The Steel Horse Rides Strong!

Oh-boy-oh-boy-oh-boy-oh-boy-oh-boy-oh-boy-oh-boy-oh-boy!!!!!

I got my new bike! I ordered it on January 22nd, and was told it would take 7 buisiness days, which would have been around the end of this week, hopefully in time for the weekend's training ride.

To my surprise, I got a call on Friday that my bike was in, assembled, and ready to ride a week early!

When I called Mike's Bikes to order it last week, I dialed their 800 number which routed me to their store in San Rafael. Many shops don't carry SURLY bikes in their stores, but can special order them. I asked if they would apply the 10% ALC bicycle discount to a special order. I was told that was unusual, but he'd make an exception since I was buying it for the AIDS ride! Again, the support pours in from all directions. I asked if he could have it delivered to the San Francisco store, but realized that could created complications with regards to the unusual discount, etc. So, since I was talking to the service manager at that store, I just decided to zip my lip and said, "Great I'll see you up there when it comes in." It was the perfect arrangement. Not only did I get a great discount, but my trial ride was laid out for me.

I took the bus to San Rafael on Saturday afternoon, and went to Mike's Bikes. I found the sales manager, who rolled the bike out with a hearty, "This is a Long Haul Trucker!" It was beautiful to behold, but the looks are nothing compared to the ride.

I went west to Fairfax for a piece of pizza, before retracing the route of my first group training ride back to SF. Saturday was an unusual break in the rain we've been having lately, and provided an ideal window to be outside without rain gear. The reinforced steel frame is built for strength and durability, and has all the necessary pieces for attaching racks, fenders, and pannier bags for bicycle touring. That makes it a little bit heavier than a standard road bike. But the feel of the steel frame/fork was dreamy. I am used to bracing myself over potholes and debris. The steel frame felt amazingly cushy and comfortable. I rode all the way back to SF and hardly felt tired upon return. My back was a little sore, but the saddle and bars still need to be properly fit for my body.

Considering I had just rolled out of the store and put 30 miles into the frame, I can't wait to get it adjusted and just haul. I've bought maps of the North and South bay regions, and am ready to put on some miles! I didn't want to bring my camera on the ride Saturday, as rain was likely, but I'll put the Long Haul Trucker through a photo shoot soon. Pictures forthcoming!

**update 2/6/08**

The 'Trucker leads the pack on Caltrain:


Close up of the non-molten Steel Glory:

• Check out that gear cluster! Enough combinations to ride up (or down) a mountain with ease!
• Room for another (yes one more) water bottle under the downtube.
• Bar-end shifters!
• A lugged steel fork!
• Frame pump on the top tube. (So Euro!)
  

This summer the AIDS LifeCycle, tomorrow the world?

Man, this is a clever ad.
And I though my legs were getting big. Apparently I've got a long way to go.
Please donate to the cause. The fate of the spinning world may depend on it!
Sincere Thanks,
Alex

The Steed Rolls Forth!

If I haven't mentioned it already in any previous posts, I have been facing and overcoming some major long-term fears about my bodies capability to handle the experience of training for and executing a 545 mile ride in 7 days.

Coincidentally (or not), the organizers and ride leaders for the ALC have already heard about this problem from countless prior participants, and are prepared with a slew of remedies.

One of the most basic and helpful steps a participant can take is to have a professional full bike fit. Which I had done a couple of weekends ago. I went to a shop for a 2 1/2 hour full fit and evaluation of my riding style and ideal bike size. The pretense was that I was going to order a full custom frame and components. And at the time, I did believe that would be my best route to have a safe, properly fitting frame. Of course, after ordering, I ended up with a fabulously detailed sketch of my proper frame size. Using that, I was able to compare stock frames to my custom size, and realize that I had a lot more options than I had previously believed.

My custom bike frame was going to cost between 4 and 6 thousand dollars based on components. Yep, that's bike as in bicycle. Not motorcycle. I couldn't believe it, either.

