Cyclofriendship and Becoming Fonder

Hi, I’m one of Krystal’s honored friends, Page. I know it’s an honor because folks in the Columbia cycling community say, “Hey, you’re Krystal’s friend aren’t you.” I just smile… not bothered that they didn’t think to ask my name. Being Krystal’s friend is like being “Abigail and Gretchen’s mom” – a joy. And it’s a joy to begin blogging here by mentioning a fan, some wax and something fonder.

About this time last year, Krystal and I began fanning the flame of an old friendship by riding bikes together. She had her ultra cool and retro Trek 520 with tweed Rivendell lil’ loafer and country bag, which carried books, sandwiches and just the right tool to fix a squeak on my plain old Schwinn mountain bike. We cruised around talking about old times, current statuses and dreaming about the future… cottages, kitchen gardens, spacious porches, successful children, premenopausal crazies, how to be a better wife and mother, cyclotouring and randonneuring.

As Krystal waxed on about all things bicycle, I spent way too much super fun time looking at adventure options. By January I bought a ’91 Trek 520 on ebay. “It’s purple. I can’t believe it’s purple,” I exclaimed upon opening the box. Well, I’m over it now and have grown to LOVE MY BIKE since I’ve made it my own. Nitto campee racks, Nitto 44cm handlebars, Velo Orange Campagne Handlebar Bag and fluted Honjo fenders are the standard fare. I even love the little Low Down Type 1 light mount from VO. It makes folks in a cycle shop gawk as much as they did at my husband’s leg after being bit by a dog.

Over the past year we have put in some miles together… on bikes and in our friendship. We’re graduating children from homeschooling and dreaming about the “what next?”… it’s the Northern Tier summer of ’11. Our kids just look at us with big eyes, and our husbands talk about what a cool wife they have. I guess they’re glad we’re not just sitting around the house getting fatter. And besides… absence makes the heart grow fonder. I’m gonna really love my husband next August.

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Life in the Fast Lane

I want to ride faster – I go through this EVERY year around this time. This urge to ride faster – to ride with the faster riders – I want to ride faster!

Problem is I’m slow. I have a heavy touring bike. And I’m over weight. The truth doesn’t look very glamorous in black and white does it?

Each spring I loose a little more weight, add more miles and ride harder. Sometime around April or May [when I'm still averaging 13 - 14 mph] I give up on “going faster” and resign myself to just getting out there and riding. This is fine – and comes to me through several juicy rationalizations about what’s really important – why am I out there anyway – and “no really – I like to ride alone”.

The trouble is seeing things like this video, and riding brevets, and dreaming about the feeling of freedom I believe is attached to being able to “keep up”. Anyway – that’s how I feel about it.

Rapha Rides The Tour of California from RAPHA on Vimeo.

Guest Speaker…

I often refer to my DH… [dear husband] on my blog and as we were out riding this weekend I formed the idea of having him make a guest appearance here:

The original goal  was a 200k out of Santee State Park

My wife and I planned to use a friends cue sheet for a 200k on the 21st of February 2009.  We had the bikes loaded and were aiming for the local Starbucks by 8 am.  It took us about 90 minutes to get to the park and by the time we actually began our trek it was 9:30 am.  My mind auto-calculated that it would be just a few hours before midnight  before we would see this park again.

I am not as accustomed to cycling as my wife is so for me a big ride is anything over 40 miles.  This ride was to be 125 miles and adding darkness to the equation began the head games I often face on long rides.  As with many things in life, I like to know when I will be done, how much is mine and whether or not I can make it.  The fact is that I can make any ride but the unknowns can make the first half of the trip as much of a drag as low tire pressure or a rubbing wheel.

I took my first Hammer Gel at the parks entrance, only 2.2 miles into the day.  I also took my second stretch there too.  I adjusted my seat height and my third stretching session at less than 4.7 miles cumulative.  It was probably about this time that my wife realized that she was not going to be completing her second 200k today.  One more seat adjustment and the fourth stretch was in the bag by about 10 miles.  I was still not warmed up to anything.

According to the cue sheet there were four stores on our route, these to me were and always are like Mecca.  My mind is is always focused on the next store for the first half of any bike trip.  We wound through a little town which could not support a coffee machine and then pushed on to the first official “store” on the route and it was a doozy.  It had a McDonalds and a convenience store.  We sat down and had a meal and filled our water bottles and pouches with road snacks.

With 17 miles, a meal and a fresh coffee under my belt I was ready to just ride.  We enjoyed the farms, swamps, quiet roads and scenery for the next 20 miles.  It was slightly after noon by this time and my wife graciously began to map out a shorter route.  I did not want to be the kill joy and mention that we would be on this trip into the night, but my heart was grateful that she could read my mind.  It took a while but we whacked off a large loop and re-embarked on our abbreviated tour.

