Training Ride

Griff · 07-31-2002, 09:37 AM

Dad dropped in at about 3pm yesterday offering to watch the kids and play frisbee with the dog if I wanted to get a road ride in. The old guy is virtue. The outdoor thermometer said 90 degrees F in the sun and baby it was humid. I put 70oz of gaterade in my hydropak and another 20? in a large water bottle.

My ride starts and finishes on a steep mile long hill. A couple weeks ago the state guys did the oil/tar and chip routine, leaving a lot of loose material on the surface which has finally been run off the road in the last few days. I was finally able to carry some speed off the hill, leaning into the one hard turn without having my wheels wash out. I haven't measured the loop but its around thirty miles of very hilly secondary roads. I enter New York at the one place locally where PA has has the superior surface, the result, I believe, of a local quarry being found responsible for destroying the old road. I mashed the pedals pretty good along Tracey Creek road but lost momentum on O'Connell where the town of Vestal did a more recent seal job with smaller round stones and oil/tar which behaved like ball bearings. From there I turn on to Underwood up past Kopernik observatory. As I crested Underwood, I could see an old guy getting his mail with a very suspicious looking mutt at his side. As quietly as I could manage, I got on the big ring and wound it up. As expected, the dog dove at me, causing his owner to go off on him but my timing was perfect, he missed me by a good foot and I was flying down the steep side of Underwood free and clear. Near the bottom theres a sharp left hand curve that steals most of your juice but thems the breaks. At this point, I have a choice, I could slip over to my father-in-laws for a cold drink or plug on. I plug on, its very hard for me to stop for anything mid-ride, even in this heat.

I'm at my half-way point and I'm guessing I have half a pak of water plus my reserve bottle. The aptly named Castleman road is next. Lined by McMansions (copyright UT) this climb is usually punctuated by a harried desperately middle class whitey in an air conditioned AWD someting or other. Today its Mrs. Harried Whitey dropping off the other Moms after whatever but at least I get a nice smile, Mr. Whitey resents my freedom too much for eye contact. I need to think about something else right now because unlike the bulk of this ride there will be no shade for awhile and I'm climbing. I'm gonna pretend that the pain on the top of my knee is making me stronger. The tar is snapping and pooled in the wheel tracks so I try to stay up out of it. I bog for a second as I hit a very deep puddle of it, then I end up going through some sand. The stones are rattling off my chain stays and the tar is forming a C between the rear wheel and my left stay, I gotta check the dish on that wheel. There will be no more sneaking up on dogs/people on this ride.

I crest the first hill on Castleman and wind it up a bit on the backside. There is the prettiest little fieldstone house here with a really steep roof sitting just off the road. While trying to figure out what the classification of the house would be and whether or not its an owner-built, I blow the shift at the bottom of the steepest climb. So I creep up the climb past a house thats all decks, you really can't make out the building they surround. I've never seen anyone out there...

I glaze over for a while and turn on to Ridge road. The tar is really bad here and the road isn't in the best shape. There is a short climb, fortunately in the shade, by the time I'm done I'm really overheating. I'm making a lot of noise as I motor past some teenage footballers but at least I'm descending. I pass a really big guy chilling out on his front porch working on something... mmm icepop. Gives me a big grin, he knows what I'm thinking. I swing on to Underwood again carrying good speed down to O'Connell. There should be a nice descent on this road but the new surface makes that dicey so I have to stand up to big ring it back on to Tracey Creek. Knowing I lost a lot of time I hammer along Tracey Creek back to PA, getting passed on a climb I stick to the car on the down hill until the driver gets frustrated and opens it up a little. I swing through the trailer park which was once the center of crime locally but is now quite nice, apparently the owner sold the plots off so there are only a few pretty nice trailers now.

I climb by the cemetary, seeing the Murphy bros hauling hay down the main drag probably for a horse owner. I'm lucky not to have met them on the road, since people like to pass wagons at strange times. Predicting traffic is huge when cycling out here. I buzz the flat at a good pace, pass the spot where my wife wiped out and then approach THE HILL. A car with no direction signal screws up my initial climb since I don't know where they're going I have to slow and let them pass. I emptied my pak by the cemetary and drank half my bottle since. Its quite steep at the bottom so I'm creeping when I hit the corner. Its a great corner on the downhill but on the climb you realize how wierd the bank is. I drain the last of my liquid and just put my head down and go. The hill eases a bit and I go to the middle ring. When I get to the house, the Mrs is home making a mega batch of pesto with corn on the cob. Life is Beautiful.

warch · 07-31-2002, 10:15 AM

Happy Birthday Griff.

