Today was hill intervals training--7 (5) minute intervals up Encinal Canyon Rd from the coast at a cadence of 70+! Absolutely the first one was brutal...the second came a bit too soon, but the third felt really good--if you like pushing beyond your limits.
The others didn't matter I was so spent I couldn't do anything except keep going. Then a rest stop over some other little climb down Mulholland and up Mullholland again. WOW.
Perfect overcast day for this route but it didn't stop me from sweating;
I really smell bad after this one...time to hit the showers.
RL
Monday, July 28, 2008
Bloody Saturday
Okay, I've finally gotten to the point where I've learned enough to know that other riders can be very dangerous. Today's ride was a real troubling one; a woman fell from her clips (a constant problem), then a man passed out from the site of her blood, then the poor CHU who was helping me with my bike so I could help the wounded got a gash on her leg that looks like JAWS got her!
Such a bad day...I knew I should have taken that rest day. Should have gone with my gut instincts.
RL
Such a bad day...I knew I should have taken that rest day. Should have gone with my gut instincts.
RL
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Lovely Latigo
Today I climbed Latigo from the PCH. What an amazing view. I've been warned about this climb so much I thought I might never try it. What I found out is that it's a great climb:) Yes it's long, but not as steep a grade as some others...I'm sure it would be a bear to race up, but I'm enjoying the journey.
I kept my heart rate under max and trained at a lower instensity, which is supposed to help me gain speed. It's counter-intuitive, but I have this knowledge from someone who knows, so I'm sticking to it.
The PCH part definitely sucks and that short section definitely raised my adrenalin levels because of the traffic; it's a wide bike lane, but the vehicles just whiz by so fast....uggh
Here's a couple of views looking down at the road I climbed up from.
RL
I kept my heart rate under max and trained at a lower instensity, which is supposed to help me gain speed. It's counter-intuitive, but I have this knowledge from someone who knows, so I'm sticking to it.
The PCH part definitely sucks and that short section definitely raised my adrenalin levels because of the traffic; it's a wide bike lane, but the vehicles just whiz by so fast....uggh
Here's a couple of views looking down at the road I climbed up from.
RL
Monday, July 14, 2008
My Birthday
Saturday was our last day in Oregon and my birthday, so I got a wild idea to take a rest day (Ron was ordering up a hammerfest for today). Naturally rest days are just days to get into some other sort of trouble--which I had no problem doing.
Soo.....I got inked! Yup, my first tattoo. Three bike chain links with the middle link pink placed on my lower back. Okay yes I wanted to be able to cover it up; call me chicken...
The place was called Epic Ink in Medford and after checking them out for safety etc. I went for it. The whole thing took less than an hour...then I had to meet the gang at headquarters. And of course, tell Robb what I had done. It was a nervous morning, as I wasn't sure what he would think.
Robb just laughed and perhaps he thought I had a moment of insanity. It was definitely not premeditated.
But now I have it- - forever.
RL
Soo.....I got inked! Yup, my first tattoo. Three bike chain links with the middle link pink placed on my lower back. Okay yes I wanted to be able to cover it up; call me chicken...
The place was called Epic Ink in Medford and after checking them out for safety etc. I went for it. The whole thing took less than an hour...then I had to meet the gang at headquarters. And of course, tell Robb what I had done. It was a nervous morning, as I wasn't sure what he would think.
Robb just laughed and perhaps he thought I had a moment of insanity. It was definitely not premeditated.
But now I have it- - forever.
RL
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Paddle, Paddle
Friday's adventure was kayaking. We loaded up the biobeast and headed back to the lake for a day of paddling. It was the perfect day for it. The wind was low, temps over 100 again. Glennie and Jen had put aside a few kayaks for us, so we stowed the cooler with lunch and a bottle of wine and shoved off to explore.
Paddling a plastic, open kayak was a bit different then the ocean fiberglass ones I've been used to in the past. It didn't take long and we were in the zone. We explored all the coves and inlets and at some spots the quiet was amazing.
We made it to the end of the lake, pulled up on shore where there was a bit of shade and enjoyed a bottle of pinot noir, some lunch and power bars. It was so peaceful. We swam and relaxed while checking the air for our pilot friends; contemplating where they might have flown for today's task.
