It's All About The Ride

Cycling has, in many ways, meditative qualities to it: the constant and repetitive motion of the legs and the amount of focus that cyclists do is similar to self hypnosis.
And I find that very true......there's a certain mesmerizing effect that comes from cycling.
There have been many moments of clarity, moments of zen-like experiences that brings Euphoria.
Most people will scoff and say that it's the endorphins working overtime, true......but I like the meditative excuse.

The Tour and a Sundry of other things Velo

Sunday morning came fast and riding at 6am was slightly unfeasible, but managed to drag my ass out of bed, put bike kit on and ride by 7am. Had an ambitious plan of taking the same route as last Sunday's, but figured I'd miss the closing of the Tour de France. So, I did the typical......Capital Crescent Trail - Rock Creek route - Downtown and back up Capitol Hill. Riding up was pretty fast......actually faster than usual all 7 miles of climbing up to Bethesda averaging 17mph. I discovered a technique, well.....more like just discovering it from watching Tour de France coverages......to physically taking deep breaths and slow exhales. Just like diving......apparently it distributes the oxygen better and relieves the burning sensations in my legs.
So the climb up to Bethesda was faster than usual arriving in Bethesda around 7:35-7:40 and blazing down towards Rock Creek and averaging 20mph. The 22 mile loop took me about 1hr....a personal record and cruised down towards downtown and eventually back up on the hill.
I should be taking pictures en route, but I'm not quite sure why I don't......I'm in the mindset that I'm in trining and could not be bothered by stopping and enjoy the scenery. The surroundings may look the same/similar, but there are always nuances and differences with differing weather. The angle of the sunlight, the humidity creating a different hue, etc.......especially in the fall.
Anyways, after the ride I caught the last stage of the Tour de France where Cavendish, again, made that incredible sprint.

Ok, here's my 2 cents on the Tour-
I love it, I love it, I love it........
There's not a single spectacle on earth that matches it......at least I think so.
20 days (plus 3 rest days) and over 3200km (2000 miles) travelled in approximately 89hrs.
The overall winner, does not necessarily have to win a stage.......absurd? Perhaps.....
Beyond categorization? Absolutely!
I'm not sure why only Tour de France gets the spotlight in cycling; there's also Giro D'Italia and Vuelta a Espana. They both have the same amount of stages and mountainous terrains. But, not as hard? Not sure.......
In any case, these types of sporting events defy the so-called human endurance, abilities and limits.

So, as I watched the peloton approach Paris during the last stage, which typically is a formality, everyone is riding together without any notion to race, until Paris and the finish line, of course......
But, as I watched the peloton approaching the outskirts of Paris, a tear swelled up in my eyes, similarly as I am writing now and recalling that moment.........perhaps because of the scenery, perhaps I want to be a part of that camaraderie of the peloton piled on with the need and the fact that I really want to go to Paris.
I've heard that being at one of the stages is religious experience, especially if you're a cycling enthusiast.

I also love the daily drama that is dished out within the Peloton, not because it's soap opera like, but the drama that is the human endurance experience, the strategy, the technique of climbing, the rhythmic side to side sway of the bicycle when its rider stands on the pedals, the constant repetitive revolution of the pedals.......all those elements of cycling.......it is hypnotizing!

Good and Bad days part 2

Last week (7/12-18) saw the return of a typical riding week for me with 6 days of riding and one long ride day.
As I logged mostly Hains point rides with one day taking the custis/W&OD trail the first 5 days and logged a total of 90 miles until Sunday. Yesterday (7/18), I decided to ride the MacArthur Blvd to Potomac route, with the dreaded Old Angler's Hill. A 2 mile 4-6% grade that can stop you on your tracks after a mostly flat cruise of 20-24mph. And kicked me it did, I felt good in the morning until that climb. Upon reaching the Potomac shopping centre, I stopped for a good 5 mins to catch my breath and consumed a Gu Gel before continuing on Falls road.
The one thing I did not like about yesterday's ride was that I did not know half of that route, so guessing and hesitation took the brunt of my energy. All in all I liked that route: Capitol Hill - Dupont - Palisades - Potomac - Tuckerman - Rock Creek - Georgetown - Capitol Hill; a total of 52 miles with some good climbing mid ride. On Mac Arthur Blvd, I was able to hook up with a TT trainee and was on his rear wheels or better until Old Angler's Hill. I am still not quite sure on how and why I cracked on that hill like that. Although the length of Mac Arthur Blvd travelled under 20 mins was quite a feat.
At Rock Creek, I again was able to hook up with yet another TT trainee and kept up on the flats, again travelling Rock Creek from the base of Kensington to the Gates within the District line in about 25 mins......real good time.
In summary, it was a great ride that started at around 7:12am and made 41 miles round trip with just 2:08hrs. Gu gels and Gatorade kept me sustained, but I can still feel the underlying leg and thigh cramps/strain. I liked that ride; with climbs, there are also downhills, which I travelled in excess of 31mph that was pure joy!
I need to familiarize that route or find better thru-ways to make it a smooth and continous route without detours.
In summary I logged roughly 145 miles last week with a few of those rides were fast intervals.
Just several days ago I thought that I'm actually enjoying the challenge of climbing, but that Old Angler Hill made me think twice. Perhaps I did not prepare the climb properly and better luck next time.

