Single Gear Training

David at 1/2 LINK, (my local Bike shop) had my new part to install on the track bike, now converted to a winter single speed training bike. The first gear I tried was a bit to tough. Around 80" per revolution of the crank. Now with a new 20 tooth rear free hub I was looking at 64"+-. Sounded a lot better for the hills around here. A very easy spin on the flattish roads around this Island. There are no flat roads! So along with the gear, I had a blinky red light put on the gear bag on the rear of the saddle. It was a very dark day today at noon. So off I went to try out the new gear on a day that had 30 MPH Southerly winds and a chance of SNOW. Any way I looked at it, a tough day to get the hours in. First thing was to see if I could get up a nice hill called Lone Lake Road. Really an easy climb South to North. The gear and bike were just happy to be out together. The climb was effortless. Just pace up at a steady rate. I was very happy to see the top and at that moment remembered I had not packed the 15mm wrench for the wheel nuts. I still have the track nuts on the wheels and will keep them to. I need this wrench to get the wheels off to change a flat tire. So I turned around and started for home. Head wind all the way. Still a good spin, I was really getting to like the single speed. Got home, got the wrench and back on the bike. Back on the road in less than 3 mins. Heading South into the wind. Right turn Simms Road. Just a little climb, steady, then a fast decent to French Road that led to Bailey Road. Bailey Road was a long up hill section with one short nasty section. It was slow, but, I was rested and ready for the effort. This "rested then ready" seems to be how the single speed does it's job. Then Bailey comes to an end at Coultis Bay Road. Left turn up hill. Hard up hill, really steep. I had forgotten just how steep this section of the road is. I just did a rested climb. Trying to stay out of the red zone. Trying, but not always getting it right. It was a very had climb. Got it done. 2 more moderate climbs to go. These take me to Deer Lake road, right turn. Deer Lake is a netural kind of road. Not to hard, rollers. Then this come to a T, left turn and it's still Deer Lake Road. Then roller to a small decent to Heggens Road, right turn. Heggens Road is a bit of roller that leads to a nice Climb. An any gear you want kind of climb. Well that's what I think. The climb is just right for this single speed bike. It was a great climb. Then back to Deer Lake Road that goes back to Coultis Bay Road, right turn to Langley Road. This is an easy roller ride to the town of Langley. It was a fun run into town. From Langley I hook up with Bayview Road that takes me home. Home after a moderate climb out of Langley. Nice grade, but a bit of a grind. Then a flyer down hill and through a 4 corner commercial zone. From there it's home in the now 35 to 45 MPH head wind. I was getting cold. The rain had started with a little snow mixed in. Not much snow. It was cold. To the bone cold. Then after one last short climb my turn home came. Home at last. I had completed my first full 3 1/2 hour training ride on a single speed bike. EVER! It was both easy and unbelievably hard. I look forward to my next time out on the single speed bike.

Sunday Prayers

It was not the everyday Sunday. Not at all. The roads were full of the true believers. Bright, not quiet Winter blue sky. Chill to the bone, dry and cold. Just a slight wind out of the North. As if to blow us all along our training path. Hard work and smart work. The training never ends. We move along the roads to the next hill to climb. The next freezing down hill after the heater going up the hill. Hours on hour. We are all doing the hours. It is joy to breathe the air and have the air to breathe. Our luck, last another ride. Another prayer along the road. Pure passion is the time over the bike. Luck that we can do our dreams. Live these dreams while we can. Time has a start, and a finish for the body. Never put off what makes you live. The clock is ticking. We ride and live with the Reaper. Our time is a gift. Use it well. We ride with the Reaper.

Glorious Day

All went well on my frozen day ride. I was out at noon. It turned out to be the perfect time to start out on a frozen day ride. The roads in the morning were white with frost. Ice where there was water. Dicey at best to do the hours and get the miles.
First thing I saw before I was even out of our community area was a huge patch of solid white across the street in a shaded up hill area. Tip toe all the way, on the bike of course. Than to the stop sign that starts to the main roads. Another ture believer goes by. It's a good day to go out. After Thanksgiving ride. There are more of us out there. It was a slow day. Way down in the 65% power day. Easy on the breathing and everything else to. Almost seems wrong to go so slow. It's not though. When I got to the first of many hills I had lots of energy in the legs. It was easy to climb. I still kept it at an easy pace, stay out of the red zone. It was climbing, and the heart rate went up and got to the place it needed to for the hills. I felt great, never got out of the small chain ring. Never got out of the saddle. If you think of my bike having 20 gears. I was in first to tenth. Nice winter training day. It was 36 degrees and rising in the sun. The shadows were still frozen and white. I would ride the car tire slots in the road where it was still frozen. There were few cars, but, those few, had cleared the way. All went so well for my frozen ride.
When I got home, my new warm up is not to go to the bath and showers.I strip down out of the riding gear and put on warm a warm set of pants, shirts, fleece jacket, and a pull over cap. I have found a slower warm up vs a hot bath works better for me all around and especially my out of control Trigeminal nerve. So, very warm outfit to warm up slow. I look like I'm dressed to go outdoors. It works for me. Then I get the news. No sooner than I had started to change into my warm stuff. Mary Anne told me that Noah and his Little Rock crew had a bad run in with a huge male deer on the road. Noah is a national collegiate champion and is a category one rider I have had the pleasure to get to know and also ride with. Well Noah hit this deer head on in the road, full set of antlers and all. Then the crew had no choice but to slam into Noah from behind. It was a mess. Sounds like lots of blood, road rash, and one rider was out for the count, for it sounds like 20 mins. That's bad! What joy to hear everyone was on there feet and Noah had not been gored. These guys ride fast and aggressive all the time. I think I even know what roads they were on. The same roads I had the pleasure to ride with Noah and the crew in April this year. Also the bikes sound like they got trashed beyond use. The one Noah was riding was a loaner from his buds at Competitive Cyclist. Trashed, and was a $7,000. bike. Bikes can be replaced. I'm glad everyone was standing after a bit. Man you got to earn your luck. These guys were lucky.
So why do I bring this up. No more than 5 day ago, maybe less. I had a run in with a male deer 3 feet or less in front of my front wheel. I mean, Out of the brush almost on top of me, out of control, full of fear. This deer was at full speed, running for it's life as hunting season is in high gear. Just looking for a safe place to get away from the guns. Well my good luck was, I was going up a climb and was in a slow gear. Wow it was a scary moment. If I was on the flats doing full speed or coming down the hill, I would have been stomped and trashed. I just thank my stars. Odd, my run in with a deer and boom, Noah has a run in. To bad for Noah and crew though. All though it sounds like luck held out for them. Road rash heals. Fast healing Noah, and all your crew. The photo is the best Noah Singer shot I could steal from his blog.

