching to get out onto the open roads. Sadly, a few of the regulars were not able to join our merry band. Between work, family obligations and storm clean-up, we were down to six riders, but six is a good number and the energy at the start was great.

I arrived at the parking lot to the heartwarming sight of bikes leaning against a convenience store wall in the pre-dawn light. Brian, Andrey, Gene, Stuart and Bob were in good spirits and eager to begin. After taking care of paperwork and getting our stamps at the first control, we were off. The six of us rode together on the gentle climb from Rosendale up through the woods to the vast Ashokan; source of much of New York City's water supply. Looking out across the majestic reservoir on this clear morning, we can see many of the high Catskill peaks we will be climbing later in the day. While the route skirts the heart of Woodstock, the mellow vibe permeates the surrounding area. We soon pass Stuart's house and he laments not requesting a full English breakfast cooked up by his wife as we make our way to the third control where we order coffee and muffins. On second thought, he reasons, that would likely not have gone over all that well.

The third control sits at the base of the first substantial climb of the day. It was wonderful to see that the new owners, a lovely south Asian couple, has made the radical move to open the bathroom to customers and remove the iconic port-o-john from the parking lot out front. Of course, this means I won't be able to read the latest racist creed written on the walls with fat black marker, but I guess I'll get over it.

After taking leaving the control, we settle into a 4-mile stretch at a solid 8-10% pitch which spreads the group out a bit, but we stop to take pictures at the historic (and swollen) Katerskill Falls along the way. We regroup by the falls and watch incredulously as a pair of dads with young kids passes by the "Warning: Hazardous Gorge Area, Sheer Cliffs, Swift Water, Slippery Footing" signs without looking or even slowing down. This seemed like something "mom" might not approve of, but - hey who's to judge?

We more or less ride together until mile 60 where we pull off at a small parking area to relieve ourselves and remove a few outer layers. By this time, the warm sun is high overhead and with the steady 3-8% grade ahead for the next 15 miles we realize that the extra layers are unnecessary. About 2 miles up the road, Andrey and Brian and I take the left and begin the long climb up Slide Mountain.

After the climb's last nasty pitch, the road more or less flattens out for a lovely 10 mile stretch through Frost Valley. Andrey and I hang together for the ride through the valley and arrive at the deli with rather substantial appetites around 3:30 in the afternoon. I am pleased to discover that the chicken salad is fresh and ready for me. The rest of the gang rolls in as we finish our sandwiches. Looking at the clock, I realize that if I am going to make it home by "dinnertime" as I told my wife I would, I need to bring the hammer down. I say goodbye to my friends and roll on out hoping to make it home before dinner hits the table. Along the way, I pass rolling fields and about a dozen raging waterfalls in the Peekamouse Valley. The ride down Peekamouse Mountain to the Ashokan Reservoir is sweet as always, but the loose gravel, strewn on the roads during countless winter snowstorms, makes the descent a bit more dicey than usual.

This sign makes me realize that I really should remind permanent riders who want to buy firearms that they need to call ahead for an appointment. The final descent to Rosendale is a joy and underscores how lovely it is to get out onto the open roads after a long winter. As I return to this lower altitude, a chorus of peepers announces the arrival of spring and a full season of outdoor rides ahead. Life is good.

Form, function AND fashion: the NY Times trainer review

Well, I suppose the "Fashion & Style" section of the NY Times is about the last place I'd think to look for gear advice, but mom sent me a link to a review of indoor trainers this week so I took a peek to see what's hot these days. I was happy to discover that the 26 year-old "amateur triathlete" gave my trainer top honors.  My Cycle-Ops Fluid II trainer is a few generations behind the current model, but the design hasn't changed much in the past few years.

What the review does not discuss is the wonderful customer service I've come to expect from Saris Cycles, the company that manufactures Cycle-Ops trainers. This was reaffirmed for me again recently when I called to report that my trainer had sprung a slight leak in the "fluid" department. By the time I finished explaining the problem, a new cylinder was in a box on its way to my doorstep. Within a week, I had swapped out the old drum, sent it back and was rolling like new. All for the price of return shipping. That's some warranty! The only trouble is with all the new pressure in the drum, my revitalized trainer is about one gear harder to pedal!

I enjoyed a 30-mile loop on my single speed today and, good trainer or not, it was great to get out on the open roads. Next Sunday it's the Catskill Climbfest 200K permanent and I can't wait!

