First ride in a very long time

It has been a long time since I've been on my bike. Today I decided to get on the Raleigh, which is strapped to my trainer, and rip out some time. I have it rigged up with an older computer on the back wheel so that I can record mileage, but I couldn't find the actual computer so I decided to just go by time. It was a little refreshing to just ride, no HRM, no cadence. I had a stopwatch running but left it in a different room. All I wanted was a total time at the end of the ride and didn't want to get hung up on watching the clock.

I learned that it has been far too long since I've been on my bike. I rode for less than an hour and was barely able to walk for the twitchy legs after. Now I just need to make sure I stick to training regularly enough to get past this. Since I've signed up for the LiveStrong ride again and want to make the metric, if not the full century this time around I need to get the miles in.

100 (or less) Miles of Nowhere

In my last post I mentioned that I hoped I would be in shape (primarily my back) for the upcoming 100 Miles of Nowhere ride. For those who aren't aware of it, this "ride" started as a fundraising bet by the Fat Cyclist that he could do 100 miles in a single day on rollers (he won). The response was so massive that he opened it up to other participants, with the support of Twin Six and other companies. This year's official date is May 8.

The large and very stuffed goody-bag from Twin Six

I recently got my bag of stuff form Twin Six, which (morally) obligates me to ride. I won't be doing so on May 8 due to a barbeque (that I'm hosting). I may try for May 9 - it would be a good way to work off the barbeque and get me ready for my first vacation in something like two years, which starts on May 10.

The inside of the goody-bag

Either way, I doubt I'll be hitting the full 100 miles. My goal is to do 65, a metric century, to see how my training is going for the LiveStrong ride. Since I haven't been doing any training I already know the answer to that question but this might be a good way to jump start the new batch of training. One thing I do need to figure out is how I can determine my distance since I've shifted over to a GPS system, which won't measure anything on the trainer or rollers.

Rededication

Last night I did something I've been meaning to do for a while now - I shaved my head again. I seem to have an anti-Samson complex or something, the more I let my hair grow the less focused I get. I need my focus back because I've signed on for another round of the LiveStrong Challenge and want to have a better showing than last year.

As before, I'm riding for Team Fatty, I plan on doing the metric century, and I'm asking for donations.

Unlike before I want to train with focus, hence the head shaving.

In truth, I haven't done any real training since the Turkey Tri at Thanksgiving which some of you may remember whooped me, and not just because of the REALLY cold swim. I have a plan this time around (unlike last year) which involves some mild running and roller/trainer riding for a couple of weeks and then getting more serious. I've picked up a book (Friel's triathlete training bible) and will be keeping a paper log to complement my electronic on on ActiveBody. I will also be posting here regularly as I train, and because I want to shame myself into sticking to it I'll be posting those reports to Facebook.

The ride is in July, which gives me a good six months to get into serious shape, and this time around I want to do just that.

Quick note - great causes

The master of soliciting donations, Elden Nelson (The Fat Cyclist) is at it again. First he sent an open letter to Johan Bruyneel explaining why he deserved to be on Team Radio Shack. Johan upped the game with this challenge:

By Friday December 11, 12:00 PM US Mountain Standard/Tucson, AZ Time you must have met the following criteria

• Raised a minimum of $10,000 for World Bicycle Relief

AND

• Raised a minimum of $10,000 for LIVESTRONG

If those two criteria are met by the stated deadline, I will fly you out to Arizona and you will have the one opportunity to ride with Team RadioShack on Sunday, December 13.

But I have a bonus for you!If you raise a minimum of $25,000 for World Bicycle Relief AND $25,000 for LIVESTRONG, you"ll get a brand new Trek Madone 6 Series bike powered by SRAM Red.

So, Fatty threw it open to everyone. Go to his blog, read the full post, and toss in for a chance to win.

Anit-cancer loot

I've mentioned before that I'm doing the LiveStrong ride in San Jose, as a member of Team Fatty (and again, feel free to GO HERE and donate to me). One of the things that our team captain passed on recently was a link to the Team Estrogen site to get a pair of "Cancer Sucks" socks. The idea is that the whole team will show up with the Team Fatty jersey and the Cancer Sucks socks and make a strong statement. Today when I got home from work this is what I found in the mail.

