Of Roundels and Recovery

There's nothing quite like getting a trinket in the mail to commemorate past suffering, so I was very pleased to see the small telltale black envelope from London when I returned from vacation earlier this week. My roundel (this one in the form of a patch) brings me a warm feeling of pride and serves as a symbol of both the persistence and determination I brought to the #rapharising challenge.

After this concentrated bout of climbing, my rides have been of the recovery sort: decidedly flat and short. Two weeks on Block Island reunited me with some wonderful roads and delicious views. After returning, I immediately took off for a week of work based at the Emma Willard School in Troy, NY. The campus is straight out of Harry Potter and the surrounding countryside is pretty easy on the eyes as well. I nearly left the bike at home in my haste, but sure am glad I didn't. Starting each day with a concentrated ride just after dawn was another reminder to #alwaysbringthebike.

Rapha Rising: Mission Accomplished.

The Rapha Rising Challenge? Climb 7235 meters in eight days. Upload your rides to Strava.

Sunday, July 14 - Catskill Climbfest 200K
I began this week's challenge with a great solo ride through the Catskills. Unfortunately, Strava feet are not the same as Garmin feet or RideWithGPS feet (or so it seems) as I quickly realized that Strava "discounted' all of the climbing I did this week by at least 20%. This ride clocks in at 9,663 on my computer and Strava claims it's only 7,557. Hey, they're throwing the party so who's to argue? I guess I just need to climb a bit more.

Monday, July 15 - Carney-Popletown Loop
Right out the backdoor, I was able to enjoy 2095 feet of climbing over 19.7 miles. Yum!

Tuesday, July 16 - Catskills Loop
I had to meet with a colleague who lives up by Haine's Falls, right off one of my favorite Catskill climbs, so I decided to drive to Woodstock and ride to her house in the morning and back to the car in the afternoon. The result? 48.3 miles of riding with 3661 feet of climbing (and some pretty spectacular views).

Wednesday, July 17 - Short Afternoon Ride
More hills, nothing fancy. Only an hour and a half to spare.

Thursday, July 18 - Mohonk-Mountain-Carney-Popletown Loop
This afternoon, I strung four of my favorite climbs together for 3,767 feet of vertical over 38 miles. That's 100 feet per mile, folks.

Friday, July 19 - Carney-Popletown Double Cross
At this point in the week, I was reduced to looking for maximum feet vertical for every mile ridden. Luckily, I have two big hills just a few miles from home, so I could get 2100 feet of climbing over the course of 15 miles.

Saturday, July 20 - Pre-Bat Mitzvh Double Cross
Same ride as Friday, but I just squeezed it in early in the morning.

Sunday, July 21 - Minnewaska-Mohonk Loop AND the Popletown Quadruple Bypass
I started the day with a nice ride with an old riding buddy. We met up at his house and took in a favorite loop over the Shawangunk Ridge via 44/55 and Mountain Rest Road. This morning's ride pushed me over the top, but I had a slice of time between yard work and dinner and knew that one more Popletown crossing (this time a Quadruple Bypass) would push me just a few more spaces up the leaderboard.

The final result? Mission accomplished. 26, 246 feet of climbing in 8 days. The prize? A patch, that may or may not even show up in my mailbox. The best outcome? I think that this training overload really did improved my climbing fitness a bit. I also think I'll take tomorrow off.

Catskill Climbfest 208K (Rapha Rising Edition)

When I first heard about Strava's Rapha Rising Challenge, I immediately thought of the Catskill Climbfest, my favorite local 200K permanent. It's a route that's packed with climbing and peaceful mountain roads, many of which are shaded and cooled by mountain springs and waterfalls. To commemorate the climbing done this week by ProTour riders in the TdF, Strava and Rapha have teamed up to challenge hacks like us to amass 7235 meters (or 23,736 feet) of climbing between July 14 and July 21.

