April 4th • Dog Prairie Ride– Sunday – 10 AM
Start: Wentzville High School, Wentzville, MO
Routes: 25, 33 or 41 miles
Terrain: Moderately hilly, a few big hills.
Start: Wentzville High School
Features: Scenic ride thru rolling farmland. All routes visit the Dog Prairie Tavern in St. Paul where riders can purchase great cheeseburgers and cold drinks. The longer routes go to Old Monroe.
Directions: From St. Louis take I-70 towards Wentzville. Take the Pearce Blvd. exit #208. Turn right onto W. Pearce Blvd/Wentzville Parkway. Turn right on W. Pearce Blvd. Turn left on Campus Drive and park at the High School.
$3 OFF Coupons at Momentum Cycles, 384 Mid-Rivers Mall Dr., St. Peters 636-397-RIDE

2003.09.27 “Flat as a Pancake” Century

See, when they say flat, they’re playing on your fear of hills to get you to take advantage of this special ride they’ve offered just for you. Flat sounds easy, right? Sure! Except the wind thinks that sounds easy too, and joined us for the ride. Since I checked the weather the night before and that morning, I tried to mentally prepare (mentally, because I had no cold weather riding clothes,) for the forecasted 15mph winds and cold temperature. Phobia later shared that the forecast he saw simply said “F**K you Ryan”. Had he shared that with me prior to us heading out to New Baden, IL to be overwhelmed by the cold winds, I probably would have gone back to bed.

I would have also warned him and Heather that the wind has something against me (possibly previous cursing I’ve done on its behalf), is not very accurate, and they likely would also feel its wrath.

We all suffered. I’m still trying to decide if this qualifies as my most hated ride of the year, it’s close.

The route was 100 miles. First, a 66 mile loop, then lunch, then a 40mi loop to complete the century.

We were hoping to ride as Team Backdraft as we did in the MS-150, and this time with Heather! Unfortunately, Heather, Phobia, Jim (not Jimski), and myself were the only attendees of the team. The rest, who said they’d come, chickened out, because they’re a bunch of pansies.

A problem with riding in the cold, without clothes to keep you warm, is that your muscles don’t get a chance to warm up and flex, even during the exercise. They stay tight and stiff. They don’t like that, and they yell at you. Get clothes to cover up once it gets cooler.

But if you are not fully prepared for the weather, well, even if you are… If you find yourself in winds between 15 and 25 mph, causing you to constantly lean into a crosswind such that you are no longer perpendicular to the ground, or to suffer to maintain a forward motion in a headwind, it is quite respectable to call it a day after 66 miles. Wise even. And you should be commended for lasting that long.

If you didn’t bother trying, you’re still a pansy.

I cleared my computer’s details for this ride, thinking I already posted this, so I’ll have to get Phobia‘s metrics – I rode close enough to him to let that count.

Computer:

• Distance 65 mi
• AvgSpeed 16.4 mph
• MaxSpeed 34.5 mph

2003.09.27

It looked like it was going to be a beautiful day. Hans had wanted to get a little riding in before the century we’re participating in tomorrow morning, and I wanted to ride the Page Extension again, so this sounded like a good plan.

Hills, wind, rain, contruction workers, mud, and traffic disagreed, but it was still a fun ride.

Unfortunately, I didn’t start this post sooner and I need to wake up early tomorrow for the 100 mile ride, so I’m off to bed for now. I’ll post more details later.

Computer:

• BikeTime 2:08:26
• Distance 24.69mi
• AvgSpeed 11.5mph
• MaxSpeed 36.5

2003.09.19

It was such a nice day, I had to take a break from work and get outside. I rode to Forest Park and around there a bit to watch them set up for the annual Balloon Glow tonight before the actual Balloon Race tomorrow. I entered random U-City neighborhoods on the way back and encountered many dead ends to prevent me from getting home, but obviously I have returned. It was a nice ride. All Fridays should be like this.

Computer:

• BikeTime 1:37:02
• Distance 23.30mi
• AvgSpeed 14.4mph
• MaxSpeed 27.5

On Sunday I completed at least 150 miles in the MS-150. I still have to check the computer for the specifics. I had hoped to ride more, but the sun got to me before I got further. The good news is that on Saturday, I was able to do the full century route! With 100 miles already complete, I was looking to finish Sunday’s 75 for a nice total. Unfortunately, I was burned by the sun pretty badly on Saturday. Increased exposure Sunday limited my ability to press on as far as I wanted, and riding through that exhaustion was more difficult that ignoring the sore and tired muscles. At the 5th rest stop, I was feeling pretty spacey, and decided that my ride had come to an end. Otherwise, I don’t think I would have made it to the next rest stop.

I’m not broken, but I am still sore. At no point during the ride was I regretting the distance, though many times I wished I was finished. I will pre-register for next year’s MS-150, and I see no reason why I won’t be able to do two centuries then.

I just need to remember to use plenty of sunblock, often, and I need to get a good pair of cycling shorts. Replacing my bike with a road bike would help too I’m sure, but I’m told that’s cheating.

I was able to get out for a ride this morning, after not riding for a few weeks.

2003.08.30 – 13:35

Heather had laid out a 40mi path around West County to take this morning which sounded fun, and since I’ll be apple picking tomorrow during the trailnet ride, it’s my last chance for a weekend ride before the MS-150 next weekend. The ride was a good mixture of hills and slopes, requiring almost constant pace changes at times. It’s a great path to train on for building speed and ultimately endurance, and I expect to take it again next time we plan to stay in the county for our ride.

This was the first time I was able to use my CamelBak on a ride, and I’m so glad I have it. The convenience of having the water right there makes staying hydrated so much easier, and I often forgot the water was coming from the pack on my back. The pack’s contents stayed cool, so there was no sucking down warm water. The backpack fits well and the weight is distributed so there is no strain on the shoulders my all.

I had also repositioned my cleats forward on my shoes to move my foot’s connection to the pedals a little closer to the toes. At first it felt odd and I anticipated stopping the group so I could change them back, but after a few miles it felt more natural. During the ride, I felt better able to leverage my ankles into keeping a more consistant pedal stroke, maintaining more power overall. It seems to have taken some of the strain out of my knees as well, which is a plus as that often slowed me down.

The weather was of course still humid, but that was bearable. The clouds behaved and did not rain on us, but kept helped it stay relatively cool at about 80 degrees, allowing for a pleasant ride.

Computer:

• BikeTime 2:59:03
• Distance 42.56mi
• AvgSpeed 14.2mph
• MaxSpeed 37.5