Two Down, None To Go!...And Some Ranting

I finally got my cyclocross bike this weekend. It's a Felt F1X. The LBS had to order it in so I have to wait a week or so to get it. The weather warmed up this weekend and I was actually able to take it out for a test ride before I bought it. It felt great. It was a lot more stretched out than my road bike but the bike shop took care of that with a few adjustments. I'm excited to get out and ride it some more.

After the weather was in the 40s and 50s this weekend, we had a 40 degree temperature swing from yesterday and it is now in the teens and blizzard like conditions outside. I'm not a sissy when it comes to the cold and am not against riding outside in it. I am however not a fan of wrecking, especially my new bike. Omaha ignores their bike paths when it comes to plowing them. There are patches of ice that cover the trail making it dangerous for anything other than walking. So I'll wait until it is safe outside to ride. Plus until daylight savings comes I can't ride after work and my weekends are booked solid.. Excuses, excuses, I know.

I've seen some other blogs talking about commuting to work in this type of weather. The problem I have is that Omaha is not commuter friendly. I've tried to look at different routes that I could take to get to work and all roads lead to no where. There is one possibility but in order for that to work the city has to finish a connector trail. That trail is not slated to be done until 2009, but since they did no work on it this year so it will probably be 2010 now.

The Dude

RAGBRAI or Bust

The big news of the weekend is that the RAGBRAI route was revealed. Missouri Valley will be the start this year which is just a country mile north of Omaha. I have never done RAGBRAI before and am looking forward to it. We have a few friends that are part of a team that have invited us to ride with them. The chaos will be overwhelming, but it will be an experience to remember. I'm familiar with the multi-day rides since I did BRAN last year. Although BRAN has a cap of 800 riders and RAGBRAI has over 8500 riders. So it will be challenge to deal with that many people. There are a lot of "crazies" that ride RAGBRAI and are not accustomed to the rules of the road. So riding defensively will be a must. I love people watching and from the pictures I've seen this will be an eyeful. After last years ride I went through the Des Moines Register's online pictures and was amazed at some of the people I saw.

The Dude

Cycling 2008

I'm really getting excited about some bike rides I'm doing this year. Last year I did a few days of BRAN and some charity rides and fun rides. This year I'm taking more of a social approach to cycling. I'm a pretty quiet guy so socializing is not one of my strong suits. When I have something in common with people I usually am pretty talkative. So as potential social cyclist I aim to create some new friendships and expand current ones. Nebraska is not known for its cycling. If you look online for bike rides you won't find more than a dozen rides. So this year I am crossing the river into Iowa. With the popularity of RAGBRAI, Iowa has become a very cycling friendly state. Iowa has a lot of paved rural roads with minimal traffic. It's the perfect setting for a Saturday training ride or a for an organized ride.
I am planning on doing the first few days of RAGBRAI, as well as some party rides, and charity rides. I will always do the charity rides because they are for good causes. The party rides are going to be a new thing for me. I have to admit, for someone that likes beer, I never liked the thought of mixing cycling and beer. I look at cycling as a way to loose weight. So to think about drinking and eating before, during, and or after is not something I can easily get through my head. It's like going to the gym to lift weights and bringing a cooler of beers or a bottle of tequila. It's just not the norm. This of course is coming from someone that has not experienced RAGBRAI and all it's drunken splendor. I had a chance to go with a team last year and turned it down because I didn't see the point. As I've aged I don't like to party like I used to and mixing it with any exercise usually doesn't turn out well. I did a fun ride last year (42 miles with hills) hung over with about 5 hours sleep. It was not pretty. About 3 miles into it I had to find a porta pot to drop a deuce. Then the hangover hung over me like a ton of bricks. So that was probably the worst ride I've ever done. So to think about drinking and biking for a week does not appeal to me. So I'm going to start slow and ease my way into it. There a ride in Iowa about a month before RAGBRAI that is a bar hopping party ride, except that the bars are all in different towns. It sounds like fun....right? I'm still not sold on the idea but I'm willing to try it.
Aside from the party rides and multi-day rides I'm focusing heavily on the fun rides. Most of these will be unorganized fun rides. I'm going to to put word out to our group of cycling friends that my wife and I are going to have a standing Saturday ride From April until October. We'll be there at 8am and if you want to join us feel free to meet us and come along. We'll go 22 miles to a small town to have breakfast and then bike back. As the summer goes on we may extend the mileage or maybe not. We figured this is a good way to get the weekend started. We may not always be able to make it but we plan to try to make it as much as possible.
I'm also looking at mixing it up a little and doing a few other Saturday rides. There is a ride I've been wanting to do on the Loess Hills Scenic Byway. I'll start in Belleve, NE and cut over to Iowa and then ride down to Hamburg, IA and cross the state line into Missouri. 3 states in one day is not bad. It's 50 miles one way, so I it could be a century ride if I get real ambitious. One of the other rides is on the MoPac Trail east out of Lincoln, NE. It's a rail trail that goes 22 miles east of Lincoln and ends in a little town called Wabash. So I plan to start about 9 miles north and take gravel roads to Wabash and then on into Lincoln for lunch and then head back. I'll get my money's worth out of my cyclocross bike this year. The last ride that I'd like to do is on the Cowboy Trail, the nations longest rail trail. Currently it spans 143 miles from Norfolk, NE to Ainsworth, NE. In time it will go over 320 miles across the north edge of Nebraska. So my plan would be to go about 70 miles to O'Neill, NE and spend the night and go back to Norfolk. If I had some vacation to spare I could take two days to go the 143 miles and then another 2 days to come back. That might be for another year though.
So with all these cycling plans I can't wait to start riding outside again. I have to get through my half marathon training first. I can't wait for it to be over.