There's pretty much water everywhere in the Catskills. In fact, the majority of NYC's drinking water is pumped down from reservoirs like the Ashokan here. Roads often ride alongside rivers or creeks that have cut through the mountains over thousands of years to make "cloves" and valleys. 

This section of road through Peekamoose Valley is shielded from sun on both sides by mountains and further cooled by a spring-fed river and countless waterfalls. Every so often, I was treated to a gust of cool air as if walking into an air conditioned room.

It's a wonder what water has done to shape the Catskills.

In fact, today, I was forced into a pedestrian detour as road crews had completely demolished a section of road compromised and degraded by Hurricane Irene. That's right, Irene, not Sandy. This road has been down to one lane since August 2011.

All told, it was a slow but steady solo ride. I was finished in 9-1/2 hours with 129 miles and lunch in the bank. Most importantly, I logged 2303 meters (7555 feet) of climbing towards my weekly total. As riders upload their activity, I've dropped to 1025th place. Now, I thought I had a pretty good start, but it looks like I need to get out there for some more climbing tomorrow!

Just Another Medium Training Ride

It's strange, but lately I've been forgetting about the good old "medium" training ride. Seems like I'm either heading out for shorter 1-2 hour rides or spending the whole day in the saddle. Missing have been the glorious half day rides that make you feel good to be alive. Last weekend, it was a trip down from the Catskill High Peaks and today it was a 70-mile loop that took me over the Shawangunk Ridge to the far side of Ulster County where, if the bumper stickers on the pick-up trucks are an accurate measure, quite a few people are none to happy with our President. Politics aside, the climbing was robust and the views were sublime. 

The Shawangunks always remind me places I've been out West.  

This guy brought a smile to my face.

My favorite local "S" curve is now paved in black gold.

Riding the Long Way Home

After a whirlwind week of transition into my new job that involved several school visits on Long Island and a three-day residential conference, I was more rundown than expected and in no shape to compete a hilly 400K in rural Vermont. That I was able to turn back is a small indication that I may actually be learning from past experience. As a result, I was able to join my wife and son in the Catskills where we helped grandma with a gallery opening. Today I decided to take the long way home rather than drive to make up for lost time riding this weekend. The first few hours were dry, but the latter half was filled with rain. While the gradual downhill tilt certainly helped, today's 70 miles were some of the best I've ridden all year. The majestic views didn't hurt either.

Did you hear the fabulous NPR story on randonneuring this weekend? If not, give it a listen. It's only 5 minutes long and you get to hear interviews with both RUSA President Mike Dayton and Bicycle Quarterly's Jan Heine. What are you waiting for?

Up next: a local 200K.

The Shifting Sands of the Randonneuring Calendar

Getting long-distance cycling events on the calendar is always a remarkably complex task when you have (at least) one full-time job and a family with children living at home, but this spring has been more hectic than most. In fact, I'm quite sure it's been my busiest spring ever. The months of April and May are always a blur when you work in a school and as a principal the events really tend to compound at the end of year. Since I'll be starting a new job in July, the past few months have been especially busy as I work to get up to speed with the demands of my new position. Add to this the leadership program I run and the key role I play in my wife's end-of-year dance concert and you'll understand why my head has been spinning more than my wheels.

This year, scheduling the 400K has been a particular challenge. All possible weekends for easily accessible rides were ruled out early on by either family or work commitments so I widened my search radius. I had hoped to get up to ride in the Central NY 400K again this year. It was a bunch of fun in 2012, with gorgeous views from smooth, low-traffic roads throughout the Finger Lakes. At the last minute, though, I had to pull out to take care of a few family needs. While I was able to squeeze in a nice 200K last Sunday, I still need to find a place for this 250-mile piece of the puzzle.

Through a complex set of negotiations, it looks as though I'll be able to ride in the VT 400K at the end of the month. I had originally written this one off, since I'll be away from home for the three preceding days at a residential conference. When I pointed out to my wife that swapping an early September 400K with this one would provide us with another weekend at the beach she was more than happy to embrace the plan. It was one of those rare win-win family calendar negotiations where everyone leaves the conversation feeling as though they've had gained something special.

