Santa Monica to Santa Barbara and back - double century

Last weekend I had the privilege of riding with Shifting Gears on their fully supported ride from Santa Monica, CA to Santa Barbara, CA. This was the first time I had ridden 100 miles and I did it two days in a row! It just goes to show that you can do a lot more than you think you can if you just try. Like the old saying goes, "90% of success is just showing up". <- enter any percent over 75% and the saying will be just as accurate...

The route looks something like this: (Image courtesy of Anna Krasnyanskaya)



The shifting gears crew and their sponsors did an absolutely wonderful job of supporting the riders. There were about six pit stops a long the way where the riders could eat and drink all they could stand and also get a massage or stretch performed by professionals at each location. I stopped for a stretch during lunch on the way up and on the way back and thoroughly enjoyed it! They also had a full maintenance crew to perform some tweaks here and there as well as change out tubes / tires. The cost this year was ~$150 and this included everything (including lodging) except for the dinner on Saturday evening. At no time did I feel hungry or thirsty. Shifting Gears had these areas covered ten fold.

We had an insane headwind on the way up the coast to Santa Barbara but luckily the wind pattern stayed the same into the next day which provided a nice tail wind when we were all tired on the way home. I guess I should speak for myself... I was really tired!

If you live in the area you will be interested to know that Shifting Gears holds this ride annually so keep an eye out on their website for the date of next year's ride.

http://www.shiftinggearscycling.com

Knee Pain

I've been trying to ramp up for this double century ride from Santa Monica, CA to Santa Barbara, CA coming up at the end of this month. In doing so, I think I've increased my training too quickly and as a result I've injured my left knee. The pain is on the anterior and mostly lateral part of my knee and it's a sharp pain. It really bothered me over the weekend to the point that I had to basically coast home. It really seems to bother me when pounding up an ascent.

After doing a bit of research it appears likely that I may have jumped into long distances and steep climbs without a proper training base. There may also be some slight fitting problems on the bike.

I found a great site that had a lot of information to help with the research on this issue. I do recommend seeking professional advice as well as further research on your own above and beyond what is posted.

Cycling Related Knee Injury Link

To cut to the chase, it seems my seat may be a bit too low and perhaps too far forward. Also, I've been climbing a lot of hills and one of the possible causes for what I'm feeling could be attributed to pushing a big gear at a low cadence. Also, and I suspected this as well, it seems I need to check out the float and position of my cleat as I could be putting too much pressure on the lateral side of my left foot due to an inward positioning of the cleat on my shoe. So, I'll be laying off the hills for a bit until this starts feeling better.

I'll also look around for a good fitter as well and see about getting refitted. I've been enlightened to look for F.I.S.T. (Fit Institute SlowTwitch) certified shops to do the fitting. They mostly boast of tri-bike fitting, but they train retail shop personnel about bike fitting. I've heard that the people that are certified know all of the in-n-out's of bike fitting and you can be sure that they aren't just telling you a bunch of BS to make a buck.

Blackburn - Air Stik 2Stage

I have needed a compact and reliable pump for some time now. I have been bumming pumps off of my riding buddies or carrying this old school hand pump that's about as long as the top tube on my bike but wasn't designed to be fastened to the frame. In short, carrying around a hand pump that I may not even need was a real hassle considering the amount of trouble it was to mount it to the bike. It was even too large to keep in my jersey pocket.

I used to have a CO2 pump that would fit in my jersey pocket (still do, actually), but I was always worried that when I would really need it the thing would malfunction or whatever. The few times I did use it, it would get frozen to my valve stem and more air would leak out. The other problem I had with the CO2 was that the pressure in my tire wasn't as high as I'd prefer if you have any considerable distance left to travel after changing a flat on the road.

Enter the Blackburn Air Stik 2Stage. I'm hoping this little beauty solves all my transportation and pressure needs.