The Dude

Clydesdale Clothes...or lack there of.

I found a sweet cycling jersey online last week. I decided to order it with the intention of buying another one of a different color if it fit good. This was described as an expanded club cut. I have a club cut jersey and it is a little snug for my liking. So when I saw his i though I might have fond the perfect jersey. A few days after I ordered it I ot an email from the company and said they were backordered for about 4 to 6 weeks. I cancelled my order and gave up for the time being. I dedcided to try another search for this same jersey. I found it on another site and placed my order again. A few days later I got an email saying they were backordered for 2-3 weeks. I responded and said I could wait and to keep my order active. So I'm not sure if I just hapened to choose two random sites that did not have this jersey in stock, or if no one has it. My question is why do you have something on your site if you do not have it in stock. At least make a note that it is back ordered an your order will be delayed. The struggle continues.

The Dude

One Down, One To Go

It was a big weekend. Saturday my wife and I got up and went for an 8 mile training run. Notice I said training. I wouldn't just get up and run 8 miles for the hell of it. It was about 26 degrees with a not so pleasant 13-16mph wind. Beyond the wind it went fairly well. I didn't run it with out stopping by any means but did well considering.

Later on we went to a LBS to look at Felt bikes. My wife bought a Felt FW40. It's a great looking bike and will allow her to come along on group rides and some of the charity rides I would normally do without her. I'm really hoping she gets into cycling because I'd like to have a riding partner. The LBS did a great job fitting her to the bike. They had a bikefitting.com fitting system that they used to make sure what size frame she needed. Then after she decided that was the bike she wanted the guy put her on a trainer and took some more measurements and got her seat set up. He said for her to get some miles on it and if she had any discomfort to come back and they could make some more adjustments depending on what discomforts she had. To me that is really good service.

I looked at a Felt F1X cyclocross bike. They didn't have one in my size so I couldn't get on it see how it felt, no pun intended. They ordered one and it will be in next week. I will most likely buy this bike unless it feels horrible on me. I would still like to take a look at the Specialized Tricross Sport Triple. It has a triple chain ring where as most (if not all) other CX bikes have a double. It is several hundred dollars cheaper too. The Felt is on the high end of my price range so that is my only hesitation with it. However the Felt has much better components than the Sport Triple. Sunday we got on our bikes and went for a ride on the trainers. My wife had no complaints about her bike. I told her she needs to continue riding on the trainer so that when it warms up she can hit the ground running. I did the same last year and it really helped me get into some longer rides right off the bat. I don't know that I have ever ridden more than 20 miles on my trainer. That is about my limit.

