After spending most of the spring & summer traveling and in hotels with my job at Yellowbook, I have finally had a better month with regard to increasing my riding mileage. The problem is that I went from an embarrassingly low number to 382 miles in the last two weeks...my legs are sure tired! I need to take a few days off the bike and then start back with some nice easy endurance miles. I'll call one of my new "bent" buddies in Lubbock for a ride in the middle of next week...can't wait! I am glad to be back in Lubbock for the remainder of the year, so I can get back in the groove with my riding.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Aloe Vera, Please!!!
I usually neglect using sunscreen on my legs by the middle of the summer, as I have logged enough miles by this time to keep from getting sunburned. I neglected this task last Friday as well, but I didn't take into account the fact that my legs would be looking straight up at the sun for over two hours on the Baron unlike their usual position riding my upright. It would be fair to say that the front portion of my legs are still a deep shade of red today, and after 20-30 applications of Aloe Vera are just starting to lose their burn...I will not make this rookie mistake again...I hope!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Relaxing The Legs East of Lubbock
I took the Baron out for the first post-MS150 ride today...Terry and I rode our upright bikes in Horseshoe Canyon on Wednesday evening to stretch our legs a little, but this was my first time back on the recumbent. I left the house today and rode out on East 50th to Buffalo Springs Lake. I did two repeats of the little hills west of the lake entrance, and then I rode north to East 19th Street and finished up by doing the Canyon Lakes route. It was a nice easy ride and just what the doctor ordered after the long riding weekend. There was a fairly strong SSW wind (15-20mph) for the majority of the ride...a little challenging when I am trying to relax and stretch my legs.
Mileage: 44.8 miles
Avg Speed: 17.8 mph
I don't know if anyone else has ever experienced this, but I had a huge problem with indigestion this past weekend as a result of eating/drinking all day in a reclined position on the Baron. Has anyone else ever had this problem with taking on nutrition while riding a recumbent? I am hoping it's something that my body will become accustomed to as I ride more, because it was extremely uncomfortable!
Mileage: 44.8 miles
Avg Speed: 17.8 mph
I don't know if anyone else has ever experienced this, but I had a huge problem with indigestion this past weekend as a result of eating/drinking all day in a reclined position on the Baron. Has anyone else ever had this problem with taking on nutrition while riding a recumbent? I am hoping it's something that my body will become accustomed to as I ride more, because it was extremely uncomfortable!
Riding by the numerous cotton fields east of Lubbock. It was sure a nice afternoon for a ride!Sunday, July 18, 2010
We just got back from the 2010 edition of the MS150 Cactus & Crude which took us from Midland to Lamesa, TX, with an overnight in Big Spring, TX for a total of 150 miles over two days. I wasn't sure whether or not I would end up riding my recumbent since I hadn't received all the parts/accessories I had ordered to make this ride happen on such short notice. In the end, however, I opted to give my Baron a go for at least one day of the ride and ended up using it both days...AND LOVING IT!!!
Dana and Kate at Bent Up Cycles in Van Nuys, CA, really worked hard not only to get my new Optima Baron to me in time for the event, but also to send some last minute accessories for hydration to me at the hotel the night prior to the start...I can't say thank you enough to Bent Up Cycles for really working hard to get me going.
Everyone told me that it would take a while before my leg muscles adapted to recumbent riding, and boy were they ever right. My hamstrings have received quite a workout over the last two days, but overall I'm riding faster and am not as sore as I expected. The Baron cuts through the wind and is a ton of fun to ride. It took the better part of a week and about 100 miles worth of riding before I have really been comfortable with the handling, but I am having no problems now and am having a good time cruising down low to the ground. I stayed with our team, the Carney Men, for all but the last five miles the first day, and took off on my own and tested my legs a little on the second day. The second days was a little more challenging because we were climbing out of the canyons and up on the Caprock in Lamesa, and we had a pretty steady 15mph WSW headwind! The upright bikes were definitely suffering more than I...and they let me know each time I passed one of them! HA! I am going to have to do a bunch of hill climbing on the Baron, because it does not climb as well as my upright (Specialized Tarmac) and the hills cost me a little speed on the second day.
Day 1:
75 miles
20.6 mph average
Day 2:
75 miles
19.5 mph average
Dana and Kate at Bent Up Cycles in Van Nuys, CA, really worked hard not only to get my new Optima Baron to me in time for the event, but also to send some last minute accessories for hydration to me at the hotel the night prior to the start...I can't say thank you enough to Bent Up Cycles for really working hard to get me going.
