Keith's Bike Blog

Stinky Spoke 2012

2012-01-15T15:04:00.000-08:00

The Stinky Spoke (a.k.a. "Stinky Weather Poker Ride") is a local charity ride benefiting the Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center. It is purposefully held in mid January to best experience the worst of our winter weather (similar in spirit to Portland's Worst Day of the Year ride). The ride starts at the Redhook Brewery in Woodinville.

The route generally follows the Thrilla in Woodinvilla mountain biking loop. This is a fun ride, and quite a workout (~18.5 miles, ~1450 feet elevation gain). It utilizes parts of the Redmond Powerline Trail, the Tolt Pipeline Trail, the Trilogy Trail, and the Redmond Watershed.

This year, to celebrate the rides fifth anniversary, it was decided to ride the Thrilla loop backwards (clockwise vs the traditional counter-clockwise). This meant everyone started the day by climbing the dreaded Heart Attack Hill (~300 feet elevation gain in ~1/4 mile) along the Tolt Pipeline Trail.

Traffic jam up Heart Attack Hill.

I've been training a bit for this (it helps that I live about 1 mile from the trail). On my first attempt at the hill, I think I stopped 20 times to rest. The next time, I stopped 12 times. On the third attempt I stopped 6 times, and on the fourth attempt 4 times. For my fifth attempt (the final one before the ride) I only stopped twice.

Could I climb it cleanly and earn one of the coveted medallions?

Nope. Climbing in a crowd is much more difficult than climbing solo. I made it up to the asphalt cross street (~1/3 up the hill) without problem, but stopped about 1/2 up the hill due to traffic. By necessity, I've gotten rather good at restarting after a break on the hill, but again, too much traffic. As my single-speed friends say, the final climb was performed at "24 gear inches" (24 inches = 2 feet = walking).

FWIW, despite walking the final half of the hill, I manged to set a personal best for my climb time. This is probably a sign that I need to work more on leg strength & climbing ability. Or maybe I should just always walk the damn hill.

The remainder of the Tolt Pipeline Trail featured a few more climbs, some fun descents, and the inevitable horse poop. Once past Lake of the Woods, we turned off the Tolt and onto the Trilogy Trail.

This part of the Trilogy Trail has recently received a heavy dose of loose gravel. It's no big deal with my 2.2" mountain knobbies. A couple of months ago I rode it with smooth non-mountain-biking tires with predictable consequences.

Gravel 1, me 0.

After a relatively short jaunt through Trilogy Trail, we entered the Redmond Watershed. I love biking through the watershed solo, but it's a different experience when you're biking with 800 other people. Most people seemed to enjoy the ride, although a women riding directly in front of me wiped-out on one muddy corner. Luckily, she had a cushy landing in a bed of moss & ferns.

Somewhere near the end of the watershed my front disc brake began making unpleasant grinding noises. I suspect mud & grime got in the caliper. By the time I got to the Powerline Trail, the front brake was completely useless.

Note to self: If a brake starts to grind due to contamination, STOP AND CLEAN IT. I foresee some quality time with my bike in the garage soon.

The Powerline trail is another fun ride (with a couple of gnarly climbs). It ultimately deposited us onto the Sammamish River Trail. From there, only 3 or 4 miles back to Redhook!

Somewhere along the Sammamish River Trail the rain turned to sleet.

Shortly later, it turned to snow. Big, wet, gloppy, potato-chip-sized, stick-to-everything flakes.

Stinky, stinky, stinky!

The Stinky Spoke 2012's weather definitely lived up to its name.

My helmet was similarly adorned by the end of the ride.

Overall, I'd say it was a awesome ride benefiting a great cause. I look forward to riding it next year. Until then, I'll keep riding it solo. I want my "cleanly climbed Heart Attack Hill" medallion next!

More Riding than Blogging

2011-10-30T14:56:00.000-07:00

Long time, no blog. Since my last post way back when, I:

Started working for GridPoint in their Seattle office. Yay!
Quit working for GridPoint. YAY!!
Lost ~45 pounds (story to follow Real Soon Now). WOO-HOO!!!
Biked about 3000 miles or so.

Due to a scheduled minor surgical procedure, I'll be off the bike for the next week or so. This should give me time to a) work on a few articles for this blog, b) do some much-needed blog housekeeping, and c) do some much-needed maintenance on my bike.

Future blog articles may include one or more of the following:

How I lost 45 pounds (with another 15 or so to go before I reach my target weight) by exercising more smartly and not eating crap.
Nutrition for geeks.
Research & analysis of how streets are really paid for in Washington State. In other words "where does the money collected for private vehicle registration & fuel taxes go?"
Reviewing Push Industries overhaul of my used-and-abused-and-in-need-of-overhaul Fox F90RL mountain bike fork.

Good times, they are a'coming.

Update: 30 Days of Biking

2010-10-02T23:11:00.000-07:00

September is history, as is the most recent 30 Days of Biking challenge.

Final results as logged on MyCyclingLog: 765.18 miles!

When the challenge first started, my goal was to simply ride every day in September. After a few days, I decided to up the ante and go for 600 total miles. Once that goal was reached (with several days to spare) I decided to up the goal to 750 miles: 25 miles per day average.

In the end, I manged to average ~25.5 miles/day. I also lost ~10 pounds along the way. 35 more pounds and I'll be ready for bikini season!

Here's a collection of random photos taken during my September bike rides:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/keith_and_kasia/sets/72157624895731580/with/5046617790/

Enjoy!

30 Days of Biking

2010-09-22T22:20:00.000-07:00

I am currently 22 days into the 30 Days of Biking challenge. This has been an awesome motivator for me, a compelling reason to get back in the saddle each and every day. I don't think I've ever before biked even 7 days in a row, much less 30.

At this point in my recovery, motivation is a good thing. Complications from Swine Flu last October kept me off the bike until this past March, and even then my mileage totals were lame:

March: 18.77 miles
April: 10.90 miles
May: 26.36 miles
June: 81.30 miles
July: 49.98 miles

Then things started to pick up a bit:

August: 176.88

According to DailyMile, I'm at 543.67 miles so far this month, with 8 days to go. At the beginning of September, my goal was to average 20 miles per day (600 total). I should reach this in the next day or two. Woo-hoo!

Today I decided to put the 26" mountain knobbies on the bike and ride the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, starting at the trail's northernmost trail head in Duvall.

It was a perfect day for a bike ride: sunny with gorgeous puffy white clouds, little wind, and temperatures in the low 60's.

I wanted to ride at least as far as Snoqualmie Falls, ~20 miles each way. It's a gentle slope, but 20 miles of gravel and climbing does take its toll.

I like taking photos of unusual signs while riding. I spotted this sign near Carnation, WA.

I don't know where the Tolt Dam is, but the Tolt River runs through Carnation.

The Tolt River is rather infamous as a "flooding barometer" for this area. During times of heavy rain or rapid snow melt, the Tolt River is always one of the first to flood. Since the Tolt dumps directly into the Snoqualmie River, the flooding cascades.

Another cool sign spotted near Fall City:

Near Snoqualmie Falls is the Tokul Tunnel.

The tunnel goes under SE Tokul Road, and I needed to go right (south). Route choices at this point are:

Stairs to the left of the tunnel.
Steep and rocky trail to the right of the tunnel.
Proceed through the tunnel for a few hundred yards, then take a small trail to the left, connect with SE 60th Street, then left on SE Tokul Road.

I chose option 3.

Finally, after ~20 miles (and ~2 hours at my leisurely pace) I reached the falls.

I was worried about running out of daylight, so I didn't spent long at the falls. After I took some photos, filled my water bottles, ate a Snickers, and hit the men's room, it was time to head back.

Thankfully, it was mostly downhill all the way back to Duvall.

Statistics:

Distance: 40.34 miles
Average Speed: 10.9 MPH
Calories Burned: 3251

Men's Room Graffiti

2010-06-22T17:19:00.000-07:00

Spotted in the men's room at Ooba's Mexican Grill in Woodinville:

It's subtle, so it may take a minute to spot it.

Electric "Push" Trailer

2010-06-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

From http://electricbicycletrailer.com/:

Clever idea, but I wonder about the dynamics of pushing a bike via an articulated connection to the seat post. Turns could get "interesting".

Sidecar

2010-06-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

From Make Magazine's Blog:

I've always loved the look of motorcycle sidecars. This creation is just too cool.

Fun and Games with Google Maps and GPX Files

2010-03-26T15:10:00.000-07:00

I recently learned a cool Google Maps trick from the kind folks over at Warm Showers: Google Maps has the ability to directly load GPX files (the data format used by many GPS devices and mapping applications), if the GPX file is URL-accessible.

Here's how.

Open Google Maps.
Enter a GPX file URL into the "Search" box.
Click the "Search Maps" button.
If desired, click "Link" to generate a link to to the current map view with the GPS data overlayed

Done.

For example, this GPX file contains a few points of interest for the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance Duthie Hill Trail area. By following the procedure above, one can easily create a Google Maps view with the GPS data overlayed. Very cool.

The example above is rather simplistic; the GPX file contains only a few waypoints. GPX files containing actual routes display as expected.

Uhh...

2010-03-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

...no.

From Gizmodo.

Health, Wealth, and Cycling

2010-02-02T20:35:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I posted anything here. I have been cursed to live in interesting times.

Health

This past October I caught the dreaded hamthrax (a.k.a. "swine flu"). It kept me at home for a couple of weeks, but the doctor-prescribed antibiotics seemed to help.

After I finally recovered, I got hit with a nasty sinus infection. The kind where any external pressure (including pressure from a pillow while trying to sleep) is horribly painful. The kind where your face feels like it's in a vice. Another doctor visit, another round of antibiotics, and I was cured. Or so I thought.

Then came the migraines; horrible headaches that felt like an ice pick in my right temple. These headaches really knocked me off my feet. They hit hard and frequently (8 or 10 times a day). Another doctor visit, more drugs, and the headaches never really went away.

The headaches were strange -- always localized in my right temple, usually accompanied by a tingling/numb sensation on the nearby skin, watering in my right eye, and spasms in the right eyelid. They usually last about 20 minutes or so.

A full-head MRI was ordered. The noise and confinement of these machines is not particularly pleasant, especially if you start the process with a headache. Fortunately, the MRI showed nothing terribly wrong -- no tumors, no aneurysms -- just a few sinus cysts. My regular doctor thought the cysts might be causing the headaches; he sent me to a local neurologist and headache specialist.

The neurologist was a great older gentleman, a very "old school" doctor. He and I chatted in the exam room for about 90 minutes, talking about symptoms, timing, etc. I don't think I've spent a total of 90 minutes with any other doctor I've ever had.

Eventually, he diagnosed me with Chronic Paroxysmal Hemicrania. This literally translates to "periodic pain on one side of the head", but it's an actual condition. Unfortunately (for me) it's a relatively rare condition, so very little research is done on it. As a result, there's no known cause and thus no known cure. Fortunately, the drug Indomethacin eliminates the symptoms. Unfortunately (for me) Indomethacin causes extreme drowsiness; after I take a dose, I usually need to nap for a couple of hours.

It appears that, for the short term at least, I must choose between being either ) semi-conscious and pain-free or b) fully conscious and suffering with the horrible headaches.

