My year in cycling

It's been a year of many changes in my cycling world, not the least of which were my move back to the Bay Area, my purchase of a real road bike, and my first-ever double metric centuries. But after four and a half years of rather intense cycling, some peaks and valleys are becoming more pronounced, and I need to give increased consideration to riding smartly as opposed to just riding.

First, the numbers. Here's my monthly mileage for the past few years; 2006 was the first year that I rode in ALC.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Total
2008	236	219	496	559	560	1041	590	516	236	306	325	266	5450
2007	349	270	564	528	748	850	276	369	413	231	203	276	5077
2006	561	632	627	859	739	686	557	515	468	433	484	384	6945
2005	401	416	473	567	703	605	535	531	346	513	503	482	6075

So I racked up more miles this year than last, but much of the increase came from the very wacky month of June. How wacky was it? I started the month with ALC7, and then I came back and bought the new bicycle -- which immediately got me eager to go out and try everything again. Plus, thanks to a medical issue, I spent the second half of the month on the steroid prednisone, which put my body into super-hyper-overdrive ... an experience I hope not to repeat anytime soon. The result was that, for my first time ever, I racked up more than 1,000 miles in a single month. But I feel like there should be an asterisk next to that drug-assisted number.

That said, I also attained a long-held goal of mine: I rode 200 kilometers (125 miles) in a single day, and I did it not once, but twice. After leading the longest-ever ALC training ride in early May, I became a member of Randonneurs USA and rode in the Chualar 200k event in August. (I finished third-from-last, but just like ALC, it's a ride, not a race.) Extreme long-distance cycling is a fascinating sport that takes the mind-set of ALC to the next level, and it's something I'm hoping to continue pursuing, if only at the sport's "entry" level of "only" 200k. (Don't look for me on any of those 1,200-kilometer rides!)

Of more direct relevance to those who are reading to get insights into training for ALC, I put in significantly fewer miles before this year's ride than I did last year, particularly during the weeks immediately before the ride. And this year's ALC was actually easier for me, with my average speed during the ride slightly faster than in 2007. There's an important lesson here: Do not overtrain for ALC. Yes, you need to get experience in riding consecutive long-mileage days, but you also need to make sure that you don't wear yourself out before Day 1.

Looking ahead, there are two big challenges.

First is boredom. As I've noted here before, I've bicycled almost every reasonable nearby route, and those that I haven't are generally more difficult than I enjoy. And when I get home from work at night, do I really want to put on all the gear (so much gear for bicycling these days!) just for yet another 15-mile spin up Foothill Expressway? I've found that much more of my riding is now "destination" riding -- on weekends or at special events -- and less of it is just because I want to go out and have fun for an hour or so. That's a trend I need to reverse.

Second is age. The statistics say we lose a little bit of our aerobic capacity every year past age 35, even though cycling can help mitigate that. And the body just doesn't want to burn away fat like it used to. Bicycling is a great way to stay fit into one's later years (just ask our ALCers who are in their 70s and even their 80s!), but I'm probably reaching the point where I will start to see my performance decrease, rather than increase, over time. Switching to a road bike has given me a temporary speed boost, but I attribute most of that to equipment and not to me.

But enough melancholy stuff. We're just a week and a half away from the beginning of this season's Cat-3 Distance Training rides, and I've been extremely pleased by the "buzz" I've been hearing about the rides. I've got some interesting new routes planned, and I'm looking forward to riding with many of you as we get ready for ALC8.

Ride report: South Bay/Peninsula early-bird ride #8 rescheduled

Go, riders!

What a difference a week makes. Last week's bone-chilling rain and snow seemed but a memory today as temperatures soared into the lower 60s for the 14 of us who completed the second attempt at our 46-mile loop around the South Bay. Even without the brisk East Bay tailwinds that usually help push up speeds on this route, each and every rider delivered an impressive pace today that met or exceeded ALC's Cat-3 pace (12-15 mph).

(At right: Approaching the Dumbarton Bridge with, yes, the blimp in the air.)

This was the longest ride of the season for some of us, and I'll bet that, like me, you felt that you had crossed a threshold in terms of distance. For me, 40 miles is about the point where I need to modify my behavior ... which I didn't fully do today, and I was feeling the consequences near the end.

