The Century Ride

The morning was cold and wet. Rain had started falling earlier in the night and it was not predicted to let up. Our start was delayed 1 hour which gave time to put on two jerseys, arm warmers, leg warmers, plastic bags over the socks, gloves and a rain jacket. Despite rain or cold I was determined to complete the century ride no matter what.

The course was challenging and the wet streets did not make it any easier. Weather conditions deterred about 100 riders from riding altogether. We started on the top of a mountain at the Killington Lodge. The first 10 miles was straight down. On dry streets you could do 35 to 40 mph without trying, but on wet pavement I had to ride the brake to keep speeds at 20 to 25 mph.

The mid part of the course was rolling hills surrounded by tall leafy trees on either side of road. It was beautiful country. I passed farmhouses, green meadows, covered bridges, and small, quaint New England towns. As I reached the rest stop at the 40 mile I had a decision: press on around the loop or turn around there and head back. I pressed on. Soon I realized why many decided to turn back. I faced a series of challenging climbs. As you approach the crest you think that you are about to make it the top only to find out there is another equally steep climb ahead. There were a series of 4 such climbs. After the last crest it was nearly straight down to complete the loop back to the 60 mile rest stop (which is the same as the 40 mile one.)

Over halfway done. Cold and wet had seeped in now. I moved forward at a steady space and tackled one additional lengthy climb. I was traversing the course in reverse now and recognized many of the landmarks. Moving at a slower pace (since it was now mostly up-hill) I was able to soak in the sights and savor the experience. Cheering spectators ringing cow bells passed periodically in shoe-polished cars to give the riders an emotional lift. At the 90 mile rest stop I welcomed the hot cider...it hit the spot.

Only 10 miles to go...but the toughest 10. Remember the mountain I rode down at the start of the ride? Well, now I had to go up it...and it was steep. Chugging along in my lowest gear I realized that I could not stop or coast for I would never be able to get going again on the incline. So I churned away. In the distance I heard some cheers and saw the finish line banner. As the cheers of encouragement grew louder I spun just a little faster to get across the finish line. When I passed Stacey was there to hug and kiss me with tears of happiness streaming down her cheek. I received my medal and exchanged my aluminum steed for a cup of hot soup and a cold beer.

The ride was a great experience and the entire weekend was well organized and inspirational. I was very satisfied with my preparation and performance but I realized that even before I completed one petal stroke I was successful. Because of my supporters' generosity I was able to raise over $9000 for Diabetes research that I believe will ultimately benefit Lance. Killington riders as a whole raised $1.4 million for JDRF. Wow! Thanks again for your support.

Next year in Sonoma!

Training Log

Cummaltive Miles: 1730

Here is a my training log updated on 8-18-09. Double click the picture to make it bigger and readable.

Protege

Lance loves to ride on the back of Daddy's mountain bike. Every time I say that I am going to go riding he wants to come along too. But now Lance is getting too big to fit into the bike child carrier (and too heavy for Dad to pedal him). We are transitioning to Lance riding his own bike.

It is slow-going at first needing lots of encouragement and pushes. Plus it seems that it is fun to steer off the sidewalk into the grass. We are working our way to riding all the way to the park ourselves. Seth is riding too and he is getting better each time. I am very proud of my young proteges.

WildRide 64-mile Bike Rally

Do you remember Saturday May 16, 2009 when it was constantly raining and generally dreary all day long? Well, that's when I put in my 64-mile ride as part of Richardson WildRide Bike rally. A couple of my colleagues bailed out due to the weather and several more people in the parking lot before the event reconsidered their involvement at the last minute due to the rain. I estimate less than 500 riders ended up participating in the event that expected over 2000.

Despite the weather, the event was well organized and well planned out. There were police officers or firemen at all the major intersections to stop traffic so that the riders did not have to stop. The route was relatively straight and did not have many jogs, which was much appreciated on the slick streets. And there was plenty of snacks and drinks at the rest stops due to the decreased number of riders.

I broke my ride into three sections with a rest stop at each 20 mile junction. The first 20 mile leg (19 mile actually) was smooth sailing. There was a distinct pack that I tried to stay in the middle of. The pace was brisk...averaging a little under 18 mph for this leg.

After the rest stop I tried to mingle in with a small pack leaving about the same time as me. They quickly out-paced me and I found myself alone navigating through the hilly city of Josephine which is east of Lake Lavon. It was eerie traveling alone on these back roads with no other cars or bikes around and only a scattering of farm houses in the distance. At times I wondered if I may have taken a wrong turn and gotten off course. The hills of this section fatigued me and I welcomed the rest stop after the middle 25 mile leg.

I took a fairly long rest here and drank plenty of water, ate my Cliff bar and other provided snacks, and tried to rest my legs. I departed for the last 20 mile leg. I began pacing with another rider which was good to have someone to talk to. He would distance from me on the flats but I would catch up to him on the hills. At the interim rest stop he veered off and I kept going…just 10 more miles to go.