I decided I'm going to get a professional fit for my road bike this year. My bike wasn't really "fit" to me when I bought it. They measured me to see what size frame I need, but did not do anything beyond that. Needless to say I won't buy a bike from that LBS again. I used a program off the Competitive Cyclist website to get my bike set up initially. It seemed to work initially but isn't working now. Anyway I have what I think are poor bike fit issues that I don't want to deal with again this year. My feet go numb, my hands go really numb and my taint/sit bones have gotten so sore that I couldn't hardly sit on my saddle during a ride. Of course my size could be a large part of it, but I have to think that some if it has to do with the fit. I tinkered around with the seat position and handlebar angle yesterday to see if I could figure it out. When I rode last night my feet were going numb by mile 5. My hands were fine because on a trainer I use some hand positions that I couldn't normally use outside. As for my taint/sit bones not much luck there either. I have a sweet spot on my saddle and if I get in it I can be fine. The problem with that is every time I move my hand position I have to readjust to find the sweet spot. I spent a lot of money on my saddle and I'd really hate to spend another large amount to get a different one. I did see that Selle makes a Clydesdale version of their An Atomica. It looks like a Brooks knock-off. I've heard good things about Brooks saddles though so who knows. If any one has any opinions on a clydesdale friendly saddle email me and let me know. clydesdalenation@gmail.com

Let The Search Begin!

My wife is wanting to start cycling so we have been shopping around for bikes for her. She is tired of being left out since almost all of our friends ride. We are looking for a women specific design. I'm trying to get her on the most comfortable bike we can find. We started looking last weekend and checked out a Specialized Dolce and Sequoia. She like both bikes but did like the upright riding position of the Sequoia even though it was not a women bike. A friend of ours is wanting to sell her bike, a Cannondale R1000, and she let us borrow it for a while to see if it worked. We picked it up a couple days ago but wife hasn't really ridden it yet. I'm wanting to have her try out a Felt FW40 which is an entry level women's road bike. So if we have time this weekend we may go look at one.

I am also looking for a cyclocross bike. Not for competition but for trail riding. We live near a rail trail that is crushed limestone. I really enjoy riding on it, but not on my MTB. So that is why I want to look at a cross bike. The drop handle bars will give me multiple hand positions and allow me to ride longer. One of my goals this year is to ride to the end of the trail and back. The trail is 62.5 miles long, exactly a metric century. I would not be able to do that on my MTB. I love my MTB but not for long distances. So I'm not looking for a high end CX bike, but one that is capable of doing what I intend to use it for. I really wanted the Kona Jake the Snake, but I can't find one anywhere. I wanted the 2007 model because of the color, but they are sold out. So I have begun to look at other manufacturers like the Specialized Tricross Sport Triple, Jamis Nova Pro, and the Felt F1X. I really like the versatility of the Specialized because it has a triple crank. All others have a double crank. So I need to ride them to see which one feels the best and talk to the LBS to get their opinion. I know some people or real advocates of their LBS but I have not had much luck with mine. I get people who are just working a part time job that don't really seem to know what they are talking about. That is why I try to research all I can about a bike before I step into a bike shop. So if I have an idiot helping me I can make an educated decision based on what I know. Test riding a bike in winter is a whole other issue I won't get into. So more to come on the new bikes situation. I'd like to have one by March for sure, but know I can't wait that long.