Wealth

As you can imagine, this has made my work as a software engineer rather difficult. After long and careful deliberation, I decided to retire from Microsoft in order to focus on my health. As I mentioned in an email at work, I hope to find a magical combination of beer, caffeine, and bicycle riding that will cure my condition.

My manager, his manager, our local HR representative, and everyone at Microsoft were very supportive through this ordeal.

To David, Henry, Mark, Rajesh, Tyler, and everyone else: I don't think I can fully express how appreciative I am for your help & support.

Cycling

I've been off the bike since 09/26/2009. Kasia has been off the bike even longer (07/04/2009, I think) due to her knee surgery. It's high time for both of us to get back in the saddle.

As a forcing function, we've signed-up for a few organized rides, including:

02/28 - Chilly Hilly
03/20 - McClinchy Mile
04/17 - Tulip Pedal
04/18 - Daffodil Classic
06/12 - Flying Wheels Summer Century
06/21 - Seattle Livestrong Challenge
08/28 - Ride Around Puget Sound

Now we just need to get off our butts, get back in to shape, and ride ride ride!

Farewell, Susan

2009-08-05T22:05:00.000-07:00

You will be missed, even by those who never met you.

Bike Ride Bucket List

2009-07-31T09:39:00.000-07:00

The Bucket List, from 2007, touched on an interesting subject. In this movie, several characters discuss (and, more importantly, act on) their "bucket lists" -- lists of things they want to do before they "kick the bucket".

I was reminded of this movie recently as Kasia and I discussed epic rides we hope to complete someday. With that in mind, here is my own personal "Bike Ride Bucket List":

RAMROD (Ride Around Mount Rainer in One Day)
RAGBRAI (The Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa)
Fireweed 400
Markleeville Death Ride
Hotter 'N Hell 100
Tour Divide -- I'm not interested in racing, but I like the idea of an unsupported mostly-off-road ride from Banff, AB to Antelope Wells, NM
The North Sea Cycle Route
Many other EuroVelo routes -- specifically, I'd like to completely map and record all EuroVelo routes through Poland
Ride the Trans Canada Trail from coast to coast
The Iron Horse Bicycle Classic -- race the train from Durango to Silverton.

Many more to come.

What's on your Bike Ride Bucket List?

Seattle Livestrong Challenge 2009

2009-06-19T09:26:00.000-07:00

The Seattle Livestrong Challenge 2009 is coming up soon -- this Sunday, June 21. I'm quickly running out of time to nag people for donations to this worthy cause.

Kasia and I wanted to ride this together, but fate had other plans. She injured her right knee a couple of weeks ago. After last week's MRI and yesterday's appointment with the orthopod, the verdict was clear: torn meniscus. Her surgery is scheduled for this coming Monday.

It looks like I'll be riding alone.

Except I won't be alone, of course. Elden "Fatty" Nelson has organized Livestrong teams in Seattle, San Jose, Philadelphia, and Austin. There are 111 registered members of Team Fatty Seattle; I'm sure we'll all be sporting our fashionable Fatty Jerseys on Sunday.

I'll have the other 110 members of Team Fatty (and probably a thousand other riders) as company during the ride. We're all riding to raise money for The Lance Armstrong Foundation in support of cancer treatment and research. Team Fatty members ride to show support for Elden's wife Susan. Most of us also ride in honor of friends and family who battle this terrible disease.

Economically, this is not the best time to ask for donations. Ironically, this is the time when they're most needed.

My Team Fatty Seattle donation page.

Any donation (or words of encouragement) is greatly appreciated.

Does your company have a "matching gifts" program for donations? Additional information on matching gifts can be found at the Livestrong Challenge -- Matching Gifts page.

If you donate to my page, please include the following information on your company's matching gifts form:

Participant’s Name: Keith Moore
Participant ID: 241276611
Event Location: Seattle, 2009

Flying Wheels Summer Century 2009

2009-06-14T21:32:00.000-07:00

Kasia, me, and our friend Jason planned to ride Flying Wheels together, but Kasia had to bow out. She injured her right knee a couple of weeks ago. This past Wednesday she had an MRI, and the diagnosis came in on Friday (the day before the ride).

The bad news: She has a torn meniscus. She may be off the bike for few weeks. I suspect she'll need surgery to repair the tear.

Jason and I rode Flying Wheels together, starting at my house. The ride to/from the event added an extra 22 miles for me, and about 25 miles for Jason. My stats:

Total Distance: 122.44 miles
Pedal Time: 8:30
Average: 14.41
Clock Time: 11:03
Elevation Gain: 4540

Here are a few photos from the event: http://www.flickr.com/photos/keith_and_kasia/sets/72157619671246899/

Reach the Beach 2009

2009-05-23T10:25:00.001-07:00

After our less than illustrious finish at last year's Reach the Beach ride, Kasia and I had something to prove this year.We were going to reach that beach this year, damn it, and reach it together.

Normally, that level of hubris leads to disaster and embarrassment, but almost everything went perfectly well this year. Woo-hoo!

Two big problems hit us last year that kept us from enjoying the ride and kept Kasia from finishing: the oppressive heat, and time pressure. Coincidentally, a record-setting heat wave hit western Oregon last year on the day of Reach the Beach 2008. The official high was ~95F that day, but a friend's thermometer-equipped cycle computer showed 104F while cycling on the black asphalt. Kasia, being a native of Poland, is just not used to physical activity in those conditions.

The other problem we faced was time pressure. We got a late start that day, mostly due to mechancial problems with my rear disc brake. By the time we reached the 50 mile point, we became concerned that we wouldn't make our 7:00pm bus back to Portland.

This year, Mother Nature was much more cooperative. It did get warm later in the day, but only warm, not oh-my-god-we're-cycling-in-a-convection-oven hot. Also, we had a plan.

The Plan:

Wake up at 4:00am (yuck).
Eat breakfast at 5:00am.
Get to the starting line by 6:00am (mostly to claim one of the scarce parking spaces).
Get bib numbers, etc at 7:00am.
Hit the road by 8:00am.

The Reality:

Woke up at 4:00am (yuck).
Ate breakfast at 4:45am.
Got to the starting line at 5:30am.
Got bit numbers, etc about 6:20am.
Hit the road at 6:30am.

Preparing for an early departure.

It was actually someone chilly when we left the starting area at 6:30am. We both wore lightweight jackets and full-fingered gloves. This helped somewhat -- cycling in the sun was very comfortable, but the shady areas were downright cold. 50 minutes later, we reached the first rest stop at the Elk's Club near Middleton, OR.

Kasia munching on a cookie at the first rest stop.

I think my socks & gloves match the folliage nicely.

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Mechanical Woes

2009-03-21T09:21:00.001-07:00

Kasia and I hoped to do a rather long ride today. The plan was:

Ride from our house to Arlington, WA (about 40 miles).
Ride the 37 mile loop of the McClinchy Mile organized bike ride.
Ride home (another 40 miles, +/-).

This was to be our March century ride and, at ~117 miles, our longest this year (and our second-longest ever).

It was not to be.

We left the house about 6:45am. About 1/2 mile from the house, something in my rear disc brake went KABOOM. The brake made a horrible grinding noise (even when not engaged) accompanied by a dreadful clang-clang-clang racket. I tried to make some adjustments on the side of the road, but no joy. We walked home.

Back at the house, I put the bike on the repair stand, pulled the rear wheel, and peeked into the brake caliper. The problem was obvious: The metal spring that sits between the pads had come loose and one section wedged between the pad and the rotor.

I pulled the pads for inspection. The outer pad was heavily worn and clearly needs replacement. The inner pad looks surprisingly good, and what's left of the spring is a tangled mess. The rotor has some new scratches, but they seem to be mostly cosmetic -- I can't feel them when scratching a fingernail across the rotor surface.

The Good

The Bad

The Ugly

I tend to keep a lot of spare bicycle parts in the garage, but I don't have spare brake pads. So now, we're sitting at home, waiting for the local bike shops to open at 10:00am. I'll buy several sets -- one to replace, one to carry in my seat bag, and a couple to keep in the garage. Just in case.

Luckily, this happened very close to home. It could just as easily have happened in the middle of nowhere.

February 2009 Century

2009-03-01T19:04:00.000-08:00

As mentioned earlier, one of my goals for 2009 is to complete at least one century ride every calendar month. My first century for the year was on Saturday, January 31. Four weeks later, I completed another century, again on the last day of the month.

I'm not trying to do these on the last day of the month -- in fact, there are many reasons to NOT do it on the last day. The weather can suck, I can feel down or otherwise unprepared for a century, etc. However, when the last day of the month rolls around and I haven't done a century yet, I have no choice but HTFU and get it done.

Yesterday's February Century was a mixed bag. It was much more enjoyable than the January Century because Kasia rode the entire distance with me. Yes, she did it! I'm very proud of her.

Many other aspects of the ride sucked. I had been rather busy at work the previous week, and I was still feeling a little stressed out. Although I got a solid 8 hours of sleep the night before the ride, the night before that I got only 3. I was just not in the mood for a big ride, but since it was 02/28, I had no choice.

We planned to leave our house at 8:00am. We actually hit the road about 8:45 -- not too bad for us.

Kasia looking very fresh at the start of the day.

Me, looking (and feeling) a little less fresh.

A cycling friend recently suggested we join UMCA, the Ultra Marathon Cycling Association. In an act of purest optimism, we joined, although I don't how "ultra" we'll be.

Among the many on-going programs, competitions, and challenges endorsed by the UMCA is one we found particularly interesting. The Year-Rounder Challenge is, as the name suggests, is for cyclists that ride year-round. From the description on the UMCA website:

The Year-Rounder (Y-R) provides a structure to motivate you throughout the season and to recognize your personal achievements. The Y-R is designed to showcase consistent performance in cycling throughout the year.

Participants in the Year-Rounder Challenge who complete one Y-R event (such as a century ride) every calendar month receive the Larry Schwartz award. Since we're planning to ride a century every month anyway, we signed-up for the Y-R Challenge. Maybe we'll have a small award at the end of the year to show for all of our time, pain, and suffering.

There are specific documentation requirements for "personal centuries", and unfortunately I failed to do this for the January Century. Luckily, the UMCA allows up to two "make up" rides, so I can do two centuries some month later this year and still qualify for the Y-R. Even more luckily, Kasia wants to do the Y-R Challenge, too!

One way to document a ride for the UMCA is to provide store receipts from towns along the route of the ride. We took this to heart, and stopped in a number of places we may not have otherwise stopped. Having this "forcing function" was actually quite pleasant. We met several very nice people when we stopped.

Our first stop was at the Shell in Duvall to buy batteries for my GPS. We then rode a loop connecting Cherry Valley Road, Kelly Road, Big Rock Road, and Highway 203. Back in Duvall, we stopped at Duvall Family Drugs for a sugar fix.

Snacks in Duvall.

From Duvall, we crossed the valley on Woodinville-Duvall Road, then headed north on West Snoqualmie Valley Road. Just after crossing Highway 522, Kasia's front tire went flat. Luckily (or maybe not) I've had a lot of practice changing flats lately, so it was quickly reparied and we continued on our way.

Rest stop at Bob Heirman Wildlife Park near Snohomish.