Nothing like having anti-cancer kit for riding. I am going to look like a bit of a frilly bike-ninja though, with my all-black-and-pink ensemble for the ride. Maybe I should find an old helmet to paint...

My "100 miles of nowhere" ride

Last Saturday I participated in the 2nd 100 Miles of Nowhere Ride, from the one and only Fat Cyclist. (Note - he is the only capital F capital C, I most certainly am a fat cyclist.) The whole thing got kicked off last year when Fatty had the (INSANE) idea to raise some money for LAF by doing a century ride, on his rollers. He took "bets" in the form of donations on whether or not he would finish it (he did). This year he opened it up to other riders (read suckers/nuts). For a small entry fee you got some great loot and the comfort of making a donation to LAF, oh, and the opportunity to hamster-wheel yourself a century.

The day of the "race" was the day before I had to get on a plane for a 5+ hour flight to Hawaii (don't get jealous, I'm working including working on Memorial Day) so I didn't have as much time to set aside as I'd hoped. I also realized that I didn't have a computer on the bike hooked up to the trainer making accuracy a problem. So I opted for the "5 hours of nowhere ride" with the following logic: my average roadspeed (baring wind) is 13 miles/hour; my goal was a metric, which is about 62 miles; at 13 MPH 62 miles should take 4:45; so if I ride 5 hours I can call it a metric and we're good.
In total, I spent about 6.5 hours for the ride, with some stretch breaks and bathroom runs. I ripped through most of the last half of The Black Donnelys (Netflix), with some breaks for Simpsons to mellow things out. It was about what I expected - uncomfortable after a while (I don't have a good seat on the trainer bike), not very exciting, and surprisingly fun.

Oh, and I'll probably do it again next year if it happens.

Judging fitness

As I rode home yesterday I found myself thinking about the different ways I judge my fitness, or more accurately my cycling strength. I was started on this line of thought when I realized that I was in a much higher gear (big chainring rather than middle, nearly the same cog) and was still feeling pretty strong. Then I looked at my speed and found it significantly higher (16 MPH vs 12) than normal. Finally, I took the few mild hills (overpasses) by standing rather than having to downshift.

All of this has got my thinking about the best way to really judge my cycling strength. I don't race, nor do I care to (and let's face it, if I tried to they'd have to create a whole new weight class, what would you call a Clyde class for someone in the Clyde class? Clyde-squared? sounds too much like the chi-square from biostats to me) so simple road-speed calculations don't mean much. I also only record my cadence to see if I'm steady, so that doesn't mean much. I used to use gearing as a judge of fitness/strength, by which I mean that the steeper the hill I could climb without shifting the stronger I felt I was, but does that mean anything about fitness?

I'm going to shift to the miles-to-bonk (MTB) standard, by which I mean how far can I ride before I stand up in the pedals, breathe deeply, and say "Wait, I have to go how much farther?" I figure this standard will come in handy as I torture myself on the 2nd Annual 100 Miles of Nowhere Ride (or in my case, 50) at the end of the month. Yes, I have done the insane and registered for the ride, and for some reason I'm looking forward to it. What does that say about me?

Integrating bikes into American transport

The last few Friday's I've discussed some political/activist subjects, specifically licensing and helmet use. I'm going to keep that trend going with a couple of related bits on integrating bikes into the transport system in America.

First, is this bit from BRAIN from a few weeks back:

NEW YORK, NY (BRAIN)—It seems that New York City may only be bike friendly to a point.
 On his weekly radio program on Friday morning, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said he opposed allowing commuters to bring bicycles onto subway cars, even if the Metropolitan Transportation Authority permits it.
 “I know bicyclists will now ring the phones off the hook, but they are just too big, particularly at rush hour,” he said of the bikes. “I just don’t think they should allow it,” he added.

The full story is from the NYT, available here. Reading the full article, it turns out that the mayor was responding to a caller's question so to some extent he was extemporizing, but the result is the same as if it were a prepared statement. 