Some details include:
- High Volume Mode and High Pressure Mode for faster inflation and with less effort
- Mode Switch on handle
- Aluminum barrel and shaft
- Rebuildable
- Presta-specific head
- 84 grams
- Cage mount included
- Max pressure 160psi
- Lifetime Warranty

Also, this pump comes with a handy mounting bracket that uses your water cage bolts for mounting. It is only about 6 inches in length and fits tightly to the frame. In fact, it is currently mounted on my seat post tube water bottle cage and hangs off the side but it's so compact that it doesn't even come close to hitting my ankle during the pedal stroke. That's one problem I had with my other pump (the big clunker that I tried to mount on my bike).

I give this thing two thumbs up!

Back in the Saddle

It had been about four months since I had last ridden my bike, but two weeks ago I signed up for a double century to get myself out of the rut I had gotten into. After increasing my college workload to three courses per trimester, I suddenly became very busy with homework and group projects. I used that as an excuse to cease my bike commute to work to conserve more energy to dedicate to school. But, after four months, I began to miss that feeling of riding to work as the sun is rising and riding along the beach on the way home from work. Not to mention the physical conditioning I once had.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine sent me a link to site boasting a ride from Santa Monica, CA to Santa Barbara, CA on April 25 and riding back on the following day. The site is located here and the ride is being put on by Shifting Gears Cycling. My friend participated in this ride in 2008 and he said it was very well done. The fee is nominal considering that you have a full support crew with lunch, accommodations and even massages. This is just what I need to get out of my rut. So, I signed up and began commuting via bike to work again this week.

I go to school in the evenings two times a week so I decided to ride my bike to work on the days that I don't have school. Therefore, I am able to rack up 72 miles during those three days plus some early morning rides on the weekend for some longer distances. I have to admit that I've been a bit tired this week, but I can tell that I'll feel better once my conditioning returns.

So, if you're reading this and you live in or around Los Angeles, check out the double century ride from Santa Monica to Santa Barbara being held on April 25-26, 2009. 2 days, 200 miles. I'm sure it'll be a blast!

Hitting the Campaign Trail

I've decided that the prosperity of America is too important to leave in the hands of our current presidential candidates. Therefore, effective since early August, I've hit the campaign trail.

It's Been a While...

OK, I haven't been blogging like I used to primarily because I was traveling on vacation last week. During the vacation I was lucky enough to be able to meet up with some old friends and go running in Virginia. It was an extremely relaxing vacation. I stayed most of the time with my parents in the countryside near Smithfield, VA. They have a house tucked away in a small community on a dead end road with the trees surrounding every corner. Most mornings I would go for a run before my parents were up and then sit on their back deck with some hot oatmeal and a nice cup of coffee. The sense of tranquility in amongst the chirping birds and singing locusts was a deserved break from the hectic vibe of the city.

I took my parents to a nature trail called the Noland Trail located on the banks of the James River on the Hampton Roads peninsula in Newport News. I have fond memories of this trail because the first time I had run on the trail was also the first time I had ever ran 5 miles in my life. I also have great memories of the trail because I used to take my wife there a lot and we'd run together and share a great runners high immediately after completing the run! The trail is wonderfully maintained and it encompasses a body of water that connects to the James River. There are amazingly tall pine trees and sturdy wooden bridges throughout the trail. It's a great place to run if you're in the area.

All in all I came back to work with a refreshed sense excitement about work and school. It's amazing what a little time off away from regular routines can do for ones perspective.

By the way, I rode my bike to work again today for the first time in almost two weeks and even though I was running throughout that time, I felt like I was a little more fatigued than I used to be. It's so hard to get in shape but its so easy to get out of shape.

Headlamp on my Road Bike

So, I broke down the other day and installed my old halogen headlamp on my road bike (only when commuting to work)... I have to admit, it looks funny on my nice road bike. And I had to get creative with the mounting bracket because of the tapered handlebars. But, I can certainly tell the difference in how drivers react when they see me compared to when I didn't have a headlamp. Especially in the morning since there's not as much daylight. I can tell that drivers generally give me more space before pulling out in front of me than they did before. Also, my headlamp is just about the same height as most side view mirrors, so when I'm cruising by cars parked on the side of the road near the "door zone" the light shines in the side view mirrors letting drivers know I'm there.

The headlamp bracket stays on the bike all the time now, but I can slip the actual lamp off very easily when not commuting to work.