Now knowing that our trip was within my abilities I was able to enjoy the ride both physically and mentally.  It’s funny, I remember more details on the first leg of our journey than the second.  However, the entire trip was very enjoyable and I re-learned a couple of things I had forgotten.  I stayed in my second chain ring on my front sprocket the whole day.  This caused me to have a much faster cadence than my wife.  I also realized the importance of posture, wind resistance and stretching on a daily basis.

The sun was at the horizon as we wheeled into the park again.  We had only logged 68 miles but having to drive 90 minutes each way it made for a full day.  Krystal and I walked the pier on Lake Marion before we called it a day.The Santee ride was very enjoyable for a February day.  It was Sunny and 61 with alternating 10 mile an hour head and tailwinds.  I am looking forward to our next ride; both for the exercise and the great company.

200k – Yeah baby yeah

So Saturday I completed my first Brevet. It was in Augusta with the Audax Atlanta Randonneurs. I had a great time and after last years 200k – I can say I came out of this one feeling a lot better about myself. What a great group of riders they have in Ga.

• 126.19 miles
• 09:08 ride time
• 13.79 Average Speed
• 35.02 Max Speed

I couldn’t be happier about the way this ride turned out.

Congaree Out and Back

This weekend was “Pig-on-the-Ridge” out in Ridgeway. I used to live out that way and my bike club was having a group ride to taste the delights of competition pork. [in no way related to the upcoming election] I had planned on joining them for the ride but decided to bail for a solo ride at the last minute.

I love rambling through the country, stopping for pics and snacks, seeing all the sights. A club member had told me about a light traffic route out of the city and I was eager to try it. I’ve been in SC for about 10 years and somehow never out to the Congaree Swamp so I took off on an incredibly crisp sunny Saturday for the back-roads and the swamp.  It turned into a glorious day.

First up I road out my driveway and into Jimmy Johns for a little pre-ride sustenance. That was the last meal I had till evening when my dh and I grabbed a bratwurst and beer at the Cock and Bull [great Pud!] luckily I stopped and got an apple and cliff bar on my way out.

The route out of town was far better then the one I use to get back to my old home in Fairfield County. Bluff road is a high speed road but traffic was moderate on Saturday and [most] drivers were courteous.

I’m always looking for good day rides. This one turned out that way. I cruised out past Owens field and found my way down to Beltline. Once I was on Bluff road the city quickly became a memory.  After a few more miles I hit Old Bluff Road which may become one of my favorite cycling roads. I think I ran into 3 or 4 cars the entire time. I went into a sort of auto free zone.

Some days cycling are better then others – and some are fantastic. I’m not sure why things go the way they do but this day was on the surreal side for me. I kept looking up at the forget me not blue sky pushing it’s way through the trees with dappled sunlight.

The road was long and level and I found myself standing on the peddles breezing along – sun shinning – heart singing – laughing out load. It was a good day. I spotted a sign and a shady grass-lane claiming to be canoe portage and rode it down to the waters edge. The yellow river looked wholly isolated from the road above and the city behind it. Some parts of the South strike me as so old – how many bare feet have stood on that bank I can not guess.

I took my cycle-computer off my bike some time last year. The result is I never now how far I’ve gone, or exactly how close I am to my destination. I pushed on toward the Swamp not knowing how much longer it would take to get there; but when the road is level it doesn’t take that long regardless, and I pulled into the national park long before I was ready to start heading home.

Longer bike rides always impress me as several mini adventures rolled into one. There are so many different stages to a long ride – mindsets – energy levels – weather changes – that  break it up into separate bits in my mind. Without anyone riding beside me I let my mind escape into the sun, road and trees. Are colors really brighter on a crisp day, and why does the sun shine through the trees in beams of light on days like that? Sometimes I can’t help swerving back and forth on the road just like I was ten again – standing up on the peddles with my head tilted back – I’m long gone.

I wanted more so I rode past the swamp down that back road. I ended up out on Bluff Rd proper again and continued on past fields and old farms.

When I hit hwy 601 I thought it was time to turn around. Normally I like to ride a “loop” but instead of heading down the 601 I opted to turn around and do an “out-and-back”. It was such a pleasant ride I had to do it again in the opposite direction. I was surprised at how many things I had not noticed on the way out. It was a little like a new ride. Maybe it was just the day. One of those great days, when you know it’s gonna be good to the last drop. As the sun started to sink so did the temp. but I ride out loaded and just pulled on a layer of wool.

It was a little sad as I rode back into the city but my dh rang my cell to let me know he had a hot bath ready and waiting. A perfect end to a marvelous ride.

Google Maps claims it was 74 miles; I find that hard to believe although it was a FLAT ride and that’s so much easier to do.