2010 Goals 2.0

It all seemed so simple back in December when I laid out my goals for the 2010 season. Problem is: a few things have happened along the way to change my plans. Most notably, the ACP in Paris issued their 2011 PBP brochure complete with pre-registration details. As anticipated, they announced that preregistration priority will be granted to riders based on the distance of their longest single 2010 event. Those who complete a 1000K will be able to hop onto the registration line on April 3, 2011 while those with only a 600K under their belt will not be able to register until April 17, 2011, etc. The thought of hundreds of riders getting a two week jump on me makes me nuts, so a 1000K event this summer it is!

 

In early July, I’ll be riding in the Lap of the Lake 1000K which starts and ends in a small town near Rochester, NY. We’ll pass the Thousand Islands, the city of Toronto and Niagra Falls on our counter-clockwise spin around Lake Ontario. This self-supported brevet with two border crossings will build my endurance and test my logistical abilities and prepare me for PBP. It should also be a whole lot of fun.

Of course, this change has the knock-on effect of bumping a few other things around. Since I’ll be pedaling around the lake on the second weekend in July, I won’t be able to race in the Saratoga 12/24 as I had planned. In addition, we’ve recently firmed up family vacation plans which will have me out of the country during the weekend of Quadzilla. Ah well, easy come easy go. My primary goal for 2010 remains the same:  prepare in all ways for PBP 2011.

A Little Cross (country ski) Training

Since it's been a few years without any sizable snow accumulation in the Hudson Valley, I've basically put cross country skiing on the back burner despite how enjoyable I find it to be. But as I packed the car to visit my sister-in-law and her family in Maryland for Presidents' Day weekend, I opted for the skis over the bike. Based on the recent epic dump of snow they've received, I'm confident I made the right decision.

For each of the past two days, I've logged in 90 minutes of cross country skiing at a moderate aerobic pace. My family's house sits within a small suburban development in Montgomery County that backs up against a large public park filled with hiking and biking trails now bisected with snowmobile and ski paths.

This exercise in the crisp, clean air has been refreshing and the almost total lack of fellow human traffic has made my multiple falls mercifully less embarrassing than otherwise would be the case. If the pace of global warming slows enough for reasonable snow accumulation to again return to the Hudson Valley, I may actually buy a new pair of skis and learn how to do this the right way. The parallels to cycling are obvious and the benefits during the base training period are clear.

LEL Video: Climbing Yad Moss

LEL Yad Moss from Damon Peacock on Vimeo.

Following a link to some recently uploaded PBP videos on Vimeo, I stumbled across this short film of one of the most enjoyable days of my life. The climb up Yad Moss on the second day of London-Edinburgh-London this past summer was glorious. The clouds parted, the skies cleared and the climb itself was a gift that just kept giving. I can be seen at about 1m30s wearing the black Rapha jersey with white arm warmers. Shortly afterward, my pal Robin makes an appearance as well.  It's true what they say: after the pain fades away, only the joy remains. I'd go back in a heartbeat.

Book Review: Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne

Bicycle Diaries is not a book about randonneuring. Bicycle Diaries is not a book about ultra-cycling. Bicycle Diaries is not really even a book about cycling at all. Bicycle Diaries is a collection of essays by former Talking Heads front man David Byrne reflecting upon his travels around the globe and his observations of art and society in which the bicycle plays a principal role.

Byrne uses his bicycle as his primary means of transport through the streets of New York City. As a former Brooklynite myself, I instantly understand the appeal of urban cycling and miss seeing the city over the handlebars of my red 3-speed British racer. There’s nothing quite like approaching Lower Manhattan over the Brooklyn Bridge. It really IS the best and fastest way to get around New York and it’s great to see all the improvements made over the past ten years to make cycling a safer and more acceptable alternative to subway, bus, cab and car.