Enter the Surly Longhaul Trucker:
I ordered it and it will be ready around weekend. I'll be picking it up in San Rafael and riding back to San Francisco for my first test ride. Can't wait!
I'll post more about it soon (the main point being, it's a killer complete bike package, and a lot lot lot less expensive.)

I ordered one in 'Utility Blue' as pictured below.



Here it is in the optional 'Olive Green' frame color.

It's not about the Gas Prices, it's about the Fuel.

Somewhere between ages 20 and 30, intense exercise started to hurt. It crept up slowly and gradually, seemingly overnight. But I can't deny it, my 60 training miles over the weekend took more out of me than I expected.

This weekend I stacked two consecutive training rides that totalled just under 60 miles. The shortest day of the actual AIDS LifeCycle ride will be around 60 miles, so that gives me some sort of gauge of what kind of toll the ride will take. I must admit that I still have some fears about not being up to speed when the actual ride comes around, but I simultaneously see that by June, I will have many more training miles under my saddle, and my body will adjust accordingly.

Since my last post, I started joining organized training rides. It has made an immense difference in my mental state towards the ride. For one thing, when riding in a group, the miles seem to roll by relatively effortlessly. I have taken it upon myself to chat with people about their bikes and equipment at every chance I get while riding.

The training rides also impart something thatsolo training never will, which is the etiquette and procedures for riding in the AIDS LifeCycle. That includes:

• Stopping at every stop sign (actually coming to a complete stop, touching a foot down).
• Stopping at every red light (regardless of cross-traffic).
• Riding single file (Regardless of road width).
• Using hand signals for every turn or stop, as well as pointing out road hazards.
• Yelling out "car back" every time a vehicle approaches from behind.
• And more . . .

If you don't think that's difficult, I'm guessing you may not have spent much time on a bike seat. But, I am very glad these guidelines are incorporated into the training, considering there will be 2000+ riders heading down towards LA on June 1st. With that kind of rolling mass, simple traffic transgressions magnified could become unwieldy, rendering the ride a dangerous ball of inertia.

According to a rider who has participated in the ALC (AIDS LifeCycle) before, there are safety monitors on the ride who hand out tickets to scofflaw bicyclists. Enough tickets equals ejection from the ride. I also heard this comes as a mandatory response to the CHP threatening to pull the permits for the ride after witnessing too many reckless, life endangering acts. Thus have I heard!

The cycling network grows.

Through sending out my fundraising letter to many current and long-lost contacts, I have gotten back in touch with a friend who is also involved in a cycling fund-raiser. My friend and former college classmate, Angie, is riding in the Trek Across Maine, 2008. A fund raiser for the American Lung Association. Her home page here. Best of luck, Angie!

Flexpod!! Night and Day.

Thanks to my Uncle Charlie, who has just contributed a Flexpod and Camelbak to the training adventure! Here is my first video, taken tonight on the ride home. It was taken on a stop-motion setting, one frame per second. The ride appears much more harrowing than usual at this speed. Enjoy!

**update 12/19/07: scroll down for the daytime ride**



A portion of my morning commute. Extra rights and lefts added for thrilling visual excitement!

Plateu One.

I breezed through my training ride this weekend. 30 miles on Sunday. Getting to this point mainly involved blowing the dust out of my system, and oiling my gears again. It's moving forward in mileage from here that I think will be more of a challenge. I had no problem with the cardiovascular aspect of riding 30 miles at this point, but it was around the 25th miles that mechanical issues started to surface. Specifically outer-knee pain. I will have to address this asap, either through readjusting my riding position, or through particular physical therapy exercises. I'm not exactly sure what the problem is. This may be a case for my "cycle buddy" with whom I'll be corresponding over the next 6 1/2 months of training. If anyone has experience with outer-knee pain, please comment on my blog. I'd like to hear your experiences, including what brings relief. Thanks!


I've included a photo from yesterdays' ride. I set up my camera on a tripod, and had it take a series of 10 photos. Here I am hamming it up in front of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Why I like my bike shop.

This is what my front brake lever looked like after my crash Tuesday night. Those two pieces of silver colored metal used to be connected.