Three hours of riding is too long to go without proper nutrition -- a crunchy marshmallow bar in Milpitas doesn't count. And without venturing too far into the category of too much information, three hours is also too long for me to go without reapplying butt cream.

As our rides get longer, taking care of yourself is more important than ever, because the key to making it all the way to Los Angeles is giving your body the care that it needs and deserves.

As I said earlier, today's pace was certainly brisk to say the least. I need to stress that you should never, ever feel pressured to ride any faster or harder than you want to ride. It's good to test your limits (and, hopefully, expand them), but do not let yourself be intimidated by the sight of riders roaring off into the distance. It happens to all of us!

If you're riding a Cat-2 pace, the Cat-3 riders will be ahead of you. If you're riding a Cat-3 pace, some Cat-4 (15+ mph) riders will leave you behind. And even if you're a Cat-4 rider, there are a few riders who make it all the way to Los Angeles at an average speed of more than 20 mph.

Every training ride always has a ride leader in the sweep position behind the last rider. The TRLs riding sweep expect to ride more slowly than the rest of the pack, and you're never "imposing" on them by riding at whatever pace you need. The sweep is there to help you successfully complete your ride, so don't hesitate to let them know how they can help you. And don't be surprised if the sweep offers you a few tips along the way. They've all been here before, and they've seen many common problems that can be fixed.

What's next? This was the last ride in our South Bay/Peninsula early-bird set of rides. Beginning next month, the training season kicks into high gear, and there are many ways for you to proceed from here. I'll mention just a couple that are relevant to folks who will be doing at least some of their riding on the Peninsula and in the South Bay.

Every Sunday beginning Jan. 18, there will be Cat-2 rides in Sunnyvale, San Francisco, the East Bay, and the North Bay. These will all be approximately the same length every week, so you can switch between locations as you wish. The rides will start at about 20 miles and increase over 20 weeks to about 100 miles.

Every other Saturday beginning Jan. 10, I'll be leading the Cat-3 Distance Training rides from our location in downtown Mountain View. These rides are for intermediate and advanced riders who want to increase their physical and mental endurance on long-distance rides. This set of 10 rides gradually starts at 40 miles and increases to a mid-May finale of a double metric century: 200 kilometers (125 miles) in a single day. Everyone who rode today is qualified to ride these rides. It's perfectly OK if you're at the lower end of the Cat-3 range; you do not need to be a 15-mph rider to do these rides.

Our first ride is a bit easier than today's ride. It's a 40-mile jaunt through the lowlands, with a long run along the entire length of Foothill Expressway from Cupertino to Menlo Park. There's just one little hill (McClellan), and there are two scheduled rest stops. Details and RSVP are here.

There will also be many other training rides, some as part of every-week series, others as one-time events. Many of the January rides are already listed, and others will show up later this week. You can see them in the official ALC training calendar here. Check back often, because new rides will continue to be listed throughout the training season.

Don't forget the kickoff party for all of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation's endurance events, including AIDS/LifeCycle. It's Sunday, January 11, in San Francisco. There will be lots of fun and information -- and, of course, the chance to win one of several new bicycles. RSVPs for this event are required; more info is available here.

And with that, I wrap up our training for 2008. Best wishes for the new year, and may you meet whatever challenges you set for yourself in 2009.

Route conditions from King City to Morro Bay

I took a quick trip to San Luis Obispo this weekend, so of course I checked out some of the more "colorful" parts of the ALC route along the way to see whether road conditions have changed since June.

King City: Construction on First Street is progressing very, very slowly, and the only southbound bike route out of town continues to be closed while a bridge is rebuilt. From the looks of things, I'd say it's quite unlikely that the street will be reopened in time for ALC8, so we might get to use the same route we did this year (the pedestrian bridge over the river). Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is up to you. (At right: First Street in King City)

US 101, Bradley to San Miguel: There has been no work on the shoulder, and it continues to be in horrid condition. This 2 to 3 miles is my least favorite part of the whole route now. There's a project to do guardrail work in the area between January and April, but it's unclear whether they're going to do anything to that awful, awful shoulder. Perhaps we will get lucky.
Update: Caltrans appears to be creating a separate project to cover resurfacing of the highway through this area:

In Monterey County about 20 miles north of Paso Robles from 0.3 mile south of East Garrison overcrossing to 0.1 mile south of Jolon Road undercrossing: Hot mix asphalt overlay

The bad news is that the project isn't even being advertised for bids until March 23. That means that nothing will happen in time for this year's ride.