Cruising on Springhetti Road down to the valley floor, we spotted this sign -- "SLOW DOWN, ENJOY THE MOO". Not much "moo" around, but the views of the Cascades were lovely.

Two random unknown cyclists near Snohomish.

At Snohomish, we stopped at the Snohomish Bakery for lunch -- BLT sandwiches, Russian tea cakes, vanilla & chocolate "pots", and coffee. Yummy.

No, I didn't eat it all, Kasia helped!

From Snohomish, we rode up the Centennial Trail to Arlington, where we bought another couple of coffees (with recipts, of course!) and started the long ride back home via Snohomish and Monroe.

The combination of a) later than expected start, and b) slower than expected pace meant we arrived in Monroe just as the sun set. By the time we got to Tualco Road, it was seriously dark. We were very happy we had our Light & Motion Vega lights. When I packed them that morning, I remember thinking "we should be back long before dark, we probably don't need these, but just in case..."

The final challenge was climbing Woodinvile-Duvall Road from the valley floor up to Redmond Ridge. The odometer showed about 97 miles at this point, and my legs were "done". I put the bike into the granny gear, and we slowly crawled our way up the hill.

The final total: 104.26 miles, 8:27:09 time, average 12.33. Not the fastest century we've ever ridden, but not the slowest either.

We seem to learn more every time we attempt a long ride. This ride was no exception, but the lessons somehow were more concrete.

The most important lesson: we need more carbs in the morning. Before the ride, we ate our usual pre-ride breakfast -- scrambled eggs and toast, and coffee. This has served us well over the years, but not this time. By the time we made it to Duvall the second time (after the Cherry Valley/Kelly Road/Big Rock Road loop) we were winding down and our energy was gone. I suspected we needed more sugar, so we bought Snickers at the drug store. Man, what a difference that made! Next time, we'll definitely eat more carbs with breakfast. Waffles, perhaps?

The other lessons are mostly related to the UMCA documentation requirements for Year-Rounder rides. These lessons include:

At every lengthy (more than a few minutes) stop, take a photograph, record the time and distance, and (if carrying a GPS) make a GPS waypoint.
Don't trust the date/time on cash register receipts. We found at least one that was wildly inaccurate.
Pay attention to the UMCA rules for verifiction points (within 10 miles of start and finish, every 50 miles, etc).

All in all, I can't say we enjoyed every minute of the ride, but the sense of accomplishment is amazing.

Worst Day of the Year Ride 2009

2009-02-17T21:24:00.001-08:00

Kasia and I rode in the Worst Day of the Year Ride again, and again we had a great time. Last year (our first WDotYR) we rode without costumes. This year...

Does this skirt make my butt look big?

We originally planed to ride the 40-ish mile "Challenge Loop", but after driving part of the route and seeing just how challenging it is, we decided to do the 15-ish mile "Urban Loop". Kasia had oral surgery just a few days before the ride, she was still on antibiotics, and had just gotten off Vicodin. She wasn't super hopeful that she could finish the hilly 40 mile loop, so we rode 15 miles and had a great time.

Kasia's wig was wider than her handlebars.

No comment.

As you would expect from any ride starting and ending at a bar (the Lucky Labrador) beer was in abundance at the finish line.

Mmm... Beer.

We seemed to attract a lot of attention. Everyone loved the bike decorations (especially the neon-colored pipe cleaners on the spokes). We even got interviewed by a reporter for The Oregonian! How cool is that?

January 2009 Century

2009-02-01T11:18:00.000-08:00

One of my goals for 2009 is to complete the "century a month" challenge. Yesterday (January 31st) was the drop-dead date for the first century.

Kasia really wanted to do the century with me, but as this was only her second ride of the year (after a 3+ month break) she decided to ride "only" the first 40 miles. Her first ride of the year was ~21 miles, but it was just the day before the century.

We put a lot of thought into organizing the ride in order to maximize our options. At the start, we didn't know if Kasia would want to bail out after 10 miles (extremely unlikely) or if she would attempt the full century (slightly less unlikely). Our plan:

Put the bikes on the truck and drive to Marymoor Park in Redmond.
Ride along the Sammamish River Trail and the Burke Gilman Trail until Kasia feels like turning around.
Ride back to the truck.
If she's completely finished at this point, I could drive her home.
If she feels up to it, we could bike home from here.
After getting Kasia home, I finish the century.

We hit the trail a little before 10:00am. The thermometer in the truck showed +1C (about 34F) but it was a beautiful day -- sunny, dry, and very little wind. Surprisingly good weather for the end of January here in the Pacific NorthWET.

We road along the trails to Log Boom Park in Kenmore and turned around there. Round trip was about 26 miles. After returning to the truck, we biked to our house. Total biking distance at this point was about 39 miles.

For only her second ride this year after a lengthy break, I think she did great!

After riding with Kasia to our house, I rode back to Marymoor Park, then along the Sammamish River and Burke Gilman Trails to Gas Works Park in Seattle. The weather was still great, and the trails were very busy (hardly a coincidence). At Gas Works Park I ate some munchies I brought along, then headed back to Marymoor.

The last hour or so was in the dark, but that's cool -- I've always enjoyed riding that part of the trail at night. The only real hazards are bunny rabbits -- I probably saw 15 or 20 along the trail.

I finished the ride with 101.5 miles in 7:38 (average speed ~13.3). I'm not fast, but I'm persistent. At last my cycling log looks a little less lame now:

No longer loitering at the far end of the suckiness scale

Snowshoeing is cool

2009-01-25T18:48:00.001-08:00

Kasia and I decided to go snowshoeing this afternoon near Snoqualmie Pass. I haven't snowshoed in 8 or 9 years, and Kasia has never tried it before, but we thought it would be fun. We were right.

I still have my old Tubbs Eclipse snowshoes (a model they no longer produce) from years ago. We bought Kasia a pair of basic snowshoes last night. After about an hour of futzing around with clothing and equipment, we were ready to hit the trail.

Kasia's first attempt at snowshoeing. Keechelus Lake is in the background.

Slow, steady progress.

Since Kasia had never done this before (and since it had been many years for me) we decided to do the simplest, easiest trail we could find: The Iron Horse Trail near Hyak. I think we chose well -- the trail was flat, well-groomed, and hard packed. In fact, it was so hard packed that snowshoes may have been unnecessary, but it was good practice.

Definitely slow, maybe not-so-steady.

Kasia on the groomed cross-country trail near our turn-around point.

I didn't bring the GPS, but according to Google Maps we probably walked about 3.5 miles or so. Not too bad for a very first outing. We're hooked, and we can't wait to do this again next weekend. We hope to do something a little more "serious", maybe nearby Lower Gold Creek.

A Personal Bike Commute Challenge

2009-01-11T00:15:00.000-08:00

In 2008 I bike commuted more than in any other year. That said, it was still not enough, and I intend to rectify this situation for 2009.

In my Goals for 2009, I wrote:

Commute to work by bike (more on this later)

It's easy to say "I'll bike commute more", especially in the absence of negative consequences. This plan needs consequences with teeth.

Here's the plan:

Every day I drive to work, I'll donate $10 to Bicycle Alliance of Washington (BAW). I'll record every car commute, and at the end of each month send a check (if necessary) to BAW.

Since my company has a generous matching gifts program, this will be doubly good for BAW.

To be clear, I don't go to the office every day. I'm lucky in that I work for a company that allows/tolerates telecommuting. I generally go to the office between 1 and 3 days per week. The worst case scenario (for me, best case for BAW) would be roughly:

(3 car commutes per week) * (49 work weeks per year) * ($10 per drive) = $1470 donation.

As I write this, it's Sunday morning, 01/11/2009, and Kasia & I are still in Poland. We'll return to the Seattle are this Tuesday evening, 01/13/2009.

The commute challenge starts Wednesday 01/14/2009.

Lame

2009-01-09T12:35:00.000-08:00

I suck.

Goals for 2009

2008-12-24T04:12:00.000-08:00

I've never been a big believer in New Year's resolutions. They always seem to start with the best intentions, but typically fall on the floor by the end of January (often by the end of January 1st).

That said, I am a big fan of goals. As a survivor of many (possibly too many) semi-annual performance reviews at work, I've come to see the wisdom of S.M.A.R.T. goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.

My only real cycling goal for 2008 was to complete 2008 miles total distance. Despite many prolonged periods of inactivity, I managed to eek out about 2188 miles. Not bad, but I know I can do much better.

S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Here are my S.M.A.R.T. goals for 2009, in various (and often overlapping) categories:

Cycling

3650 total miles for 2009 (average 10 miles/day)
Complete at least 1 century ride per month
Complete at least one 1000 mile month
Commute to work by bike (more on this later)
Complete the following organized bike rides:

RSVP
Flying Wheels Century (from house)
Livestrong Seattle
Reach the Beach
Worst Day of the Year
McClinchy Mile
Tulip Pedal
Daffodil Classic
May Day Metric
Skagit Spring Classic
Ride of Silence

Other Activities

Complete 52 hikes in 2009 (average 1 hike/week -- we need to come up with a definition of "a hike")

Health and Fitness

Get at or below 220 pounds (100 kilograms) by July 31
Get at or below 200 pounds (91 kilograms) by December 31
Do 100 push-ups in a row

Other Goals

I have a few other goals that are somewhat nebulous and therefore do not meet the S.M.A.R.T. criteria. These include:

Car Lite

Start grocery shopping by bike
Take at least one car-free vacation:

Cle Elum via Sammamish River Trail and Iron Horse Trial
Abbotsford, BC mostly via WA Highway 9
Anacortes and the San Juan Islands
Port Townsend, maybe even Port Angeles

Bike Mechanics

Build a usable home bike workshop
Learn to perform all routine bicycle maintenance
Learn to build wheels
Build a bike (probably a single-speed 29er) from a frame and individual components

Diet and Nutrition

More home cooking, less restaurants
More raw/less-processed foods, less over-processed crap

Outdoor Activities

Camping:

Car camping
Plane camping
Bikepacking
Backpacking

Learn to swim well enough to be comfortable in the water
Learn to kayak
Buy (a) kayak(s)

Livestrong Challenge Seattle

2008-12-05T11:43:00.000-08:00

Next June 21st, Kasia and I will participate in the Seattle Livestrong Challenge, a multi-sport charity event raising money for Lance Armstrong's Livestrong Foundation in support of cancer treatment and research. We'll be riding as part of Team Fatty, a team organized by The Fat Cyclist. We'll be cycling in the 100 mile "century" ride.

The current economic situation sucks badly, but please consider donating to either Kasia's donation page, my donation page, or both if possible.

2009 Event Calendar

2008-10-28T10:19:00.001-07:00

The schedule for the 2009 organized ride season is slowly beginning to materialize. There are dozens of organized rides in the Pacific Northwest, plus a few "interesting" rides from other areas. I'll update this page as upcoming dates are set.