In the 'adding insult to injury' category, I thought this was going to be expensive to fix, and require leaving my bicycle in the shop for a while, leaving me at the mercy of the sluggish public bus schedule to get to and from work. I've got a fair amount of experience tinkering with bicycles, but this was a repair I've never had to deal with yet. But to my pleasant surprise, I rolled my bike to the shop where I bought it, and showed them the broken lever . The mechanic on duty showed me a comparable replacement part and then asked, "Would you like to leave that here, or do it yourself?" *ding* ! The magic words. Of course, I did want to do it myself, but was feeling stumped as to how to remove the hand grips which seemed fairly well stuck to the handlebars. Since they were so worn out, he recommended I put on a new set. When I admitted that I had no idea how to coax a sticky rubber grip onto a handlebar, he simply suggested rubbing alcohol. Easy.

• Grand total for a set of replacement levers and new hand grips: $26.
• The satisfaction of it at home: priceless.
  

The old brake levers removed. The bottom one used to be attached like the top one. The crash literally severed it into two pieces.

The sleek replacement lever.

My bicycle, mid-repair. One lever and grip installed on the right side of the photo, the other side in-process. You can see the bare handlebar, sans brake lever. Installing it was simple with an allen wrench for the lever, and rubbing alcohol for the grip. Total time: about 15 minutes!

When you fall off a horse . . .

You've got to get right back on.

But sometimes you have to go to the hospital and the bike shop first.

Yep, crashed last night. Lost control while moving from the bike lane to the sidewalk. Brought the bike upright and would have been fine. Except for that pole to keep cars from driving onto the sidewalk. Hit that, hit the ground. Confirmed that the phrase "seeing stars" is true. Laid on my back and spoke with some passers-by, confirming that I could breath and move everything. Got up quickly, felt alright, except must have banged my head after my body hit the ground. This is an advertisement for bike helmets. If you don't wear one already, please start now. That's not the first time my bike helmet has probably saved my life, or my future mobility, and there wasn't even another vehicle involved in the accident. Good Samaritan biker walked with me for a while to confirm I was alright. I've fallen before, and I could tell I'd be a little sore the next day, but that's it. I just felt so confused, and since I had bumped my helmet on the ground and saw stars, I went to the E.R. just to be safe. They checked me out quickly and sent me home to take some tylenol. My employer encouraged me to stay home from work today. Slept 5 hours this morning/afternoon and feel like a new man. Now off to the bike shop to have my front brake repaired. It got mashed in the process. Just goes to show, you can never predict an accident, and I'm grateful for recovering so quickly. And the bike repair time gives me some time to just relax and get back to 100% before riding again.

**update - photos added 12/10/2007**
I passed by the site again yesterday on my training ride.

Here's the brigade of poles that took me out. Specifically the last one in the row:

And here's a close up of the lip and grit that knocked me out of control:

Update - add a milkshake.

My dietitian* called this morning.
She had run some numbers on my height/weight/age and fitness goals.
She said the 2600 calorie / day estimate was too low.
"Add a milkshake in there every day."

This is going to take some getting used to.



*(my loving sister)

How we travel.

I took a day off yesterday to recover from the weekend training rides. Am feeling so much stronger today than yesterday.

This morning, a relative wrote me to say:

Congratulations on your decision to do the AIDS ride. A worthy cause and challenging undertaking that will only make you stronger both in body and spirit.

I have been thinking about that a lot lately. I already feel a difference in my body/mind/spirit. It's an amazing thing, and it's largely in part of the positive and supportive response I've received from people when they've found out I'm undertaking this. We can truly fly on the winds of other people's support. And we can surely sink on their discouragement. I'm grateful to be feeling the positive effects of community support through this undertaking.

December training loop.

I've finalized a training loop that:

• maximizes long, uninterrupted stretches of riding
• traverses breathtakingly beautiful vistas
• is appropriate for the December goal of a maximum 20-25 miles per ride.
• allows for a gradual and sufficient warm-up before hitting the steep hills.
  

(click on map for interactive browsing via google maps)

That hurt.