Everyone told me that it would take a while before my leg muscles adapted to recumbent riding, and boy were they ever right. My hamstrings have received quite a workout over the last two days, but overall I'm riding faster and am not as sore as I expected. The Baron cuts through the wind and is a ton of fun to ride. It took the better part of a week and about 100 miles worth of riding before I have really been comfortable with the handling, but I am having no problems now and am having a good time cruising down low to the ground. I stayed with our team, the Carney Men, for all but the last five miles the first day, and took off on my own and tested my legs a little on the second day. The second days was a little more challenging because we were climbing out of the canyons and up on the Caprock in Lamesa, and we had a pretty steady 15mph WSW headwind! The upright bikes were definitely suffering more than I...and they let me know each time I passed one of them! HA! I am going to have to do a bunch of hill climbing on the Baron, because it does not climb as well as my upright (Specialized Tarmac) and the hills cost me a little speed on the second day.
Day 1:
75 miles
20.6 mph average
Day 2:
75 miles
19.5 mph average
Getting serious prior to the start on the first day of the ride...sitting low in the crowd!
For all of the non-Texas Tech Red Raider fans out there, this hand gesture means "Get Your Guns Up!"
Getting started on day two!
Another recumbent on the ride...now there are two guys that everyone can poke fun at! They didn't poke fun for long, because it's hard to make fun when you're getting dropped like a bad habit!
I saw 17 tarantulas crawling along U.S. Highway 180 between Gail and Lamesa, TX, this morning. I have never seen that many total in my life...I have no love for spiders!
Our MS150 team, the Carney Men, regrouped just prior to the finish line and all crossed together. My Uncle Darin was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis about 13 years ago, and our team is comprised of his friends and relatives that get together each year and raise money and awareness for research to help fight this awful disease. As a team, we raised $17,000 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society this year.
The pictures were all taken by my lovely wife, Amber, who was volunteering with our support team along the way in addition to taking pictures for our team members. I'd like to say a big "Thank You" to all our volunteers for making this a wonderful experience!See you next year for another edition of the MS150 Cactus & Crude.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
The Baron Has Landed
My wife and I rode in the 2010 edition of the Tour de Muleshoe (TX), and I ran into two really fast recumbent riders on Velokraft VK2's. I have considered recumbent riding for quite some time, but I have never had any SERIOUS motivation for looking hard at purchasing one...until now. John Colburn and his buddy on their VK2's totally dominated the race from start to finish. I didn't realize just how fast and seemingly fun these bikes were...so I began to look. It only took a week or so for me to make my purchase, which was an Optima Baron from Bent Up Cycles in Van Nuys, CA. Dana and Kate got me going in the right direction, and I am ready to begin developing some recumbent muscles and start burning up the roads.
The UPS delivery driver arrived at our house around 1400 on the 9th of July. Dana worked really hard to get the bike to me a week ahead of my next cycling event. My uncle has Multiple Sclerosis, and I ride on a team called the "Carney Men" who ride in the Cactus & Crude MS150 from Big Spring to Post, TX, every year. The route was detoured a little this year as a result of flooding associated with Hurricane Alex, and our finish line will be in Lamesa, TX, this year.
John Colburn came over and assisted me in the Baron build...this is the new machine just prior to getting out on the street and looking very awkward for a few minutes! The recumbent really is a different feeling ride, but I am excited to put some miles on it and begin to get better. Nathan has really enjoyed climbing all over the Baron in the house...Amber wasn't so excited about the chain grease on his clothes...OOPS!
The UPS delivery driver arrived at our house around 1400 on the 9th of July. Dana worked really hard to get the bike to me a week ahead of my next cycling event. My uncle has Multiple Sclerosis, and I ride on a team called the "Carney Men" who ride in the Cactus & Crude MS150 from Big Spring to Post, TX, every year. The route was detoured a little this year as a result of flooding associated with Hurricane Alex, and our finish line will be in Lamesa, TX, this year.
John Colburn came over and assisted me in the Baron build...this is the new machine just prior to getting out on the street and looking very awkward for a few minutes! The recumbent really is a different feeling ride, but I am excited to put some miles on it and begin to get better. Nathan has really enjoyed climbing all over the Baron in the house...Amber wasn't so excited about the chain grease on his clothes...OOPS!
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