Several web sites contain calendars of events in specific regions, including:

Bike Bis has biking calendars for Washington, Oregon, and Idaho (and California, if anyone cares)
The Cascade Bicycle Club maintains a calendar of Northwest Bike Rides
The Cascade Bicycle Club and Cycle University organize the Cascade Training Series, weekly training rides for riders of various abilities
The Redmond Cycling Club maintains a calendar of events
Bicycle Paper maintains yet another calendar of events

January

01/17 - The Stinky Spoke - Woodinville, WA

February

02/15 - Worst Day of the Year Ride - Portland, OR
02/21 - Seattle Bike Swap - Seattle, WA
02/22 - Chilly Hilly - Bainbridge Island, WA
02/22 - Echo Red-to-Red Mountain Bike Race - Echo, OR
02/22 - Wet and Windy - Bend, OR

March

03/14 to 03/15 - Seattle International Bike Expo - Seattle, WA
03/21 - McClinchy Mile - Arlington, WA
03/22 - Pre-Season Century - Bend, OR

April

04/04 - Tulip Pedal - La Conner, WA
04/06 to 04/09 - Tulips and Bays Bike Tour - La Conner, WA
04/18 - Hell's Gate Hundred - Furnace Creek, CA
04/19 - Daffodil Classic - Orting, WA
04/19 - Redmond Ride - Redmond, OR
04/23 to 04/27 - Northwest Crank - East Wenatchee, WA
04/25 - Alefest Bike Ride - Wenatchee, WA
04/25 - Bike Tour Lopez Island - Lopez Island, WA
04/26 - Rhody Bike Tour - Port Townsend, WA
04/26 - Monster Cookie Metric Century - Salem, OR

May

05/02 - Camano Climb - Camano Island, WA
05/03 - May Day Metric - Federal Way, WA
05/03 - Bike-A-Roo Breakfast Ride - ???
05/05 - Women on Wheels - Seattle, WA
05/16 - Reach the Beach - Portland, WA
05/16 - Tour de Cure - Redmond, WA
05/16 - Cycle for Independence - Boise, ID
05/20 - Ride of Silence - Seattle, WA
05/23 - 5th Annual Dash Race for the Kids - Prosser, WA
05/24 - Southside Ride - Sunriver, OR
05/25 - Seven Hills of Kirkland - Kirkland, WA
05/30 to 05/31 - Tour of the Swan River Valley - Missoula, MT
05/30 - Blue Cruise Idaho - Twin Falls, ID

June

06/03 to 06/07 - Mount Hood Cycling Classic - Mount Hood, OR
06/06 - Apple Bike Ride Century - Wenatchee, WA
06/06 - Pioneer Century - Canby, OR
06/11 to 06/27 - PedalPalooza - Portland, OR
06/13 - Flying Wheels Summer Centry - Redmond, WA
06/13 - CHaFE 150 - Sandpoint, ID
06/13 - Bob LeBow Bike Tour - Nampa, ID
06/20 - Livestrong Challenge - Seattle, WA
06/20 - Tour de Blast - Toutle, WA
06/20 - Native Planet Classic - Winthrop, WA
06/20 - Tour de Chelan - Lake Chelan, WA
06/20 - Tour de Fronds - Powers, OR
06/20 - Meals to Wheels - Puyallup, WA
06/20 - Great Owyhee Ride - Ontario, OR
06/22 to 08/08 - Big Ride Across America - Seattle, WA
06/26 - Watermelon Rides - Rickreall, OR
06/27 to 07/05 - Prairie City (Oregon) Bicycle Invitational - Prairie City, OR
06/27 - Cannonball - Seattle, WA
06/27 - Blue Cruise Idaho - Meridian, ID
06/28 - Double Dawg Tandem Ride - Bend, OR
06/29 - Tour de Pierce - Puyallup, WA

July

07/03 to 07/05 - Northwest Tandem Rally - Victoria, BC
07/10 - Fireweed 400 - Anchorage, AK
07/11 - Death Ride - Markleeville, CA
07/11 to 07/12 - Group Health Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic - Seattle, WA
07/12 - Seattle World Naked Bike Ride - Seattle, WA
07/12 - Huckleberry Ride - Deary, ID
07/15 to 07/19 - Red-Spoke - Redmond, WA
07/18 - Tour de Chutes - Bend, OR
07/19 to 07/25 - RAGBRAI XXXVII - Council Bluffs, IA

August

08/01 - Tour de Whatcom - Bellingham, WA
08/02 - Bike Oregon Wine Country - Sundays in August - Rickreall, OR
08/01 to 08/03 - Courage Classic - Snoqualmie, WA
08/02 to 08/08 - RAW - Ride Around Washington - Packwood, WA
08/02 - Lakes Loop Ride - Mount Bachelor, OR
08/07 to 08/09 - Get Your Guts in Gear - Edmonds, WA
08/07 to 08/09 - Long Beach Weekend - ???
08/08 - Blue Cruise Idaho - Pocatello, ID
08/09 - Bike Oregon Wine Country - Sundays in August - Rickreall, OR
08/09 to 08/15 - Oregon Bicycle Ride XXIII - Heppner, OR
08/14 to 08/16 - RSVP - Ride from Seattle to Vancouver (B.C.) and Party! - Seattle, WA
08/14 to 08/16 - 11th Annual Recumbent Retreat - Fort Stevens State Park, OR
08/15 - Blue Cruise Idaho - Coeur d'Alene, ID
08/15 - Hot August Days - Wenatchee, WA
08/16 - Bike Oregon Wine Country - Sundays in August - Rickreall, OR
08/16 - Ice Cream Classic - ???
08/22 to 08/23 - RAPSody - Tacoma, WA
08/22 to 08/23 - Idaho Bike MS: Road, Sweat, and Gears - McCall, ID
08/23 - Bike Oregon Wine Country - Sundays in August - Rickreall, OR
08/29 - Hotter 'N Hell 100 - Wichita Falls, TX
08/30 - Bike Oregon Wine Country - Sundays in August - Rickreall, OR
08/31 - Hutch's 100K - Bend, OR

September

09/05 - Emerald City Lights Bike Ride - Auburn, WA
09/12 to 09/26 - Big Ride Pacific Coast - Seattle, WA
09/12 to 09/19 - Cycle Oregon - Elgin, OR
09/13 - HPC - High Pass Challenge - Packwood, WA
09/13 - Sunnyside Century - Mount Bachelor, OR
09/13 - Kootenai River Ride - Bonners Ferry, ID
09/18 to 09/21 - Trek Tri-Island - Anacortes
09/19 to 09/20 - Tour des Lacs - Spokane, WA
09/19 to 09/20 - Ride to Joseph - Lewiston, ID
09/20 - CSC - Restore Our Waters Cascade Spawning Cycle - Seattle, WA
09/27 - Peach of a Century - Salem, WA

October

10/04 - Kitsap Color Classic - Kingston, WA

November

December

Cycling in Poland, and Not Only

2008-09-19T01:34:00.001-07:00

Kasia & I spent the past month visiting her family in Jastrzebie Zdrój in southern Poland. While there, we managed to squeeze in a tiny bit of cycling before the weather got nasty.

Getting There

En route to Poland, we had a small layover in Frankfurt, Germany. At the Frankfurt airport, I noticed these bikes, apparently available to either borrow or rent (I don't know which).

Communal bikes at the Frankfurt airport

This is a great idea for large airports. If you've got a connection to make and not too much carry-on (I'm sure a laptop case and more would fit into the basket) then grab a bike and go.

Of course, this only works in countries that value personal responsibility. You wouldn't want to risk a rash of lawsuits from people falling off bikes that were allegedly under their own control.

In other words, you'll never see this in the USA.

Update: On our return trip, we had another layover in Frankfurt. This time, I saw only airport employees using these bikes. On the previous trip, I only saw one bike used, and it was definitely by a passenger. He wore a suit, carried a briefcase in the basket, rode the bike to the gate and boarded the plane (leaving the bike near the gate).

Bikes

About 5 years ago, while living in Poland, Kasia & I bought two new bikes -- Trek Navigators. At that time, they were the nicest, most "serious" bikes either of us had ever owned. Both of us biked as children, but neither had biked in many years. The Navigators were our "return to cycling as adults" bikes.

The Navigators are part of Trek's "Bike Path" series, and are way comfy -- upright riding position, cushy seat, suspension seatpost, large low-pressure tires, and (on my Naviagor 300) suspension fork. The bikes are heavy, but not overly so. The longest rides we've done on these bikes was about 50 kilometers, and I think they'd be fine for longer distances as well -- as long as you're not in a hurry.

Kasia & I moved back to the USA about 3 years ago, and the Navigators have been dutifully waiting in her grandparent's basement. After a little air in the tires, a little grease on the chain, and a little dusting, they were ready to go.

At home in Woodinville, we always "kit up" before riding -- padded cycling shorts, cycling shoes, cycling-specific this, cycling-specific that, etc. Here in Poland, we had none of those accessories. When it's time to ride, just jump on the bike and go. It's very liberating.

Hello again, old friend

I had forgotten how much fun these bikes are. I plan to install front and/or rear baskets and use them for car-free shopping. If nothing else, we can always use them for quick beer runs to the Czech Republic.

Poland Ride #1

Still reeling from jet lag, Kasia, her father Marek, and I cycled from her parent's house to the Czech Republic, crossing the border near the Polish town of Golkowice. We mostly followed the R4, one of the designated EuroVelo routes through Europe. The R4 starts in Roscoff, France and terminates in Kiev, Ukraine. Along the way, it passes through Frankfurt, Prague, Krakow, and (coincidentally) Jastrzebie Zdrój.

The R4 mostly follows quiet paved roads (and a few dirt/gravel roads) through small towns and villages, and skirting the edges of larger cities. Marek knows the area very well (he's lived here for more than 32 years, and cycles frequently) so there were a few scenic detours.

Polish trail hazard

Kasia and Marek admiring a small stream along the R4

Many trails in Poland are made from large concrete slabs. They're better than riding on mud or sand, but they can be rather jarring. I really appreciate my comfy bike on these trails.

Concrete slabs on the trail

Stopping for a Coke at a convenience store

There are a number of designated scenic bicycle routes in this area. They appear to be relatively well marked.

We were here...

...but now, where are we?

Thanks to the Shengen Treaty, borders between EU member countries are basically meaningless. Now, crossing country borders within the EU is no more dramatic than crossing state borders within the USA.

At the Polish/Czech Republic border, the structure still stands, but the guards and vehicle gates are gone. The administrative buildings used by customs and border guards are now slowly becoming shops and other businesses.

The Poland/Czech Republic border

Woo-hoo -- cycling in the Czech Republic!

While in the Czech Republic, we stopped at a small shop and bought some alcohol -- still much cheaper there than in Poland.

After stocking Marek's backpack, we headed home.

I don't remember if this is R4 or another scenic detour

No, I can't pronounce it either

The final kilometer or two was a very pleasant ride through Zdrojowy Park.

Through the park

In the end, we did about 20 miles that day, probably the second-longest ride we've ever done on the Trek Navigators. After all of the biking we've done in the USA over the past two years, we're in much better physical shape than when we lived in Poland. It shows.

Poland Ride #2

About one week later, we took another ride, again along the R4.

Cruising on a warm Polish Summer day

There was no real purpose or goal for this ride, so we just enjoyed ourselves on some very scenic trails.

Beautiful tree-lined trail

Ladne pole (that's "pretty field" in Polish)

Once you get away from the larger towns, a rather unique method is used to mark the R4 route. Instead of using metal signs (which could be stolen and sold for scrap metal) the signs are painted on tree trunks.