These feelings aren't restricted to either Mayor Bloomberg (a staunch advocate of mass transit) or New York. Most places where you find light rail or subways and cyclists you find conflict. Yes, bikes are large and take up space, but does that really mean they should be blocked from use? I'm a regular BART rider, with and without my bike (a largish Surly Long Haul Trucker). BART has specific times, peak commute, where bikes aren't supposed to be on cars and they ask cyclists to use judgement before boarding. I would really like to see BART take a more cycling-friendly stance and provide more space specifically for bikes, but for now the benign indifference is alright. As long as our work/live situation remains the way it is (live in suburbs, work in cities) many people will need to travel farther than is easy by bike, and that mean multi-mode. As long as people are traveling multi-mode, they need to be able to bring their bikes with them.

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The other piece I saw was on the East Bay Bike Coalition blog a couple of weeks back. This one was discussing Federal "complete streets" legislation. Specifically:

H.R. 1443: Complete Streets Act of 2009 Introduced Mar 11, 2009
S. 584: A bill to ensure that all users of the transportation system, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, children, older individuals, and individuals with disabilities, are able to travel safely and conveniently on and across federally funded streets and highways. Introduced Mar 12, 2009.

Much like the Routine Accommodation policy adopted by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission in 2006, and the Complete Streets bill signed into California State Law in 2008, the national version will work to make certain that federal transportation dollars are not spent to build new barriers or daunting hazards for bicyclists.

This is one of those issues where I like the idea but not necessarily the execution. Transportation spending is a state issue, and this kind of action by the Federal government is referred to as "power of the purse" - using Federal funding to force the states to do something (aka "Do it my way or watch your butt.") As a small government person, this sort of side-stepping around separation of powers bothers me. On the other hand, there are likely some states that won't do the right thing by cyclists and other non-vehicular traffic without the Federal carrot/stick. 

So what is the right answer? I can't say. I for one won't be involved in pushing the issue forward, but unlike the other political issues I've talked about recently I'm not entirely opposed.

Bike registration, cyclist licensing

Updated 3/28 - added a few more in-text links to articles about licensing

A little while back the Bicycle Retailer and Industry News blog (BRAIN) had a piece on an effort in Oregon to get a bike licensing bill passed. The article was written primarily on the impact the bill would/not have on retailers and the general feeling was that it didn't have a huge chance of getting passed. From the post:

“The word I have is that the chair of House Transportation does not intend to schedule it for a hearing, so it is dead,” [Karl Rohde, government relations and public affairs director of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA)] said. “But we'll continue to monitor it though, in case it comes back from the dead.”

The piece does include the concerns that BTA has with the bill, specifically:

(f)or its part, the BTA opposes the bill stating that net revenue would not contribute significantly to the construction and maintenance of roads and ancillary facilities, and the cost of registration would discourage bicycling.

All of this, and some other posts I've seen floating around lately, has got me thinking about the validity of bike licenses.

My first thought is that there needs to be a good reason for licenses if you're going to require them. This is mainly my small government mindset speaking, but it's also common sense. Too often the reason given for requiring bike licenses is the "cyclists don't pay their fair share of road maintenance" argument (debunked and debated at the preceding links). Accepting this argument as valid (which I emphatically DO NOT) the appropriate response would be to just add a tax at the time of purchase of a new bike or other cycling equipment. Requiring licensing just for the fees generated makes little sense.

Drivers are licensed twice, once as an individual and once for their vehicle. In the first case, the license is supposed to ensure that the driver has gone through a state-approved course of education, or at the very least has demonstrated through testing knowledge equivalent to having completed the training. In the second case the vehicle license is to ensure that there is an accurate record of the vehicle (used when the driver violates the law) and that the vehicle passed certain safety/emissions testing. Do these same criteria hold up for cyclists?

• Individual licensing - I think there is some validity to having cyclists go through a specific course of education and be "certified", especially for cyclists in urban areas. If there were a recognized cyclist license, it could potentially ease some of the scofflaw-cyclist hatred, or at the very least provide riders with a ready response to that line of argument.

• Bike licensing - Unlike with motor vehicles, an unsafe bike is rarely (if ever) a threat to anyone other than the rider. Additionally, there are a number of existing private ways to get a bike "licensed" for theft-recovery purposes (identifying the bike). Licensing bikes for the purpose of catching lawbreakers strikes me as something that would require far more time, effort, and money than it would ever recoup in terms of tickets or deterrence.

