Weekend Wrap-Up

Our ride Sunday morning saw an earlier start then last week since I made sure to go over my bike the night before the ride. Regardless of our earlier start, though, it was still incredibly hot. A nice wind provided a bit of cooling, but that was quickly overshadowed once we turned into it to ride uphill. I had mentioned that we would be riding around Pinnacle Peak; instead we rode the Mayo area and then headed West into Paradise Valley. At just about our halfway point, we came to Sanctuary and ground out this hill that had me close to puking. It’s probably the steepest climb I’ve gone up since getting my bike last month.

We stopped at a Circle K and got ice and Slurpees, loitered for a bit too long and then started to head back home. I started to cramp after our pit stop and had a really hard time keeping pace with my buddies. Eventually, I dropped and kept chugging along with intermittent calf seizures. After about four more miles, I made it back to our start point where the guys were waiting. We ended up completing 34 miles and averaged 17 mph. That is now my longest ride, and I’ve got some things I need to work on. The cramps were probably the worst part about the ride and I had a really hard time driving my car for a while, as I couldn’t push in the clutch without seizing up. I’m sure I looked pretty funny as I stalled my car and dropped in my seat to try and straighten my legs. Eventually things settled down and I made it home safely.

Today, I had an appointment to get a follow up fitting on my bike to make any adjustments. I had been feeling like I was too far back to maintain a correct aero position, but it ended up being all in my head. My stem got dropped a bit and I’m in a lower position now but that’s about it. We talked about training aides and I’ve got some research to do before I shell out another couple hundred of dollars.

Sunday’s “Long” Ride

Following a nice 4.5 mile run and a little bout with wings and beer Saturday night, I woke up early Sunday to join my friend and his buddy for their regular jaunt around the Pinnacle Peak area in North Scottsdale.

The morning of, I found my rear wheel was flat. I was disappointed, as I had recently replaced that tube and had only ridden home on it; I learned then that it’s necessary to reinflate the tube with a pump once you return from a ride in which you used CO2. I made the obligatory cruise around the local Starbucks so all the roadies and runners posted up on the patio could check out my ride, and with my Iced Quad Venti No Whip Two Pump Mocha in hand, I made my way to the other side of town.

Things degraded once we hit our point of departure. As I was pulling my bike off the rack, my buddy noticed a nice size gash in the sidewall of my rear tire that I had missed after handling the tire three times! The tube was pushing out like a cyst on a pubescent teenager’s face. NICE. Luckily, the aquaintance just so happened to have a spare tire laying around and our/my ride was saved, if not a little late and a lot warmer. We pushed off, made our rounds, and in less than two hours (including a lengthy stay at the Circle K turnaround. Read: don’t drink Iced Quad Venti No Whip Two Pump Mochas before a ride) and 27 miles later, we were back with no major issues to speak of. I was really surprised at the distance and my average of around 16 mph. It was my longest ride to date and I felt great. We plan on making that ride a weekly occurance now and I look forward to next Sunday.

On a side note, after cleaning up I picked up my girlfriend and her little sister and we went to go see Ratatouille. It was pretty cute and I would recommend it (the Pixar short, Lifted, was hilarious and had us rolling in the aisles). Overall, it was an awesome Sunday despite my technical ineptitude, the opressive heat, and my gastrointestinal tantrums.