R4 sign painted on a tree

Another beautiful trail

Marshy area on one side of the trail...

...and a nice lake on the other

Of course, not all views are scenic. This area has more than its share of coal mines.

Polish coal mine

Czestochowa

We spent two days visiting Kasia's aunt & uncle in Czestochowa. While there, her uncle made pieczonki, a wonderfully delicious/fatty/delicious/unhealthy/did-I-mention-delicious dish. It's basically cabbage, potatoes, sausage, bacon, and spices, arranged in layers in a cast iron pot and cooked over an open fire. No biking here (although we could have used it to burn off some of the calories) but I managed to get an action shot of her uncle with a gratuitous bicycle in the background.

Making pieczonki, and ooh -- a bike!

Prague

Near the end of our stay, we decided to spend a few days in Prague. The Zebrzydowice train station is only a 10 minute drive from Kasia's parent's house, and Prague is only a 4.5 hour train ride away. How could we not?

A quiet day at the Zebrzydowice train terminal

Before the Schengen Treaty, the Zebrzydowice train station was a rather important customs clearing area. Now, it's rather quiet. One can still get trains from here to Prague, Vienna, Budapest, and Moscow.

Old-school train schedule -- simple, but effective

I'm not sure, but I think we're in Zebrzydowice

Once in Prague... well... what can I say? Prague is one of my favorite cities in the world, and certainly one of the most beautiful.

I think his name is Arthur; you can just call him "Art"

Even a city like Prague cannot escape the Starbucks plague.

Starbucks invades Central Europe

There was a lot of cycle activity in the streets, the squares, and the pedestrian areas. We spotted two rather unique vehicles.

The first was a Conference Bike -- a "bike" for seven people, used in the case for city tours.

Conference Bike available for city tours

The second was a cool enclosed three-wheeler. I'm not sure if this was for transportation or tours (or just Vodafone advertising).

Cool enclosed trike

A few random touristy photos:

Beautiful street view

Teathered balloon rides near the Vltava River

View from the Charles Bridge

Kampa Island, near the Charles Bridge

View from the tower

Another view from the tower

One of my favorite statues, at the entrance to Prague Castle

Before traveling to Prague, I researched bicycle rental options in the city. During my online search, I stumbled across Grant's Prague Bike Blog, and his review of City Bike. On our first full day in Prague, we walked over to City Bike, spoke at length with Nick, and signed up for a 2-hour tour of Old Town the next morning.

The tour was a blast -- 2 hours of easy riding with a knowledgeable guide. Our group was small (just 4 total) but very international:

Mike the tour guide: Czech Republic
Mark: Luxemburg
Kasia: Poland
Me: USA

Left to right: Mark, Mike, Me

Mike showed us many interesting sights in Old Town, including areas we would probably not have found by ourselves.

Kasia admiring an unusual art display

"Imagine no graffitti..."

This town clearly needs more walking chairs and illuminated plastic penguins

My lovely wife:

Kasia!

Another great visit to Prague. We can't wait to return! Maybe next time we can bring our own bikes and cycle outside the city. We'd love to cruise through the fields, valleys, and picturesque villages of this beautiful country.

And Now For Something Completely Different

2008-07-20T09:42:00.000-07:00

My friend J.F.P. sent this to me yesterday; it's a photo of his contribution to the Obama '08 campaign:

I couldn't agree more.

At some point in my lifetime, I would love to get really excited about a presidential candidate; someone for whom I would actively support by volunteering my time, donating my money, advertise via signs on my vehicles and in my yard, etc.

I want to vote for someone who is not "the lesser of two evils"; I want to vote for someone who is not evil at all. Someone with the vision to look beyond the next election or fund raiser. Someone who speaks their mind clearly and unambiguously without regard to the latest poll results.

For a few brief moments, I thought Barack Obama might be this person. That is, until the recent FISA vote. Clearly, it's just politics as usual in Washington. Nothing has changed, and nothing is likely to change in the foreseeable future.

I'm still waiting.

The STP That Wasn't

2008-07-12T02:41:00.000-07:00

Last year was our first every STP -- two days, but just barely. We were not exactly well prepared for this event. Before STP, our longest ever single-day ride was about 108 miles, a self-organized century completed exactly one week before STP. Also, we were riding mountain bikes. Granted, they had nice Mavic SpeedCity 700C wheels and 700x25 road tires, but still, mountain bike geometry is not exactly optimal for 100+ mile rides.

Oh, I also developed a stress fracture in a bone in my right foot during our self-supported century the week before, but I did the STP anyway. This was not one of the more intelligent things I've ever done in my life.

Anyway, after we finished last year's STP, we promised ourselves two things:

We would buy "real" road bikes.
We would be better trained for the next STP.

This past March checked #1 off the list by ordering two Co-Motion Nor'Westers. The bikes were delivered a couple of weeks ago, and they rock. I'll write much more about the new bikes Real Soon Now.

#2 has been an on-going process, but I think we've made great progress. We've completed multiple centuries this year, and our endurance is much better than before. We've learned a lot about semi-long distance riding, especially how and when to eat, how to stay hydrated, etc. We felt more than ready for another two-day STP.

Until this past (Fourth of July) weekend.

We planned a car-lite vacation: Truck the bikes to the Cedar Falls trail head of the Iron Horse Trail in North Bend, WA, bike 50 miles along the dirt/gravel trail to the little hamlet of Cle Elum, WA, spend two nights in the Iron Horse Inn, then return to North Bend.

Friday morning we packed our backpacks, packed the truck, and drove to the trail head, only to find rain, some wind, and colder-than-forecast temperatures. The thought of biking 4 or 5 hours on dirt/mud/gravel in rain showers with temperatures around 60F wasn't exactly appealing. It's not like we avoid biking in the rain, but this just didn't sound like fun.

After sitting in the truck at the trail head for a while, watching the showers come and go, and looking at the ominous clouds hugging Snoqualmie Pass, we decided to be lame and drive to Cle Elum.

I'm glad we did. The next day (Saturday) Kasia started getting sick. Coughing, chest pain, ear ache, sore throat -- she was a walking, wheezing final project for E.N.T. medical students.

If we had biked to Cle Elum, we would be faced with a choice on Sunday: both bike back together (unlikely), or I bike back alone, get the truck, and drive back to Cle Elum to pick up Kasia.

She saw a doctor on Monday, who proclaimed her condition "probably asthma, probably not an infection", despite the facts that a) she hasn't had an asthma attack in 5 or 6 years, b) she knows what an asthma attack feels like (and this wasn't it), and c) she obviously had ear and throat infections as well. He gave her an inhaler and an antibiotic prescription to be filled "only if she's not better in 4 or 5 days".

Well, it's been 4 or 5 days now, she's not getting better, I see antibiotics in her near future, and STP is out of the question.

As I write this, it's 3:00am on Saturday morning. The first waves of (one-day) riders will depart the University of Washington parking area in about 90 minutes or so.

For everyone participating in STP 2008: I wish you a safe ride, blue skies, moderate temperatures, and tailwinds all the way to Portland.

For the two of us: We have 365 days to prepare for STP 2009.

Iron Horse Trail

2008-06-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, Kasia & I put the knobbies back on our mountain bikes, drove to North Bend, and had our first ride on the Iron Horse Trail. This was a "dry run" for our planned July 4th trip (more on that later), and it was definitely successful.

The Iron Horse Trail part of Washington's "Rails to Trails" effort. It's approximately 110 miles long, stretching from Rattlesnake Lake near North Bend past Ellensburg to the Columbia River near the town of Beverly. I've found conflicting information online about the status of the old railroad bridge crossing the Columbia into Beverly; if we ever get out there, we'll find out for ourselves.

Heading west from Rattlesnake Lake, we rode the following trail sections:

With a tiny bit of exploring, we logged about 41.6 miles.

The long and not-so-winding road.

The trail conditions were mostly as expected: packed dirt and gravel, rather smooth, and gently sloping up towards Snoqualmie Pass. Allegedly, the slope never exceeds 2.2%, but it is nearly 20 miles uphill, and the inability to coast does take its toll.

The route is quite scenic. In addition to the expected mountain views, numerous small waterfalls punctuate the trail.

The temperature that day was not hot (probably mid 70's) but after an hour or so of chugging uphill, we began to feel the heat. If the day had been a little hotter, we would have taken off our shoes and soaked our feet in the cool runoff from the waterfall.

One thing that really surprised us was the temperature variations along the trail. Several areas were dense with vegetation (trees, moss, ferns, etc) along small streams. Water evaporating from the streams must have caused a cooling effect. Biking through these areas was like entering a refrigerator. It wouldn't surprise me if these little "natural evaporative air conditioners" were 10 or 15 degrees cooler than the surrounding areas.

There were also numerous wildflowers in bloom. It's probably a little late in the season to be looking for wildflowers, but given our freaky Spring this year, everything seems to be running late.

Of course, you can't have a railroad in the mountains without trestles...

...and tunnels...

Stay right.

...and avalanche danger:

About 1 mile from the summit (near the "avalanche area" sign above) the trail was covered in snow. It wasn't much, and it was easily traversed, but it was quite a surprise.

The Snoqualmie Tunnel was cool -- literally. Before we even entered the tunnel, we could feel waves of frigid air wafting from the entrance. Inside, it was a spooky place: very dark (duh), cold (maybe 50 degrees or so) and wet (water dripping from the ceiling). It felt like a scene from a horror movie, but without the glowing eyes peering at us and human skeletons nailed to the walls.

On the west side of the tunnel is a small picnic area with a few tables and a chemical toilet. Both were highly appreciated.

After exiting the tunnel on the east side, we enjoyed a few minutes of sunshine, then headed back through the tunnel to head home. The downhill slope all the way to the truck was a welcome relief.

We loaded the bikes onto the truck, and headed back home. Enroute, we felt a chemical imbalance in our bodies, as if our grease, salt, sugar, and caffeine supplies were critically low. A quick stop at Small Fryes in Fall City easily remedied the problem.

The four primary food groups are well covered.

As mentioned earlier, this ride was a "dry run" for our planned July 4th ride. The 4th falls on a Friday this year, and we will make the most of this. The plan:

Drive back to Rattlesnake Lake near North Bend early Friday morning.
Bike to Cle Elum along the trail (about 50 miles).
Spend Friday and Saturday nights at the Iron Horse Inn Bed and Breakfast.
Enjoy the caboose accommodations, the jacuzzi tub, and the outdoor hot tub.
Explore the area (including Roslyn) on Saturday.
Ride back Sunday morning.

We can't wait!

Flying Wheels Summer Century

2008-06-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

Another weekend, another century.

Kasia and I (and a cast of thousands) rode in the annual Flying Wheels Summer Century this past Saturday. As with many other organized rides, this one provided a variety of ride lengths for riders of different abilities. Last year we did the 65-mile loop. This year, we did the full century.

Once again, we ran into our cycling buddy CliftonGK1 at the starting line. After the required (by us) photos at the starting line in Marymoor Park, we headed out.

Kasia & I are right off the truck; CliftonGK1 has already put in 11 or 12 miles.