So I'm off to New England at the end of the month. I've yet to ride one of the VT events, but I've heard nothing but good things. Time to get these climbing legs in shape!

Up next: VT 400K on June 29.

The Catskill Climbfest 200K Permanent: Last Minute Edition

I was all lined up to ride the Central NY 400K this weekend when life got in the way. At the last minute, I came to my senses and realized that a 10 hour round trip to ride in an 18 hour event was going to set me back too far on both the home and work fronts to justify the fun I'd have on the route. While nursing my disappointment, I got an email from Doug who was hoping to scare up interest in a Sunday ride. Andrey quickly chimed in that a tour through the Catskills would hit the spot so I jumped at the opportunity to get the band back together.

After some seriously wet weather this week, the skies cleared to reveal near-perfect conditions for a ride through the mountains. It was one of those days we dream about while fighting off the frigid conditions of winter.

It's been awhile since Doug and Andrey and I took on the Catskills as a group and I was as impressed by their enhanced fitness as I was disappointed with my own sorry shape. Since the hills are likely not any steeper, a more plausible explanation is the utter lack of serious riding I've done this spring.

An added treat for riders of the Catskill Climbfest are the many waterfalls along the route. Depending on the season and the water levels, these can be either roaring torrents or humble dribbles. Luckily, the recent rains created rather dramatic conditions this weekend.

One of these days, I may actually walk up to investigate the famed Kaaterskill Falls, the tailhead of which we pass on our climb up Route 23A to Tannersville. For now, it's just provides a little shaded relief and a photo op on the first of our two mammoth climbs of the day.

Another treat we discovered deep in the high valley behind Peekamoose Mountain was a pool of submerged ferns that looked like something out of the movie Avatar. The deepness of the green and the clarity of the water glistening in the afternoon light was almost intoxicating. So while I was not able to bag my 400K this weekend, I did have a great time riding in my own backyard with two good friends on a nearly perfect day.

Up Next: The Boston 600K on July 20-21.

Bike to Work: No Better Way to Start (or End) the Day

There are so many reasons to love the month of May and riding a bicycle is at the heart of quite a few of them. National Bike Month reminds us to pause to celebrate and spread the joy of cycling near and far. This May has also marked my daughter's entry into the world of driving, which has freed me up to ride to work with greater frequency without the need to pawn my kids off on someone else to ensure that they get to school. On Friday, I packed my pannier and suited up to join thousands of riders from around the country on National Bike-to-Work Day.

My trusty commuter complete with coffee mug and Ortlieb Office pannier.

One of the wineries I pass on my ride to work.

The Hudson Valley Rail Trail is always a treat.

The view from the Walkway Over the Hudson never gets old.

Since I live about 15 miles from work, the commute presents a great way to begin and end just about any day. Starting on July 1, though, my work and school worlds will change radically. After working in schools as a teacher and administrator for the past 25 years, I'll be leaving campus life to take up a new position as the Associate Director of the New York State Association of Independent Schools. In this role I'll be responsible for overseeing the accreditation of private schools throughout the state. While I'll spend time on the road visiting schools from the tip of Long Island to the far reaches of Buffalo (and all points in between), one of the best features of the job is that . . . (wait for it) . . . I'll be working from a home office.

This new position has the potential to have a profound impact on my cycling life. While working in schools provides more flexibility than most jobs, I'll now be even freer to pop out for a ride when the spirit moves me. Since I've solved plenty of sticky problems and devised some winning plans on two wheels over the years, I'm optimistic that the arrangement will work out beautifully. Not only will this flexibility help with ride frequency, but with a few larger panniers I may just be able to visit schools by bike as well. Think: Johnny Appleseed.

Up Next: The Central NY 400K.