New post new time

I started this blog as a training log. It's several rides behind. More than several. To many. The stories of cold, wet, and now frozen conditions. Ya, I was still going out. Doing the hours. It takes hours to keep an old body going. There is so much more I could write about. Maybe it's time to write. Then this is, a training log. And I train on my own, for the most part. Although, there is some new news. The local small shop asked me to start riding with them. I also got in contact with the regional website that lets me post when I am riding. Make the rides an organized thing. Bring more riders out during the hard times. Road riders. This is a tough time of year for some to keep the faith to the road. I'll reach out and see what happens. I'll let you know how that goes. For now there is a lot of new adventures on the Island.
In one of the last few rides it was cold and wet, 38 deg. I had on every piece of riding gear I owned. I even had 2 pair of gloves. One neoprene under a pair of hollowfill 2, water proof. My hands get cold. My hands looked like a little kid over dressed by their Mom to go out in the snow. I was glad for the warm hands. Plus I had on my real good rain jacket. I was water proof from the out side. The sweat, made a kind of rain from the inside. What a day. The cars and trucks thought I was nuts to be out. Hey, it's what you got to do, to say your prayers. Do the time and get the miles. So just as a reminder, as I was climbing the first of many climbs, French Hill, a friend showed me what it was really like. A deer ran right in front of me at full speed crossing the road. I would not even of had time to slow down. The deer never looked. Man they should make the deer take lessons or something. He sure looked wet and cold. It's hunting season to and they hunt deer on the Island. Fear drives them. The deer was 3 feet in front of my wheel going up a long climb. I was going slow, thankfully. That's what saved me from going down like a rock and getting stomped by a deer in full fear flight. Just a moment in a 3 1/2 hour ride.
Wet roads, moss, splattered banana slugs, tree parts, glass, and rocks. Just the everyday stuff was what was left for the next 3 hours. The sweat inside was just a little less than the rain outside. The sweat was warmer, for awhile. Towards the end of the ride the sweat was on the cold side to. The up hills were great, I did many of the hills twice. Though the price was the down hill. I was ice at the bottom. That's Island riding. Up and down, nothing else. There is one long shallow down hill to Langley and then a shorter steeper uphill coming back on Bayview. It's a good finishing road. Everything else is just up and down. I'm getting a lot better at climbing for a big guy, 205lbs. I'm still working to get under 200lbs. Seems like it's taking a long time. At my age of 75 I need to move a little faster on the weight. What, I have like, forever! Today's a ride day. I'll work on it.
I love the rides around here. Some are real tough. Most are just hard. I work at staying in the good zone. Keeping out of the red zone. So my winter training is a bit slower than my spring training. Cold weather just slows me down. Is that a sign of age? I hope so. The plan is to keep building strengh, not break down. Get stronger and have more power for this spring. It's 36 degrees out as I write. It's 8:15 AM. Thanksgiving is behind me. I bet the roads will have a few true believers out. There is a lot of frost out. I'm waiting till noon to go out. It's dry though! I hope all who are on the roads today find them, clean, dry,fast and safe. One more thing, it was, what looked like a full moon on a low tide last night. It's not great but it's the best my technology could do.

Keeping the habit

Today was my first winter ride with my new single speed bike. Ya, one gear does it all. 47X16 or 79+ inches each rotation of the crank. Not bad on the flat or gentle rolling roads. Just about right for that kind of training. It turns out that gear is a bit stiff for around South Whidbey Island. Like rolling backwards on the steep climbs. Not really. Though it was very very hard to climb some of the steeper climbs in the 79 inch gear. So I went to Half Link, the local shop and discussed a better gear with David the owner. We both agreed that 79" was just to much. Even for a young light guy, that I'm not. So I ordered a 20 and 22 tooth rear gear. 20 tooth cog on the rear gives me a low 60s" gear, 62 or something. A lot better than what I have now. The 22 tooth gear gives me a gear in the mid 50s". So I will try both out for a bit. With a 50s" gear I will be able to climb even the steepest hill around here. It's all for fun. The normal road bike is still the best training. The single speed bike is all about fun and using what I have. I have a very nice track bike collecting dust and I will not be riding track, I think. The track bike has a way nice set of wheels to. Boy, did it ride nice. Just strait as an arrow. Much better than the road bikes. All this time I thought it was me making the bike a little loose. Than I ride a really tight bike and WOW. The bike was so much fun to ride. I was also invited to start riding with the organized rides around here by David at Half Link. That was very nice of David to offer. During the hard winter months having others to train with is helpful. I always ride though. Maybe I can be that extra boost to get others out on their bikes this winter. Well, I'll see about that. That's it for today. Great to be writing again.