Time past and the wind came up strong; we should have left a half hour earlier. Going back was brutal. The first hour we made little to no progress against the wind. Finally we made it to a sheltered inlet and Ron had a plan.
We tied the kayaked tail to nose and tandem paddled into the wind. This was far more effective and we made much more progress.
It was really hard for me to keep pace with his paddling, but a great workout. Finally we could see the campground and Faiz on a standing paddleboard with Robb in the lake. Yipee! We were home again after yet another 5 hour adventure. 18-20 miles of paddling; that's a real back and arm workout. I looked like Arnold afterward; my biceps were hard as rock and SORE!
What a great multi-sport vacation this has been....and I made a new friend for life.
RL
Paddling a plastic, open kayak was a bit different then the ocean fiberglass ones I've been used to in the past. It didn't take long and we were in the zone. We explored all the coves and inlets and at some spots the quiet was amazing.
We made it to the end of the lake, pulled up on shore where there was a bit of shade and enjoyed a bottle of pinot noir, some lunch and power bars. It was so peaceful. We swam and relaxed while checking the air for our pilot friends; contemplating where they might have flown for today's task.
Time past and the wind came up strong; we should have left a half hour earlier. Going back was brutal. The first hour we made little to no progress against the wind. Finally we made it to a sheltered inlet and Ron had a plan.
We tied the kayaked tail to nose and tandem paddled into the wind. This was far more effective and we made much more progress.
It was really hard for me to keep pace with his paddling, but a great workout. Finally we could see the campground and Faiz on a standing paddleboard with Robb in the lake. Yipee! We were home again after yet another 5 hour adventure. 18-20 miles of paddling; that's a real back and arm workout. I looked like Arnold afterward; my biceps were hard as rock and SORE!
What a great multi-sport vacation this has been....and I made a new friend for life.
RL
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Ride on the Dark Side
After a day of rest my riding buddy and I decided to take on a new challenge--a mountain bike ride. Well, it's nothing new for him, so of course I felt it would be fine for me--haha
We rented Giant Trance 2s and set off for Glenny's campground in the biobeast (base camp for the day). It wasn't quite as hot today and we were fired up...at least I was until I started.
The first 1/8 of a mile was on the ledge, all shale and all up hill. Geez I was scared to death to wind up over the edge and into the lake. It got a bit better but it was definitely not a beginner trail. The entire way on on the edge of this 30-50 foot drop to the water. It was narrow enough for just a tire and at times it was difficult to walk forget ride the trail. Perhaps this was the reason we didn't see any others on the trail?
The scenery was glorious and midway we hit fire road and I had a chance to relax a bit. My buddy is directionally challenged so like our other rides we got lost. Our first challenge was a STEEP hill in which you had to climb one hand on the cable to get up; the other arm carrying your 30+ pound bike...not going to work.
So we doubled back, refound the proper trail and spent another several hours on the edge. Funny thing was we've seen so many deer road biking and out here in the mountains not a single form of wildlife.
Long day with four and half hours of grueling work for twenty miles. What an experience. The end reward was worth it...we got back to the ECO beast, changed into our suits and jumped in the lake. Aaaaahhhh it felt so good.
Met back up with Faiz, Robb and Riss at headquarters. Robb had a great day of flying; very technical as well. Riss made goal on right turn day--not bad for a guy recovering from a broken wrist.
My only hope is that I don't wake up covered in poison oak--it was everywhere on the trail!
I don't think I'll become a big mountain bike chick:)
RL
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Day 3 Dark Hollow Road
Today the temps were at 100+ and I really had no interest in anything, but I had talked big to my riding partner and wasn't going to quit first so I selected what I thought would be a flat route.
Ron was gracious enough to lube my chain this morning due to yesterday's dust, so I hoped it would be smooth sailing, flat terrain and a breeze to keep us just below the fry point.
Wrong on all accounts. The map we had was totally wrong and we climbed hill after hill only to find a dirt road at the other end. We were in the land of no where. We hit hills from 14%-18% grade; one short one in particular put my heart rate at 190...I was shaking like a leave at the top...and yes on the other side--dead end to no where. At least we went down..another fastest for me-37.2 mph.