Anyone looking for an in-depth analysis of the politics of urban transportation will likely be disappointed by this book. While Byrne’s interests and political inclinations parallel the recent rise of urban cycling in this country, he does not claim to be an activist or urban planning insider. He does include some cool images of his playful bike rack designs, though. His essays on American cities are juxtaposed against essays on other cities around the world. In Copenhagen, Berlin and Amsterdam, cyclists are welcome as part of the mainstream whereas in New York and other US cities, we are only now seeing efforts to undo decisions made made by urban planners long ago in favor of cars. His cross-cultural analysis supports his claim that we have cut off possibilities for ourselves through decisions made in the service to the car. He writes:

As a cyclist or pedestrian, it makes one feel unwanted, like an interloper, and you end up sort of pissed off. Needless to say, riding on an expressway is no fun. There’s nothing romantic about it either – you’re not a cool outlaw, you’re simply somewhere you don’t belong.

The real beauty of Bryne’s rambling tales, though, may be the window they provide us into the worldview of an artist. Byrne often drags a bike along with him to explore the cities he visits in Europe, Asia, Latin America as well as the United States between performing engagements. His essays remind us that the world seen from the seat of a bicycle is different from the one we see shut off by a car windshield in so many ways. 

I enjoyed this book quite a lot. It reminds me that the world is not always as it seems. As cyclists, we have the opportunity to experience a different world; the common can be quite uncommon, whether that means the smell of a wooded grove at 2:00 am or the feeling of a gentle rain on your face at dawn. The blank stare you get when you tell someone you just finished a 24-hour ride through the mountains makes you want to utter “You just had to be there.” Byrne's essays reveal an artist-cyclist's parallel world in action. Readers interested in cycle commuting, urban planning or a behind-the-scenes view of the life of a major pop star should enjoy it. It is another reminder to stop and smell the roses.

Why I love indoor riding . . .

Call me crazy, but I actually enjoy indoor riding. When the thermometer dips below freezing, the skies darken at 4:30, the shoulders become clogged with ice and that nasty white film of salt covers the land, I move indoors to turn those cranks. Sure I prefer riding outdoors. Like others, I plan to log thousands of miles through wet, windy, dark and unfamiliar roads this year. It's not that I can't stand pain and suffering. So what is it about winter that sends me indoors?

The top 15 reasons I like to train indoors:

1. No bulky clothes.
2. No traffic.
3. It's safe to ride at all hours.
4. No need for lights.
5. No spare tubes.
6. No frozen fingers.
7. No frozen toes.
8. No frozen water bottles.
9. No flats!
10. Ride for 6 hours without having to stop to warm up.
11. Train without muscles freezing up.
12. Improve form and cadence.
13. Listen to loud music.
14. It's warm!
15. When I'm done with a workout, I feel great.
    

The good news is that with the right preparation, even long indoor rides need not be boring. Distraction is key to working through tough peiods on the bike: both indoors and out. It's one reason why riding with friends can make a dreadful stretch of road or weather more bearable. This year, I've been using two new DVDs from the Spinervals "On the Road" series: the Lake Placid Training Ride and the Madison, Wisconsin Training Ride to structure my work outs. These DVDs last three hours each and don't require any special equipment other than a laptop or TV/DVD. Coach Troy Jacobson provides gear advice, a countdown clock and motivating commentary throughout as we watch him pedal his way through these two Ironman bike courses. It's even possible to turn off the music track to listen to tunes of your own choosing. The Spinervals "Hardcore 100" is my DVD of choice for 6 hour "century" rides. Streaming films through Netflix works pretty well, too, but you need to be mindful of mixing the gears up a bit and not just spinning aimlessly.

In the northeast, it's virtually impossible for a person with a full-time job to get in enough base miles without some serious indoor work. This season, I've been trying to fit in both a long mid-week ride of 3+ hours and a long weekend ride of 4-6+ hours in addition to a few shorter 1-2 hour interval sessions each week. If weather permits, as it did today, I may be able to replace a shorter session with a commute to work.

RoadBikeRider.com sent out a special indoor cycling issue this week. One author compared indoor riding (or the "Tour de Rec Room" as he put it) to Elizabeth Kubler-Ross's five stages of grief. You know, denial, anger, bargaining, depression and ultimately acceptance. You can view that here if you do not already receive these free weekly updates. This is the second year I'm participating in this five month UMCA Indoor Challenge.  The mileage competition is free and open to all UMCA members. I'm shooting for a top 10 finish this year.

In ultra cycling it's important to push through pain, discomfort and boredom. Why should winter training be any different? I'm surprised by how many randonneurs scoff at indoor riding. If you have a hard time imagining being on the trainer for more that an hour, find a good video, crank some great tunes and give it another try.