San Miguel: Good news!! Our route through town has been completely repaved from end to end, with nice smooth pavement and marked bike lanes all the way from U.S. 101 right through town and to the mission. (At right: Mission San Miguel)

Paso Robles: Our route out of town along Vine Street is still in the same poor shape it was for ALC7.

Morro Bay: Construction on Quintana Road, our route out of town, continues. One of the intersections is being transformed into a roundabout, and it appears that the street will be safer once it's complete. And work is far enough along that it will probably be done before we pass through.

As always, remember that the ALC route could change from year to year, so there's no guarantee that any or all of these places will be on the route. But we're so established now that, barring major construction (such as in King City) or other incident (such as losing permission to ride through an area), significant changes to the route probably are unlikely.

Bicycle thefts aren't just a big-city thing

Report from Bay City News Service:

Palo Alto authorities have noticed an increase in the number of expensive bicycles stolen over the past several months and are working to find those responsible for the thefts, a police spokesman said Friday.

A total of 31 bicycles, each worth $1,000 or more, have been stolen from June through last week, said Agent Dan Ryan. Nine of the 31 bikes were worth between $4,000 and $10,000.

The thefts are taking place throughout the city.

A reminder that, even when we're on organized group rides, don't leave your bicycle unattended -- even someplace where you think thefts "never" happen. In our deteriorating economy, places once thought safe may no longer be that way.

Ride report: South Bay/Peninsula early-bird ride #8

Our luck ran out today. Despite only a 10% chance of rain at ride-out time, we were getting rained on within the first 15 minutes, so our group of 12 riders decided to head directly back from Palo Alto to Mountain View, making today's ride a grand total of 9 miles. Thanks to everyone who showed up, especially those who came from far away. Especially this early in the season, safety takes priority over everything else, and I appreciate your understanding.

We're going to try the ride again next Sunday, same time, same place. Early indications, however, are that the weather may still be a problem, but we'll see how this wet and stormy week plays out.

South Bay/Peninsula early-bird ride #8: Loop around the South Bay rescheduled (12/28/2008)

Map for this ride

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

Rescheduled from last week due to rain.
Meet time: 9:30 a.m.
Ride-out time: 10:00 a.m.
Meeting place: Three blocks west of the Mountain View Caltrain and VTA station, in the overflow parking lot at the corner of Evelyn Avenue and Franklin Street. (map)
City: Mountain View
Rain policy: Rain cancels
Category: 2 - medium pace (10-12 mph)
Terrain: 1 - mostly flat
Miles: 46

Description:
This is the last of our early-bird training rides. You've got a fantastic head-start on the season, and today we celebrate with our longest ride yet.

From Mountain View, we'll go to Menlo Park and take the Dumbarton Bridge into Newark and Fremont, with a return via Milpitas, San Jose, Santa Clara, and Sunnyvale. There's a little bit of everything on this ride, from quiet streets to busy highways, we've got two rest stops planned, and there's just one little hill to keep you honest. Total climbing for the whole day is only about 700 feet.

Riders from all over Northern California are invited! Southbound Caltrain from San Francisco arrives at 9:14 a.m.

Route sheet for this ride is here.

Be sure to check the Training section of the ALC website for information on how to prepare for a training ride and what you must and should bring.

Leaders:
Chris Thomas
Dan England
David Gaus

RSVPs are requested but not required.

Today's ride is ON

Good morning, riders!

The hour-by-hour forecast from The Weather Channel suggests that there is practically no chance of rain in Mountain View at ride-out time, with the chance increasing to just 30% by 2 p.m. Temperatures should rise into the low 50s, so it will be cool but not horribly cold.

There are two rest stops on today's ride -- one in Newark, and one in Milpitas -- and while it's important that you take both rest stops, it's also very important today that you not linger at the stops. The quicker we get back to Mountain View, the less chance of rain we face. Also, the winds today will be opposite to what we normally face on this route, with a light breeze from the south-southeast. If you're familiar with this route, you know that the East Bay part of this trip often benefits from a strong tailwind, but that won't be the case today.

Please try to be at the meeting location by 9:30 a.m., so we can ride out on time. And if this is your first ride from Mountain View, remember that we meet at the overflow parking lot three blocks northwest of the Caltrain station, not at the station itself.