A few short miles into the ride is Inglewood Hill. It's not the steepest or longest hill of the ride, but it's a bit of a challenge to climb on cold not-yet-warmed-up legs. Near the beginning of the hill we spotted this sign, and couldn't resist.

Probably not the type of "heavy traffic" they intended.

After passing Inglewood, the route wound around The Plateau a bit, descended to Redmond-Fall City Road, then climbed up Ames Lake Road. To me, Ames Lake is one of those rare roads that looks worse while driving a car than it really is while cycling. It's not so bad, mostly because it's not a continuous climb. There are a few relatively flat areas that give you a chance to catch your breath and ease back a bit.

Soon after Ames Lake Road, we descended into the Snoqualmie Valley and arrived at our first food stop at Camp Korey. This is a new stop location for 2008 -- on last year's ride, the first stop was on West Snoqualmie Valley Road, maybe a mile or so from the new stop. The new stop was well organized, easy to get into and out of, and had plenty of porta-potties.

We ran into our other cycling buddies Emily and Mike at this first stop.

Emily and Mike cruising into the first stop at Camp Korey.

The next leg was rather straightforward: cross the valley to Highway 203, north on 203 to Stillwater Hill, climb the hill, cruise around Cherry Valley Road, descend into Duvall, cross the valley again, find the water stop at the intersection of Woodinville-Duvall Road and West Snoqualmie Valley Road.

As I've mentioned before, CliftonGK1 is fast rider and a strong climber. He hung back with us for a while (I think he was sand-bagging) but he disappeared when we hit Stillwater Hill. We finally caught up with him at the second stop.

Just as we pulled into the stop, my cell phone starting ringing. It was Emily; she and Mike had to drop out of the race due to a medical emergency with her mom. They caught a ride back home and hopped on the next plane to Chicago. Thankfully, her mom is doing much better now.

The next leg took us into unexplored territory: this was part of the ride we didn't last year (since we did only the 65 mile loop). It was a very pleasant ride up High Bridge Road (yes, another hill) to Snohomish, across the valley to Monroe, another food stop, and then back to the water stop again.

Apparently, this part of Snohomish County is not exactly bike friendly.

The locals express their opinion; Kasia provides a rebuttal.

After reaching the water stop for the second time, we cruised down the rolling hills of West Snoqualmie Valley Road, past Novelty Hill Road (which, thankfully, we didn't attempt to climb) and back to Camp Korey. We made this a fast turnaround: fill water bottles, grab cookies for the Bento Box, visit the porta-potty, and hit the road again.

Moo.

Back across the valley again to 203, but this time we headed south on 203 to the city of Carnation. We cruised through town, crossed the Tolt River, wound around Tolt River Road, another turn on Snoqualmie River Road, then rode through lovely farm land and near a golf course.

At this point, Kasia & I were both feeling great. We were sustaining 17-18 MPH on the flats -- this may not be much for some folks, but this was rather high for us. Life is good, life is grand, and cycling was almost effortless.

Until we hit The Hill.

40th Street SE is a three-mile climb up The Plateau. It's not all climb (there are a few flat-ish areas along the way) but it's at the 81 mile point of the ride. We slowly (very slowly) ground our way up the hill.

By the time we reached the summit, my legs were "done" for the day. The remainder of the ride was uneventful, but I felt every hill. It was good to get back to Marymoor Park.

Woo hoo!

Hopefully, this will be our last century on mountain bikes. We have two Co-Motion Nor'Wester touring bikes on order that should arrive this week.

Reach the Beach

2008-05-20T09:29:00.001-07:00

Kasia & I and two of our friends did the "Reach the Beach" ride from Portland to Pacific City this past Saturday. The ride itself was well organized, but our experience was, in a word, nightmarish.

We planned to hit the road about 7:00am, but I had mechanical problems with my bike (I thought it was a rear hub issue, but it turned out to be a disc brake problem). We finally hit the road about 8:40am. By then, it was already getting warm.

More mechanical issues (lazy rear shifting, mostly due to my stupidly-placed Bento Box) were resolved at the first rest stop, but this caused even further delays.

The 100-mile route had about 3200 feet elevation gain, with 2200 feet in the first 20 miles. So, in theory, the remaining 80 miles should have been a piece-o-cake.

Except for the heat.

The official highs in the Portland area on Saturday were in the 93-95 range, but temperatures on the road were much higher. While cruising down the sun-baked asphalt, my friend Emily's cyclocomputer showed 104! Throw in a fierce headwind, and it was like cycling in a desiccant-filled convection oven.

The heat was killing us. Our pace slowed, and our rest stops lengthened (and we added a few impromptu side-of-the-road rest stops as well).

Kasia is from Poland, and just cannot handle heat like this. (I'm a native Texan, so I may have some genetic advantage here.) By the time we reached the half-way point, Kasia was running out of steam and feeling nauseous and dizzy -- classic heat exhaustion symptoms. We put her on a SAG wagon and she rode in air-conditioned comfort the rest of the way to Pacific City. My friend Emily was also feeling bad by this point, so she SAG'd it, too.

That left Mike (Emily's boyfriend) and me. We were starting to feel time pressure (we had to make it to Pacific City by 7:00pm to get the bus back to Portland), so we picked-up the pace and pressed on. We decided to make the Sheridan rest stop as fast as possible, and we succeeded -- fill water bottles, eat a banana, hit the road.

Mike started winding down a bit by the time we hit the Grand Ronde stop, so we decided to make this a longer rest. After one baked potato with everything, a banana, lots of water, a few cookies to stash in the Bento Box, and some quiet time in the shade, we hit the road.

By this point, Mike had set a new personal best for single-day distance, but was fading quickly. He's a strong guy and in good physical shape, he's just relatively new to this. I suspect he just needs more saddle time -- by this time next year, he'll likely be a very strong cyclist.

We had 2 hours to complete 25 not-so-hilly (but certainly not flat) miles on dead-tired legs. Press on regardless.

At the 95 mile point, we met another SAG wagon. It was 6:30pm, and we had allegedly had 8 miles to go. Mike was done, so he opted to SAG-it the final 8 miles.

I'm somewhat familiar with the Pacific City area -- Kasia & I have biked around here before. Mike & I met this final SAG wagon near where Little Nestucca River Road meets Highway 101, and I was rather sure it was only about 5 miles from there to the finish line.

Just in case the SAG driver was correct, I cranked the speed up to 16-18 (not that impressive, but I was dead tired and the headwind was not helping). I made it to the finish line just in time to put my bike on the truck, change t-shirts, and jump on the bus back to Portland.

Overall, this was one of the least-fun organized rides I've ever done, but only because of elements unrelated to the ride itself. The ride was well organized, the route was mostly well marked, the volunteers were friendly and helpful, and the food at the rest stops was great.

If the temperature had been lower (the high that day was 30 degrees above normal), and if my bike had behaved, then I'm sure we all would have finished, and we would all have had a great time.

We're all planning to do this next year, although we'll do some things differently. We'll probably arrange to leave a car at Pacific City for the trip back to Portland. This would eliminate the pressure to finish by a certain time to catch the bus. It would also allow us to spend a night or two in Pacific City (great town!) before returning.

Next year!

Win Susan!

2008-05-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

Fat Cyclist is one of the more entertaining cycling-centric blogs around. Over the past few years, Elden (a.k.a. Mr Fatty) has recorded many of his victories and losses, cycling and otherwise. I've read his blog off and on for a while, but I've only recently become a "regular".

While catching-up on his blog entries, I read the terrible news about his wife. Susan has been fighting breast cancer for a few years, and it recently took a turn for the worse. Much worse. The cancer has metastasized throughout her body, including her brain.

A growing number of cycling blogs are displaying the Fat Cyclist pink jersey shown above, trying to generate as much support as possible for Elden, Susan & family. To that end, their friend Kenny has established the "Elden Nelsen Family Fund" to accept donations to provide support during this difficult (and expensive) struggle. Please donate if you can -- every dollar helps.

Why do I care? I've never met Elden, although we do have mutual friends. He's a former Microsoft employee, and I've been there long enough to be 2 degrees of separation from just about everyone. Helping another person in need just seems like the human thing to do.

Besides, I've seen how cancer can disrupt a family:

My father beat Hodgkin's Disease twice before suffering a fatal heart attack.
My father's brother died from acute leukemia.
My mother has chronic leukemia and multiple myeloma.
My mother's father died from leukemia.
All of my mother's 9 brothers and sisters had some form of cancer; many died from it. (There's a lot of melanoma in my mom's family, mostly because they grew up picking cotton in the central Texas sun.)

In addition to these blood relations, my brother's long-term girlfriend Sara is a breast cancer survivor, as is her mother. Her brother is a kidney cancer survivor.

No, I don't know exactly what Elden (and especially Susan) are going through, but I think I can appreciate a tiny percentage of what their children are experiencing. That's why I want to help.

Five Miles to Twinkie-Land

2008-05-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday four of us rode the 2008 May Day Metric, sponsored by Phil's South Side Cyclery. The ride was well organized, the food stops were well stocked, the route clearly marked, and the Twinkies were fresh. More on the Twinkies in a moment.

Registration began at 6:00am, and the course opened at 6:30am. Knowing our usual riding pace falls somewhere between "geologic" and "sedated banana slug", we decided to hit the trail as early as possible. Hmm... to start riding at 6:30am, we must register at 6:00am, which means we must leave the house at 5:00am, which means we must wake up at 3:30am. Ugh -- I hate waking up while it's still dark outside.

Why I hate the rear wheel latching gizmo on my Thule bike rack.

The official gathering point for the ride was Phil's South Side Cyclery, but registration and post-ride pie was in Johnny's Famous Grill & Bar next to the shop.

You gotta love a bike ride that starts and finishes in a bar.

Kasia, Emily, Mike and I have ridden together many times, but this ride held a number of notable "firsts":

Emily's first metric century (I think).
Mike's first metric century (definitely).
Emily's & Mike's first organized rides.
Emily's & Mike's longest single-day rides ever.
Kasia's longest single-day ride this season.
Mike's first big ride on his new bike.

The last point is especially impressive. Mike has been riding an old loaner bike that was much too small for him (54cm). This past Friday he bought a new Specialized Allez in a more appropriate size -- 60cm. Jumping into a relatively long-distance ride on a brand new bike may not be the best route, but when given the choice between "brand new but correctly sized bike" and "old bike you know is 3 sizes too small", I think he chose wisely. Note that "skip this ride" was not an option.

Mike and his new wheels.

The ride started at Phil's in Federal Way, traversed a few surface streets, then quickly left the city (it's not like Federal Way is a big place). The long series of downhills was rather worrying -- while enjoying the effortless coast down, I knew we would pay for this later. "Later" came rather "sooner" as we hit a couple of attention-getting hills. Nothing terribly nasty, mind you, but enough to get your heart pumping (especially on still-cold legs).

We eventually reached the lovely town of Orting. Kasia & I love Orting, we really do. We could live there -- I would even endure the occasional 90-minute commute from Orting to my office. It's in a beautiful valley between the Carbon and Puyallup rivers, near the mountains, surrounded by forests.

The only negative to this idyllic location is the threat of sudden and horrific death by lahar from nearby Mount Rainier (the second-most active volcano in the Cascades). Think of the Carbon/Puyallup valley as a flame thrower, with Orting at the receiving end.