So what does this all lead to? In my opinion there is some justification for licensing cyclists, if the goal is to integrate cyclists into the larger pool of road users. Licensing bikes makes no sense to me, although that seems to be the favored model of politicians. I will say that I'd rather see programs like those offered by the League of American Bicyclists expanded as a de facto standard rather than something coming down from either state or Federal government, but I don't know if that will carry the same weight with non-cyclists as something that is government sanctioned.

Training site prepared

So finally, after meaning to get at it for almost two months, I've taken the extreme step of getting ready for the LiveStrong ride by...

putting a bike in the trainer.

Yeah, I've been a wee bit lax in getting prepared, but since the ride isn't until July 12, so it's not like I have to be ready tomorrow.

This will be essentially the same set-up I used a whopping three times in Baltimore before the boredom drove me batty. There are a few things working in my favor this time:

• Need - when I was in Baltimore I was training to train. Now I not only have the LiveStrong ride where I want to make a decent showing, but being in the Bay Area means that I have a number of cycling friends who aren't significantly overweight, which really tells in the climbs.
• Desire - I'm making what will hopefully be the last attempt to get my weight back under control. I worked with a group in the area before I took a lot of weight off, and I plan to sign back up. Roughly put I've got about 75 pounds to peel, and it's going to take significant changes in food and exercise to get there.
• Entertainment - the way I had things rigged up in Baltimore I think the bike/trainer was too close to my VCR/TV antenna, because when I would try to tape things the tapes came out sketchy. I'm not taping now and I'm on cable (for the moment) anyway. Also, I've recently found a couple of new series (Primeval being one) and with the bike at the window I'll be able to enjoy.
• Removing tech - I've only got one computer and it's on my Trucker. I'll be training for the first few weeks at least purely on time in the saddle, and will be basing my training time on how sore my hind-parts are and whatever I have from Netflix.

As I move forward I'll be doing a weekly weight/training update, focused mainly on time spent per day. I hope to be commuting by bike again soon, and will be adding that info in as well. Oh, lastly, I'm a member of Team Fatty for the San Jose LiveStrong Challenge ride, and if you want to donate or just wish me well, follow this link.

A little help?

I have written about Elden "Fatty" Nelsen before. First off, I identify (far too much) with someone who goes by "The Fat Cyclist" and secondly I really respect what he's doing. Elden's blog is largely about his wife's fight against breast cancer, which isn't going so well. He has been a long-time supporter of the LiveStrong foundation, resulting in Lance giving Fatty's wife a shout out. This year he decided to put together a grand scheme to have the largest team ever pulled together for the LiveStrong Challenge and raise more money than any team had before. (For the details from the horse's mouth, go here.)

I've decided to jump in, and have signed up for the San Jose ride. If you are willing to sponsor me, please go here and make a pledge. I think it's a great cause and will be using this as incentive to get myself in shape to do a metric century (100 km) ride. If you have questions, let me know.

Thanks in advance.

Joel

Update: 12/16/08 7:00AM

One thing I forgot last night - If you are interested there are a number of other riders who are raffling off prizes for people who donate. I'm not able to do that, but Fatty is (see the link to his site above) and as I come across others I'll post them.

Team Fatty

I've mentioned the Fat Cyclist blog a few times, and he's got something new up his sleeve that I wanted to share:

For 2009, I am going to form Team Fat Cyclist: Fighting For Susan for the LiveStrong Challenge, and I want you to join me. If you’re willing to put in some work, together our neighborhood will not simply break these records; we will crush them.

No, we will demolish them.

And humiliate them, just for fun.

Oh, and by the way, by either joining the team or contributing to the team — your choice — you will automatically be entering yourself in raffles to win prizes that will make your head spin.

For those who aren't familiar with the LiveStrong Challenge, it is a fundraising ride/walk/run event for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. If you don't know what they do...

I haven't done a charity ride like this before, but I have done a couple of metric centuries. Since I've been having some trouble getting off my rear to train and this may be the motivation I need. I'll be watching Fatty's blog to find out when the team goes live.

Some good news

Coming out of the Board of Directors of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), not people you would expect to be super bike-friendly, is this news (from the Adventure Cycling Association press release):

The United States is on a path to creating what could become the largest official bicycle route network in the world, thanks to the approval of a new plan by America's leading authority on national route designations. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has just approved a National Corridor Plan laying out the framework and guidelines for the development of this system.