I had a hard time sleeping last night. My legs were twitching and I had wild visuals when I closed my eyes. Endorphins?

I just completed my first weekend of training since signing up for the AIDS LifeCycle. This morning, I feel exhausted and dehydrated and sore. I can feel the fatigue in my heart and lungs. And I feel like I could easily sleep for another few hours. I have to admit I feel a little scared. By the end of the ride yesterday, I figured I had ridden about 30 miles. Upon mapping my route and computing the distance, it was a meager 22.5 miles. The average day spent riding from San Francisco to Los Angeles will be three to four times that long. And there will be seven of them. In a row.

I suppose what I've got to keep in mind is: I need to drink even more than I have been while riding. I need to remember that 7 months is a long time, and my fitness level will change accordingly. I'll probably take the rest of the day off from training to give myself a chance to recover. Off to work I go... ouch.

Put some meat on those bones - or the unlikely lessons of Junior High.

"Put some meat on those bones."

I supposed I was thankfully still young enough in 7th grade to not get too uncomfortable when we had scoliosis testing during physical education class, and some girls yelled out that unsolicited comment about my physique in front of the whole class.

I probably just thought they were weird.


Regardless of how much I eat, I've been skinny my whole life. Strength and endurance have always come easily to me, but not body fat for insulation from cold, and comfort when sitting down for too long.

I'm not sure how to calculate just how many calories I'll burn in training over the next 7 months, but I'm sure it's a lot more than I'm used to.

So as to not waste away, my mantra for the next 7 months is going to have to be, "Put some meat on those bones." Giving thanks for awkward Junior High moments!

My diet plan, sketched last night on a page from a checking register by my dietitian sister, consists of this:

Breakfast: 2 packs of oatmeal, 1 cup soymilk, 2 oz almonds.
Snack: bread and nut butter

Lunch: 4 oz of protein, a piece of fruit, 2 pieces of bread, 2 TB nut butter
Snack: protein bar, piece of fruit

Dinner: 2 cups of pasta or rice, 4 oz protein, 1-2 cups of veggies, 1 piece of bread
Snack: ice cream

This equals a 2600 calorie / day diet, which she said will be necessary for me to "Put some meat on my bones" and not lose any of the weight that I don't have to spare.

I'd write more, but I've got to go eat something.

Why I tremble, and what brings relief.

I'm humbled and amazed by the way support appears in after I set my mind to a task. Yesterday was the first time I had mentioned to anyone that I had signed up for the AIDS LifeCycle ride. It was a particularly social Saturday, and so I had a chance to mention it to a lot of people. Responses included:

*That's great. I know people who have done that and had an amazing experience.
*Good for you!
*How many miles is that? (545). In how long? (7 days) Jaws drop...

Yep, even though I've considered myself a cyclist since I was in high school, this event will match any mileage and endurance records I've ever set on a bicycle, and surpass them by a long shot.

My longest ride in one day ever, to this point in my life: 60 miles in December, 2002. It was during a bicycle tour around the Big Island of Hawaii. Here are some statistics for comparison:

Ride	Total Miles	Days to complete	Miles / Day
Hawaiian Ride	350	30	12
AIDS LifeCycle	575	7	82!

Why I am not worried: I did the ride around Hawaii alone, unsupported, and in frequent torrential downpours of rain, with all my belongings, including tent, clothing, and equipment, strapped to the back of my bicycle. The AIDS LifeCycle, in contrast, consisted of over 2,300 riders, raised over 11 million dollars, and was supported by a crew that carries luggage and sets up tent camps for each stop along the way.

Also, friends and family have already come forth saying they would contribute to my stress-inducing goal of raising at least $2,500 in donations. I've never enjoyed asking people for money, but by necessity, I'm ready to get over that. It's easier in some way, since the money isn't for me, but is donated to the LA and SF AIDS foundations to provide funds for HIV/AIDS support programs.

I've also been getting a lot of advice as to how to get my body in shape for this massive undertaking. I'll write a separate post about that.

So, in conclusion, I think that even though I've previously spent 30 days in the saddle, I haven't done anything like this...