Slackin Ain't Easy

The last several days have been interesting. My half marathon training is picking up. After slacking off the in month of December, I am really feeling my lack of training. On Sunday I did 7 miles on the treadmill. I probably walked close to 2 miles of that. It was pretty brutal. I watched the new Die Hard movie on ppv which really helped keep my mind off my pain. It was a really good movie by the way. So Monday I had trouble walking I was so sore. I had to do 3 miles that night and I thought there was no way I could do it. I got on the treadmill and started hobbling my way into a running motion. I made it about .75 miles before I started walking. I ended up walking half of the 3 miles. Again it was brutal. Tuesday was an off day for running so I had decided to get my bike set up on my trainer and get my first miles of the new year logged. Cycling and running are completely different as far as the muscles used and the way you breathe. It felt good to get back on the bike again. I think September was the last time I had ridden. Too long, I know. So anyway, I think after two brutal runs my legs were out of juice. I got in 20 miles but it was nothing to brag about. Of course riding on a trainer is not fun in the first place. Tonight I have to run 4 miles. I'm hoping that it goes better. I may try to go outside to do it. The treadmill is getting old, but the weather has not been cooperative to get outside.

The Dude

Resolutions

As with every new year, resolutions are made. Normally I'm not one for resolutions since I always say I'm going to loose weight. Normally that doesn't happen so I never get too excited about resolutions. The last 2 years I have made resolutions and stuck to them. In 2006 my resolution was to try new things. I did just that and then some. I ate vegetables, besides potatoes, green beans, and corn, I did not eat vegetables. I opened up my mind and put aside all my misconceptions about vegetables. I will now eat about every kind of vegetable there is. Another new thing i tried that year was beer. I was a Bud Light and Coors Light drinker. I never strayed away from those beers and in the past if I tried something other than those two I had the bitter beer face. I just didn't like the full flavored beers. That year my wife and I went to Ireland, so in keeping with my resolution I tried new beers. After all I wasn't going to be able to get BL and CL in Ireland. We went to an Irish bar and sampled Guinness, Harp, and Bass. The Guinness felt like a whole meal to me. I was really worried about going to Ireland and not liking any of the beers I had there. Turned out I liked every beer I had in Ireland. We actually made a list of all the different beers I tried. I only had two a day with dinner at the end of the day. I think the biggest turning point in my taste for beer came at the Guinness Brewery in Dublin. They had the actual roasted barley they use to brew Guinness. The roasting is what gives it the dark full flavor. You could take the barley and eat it. Tasting the origin of the beer really gave a better understanding of where beer gets it flavor and allowed me to respect those dark rich beers. So anyway 2006 was a good year for my resolutions.
I carried that momentum into 2007 with a resolution to bike in 2007. I had ridden a MTB with slicks on the local bike paths in 2006 and got the bug for cycling. I decided that in 2007 I was going to go full force into cycling. I purchased a road bike and entered several organized rides. My two biggest accomplishments were I completed my first century, rode in the 3 of the 7 days of BRAN (Bike Ride Across Nebraska). We have a very active group of friends that bike and run so keeping motivated was easy.
For 2008 my resolution is to actually loose weight. I would really like to get down to the 200-210 range. I have a big frame and a muscular base so to go below 200 would be an unreasonable goal. To help accomplish this I have set some higher goals for myself this year. I signed up for a half marathon (13 miles) and intend to do a double metric century (125 miles). I'm currently training for the half marathon and getting ready to start cycling again after a couple months hiatus. The half marathon is in Virginia Beach over St Patty's Day weekend. Our main group of friends are all going and most of them are either running the half or the full marathon. So having that support will help me to achieve my goal. There is a possibility I will run another half marathon in April, but I want to see how the VA Beach one goes first before I commit to a second one. In addition to the running I really want to become a stronger cyclist. I have no intention of ever competing, but I want to keep up with my friends who are in much better shape than I. I also want to be able take on hills better. I was not a big fan of hills last year. My weight hindered my performance on the up hill side.
Wish me luck in 2008, I have set some lofty goals for myself. I hope all your resolutions are met in 2008 as well.

The Dude

The First One

This blog is for all the Clydesdales out there. I am fairly new to cycling so this blog will take that approach. I want this to be a resource for the clydesdale riders out there.

I'm 6' 2" and weigh well over 200 pounds, I am a Clydesdale.

The Dude