Good and Bad days

July started out on the rough side with heat advisories, air quality warnings and temperatures in the mid/high 90s accompanied with high humidities. And caused some unexpected migraines, which I haven't experienced. I even went to the Doctor to make sure it's not the beginning of future issues as it stuck around for more than 2 weeks.
When the weather turned nicer with lower humidities and slightly bearable temperatures, the migraines/headaches subsided and concluded that it was the heat and my riding position that created a strain on my right neck muscle and created the headache.
In Any case, the training regimen started again, especially with my training schedule/log showing some obvious blanks reducing my goal of a min 100 mile/week to 30-40 miles at best.
I've set a couple of goals to ride a couple of charity rides later this summer as well as in the fall.
Thus far this year my "epic" or "big" ride has only been 70 miles.
I am in search of new routes to challenge myself; I've been dreading the day I actually try the Poolesville ride by myself since the 1 mile 7% climb by Old Angler's Hill is seriously challenging not mention the other hills around Travilah Road. I did that ride last September with my friend's climate-ride training group. And had pretty bad luck with it: 2 flats on mile 10 (1st ride) and chain stretch/bust (2nd ride) on mile 68, still 15-20 miles from home. So, the trepidation is warranted, I assure you.
Anyways, back on the saddle again with a great start on Wednesday (7/6) with a puny 22 mile ride around Hains Point and back to Capitol Hill with no issues. However, my Friday (7/8) ride was absolutely rough! The first hill travelled with a bonk, already!
And the next few very steep hills, though short, was spent in the saddle, not even an attempt to dance on the pedals.
Even the arrival of the flats did not seem to perk up my energy level.....the ride sucked, BUT....a ride is a ride......
Perhaps the fact that I did not have a sufficient/decent lunch contributed to it.


And, I could feel my left thigh abductors straining unnecessarily.
I had only 2 other occasions last year with this issue and this year I've already had several Abductors' cramping issues.
I need to investigate more on this.
I am slowly beginning to like climbing hills due to the nature of its challenge and planning (in my head) on how to approach and
actually proceed on it. But climbing means standing on the pedals and that usually aggravates the muscles more.
Monday (7/12) I went to do a small-ish ride around Hains Point (4 laps) that, surprisingly, averaged around 18-19mph with spikes up to 22-23mph along the way.The great thing about it was that at and around 18-19, my breathing was not labored and my legs held up. A personal record of 19mph avg speed was had......and travelled 25miles within 68 mins.
I am also noticing a lot of how my daily diet affects my rides. My body will not lie and tolerate the

Race?

So Bike month finishes with 28 straight days of riding to and from work, training, rides, etc.......all in all 625 miles logged for the month of May. To date, as of July 1 this year a total of 1244 miles since I started; with the bulk of it in April and May.
A friend suggested I started racing...........as an outlet, as a goal, as something to work towards to. I kind of scoffed at it, but signed up for Bike DC in May.....a fun 19 mile ride, and the Air Force classic....a timed ride/race - 62.4 miles within 3hrs.
I finished, but without its casualty; cramped legs and stiff IT band for 2 weeks.....
2 weeks before the "race", I mapped out a riding schedule, that included commute only days as well as long/endurance rides as well as quick and climbing intervals. A target mileage of at least 100 miles/week.
After the race, i could feel my body reacting to the "schedule"......I am not as conditioned as I was this time last year. Or perhaps the heat this year was more unbearable than last year? Migraines started and has prevented me from riding for almost 2 weeks. Is it because of my slightly elevated blood pressure? Allergies? I am ahead by 20% in mileage and speed compared to this time last year. My climbing skills is better than last year.....and I am actually enjoying it. But what gives?
I even have a far superior bike than last year; one that I personally built/assembled and currently only weigh less than 16lbs.
I've set my sights on next year's Triathlon, also some local Sprints and centuries as part of my training goals.
Crit? No thanks....need team and Peloton experience.........maybe next year?