Griff · 07-31-2002, 11:22 AM

Thank you, sixties chid!

headsplice · 07-31-2002, 11:52 AM

what kinda bike joo got? It must be nice to be able if you can pound it for 30 miles regularly.
I've got a Gary Fischer Tassajara frame, just to start the ball rolling. I could go into the details, but, I don't know them.

Griff · 07-31-2002, 12:32 PM

My road bike is a Cannondale Sport Tour circa 1988. I bought it to impress this chick I was seeing... I think its working.

Its an early oversized aluminum frame with Sun Tour components from before Shimano ruled the world. Its a real sturdy bike since it was made for touring but its still pretty light. Road bikes should last a good long time even with the occasional loaded tour. Mountain bikes are more likely to get damaged especially if you like your single track riding (like me) or have a tendency to ride off jumps into lakes. I've destroyed two sets of wheels on my mtn bike and am still on my first road rims. My mtn bike is a Jamis Diablo from like 1993-4, full Shimano LX , although I've replaced a lot of parts, with no suspension. Its getting a little creaky though so I may be shopping for a quality x-country bike with front suspension in the near future. Hows the Fischer?

headsplice · 07-31-2002, 01:18 PM

I have some upgrades to make on it (the front shock leaks oil, the pedals bite, the derailleurs could use some lightening, and the gears need to be changed). Overall though, it's been a dream. I ride to school and around campus (it's about two miles from one end to the other which I sometimes do twice or three times a day) so it's seen a lot of abuse on a daily basis. The weekends aren't any better. I get to go trail riding once I can ride down to the lakes near here. I'm pretty sure that I've put about three times as many miles on my bike as I have my car

. The only caveat is that this is my first "nice" bike, so I haven't really had a chance to compare and contrast. But, final verdict: whole lotta kickass.

Griff · 07-31-2002, 01:48 PM

A little unsolicited advice, swap out the chain along with your cassette. Its made out of softer material than you'd think so it wears along with your gears. A new chain will give you longer cassette life.

Griff · 08-05-2002, 08:09 PM

So after bragging on the durability of my old Cannondale, I go and trash my frame... bummer. Then I buy a snappy new Trek 520 with all the bells and whis... well no bells and whistles but a fine piece of machinery none the less. Hooray!

elSicomoro · 08-05-2002, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Griff
So after bragging on the durability of my old Cannondale, I go and trash my frame... bummer. Then I buy a snappy new Trek 520 with all the bells and whis... well no bells and whistles but a fine piece of machinery none the less. Hooray!

Damnit Griff...I am tired of telling you...quit using your bike frames as bongs.

headsplice · 08-06-2002, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by sycamore
quit using your bike frames as bongs.

Yeah! The heat oxidizes some of the metal and then it gets in your lungs and breaks down the frame. What you should use is a plastic bucket!

Griff · 08-06-2002, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sycamore

Damnit Griff...I am tired of telling you...quit using your bike frames as bongs.

Thats all its good for now, shes's one cumbersome pipe though. I'll always pack the new one in ice, to protect my investment.

Took the new ride out on a 58 mile loop this morning. New saddles hurt, everybody told me to put my old saddle on the new bike but I've got a couple weeks to break it or me in. The Mrs went this time, big fun. We went from outside Nichols, New York along the East bank of the Susquehanna South through Sheshequin, PA to Towanda ate breakfast and rode back through Wysox, Rome, Orwell etc back to Nichols and out to the truck stop in Loundsbery where we were parked. Easy ride down, tail wind views of the river and valley. Mean head wind all the way back, we even had to peddle downhill. We're gonna be sore tomorrow.

Griff · 08-16-2002, 07:33 AM

Saturdays the big day. I should be ready but when I took a short 20mile warm up ride yesterday I got some pretty serious pain out of my left hip. I don't know if its from changing bikes, two 6 hour drives in the pickup inside a week, or the tool belt I wore for two days this week? I'm dropping Advil like candy and hoping for the best...

elSicomoro · 08-16-2002, 08:03 AM

Good luck to you Griff! Make us proud.

warch · 08-16-2002, 09:56 AM

Is your hip pain deep, like maybe a hip flexer? I pulled my right hip a few years ago doing some heavy landscaping and it was the weirdest injury. It was pain I couldnt quite locate cause it was so deep and then a freaky loss of leg movement. I couldnt figure out what was going on till an athletic pal diagnosed me. It took several weeks to get back to normal.