By then I was riding in familiar territory around my house and my tension eased a bit. The last part of the course was relatively flat but it felt like lead weights were strapped to my ankles. It could have been the extra couple of pounds of water weight soaked into my socks and shoes that were to blame. I made the turn past the finish line. There was no white ribbon to cross and no cheering crowds but I felt good at my accomplishment. I averaged 16.1 mph in some pretty adverse conditions…(queue Rocky theme)…getting stronger…

The Coffee Incident

When I was 12 years old or so I bought a book with my own money called “The 10-Speed Bicycle”. I loved this book. It was copywrited in 1979. I used to read the chapters to learn and understand the workings of the derailers , brakes, and gearing of the bike and to figure out how to do the required bike maintenance. Yes, I was destined for engineering at a young age.

I used to read this book in the car as my Mom drove me to school in the morning. She drove a red 1980 Honda Accord. (Later I inherited this car after the Love Mobile fatally broke down). Mom used to drink her coffee on the way to school. She placed her Styrofoam cup on the dash right in front of me as I rode in the passenger seat. I stared at this cup, certain it would tip over and fall on me. I remember her telling me that it would not fall, but I tensed up at every turn.

One morning we were driving as normal and I was reading my bicycle book. A car swerved in front of us and Mom had to slam on the brakes. That coffee cup jumped off the dash and landed straight in my lap. I was drenched. Mom was so concerned because I was wet and possibly burned by the hot coffee but I did not care about that. My beloved book was soaked and ruined! I was very upset. We went home so I could change and we set the book out to dry. After a couple of days it did dry out but the page I was reading that day was irrevocably coffee stained.

What made me think about this story? Well, I had to do a tune up on my new bike and I thought that I would break out my trusty 10-Speed bicycle book. Wow is that thing outdated! The super-light frames which the elite racers used are steel frames with single butted joints. No aluminum. No carbon. Clipless pedals? Didn’t exist. Helmets? Optional. Heck, even the name of the book is outdated. Road bikes don’t have just 10 speeds anymore. 16 speeds minimum and some up to 30. (mine has 18 by the way). I found the book not too helpful in my tune-up but it did remind me of the funny coffee incident. Mom, I forgive you.

Bicycle Humor

A husband and wife were riding a tandem bicycle. A police officer pulls the man over and says, "Sir, do you realize your wife fell off a half mile ago?" The man replies, "Thank goodness, I thought I'd gone deaf."

Why did the bicycle fall over? It was two tired.

Did you hear about the vampire bicycle that went round biting people's arms off? It was a vicious cycle.

My New Bike

To do this ride, I had to move from my mountain bike to a road bike. I had not ridden a road bike in about 14 years and a lot has changed in biking technology since then: Lycra pants, carbon fiber frames and components, clipless pedals. All quite daunting.

I opted for what is the generally considered to be a low mid-range road bike. That statement seems like an oxymoron, especially considering the price tag of the bikes today. I test rode the Trek 2.1, Trek 4.5, and the Specialized Allez. The Trek and Specialized are aluminum frame with carbon fiber forks, seat stays, and seat posts. Component gear like shifters and derailleurs were mid-range, though the Specialized had a couple of upgraded components compared to the Trek. The Trek 4.5 offered a completely carbon fiber frame and was a little bit lighter.

Since I had not been on a road bike in years, I did not know how to judge what felt good, what felt bad, what was quality and what was not. I was mainly going on rule of thumb and gut feel. The Specialized seemed to feel better and I took solace in the fact that one of the main moving parts of the bike, the rear derailleur, was an upgraded component. That's better, right?

So I chose. I selected the Specialized Allez Elite. With all of the gear it weighs 22 lbs. That doesn't sound too extravagant but it is a step up from my 30 pound mountain bike. So far I have really been enjoying it.

Lance's Regimen

Lance's regimen consists of at least three insulin shots a day. His program uses a combination of long lasting insulin and short acting insulin. In the morning we prick his finger for a drop of blood to monitor his morning blood sugar level. He is usually within the range for the morning so we administer an insulin shot with a combination of the long acting and short acting insulin. The short acting will counteract the carbs eaten at breakfast while the long acting will take care of morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack. He eats 35 to 40 carbs for breakfast, usually oatmeal and milk.

At lunch his blood sugar is monitored again. If within normal levels then he does not need an insulin shot and he can eat his lunch. Lunch consists of 40 to 45 carbs. Lately Lance has refused to eat bread so getting up to 40 carbs without adding a lot of sweets is challenging.

At dinner, his blood sugar is monitored again and he gets a dose of the short acting insulin. This shot counteracts the 30 to 35 grams of carbs in his dinner. Yes, it is OK if you do not eat your meat but you must eat all of your fries and grapes!

After bath, just before bedtime, Lance gets his blood sugar checked again. He gets a dose of the long lasting insulin to carry him through the night. He gets a snack of about 15 carbs with some protein just before bed. Isn't it supposed to be bad to eat right before bed? Anyways, that carries him to the morning where the cycle repeats.

To My Supporters

Wow! You are all amazing! I am so thankful for the generosity and words of encouragement from my sponsors. It has exceeded my expectations. I feel blessed to have family, friends, and collegues that have come forward to support me in my efforts for a very worthwhile cause and challenging physical endevor. Keep checking on the blog for more updates.

--Russell

Special Thanks

A special thanks goes to my beautiful wife, Stacey. She has been very helpful in my fundraising efforts and supportive of my bicycle training. I love you.

A special thanks goes to my Mom and Dad for the special support in acquiring my new bicycle which is making this ride possible.

Thanks to Randy Class for donating the Garmin GPS trainer. I have just started using all of the functions...it is pretty cool.