Temp 103; lost and running out of water both of us were spent. We'd been going in circles forever. Finally we ran into another cyclists who gave us directions--we were almost back to the road where we parked but we had to climb one more monster hill. Bring it on...so I thought.
We sailed up the hill like horses to the barn only to realize it went on another few miles! The last part was killer. We were both out of water, used up all our food and Gu. My GPS shows the grade at above 20%...not sure that is accurate, but this hill did me in....I cramped in my left calf at exactly the half way point. Really dumb and I was kicking myself knowing I'm dehydrating. I barely got unclipped; another second and I would have been down. I stretched the calf but couldn't push down to clip in. One legged pedaling was not an option on this grade, so I walked 10 steps and turned back down the hill, clipped in and drove it to the top. Thanks the stars there weren't any cars because I needed the whole road.
We melted into the car, cranked the AC and tried to recover. Ron and I agreed; Wednesday would be a rest day. Our flat day ride turned out to be 3000 ft of climbing in 25 miles. With this heat that is unbelievable.
Lunch, ice cream then a nap.
3 days; totals thus far--90 miles--8090 ft --4316 calories used--
now I sleep.
RL
Ron was gracious enough to lube my chain this morning due to yesterday's dust, so I hoped it would be smooth sailing, flat terrain and a breeze to keep us just below the fry point.
Wrong on all accounts. The map we had was totally wrong and we climbed hill after hill only to find a dirt road at the other end. We were in the land of no where. We hit hills from 14%-18% grade; one short one in particular put my heart rate at 190...I was shaking like a leave at the top...and yes on the other side--dead end to no where. At least we went down..another fastest for me-37.2 mph.
Temp 103; lost and running out of water both of us were spent. We'd been going in circles forever. Finally we ran into another cyclists who gave us directions--we were almost back to the road where we parked but we had to climb one more monster hill. Bring it on...so I thought.
We sailed up the hill like horses to the barn only to realize it went on another few miles! The last part was killer. We were both out of water, used up all our food and Gu. My GPS shows the grade at above 20%...not sure that is accurate, but this hill did me in....I cramped in my left calf at exactly the half way point. Really dumb and I was kicking myself knowing I'm dehydrating. I barely got unclipped; another second and I would have been down. I stretched the calf but couldn't push down to clip in. One legged pedaling was not an option on this grade, so I walked 10 steps and turned back down the hill, clipped in and drove it to the top. Thanks the stars there weren't any cars because I needed the whole road.
We melted into the car, cranked the AC and tried to recover. Ron and I agreed; Wednesday would be a rest day. Our flat day ride turned out to be 3000 ft of climbing in 25 miles. With this heat that is unbelievable.
Lunch, ice cream then a nap.
3 days; totals thus far--90 miles--8090 ft --4316 calories used--
now I sleep.
RL
Day 2 Cady Hill
Today we set off for some hills and it didn't take long...within the first 6 miles we climbed 1500 ft and it seemed like this hill would never end. My legs were like leaded fire balls from yesterday's ride and hitting this hill cold was brutal.
I muddled through while Ron proclaimed "this is the crest" at yet another hilltop...it was never the crest; just a bump before another bump.
Finally we hit the top and it was an exilarating 32 mph downhill...until a deer jumped out behind Ron (he never saw it); and I decided it was time to slow down. The deer here are like mosquitoes in Maine--they are everywhere!
We were completely alone--no traffic--which is the most amazing feeling to ride without the stress of traffic. The scenery was breathtaking, the smells so fresh and everything was so quiet. We just pedaled and took it all in. We were definitely in the zone.
As we made our way back into Ruch ( I got a long 20mph draft off Ron) we could see hundred of paragliders overhead. The competion was on. I quickly spotted Robb's yellow and orange glider--he was way high and I knew he must be stoked to be flying so well. To the left was a pilot low and Ron and I watched as I explained that this person should land or get out of that spot; quickly this pilot was overhead yelling "hey Ron"; it was Faiz landing out.
Ron sprinted back for the Eco-beast vehicle, we loaded the bikes and took Faiz back to re-launch.