Mount Rainier may erupt next year, or 50 years from now, or 500 years from now, but it will almost certainly erupt some day. The residents of Orting will have a front-row seat to their own local apocalypse.

Where you gonna go when da volcano blow?

We may still move there some day. It's that cool.

Each stop on the May Day Metric has its own associated junk food item. The Orting stop was designated "Ding Dong Station". In addition to the usual bike food -- bananas, oranges, bagels with PB&J, etc -- they served the little foil-covered chocolate and cream hockey pucks straight out of the box.

The Orting Ding Dong Station.

Representative Ding Dongs -- the fourth Ding Dong was behind the camera.

Orting was the turn-around point for those riding the 50 mile route. We chose to continue and attempt the 70+ mile route. After another 13 miles of rolling hills and a few easy climbs, we reached Wilkeson, a.k.a. "Twinkie-Land".

About 5 miles from Twinkie-Land, I had my first ever flat on road tires. I was slowly climbing a hill when I hit a patch of broken glass I failed to notice. Bam! Hisss!! It wasn't a big deal -- we always carry spare tubes, a patch kits, tire levers, etc -- but rather surprising. In the 3000-or-so miles I've logged in the past 2 years, this is my first flat. Oh well, I guess it's always good to practice one's flat-fixing skills.

Kasia nearing Twinkie-Land.

Wilkeson is another cute town hiding in the forest. Another stop, more bike food, and the ultimate junk food -- Twinkies, a little piece of processed joy in a cellophane wrapper.

Kasia had never tried a Ding Dong before, but in Orting I foolishly failed to capture her first taste on camera. I vowed to not make that mistake in Twinkie-Land, so I recorded her deflowering for posterity:

Kasia loses virginity, has first Twinkie.

Queued for the one-and-only restroom, we saw a house cat. By "house cat", I mean "as-big-as-a-house cat":

Somebody has been eating too many Twinkies.

Wilkeson was the turn-around point for those of us riding the 70+ mile route. We chose to turn around here, although the siren call of "Ho Ho-Ville" was almost irresistible.

The ride back was almost completely uneventful. Almost. We mostly coasted downhill back to Orting, stocked-up on Ding Dongs and other essentials, then continued home.

About 9 miles from the finish (with about 67 miles showing on the odometer) we encountered "Phil Hill". Here's the description from the May Day Metric website:

Ahh yes; a May Day Classic & a “Character Builder” all in one! Phil Hill is a lovely little {yet feels big} secret one way road with super sweet new pavement{58^th Pl S.} that comes UP from the Algona Pacific area to the heights of Military Road and 5 Mile Lake {approx elev at the top a whopping 465 ft}. It is a .7 mile climb with a vertical gain of 385 feet and an average grade of 7.7 degrees. Some people also call it “Little Italy” because the narrow winding road may remind one of the Pyrenees and its spectacular scenery. The reason this little hill gets your attention is you have been pedaling the flats of the valley for the past 20 miles and you are only 9 miles from the end; then you round the corner and Uppy Uppy…Go! Go! Go! All routes go this way, enjoy your stay.

Road on left -- flat. Road ahead -- not flat.

Phil Hill was not so bad, and was actually kinda fun in a perverse way. We were all so happy to make it to the top.

The ride from Phil Hill back to the bike shop was relatively flat and uneventful.

Happy to be finished.

We all had a great time, and I certainly want to do it again next year. Thank you Phil, wherever you are...

Daffodil-less Classic

2008-04-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

The 33rd Annual Daffodil Classic was this past Sunday.

I really hoped to complete this ride with my wife Kasia, but she just returned from a month-long trip to Poland, and is suffering from the severe jet lag that only nine hours of time difference can induce. I've been there, done that, and I appreciate the discomfort. Jet lag is high on my "not fun" list.

CliftonGK1 (a friend from bikeforums.net) and I caravaned to Orting, WA and met up with EastHill (another online friend from bikeforums.net) in the parking area around 7:00am. I didn't record our starting time, but by the time we unloaded the bikes, registered, and took care of last-minute details, we probably hit the road about 8:00am.

The plan:

CliftonGK1 had his mind set on completing the entire century: both the 60- and 40-mile loops.
EastHill was under time pressure due to an appointment to deliver a bike frame to yet another bikeforums.net member, so she planned to do only the 60-mile loop.
Me, I planned to finish the 60-mile loop, then evaluate my condition and only start the 40-miler if I knew I could finish it. I was not hopeful.

As you can see from the profile of the 60-mile loop, the ride was not exactly flat. There were two rest stops: one at approximately 22 miles, another at 41 miles. There was a nasty climb (not steep, but long) just after the first rest stop, and another climb (even longer) before the second rest stop. Just after the second stop was an all-to-brief downhill section before beginning a 15 mile climb, following by a thrilling twisty descent into town.

At the second rest stop I ran into Tessa, a woman I met at The McClinchy Mile ride a few weeks ago. We completed the final stage together; CliftonGK1's pace was just too fast for us.

According to the elevation profile page linked above, we covered 61.2 miles and climbed a total of 3341.6 feet. I would guess there was also about 20 miles of rough chip-seal pavement, the kind that rattles your bones (and every other body part).

By the time we arrived back at the start/finish line, I hoped CliftonGK1 had given up on waiting and had started the 40-miler on his own. No such luck -- he greeted us as we rolled up with "fuel up, top off, and let's head out!"

One strawberry shortcake, two bananas, and a couple of bagels later, my energy reserves were replenished and I felt ready for another 40.

Press on regardless.

As you may have guessed, the 40-mile loop was not exactly flat, either. Two hills stand out in my mind. The first was just before the 10 mile point, a narrow road twisting up a hill near a waterfall. I'm sure the waterfall would have been beautiful if I had enough oxygen in my brain to appreciate it. I didn't. This hill would have been "not fun" if we had done only the 40-mile loop; climbing it after 70 miles was downright painful.

The other notable hill was at the 35 mile point (which was our 97 mile point). Another narrow road, twisting up the hill, with each section seemingly steeper than the previous. It was like someone's idea of a bad joke, except there was more cussing than laughing.

As with the 60-mile loop, there was a lot of rough & rotten chip-seal pavement. I thought the lenses would vibrate out of my sunglasses, the fillings out of my teeth, and the bolts out of my bicycle. I tried unlocking the fork on my bike, but the vibration frequency was just too high to be effectively damped by a suspension fork. Bummer.

Shortly after the final Hill of Death, we had a very nice long downhill section. I hit a personal top-speed record: 41 MPH. Not bad for a big guy on a mountain bike (with road tires, but still).

Somewhere around 4:00pm we rolled into town, found our cars, loaded the bikes, and headed home. I see a lot of ibuprofen in my future.

According to the elevation profile, we completed another 40.9 miles and climbed another 2161.5 feet. Totals for the day: 102.1 miles ridden, 5503.1 feet climbed. What a day!

Except for a few blooms in private gardens, I saw almost no daffodils.

Tulip-less Pedal

2008-04-06T08:45:00.001-07:00

I completed the 27th Annual Tulip Pedal ride yesterday.

I thought I would be riding by myself, but in the registration area I just happened to run into a friend from work, Bobby, and 3 of his friends. The 5 of us completed the 40-mile loop (which is actually closer to 46 miles) more-or-less together.

First, let's talk about the wind. Oh my... this was some of the nastiest wind I've ever biked in. Blowing in from the south, the wind speed was high (at least 20) and the gusts were terrible (at least 30). The last 20 miles or so (from Edison back to the start/finish line) were mostly into headwinds. Ouch.

I originally planned to complete both the 40-mile loop and the 20-mile loop, but I decided to skip the 20 miler, for several reasons:

I started much later than expected. My silly alarm clock didn't ring at 5:30 as set, so I woke up at 7:30. By the time I ate breakfast, drove to La Conner, registered, and prepared the bike, I didn't actually start riding until 10:30.
The organizers wanted everyone finished by 4:00. Fighting the wind really cut into our average speed; we didn't make it back to the start/finish line until 3:00. Getting somewhat lost in Edison (don't ask) didn't help.
There's a lot of overlap between the 20- and 40-mile loops, so adding the 20 miler would not have added a lot of new scenery.
Speaking of scenery... Despite this being the "Tulip Pedal", part of the annual "Tulip Festival", we did not see a single tulip during the 40-mile loop. There were a few fields of daffodils (and they were certainly beautiful) but not one blooming tulip. Anywhere.

Overall, it was an enjoyable ride, although it did have its "moments". Hopefully next year will have more tulips and less wind.

The Key to Cycling is Knowing How to Accessorize

2008-04-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

We've seen some bizarre weather recently. The last week of March brought snow every day. The snow didn't last long, and was often just a quick shower, but still. Snow. Every. Day. This past Monday had a little bit of everything -- rain, shine, snow, hail, sleet, lighting, thunder.

There is a giant mass of cold air hanging over the area. The temperature at 17000 feet is about -36C, allegedly the coldest on record for this area. Bring on the CGI wolves.

I've think I've finally learned what I need to wear in order to bike comfortably in our [a]typical early Spring weather conditions. Here's what works for me:

Head
I've finally found a fleece cap that fits my giant noggin and is reasonably comfortable under a helmet. It was $6 on the clearance rack at Joe's Sporting Goods.

Torso
I usually wear a long-sleeved base layer (the REI Lightweight MTS is my current favorite), then a short-sleeved Pearl Izumi jersey, then (optionally, depending on temperature) a North Face fleece jacket, then finally a Pearl Izumi outer shell.

Legs
My legs almost never get cold because a) they're doing all of the hard work, and b) I wear Foxwear Rain Pants over my Pearl Izumi biking shorts. I'm really impressed with the Foxwear Rain Pants. They keep the rain off, they're breathable enough that I don't sweat, and so far they seem indestructible. I was wearing Foxwear Power Shield Pants during my recent accident; they survived without even a scratch (I wish I could say the same for myself).

Hands
For my hands, I wear a thin Pearl Izumi glove liner, then a Pearl Izumi padded cycling glove over the liner. If it's really cold (or windy, or rainy, or all of the above) then I wear a Mountain Hardwear glove over the other two gloves. I think the Mountain Hardware glove is actually intended for snowboarding. It keeps the wind and rain off my hands, but makes them sweat like crazy.

Feet
My feet are the only area that still gets cold occasionally. My current setup is wear SmartWool Light Hiker socks, Specialized BG Sport MTB shoes with Superfeet insoles, and (optionally) SideTrak booties over the shoes. I've tried many things (except those chemical warmer packs -- I hate the idea of having something in my shoe other than my foot). I always feel like the heat is sucked out the bottom of my foot, as if the bicycle is acting like a giant heat sink.

Hopefully (crosses fingers) our weather will warm-up and this will become much less of an issue soon. By July I'll probably be fretting about the heat...

First Crash

2008-03-30T20:10:00.000-07:00

I experienced my first bicycle crash last month. Yes, yes, it was last month. I'm playing catch-up here.

It was definitely not a "serious" crash. I was following Kasia much too closely when she stopped unexpectedly. I did a panic stop, followed by a "super man" over the handlebars and a face-plant on the asphalt.