Bike Month

Okay, here we are back to warm weather season and Bike month is here.
DC made it to no.13 on Bicycling magazine's list of best cities for biking........that we are, but awareness is still lacking here. Drivers still drive stupidly......and I MEAN STUPIDLY!!! around cyclists. The 3feet rule doesn't apply here, drivers and commuters still honk at cyclists for being in front of them..........yes! even on the weekends when clearly there are no traffic and going around cyclists are easy enough!
Don't get me wrong............I also dislike cyclists who are so cavalier in how they ride thinking they own the streets, where traffic laws don't apply to them.....myself included, although i try as best as possible to make sure i am not impeding or possibly creating a danger to traffic. After getting hit by a driver from behind a couple of months ago, I do know how it feels to hit pavement.
So BIKE month, Bike week and Bike to work day......we should all pass along information to friends not just to invite them to become bike commuters, but also they can pass along the message that everyone should be aware of cyclists, respect them as well as we as cyclists try to respect drivers. Who knows, the person that they may accidentally hit one day could be a friend they know............
Since I've discovered cycling, it has consumed half of my days and nights, it is an obsession as well as a passion. Anxiety abounds when something or someone hinders my ability to ride.

Building a Cyclocross

So After that accident in January I decided to build a bike just for the city; a comfortable, able, agile and flexible for mostly around the city riding. A cyclocross with slightly larger and knobbier tires.......so I bought just a generic frame from Nashbar.com; an aluminum cyclocross frame for $100. I also purchased their cyclocross fork, but it was way too heavy for my comfort and decided to bid on a carbon fiber Bianchi fork on Ebay, which I won. I installed mostly parts from my bin from my previous bike: Shimano Sora Derailleurs (F&R), Microshift's (Nashbar) Shifters, 9 speed cassette, rims from my current bike (mavic front and Forte titan rear), Kenda 700cx30 cross tires.......
I'm still waiting on cantilever brakes from Nashbar.....will update as soon as it installs.

Hit by a dumb driver

So, Friday night coming home from Georgetown on Pennsylvania ave right on Washington Circle I got hit by a dumbass driver, who was probably either drinking or just totally stupid.

I had my front and rear lights blinking, and I had the right of way as the traffic light was green on my side of the intersection. Washington circle is right in front of GW University hospital with app. 6 streets entering into it, including an extended off ramp from Whitehurst freeway. Traffic within the circle, however has the right of the way as clearly marked with signs installed on each intersection.

Granted it was night, 10:30 to be exact, but yielding and focusing on everything around you, especially while driving is typically a must.....correct?

I was riding on Pennsylvania Ave heading east away from Georgetown; both lights on the corner of Penn and 23rd as well as the traffic light entering into the circle were both green, so I clearly had the right of way. Upon entering the circle, traffic on my right side entering from the ramp extension into the circle, the car in front of dumbass saw me but realized that he was far enough that he could enter quickly and safely without hitting me. Mr. Dumbass did not even bother to look around, he did slow down in the mouth of the entry but did not look; as soon as I passed his vehicle, he struck me made me crash into the ground, damaging my Mavic rear wheels, bent the rear derailleur hanger and a couple of adjustments went off. My bar tape torn, perhaps handlebar bent......thus far the Carbon Fiber frame on my Bianchi 928 SL is straight and intact....at least according to Mike at Cycle Life bike shop in Georgetown. Most importantly, I came out with very minor bruises and no lasting injuries.

The Dumbass would not have stopped if I didn't make him pullover; I literally had to yell and shout to make him pullover.

His excuse? He didn't see me.............clearly not realizing that DC has been overrun by a lot of cyclists.....the days of driving like an asshole is over.