I hope thats not your deal. Stretch and pace yourself. If all else fails, your better half can give you a tow.

Sending wishes for great weather. Have fun and raise lots of dough for a great cause.

08-16-2002, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by warch
I pulled my right hip a few years ago doing some heavy landscaping ...

People have such funny names for sex these days...

07-31-2002, 09:37 AM	#1
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	Training Ride Dad dropped in at about 3pm yesterday offering to watch the kids and play frisbee with the dog if I wanted to get a road ride in. The old guy is virtue. The outdoor thermometer said 90 degrees F in the sun and baby it was humid. I put 70oz of gaterade in my hydropak and another 20? in a large water bottle. My ride starts and finishes on a steep mile long hill. A couple weeks ago the state guys did the oil/tar and chip routine, leaving a lot of loose material on the surface which has finally been run off the road in the last few days. I was finally able to carry some speed off the hill, leaning into the one hard turn without having my wheels wash out. I haven't measured the loop but its around thirty miles of very hilly secondary roads. I enter New York at the one place locally where PA has has the superior surface, the result, I believe, of a local quarry being found responsible for destroying the old road. I mashed the pedals pretty good along Tracey Creek road but lost momentum on O'Connell where the town of Vestal did a more recent seal job with smaller round stones and oil/tar which behaved like ball bearings. From there I turn on to Underwood up past Kopernik observatory. As I crested Underwood, I could see an old guy getting his mail with a very suspicious looking mutt at his side. As quietly as I could manage, I got on the big ring and wound it up. As expected, the dog dove at me, causing his owner to go off on him but my timing was perfect, he missed me by a good foot and I was flying down the steep side of Underwood free and clear. Near the bottom theres a sharp left hand curve that steals most of your juice but thems the breaks. At this point, I have a choice, I could slip over to my father-in-laws for a cold drink or plug on. I plug on, its very hard for me to stop for anything mid-ride, even in this heat. I'm at my half-way point and I'm guessing I have half a pak of water plus my reserve bottle. The aptly named Castleman road is next. Lined by McMansions (copyright UT) this climb is usually punctuated by a harried desperately middle class whitey in an air conditioned AWD someting or other. Today its Mrs. Harried Whitey dropping off the other Moms after whatever but at least I get a nice smile, Mr. Whitey resents my freedom too much for eye contact. I need to think about something else right now because unlike the bulk of this ride there will be no shade for awhile and I'm climbing. I'm gonna pretend that the pain on the top of my knee is making me stronger. The tar is snapping and pooled in the wheel tracks so I try to stay up out of it. I bog for a second as I hit a very deep puddle of it, then I end up going through some sand. The stones are rattling off my chain stays and the tar is forming a C between the rear wheel and my left stay, I gotta check the dish on that wheel. There will be no more sneaking up on dogs/people on this ride. I crest the first hill on Castleman and wind it up a bit on the backside. There is the prettiest little fieldstone house here with a really steep roof sitting just off the road. While trying to figure out what the classification of the house would be and whether or not its an owner-built, I blow the shift at the bottom of the steepest climb. So I creep up the climb past a house thats all decks, you really can't make out the building they surround. I've never seen anyone out there... I glaze over for a while and turn on to Ridge road. The tar is really bad here and the road isn't in the best shape. There is a short climb, fortunately in the shade, by the time I'm done I'm really overheating. I'm making a lot of noise as I motor past some teenage footballers but at least I'm descending. I pass a really big guy chilling out on his front porch working on something... mmm icepop. Gives me a big grin, he knows what I'm thinking. I swing on to Underwood again carrying good speed down to O'Connell. There should be a nice descent on this road but the new surface makes that dicey so I have to stand up to big ring it back on to Tracey Creek. Knowing I lost a lot of time I hammer along Tracey Creek back to PA, getting passed on a climb I stick to the car on the down hill until the driver gets frustrated and opens it up a little. I swing through the trailer park which was once the center of crime locally but is now quite nice, apparently the owner sold the plots off so there are only a few pretty nice trailers now. I climb by the cemetary, seeing the Murphy bros hauling hay down the main drag probably for a horse owner. I'm lucky not to have met them on the road, since people like to pass wagons at strange times. Predicting traffic is huge when cycling out here. I buzz the flat at a good pace, pass the spot where my wife wiped out and then approach THE HILL. A car with no direction signal screws up my initial climb since I don't know where they're going I have to slow and let them pass. I emptied my pak by the cemetary and drank half my bottle since. Its quite steep at the bottom so I'm creeping when I hit the corner. Its a great corner on the downhill but on the climb you realize how wierd the bank is. I drain the last of my liquid and just put my head down and go. The hill eases a bit and I go to the middle ring. When I get to the house, the Mrs is home making a mega batch of pesto with corn on the cob. Life is Beautiful. __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