I remember going over the handlebars, but I don't remember unclipping my shoes from the pedals. After fraction of a second on the asphalt, I felt my bike crash into me. At this point, I decided to just lie still until I was absolutely sure the crash was completed.

Pity no one was standing by with a video camera. I would love to see how the accident actually transpired.

The temperature that day was rather cold, so I was bundled in multiple layers -- cycling shorts + rain pants, base layer + jersey + polartec jacket + cycling jacket, and 3 pairs of gloves. The only exposed skin was my wrists, and my right wrist received a tiny bit of road rash. The layers protected me from the asphalt, so I was left mostly with bruises on both knees, both elbows, my left inner thigh, and my sternum (breast bone).

Here's the injury rundown:

Most Painful: The bruised sternum. It was difficult to raise my arms above my head. Even driving was difficult, and washing my hair in the shower was a nightmare. Turning over in bed was also high on the Not Fun list.

Most Inconvenient: The bruised elbows, although this may have helped with my table manners, as it was just too painful to put my elbows on the table.

Most unattractive: The bruised inner thigh. Over the course of several days, this bruise grew to the size of a salad plate and roughly the shape of the continental United States. It featured a lovely mix of hues -- black, blue, purple, green, and pink.

Luckily, I survived with all of my bones, joints, and teeth intact. I will certainly live to bike another day.

2008 Event Calendar

2008-03-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

There are many, many organized rides coming up in the Pacific Northwest. Several web sites contain calendars of events in specific regions:

Bike Bis has biking calendars for Washington, Oregon, and Idaho (and California, if anyone cares)
The Cascade Bicycle Club maintains a calendar of Northwest Bike Rides
The Cascade Bicycle Club and Cycle University organize the Cascade Training Series, weekly training rides for riders of varying abilities
The Redmond Cycling Club maintains a calendar of events

It looks like "organized ride season" has finished for 2008. I'll eventually create another calendar for next year's organized rides.

Happy Winter riding, everyone!

Past rides from this year, if anyone is interested:

April

04/05 - 27th Annual Tulip Pedal - La Conner, WA.
04/13 - 33rd Annual Daffodil Classic - Orting, WA
04/20 - Cherry of a Ride - The Dalles, WA
04/24 - 2008 Northwest Crank - Wenatchee, WA
04/26 - Alefest Bike Ride - Wenatchee, WA
04/26 - Bike Tour of Lopez Island - Lopez Island, WA
04/27 - Annual Lilac Surprise Century - Spokane, WA
04/27 - Monster Cookie Metric Century - Salem, OR

May

05/03 - Ride Around Clark County - Vancouver, WA
05/03 - Camano Climb 2008 - Camano Island, WA
05/04 - 16th Annual Rhody Bike Tour - Port Townsend, WA
05/04 - May Day Metric - Federal Way, WA
05/10 - Group Health Inland Empire Century - Richland, WA
05/10 - 2008 Skagit Spring Classic - Burlington, WA
05/10 - 26th Annual Lewis County Historical Ride - Chehalis, WA
05/17 - 2008 Reach the Beach - Portland, OR
05/17 - Tour of the Swan Valley - Missoula, MT
05/17 - Tour de Cure - Redmond, WA
05/17 - Tour de Hood - Hood River, OR
05/17 - Group Health Yakima Ridges - Yakima, WA
05/18 - Your Canyon for a Day Bike Tour - Yakima, WA
05/18 - Two-County Double Metric Century - Olympia, WA
05/21 - Ride of Silence - Many places, including Beaverton, OR, Seattle, WA, and Tacoma, WA
05/23 - Columbia Gorge Explorer - Vancouver, WA
05/24 - Century Ride of the Centuries - Pendleton, OR
05/24 - 4th Annual Dash Race for the Kids - Prosser, WA
05/26 - 10th Annual 7 Hills of Kirkland - Kirkland, WA

June

06/01 - 15th Annual Loreen Miller Bike Ride - Spokane, WA
06/01 - Peninsula Metric Century - Gig Harbor, WA
06/07 - Wenatchee Sunrise Rotary Century Apple Bike Ride - Wenatchee, WA
06/07 - Pioneer Century - Canby, OR
06/07 - 3 Rivers Race - Le Grande, OR
06/07 - Wheels to Meals - Puyallup, WA
06/08 - 3rd Annual Fort2Fort Bike Ride - Port Townsend, WA
06/14 - Flying Wheels Summer Century - Redmond, WA
06/14 - Chelan Century Challenge - Lake Chelan, WA
06/14 - Tour de Fronds - Glendale, OR
06/14 - 16th Annual Strawberry Century - Lebanon, OR
06/14 - Bob LeBow Bike Tour - Nampa, ID
06/14 - Gorge Ride - The Dalles, OR
06/21 - Tour de Blast - Mount Saint Helens, WA
06/21 - Cannonball 2008 - Seattle, WA
06/21 - Native Planet Classic - Winthrop, WA
06/21 - Mountain Lakes Challenge - Ashland, OR
06/21 - Tour of Marsh Creek Valley - Pocatello, ID
06/21 - Cycle Washington Memorial - Redmond, WA
06/22 - Watermelon Rides - Rickreall, OR
06/27 - Ashland Weekend - Ashland, OR
06/28 - Mount Adams Country Bicycle Tour - Trout Lake, WA
06/28 - The Cascade 1200 - Monroe, WA
06/28 - Willamette Wine & Wheels - Corvallis, OR
06/28 - Prairie City (Oregon) Bicycle Invitational - Prairie City, OR
06/29 - Tour de Pierce - Puyallup, WA
06/29 - Livestrong Challenge - Portland, OR
06/30 - Willamette Wine & Wheels - Corvallis, OR

July

07/03 - Northwest Tandem Rally 2008 - McMinnville, OR
07/11 - Fireweed 400 - Anchorage, AK
07/12 - Group Health Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic - Seattle, WA
07/12 - Jackson's Ride the Gorge - Hood River, OR
07/12 - Fireweed 400 - Anchorage, AK
07/13 - Tour BC 2008 The Gold Rush Trail - Hope, BC
07/16 - Red-Spoke - Redmond, WA
07/19 - Bike MS - Sweet Home, OR
07/19 - Tour des Chutes - Bend, OR
07/19 - S2S Seattle to Spokane - Seattle, WA
07/20 - Seattle Bike-In - Seattle, WA
07/23 - Cyclefest - Seattle, WA
07/25 - Co-Motion Classic Tandem Race - Eugene, OR
07/26 - R.A.P. 150 - Burlington, WA
07/26 - Tour de Cure - Welches, OR
07/27 - Tour de Peaks - North Bend, WA
07/27 - Seattle Century - Seattle, WA
07/27 - Tour de Kitsap - Silverdale, WA
07/31 - RAMROD - Enumclaw, WA

August

08/01 - Cycle Oregon 2008 Weekend Ride - Fort Stevens State Park, OR
08/01 - Get Your Guts in Gear - Edmonds ,WA
08/02 - Tour de Whatcom - Bellingham, WA
08/02 - Courage Classic - North Bend, WA
08/03 - Hottest Day of the Year Ride - Portland, OR
08/03 - Blackberry Bramble - Eugene, OR
08/03 - Ride Around Washington - Packwood, WA
08/03 - Mount Shasta Summit Century - Mount Shasta, OR
08/08 - Tumalo Weekend - Bend, OR
08/10 - Covered Bridge Bicycle Tour - Albany, OR
08/10 - TRYBR 2008 - Tenino, WA
08/15 - RSVP: Ride from Seattle to Vancouver and Party - Seattle, WA
08/15 - 10th Annual Recumbent Retreat - Fort Stevens State Park, OR
08/16 - Hot August Days - Wenatchee, WA
08/16 - Crater Lake Century - Fort Klamath, OR
08/16 - Vine Ride - Newberg, OR
08/16 - Hot August Days - Wenatchee, WA
08/16 - Mount Hood Hoo-Ha! - Mount Hood, OR
08/17 - Ice Cream Classic - Bend, OR
08/17 - Yaquina Lighthouse Century - Yaquina Head, OR
08/22 - Crater Lake Rim Tour - Crater Lake, OR
08/23 - RAPSody 2008 - Tacoma, WA
08/24 - Portland Century - Portland, OR
08/24 - Summits of Bothell - Bothell, WA
08/26 - Crater Lake Century - Crater Lake, OR

September

09/06 - Emerald City Lights Bike Ride - Auburn, WA
09/06 - Oregon Coast Cycling Festival - Gold Beach, OR
09/07 - High Pass Challenge - Packwood, WA
09/07 - Mount Baker Hill Climb - Mount Baker, WA
09/07 - Headwaters Century - Enumclaw, WA
09/07 - Tour de Coeur - Coeur d'Alene, ID
09/13 - Group Health Bike MS Ride - Mount Vernon, WA
09/13 - The CHaFE 150 - Sandpoint, ID
09/16 - Chuckanut Century - Bellingham, WA
09/19 - Trek Tri-Island Tour - Anacortes, WA
09/20 - 18th Annual Tour des Lacs - Spokane, WA
09/20 - RIDE4US - Tacoma, WA
09/20 - Ride the Rogue - Rogue River, OR
09/27 - Tour de Whidbey - Whidbey Island, WA
09/27 - The Gran Fondo - Walla Walla, WA
09/27 - Group Health Wine Country Trek - Yakima, WA
09/27 - DAM2DAM - Wenatchee, WA
09/28 - 5th Annual Olympic Bike Adventure - Port Angeles, WA
09/28 - Peach of a Century - Rickreall, OR

October

10/06 - Ellensburg Manastash Metric Century - Ellensburg, WA
10/06 - Ride Through Paradise - Klamath Falls, OR
10/12 - Harvest Century - Saint Paul, OR

MIA

2008-03-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything on this blog in roughly... forever. During this off period, Kasia & I got married and bought a house in Woodinville. We also completed our first metric centuries (the 2007 Flying Wheels, also our first organized ride), or first imperial centuries (not organized), and our first double-metric centuries (first day of the 2007 Seattle to Portland).

It's the end of March, and Spring is upon us, although you wouldn't know this by looking outside. Woodinville received about 2" snow last night.

If Spring is here, then Organized Bike Ride Season can't be far behind. Kasia & I are planning to participate in a number of rides this year. See the Event Calendar for upcoming organized rides. No, we're not planning to do all of them.

Life with clipless pedals

2006-05-15T22:36:00.000-07:00

I recently purchased my first "real" mountain bike -- a 2005 Specialized Stumpjumper Disc hard tail. It is, by far, the nicest bike I've ever ridden.

I took the bike out on a first "shake down" ride this afternoon after work. This was my very first experience with clipless pedals, so I tried to be extra mindful of their operation. Overall, the experience was positive. The "clip in/clip out" dance becomes intuitive rather quickly. However...

They say there are two types of riders that use clipless pedals: Those that HAVE fallen, and those that WILL.

I'm now in the "have fallen" category. I knew it would happen eventually, but I didn't expect it to happen on my first ride. I lost a little skin on my right knee, and somewhat more skin on my right elbow. Nothing broken, but I'm starting to hurt a bit.

Luckily, there was no one around to witness my ungraceful flop.

More luckily, I fell on relatively smooth concrete. It could have been much worse -- like asphalt or gravel. Ouch.