Our bikes were on the back and I've never seen my road bike so dirty. It's going to be a long night of cleaning it.
Lunch came really late. Ron and I were about the chew thru our own arms, but a 22 oz Arrogant Bastard took the edge off.
Ready to do it again tomorrow:)
RL
I muddled through while Ron proclaimed "this is the crest" at yet another hilltop...it was never the crest; just a bump before another bump.
Finally we hit the top and it was an exilarating 32 mph downhill...until a deer jumped out behind Ron (he never saw it); and I decided it was time to slow down. The deer here are like mosquitoes in Maine--they are everywhere!
We were completely alone--no traffic--which is the most amazing feeling to ride without the stress of traffic. The scenery was breathtaking, the smells so fresh and everything was so quiet. We just pedaled and took it all in. We were definitely in the zone.
As we made our way back into Ruch ( I got a long 20mph draft off Ron) we could see hundred of paragliders overhead. The competion was on. I quickly spotted Robb's yellow and orange glider--he was way high and I knew he must be stoked to be flying so well. To the left was a pilot low and Ron and I watched as I explained that this person should land or get out of that spot; quickly this pilot was overhead yelling "hey Ron"; it was Faiz landing out.
Ron sprinted back for the Eco-beast vehicle, we loaded the bikes and took Faiz back to re-launch.
Our bikes were on the back and I've never seen my road bike so dirty. It's going to be a long night of cleaning it.
Lunch came really late. Ron and I were about the chew thru our own arms, but a 22 oz Arrogant Bastard took the edge off.
Ready to do it again tomorrow:)
RL
Sunday, July 6, 2008
1st day Oregon riding
I spent last night drinking too much wine and talking cycling with Ron, my riding partner for the week, then promptly decided "I'm going to get an ass whooping."
So, this morning I woke early, loaded up my pancakes with fresh raspberries and blueberries provided by Riss. Energy and fuel for the day.
And what a day it was. Ron and I took off for the Applegate lake early. It was still cloudy, but the day was predicted to be hot so we enjoyed the coolness while it lasted.
No route map, no road map, just me and Ron on the road for the day. The roads were fairly empty and the traffic that was seemed fairly cycling friendly. Ron was leading, setting the pace at 16 or so right off the bat. I held on and hoped I could make it without embarassing myself. The day just got better and better. The scenery was breathtaking and I learned so much from Ron. He improved my pedal stroke, taught me to ride without hands and improved my cadence. I was climbing hills at +80 cadence..something I've never done and it felt great to not climb at a snails pace. We also had soooo much fun. We were very compatible and enjoyed the day...even laughed when out route dead-ended on dirt roads to no where.
We made it back just as the hunger rolled in...luckily Ron's place was just around the corner from a restaurant/pub, so we changed out of our sweaty duds and popped the top off a few Arrogant Bastards. Returned to the landing zone just in time to see Riss and Robb landing their paragliders after a rockin' and rollin' day in the air.
Totals were 45 miles, 3:15 time, 13.7mph (yes my fastest ride yet), max speed 33.5mph, 3007 feet of elevation--oh yeah and I earned that beer--2000 calories burnt:)
RL
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Conquered the Coast
Finally I made it to the coast! I drove to Leo Carillo beach, parked and made the climb up Mulholland from the PCH. And what a climb it is, but not as scary as I worked it up to be in my mind. It's difficult, but not too steep, just a long, long 8 miles up.
We were a group of three and took our time, but didn't make any stops; total time to Little Sycamore 58 minutes. Then we topped it off with the climb up Little Sycamore. The descent was amazing--no cars and the canyon was ours. AMAZING!
I pulled a CHU and forgot to take a picture--loser:(
Another fear gone...yipee!
ps the PCH still scares the piss out of me.
RL
We were a group of three and took our time, but didn't make any stops; total time to Little Sycamore 58 minutes. Then we topped it off with the climb up Little Sycamore. The descent was amazing--no cars and the canyon was ours. AMAZING!
I pulled a CHU and forgot to take a picture--loser:(
Another fear gone...yipee!
ps the PCH still scares the piss out of me.
RL
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