The plan identifies corridors connecting America's urban, rural, and suburban areas. The corridors cover well over 50,000 miles, which, if transformed into routes along roads and trails, would create the largest official bicycle route network in any country or on any continent. By comparison, the planned Euro-Vélo network in Europe is projected to be 60,000 kilometers or 36,000 miles.

The U.S. plan has been under development for nearly four years under the auspices of an AASHTO task force on national bicycle routes, with representatives from federal and state transportation agencies and nonprofit organizations. The plan has gone through more than a dozen revisions—with input from hundreds of federal and state officials, cycling advocacy groups, and individuals—as well as review and approval by AASHTO's committees on traffic engineering, design, and non-motorized transportation.

I will be eagerly watching the news and the ACA website for more information.

Visit and support

I imagine that most people who read my sketchy writing have come across Elden "Fatty" Nelson as well. If not, head over to his fantastic blog and give it a read.

The main reason I want to encourage everyone to read Fatty's blog is so that there will me more Friends of Fatty lending their support to Fatty and his wife Susan in her ongoing battle with cancer. I don't soapbox or preach much here, because I'm not all that great at it, but this is one case where I will do it. Head over to his site, read his blog, and if you can buy some FC gear to help support them. Or, as Fatty has recommended more than once, head to your favorite anti-cancer charity (mine is here) and donate.

If you happen to find this yourself Fatty, here's an oldie but goodie for you.

WIN

Because BikeSnobNYC asked...

I'm posting the following PSA


Head on over to his blog for the rest of the details on the campaign-in-the-making.

Charity

I will admit that I can be overly generous or stingy when it comes to charities, all based on my mood at the moment. I focus on a few areas of personal interest (mostly outdoorsy stuff) and then give whatever feel right. The more solicitations I get, the less I tend to give because I get annoyed and feel like "punishing" the solicitor. There is one exception to this - Elden, AKA the Fat Cyclist.

I had been reading his blog for a little while before I realized the situation with his wife's battle with cancer. All I knew was that for some reason the really cool swag he sold came in the site colors of orange and black, and (at the time) what I thought was an oddly un-manly pink. The I read about Susan's fight with cancer and it all made sense.

Maybe it's because Fatty has done such an amazing job of personalizing his requests for help (no form letters in the mail), maybe it's because he is so open about what the funds are used for, maybe it's because he comes up with creative ways to ask (yes, the man did a century on rollers), or maybe it's just because he's so darn funny, but whatever the reason I never hesitate to toss my hard earned money his way.

The point of this? If you haven't seen his blog, go now. If you haven't helped out, please think about it.

(This was inspired by a reference at another site to making donations to LIVESTRONG, a group Fatty regularly champions)

Muddy Angels

Since I used yesterday's post to talk about Susan's cancer battle I figured I'd keep the trend going and talk about another "cycling for a cause" topic. This is one I didn't even know about until I attended the national Medical Reserve Corps meeting a few weeks back. It's the National EMS Memorial Bike Ride. It takes place 5/17-23 and there are two different routes:

• NYC - Roanoke, VA
• Somerset KY - Roanoke, VA

There is a third ride, the Louisiana EMS Memorial Bike Ride taking place 5/9-10 which runs from New Orleans to Baton Rouge.

The rides are about honoring EMS personnel who have been injured, become ill, or died in the line of duty. They encourage people to make the full 7-day, 600 mile ride, but it is also possible to do just one or a few sections, register as support, or donate.

I am a former EMT. I never worked on a rig, but provided medical support in a couple of different places. I wish I could take the time to do at least part of the ride but I'll actually be hosting my dad and younger brother during the ride. I do intend to sponsor though, and I hope that others will as well.

Class

One of my favorite cycling blogs is Fat Cyclist. Elden brings a great sense of humor and humanity to cycling. Unfortunately, he also deals with a lot of pain, chronicling his wife Susan's ongoing battle with cancer. That battle recently took a turn for the worse, and Elden (AKA Fatty) wrote about some of the most impossibly difficult days I can imagine. Yesterday he put this up:


I have always respected Lance and felt that he was good people, now I have proof. Take the time to visit Elden's blog and share your thoughts and support for he and Susan in this trying time.