07-31-2002, 11:22 AM	#3
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	Thank you, sixties chid! __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

07-31-2002, 11:52 AM	#4
headsplice Relaxed Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 676	what kinda bike joo got? It must be nice to be able if you can pound it for 30 miles regularly. I've got a Gary Fischer Tassajara frame, just to start the ball rolling. I could go into the details, but, I don't know them. __________________ Don't Panic

07-31-2002, 12:32 PM	#5
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	My road bike is a Cannondale Sport Tour circa 1988. I bought it to impress this chick I was seeing... I think its working. Its an early oversized aluminum frame with Sun Tour components from before Shimano ruled the world. Its a real sturdy bike since it was made for touring but its still pretty light. Road bikes should last a good long time even with the occasional loaded tour. Mountain bikes are more likely to get damaged especially if you like your single track riding (like me) or have a tendency to ride off jumps into lakes. I've destroyed two sets of wheels on my mtn bike and am still on my first road rims. My mtn bike is a Jamis Diablo from like 1993-4, full Shimano LX , although I've replaced a lot of parts, with no suspension. Its getting a little creaky though so I may be shopping for a quality x-country bike with front suspension in the near future. Hows the Fischer? __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

07-31-2002, 01:18 PM	#6
headsplice Relaxed Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 676	I have some upgrades to make on it (the front shock leaks oil, the pedals bite, the derailleurs could use some lightening, and the gears need to be changed). Overall though, it's been a dream. I ride to school and around campus (it's about two miles from one end to the other which I sometimes do twice or three times a day) so it's seen a lot of abuse on a daily basis. The weekends aren't any better. I get to go trail riding once I can ride down to the lakes near here. I'm pretty sure that I've put about three times as many miles on my bike as I have my car . The only caveat is that this is my first "nice" bike, so I haven't really had a chance to compare and contrast. But, final verdict: whole lotta kickass. __________________ Don't Panic

07-31-2002, 10:15 AM	#2
warch lurkin old school Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,796	Happy Birthday Griff.

07-31-2002, 01:48 PM	#7
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	A little unsolicited advice, swap out the chain along with your cassette. Its made out of softer material than you'd think so it wears along with your gears. A new chain will give you longer cassette life. __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

08-05-2002, 08:09 PM	#8
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	So after bragging on the durability of my old Cannondale, I go and trash my frame... bummer. Then I buy a snappy new Trek 520 with all the bells and whis... well no bells and whistles but a fine piece of machinery none the less. Hooray! __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

08-16-2002, 07:33 AM	#12
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	last training ride Saturdays the big day. I should be ready but when I took a short 20mile warm up ride yesterday I got some pretty serious pain out of my left hip. I don't know if its from changing bikes, two 6 hour drives in the pickup inside a week, or the tool belt I wore for two days this week? I'm dropping Advil like candy and hoping for the best... __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

08-16-2002, 08:03 AM	#13
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	Good luck to you Griff! Make us proud.

08-16-2002, 09:56 AM	#14
warch lurkin old school Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,796	Is your hip pain deep, like maybe a hip flexer? I pulled my right hip a few years ago doing some heavy landscaping and it was the weirdest injury. It was pain I couldnt quite locate cause it was so deep and then a freaky loss of leg movement. I couldnt figure out what was going on till an athletic pal diagnosed me. It took several weeks to get back to normal. I hope thats not your deal. Stretch and pace yourself. If all else fails, your better half can give you a tow. Sending wishes for great weather. Have fun and raise lots of dough for a great cause.

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